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Russia 's victory put the eight-time Olympic champions into the quarterfinals and also clinched a spot for Sweden .
Slovakia advanced with a win over the United States ( 02-Jan ) on Saturday , leaving one remaining spot from Group-B .
China has announced its sixth human bird flu death .
Chinese health officials said Wednesday a 35-year-old woman from Sichuan province died last week from the H5N1 strain .
Meanwhile , Turkish officials say bird flu killed an 11-year-old girl on her way to a hospital Wednesday .
And Iraqi health officials have sent samples to a lab , suspecting bird flu in the death of 14-year-old girl in the Kurdish city of Suleimaniya .
The news of the deaths came as international donors pledged nearly two billion dollars at a bird flu conference in Beijing , exceeding expectations .
The money will be used by poor countries to set up prevention programs .
U.N. officials say the virus - which has spread from southeast Asia and China into Turkey - could soon move into Africa and Europe with devastating effects .
Bird flu has killed more than 80 people since 2003 .
Lawmakers in Chad have voted to relax controls on the use of the country 's oil revenue despite objections from the World Bank .
The new legislation abolishes a fund that reserved 10 percent of oil revenue for future generations .
It also doubles the share of revenues to be made available to the public treasury and makes security one of the priority sectors where the money can be spent .
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said in a statement Thursday the legislation is a material breach of the original agreement the bank made with Chad .
He says it harms the well-being of Chad 's poorest and most vulnerable citizens .
The bank provided money for Chad 's oil industry with the condition that the central African nation use the profits to reduce poverty .
Burma is rejecting the latest U.S. report on human trafficking , which blacklisted the country as one of the world 's worst offenders for a seventh consecutive year .
Burma 's state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper quoted a foreign ministry official as saying the annual report lacks objectivity and does not fully reflect Burma 's efforts against human trafficking .
The U.S. State Department 's " Trafficking in Persons Report " listed Burma in tier three , meaning it is one of the world 's worst offenders , along with North Korea and Sudan .
Burma 's foreign ministry , however , said that it had taken action against around 400 traffickers in 2006 .
The United States and the European Union have imposed economic sanctions on Burma to protests human rights abuses and the lack of democratic progress in the military-run country .
Iran has tested new Russian-built air defenses , as part of two-day war games off the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman .
Iran 's Revolutionary Guard commander , Brigadier General Hossein Salami , told state-run media that the military and air force are " enhancing the defensive capabilities . "
He said they test-fired their new Russian defense missile system called TOR-M1 .
Russia completed delivery of the system last month .
Wednesday 's test comes as the United States moves a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf .
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday the Bush administration is not planning to go to war with Iran .
The United States and other Western nations accuse Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons .
But Iran maintains its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes .
Hundreds of student supporters of the militant group Hamas have clashed with those backing the ruling Fatah party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas .
Witnesses say the massive brawl erupted Sunday when several hundred Fatah backers at the West Bank 's Hebron University started shouting their own party 's slogans in the midst of a large Hamas campaign rally for student council elections .
Hospital officials say at least eight people were injured .
Hamas , the largest and most powerful Palestinian militant group , has emerged as a key player in Palestinian politics .
On Saturday , the Islamic group announced it will end a nearly decade-long boycott and take part in Palestinian parliamentary elections in July .
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he plans to raise taxes on foreign oil companies in Venezuela .
Mr. Chavez Sunday described the move as a " tax on extraction , " saying it would create one billion dollars in new state revenue .
He made the announcement Sunday during his weekly television and radio program .
The new tax will be 33 percent - up from 16.7 percent .
Mr. Chavez has accused foreign oil companies of exploiting his country 's vast petroleum reserves without paying sufficient taxes , and has taken steps to increase revenue from the industry .
American skier Bode Miller has captured the Vancouver Olympic gold medal in the men 's super-combined event , which combines one downhill run with one slalom run .
After finishing seventh in the opening downhill run in Whistler , British Columbia Sunday , the 32-year-old Miller skied one of the fastest slalom .
He finished with a two-run combined time of two minutes and 44.92 seconds .
Ivica Kostelic of Croatia took the silver medal , 33/100ths of a second back , while Silvan Zurbriggen of Switzerland took the bronze , another 7/100ths behind .
With the win , Miller now has three medals in Vancouver - the super-combined gold , a silver in the super-G and the downhill bronze .
South Africa is sending a representative to next week 's Middle East peace conference in the U.S. city of Annapolis , Maryland near Washington .
In a statement Saturday the South African government says Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will participate in the summit designed to find a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict .
The Foreign Affairs Ministry says South Africa hopes to share its experience transitioning from apartheid to democracy as part of the international effort to achieve peace in the Middle East .
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are scheduled to attend the peace summit .
Saudi Arabia which has no diplomatic ties with Israel will also be in attendance .
The U.S. State Department says Washington has invited some 50 nations and entities to the conference to be held Tuesday .
A top Spanish court has announced that it will no longer handle fast-track extraditions for Germany after that country refused to hand over a suspected al-Qaida member to Madrid .
The court , in Madrid , announced the policy change Wednesday , saying it will now revert to the the old , much slower way of processing extradition to Germany .
Spain 's move comes after Germany 's top court in July ordered the release of Mamoun Darkazanli , a dual German-Syrian citizen indicted in Spain as an al-Qaida suspect .
Germany 's Federal Constitutional court said the EU arrest warrant for Mr. Darkazanli violated the country 's constitution .
Spain is holding 50 suspects wanted by Germany on charges such as fraud , drug trafficking and robbery .
The Spanish court says it will give German authorities 40 days to present standard extradition documents .
If Germany fails to do so , Spain will release the suspects .
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov says his government would be worried by any U.S. and NATO attempts to further expand their influence into the former Soviet sphere .
At a speech to the American Council for International Relations in New York Thursday , Mr. Ivanov said Russia sees no sense in further NATO enlargement .
The 26-member organization added seven European countries last year .
He also said Russia is concerned about American military presence in Georgia , a former Soviet republic where a pro-U.S. president came to power last year following a popular uprising .
Mr. Ivanov stressed that Russia is not opposed to U.S. training of Georgian peacekeepers for overseas missions .
But he says Moscow would not like Georgian peacekeepers to get involved in conflicts in the Caucasus .
A top World Health Organization official says the H1N1 swine flu virus is " unstoppable " and says every country needs the vaccine .
WHO vaccine research chief Marie-Paule Kieny said Monday that health care workers should get immunized first because they are needed during an outbreak .
She said authorities must then decide who gets shots next .
Swine flu is mild in healthy people and most victims do not need hospitalization .
But the virus can be severe and even deadly in those with other serious health concerns , including asthma and pregnancy .
Researchers also say that extreme obesity is now considered a risk factor for a severe reaction .
Meanwhile , officials in Britain , Thailand , and the Philippines all reported new swine flu deaths Monday .
The latest WHO report confirms nearly 95,000 swine flu cases around the world , with 429 deaths .
Pakistan 's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Pakistani Prime Minister says Pakistan wants the peaceful settlement of its dispute with India over Kashmir but will never accept the ceasefire Line of Control as a permanent border .
The dispute over the Himalayan region is at the heart of decades of tension between South Asia 's nuclear-armed rivals .
Speaking to legislators of Pakistani-ruled Kashmir in Muzaffarabad Thursday , Mr. Aziz said Pakistan has always emphasized that differences with India should be resolved through " meaningful and constructive " dialogue .
But he said Pakistan can not agree to any proposal that aims at converting the existing Line of Control into a permanent border .
He also said the ongoing peace process between the two rivals is irreversible and they will have to show courage and flexibility to continue the dialogue .
The billionaire founder of Facebook , and 16 other extremely wealthy individuals and families in the United States have agreed to give most of their fortunes to charity .
Mark Zuckerberg 's social media empire is estimated to have earned him $ 6.9 billion .
The 26-year old entrepreneur says some wealthy people wait until late in their lives to give back .
He says it is a mistake to wait " when there is so much to be done . "
The new donors have joined a charitable project called the " Giving Pledge " started by billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates .
The group now has 57 members and is looking for new recruits outside the United States .
The pledges come at a time when the economic crisis has increased the need for social services and decreased overall charitable donations .
The cholera epidemic ravaging Zimbabwe has commanded the attention of public authorities and international relief organizations , but meanwhile a less-visible tragedy is unfolding among those living with – and dying in large numbers from – HIV / AIDS .
HIV / AIDS advocates say resources have been concentrated on fighting the cholera epidemic , draining funds away from programs supporting those living with HIV / AIDS , who are highly vulnerable to the cholera bacterium which is almost ubiquitous in the country .
Research suggests about 15 % of Zimbabwe 's population is HIV-positive .
Frenk Guni , technical director for HIV-AIDS with Management Systems International in Washington , told reporter Patience Rusere of VOA 's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that someone is dying from HIV / AIDS every three minutes in Zimbabwe .
More reports from VOA 's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe ...
European Union foreign ministers have renewed sanctions against Burma 's military rulers for another year .
Under the sanctions , members of the ruling military junta and their families are barred from entering the EU .
The measures also ban EU companies and organizations from doing business in Burma .
The 25-member bloc initially imposed the sanctions in 1996 after Rangoon failed to meet EU demands for democratic reforms .
The EU also wants pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be released from house arrest .
Burma 's military rulers are coming under increasing pressure to implement democratic reforms .
There are calls to deny Burma its scheduled chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) in 2006 .
Center-left candidate Alvaro Colom is holding the lead as official return are counted from Guatemala 's run-off presidential election .
With ballots from 68 percent of the nation 's polling stations counted Sunday night , Colom had 51.4 percent of the vote , to 41.6 percent for retired General Otto Perez Molina .
Colom and Perez were the top two finishers in the first-round presidential election , in September .
Perez based his campaign on pledges to fight crime and combat drug trafficking .
Colom 's platform focused on poverty issues .
About 50 people died in election-related violence before September 's vote , making it the deadliest political campaign since Guatemala 's 36-year civil war ended in 1996 .
Gunmen in Guatemala City killed a Perez aide last month .
The retired general has linked the killing to his vow to crack down on drug trafficking .
The best-known U.S. stock market index , the Dow Jones Industrial Average , rose higher than ever before Wednesday , passing the 13,000 mark for the first time .
The Dow rose as high as 13,107 during trading , before easing slightly to 13,090 at the close .
Major companies like Amazon and Boeing reported stronger earnings than investors expected , giving them hope these corporations will continue to prosper even though the U.S. economy is slowing down .
The Dow also gained after Alcoa said it might sell parts of its business , and economic reports showed rising orders for manufactured goods and rising sales for new homes .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a composite measure of what are called " blue-chip " stocks from the biggest U.S. companies in a variety of industries .
Colombian officials say 552 right-wing paramilitary fighters have turned over their weapons as part of an on-going peace agreement with the government .
Colombia 's Peace Commission says the weapons were turned in at a ceremony Thursday in Santuario , nearly 300 kilometers west of the capital , Bogota .
The militia men were from a group known as the Heroes and Martyrs of Guatica , a faction of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia .
Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo attended the ceremony , along with other officials .
The commission says more than 13,000 paramilitary fighters have now turned over their weapons and will take part in programs designed to reintegrate the fighters into society .
Colombia has been mired in a nearly 40-year conflict between leftist rebels , rightist paramilitaries and the government .
The conflict leaves thousands of people dead each year .
Crude oil prices fell after some downbeat economic reports pointed to a deeper recession in the United States , which would push energy demand down .
Traders also expect a U.S. government report to show continued growth of oil inventories in the world 's biggest energy market .
The price of a barrel of oil for future delivery fell more than $ 4 to hit $ 41.67 at the close of trading in New York .
Oil has fallen as low as $ 33 a barrel recently , and hit an all-time high above $ 147 a barrel last July .
AIDS activists in South Africa are expressing outrage over testimony by former Deputy President Jacob Zuma at his trial on rape charges .
In court Wednesday , Zuma said he showered after having unprotected sex with his accuser in order to minimize the chance of acquiring AIDS .
Zuma 's 31-year-old accuser has HIV , the virus that causes AIDS .
Zuma is not infected .
He says the sexual contact was consensual .
AIDS activists say Zuma 's testimony undermines the nation 's prevention campaign .
They say it gives the impression that men who do not use a condom during intercourse with HIV-positive women are not at risk .
Some five million people in South Africa suffer from AIDS , the greatest number of any country in the world .
Zuma is the former head of South Africa 's AIDS Council .
South Africa 's government is often accused of not taking AIDS seriously .
Authorities in Japan say they have detected signs of bird flu at a farm north of Tokyo .
Japan 's Kyodo news agency said Monday officials plan to kill 82,000 chickens at the farm .
The farm is in a quarantined area of Ibaraki prefecture , where media reports say approximately 1.5 million birds have already been culled because of past bird-flu outbreaks .
It was not clear if the bird flu detected in Japan was the H5N1 strain of the virus that has killed more than 60 people in Asia over the past two years .
Meanwhile , Vietnam is calling for more international assistance to help it fight avian influenza .
A Vietnamese official asked for help at a meeting of health and disaster officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Brisbane , Australia .
The APEC officials are discussing contingency plans in case H5N1 strain of the bird-flu virus begins spreading between humans .
Iraqi officials say they have a fugitive half-brother and former adviser to ousted president Saddam Hussein in custody .
Authorities have not released details of the arrest of Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan .
But there are reports that Syria was involved in the capture .
The Associated Press says Damascus handed over the former intelligence chief early Sunday as a goodwill gesture .
Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan was number 36 on a U.S. list of the most wanted people in Iraq .
He had a bounty on his head of one million dollars .
In other developments , a bombing at a police station killed at least five Iraqis Sunday near the northern city of Mosul .
British media report that two British hostages kidnapped in Iraq two years ago are believed to be dead .
Reports say the British Foreign Office told the families of the two last week that it believed the men were dead .
The two were among a group of five Britons who were seized from an Iraqi Finance Ministry building in Baghdad by men disguised as Iraqi police in 2007 .
The bodies of two of the other hostages were handed over to British authorities last month .
The fate of the fifth hostage remains unclear and the Foreign Office says all efforts are being made to secure his release .
A group calling itself the Islamic Shi'ite Resistance in Iraq says it is behind the abductions .
The main Marxist ally of Sri Lanka 's ruling coalition government has quit in protest over a plan to share the distribution of tsunami aid with the Tamil Tiger rebels .
The People 's Liberation Front , popularly known as the JVP , has 39 seats in the 225-seat parliament in which President Chandrika Kumaratunga has only a five-seat majority .
President Kumaratunga wants to share the distribution of tsunami aid with the Tamil Tigers as an opportunity to forge peace with them .
The donors also have insisted on a joint aid-distribution mechanism .
But the JVP and the country 's influential Buddhist monks have opposed the move , saying such an agreement would help the rebels ' cause for a separate state .
Reports from Colombo say the pullout may not bring the government down because the president has secured support of some of the opposition lawmakers in parliament .
Polls are open in all four of the U.S. states holding primary elections today Tuesday as U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battle for support for the Democratic Party nomination .
Texas and Ohio are the two key states in Tuesday 's balloting , because they have many more delegates than the small northeastern states of Vermont and Rhode Island .
Delegates choose the party 's nominee for the presidential race .
Clinton lags behind Obama , with 11 straight losses in primaries and caucuses .
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has said his wife needs to win both Texas and Ohio to keep her campaign alive .
On the Republican side , Senator John McCain seems on the verge of clinching his party 's nomination .
Senator McCain could secure the Republican Party nomination with victories Tuesday .
He has a commanding lead over former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee .
Egypt 's top cleric has angrily condemned those responsible for last week 's terrorist bombings in Sharm el-Sheikh .
Speaking in that Red Sea resort town , the grand imam of the Al-Azhar mosque , Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi , rejected terrorist attacks in the name of Islam .
He said the bombers will be cursed by God .
Egyptian officials say 64 people died in the blasts , but local doctors say the death toll is nearly 90 .
The grand imam called on Egyptians to help find those responsible for the attacks .
Egypt 's President Hosni Mubarak has called for an Arab summit next month in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss terrorism and other concerns .
Thousands of military personnel from several countries have been deployed to hard-hit areas of the Indian Ocean tsunami .
Worldwide public and private aid pledges now top $ 5 billion , but those contributions do not include the cost of the military personnel that relief workers say are urgently needed to deliver aid to remote areas .
The United Nations-coordinated effort includes 16,000 U.S. forces , 16,000 Indian troops and 350 Australian military personnel .
Pakistan and Spain each plan to deploy some 500 military personnel .
Japan expects to send about 1,000 troops .
Countries as far away as Switzerland , Germany and Russia have contributed aircraft , ships and tons of supplies for the relief effort .
Large so-called " floating hospitals , " capable of purifying water and accommodating hundreds of victims , also have been deployed to the region .
Police in the Iraqi city of Najaf say at least three civilians have been killed in a car bombing Saturday , less than a week after an attack there killed 52 people .
Initial details are sketchy , but police say the incident occurred on the highway between the Shi'ite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala and appeared to have targeted a U.S. military convoy .
There was no word on whether there were U.S. casualties .
Meanwhile , Najaf 's governor says police have arrested a group of men suspected of having organized last Sunday 's attack and an announcement would be made in Baghdad next week .
In Baghdad , it was a bleak Christmas for the city 's small Christian community .
Further unnerved by an apparent suicide attack Christmas Eve that killed nine people , the city 's churches were mostly empty today .
Pakistan has condemned India 's remarks on the escalating violence in Baluchistan province , warning that such statements are unhelpful and will not improve bilateral relations .
India 's Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna last week expressed concern over what he called the " spiraling violence " between Pakistani security forces and restive tribesmen in Baluchistan province .
Pakistan 's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told reporters in Islamabad that India should mind its own business .
In recent weeks , Pakistani army helicopters and ground troops have overrun suspected training bases in Baluchistan thought to be used by militants for attacks on government installations .
Baluch tribesmen have been launching attacks to press their demands for an increase in royalties for resources extracted in their areas .
Ms. Aslam warned that such Indian criticism could weaken attempts by the neighboring countries to resolve bilateral issues , including the long-standing dispute over Kashmir .
Pakistani authorities say gunmen on a motorcycle have killed three Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver in the troubled southwestern Baluchistan province .
Local police say the drive-by shooting occurred Wednesday in a remote town southeast of the provincial capital , Quetta .
The Associated Press says a tribal militant group , the Baluchistan Liberation Army , claimed responsibility for the attack .
In a separate development , in the North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan , Pakistani security forces arrested two men late Tuesday on suspicion of links with al-Qaida .
Pakistan 's army has conducted a series of counter-terrorism operations in North and South Waziristan in the past three years , aimed at trapping Arab , Afghan and Central Asian militants with links to the Taliban and al-Qaida .
Cuba has placed two large billboards with pictures of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners near the U.S. mission in Havana -- in apparent retaliation for a dispute over the mission 's Christmas decorations .
The billboards contain photographs of hooded Iraqi detainees from Baghdad 's notorious Abu Ghraib prison , as well as an image of a swastika and the word " fascists . "
There was no immediate reaction from the United States .
The large signs went up Friday , three days after the Cuban government threatened consequences for Christmas decorations displayed outside the offices of the U.S. special interest section .
A U.S. official said Cuba was upset because the decorations include a neon sign with the number " 75 " on it -- a reference to the 75 political dissidents imprisoned in Cuba last year .
Cuba and the United States do not have diplomatic relations .
The full U.S. Senate begins debate Monday on the nomination of John Roberts as chief justice of the United States .
Mr. Roberts appears to have more than enough votes to be confirmed in the Republican-controlled Senate .
At least nine Democrats have pledged their support for the conservative judge , along with all 55 Republican senators .
Confirmation requires a simple majority of the 100 senators .
A final vote is expected to take place Thursday .
With Mr. Roberts ' confirmation virtually assured , many lawmakers are turning their attention to President Bush 's next nomination to the Supreme Court .
Many senators are urging Mr. Bush to pick a moderate candidate to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor , who announced her retirement in July .
Crude oil prices have again hit record highs .
The spike in prices Wednesday came after a U.S. government report said inventories of crude oil and gasoline declined last week .
The Bloomberg financial news service says U.S. crude oil briefly jumped to $ 71.79 a barrel before easing slightly .
In Britain , Brent crude rose to equal Tuesday 's record high of $ 72.64 .
Analysts say prices are being pushed up by worries that oil supplies from Iran and Nigeria might be disrupted by political disputes .
These concerns come at a time of strong demand for oil in the United States , China , and other big nations .
Democratic U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy has urged the government to spend more money on education as millions of students return to school for a new academic year .
Senator Kennedy delivered the Democrats ' weekly radio address Saturday .
He said Democrats want more money for teacher training , small class sizes , early childhood education and college aid .
Mr. Kennedy accused the Bush administration and Republican leaders in Congress of underfunding an education law passed in 2001 called the No Child Left Behind Act .
He said without more money spent on education , America 's national security and competitive standing in the world are at risk .
The senator from Massachusetts is the senior Democrat on the Senate committee that oversees education .
Spain 's top anti-terrorism judge has indicted eight Islamic militants for allegedly helping a suspected mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the United States .
Judge Baltasar Garzon Monday formally charged the eight with providing fake identity papers and other documents to Ramzi Binalshibh .
He is in U.S. custody , suspected of being the contact between al-Qaida and the September 11 hijackers .
One of the suspects charged Monday - Tahar Ezirouali - is still at large and was indicted in absentia .
The International Olympic Committee says a Ukrainian heptathlon silver medalist is under investigation for a positive drug test at the Beijing Olympics .
The IOC said Wednesday it has opened a probe into Lyudmila Blonska , who finished second behind Ukrainian Natalia Dobrynska last Saturday .
The IOC 's disciplinary commission and executive board are expected to rule on the case Thursday .
If found guilty , Blonska would be stripped of her medal and could be subjected to a lifetime ban .
Blonska served a separate doping suspension earlier this decade .
Iraqi police guard site where head of Diyala provincial council Hussein Alwan al-Tamimi was killed in Baquoba A series of suicide car bombings and two-bomb rigged motorcycles killed at least 33 people across northern Iraq Thursday .
The worst attack was on a restaurant in the town of Tuz Khurmatu , where bodyguards of Deputy Prime Minster Rowsch Nouri Shaways were eating .
Twelve people were killed .
Mr. Shaways was not present .
Bombers also struck the gates of a state-run oil firm in Kirkuk and a government convoy in Baquba .
Two parked motorcycles rigged with bombs also exploded outside a cafe in Mosul , killing five people .
Meanwhile , Iraq 's Interior Ministry says 700 terror suspects have been arrested and a huge number of weapons seized so far in a massive security sweep in Baghdad that began Sunday .
Operation Lightning is aimed against Iraqi insurgents .
U.S. crude oil prices have risen to another record high , passing $ 78 a barrel , as violence in the Middle East and Nigeria threatened supplies .
Crude oil for August delivery closed at a record $ 76.7 in New York Thursday .
The price continued to rise in after-hours trading , hitting $ 78.4 .
That is the highest price for oil since the New York Mercantile Exchange began the contract in 1983 .
In early Asian trading Friday crude oil was at $ 77.95 a barrel .
Strong demand for oil leaves little unused oil production capacity anywhere in the world .
The tight balance between supply and demand means any disruption in oil supplies could cause prices to soar .
Chad 's government has acknowledged that its forces crossed into Sudanese territory Monday and clashed with Sudanese troops .
Reversing a previous denial of the incident , Chad 's Information Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor said Tuesday that Chadian troops had crossed the border to pursue rebels they had been fighting in eastern Chad .
He said the clash occurred when Chad 's troops made contact with Sudan 's forces , whom he said had been deployed to protect the rebels ' retreat .
Sudan 's military says 17 of its soldiers were killed in the clash , and that its troops forced the Chadians back across the border .
Chad and Sudan have repeatedly accused each other of supporting the other country 's rebel movements .
Cross-border raids and incidents have continued despite mediation efforts by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi .
Both countries have refused the deployment of international peacekeepers on their border .
The International Committee of the Red Cross says 15 people have died in ethnic clashes around the western Ivory Coast town of Duekoue .
The agency says at least 6,000 people have fled last week 's violence between between indigenous tribes and migrant farm workers .
The mayor of Duekoue told Reuters news agency that U.N. soldiers are patrolling the town and surrounding villages .
He said shops have reopened and public transportation is resuming .
Ethnic tension is common in the region , but it has been exacerbated by Ivory Coast 's civil war which started in 2002 .
The country remains divided between the rebel-held north , and the government-controlled south .
Bangladesh 's government has brought new corruption charges against detained former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia .
The country 's Anti-Corruption Commission Thursday accused Ms. Zia , her son , Tarique Rahman and five others of embezzling more than $ 3,00,000 ( 21 million taka ) from a trust meant for orphans .
She and her two sons already are being held on other corruption charges .
They were among 170 politicians and business people arrested last year during an anti-graft sweep by Bangladesh 's military-backed caretaker government .
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also was detained in the crackdown .
She was recently released on parole to receive medical treatment in the U.S.
Ms. Zia 's Bangladesh Nationalist Party has vowed to boycott the country 's parliamentary elections , set for December , unless the former prime minister is released from detention .
China says a fourth person is ill with bird flu .
The official Xinhua news agency reports the ministry of health has confirmed that a 10-year-old girl in China 's southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has the potentially deadly H5N1 virus .
Meanwhile , Ukraine has declared a state of emergency to help combat a bird flu outbreak in Crimea .
More than 22,000 birds have been seized from villages in the affected area .
Also Tuesday , President Bush met with the director-general of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) to discuss the global strategy against a possible bird flu pandemic .
Mr. Bush called the strategy a remarkable collaborative effort .
Earlier , Burma said it is on the alert for bird flu and will cooperate with international organizations in tracking outbreaks of the disease .
Venezuela 's government has promised new measures to combat the country 's inflation rate , which is the highest in the region .
Finance Minister Rodrigo Cabezas said Wednesday that his country 's inflation rate of 22.5 percent is " unsatisfactory . "
He promised new anti-inflationary measures but did not disclose any details .
Meanwhile , Venezuela has begun using a new currency system in an effort to slow the inflation rate .
The " strong bolivar " entered circulation on Tuesday .
It was created by taking three trailing zeros off the value of the former currency , the bolivar .
Officials say the new currency also will simplify transactions .
But critics say they doubt it will stabilize rising prices .
A prominent Russian newspaper says investigators have identified a teenager as one of two suicide bombers responsible for Monday 's attacks that killed 39 people in two Moscow subway stations .
Kommersant said Friday 17-year-old Dzhennet Abdurakhmanova , the widow of a slain Caucasus militant , was one of the bombers .
The newspaper published a photograph of the young woman in a Muslim headscarf with her late husband Umalat Magomedov .
