News for Tuesday, March 20, 2007
• Saddam Hussein's Former Vice President Executed in Iraq Iraqi authorities say Saddam Hussein's former vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, has been executed for his role in the killing of 148 Shi'ite Muslims in Dujail in 1982.
• Russia Gives Iran Nuclear Ultimatum -- Report A U.S. newspaper says Russia has told Iran that it will withhold fuel for Iran's nearly completed Bushehr nuclear power plant unless Tehran suspends its uranium enrichment activity.
• Indonesia Fights Mud Torrent Indonesia is struggling to hold back a torrent of hot mud that has buried entire villages and displaced more than 12,000 people since it began spewing from under the ground more than 10 months ago. Chad Bouchard recently visited Porong in East Java and reports that the future of the area and its people remain uncertain.
• Search for Missing Siberian Miners Continues Thirteen people are reported still missing after Monday's gas explosion at a coal mine in Central Siberia that killed at least 97 people. Rescuers are scouring the site for a second day, in the hopes of finding still more survivors. VOA's Lisa McAdams in Moscow reports.
• North Korea Nuclear Talks Hit Snag Talks among six nations on North Korea's nuclear programs are at a standstill. Diplomats in Beijing saying North Korea refuses to attend any more meetings until it gets back money frozen in a Macau bank account. VOA's Luis Ramirez has more from the Chinese capital.
• Rift Valley Fever Kills 16 in Tanzania Tanzania's health minister, David Mwakyusa, says an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Tanzania has killed 16 people and infected many more since late January.
• Fire in Russian Retirement Home Kills 62 Russian authorities say 62 people have died in a fire that gutted a retirement home in the southern part of the country.
• Britain to Allow Schools to Ban Full-Face Muslim Veils The British government is to release new guidelines Tuesday that will allow schools the right to ban students from wearing a full-face Muslim veil.
• Italian Hostage Freed in Afghanistan More than 100 people have gathered in southern Afghanistan to demand more information about the executed driver of a kidnapped Italian reporter.
• Russian Olympic Champions Win Synchronized Swimming Competition Olympic champions Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova of Russia have claimed their third gold medal in the synchronized swimming technical duet event at the world swimming championships in Melbourne, Australia.
• Protesters Surround Afghan Hospital in Fury at Friend's Brutal Death No summary available.
• US Energy Secretary Seeks Progress in Peacetime Nuclear Deal with India The United States and India agreed a year ago that the U.S. would supply the Indians with civilian nuclear technology, but the deal still faces significant obstacles. VOA's Steve Herman reports from New Delhi, where a U.S. delegation is trying to work through the obstacles.
• Dozens Flee Mogadishu After Fighting Kills at Least 3 No summary available.
• Palestinian Journalists Strike to Protest Kidnapping Palestinian journalists went on strike Tuesday for 24 hours to protest the abduction of a British journalist last week in the Gaza Strip.
• Pakistani Deputy Attorney General Resigns in Judiciary Crisis A Pakistani deputy attorney general has become the latest legal professional to resign in protest of President Pervez Musharraf's removal of the country's chief justice.
• US Diplomat Meets Member of New Palestinian Government Palestinian officials say a U.S. diplomat has held the first U.S. talks with a member of the new Palestinian unity government.
• Egyptian Parliament Approves Constitutional Amendments Egypt's parliament has approved a series of constitutional amendments that the government describes as reforms but the opposition calls a blow to democracy.
• Google Offers Online Services to Rwandan, Kenyan Universities The Internet company, Google, says it will soon provide free on-line services to universities in Kenya and Rwanda.
• At Least 24 Dead in Clashes in Pakistani Tribal Region Pakistani military officials say at least 24 people have been killed in two days of fighting in a tribal region in northwestern Pakistan.
• Deadly Guinea Traffic Accident Calls into Question Road Rules More than 50 people are dead and scores severely injured after a traffic accident in southeastern Guinea. State officials say the overturned truck was packed with people and agricultural goods. Phuong Tran has this report from VOA's West Africa Bureau in Dakar.
• Greek, US Governments Offer Million-Dollar Rewards in Embassy Blast Case (File photo - 12 Jan 2007" hspace=2 src="/english/images/AP_greece_police_US_embassy_eng_195_12jan07.jpg" width=186 vspace=2 border=0> The Greek and U.S. governments have each offered million-dollar rewards for information that could lead to the arrest of members of an extremist group responsible for a January attack on the U.S. Embassy in Athens.
