News for Wednesday, April 4, 2007

• Britain Offers Iran Direct Talks Over Detained Sailors Britain says it is waiting for Iran's response to its proposal of direct bilateral talks to resolve the issue of 15 British naval personnel seized by Iran on March 23rd.
• Aid Filters Through to Tsunami Survivors in Solomon Islands International aid has begun reaching survivors of a tsunami in the Solomon Islands. At least 28 people were killed when a magnitude 8.0 earthquake sent giant waves crashing into remote parts of the South Pacific archipelago. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
• Sri Lankan Warplanes Bomb Tamil Rebel Naval Base Sri Lanka's military says air force jets have bombed a major Tamil rebel naval base in the northeast of the country, setting it on fire.
• Colombian Authorities Capture Fugitive Paramilitary Leader Colombian authorities have captured the fugitive leader of an ultra-right wing paramilitary group who is wanted on murder and drug trafficking charges.
• SAARC Grapples for Consensus on Anti-Terrorism Message The closing declaration to be issued by the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation is certain to mention terrorism. But there are differences among the eight member states about the causes of terrorism, and how to coordinate the fight against it. VOA's Steve Herman reports from New Delhi, where the summit has begun its final day.
• Castro Publishes Second Editorial Criticizing US Bio-Fuel Policy Ailing Cuban President Fidel Castro has published his second editorial in a week criticizing U.S. President George Bush's bio-fuel policies.
• Gunmen Kill 5 Iraqi Electricity Workers in Ambush Iraqi police say gunmen have ambushed a bus carrying workers of a power plant in northern Iraq, killing at least five people.
• Pro-Government Supporters Mass in Ukraine Pro-government supporters of Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych continue to arrive in the capital, Kiev, for mass protests against President Viktor Yushchenko's decision to dissolve parliament and call new elections.   Lisa McAdams in Moscow reports.
• Iranian President Says British Naval Personnel to Be Freed No summary available.
• Spain, Cuba Renew Bilateral Ties During Havana Talks Spain and Cuba have renewed their bilateral ties during talks in Havana with an agreement to discuss human rights and economic cooperation.
• Interpol Seeks Three Israelis Accused of Training Colombian Militias Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for three Israelis accused of training private armies of Colombian drug cartels and right-wing paramilitaries.
• Avril Lavigne Shows No Sympathy for Spears Avril Lavigne has no sympathy for Britney Spears. Speaking to the London Sun, the 22-year-old pop-rock singer says Spears simply isn't tough enough for show business.
• Justin Timberlake Criticizes Tabloids in New Interview Justin Timberlake has a message for U.S. celebrity journalists: drop dead. Speaking to Details Magazine, the 26-year-old entertainer says he despises tabloids for turning his personal life into gossip fodder.
• US House Speaker Pelosi Meets Syrian President The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has assured her he is willing to hold peace talks with Israel.
• Pakistani Tribesmen Declare Jihad Against Militants Linked to al-Qaida Tribal forces in Pakistan's remote border area with Afghanistan have killed more than 40 foreign extremists linked with al-Qaida in some of the worst fighting yet in the region. From Islamabad, VOA Correspondent Benjamin Sand reports the clashes occurred a day after tribal elders declared war on the mostly Uzbek militants.
• Britney Spears Officially Divorced Britney Spears is officially divorced - but at a stiff price.
• Tennessee Wins National Women's College Basketball Championship Tennessee has ended a nine-year women's college basketball championship drought by defeating Rutgers, 59-46, in Cleveland, Ohio.
• US Arrests Three Allegedly Involved in War Crimes in South America U.S. law enforcement officials have announced the arrest of three former South American military officers, an Argentine and two Peruvians, who are suspected of war crimes.
• Women, Children Face Humanitarian Crisis in Central African Republic The U.N. children's fund says prolonged fighting in the northern part of Central African Republic has made more than 200,000 people homeless and forced another 70,000 to seek refuge in neighboring countries. Lisa Schlein has more for VOA from Geneva, where UNICEF has its European headquarters.
• Heather Mills Denies She's a 'Gold Digger' Heather Mills says she's no gold digger. Speaking April 3 with E! Entertainment Television, the Dancing With The Stars contestant claims the media prey on her for marrying - and seeking to divorce - Paul McCartney.
• Rolling Stones' Keith Richards Admits Snorting Father's Ashes Mixed with Cocaine Keith Richards says he once snorted his father's ashes mixed with cocaine. Speaking to the British music magazine "NME," the 63-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist acknowledges ingesting his father's cremated remains.
• DaimlerChrysler Chief Says Chrysler is For Sale DaimlerChrysler's chief executive officer has told shareholders he is negotiating the sale of the German-American company's troubled Chrysler unit.
