News for Monday, March 26, 2007
• PetroChina Posts Large Annual Profits China's largest oil producer reported a gain in net profit for 2006 and FedEx will begin domestic express delivery services in China. Claudia Blume at VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong has more on these and other business stories from the region.
• Bullying in Japan Leads to Student Suicides A recent spate of student suicides resulting from bullying has caused deep concern in Japan. Catherine Makino reports from Tokyo.
• Sri Lanka: Tamil Tigers Launch First Ever Air Strike Tamil Tiger rebels have launched their first ever air strike in Sri Lanka - bombing an air force base near Colombo. The raid killed three airmen and wounded 16 others. As Anjana Pasricha reports from VOA's South Asia bureau in New Delhi, the unexpected attack has raised worries that Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict will escalate.
• Israeli Prime Minister Willing to Attend Arab Summit if Invited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he "would not hesitate" to take part in a regional Arab summit, if he was invited.
• Egyptians Vote in Controversial Constitutional Referendum No summary available.
• Sources: Abdallahi Wins Mauritanian Presidential Run-Off Sources in Mauritania's interior ministry say former government minister Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi has won the country's presidential run-off election.
• Indonesia says WHO Rules on Sharing Bird Flu Samples Must Change The Indonesian government says World Health Organization rules on sharing bird flu samples with private companies are unacceptable and must change. Indonesia says poor countries must participate in the development of any potential vaccine for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Jakarta has more.
• Wife of Ousted Thai Prime Minister Charged The wife of the ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has appeared in court to face charges of tax evasion. As Ron Corben reports the hearing marks the first of several planned corruption cases against the former prime minister and his family.
• US Iraq Ambassador Confirms US Talks with Insurgent Groups No summary available.
• Turkish Prosecutors Investigate Erdogan Reference to Kurdish Leader Turkish prosecutors are investigating whether Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan once referred to jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan as esteemed.
• Cambodia Bar Association Says International Judges Delaying Khmer Rouge Tribunal Cambodia's Bar Association is accusing international judges of trying to delay the start of genocide trials for former leaders of the Khmer Rouge.
• South Korea Says Rice Dispute Could Wreck Free Trade Deal with US South Korean negotiators say demands for U.S. access to the South Korean rice market could wreck a major trade deal.
• Britney Spears Attends Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Following Release from Rehab Facility; Elton John Turns 60 On March 21, 25-year-old pop singer Britney Spears completed a 28-day program at Promises Malibu. Although most residents stay at the alcohol and drug abuse treatment center for at least 45 days, Britney's manager, Larry Randolph, released a statement saying Spears had successfully completed the program. It hasn't been disclosed what type of treatment Britney received, but she reportedly attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting the night she was released. Two days after her release, Britney won an injunction in London's High Court against a person who has been leaking information to British media about her stay in rehab. According to People.com, Schillings media law firm will pursue the source of the leaks, and, once found, will take legal action. In other news, Britney's soon-to-be-ex-husband, Kevin Federline, showed his support for Britney by canceling his 29th birthday party after learning of Spears' release.
• New Jersey Prepares to Bid 'The Sopranos' Farewell Breaking up is hard to do: after eight years together, New Jersey is preparing to bid farewell to The Sopranos television drama series.
• Madonna's New Clothing Line Gets Mixed Reviews Shoppers gave Madonna's new fashion venture mixed reviews March 22, on the occasion of its worldwide rollout.
• UN Chief Urges Israel to Reconsider Rejection of New Palestinian Government The U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon wrapped up a two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories with a proposal to include key Arab states in a future meeting of the so-called Middle East Peace Quartet. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem that Israel's prime minister says he is open to the proposal.
• Police Issue Arrest Warrant for Rapper Foxy Brown Foxy Brown is a wanted woman...again.
• Northern Ireland's Rival Leaders Reach Deal on Sharing Power Protestant and Catholic political leaders in Northern Ireland have announced a deal to form a power-sharing government on May 8.