The Kommersant reports authorities have not yet officially identified the second bomber , but she is believed to be 20-year-old Markha Ustarkhanova from Chechnya .
Ustarkhanova is the widow of a Chechen militant who was killed last year while allegedly preparing for an assassination attempt on Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov .
Election results from Colombia show the ruling coalition of President Alvaro Uribe has won a strong majority in the country 's Congress .
With most of the ballots counted from Sunday 's vote , parties loyal to Mr. Uribe are projected to win more than 60 Senate seats in the 102-member upper house .
Colombian voters also selected 166 members of the lower house of Congress .
Mr. Uribe 's coalition fared much better than pollsters had expected , and the results could give a boost to his campaign for re-election in May .
Mr. Uribe is seeking a second four-year term as president to continue the struggle against the leftist guerilla group FARC ( the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ) .
He called on the FARC to abandon its four-decade old insurgency and resume the stalled peace process .
Sunday 's congressional elections were largely peaceful , and polling stations were protected by a large security force of 2,00,000 troops .
The U.S. military is fighting efforts to release more photos and videotapes that document the abuse of detainees at Iraq 's Abu Ghraib prison .
General Richard Myers , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , warns that releasing the images would inflame Arab opinion and put U.S. troops at risk .
He also argues that al-Qaida and other groups would use the photos for propaganda .
General Myers ' statements were contained in recently-unsealed court papers filed in U.S. district court in New York City .
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the government for the release of 87 photos and four videotapes taken at the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison .
The group says release of the images will lead to a public examination of Army interrogation policies .
Photos from Abu Ghraib released last year showed Iraqi detainees with leashes around their necks and in other humiliating positions .
U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan say they killed 15 militants during an overnight operation in the east , while local officials says those killed were civilians .
In a statement Saturday , coalition forces say their troops were targeting Taliban militants in Laghman province when they came under attack .
It says the troops returned fire , killing 15 militants , including a woman carrying a rocket-propelled grenade .
Local officials dispute the account and say as many as 22 civilians were killed .
India and Pakistan have opened a third crossing at the Line of Control that divides Kashmir to provide aid to victims of last month 's devastating earthquake .
Officials from the two countries opened the river crossing Saturday to allow passage of relief goods in both directions .
Earlier this week India delayed opening the third crossing because it said the Pakistani army had not completed work on a border bridge .
But Pakistani spokesman disputed the claim , saying his side was ready to open .
The two nations agreed last month to open five border crossings in Kashmir to facilitate aid flow and to allow quake survivors to reunite with family members on the other side .
Pro-Taleban militants have captured 24 soldiers from a military checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan .
Police say more than 150 militants attacked the post Monday night near the town of Bannu , in the restive North Waziristan region .
Officials say the militants captured the soldiers after heavy gunfire .
Last month , officials said pro-Taleban militants released at least 25 of nearly 250 Pakistani soldiers held captive near the Afghan border since late August .
Pakistan is struggling to contain a recent upsurge in violence in its northwestern region following the collapse of a peace deal in July between the government and pro-Taleban tribesmen .
Tidal waves caused by the massive Asian earthquake have killed at least 10 people on Africa 's east coast with a number of other tourists and residents reported missing .
Authorities from Somalia to South Africa and the Indian Ocean islands have urged people to move inland .
At least one death is reported in Kenya while the Associated Press reports nine drowned in Somalia .
High waves have also smashed a number of fishing boats and left parts of the island of Rodrigues under water .
Egypt has freed a blogger who served a four-year prison term on a conviction of insulting Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak .
Human rights groups and a relative said Wednesday that Egyptian security officials freed Abdel Kareem Nabil earlier this week .
The Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights and Information says he was beaten while in detention .
Nabil , who is also known as Kareem Amer , was attending a university before authorities convicted him in 2006 .
He was the first blogger in Egypt to be sentenced specifically for his writings .
Last week , human rights groups called for his release , saying he had been held beyond his four-year prison sentence .
Egyptian officials have not explained why he remained imprisoned about a week-and-a-half beyond his term .
The Reporters Without Borders rights group says Amer was subjected to " appalling conditions " while in detention and that he has described being tortured .
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing to begin a two-day state visit likely to focus on China 's energy needs and bilateral investments .
Mr. Putin , at the head of a large delegation of business leaders and top officials , landed at Beijing International Airport Tuesday and was expected to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao later in the day .
In addition to energy and other industrial issues , the two leaders are expected to discuss disputes over the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs .
As permanent members of the U.N. Security Council , both Russia and China are playing a key role in the current diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over Tehran 's nuclear ambitions .
The two countries also participate in six-nation disarmament talks on North Korea 's nuclear program , along with the United States , the two Koreas and Japan .
Iraq 's national assembly met Tuesday for only the second time since its election in January , but the session ended in chaos when lawmakers failed to agree on a parliament speaker .
The meeting began nearly three hours late , with the chairman 's announcement that Sunni Muslim deputies had failed to nominate a speaker from among their ranks .
He then declared the session over and said a vote would not take place before Sunday .
Several of the assembly 's 275-members immediately called for an explanation , with one legislator asking , " what shall we tell the voters ? " Outgoing interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi stormed out in frustration , and the media were expelled .
Meanwhile , in the northern city of Kirkuk , a car bomb explosion killed one person and injured at least a dozen others .
Separately , three Romanian journalists were reported kidnapped .
Pakistan 's chief justice has formally resumed his post , two years after his controversial dismissal threw the country into political turmoil .
The Supreme Court says Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry was reinstated at midnight ( Saturday ) and immediately began work Sunday morning .
The independent-minded judge was fired in 2007 by then-President Pervez Musharraf , after pursuing a case challenging the president 's rule .
Chaudhry 's dismissal sparked widespread protests that helped force Mr. Musharraf to resign last year .
Mr. Musharraf 's successor , Asif Ali Zardari , faced a new wave of protests after he delayed Chaudhry 's reinstatement .
Pakistan 's government relented to activists ' demands last week , however , reappointing Chaudhry in an effort to end a volatile political stand-off with the opposition .
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani traveled to the Lahore area Sunday to meet opposition leader Nawaz Sharif in a further attempt at political reconciliation .
The Iraqi government has ordered the pan-Arab satellite network Al-Arabiya to close its bureau in Baghdad for one month .
Iraqi officials are quoted as saying the ban is because of what they have described as the network 's uneven reporting and unprofessional conduct in covering events in Iraq .
Dubai-based Al-Arabiya was briefly banned in November 2003 after airing an audiotape from Saddam Hussein .
The U.S.-backed interim Iraqi government banned the Arabic satellite network Al-Jazeera in 2004 for allegedly inciting violence .
Tropical Storm Epsilon has been upgraded to a hurricane , a record 14th for this year .
Forecasters said Friday that Epsilon is east of Bermuda and is not expected to hit land .
The six-month hurricane season officially ended November 30 , the busiest period on record .
With 26 named storms , forecasters used up their list of designated names and resorted to marking the storms with letters of the Greek alphabet .
The season was also unusually intense .
Three hurricanes briefly reached the most violent Category Five status , with Katrina devastating New Orleans and other parts of the U.S. Gulf coast .
Some experts believe the intensity marks the beginning of a cycle expected to last more than a decade .
Experts say the mass exodus of people from the devastated Gulf Coast region is unprecedented in American history .
Federal officials say up to one million people , mostly from New Orleans , have been displaced in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina .
More than 2,00,000 victims have taken refuge in nearby Texas , while others are scattered in cities and towns from California to New York City .
War , economic disaster , religious and social persecution and natural catastrophes have forced large populations to relocate many times in American history .
Experts say this time , however , the migration of hundreds of thousands from New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast is completely different - as the newly homeless are coming from one of America 's most unique and diverse cities , and it is happening over a much shorter period of time .
Iraqi authorities say car bombs in Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk killed 62 people Sunday .
They say the deadliest blast occurred in Baghdad 's Sadr City neighborhood when a bomb killed 34 near a busy market .
A short time later , another blast killed eight more people outside a municipal building .
The bombings came hours after U.S. and Iraqi government forces raided the district and clashed with militiamen loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr .
To the north , a car bomb killed 20 people and wounded 50 others near a courthouse in Kirkuk Sunday .
On Saturday , Iraqi political and religious leaders met to discuss Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki 's national reconciliation plan to end sectarian violence .
After the meeting , Mr. Maliki said insurgents guilty of bloodshed should not be included in his proposed amnesty .
Mr. Maliki will visit Washington Tuesday for talks with President Bush .
The U.S. military has drafted a document that calls for nuclear strikes against nations or terrorist groups to prevent them from using weapons of mass destruction against the United States or its allies .
The document ( " Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations " ) was drafted in March .
It updates a 1995 version from the Clinton administration to reflect President Bush 's doctrine of pre-emptive military strikes against nations or groups posing a threat to the United States .
The document outlines a number of scenarios for the use of nuclear weapons , which would require the approval of the president .
The revised draft has yet to become official policy .
The document envisions the use of earth-penetrating nuclear weapons to destroy deeply buried weapons .
The Bush administration has been looking to develop the so-called " bunker-busters , " but U.S. Congress stopped funding the program last year .
The Organization of American States has rejected Colombia 's recent raid against a rebel camp in Ecuador , saying the cross-border incursion was a clear violation of the OAS charter .
In a resolution after a meeting of foreign ministers and ambassadors that began Monday , the OAS also took note of Colombia 's apology for the incursion and its pledge to not carry out another raid .
Venezuela and Ecuador responded to the March 1 incursion by taking diplomatic action against Colombia and sending troops to the border with Colombia .
The leaders of all three countries have since said they have settled the crisis .
The raid killed more than 20 rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia , including a top rebel leader .
A Vatican delegation is meeting with officials in Iran this week to discuss ways of strengthening interfaith ties .
The visit , led by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran , is part of an ongoing attempt by the Vatican to reach out to the largely Muslim Islamic Republic .
Pope Benedict met last year with a delegation of Catholic bishops from Iran and said he wanted to improve relations with the Islamic Republic .
Tauran met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday .
Vatican delegation members will also visit the city of Qom , a Shi'ite spiritual center in Iran , before wrapping up their trip Wednesday .
The Zaragoza airport in northern Spain was evacuated Wednesday morning after it received threats made in the name of the Basque separatist group ETA .
Officials say they received word that a rocket launcher had been set up to carry out an attack during a two-hour period at midday ( 800 to 1000 GMT ) .
ETA staged a rocket attack on the Zaragoza airport back in June , but no one was hurt .
ETA has been blamed for more than 800 deaths since the 1960s when it began its armed campaign for an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southwestern France .
Russia is promising to follow through on a pledge to forgive $ 2.2 billion in debt owed by African nations .
Russia 's ambassador to the United Nations , Andrey Denisov , told a U.N. ministerial meeting focusing on the fight against poverty Tuesday that Moscow wants to underline its general support to the Group of Eight industrial nations .
The group 's finance ministers decided to cancel more than $ 40 billion in debt owed by 18 mostly African nations at a meeting in London earlier this month .
Under the agreement , the 18 countries would receive immediate relief on debt they owe to the World Bank , the International Monetary Fund and other lenders .
Nine other African nations are likely to qualify for debt relief soon .
Nepalese army officials say the kingdom 's Maoist rebels killed four people and injured at least 11 in two separate attacks Monday .
Officials say three soldiers and one civilian died in a clash at an army checkpoint about 30 kilometers from the capital , Kathmandu .
Police said at least 11 people were injured when a bomb exploded in a market in Pokhara , about 200 kilometers west of the capital .
On Sunday , government troops killed at least 16 Maoists following a rebel assault on a security patrol in western Nepal .
At least five soldiers were wounded .
Rebel attacks have increased since The Maoists broke a ceasefire last month .
They are fighting to establish a single party communist republic .
About 13,000 people have been killed in the fighting .
France 's lower house of parliament has approved a new anti-terrorism bill that includes increasing the use of video surveillance .
The National Assembly voted 373 to 27 in favor of the legislation .
The bill now requires approval by the Senate , which begins debate in January .
The draft law extends the detention period without charges for terrorism suspects from four days to six days .
It also provides for an increase of video surveillance in French subways , airports and train stations , and requires Internet cafes to keep more detailed information about their clients .
Critics of the bill say it will erode basic civil liberties .
Insurgents in Iraq have intensified their campaign of pre-election violence , killing two aides to the country 's highest Shi'ite authority , Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani .
Sheikh Mahmoud al-Madai'ni , his son and four bodyguards , were gunned down Wednesday as they left evening prayers south of Baghdad in Salman Pak .
Another aide was found dead in the ayatollah 's office in Najaf .
Ayatollah al-Sistani is not a candidate in the January 30 polls , but he supports the United Iraqi Alliance , a mainly Shi'ite coalition that is likely to win a large number of seats in the national assembly .
Meanwhile , gunmen opened fire on a minibus outside a Baghdad hotel Thursday , killing six people and kidnapping a Turkish businessman .
And near the town of Baquba , police say three people were killed and at least 13 others were hurt in a car bombing outside a Shi'ite mosque .
Venezuela and Mexico are recalling each others ambassadors , amid an escalating dispute between the countries ' presidents .
Venezuela has ordered the withdrawal of its ambassador to Mexico .
Mexican President Vicente Fox said on U.S. television ( CNN ) Monday that his country would also recall its ambassador .
Mr. Fox said he will not accept verbal attacks made on him by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez .
