News for Saturday, March 17, 2007
• North Korea Refuses to End Nuclear Program Until US Releases Funds North Korea's chief nuclear envoy says his country will not stop its nuclear program until the United States fully releases funds currently frozen in a Macau bank.
• Pakistan Lifts Restrictions on Dismissed Top Judge Pakistani officials say authorities have lifted restrictions on the country's former top judge, who has been confined to his home since being dismissed by President Pervez Musharraf last week.
• Abbas Calls for Peace Ahead of Vote to Approve New Palestinian Government Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for a negotiated peace with Israel to end the cycle of violence.
• Coalition Troops Capture 18 Suspected Terrorists in 2 Iraq Raids The U.S. military in Iraq says coalition forces have captured 18 suspected terrorists in two separate raids.
• AU Urges Zimbabwe to Observe Basic Human Rights The African Union is calling on Zimbabwe to show respect for human rights in the aftermath of the alleged beating of opposition members by government authorities.
• US Soldier Convicted in Iraqi Deaths A U.S. soldier has been convicted in the shooting deaths of three Iraqi detainees last year.
• Antiwar Protests Begin in Washington Tens of thousands of demonstrators are in Washington for protests marking the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq.
• US Senator Call for Probe of Alleged Abuse Two U.S. senators are calling for an investigation into a suspected terrorist's claims that he was physically abused while he was held in secret CIA prisons.
• Russian Plane Crash Kills 5, Injures 51 Russian officials say five people were killed and 51 injured Saturday in the crash landing of a Russian airliner.
• French PM Calls For Withdrawal of All Foreign Troops from Iraq Within a Year French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has urged the United States and other nations with troops in Iraq to withdraw from the country within one year.
• Chinese Auditors Uncover 'Massive' Misuse of Social Security Funds A Chinese government audit has found that local officials have misused $4 billion in social security funds that are meant to provide a safety net for China's growing population of retirees. As VOA's Michael Lipin reports from Hong Kong, one reason for the massive fraud is Beijing's lack of supervision of local governments.
• US Lawmakers Vow to Resist Removing North Korea from List of Terror Sponsors Three U.S. lawmakers from President Bush's Republican Party say they will oppose any attempts by Washington to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
• Khmer Rouge Tribunal Lawyer: Dispute over Lawyers Fees Should not Derail Cambodian Genocide Trial The chief defense lawyer for the Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal in Cambodia says a dispute over fees foreign lawyers must pay to take part should not derail the long-stalled trials.
• Chavez Criticizes Bush in ABC Interview Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has criticized President Bush in a new television interview, six months after referring to Mr. Bush as "the devil" before the United Nations General Assembly.
• Palestinian Parliament Approves New Unity Government The Palestinian parliament has overwhelmingly approved a new Fatah-Hamas coalition government.
• Bush Repeats Vow to Veto Bill Setting Timetable for Iraq Troop Withdrawal President Bush has repeated his pledge to veto an emergency war spending bill that the House of Representatives is set to debate next week, if it sets a deadline for the removal of troops from Iraq.
• Burma Arrests 328 Suspected Drug Dealers Burma's state-run newspaper says police have arrested 328 suspected drug dealers in an effort to crack down on rampant drug trafficking.
• China Raises Interest Rates to Cool Investment, Economic Growth China's central bank says it is raising key interest rates by more than a quarter of a percentage point, in its latest effort to cool the nation's rapid economic growth.
• Analysts: Ivory Coast Military Unification First Step to Peace In the Ivory Coast, President Laurent Gbagbo and rebel leaders have agreed to unite government and rebel troops under one command. Analysts say this initiative, part of a peace deal agreed earlier this month, is just one step in unifying the divided nation, with more difficult negotiations still to come. Kari Barber reports from VOA's West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.
• India's West Bengal Government Scraps Plans to Seize Land after Demonstrations Government officials in India's West Bengal state say they will not go forward with a plan to create an industrial zone on farmland, after 14 villagers were killed as they demonstrated against the project.
• Saddam Judge Said to Seek Asylum in Britain A British news report says that the Iraqi judge who sentenced former President Saddam Hussein to death has applied for asylum in London.
• Afghan Child Killed, Others Wounded in Attack on Convoy One Afghan child was killed and four people were wounded Saturday in a blast targeting a Canadian convoy in southern Afghanistan.
• Afghan Artifacts Return After Years in Exile A large collection of artifacts and relics has been returned to Afghanistan after years in the protective care of a Swiss museum.
• White House Opposes Bill to Give Nation's Capital a Congressional Vote The White House has declared its opposition to a bill that would give Washington, D.C. a vote in Congress.