• White House Disappointed Iran is Limiting IAEA Cooperation The White House says it is disappointed by Iran's decision to limit cooperation with the United Nations nuclear agency.
• Rice Pushes for Increased Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shuttled between Israel and Jordan as she neared the end of her fourth Middle East mission in as many months. Rice told reporters in Jerusalem she wants to expedite, not control, dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians. VOA's David Gollust is traveling with Rice in Jerusalem.
• UN Proposal Recommends Independence for Kosovo The special United Nations envoy for Kosovo says independence is "the only viable option" to bring economic and political stability to the Serbian province.
• Venezuelan Government Seizes Land for Farming Cooperatives The Venezuelan government has seized about 330,000 hectares of land it considers idle from 16 estates for use as collective farms.
• Coroner Says Anna Nicole Smith Died of Accidental Overdose No summary available.
• Pakistan, Tribal Elders Sign Deal With Taleban Militants in Border Region Pakistani authorities and tribal elders signed a peace deal Monday with pro-Taleban militants in a troubled region bordering Afghanistan.
• Congo's President Vows to Deal with Deadly Clashes Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila says he will track down all people responsible for the two-day clashes in the capital, Kinshasa, that killed 120 people.
• Elton John Celebrates 60th Birthday with Madison Square Garden Concert Elton John celebrated his 60th birthday on stage Sunday March 25, making a record-breaking 60th appearance in New York City's Madison Square Garden.
• Iran Interrogates 15 British Naval Personnel Seized Friday Iran says it is interrogating 15 British naval personnel captured Friday to determine if their alleged illegal entry into Iranian waters was intentional.
• Pakistan Hails Success of Tribal Peace Deals The government of Pakistan says last week's clashes between tribesman and foreign militants shows that its strategy of using local tribal groups to drive out extremists is working.
• Canada Opens Trial of Rwandan Charged with Crimes Against Humanity Canada is starting a war crimes trial Monday for a Rwandan man accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide in his country.
• Henin Advances to Sony Ericsson Tennis Open Quarterfinals World No. 1 women's tennis player Justine Henin of Belgium has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida by beating Vera Zvonareva of Russia.
• EU Expresses Desire for Negotiated Settlement to Iran Nuclear Standoff The European Union's foreign policy chief has told Iran that the international community wants a negotiated settlement to the standoff on Tehran's nuclear program.
• Australian Charged as Enemy Combatant in Guantanamo U.S. military authorities have filed terrorism charges against Australian David Hicks who is being held at a military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. From Miami, VOA's Brian Wagner reports Hicks is the first detainee to be tried as an alleged enemy combatant under a revised set of procedures.
• UNHCR Reports at Least 100 Dead Or Missing Off Yemen Coast The UN refugee agency reported Monday that human traffickers forced a group of about 450 people from Somalia and Ethiopia off of boats in the Gulf of Aden, far from shore. At least 29 people are confirmed dead and 71 others missing in the incident, which occurred Thursday. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.
• US Lawmakers Consider Measures to Fight Human Trafficking U.S. lawmakers are considering strengthening a law aimed at fighting human trafficking. They held a hearing on the issue late Monday, as VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.
• UNHCR Calls Iraqi Refugee Situation Unsustainable A senior official with the U.N. refugee agency says the steady stream of refugees from Iraq to neighboring countries, as well as Iraqis fleeing their homes for other, safer parts of the country are taxing resources to capacity. If the exodus continues, the official says, the U.N. agency may have to consider setting up refugee camps near the Iraqi border. Lisa Schlein has this VOA report from Geneva.
• US Military in Iraq Announces Capture of Suspected Leaders of Car Bomb Network The U.S. military says American forces have captured two suspected leaders of a car bomb network believed responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Iraqis.
• US Senate Debates Bill to Fund Military Missions in Iraq, Afghanistan The U.S. Senate continues debate Tuesday on President Bush's request for additional funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Majority Democrats have included a provision calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by next March - a measure that Republicans are seeking to strip from the overall bill. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.