News for Thursday, April 12, 2007

• Suicide Truck Bombing Damages Major Baghdad Bridge Authorities in Iraq say a suicide truck bomber blew himself up on a bridge over the Tigris River in Baghdad Thursday, killing at least six people and partially destroying the structure.
• Author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Dies American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., has died at age 84.  VOA'S Chris Martin prepared this profile.
• India Tests Missile Capable of Carrying Nuclear Warhead to Beijing India has successfully test-launched a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads across much of Asia and the Middle East. VOA's Steve Herman reports from New Delhi that officials say this latest test significantly expands India's nuclear reach.
• Chinese Premier Urges Japan, China to Work Together to Put History Behind Them Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao says Japan and his own country should heal the long-festering wounds of war and work toward more cooperation. Mr. Wen made the appeal in a speech to Japan's parliament on the second day of his visit to the country. VOA's Luis Ramirez has more from Tokyo.
• Death Toll from Bomb Blasts in Algeria Rises to 33 Algeria's official news agency (APS) says the death toll from Wednesday's suicide bombings in the capital has risen to 33.
• US, Afghan Forces Kill 35 Taleban Fighters An Afghan official says U.S. and Afghan forces have killed 35 Taleban militants in a battle in the south of the country.
• US Diplomat Visits Buddhist Monk in Vietnam Vietnamese dissident monk Thich Quang Do recently welcomed a visit from U.S. diplomat Eric John. Do is secretary-general of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, which started out in the 1960s opposing the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. Today, the church finds itself appealing to the U.S. for help - part of the complicated story of Vietnamese Buddhist politics. Matt Steinglass reports from Hanoi.
• Abbas Tells BBC Chief Abducted Reporter is Safe The BBC's director general, Mark Thompson, says he has been assured that the network's correspondent in the Gaza Strip abducted a month ago is "safe and well."
• India Test Fires Longest Range Missile India says it has successfully test-fired its longest-range missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead across much of Asia and the Middle East.
• Colombia, Mexico to Strengthen Cooperation Against Drug Trafficking The head of Colombia's anti-narcotics police says his nation will work more closely with Mexico against cartels trafficking drugs between the countries.
• US,  South Korean Negotiators Urge North to Begin Nuclear Shutdown The chief U.S. and South Korean negotiators on North Korea's nuclear weapons program say Pyongyang needs to begin shutting down its nuclear reactor despite the probability of missing a Saturday deadline. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
• US Envoy to Press Sudan on Darfur Crisis U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte is expected to arrive in the Sudanese capital Khartoum Thursday. While in Sudan, Negroponte is expected to press Sudanese officials on the continuing crisis in Darfur.
• Cuban Foreign Minister Visits New Delhi Cuba's foreign minister has met Indian leaders during a two-day visit to New Delhi to strengthen ties. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the Cuban leader will also be visiting Vietnam and China as part of an Asian tour.
• At Least 2 Dead in Ugandan Protest Police in Uganda's capital say at least two people of Asian origin have been killed during a protest against plans to clear part of a national forest for sugarcane growing.
• NBA: Pistons Clinch Best Record in Eastern Conference The Detroit Pistons won the National Basketball League's Eastern Conference division title Wednesday with an 104-99 win over the Orlando Magic.
• White House Says Official E-Mails May be Lost in Private Accounts No summary available.
• UN Nuclear Chief: Iran in Early Stages of Uranium Enrichment The head of the U.N. nuclear agency says Iran is still in the early stages of creating a plant to enrich uranium.
• Musharraf: 300 Foreign Militants Killed in Pakistani Tribal Offensive Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says local tribesmen have killed about 300 foreign militants in weeks of fighting near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
• 30 Peruvians Arrested in Protest Demanding Greater Regional Benefits Peruvian police have arrested at least 30 demonstrators in the Ancash region.
• Rostropovich Hospitalized in Russia World famous Russian cellist and conductor, Mstislav Rostropovich, who appeared frail at his 80th birthday celebration last month, has been hospitalized in Moscow for the second time this year.
• Brazilian Minister Defends Brazil's Air-Traffic Control System Brazil's defense minister says his country's air-traffic control system is one of the world's best.