Mr. Chavez used his Sunday radio and television show to criticize Mr. Fox after last week 's Summit of the Americas , saying Mr. Fox was the U.S. government 's " cub " for supporting a U.S.-proposed Western Hemisphere free trade zone .
Today , Venezuela 's Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez rejected Mexico 's demand that Venezuela apologize for the comments .
Pakistani officials say troops backed by fighter aircraft pounded three militant hideouts Sunday in northwestern Pakistan , killing at least 10 suspected insurgents in the troubled Orakzai tribal district .
The assault came a day after fighter jets bombed a militant stronghold in the neighboring Khyber tribal region on the Afghan border , killing 45 people .
Pakistani officials said Saturday 's strike took place in the valley of Tirah .
Khyber is the main supply route for NATO troops through Pakistan into Afghanistan .
Militants are blamed for frequent attacks on NATO convoys traveling through the region .
Pakistan 's military has recently stepped up offensives in Khyber and Orakzai .
Officials say more than 300 militants have been killed so far in the fighting .
Afghanistan 's election officials have again postponed the announcement of final results of the September 18 parliamentary elections .
The Joint Electoral Management Body says claims of widespread fraud in southern Afghanistan are delaying the results that were expected Wednesday , but now will be announced " in the next few days . "
Based on provisional results declared last month , the 249-seat Lower House will be dominated by former warlords and Mujahedin fighters .
The country 's first parliament in decades will also have several members of the ousted Taleban regime as well as more than 60 women legislators , who were declared provisional winners .
Meanwhile , a roadside bomb exploded near a U.N. convoy in southern Kandahar province , damaging an armored vehicle but causing no injuries .
Two suspects have been arrested .
U.S.-led coalition forces prevented another attack by discovering a bomb near the eastern city of Jalalabad .
The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders has condemned the decision by Venezuelan President Hugh Chavez to shut down one of the country 's oldest television stations The group issued a statement Friday calling the move " a serious attack against editorial pluralism . "
Mr. Chavez announced Thursday that his government will not renew the broadcast license for Radio Caracas Television , or RCTV .
The station is one of Venezuela 's main private stations and has been critical of the president .
Mr. Chavez accused RCTV of plotting against him .
He also said he will not tolerate any media outlets that support efforts to remove him from power .
The license for RCTV expires in March .
Reporters Without Borders urged Venezuela 's government to reconsider its stance and guarantee an independent system of granting and renewing broadcast rights .
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is considering holding presidential elections in April , four months earlier than an election date set by the country 's Independent Election Commission .
Afghanistan 's constitution requires that the presidential election be held by April 21 , one month before Mr. Karzai 's five-year term expires .
Last month , Afghan election chief , Azizullah Lodin , said the commission decided to reschedule the vote for August to give incoming U.S. forces time to stabilize the country .
But opposition leaders have insisted that Mr. Karzai step down when his term expires in May and install a caretaker government .
U.S. support for the embattled president came into question after the Obama administration openly accused Mr. Karzai of failing to crack down on government corruption .
Democratic U.S. Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware has announced he is seeking his party 's 2008 presidential nomination .
Biden announced his intention to enter the race on American television Wednesday .
Biden is currently the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is a prominent critic of President Bush 's Iraq war strategy .
On his campaign web site , the senator highlights his plan for Iraq , which calls for most U.S. troops to withdraw by the end of 2007 .
Biden has served in the U.S. Senate for more than 30 years .
He lost a previous bid for the Democratic nomination in 1988 .
More candidates are expected to join the race to be the Democratic Party 's nominee , a field that has been dominated so far by popular senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama .
Dozens of U.S. Christian missionaries have left their posts in Venezuela 's jungle ahead of a government order to leave the area .
The New Tribes Mission said it had withdrawn all of its missionaries from Venezuelan tribal areas , where the evangelical group had been active for decades .
A spokeswoman for the group , Nita Zelenak , told VOA news Sunday that 35 adults and 19 children have left the tribal areas .
Some returned to the United States and others have moved to other locations in Venezuela .
In November , Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave the group a February 12 deadline to leave .
He accused the missionaries of having links to the CIA and abusing indigenous groups .
The New Tribes Mission denies the accusations .
The group has filed a legal challenge to the expulsion order .
U.S. and European naval officials say pirates have hijacked two European-owned tanker ships off the coast of Somalia .
The officials say a Greek-owned chemical tanker , the MV Nipayia , was seized late Wednesday with 19 crew members on board .
They say pirates seized the Norwegian-owned MV Bow Asir on Thursday .
That ship is said to have a crew of at least 23 .
Both hijackings occurred off Somalia 's eastern coast , in the Indian Ocean .
Somali pirates seized more than 40 ships during 2008 and received millions of dollars in ransom payments in a hijacking spree .
The hijackings have become less frequent since the United States , China , Russia and other nations began conducting anti-piracy patrols in the waters near Somalia .
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami took turns attacking the United States Friday in Caracas during a state visit by the Iranian leader .
In a speech to Venezuela 's National Assembly , Mr. Chavez declared that Iran has every right to develop atomic energy , and promised to oppose any U.S. efforts to stop Iran .
Washington accuses Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons .
In Mr. Khatami 's speech to the lawmakers , he denounced terrorism while condemning what he called " crimes of liberty , " specifically citing the U.S. Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq and ongoing detentions at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo , Cuba .
On other issues , the presidents of two oil producing countries signed a number of cooperation agreements relating to oil , taxes , commerce and construction .
Iraqi security officials say an explosives-packed motorcycle blew up in Baghdad
Thursday , killing at least four people and wounding nearly 20 others .
Police say the blast occurred in the Shorja market area of central Baghdad .
On Wednesday , the U.S. military said Iraqi and American troops killed at least 30 insurgents and detained 27 suspects during fierce fighting in city 's the Haifa Street region , known as a Sunni Arab stronghold In another operation in Baghdad , the U.S. military says troops detained 10 terrorists after witnesses reported seeing men loading weapons into a car .
They also seized four weapons caches .
And the U.S. military says an American soldier was killed in a Baghdad operation Wednesday .
Separately , the U.S. military announced the deaths of two Marines killed Tuesday in combat operations in al-Anbar province , west of the capital .
Lebanese forces have unearthed a mass grave in an eastern town that was the headquarters of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon for nearly three decades .
The remains of at least 20 people were exhumed Saturday in the Bekaa Valley town of Anjar .
Officials said the bodies had been buried for years and that the remains - mostly bones - would be sent for DNA testing in an effort to identify them .
Residents in the town discovered the grave and informed Lebanese authorities .
Syria was the main power broker in Lebanon until April , when it withdrew its remaining 15,000 troops under intense international pressure after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri .
An ongoing U.N. investigation has implicated top Syrian officials in the murder , but Damascus has denied any role .
The United States and the European Union have urged Ethiopians to reduce tensions and follow political processes to resolve an election crisis .
A joint U.S. and EU statement Wednesday commended the Ethiopian people for the peaceful May 15 vote , but warned all parties to renounce violence and refrain from inflaming ethnic tensions .
The election outcome remains undecided , and charges of electoral fraud sparked anti-government protests last month in which 36 people were killed .
The statement urged full participation in the official inquiry into the allegations of fraud in 140 constituencies .
Wednesday 's statement also called on all Ethiopian political parties , including the Ethiopian People 's Democratic Front ( EPRDF ) , the Coalition for Unity and Democracy ( CUD ) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces ( UEDF ) , to respect the National Election Board and to continue working for democracy .
Authorities in Afghanistan say they have arrested four foreigners suspected of plotting terrorist attacks .
Government officials say the four men - one from Iran and three from Pakistan - were picked up after they crossed illegally into Afghanistan 's Nimroz province from neighboring Iran this week .
At least one of the suspects was believed to be headed to Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan .
Officials in Kabul and Kandahar say the four men are suspected terrorists , but gave no details about their targets or methods .
Attacks by militants have increased in Afghanistan in recent months , primarily in southern and eastern regions where U.S.-led coalition forces are hunting remnants of the Taleban and al-Qaida fighters .
Afghan authorities have blamed the increase in suicide attacks and car-bomb explosions on foreign insurgents .
A team of Dutch researchers says vaccinating chickens against bird flu can prevent a major outbreak of the disease by preventing transmission from bird to bird .
The finding was published in the American scientific journal , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
Scientist Jeanet Van der Goot said the study showed vaccination reduced the infectiousness of chickens with avian flu as well as reducing the susceptibility of healthy chickens .
The study concludes that vaccination can be an attractive tool to prevent outbreaks of bird flu in poultry , thereby eliminating a source of human infections .
The Dutch study was conducted using a strain of the virus different from the H5N1 strain that has caused human fatalities .
The study says it takes about two weeks from the date of inoculation for a vaccine to protect a flock .
Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland , the isle came under the British crown in 1765 .
Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language .
Isle of Man is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK or of the European Union .
However , the UK Government remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation .
The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures .
These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962 .
The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN ( 1971 - 79 ) was responsible for the deaths of some 3,00,000 opponents ; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE ( 1980 - 85 ) claimed at least another 1,00,000 lives .
The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda .
During the 1990s , the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections .
Tanzania is one of the world 's poorest economies in terms of per capita income , however , Tanzania average 7 % GDP growth per year between 2000 and 2008 on strong gold production and tourism .
The economy depends heavily on agriculture , which accounts for more than 40 % of GDP , provides 85 % of exports , and employs about 80 % of the work force .
The World Bank , the IMF , and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania 's aging economic infrastructure , including rail and port infrastructure that are important trade links for inland countries .
Recent banking reforms have helped increase private-sector growth and investment , and the government has increased spending on agriculture to 7 % of its budget .
Continued donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported a positive growth rate , despite the world recession .
In 2008 , Tanzania received the world 's largest Millennium Challenge Compact grant , worth $ 698 million .
Dar es Salaam used fiscal stimulus and loosened monetary policy to ease the impact of the global recession .
GDP growth in 2009 - 10 was a respectable 6 % per year due to high gold prices and increased production .
Formerly an independent kingdom , Madagascar became a French colony in 1896 but regained independence in 1960 .
During 1992 - 93 , free presidential and National Assembly elections were held ending 17 years of single-party rule .
In 1997 , in the second presidential race , Didier RATSIRAKA , the leader during the 1970s and 1980s , was returned to the presidency .
The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA , nearly causing secession of half of the country .
In April 2002 , the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner .
RAVALOMANANA achieved a second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006 .
In early 2009 , protests over increasing restrictions on opposition press and activities resulted in RAVALOMANANA stepping down and the presidency was conferred to the mayor of Antananarivo , Andry RAJOELINA .
Following negotiations in July and August of 2009 , a power-sharing agreement with a 15-month transitional period was established , but has not yet been implemented .
Tunisia has a diverse economy , with important agricultural , mining , tourism , and manufacturing sectors .
Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization , simplification of the tax structure , and a prudent approach to debt .
Progressive social policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia relative to the region .
Real growth , which averaged almost 5 % over the past decade , declined to 4.6 % in 2008 and to 03-Apr % in 2009 - 10 because of economic contraction and slowing of import demand in Europe - Tunisia 's largest export market .
However , development of non-textile manufacturing , a recovery in agricultural production , and strong growth in the services sector somewhat mitigated the economic effect of slowing exports .
Tunisia will need to reach even higher growth levels to create sufficient employment opportunities for an already large number of unemployed as well as the growing population of university graduates .
The challenges ahead include : privatizing industry , liberalizing the investment code to increase foreign investment , improving government efficiency , reducing the trade deficit , and reducing socioeconomic disparities in the impoverished south and west .
A FATHER , being on the point of death , wished to be sure that his sons would give the same attention to his farm as he himself had given it .
He called them to his bedside and said , " My sons , there is a great treasure hid in one of my vineyards . "
The sons , after his death , took their spades and mattocks and carefully dug over every portion of their land .
They found no treasure , but the vines repaid their labor by an extraordinary and superabundant crop .
A CERTAIN rich man bought in the market a Goose and a Swan .
He fed the one for his table and kept the other for the sake of its song .
When the time came for killing the Goose , the cook went to get him at night , when it was dark , and he was not able to distinguish one bird from the other .
By mistake he caught the Swan instead of the Goose .
The Swan , threatened with death , burst forth into song and thus made himself known by his voice , and preserved his life by his melody .
AN EAGLE stayed his flight and entreated a Lion to make an alliance with him to their mutual advantage .
The Lion replied , " I have no objection , but you must excuse me for requiring you to find surety for your good faith , for how can I trust anyone as a friend who is able to fly away from his bargain whenever he pleases ? '
Try before you trust .
A D.C. federal judge has ruled that begging is a form of free speech protected by the Constitution .
The U.S. government says it 's a crime to give FALSE weather reports .
In Washington D.C. it is illegal to post a notice in public which calls another person a ' coward ' for refusing to accept a challenge to duel .
William Joy ( 37 ) , of Cookstown , Co. Tyrone , is paralysed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair as a result of a fall from a bar stool in 1989 .
The High Court in Belfast heard during the week that Mr. Joy is suing Michael Newell , the man who owned the bar in which the accident occurred , for damages .
He claims that Mr. Newell was negligent for allowing him to sit on a 3 foot high stool while drunk .
Two new studies offer good news to those with high blood pressure .
The best part is the drugs are already available .
VOA 's Carol Pearson has more .
U.S. federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into the levee failures that led to widespread flooding in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina .
The office of U.S. Attorney Jim Letten says it is examining possible corruption in the flood barriers ' design , construction and maintenance .
Mr. Letten said Wednesday that some public officials were found to have " undisclosed conflicts of interest , " and that his office is " extremely concerned about those . "
New Orleans FBI agent James Bernazzani said federal agents have received numerous tips about possible misconduct related to the levees .
Louisiana state and local officials are also investigating the levee failures .
At the peak of the flooding , some 80 percent of New Orleans was underwater .
It took engineers several weeks to dry out the city , most of which sits below sea level .
NATO officials say alliance troops Friday raided the home of Mladjen Kenjic , a suspected backer of fugitive wartime Bosnian Serb military commander General Ratko Mladic .
A NATO spokesman says troops searched his home in the village of Vojkovici , just outside Sarajevo .
News reports identify Mr. Kenjic as a former member of General Mladic 's personal security team .
The Hague tribunal indicted General Mladic on genocide and other charges for attacks against civilians during the 1990 's conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina .
Kosovo police say an explosion during a protest by ethnic Serbs has wounded about a dozen people in an ethnically divided town .
The cause of the blast was not immediately clear .
Officials say Friday 's demonstration was called to protest the opening of a Kosovo government office in Mitrovica .
The town remains deeply spit and is fraught with tension between Serbs and ethnic Albanians , more than two years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia .
The United States is a key supporter of Kosovo 's independence , and has maintained a peacekeeping force of more than 1,400 troops there since the country 's declaration of independence .
The U.S. detachment is part of a 10,000-strong NATO-EU force that along with some 2,000 police , judges and prosecutors are deployed in Kosovo to help the country develop democratic institutions .
The U.S. embassy in Nairobi has warned that Somali-based militants may attempt to kidnap Americans and other Westerners from Kenya 's tourist beaches .
An embassy statement Friday said there were indications that extremists might target Westerners at Kiwayu Island and other popular resorts along Kenya 's northeastern coast , near the Somali border .
The warning is based on a tip Kenyan police passed along to embassy officials .
Kenya closed its border with Somalia in January during fighting that pitted Islamic militia against Somali government troops and their Ethiopian allies .
The U.S. blames the al-Qaida terrorist network for the 1998 attack that destroyed its embassy in Nairobi and for a 2002 car bombing of a beachfront hotel in southeastern Kenya .
The U.S. military launched strikes on suspected al-Qaida targets in Somalia earlier this year .
Cambodia 's military court has laid more charges against two former Khmer Rouge leaders awaiting trial for genocide .
Military chief Ta Mok , and the head of the Tuol Sleng interrogation center , Duch , have been charged with genocide and crimes against humanity .
The new charges allow the two to be held for another three years without trial .
Both men were originally jailed in 1999 and charged with genocide , which meant they could be held for three years without trial .
In 2002 , they were charged with crimes against humanity to prevent their release .
The United Nations is trying to raise $ 56 million to fund a genocide tribunal .
None of the leaders of the Khmer Rouge has ever been brought to trial .
A Mexican court has reduced the prison sentences of two brothers who were convicted of heading a drug cartel that smuggled tons of methamphetamine into the United States .
Jose de Jesus Amezcua Thursday had a 53-year prison sentence reduced to 28 years .
His brother , Adan , had his sentence cut from 22 years to nine-and-a-half years .
No reason was given for the reduction in sentences .
The original sentences were handed down in September of last year .
Authorities say the brothers , dubbed the " methamphetamine kings , " led a drug ring that imported chemical ingredients from Europe , India and Pakistan , and manufactured the stimulant for export to the United States .
A court in the U.S. state of California has indicted Jose de Jesus Amezcua and another brother , Luis , on drug charges .
Mexican authorities have refused to extradite the brothers .
Exit polling shows the economy to be the most pressing concern on U.S. voters ' minds .
Some 60 percent of voters Tuesday named the troubled economy as the most important issue facing the nation .
That finding was mirrored in two separate surveys of voters who had cast their ballots , conducted by CNN and the Associated Press .
No other issue was named the most important by more than one in 10 Americans .
In CNN 's polling , 10 percent named Iraq as the top issue , while terrorism and health care were the most important for nine percent .
Exit polling on voters ' preferences for president will not be released until voting stations begin to close .
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe says he is willing to send officials to a neutral area to negotiate the swap of government-held rebels for rebel-held hostages .
During a speech Friday in Bogota , Mr. Uribe said international observers should go to the yet-to-be-announced meeting zone , an area he said should be free of weapons .
Wednesday , French President Nicolas Sarkozy appealed to the leftist FARC rebels to release some 45 hostages , including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans .
Talks between the Colombian government and the rebels had been stalled over proposals to swap the hostages for about 500 FARC prisoners being held in Colombian jails .
President Sarkozy 's appeal this week was apparently prompted by a recent videotape of the hostages which showed Betancourt looking extremely gaunt and despondent .
A former Colombian presidential candidate , Betancourt was kidnapped in February 2002 .
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian says he plans to join a rally Saturday in Taipei to protest China 's threat to use force against the island if it formally declares independence .
The protest is being held amid this week 's one-year anniversary of China 's approval of an anti-secession law .
The law says China will employ " non-peaceful means " to prevent Taiwan 's independence if efforts at peaceful reunification fail .
China and Taiwan split in 1949 after a civil war , but Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province .
Mr. Chen angered Beijing last month when he decided to stop funding a unification council and scrap guidelines for reunification with China .
Hobart Boulevard Elementary School is located in a poor Los Angeles neighborhood , infested with gangs and drugs .
Yet in a fifth grade classroom , children of immigrants , many who speak English as a second language , are learning important life lessons thanks to one teacher and the works of William Shakespeare .
VOA 's Yi Suli introduces us to a group of young thespians who are known around the world as the " Hobart Shakespeareans . "
In Afghanistan , a suicide bomber dressed in a military uniform has blown himself up outside an army training center in Kabul killing 10 people , including himself , and wounding at least 28 others .
An Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman , Mohammed Zaher Azimi , said the blast came as officers and soldiers were leaving the training center at the end of the day and were waiting for buses to take them home .
A purported Taleban spokesman , Abdul Latif Hakimi , claimed responsibility for the deadly attack .
He identified the bomber as Kabul resident Sardar Mohammad .
President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack in " the strongest terms " and ordered an immediate investigation .
Also Wednesday , three people were killed and at least four others wounded in a landmine blast in Kunar province bordering Pakistan .
People in Georgia are voting Thursday to choose more than 1,700 members of municipal and regional councils .
The local elections are seen as a test of support for President Mikhail Saakashvili 's National Movement and its pro-Western stance .
The election originally focused on local issues , but may now be seen as a barometer of Mr. Saakashvili 's performance in his standoff with Russia following last week 's arrest of four Russian officers accused of spying .
The Russian government has severed transport and postal links with Tbilisi , cutting an economic lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Georgians dependent on relatives living in Russia .
Since coming to power in the 2003 Rose Revolution , Mr. Saakashvili has sought to forge closer ties with the European Union and United States .
Additionally , Georgia has long accused Russia of interfering in its internal affairs by backing separatists in two breakaway areas of the country - Abkhazia and South Ossetia .
An advisory panel for a U.S. government health agency recommends greatly increasing the number of American children who receive the influenza immunization each year .
The panel suggests every child from age six months to 18 years receive a flu shot .
The new guideline would expand by some 30 million the number of young people who should be vaccinated .
Leta Hong Fincher has more .
Philippine communist guerrillas say they will not observe the usual Christmas ceasefire with the government .
Spokesman Gregorio Rosal for two communist groups ( the New People 's Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines ) said Thursday there is no point in a truce , and accused government forces of murdering allied leftists .
The Philippine military had recommended a unilateral ceasefire for Christmas Day ( December 25 ) and New Year 's Day , pending approval by President Gloria Arroyo .
The government and communist rebels have been engaged in armed conflict for more than 40 years .
Media reports in the United States say the Central Intelligence Agency has closed a unit that was devoted to tracking international terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants .
The New York Times Tuesday published a report quoting officials who confirmed that the unit was disbanded last year , and that its analysts were reassigned within the agency 's counterterrorism center .
Initial news of the unit 's closure was reported on National Public Radio Monday .
The Times quotes a CIA spokeswoman , Jennifer Millerwise Dyck , as saying bin Laden 's capture remains a high priority .
Intelligence officials say the unit closure reflects a view that al-Qaida is not as hierarchical as it once was , and that terrorists may be carrying out attacks independent of bin Laden .
The Times reports that the disbanded unit , known as Alec Station , operated for a decade just outside Washington , and was staffed by 24 people .
Russian officials say jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been sent to a prison colony in eastern Siberia to serve out the rest of his eight-year sentence for financial crimes .
The head of the local prison administration Alexander Pleshkov told the Interfax news agency Thursday Khodorkovsky had been sent to a colony in the Krasnokamensk district of Chita province , close to the Chinese border .
Khodorkovsky was convicted on May 31 on charges of embezzlement , fraud and tax evasion relating to his business activities in the 1990s .
Supporters of Khodorkovsky say the state 's legal action against him and the Yukos oil firm was a Kremlin-driven reprisal for the tycoon 's forays into politics in opposition to President Vladimir Putin .
Russian officials deny this and say he is a common criminal .
A former Serb leader of the Yugoslav Army has surrendered to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague .
General Momcilo Perisic is the fourth high-ranking Serb suspect to turn himself in this year for alleged crimes during the 1990s Balkan wars .
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia made public Monday eight counts of crimes against humanity and five counts of war crimes against General Perisic for his role as Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army .
The tribunal states the charges cover his actions in Sarajevo , Zagreb and Srebrenica .
The former general said last week that appearing before the tribunal was the best way to defend his honor and the reputation of the army .
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says migratory birds from Africa could help spread Avian Flu in the coming months .
At the bird flu conference in Beijing , FAO Deputy Director-General David Harcharik says Avian Flu could become “ entrenched ” in the Black Sea , the Caucasus and Near East regions through trade and travel .
But he says migratory birds coming from Africa in the spring could spread it further .
The FAO official says countries in Africa deserve special attention .
He says if bird flu were to become “ rooted in the African countryside , the consequences of a continent already devastated by hunger and poverty could be truly catastrophic . ”
Palestinian officials say Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has undergone a heart procedure at a hospital in Jordan .
Officials said Wednesday Mr. Abbas would only remain briefly at the hospital .
Reports say the Palestinian leader underwent an angioplasty , or procedure aimed at opening clogged heart arteries to increase the blood flow to his heart .
He is expected to return to the Palestinian territories Thursday .
Mr. Abbas met last week at the White House with President Bush , who reaffirmed his support for the creation of a Palestinian state .
Mr. Bush also offered 50 million dollars for housing and construction in the Gaza Strip after Israel pulls out in August .
Pakistani officials say at least 90 people have been killed in the worst flooding in Pakistan 's northwest in almost 100 years .
Heavy monsoon rains continued to flood Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province Thursday , leaving towns in the Swat Valley badly affected .
Several thousand people have been displaced .
Aid workers say the heavy rains are impeding the ability to reach affected areas by helicopter .
Just across the border in Afghanistan , NATO says the Afghan National Army rescued more than 200 Afghan civilians stranded by flash floods in Nangarhar province .
Another 50 people have been killed in southern Pakistan since storms began earlier this month .
Rescue workers say more than 50,000 people have been impacted in the worst-hit areas of Baluchistan province .
Bad weather also was said to be a factor in the crash of a passenger plane Wednesday in the capital , Islamabad .
Iraqi officials say a car bomb explosion has killed at least 20 people in northern Baghdad .
The blast Thursday ripped through a crowd near a busy shopping area in the mainly Shi'ite neighborhood of Shaab .
Iraqi officials say at least four children and three women are among the dead .
At least 35 others were wounded .
On Wednesday , U.S. and Iraqi security officials said the number of insurgent attacks in Iraq has fallen to the lowest level in nearly six years .
Officials acknowledged that daily attacks continue in some areas , but military spokesman Major General David Perkins said the number of insurgent attacks has declined 90 percent since mid-2007 , when the unrest was at its height .
Iraqi police said a roadside bombing in the northern city of Mosul Wednesday killed three children on their way home from school .
The attack is believed to have targeted a nearby U.S. military patrol .
Uniformed gunmen have kidnapped the chief of Iraq 's Olympic Committee along with some 30 other sports officials and bodyguards .
Ahmed al-Hadjiya and the others were kidnapped Saturday afternoon from a conference center in Baghdad where they were holding a meeting .
Gunmen stormed the building , blindfolded and handcuffed the hostages , then drove them away in a convoy of vehicles .
The bodies of two bodyguards were found later dumped along a street .
The International Olympic Committee in Geneva condemned the kidnappings and called for the immediate release of the sports officials .
The kidnappings came after Iraq 's parliament voted to extend a state of emergency for 30 days in an effort to quell sectarian violence and insurgent attacks .
Elsewhere , fifteen people died in clashes and bombings , including two American soldiers .
Army officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say several days of skirmishes with rebel militias have killed at least 23 fighters , mostly among the militias .
The fighting was in North Kivu province , near the DRC 's eastern border with Rwanda and Uganda .
Despite the presence of 17,000 U.N. peacekeeping soldiers , bands of foreign and domestic militia fighters still terrorize the country 's east .
The Rwandan Hutu militia , the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda or FLDR , has operated in eastern DRC since fleeing Rwanda in 1994 , when many of them took part in the slaughter of some 8,00,000 people .
