News for Friday, March 23, 2007
• US Military: 7 Suspects Detained in Iraq Raids The U.S. military in Iraq says coalition forces destroyed a weapons cache and detained seven suspected terrorists in a series of raids Friday morning targeting the al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist network.
• College Basketball: Kansas, Ohio State, Memphis Advance in NCAA Tournament Kansas, UCLA, Ohio State and Memphis all won Thursday to reach their regional finals in the men's college basketball national championship tournament.
• Negotiators Expect North Korea Nuclear Talks to Resume Soon The North Korea nuclear talks stalled this week, but the chief U.S. envoy says he and his counterparts may be back at the table soon. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from the Chinese capital.
• Death Toll Rises in Mozambique Explosions Officials with Mozambique's health ministry say the death toll from a series of explosions at the national weapons depot has risen to 72.
• Arrest Warrant Issued Against Ex-DRC Vice President Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have issued an arrest warrant for former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba on charges of high treason.
• 49 Taleban Militants Killed in Southern Afghanistan Fighting Afghan officials say at least 49 Taleban militants were killed in a joint operation by Afghan military and police forces in southern Helmand province Thursday.
• US General Tells China Anti-Missile Test Caused Confusion The United States' top general is encouraging military leaders in China to be more transparent as they build up their country's armed forces. He also told the Chinese their anti-satellite test in January sent the world a confusing message about Beijing's military intentions. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from the Chinese capital, where General Peter Pace is paying a visit.
• Nepalese Government to Investigate Deadly Clashes in South The Nepalese government has ordered an investigation into deadly clashes in southern Nepal in which 27 people were killed. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the inquiry was ordered a day after the United Nations expressed worry that the growing violence in the country could jeopardize the peace process there.
• Iraq's Sunni Deputy PM Wounded in Suicide Bombing No summary available.
• MIT Holds Jerusalem Design Competition A top American science and technology university is holding a competition for a design of Jerusalem that would promote peaceful co-existence between all groups, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim.
• Britain Says Iran Seized 15 British Naval Personnel Britain's Defense Ministry says Iran seized 15 British naval personnel while they were conducting routine boarding operations in Iraqi waters.
• Russian Reaction to Possible Kosovo Independence Special United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari is expected to present his plan on Kosovo's political future to the Security Council on Monday.
• Musharraf Appeals for Calm in Crisis Over Judge's Firing Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has urged the nation's lawyers to help ease the political crisis triggered by his removal of the country's top judge.
• Somali Clan Announces Ceasefire A ceasefire is reported to have been reached in Somalia between a powerful clan and Ethiopian troops as fighting continues Friday in the capital city of Mogadishu.
• Actress Vivica A. Fox Released from Jail Two Can Play That Game" hspace=2 src="/english/images/Vivica_Fox_scene_Two_Can_Play_That_Game_210.jpg" width=210 vspace=2 border=0> Vivica A. Fox was released from jail March 21 after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
• Paul McCartney Becomes First Artist to Sign with New Starbucks Record Label From Liverpool to lattes: Sir Paul McCartney has become the first artist to sign with Starbucks' new record label, Hear Music.
• Eight Presidential Hopefuls Begin Campaigning in East Timor Eight candidates have begun campaigning for president in East Timor Friday with concerns of violence surrounding the April 9 election.
• Vietnam Convicts Ex-Deputy Minister and Son of Taking Bribes Mai Van Dau, former deputy trade minister of Vietnam, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption. His son Mai Van Hai, a former official at the same ministry, received five years. They and 12 others were charged with taking bribes from garment companies in exchange for export licenses to the United States. Matt Steinglass in Hanoi has more.
• Nigerian State Orders Probe Into Teacher's Killing The governor of Nigeria's northeastern state of Gombe has ordered an investigation into the killing Wednesday of a teacher by Muslim students at a secondary school in the state. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports that the killing underlines long-standing Muslim-Christian tension in parts of northern Nigeria.
• US: New UN Sanctions on Iran Imminent The United States says a U.N. Security Council vote increasing sanctions on Iran for failing to halt uranium enrichment could come as early as Saturday. U.S. officials say visas have been issued to allow Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to deliver a statement at the concluding council session on the resolution. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• US House of Representatives Approves Bill to Set Iraq Withdrawal Deadline The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the first binding legislation that sets a deadline for bringing all U.S. combat troops home from Iraq by the end of August 2008.
• Italian Ceremony Marks Treaty of Rome Anniversary EU chief Jose Manuel Barroso said Friday Europe needs a vision to inspire its citizens for the next 50 years. He was taking part in a ceremony at the Italian Senate, to mark the European Union's 50th birthday in Rome, where its founding treaty was signed. Sabina Castelfranco has this VOA report from Rome.
• Tennessee Lawmakers At Odds Over Justin Timberlake Will Justin Timberlake be bringing sexy back to his home state of Tennessee? A battle is raging in the southern state's legislature, regarding the image of the popular singer.
• 3 Foreigners Kidnapped by Gunmen in Nigeria's Niger Delta Three foreign nationals were kidnapped in two separate incidents Friday morning in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta, an area beset by violence and unrest. For VOA, Sarah Simpson reports from Lagos.
• Rights Groups Accuse Kenya of Secret Deportations Human rights groups in Kenya have condemned the Kenyan government for secretly deporting nearly 90 people, including Kenyans, to Somalia and Ethiopia as terrorism suspects. The suspects were arrested at the Kenyan-Somali border, following an Ethiopian-led invasion of Somalia in late December that toppled Somalia's powerful Islamist movement. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from Nairobi.
• Iran Captures 15 British Troops in Persian Gulf Iranian naval forces took 15 British sailors and marines captive early Friday in the northern Persian Gulf. The British and Iranian governments disagree on whether the British forces were operating in Iranian or Iraqi territorial waters. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
• Secretary of State Rice Starting New Middle East Mission U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is leaving Washington for another Middle East trip aimed at spurring progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. She'll meet separately with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, along with leading Arab moderates. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• Witnesses in Mogadishu Say Plane Likely Brought Down by Missile In Somalia, a Russian-made cargo plane with 11 people on board crashed late Friday north of the capital, Mogadishu, after it took off from the city's main airport. Witnesses say it was most likely hit by an anti-aircraft missile. It is not known whether anyone survived the crash. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has details from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.
• Saliva: Diagnostic Tool to Detect Disease Scientists can now detect disease from a wad of spit. At the International Association for Dental Research meeting [March 21-24] in New Orleans, UCLA dentistry professor David Wong announced the completion of the salivary proteome, a catalog of the 1,500 proteins in saliva. "We can now begin to look different proteins in the saliva that could be used to detect individual diseases."
• Ahmadinejad Calls Off Trip to US Iranian President President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called off his trip to New York to attend a critical United Nations Security Council meeting.
• Tennis: Henin Reaches Third Round of Sony Ericsson Open Top-ranked Justine Henin of Belgium has reached the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Miami, Florida, but American James Blake is out of the event.
• Match Fixing Looked at as Possible Motive for Murder of Pakistan Cricket Coach The International Cricket Council says its anti-corruption unit is investigating whether match fixing was a motive for the strangulation murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer at the World Cup this week.
• Tanzanian Guantanamo Detainee Apologizes, Malaysian Also Has Hearing According to a U.S. Defense Department transcript a Tanzanian detainee at the Guantanamo detention center has apologized for his role in the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam in 1998, and said he was not as involved in the plot as the U.S. military has charged. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.