• Rapper Snoop Dogg Avoids Possible Jail Term Snoop Dogg has avoided a potential one-year jail term. Appearing April 11 in a Los Angeles courtroom, the 35-year-old rapper pleaded no contest to charges of gun possession by a felon and sale or transportation of marijuana. He agreed to five years of probation and 800 hours of community service.
• Singer Marc Anthony Agrees to Pay $2.5 Million in Back Taxes Marc Anthony has agreed to pay approximately $2.5 million in back taxes, after failing to file income tax returns for five years.
• Haley Scarnato Voted Off 'American Idol' Competition Haley Scarnato is the latest contestant to exit American Idol. The 24-year-old Texas native received the lowest number of votes on the April 11 edition of the popular U.S. televised talent show.
• Bangladesh Caretaker Government Predicts Elections Before End of 2008 The head of Bangladesh's military-backed interim government said Thursday, he hopes free and fair elections can be held by the end of 2008.
• Both Sides in Ukrainian Political Crisis Show Signs of Flexibility Both sides in Ukraine's political crisis have shown signs of flexibility.
• UN Chief Encouraged by Darfur Peace Efforts U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expressing optimism that Sudan will soon accept the presence of attack helicopters in a robust peacekeeping presence in Darfur.  VOA's Peter Heinlein reports the U.N. chief also called for the immediate release of a British journalist kidnapped in Gaza.
• US Urges Nigeria to Assure Confidence in Elections The United States Thursday called on the Nigerian government and election officials to do everything they can to assure the fairness of the country's upcoming elections. The run-up to the two-stage legislative and presidential elections beginning Saturday has been marred by opposition charges of vote-rigging and intimidation. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• Congo Prosecutors Asks For Removal of Bemba's Immunity The Democratic Republic of Congo's top prosecutor has asked the country's Senate to lift immunity for Senator and former Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba so he can be charged with treason.
• Turkey's Military Chief Calls for Strike Against Kurdish Rebels in Iraq Turkey's powerful Chief of General Staff called on Thursday for military action against Kurdish separatist rebels based in northern Iraq. The statement by General Yasar Buyukanit marks the first time he has publicly called for a cross border strike against the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK. From Istanbul, Amberin Zaman has more details for VOA.
• Newly Discovered Gene Could Help Explain Obesity British researchers have discovered an obesity gene that may help explain why some people get fatter than others. But as we hear from VOA's David McAlary in Washington, they say it is not alone responsible for the epidemic of weight gain sweeping the globe.
• Colombia Withdraws Bid for World Cup 2014 Colombia has withdrawn from the race to host football's World Cup in 2014. A Colombian Football Federation spokesman said a letter had been sent to football's world governing body informing FIFA of the decision.
• Scientists Decipher Rhesus Macaque Genome An international consortium of scientists has deciphered the genetic make up of the rhesus macaque, a monkey that shares a common primate ancestry with chimpanzees and humans. Researchers say the work will allow them to gain a better understanding of human biology and what drives human diseases, such as the virus that causes AIDS. VOA's Jessica Berman reports.
• Ancient T-Rex Protein Supports Idea of Dinosaur-Bird Link Scientists have extracted tiny bits of protein from a 68 million-year-old dinosaur fossil, a feat once thought biologically impossible. Close study of the protein's composition shows that the long extinct animal is most closely related to chickens. David McAlary reports that it is the first chemical evidence of a dinosaur link with birds.
• World Bank President Wolfowitz Rejects Criticism of His Leadership On the eve of the semi-annual finance ministers meeting at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has rejected criticism of his leadership. VOA's Barry Wood reports.
• US Lawmakers Seek Stronger Measures to Fight Intellectual Property Theft U.S. lawmakers are considering measures to more effectively crackdown on the theft of American intellectual property. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.
• US Network Fires Radio Host Over Controversial Remarks A U.S. broadcast network has fired a popular radio talk show host who made controversial comments last week about members of a women's college basketball team.
• US Treasury Official Says World Finance Leaders Need to Promote Free Trade A U.S. Treasury Department high-ranking official says a meeting this weekend in Washington of the world's finance leaders will continue to make the case for free trade at time when it is facing tough challenges. VOA's William Ide reports.
• EU Says Russia Cites Progress in Polish Meat Inspections The European Union says Russia has acknowledged progress by Polish inspectors in a meat ban dispute that is holding up a Russian-EU economic partnership deal.