News for Tuesday, April 3, 2007
• US Military Says 6 Terrorists Killed, 13 Captured in Iraq Raids The U.S. military in Iraq says coalition forces killed six terrorists and captured 13 suspects during separate operations in the restive Al Anbar province Tuesday.
• South Asia Summit Opens with Self-Criticism The annual summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has opened in New Delhi, with leaders from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka expressing frustration at SAARC's failure to achieve its central goal. VOA's Steve Herman reports from the conference site.
• Bush to Speak on Iraq Troop Funding President Bush is scheduled to make a statement in the White House Rose Garden Tuesday, about funding for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Aftershocks Hit Tsunami-Ravaged Parts of Solomon Islands A series of aftershocks has shaken the Solomon Islands a day after a powerful tsunami hit the country's western provinces. Thousands of people are homeless after Monday's disaster, which left at least 28 people dead and many more unaccounted for. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
• Ukraine's Political Crisis Deepens The ruling coalition of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has submitted a query to Ukraine's Constitutional Court, questioning the validity of President Viktor Yushchenko's decision late Monday to dissolve parliament and call new elections. The president says he took the action to save Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, after months of political deadlock. VOA's Lisa McAdams in Moscow has the latest.
• China Strengthens Military Ties With Sudan Chinese officials say they will push forward with military cooperation with Sudan, despite accusations Khartoum supports militias that have killed hundreds of thousands of civilians in Sudan's Darfur region. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
• Saudi Arabia Says Israel Must Accept Arab Peace Offer Before Talks Saudi Arabia says Israel should first clearly accept Arab peace initiative before the kingdom would consider talks.
• Thai Court Frees Vietnamese Anti-Communist Activist A Thai appeals court has freed a Vietnamese-American who hijacked a Thai plane in 2000 to drop anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese government wanted to prosecute Ly Tong for threatening its national security. Ron Corben reports from Bangkok.
• Speaker of US House of Representatives Arrives in Syria The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has arrived in Syria for a two-day visit that the White House has criticized as undermining U.S. policy.
• French Train Breaks World Speed Record A sleek, black and chrome French train with oversized wheels has broken a world speed record for conventional rail, reaching a top velocity of nearly 575 kilometers per hour.
• Strong Earthquake Strikes Northeast Afghanistan A powerful earthquake has struck northeast Afghanistan, sending tremors across Pakistan and India.
• Diplomatic Momentum Builds in Effort to Resolve Arab-Israeli Dispute Diplomatic momentum is building in the Middle East. High-level international and regional initiatives are once again focusing global attention on efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli dispute. VOA's Jim Teeple reports some Israeli and Palestinian observers say the diplomacy is helpful, but it is now up those who live in Israel and the Palestinian territories to move the process forward.
• Zimbabwe Strike Gets Mixed Support In Zimbabwe support was mixed on the first day of a two-day nationwide strike. VOA's Scott Bobb reports from Johannesburg that the strike comes as regional leaders seek to mediate the Zimbabwe crisis.
• European Commission Investigates Apple's iTunes over Anti-Trust Allegations The European Commission says it has opened an anti-trust investigation into the way the U.S. computer company Apple sells music on its Internet-based music store in Europe.
• Iran Releases New Photos of British Sailors An Iranian news agency, Fars, has published new photos of the 15 British sailors taken captive by Iranian forces last month.
• Brazilian President: Global Trade Dispute Could be Solved Soon Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says the dispute between rich and poor nations that has stalled global trade talks could be resolved this month.
• Peru's President Urges Air Strikes Against Cocaine Factories Peru's President has urged the use of the military to destroy jungle factories that produce cocaine.
• Singapore and Burma Discuss Bilateral Ties Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo has met with his Burmese counterpart during a three-day visit to the military-ruled country.
• US Hurricane Experts Predict Active Season in Atlantic Region A leading hurricane-forecasting group has predicted an active season this year, following an unusually mild one in 2006.
• Kenyan Women Call for Government to Halt Land Clashes Kenya's national women's organization is calling for the Kenyan government to increase security in, and provide assistance to, an area in western Kenya plagued by long-running land clashes. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• Officials Meeting in Somalia, Egypt Urge End to Mogadishu Conflict Leaders of the largest clan in Somalia's capital have met with officials of the Ethiopian army to try to stop further violence in the city. Meanwhile, in Egypt, diplomats from Europe, the United States, and the Arab world discussed how to end the fighting that has ravaged the capital during the past few days. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• Africans Formulating Plan to Upgrade Secondary Education Education officials from across Africa are debating ideas on improving secondary education and making the system more relevant to the needs of the continent. For VOA, Efam Dovi reports from the meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.
• Nigerian Court Upholds Vice President's Exclusion From Poll A Nigerian court has ordered the country's electoral body to include the name of Vice President Atiku Abubakar on a list of candidates for this month's presidential election.
• US Urges Support for AU Peacekeeping in Somalia The United States Tuesday urged greater international support for African Union peacekeeping in Somalia. The State Department appeal came as senior U.S., European and African diplomats convened in Cairo to discuss the worsening violence in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• UN Lauds Landmine Ban, Warns about Cluster Bombs The United Nations is marking the International Day for Landmine Awareness on April 4, hailing the benefits of the decade-old ban on landmines, but warning about the growing threat of cluster bombs. From VOA's New York Bureau, correspondent Barbara Schoetzau has the story.
• Bush Administration Works to Extend Missile Defense to Europe The Bush administration says it is pressing ahead with plans to extend a U.S. missile defense system to Europe to defend NATO allies from possible future missile launches from North Korea, Iran, and other nations. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, where Pentagon officials are attempting to allay deep Russian misgivings about the program and perhaps even secure some form of Russian participation in the initiative.
• Nigerian Courts Add to Election Confusion Two courts in Nigeria have offered conflicting rulings over whether the vice president can run in this month's presidential election.
• Serbia, Backed by Russia, Seeks New Talks on Kosovo The United Nations' special envoy for Kosovo, former Finnish President Martii Ahtisaari, discussed his controversial proposal for future independence of Kosovo with the Security Council Tuesday. The Security Council must support any plan pertaining to the status of the UN-administered province. VOA correspondent Barbara Schoetzau reports from New York.