• South Asian Nations to Look at Legal Framework to Combat Terrorism Leaders from eight South Asian nations have agreed to work towards a pact that would allow for those accused of terrorism and other cross-border crimes to be extradited to other member states.  Indian officials say that is one of the significant outcomes from two days of top-level meetings in New Delhi.  VOA's Steve Herman reports from the Indian capital where the summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation has concluded.
• Authorities Collect, Bury Corpses in Mogadishu Residents of Somalia's capital are collecting corpses that are still scattered on the streets after last week's fighting between insurgents and Ethiopian forces.
• EU: Poland May be Ready to Lift Veto on EU-Russia Talks European Union officials say Poland has indicated it is ready to lift a veto on talks about a new EU-Russia partnership agreement. Warsaw blocked the talks last year, in response to a Moscow ban on imports of Polish meat and other agricultural products.
• Lack of Security Hinders Refugee Efforts in Chad In southeastern Chad, efforts continue to locate villagers driven into hiding by attacks Saturday that left 65 people dead.  U.N. officials believe many people, fearing more attacks, are still in hiding.  Kari Barber has more from VOA's West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.
• Senegal Independence Day Calls into Question France's Future Role Throughout Francophone West Africa, analysts say France's influence has been changing. In Senegal, the country observed its 47th year of independence from France. With an octogenarian president entering his last term, analysts say it is inevitable France will lose influence with future leaders of its former colony. Phuong Tran has for VOA more from Dakar.
• Report Says War on Terror Violating Human Rights in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia An Ethiopian official denies an Associated Press report that says U.S. officials are interrogating terrorism suspects in secret prisons in Ethiopia. Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, says the report is likely true, given its own report documenting cooperation between the Kenyan, Ethiopian, Somali and U.S. governments on the war on terror. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• US Military: Murders Declining in Iraq But Car Bombs Still a Threat U.S. military officials say sectarian murders have decreased in Baghdad since a joint U.S.-Iraqi security plan was launched in mid-February, but high-profile car bombings in and around the capital continue to be a concern.  From Baghdad, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.
• US Presidential Hopeful Obama Raises $25 Million For Campaign Democratic U.S. Senator Barack Obama has raised at least $25 million so far this year for his presidential bid.
• Protests Over Ukrainian Government Stand-Off Continue Thousands of demonstrators rallied Wednesday in the streets of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, against President Viktor Yushchenko's order that dissolved parliament and plunged the country into turmoil.
• Pakistan: Tribesmen Kill 40 Foreign Militants in South Waziristan Pakistani officials say armed tribesmen have killed more than 40 foreign militants in the latest fighting along Pakistan's western border with Afghanistan.
• IRNA: Envoy to See Iranians Detained by US in Iraq Iran's official news agency says an Iranian envoy will meet with five Iranians detained by U.S. forces in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil in January.
• Protestant Leader Shakes Hands With Irish PM Northern Ireland's hard-line Protestant leader Ian Paisley and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern have shaken hands in public for the first time, in a symbolic step towards peace in the troubled area.
• Two French Aid Workers, Afghan Staffers Missing in Afghanistan French and Afghan officials say two French aid workers and three Afghan members of their staff are missing in Afghanistan.
• Ethiopia Denies US Interrogated Terror Suspects on Ethiopian Soil An Ethiopian official has denied a report that says U.S. officials are interrogating terrorism suspects at secret prisons in Ethiopia.
• Release of British Sailors Leaves Unanswered Questions The end of the standoff between Britain and Iran still leaves many questions unanswered. Chief among them is why Iran took such a deliberately provocative action as seizing British sailors and marines. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, many analysts believe the heart of the matter lies in the struggle between Iran and the United States for influence in Iraq and the Middle East.
• Mexican Official Promises Crackdown Against Drug Traffickers A top Mexican official says the new government plans to take action against the country's powerful drug cartels.  Deputy Attorney General Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos says the goal is to greatly reduce the power of the cartels by the end of the six-year term of President Felipe Calderon.  James Blears spoke with Mr. Santiago Vasconcelos about the government's plan and filed this report from Mexico City.
• UN to Form Fact-Finding Mission Before Decision on Kosovo The head of the U.N. Security Council, British Ambassador Emyr Jones-Parry, says he does not expect any decisions on the future status of Kosovo until members visit Belgrade and Pristina this month.  VOA Correspondent Barbara Schoetzau has the details from New York.
• Woods Favored Over Defending Champ Mickelson at Masters World No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods is favored to dethrone fellow-American and defending champion Phil Mickelson when the Masters golf tournament gets underway at Augusta National in Georgia on Thursday.
• WHO: Vitamin Pills for Certain Pregnant Women Boost Birth Weight A study in Tanzania shows that pregnant women in developing countries have healthier babies if they are given a simple, cheap medical intervention - vitamin supplements. In a world where an estimated 20 million infants are born too small each year, the researchers recommend vitamin pills for all expectant mothers in poor countries. VOA's David McAlary reports.