The DRC is struggling to rebuild after a civil war from 1998 to 2002 , when approximately four million died , mostly from hunger and disease .
However , violence continues in the country 's east , despite a peace deal in 2003 .
U.S. Army dog handler Sergeant Michael Smith has admitted to using his canine to scare Iraqi detainees into soiling themselves , according to witness testimony Tuesday .
The 24-year-old Smith is charged with 13 counts of abuse during his time at Abu Ghraib prison , located just outside Baghdad .
If convicted on all counts , he faces 24.5 years in prison .
Witness John Ketzer also worked at Abu Ghraib , and says the two had a contest to see if they could force the prisoners to soil themselves .
Abu Ghraib came to the public 's attention after a 2004 investigation revealed numerous cases of prisoner abuse by American soldiers .
Graphic photographs showing military personnel in the act of abusing prisoners were widely circulated and led to the discharge of more than a dozen U.S. soldiers .
A North Korean official says the country has built nuclear weapons to cope with what it calls the " U.S. nuclear threat " and says the nation is prepared to counter any U.S. pre-emptive strike .
The state-run Korean Central News Service Tuesday quotes an unnamed North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying the United States should seek cooperation with North Korea rather than pressing it to abandon its nuclear program .
The spokesman made the comments in response to the U.S. National Security Strategy released last week , which says the United States will act pre-emptively to prevent hostile acts .
Six-nation talks over North Korea 's nuclear program have been stalled since November .
North Korea is demanding that U.S. economic sanctions against Pyongyang be lifted .
Washington has rejected the demand , saying the sanctions are not related to the talks .
The African Union says it is making a symbolic contribution of $ 1,00,000 to areas affected by the Asian tsunami .
In announcing the donation , the African Union expressed its solidarity with victims from southeast Asia to the Indian Ocean coast of Africa .
The chairman of the African Union Commission , Alpha Oumar Konare , also expressed his solidarity and sympathy to everyone affected by the disaster .
He commended efforts by nations that are working to alleviate suffering , and called on African Union member states to provide assistance .
The tsunami devastated coastal areas from Malaysia to East Africa .
At least 200 people died in the northern Somali fishing community of Halfun .
The ocean surge also took lives in Tanzania , the Seychelles , and Kenya .
Thirty-two Cuban migrants have landed on a small island in the Florida Keys .
Coast Guard spokeswoman Sandra Bartlett said Friday the migrants were found on an uninhabited strip of land .
She said the Coast Guard picked up the Cubans and handed them over to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency .
A border protection spokesman said Friday the 32 were in good health .
He said the migrants told him they left Cuba Monday and arrived on the island Thursday night .
Nearly 1,500 Cubans were caught trying to reach the United States last year .
Cubans who set foot on U.S. territory are usually allowed to stay , while those intercepted at sea generally are sent home .
Crude oil and gasoline prices eased Friday after Rita was downgraded to a category 4 Hurricane .
Prices also declined when the storm 's predicted path shifted slightly away from the center of the U.S. oil refining industry to a less populated part of the Gulf Coast .
But investors remain on watch because hurricanes are unpredictable , and the " weaker " storm is still just as strong as Hurricane Katrina , which devastated nearby New Orleans , killed more than 1,000 people , and damaged key parts of the U.S. energy industry .
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina , world oil prices and gasoline prices spiked to all-time highs .
Consumers and analysts say they are worried that serious damage from Hurricane Rita could drive prices to new record highs , damaging economic growth .
Three more concerts have been planned for the Live 8 charity event - in Japan , Canada and South Africa .
Rock star Bob Geldof , who is organizing the events , says the concerts in Tokyo and Toronto were arranged to put pressure on the Japanese and Canadian governments to increase aid to Africa .
He said now that Europe has agreed to double its aid to Africa , the Americans , Japanese and Canadians have a chance to do so as well .
For the concert in Johannesburg , Geldof said former president Nelson Mandela will open the event , as long as he is healthy enough .
Concerts also are planned in London , Paris , Rome , Berlin and Philadelphia - all on July 2 .
The goal is to persuade world leaders to increase assistance to Africa .
Iran has denied allegations by an exiled opposition group that said Tehran has a secret nuclear weapons facility .
A top Iranian diplomat for nuclear affairs told reporters Thursday the site in question has nothing to do with nuclear activities .
He said Iran has no undeclared nuclear facilities .
On Wednesday , the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran alleged that Tehran has a secret uranium enrichment facility and has imported weapons-grade uranium and blueprints for a nuclear bomb .
But Tehran says its nuclear programs are strictly for electricity generation .
A recent International Atomic Energy Agency report said Iran has not diverted nuclear materials to a weapons program , although it did not rule out the possibility of secret atomic activities .
Ukrainian authorities say Saturday 's scheduled signing of a controversial natural gas deal with Russia has been postponed until Wednesday , to allow officials to complete work on documents .
Under the deal reached earlier this month after a three-day Russian suspension of deliveries , Ukraine agreed to buy gas from Russia at a rate of $ 95 per 1000 cubic meters , up from the previous rate of $ 50 .
But the agreement triggered a political crisis , and Ukraine 's parliament voted to dismiss the government of Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov .
Lawmakers Thursday also endorsed the dismissal of Justice Minister Serhiy Holovaty and Fuel and Energy Minister Ivan Plachkov .
News reports from Kiev say Mr. Plachkov may travel to Moscow Sunday for talks on gas supplies .
Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov , whose country is also a leading supplier of natural gas to Ukraine , will also be in Moscow Sunday .
It is an anxious time for the families of several Western hostages being held in Iraq - they are awaiting news on the fate of their loved ones .
On Thursday , the Islamic Army in Iraq said it killed American security consultant Ronald Schulz .
The group promised to release photos of his murder , but there has been no evidence to corroborate its claim .
Meanwhile , the families of another American , a Briton and two Canadians continue to fear for their loved ones , as a Saturday deadline for their execution draws closer .
Their captors have threatened to kill them unless all Iraqi prisoners are freed .
Against this backdrop , Iraq is preparing for Thursday 's parliamentary election .
Voters will choose a new 275-member national assembly to sit for a four-year term .
New fighting in the Somali capital , Mogadishu , has killed at least 11 people .
In one incident , Islamist insurgents fired mortars at an African Union peacekeepers ' base Wednesday , prompting soldiers to respond .
Witnesses say at least seven civilians were killed and several others injured .
In another incident , a clash between police and government soldiers at the Mogadishu police academy killed at least four people , including three soldiers and one policeman .
Reports say the clash began when police tried to take a gun from a solider .
Mogadishu has endured years of violence since the fall of Somalia 's last stable government in 1991 .
Thousands of residents have fled the city this week , ahead of an expected new round of fighting between the transitional government and the insurgents .
The government has promised an offensive against the Islamists , who control large portions of the capital .
France has summoned the Israeli ambassador in Paris to demand an immediate end to the construction of Jewish settlements .
A French Foreign Ministry spokesman , Eric Chevallier , says the ministry 's political director met with Israeli Ambassador Daniel Shek on Thursday and called for a halt to settlement building , including in east Jerusalem .
Earlier this week , both the European Union and Russia called on Israel to halt plans to build some 20 new apartments in east Jerusalem 's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood .
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Tuesday that Israel has the right to build anywhere in Jerusalem .
The French Foreign Ministry on Thursday also urged Israel to reopen border crossings in the Gaza Strip , to allow reconstruction of the Palestinian territory following Israel 's offensive that ended in January .
French officials expressed concern about restrictions on the movements of French diplomats in the Palestinian territories due to Israeli security measures .
Leaders from the African Union are gathering in Sirte , Libya , for a two-day summit to focus on fighting poverty , disease and war on the continent .
The leaders are expected to use the summit , which opens Monday , to pressure rich countries for more engagement in Africa .
This includes calls for debt cancellation as well as increased funding for AU peacekeeping missions .
U.S. and European leaders say they hope the African summit will also include a strongly worded statement about Zimbabwe 's recent clampdown on shantytowns - a move that has left millions homeless .
On Saturday , AU foreign ministers proposed a reform plan that would give the continent two permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council , along with three non-permanent seats .
The 15-member Security Council now has five permanent members -- a status that includes veto power ( for the United States , Britain , France , Russia and China ) .
Two NATO soldiers have died in an explosion in southern Afghanistan .
NATO 's International Security Assistance Force released a statement Wednesday saying the soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device .
Officials did not disclose the soldiers ' nationalities .
Separately , NATO says coalition forces captured a Taliban sub-commander late Tuesday while searching a compound in Nangarhar province , east of Kabul .
An ISAF statement says the unidentified sub-commander was involved in kidnappings , weapons purchases and spying on coalition forces .
ISAF also says allied forces captured several other suspected militants in Helmand province late Tuesday .
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas says he might resign if extremists block his program of peace negotiations with Israel after next week 's Palestinian parliamentary elections .
Speaking to reporters in the West Bank town of Ramallah Wednesday , Mr. Abbas also defended the inclusion in the election of the militant faction Hamas , which refuses to disarm and opposes peace talks with Israel .
He expressed hope Hamas would moderate its views .
Mr. Abbas said he remains committed to peace talks , which he described as a " political program , " and that he would step down if unable to carry out the program .
Hamas is expected to do well in the election .
Israel says Palestinian gunmen must be disarmed before resumption of peace talks .
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Venezuelan counterpart , Hugo Chavez , have signed a series of agreements in what they called a strategic alliance .
The two presidents met Monday in Caracas .
They signed accords on cooperation in the areas of oil , construction , science and the military .
The Associated Press quotes President Chavez as saying the meeting was a critical development for the countries ' integration .
During their meeting , the leaders were also to discuss the selling of Brazilian aircraft to Venezuela 's military .
Is the leader of Coldplay icy to the press ? A Brazilian journalist claims Chris Martin is so rude that he feels sorry for his wife , actress Gwyneth Paltrow .
A writer from Folha de Sao Paolo opined " Gwyneth Paltrow must suffer .
Chris Martin , her husband , is n't one of the nicest persons on earth .
At least that 's what it seemed on the 20-minute press conference . "
While in Brazil , Chris Martin became testy when a reporter asked him if he were planning a duet with Gwyneth .
He also complained that all that matters in today 's pop market is that one 's song becomes a ringtone .
Sweden 's Anja Paerson has won her second career World Cup downhill ski race by edging home favorite Michaela Dorfmeister by 0.04 seconds in Bad Kleinkirchheim , Austria ( 0.068171296 to 0.068217593 ) .
Fraenzi Aufdenblatten of Sweden was a close third , only 0.08 seconds off the pace ( 0.068263889 ) .
Croatian Janica Kostelic , the World Cup overall leader , missed the podium by a mere 0.01 seconds ( 0.068275463 ) .
She finished less than 0.1 seconds behind Paerson , her main rival for the World Cup overall title .
Last season , Kostelic was second to Paerson overall by just three points .
So far this season the Croatian skier has 782 points to the Swede 's 685 .
Another women 's downhill will be held Saturday at the same site , followed by a Super G on Sunday at the redesigned Franz Klammer slope , where the first World Cup is being staged since 1997 .
Thousands of fans waiting in line to enter a concert in South Korea have caused a stampede that killed 11 people and injured at least 60 .
The victims were trampled Monday when a near-capacity crowd surged toward a gate at a stadium in the city of Sangju , 270 kilometers south of Seoul .
Among the dead were several young boys and elderly women .
Officials later canceled the concert of South Korean singers popular with older audiences .
It was part of festivities for Korea 's National Founding Day , marking the legendary date of the country 's founding some 4000 years ago .
Leftist former Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has kicked off his campaign for next year 's presidential election .
Mr. Lopez Obrador opened his campaign Thursday in the northern Baja , California city of La Paz .
He pledged to spur the economy and fight poverty by closing the gap between the rich and poor .
The candidate also planned campaign stop in the northern border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali .
The popular 51-year-old leads public opinion polls ahead of the July , 2006 presidential race .
Much of his popularity is in the capital , where he resigned as mayor two weeks ago to pursue the presidency .
President Vicente Fox is prevented from running for office again by Mexico 's constitution , which limits the presidency to a single six-year term .
An outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least four peacocks and one goose in the Pakistani capital , Islamabad .
A livestock official from the ministry of Food and Agriculture said test results confirmed the presence of H5N1 and that affected birds are being destroyed .
Officials have closed Islamabad 's Marghzar zoo where the outbreak occurred .
This is the fourth case of deadly bird flu detected in Pakistan .
No human cases have been recorded .
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) is warning the global fight against bird flu remains underfunded .
FAO officials say some nations have made essential contributions , but tens of millions of dollars more than the nearly $ 20 million already given is urgently needed to prevent the spread of the virus .
Australia Monday says it will donate an additional 40,000 courses of the anti-viral medication Tamiflu to Indonesia .
Australia 's foreign minister Alexander Downer said Indonesian authorities had been somewhat unprepared for the spread of bird flu , but they are getting better organized .
Meanwhile , doctors in Jakarta today said initial tests suggest a 27-year-old Indonesian woman has died of bird flu .
Bird flu has killed more than 60 people in Southeast Asia since 2003 .
Security officials in Iraq say at least three Iraqi policemen have been killed and seven others wounded in a roadside bomb attack in the northern city of Kirkuk .
Authorities say the attack occurred Saturday as police took part in a funeral procession for a comrade killed by insurgents on Friday .
Insurgents have killed hundreds of policemen in a bloody campaign to topple Iraq 's U.S.-backed government .
Saturday 's attack came on the second anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq .
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Pentagon workers Friday that Iraq has made remarkable changes since U.S.-led forces invaded the country to topple Saddam Hussein .
Some infromation for this report provided by AP , AFP and Reuters .
At least 16 people were killed and an unknown number are still trapped in a residential building that collapsed in Lagos , Nigerla late Tuesday .
The four-story apartment building collapsed in the evening after many occupants had returned home from work .
Rescuers saved at least 36 people from the rubble , many of them injured .
The Associated Press says authorities are blaming poor construction as the likely cause of the collapse .
Poor construction has been blamed for previous collapses in Lagos , including the fall of an 18-story building in March that killed two people and injured 24 .
Initial sales reports from U.S. retailers have been mixed at the beginning of the important Christmas holiday shopping season .
A national shopping research group , ShopperTrak RCT corp. , reported Friday 's total sales at $ 8 billion , down about 0.9 percent from last year .
Sales had been projected to rise by about four percent .
Retailers rely on the first few days after the Thanksgiving holiday as a key time to boost overall sales for the year .
They offer deep discounts and special deals to draw consumers shopping for presents for the annual gift-giving season .
Sales figures were not down for all U.S. retailers .
Discount store chain Wal-Mart reported sales for the month of November were up 4.3 percent from last year .
Analysts examine store receipts at this time of year for clues about the overall strength of the US economy .
Police in Istanbul , Turkey have arrested four men suspected of having links to al-Qaida .
Police say they made the arrests in a low income area of the city and found small arms and documents on bomb-making in the men 's homes .
Police say the men may have been planning bomb attacks .
Security sources say the men were first spotted chanting slogans and hanging banners in support of al-Qaida in Iraq chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , shortly after U.S. forces killed him in June .
The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has failed to meet a United Nations Security Council deadline for suspending uranium enrichment .
That assessment came in an IAEA report delivered to the U.N. Security Council Friday .
On Thursday , U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said the United States is seeking a legally binding U.N. resolution to demand that Iran halt the enrichment .
The so-called Chapter Seven resolution would clear the way for possible penalties against Iran , and would leave the door open to possible future military action .
But China and Russia , who also are veto-wielding members of the Security Council , oppose sanctions against Iran .
Despite the international pressure , Iran remains defiant about its nuclear program , which it says is for peaceful purposes .
The United States accuses Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons .
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying Iran does not " give a damn " about Security Council resolutions .
The United Nations children 's fund , UNICEF , has appealed for an initial $ 20 million to provide emergency relief to children and families affected by the Pakistan earthquake .
The agency says that almost one in every five people in the affected area is a child under the age five , and nearly half are younger than 18 .
Many of the victims were schoolchildren just starting the day 's lessons when the quake struck .
UNICEF 's Executive Director Ann M. Veneman says the appeal means immediate action to save children 's lives .
She said needed assistance includes medical care , clean water , nutritional food for infants , clothing and shelter .
UNICEF says it has begun moving additional staff and supplies into Pakistan from its regional offices .
It says that , in addition , it is providing logistics and supplies for the frontline Pakistani surgical teams being dropped by helicopters into the most remote areas .
Turkish police say one person was killed in a marketplace blast Saturday in the western port city of Izmir .
Officials say 14 others were wounded in the early morning blast .
Authorities say the homemade bomb was in a bag on a bicycle , and exploded as vendors were preparing their stalls for the day .
The blast comes one day before a planned massive demonstration in Izmir to support Turkey 's secular system .
Secularists say the government wants to undermine the country 's strict separation of state and religion .
It is not clear who was responsible for the blast , which shattered windows in homes and cars .
Kurdish militants , leftists and radical Islamic groups have carried out bombings in Turkey in the past .
Somali gunmen who hijacked a ship carrying food aid for tsunami victims have let it dock near the capital , Mogadishu , two months after the vessel 's capture .
A U.N. World Food Program spokeswoman confirmed Monday that the U.N.-chartered ship had arrived at El-Maan .
The WFP had negotiated with El-Maan port authorities to ensure a free passage of the food aid to Somalia 's transitional government for distribution .
However some reports cast doubt over whether the gunmen , who are still aboard the ship , will allow the cargo to be handed over to Somali officials .
The ship and its 10-member crew were hijacked as it sailed from Kenya to Somalia in June .
The WFP had hired the Kenyan vessel to carry 850 metric tons of rice donated by Japan and Germany .
A private Afghan television station has aired a video of an Italian aid worker kidnapped two weeks ago in Kabul .
The video footage , first aired by Tolo TV station Sunday , shows Clementina Cantoni wrapped in a blanket , sitting between two men pointing assault rifles at her head .
Ms. Cantoni , who works for CARE International , spoke quietly on the recording and looked nervous .
The TV station did not say how it had obtained the tape .
The Italian government called the video reassuring because it shows that Ms. Cantoni is in good health .
Without elaborating , a spokesman said " contacts are continuing . "
On Friday , Afghan religious leaders issued a fatwa , or religious decree , pledging death to anyone killing a foreigner who is in the country legally .
Afghan officials say a clash between security forces and suspected Taleban militants in eastern Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan has left two militants and one woman dead .
The officials say heavy fighting between the troops and the insurgents hiding in a building in the province 's Chaparhar district began late Wednesday and lasted for hours .
Several suspected Taleban appeared to have fled .
Authorities say U.S. troops supported local forces .
But U.S. military officials could not confirm the incident .
The clash is the latest rebel violence to hit southern and eastern provinces .
U.S.-led forces ousted the Taleban from power in late 2001 , after they refused to hand over al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden following the September 11 attacks on the United States .
Iran says it has allowed U.N. nuclear inspectors to visit a high-security military site to counter U.S. accusations it is secretly developing nuclear weapons .
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters Sunday that International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) inspectors were recently given access to the Parchin military complex , 30 kilometers southeast of Tehran .
The inspectors arrived in Iran on October 28 for a weeklong visit .
The inspection followed repeated IAEA efforts to return to Parchin to again check for radioactivity in buildings and other areas within the sprawling military complex .
A previous inspection was conducted last January .
Meanwhile , Iranian officials said Tehran was in talks with Russia about joint production of nuclear fuel in Iran .
The officials said allowing foreign partners would help assure the international community of the peaceful nature of Iran 's nuclear program .
Three U.S. companies are being sued for selling material to the former Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein used in his chemical weapon attacks against Iraqi Kurds .
Five Iraqi expatriates filed a class action lawsuit this week in the U.S. state of Maryland , accusing the companies of violating the Geneva Conventions in connection with the attacks .
The Republic of Iraq is also named in the suit .
Saddam 's government used various chemical weapons in the anti-Kurd Anfal campaign in the late 1980s .
At a ceremony last month honoring victims in Halabja , one of the most infamous attacks , Iraq 's environment minister Narim Osman told VOA Kurdish Service foreign companies should be put on trial for their role in the killings .
The companies being sued are Alcolac , VWR International , and Thermo Fisher Scientific .
China 's official news agency reports that rescuers in the southeast of the country have recovered 50 bodies from a police academy hit by a typhoon-triggered landslide .
Xinhua says some 7,000 soldiers are still searching for 36 people who remain missing .
Officials said heavy rains from Typhoon Longwang on Sunday caused flooding and landslides in the Fujian province capital city , washing away two training school barracks that housed police recruits .
In a separate development , Xinhua says authorities have evacuated about 13,000 people from their homes in central China along a tributary of the Yangtze River .
It says heavy rains in Hubei province have cut off several roads , and more rain is expected in the next two days .
Crude oil prices surged above $ 50 a barrel in New York on Tuesday , amid cold weather , a falling dollar , and uncertainty about oil supplies .
The Bloomberg financial news service says crude oil for March delivery rose nearly $ 2 to hit $ 50.05 a barrel in late morning trading .
Analysts said colder-than-normal weather in key heating oil markets in Europe and the United States was one factor in boosting both demand and prices .
They also said traders are concerned that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries might cut production quotas further at a meeting next month .
The declining value of the U.S. dollar also played a role in boosting prices because international oil transactions are generally priced in dollars .
Jordan 's national security advisor and 10 other top officials have resigned , following last week 's suicide bombings at three hotels in Amman .
State media reported Tuesday that Jordan 's ambassador to Israel , Maruf Bakhit , would replace Saad Kheir as the security chief .
Royal Court chief Faisal Fayez also stepped down , and officials said Salim al-Turk would replace him .
No reasons were given for the resignations .
Also Tuesday , officials reported that a fourth American died from injuries suffered in the attacks , raising the death toll to 58 people .
Jordan 's Interior Ministry says it is pressing for quick approval of tougher anti-terrorism laws to prevent future attacks .
Al-Qaida in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the blasts carried out by three bombers .
Officials have arrested an Iraqi woman whose suicide vest failed to detonate in the attacks .
The European Union Naval Force says Somali pirates have hijacked a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden .
The European Union 's anti-piracy force said the MV Suez vessel was captured early Monday .
The ship has a 23-member crew from Egypt , Pakistan , Sri Lanka and India .
The EU force said the ship 's crew called for help when the vessel came under attack by gunfire , but by the time a naval helicopter arrived , the pirates had seized control .
Pirates have hijacked dozens of ships over the last few years , taking in tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments from ship owners .
Hijackings have continued this year despite patrols off Somalia 's coast by warships from the United States , European Union , NATO and China .
Somalia 's central government , fighting an Islamist insurgency , lacks the power and resources to combat piracy .
Pakistani officials say a bomb explosion ripped through a mosque in northwest Pakistan killing 11 people as they gathered for Friday prayers .
The blast targeted a mosque located next to local police headquarters in the Lower Dir region .
Hospital officials say at least 28 people were wounded in the bombing , including several children .
Lower Dir lies next to Swat Valley , the site of a fierce military offensive earlier this year to the oust the Taliban .
Militants have since retaliated with a series of attacks targeting security forces in the area .
In other violence , Pakistani intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. drone attack has killed three militants in the country 's northwest .
Officials say the drone fired missiles at a house in North Waziristan Friday , killing three militants and wounding two others .
The attack , was the third by a suspected U.S. drone since Thursday .
An Iranian exile group says Iran has built an extensive underground tunnel network to hide a secret nuclear weapons program .
The National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ) says 14 tunnels house nuclear equipment , research workshops , and command centers across Iran .
The group , which the United States has designated a terrorist organization , urged the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) to take action .
NCRI officials spoke to reporters in London about the tunnels Tuesday , one day before Britain , France and Germany hold new talks with Iran on its nuclear program .
European officials say the talks in Vienna will be " talks about the talks . "
European nations have been pressing Iran to abandon its nuclear-fuel program .
The United States accuses Iran of secretly trying to develop a nuclear bomb , charges Tehran denies .
Egypt 's Health Ministry says an 18-month-old boy has contracted the bird flu virus - the 55th such case since the first outbreak of the disease in the country in 2006 .
Egyptian media say the boy , from the central province of Minia , first showed symptoms on Friday after coming into contact with dead birds .
He was taken to a hospital on Saturday and is in stable condition .
The avian virus normally passes from bird to bird and occasionally to humans .
But experts fear a mutation of the virus could begin spreading from one human to another and start a pandemic that could kill millions .
The World Health Organization says the H5N1 strain of the virus has killed 248 people since it resurfaced in Asia in 2003 .
A group of about 150 South Koreans has arrived in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to take part in a half marathon race aimed at promoting reconciliation between the two Koreas .
The South Korean runners arrived Wednesday and will join North Korean runners for Thursday 's 22-kilometer race through Pyongyang .
This first-ever jointly organized half marathon is being held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Korea 's liberation from Japan .
After the race , the South Korean runners will take a two-day tour of historical sights and other attractions in Pyongyang .
They will return home on Saturday .
The event is the latest in a series of social , sports and cultural exchanges between the two Koreas since 2000 .
Members of the U.S. Congress have questioned top oil company executives about record-high oil and gasoline prices , record-high profits , and billions of dollars in tax breaks that help the companies .
The hearing before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming convened Tuesday as gasoline prices hit an average price of 86 cents a liter ( $ 3.29 a gallon ) across the United States .
The top companies together cleared $ 123 billion in profits last year , with Exxon reaping about one-third of that .
Majority Democrats asked why such profitable companies need $ 18 billion in tax breaks , and why they do not invest more money in renewable energy sources , such as wind or solar .
The executives say their profits are reasonable considering the huge size of their companies .
They also argue that ending tax breaks will just make soaring oil costs hit consumers even harder .
A group of American civil rights lawyers and four Iraqi citizens have filed a criminal complaint in Germany calling for an investigation into top U.S. officials over the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal .
The Center for Constitutional Rights filed the complaint Tuesday with the German Federal Prosecutor 's office , under the doctrine of " universal jurisdiction " of alleged war criminals .
A statement from the group asks the German prosecutor to meet " obligations " under law to investigate allegations of torture and war crimes .
The statement alleges the four Iraqis were subject to beatings and sexual abuse while in U.S. detention at Baghdad 's Abu Ghraib prison .
The complaint calls for an investigation into top U.S. officials , including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld , former CIA Director George Tenet and the former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq , Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez .
The attorneys say U.S. investigations into the abuse have not gone far enough .
The U.S. Secret Service has begun protecting Democratic Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama - a full 18 months before the country 's next presidential election .
The Department of Homeland Security says Obama requested the protection .
His fellow senator from Illinois , Richard Durban , tells reporters he got information that made him concerned for Obama 's safety , including some racist remarks on the Internet .