• Indonesian Mud Flow Halts Briefly After Nine Months Indonesian officials say hot mud that has been spewing out of the ground for more than nine months has stopped briefly for the first time, raising hopes that efforts to plug the geyser are working.
• Guinea-Bissau's Government Loses Vote of Confidence Guinea-Bissau's government has lost a vote of confidence in the parliament and has three days to hand over power to a coalition body under the terms of the constitution. Government officials say they will appeal the vote. Kari Barber reports from VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar that one civil society leader says political jockeying may be a healthy sign for Guinea-Bissau, where past disputes have often involved military action and resulted in coups and uprisings.
• UN says Liberia Needs External Support The United Nations says Liberia needs to focus on economic development to ensure the country continues redeveloping peacefully after more than a decade of civil war. To help with this task U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is requesting that the United Nations extend the mandate for its peacekeeping force in Liberia for another year. Naomi Schwarz has more from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar.
• John Mayer to Headline Save The Music 10th Anniversary Concert Pop musician John Mayer will headline an upcoming concert to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Save The Music.
• Jackson Browne Becomes Songwriters Hall of Fame's Newest Inductee Jackson Browne has become the newest inductee in the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
• New Movie to Center on Britain's Margaret Thatcher Coming to a cinema near you: the Iron Lady. Margaret Thatcher, prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, will reportedly be the subject of an upcoming film.
• Study Finds Dramatic Rise in Alzheimer's Disease in US A new study has found a dramatic rise in the number of cases of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in the United States over the past five years.
• Iraqi Kurdish Leader Against Immediate US Troop Withdrawal No summary available.
• British Official: Country Issued 10,000 Fraudulent Passports Last Year A top British Home Office official says an estimated 10,000 British passports were issued last year to fraudulent applicants.
• Hong Kong Baby Girl Infected With Mild Bird Flu Strain Hong Kong health officials say a nine-month old girl has tested positive for a mild strain of the bird flu virus.
• Eritrean TV Shows Ethiopian Rebels, Claiming Responsibility for Kidnappings Eritrean state television reports that rebels from northern Ethiopia have claimed responsibility for kidnapping five European tourists and eight Ethiopians earlier this month.
• Vice President Cheney Has Brief Hospital Exam to Check Clot Vice President Dick Cheney went to a Washington, D.C. hospital Tuesday for an examination of his lower left leg, where a blood clot was discovered earlier this month.
• Medieval Muslim Artists Employed Complex Math to Create Patterns Muslim pattern makers were using highly intricate mathematical and geometrical techniques for creating decorative patterns that were not understood in the western world until well into the 20th century, according to new research.
• Iraqi Officials: 39 Militants Killed in Battle Iraqi officials say security forces have killed 39 militants in a battle in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of al-Anbar province.
• Britain to Ban 'Dumb' Cluster Bombs Britain has ordered its military to stop using cluster bombs that lack self-destruct mechanisms - a measure aimed at saving civilians.
• Israeli Settlers Move Into Palestinian Neighborhood in Hebron Tension is running high in the volatile West Bank town of Hebron after Israeli settlers took over a building. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, Palestinians and Israeli human rights groups describe the move as a provocation.
• Kenyan Advocacy Group Launches Campaign Against Child Sex Tourism In Kenya, a child advocacy group has launched a one-week campaign to collect one million signatures calling for an end to child sexual exploitation in the tourism industry. Kenya's tourism minister has given hotels one month to sign a code of conduct on the issue or face having their licenses revoked. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• US Angry Over Sudan Leader's Denial of Role in Darfur Atrocities The United States has responded angrily to interview remarks by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir denying his government had any role in atrocities in Darfur. The State Department said the remarks bore "no resemblance to reality" and it is time to consider new punitive action against the Khartoum government. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• A New Old Face of Tuberculosis Saturday, March 24th, is World Tuberculosis Day. It is also the 125th anniversary of the discovery of the bacterium that causes the lung disease.
• US Lawmakers Consider White House Offer in Attorneys Scandal The White House has offered to make President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, former White House lawyer Harriet Miers, and other officials available to U.S. congressional investigators probing the firings of U.S. attorneys. But under the deal, they would not appear under oath. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.
• 65 Killed in Guinea Truck Accident Officials in Guinea say 65 people have died and many others were severely injured when an overloaded truck they were traveling in overturned.
• Skywalk Jutting Over Edge of Grand Canyon Opens Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin joined Indian leaders Tuesday to open a glass-bottomed walkway that juts over the edge of the Grand Canyon.