Obama is seeking to become the first African-American U.S. president .
Normally , protection for U.S. presidential candidates is not provided until the election year .
Senator Durbin says he also was concerned about the large crowds that Obama draws at campaign events .
New York Senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has Secret Service protection , but hers is linked to her status as a former first lady .
Two roadside bombings in the Iraqi capital Tuesday killed four people and wounded at least 15 others .
Iraqi officials say the attacks were aimed at police patrols in Baghdad .
Authorities say in one case , a roadside bomb exploded near a hospital in central Baghdad , killing a police officer and a civilian .
The second roadside attack happened in western Baghdad , killing two people .
The music of jazz musician Miles Davis remains popular more than 16 years after his death .
His music is being sampled by hip-hop artists , actor Don Cheadle is set to portray him in a movie and a new CD has been released with remixed and updated versions of his music .
VOA Persian Service 's Benham Natagehi sat down with Davis ' son Erin to discuss his father 's music .
Ruth Reader narrates .
The International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan says its paratroopers and Afghan National Army soldiers have advanced deep into the Taliban 's heartland in Helmand province .
A NATO statement Monday says the excursion marks the first time Afghan and ISAF forces " have driven this deep " into the area .
NATO said as the Afghan Army arrived in large numbers , the insurgents were not able to sustain the fight and retreated .
Also , several suspects have been arrested after a suicide attack killed six American troops when an explosives-packed minibus blew up at the entrance of a joint NATO-Afghan base in southern Afghanistan , officials said Monday .
The assault came days ahead of a major White House review of its Afghan strategy following President Barack Obama 's decision last year to send 30,000 American reinforcements in a bid to reverse gains by the Taliban since they were ousted from power in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion .
The United Nations War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague will hold the first of a series of hearings Thursday on whether to transfer cases against 18 suspects to national courts in the Balkans .
Court spokesman Jim Landale told VOA the tribunal will consider a prosecution motion to transfer the cases against war crimes suspects Mirko Norac and Rahim Ademi to courts in Croatia .
The two , both Croatian army officers , are accused of killing Serb civilians in Croatia 's Medak pocket in 1993 .
He said the court will hold several more hearings against other suspects in coming months .
The Hague court is scheduled to complete all its activities by 2010 .
The prosecution calls the nine cases a " first batch " and says other cases may be moved to the Balkans later to allow The Hague tribunal to deal with more important trials .
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has successfully undergone gall bladder surgery .
Defense ministry officials say the surgery Saturday went well and they indicate that Mr. Raffarin will remain in the hospital for several days .
Earlier Saturday , Mr. Raffarin abruptly canceled plans to travel to World War II anniversary ceremonies in the city of Reims .
Instead , he entered the Paris Val De Grace military hospital .
The 56-year-old Mr. Raffarin assumed the post of prime minister three years ago .
Iraqi security forces say a car bomb exploded at a market in northern Diyala province Friday , killing at least 23 people .
Officials say the blast occurred in the town of Khalis and injured more than 50 people .
In late March , at least 42 people were killed in twin bombings near a restaurant in Khalis .
The explosions occurred shortly before Iraqi officials announced full preliminary results from the March 7 parliamentary election .
Election officials say former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi 's bloc won 91 seats , the most of any political group .
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki 's coalition won 89 .
Neither party had the majority needed to form a government .
Residents of a Kurdish area in northeastern Iraq are alleging that Iran has fired artillery shells across the border into two villages in Iraq .
Residents say farmland was damaged in the alleged shelling in Penjwin , which is east of Sulaimaniya .
No injuries were reported .
Earlier this week , Kurdish leaders said two other villages in northeastern Iraq had been the target of Iranian shelling , prompting frightened residents to flee their homes .
In recent months , Iranian forces have clashed with Kurdish rebels in northwestern Iran .
The insurgents are believed to be linked to Turkey 's separatist Kurdistan Workers Party , or PKK .
Opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez marched through the streets of Caracas Saturday to demand a fair and legitimate vote during next Sunday 's local elections .
The protesters say they are concerned the August 7 vote will be plagued by irregularities favoring Mr. Chavez 's ruling party .
The protesters are demanding anti-fraud measures be put in place , including an independent audit of the vote .
Some supporters of the president threw rocks and bottles at the marchers .
Police blocked the crowd of at least 1,000 protesters from reaching the electoral council 's office where they had planned to hand over a list of demands .
Mr. Chavez 's opponents say he is ruling Venezuela like a dictator , and have accused him of rigging last year 's referendum of his rule , although international observers endorsed results of the vote .
President Bush says he supports a criminal investigation into the destruction of CIA videotapes showing interrogations of terror suspects .
Mr. Bush made the comment Thursday in an interview with Reuters new agency .
Earlier today , White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Mr. Bush will cooperate with U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey in the investigation .
She said Mr. Bush has full confidence in both Mukasey and the head of the Central Intelligence Agency , Michael Hayden .
Mukasey announced the Justice Department investigation Wednesday , appointing federal prosecutor John Durham to lead the inquiry .
The CIA said last month that some videotapes of al-Qaida suspect interrogations , made in 2002 , had been destroyed in 2005 to protect the identities of the interrogators .
Critics of the move accuse the CIA of destroying evidence of torture .
President Bush has said the United States does not use torture as a method of interrogation .
The U.S. military in Afghanistan says it is spending $ 83 million to upgrade its two main air bases at Bagram and Kandahar .
The commander of U.S. air forces in the war-torn country , Brigadier General James Hunt , told a news conference in Kabul Monday the money will be spent to improve vital facilities at the two bases .
He said the military has been continuously improving runways , taxiways , navigation aids , airfield lighting , and other facilities .
The U.S.-led coalition has more than 17,000 troops in Afghanistan , mostly in the south and southeast , where the remnants of the ousted Taleban regime are most active .
Afghan leaders say they want a long-term strategic partnership with the United States , and Washington has expressed interest in having permanent bases in Afghanistan .
Somalia 's transitional government has ordered the closure of four major news outlets in the capital , Mogadishu .
Officials issued a letter Monday ordering the al-Jazeera network and three local private radio stations - Shabelle , Holy Koran , and HornAfrik - to shut down their operations immediately .
A government spokesman , Abdirahman Dinari , said that now there is a government in place , the media outlets need to get a license , and , in his words , " avoid causing unrest by airing unconfirmed reports . "
The U.N.-backed Somali interim government declared three months of martial law on Saturday .
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked the Security Council to move faster to help end violence in Sudan 's western Darfur region .
Mr. Annan met with council members Monday after new reports that people are being killed and raped , and villages continue to be burned in Darfur .
He says council members promised to introduce a new resolution on Darfur this week , which will include measures for holding accountable those accused of crimes .
Security Council members are also considering sending peacekeepers or imposing sanctions on Sudan 's government .
Mr. Annan says U.N. members should back an African Union team monitoring a cease-fire between pro-government forces and Darfur rebels .
Meantime , the top U.N. humanitarian official , Jan Egeland , says humanitarian conditions have improved in Darfur , despite continued fighting .
The United Nations tribunal in The Hague has given Serbian General Sreten Lukic 30 days to enter a plea to charges of war crimes in Kosovo .
General Lukic , who arrived in The Hague Monday , sought the extra time to permit a medical examination following vascular surgery last week .
The tribunal has indicted General Lukic and three other Serbian generals on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Kosovo Albanians in 1999 .
One of the three has surrendered voluntarily , the two others are in hiding .
Meanwhile , in Belgrade , Serbia 's extreme nationalist Radical Party has filed a motion of no-confidence in the government of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica to protest the extradition of 11 suspects to the court since October .
The Serbian government says it has encouraged war crimes suspects to surrender to the tribunal .
Montevideo , founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold , soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center .
Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil in 1821 , Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle .
The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political , social , and economic reforms that established a statist tradition .
A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros , launched in the late 1960s , led Uruguay 's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973 .
By yearend , the rebels had been crushed , but the military continued to expand its hold over the government .
Civilian rule was not restored until 1985 .
In 2004 , the left-of-center Frente Amplio Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties .
Uruguay 's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent .
The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries and were administered by Jamaica after 1863 .
In 1959 , the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies .
When the Federation dissolved in 1962 , the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency .
The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories - experienced a high single-digit economic growth rate in 2010 as a result of inflows of donor aid , the Palestinian Authority 's ( PA ) implementation of economic and security reforms , and the easing of some movement and access restrictions by the Israeli Government .
Nevertheless , overall standard-of-living measures remain near levels seen prior to the start of the second intifada in 2000 .
The almost decade-long downturn largely has been a result of Israeli closure policies - a steady increase in movement and access restrictions across the West Bank in response to Israeli security concerns which have disrupted labor and trade flows , industrial capacity , and basic commerce , both external and internal .
Since 2008 , the PA under President Mahmoud ABBAS and Prime Minister Salam FAYYAD has implemented a largely successful campaign of institutional reforms that has contributed to increased security and economic performance , supported by more than $ 3 billion in direct foreign donor assistance to the PA 's budget since 2007 .
An easing of some Israeli restrictions on West Bank movement and access since 2008 also has contributed to an uptick in retail activity in larger cities .
The biggest impediments to economic improvements in the West Bank remain Palestinians ' lack of access to land and resources in Israeli-controlled areas , import and export restrictions , and a high-cost capital structure .
Absent robust private sector growth , the PA will continue to rely heavily on donor aid for its budgetary needs .
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world 's five oceans ( after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean , but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean ) .
Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal ( Egypt ) , Bab el Mandeb ( Djibouti-Yemen ) , Strait of Hormuz ( Iran-Oman ) , and Strait of Malacca ( Indonesia-Malaysia ) .
The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean , the Southern Ocean , removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude .
SOME CRANES made their feeding grounds on some plowlands newly sown with wheat .
For a long time the Farmer , brandishing an empty sling , chased them away by the terror he inspired ; but when the birds found that the sling was only swung in the air , they ceased to take any notice of it and would not move .
The Farmer , on seeing this , charged his sling with stones , and killed a great number .
The remaining birds at once forsook his fields , crying to each other , " It is time for us to be off to Liliput : for this man is no longer content to scare us , but begins to show us in earnest what he can do . "
If words suffice not , blows must follow .
A VERY HUNGRY FOX , seeing some bread and meat left by shepherds in the hollow of an oak , crept into the hole and made a hearty meal .
When he finished , he was so full that he was not able to get out , and began to groan and lament his fate .
Another Fox passing by heard his cries , and coming up , inquired the cause of his complaining .
On learning what had happened , he said to him , " Ah , you will have to remain there , my friend , until you become such as you were when you crept in , and then you will easily get out . "
AN Orator afflicted with atrophy of the organ of common-sense rose in his place in the halls of legislation and pointed with pride to his Unblotted Escutcheon .
Seeing what it supposed to be the finger of scorn pointed at it , the Unblotted Escutcheon turned black with rage .
Seeing the Unblotted Escutcheon turning black with what he supposed to be the record of his own misdeeds showing through the whitewash , the Orator fell dead of mortification .
Seeing the Orator fall dead of what they supposed to be atrophy of the organ of common-sense , his colleagues resolved that whenever they should adjourn because they were tired , it should be out of respect to the memory of him who had so frequently made them so .
U.S. President George Bush has commented on his meeting this week with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki , saying Mr. Maliki made it clear that the Iraqi people do not want the country partitioned .
Mr. Bush said in his Saturday radio address Saturday that Mr. Maliki told him partitioning the country would lead to more sectarian violence .
Mr. Bush said the success of the Iraqi government depends on the success of Iraqi security forces .
He added that he and Mr. Maliki agree that training of Iraqi security forces needs to be done faster and on a broader scale .
President Bush said he recognizes that recent violence in Iraq has been unsettling .
And he pledged to work with U.S. leaders in both political parties to find consensus on the best path forward .
Louisiana 's governor has announced a long-awaited rebuilding proposal , almost six months after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita ravaged the U.S. state .
Governor Kathleen Blanco Monday said the state 's $ 7.5 billion plan offers up to $ 1,50,000 to homeowners to repair , rebuild or relocate to a designated area .
Homeowners could also accept a buyout of 60 percent of the pre-storm value of their houses , not to exceed $ 1,50,000 .
Officials say some 3,30,000 homes suffered damage , including more than 1,00,000 that were significantly damaged or destroyed .
Uninsured homeowners would also be covered under the plan , but would be subject to a 30 percent penalty .
Registration for the program would begin in March , but the proposal is dependent upon congressional approval of the funds .
Last week , the White House requested $ 4.2 billion in funding for Louisiana .
At least 18 people have been slain in attacks central Nigeria , in the latest breakout of inter-religious violence that has killed thousands over the past decade .
Authorities in Plateau State said people with machetes on Tuesday killed 13 people , including women and children .
The attack took place before dawn in the majority Christian village of Kuru Wareng .
Five other people were killed in a separate attack Tuesday in the nearby area of Barakin Ladi .
The two sites are located in Nigeria 's volatile Middle Belt , where the mostly Muslim north meets the mainly Christian south .
Nearby is the city of Jos , where at least 80 people died in a wave of Christmas Eve bombings claimed by the radical Islamist group Boko Haram .
Nigerian authorities say the attacks were intended to inflame tensions between Muslims and Christians before April 's scheduled presidential election .
The Arab television station al-Jazeera has aired a new videotape in which the deputy leader of the al-Qaida 's terror network denounces U.S. calls for reform in the Middle East and rejects the possibility of peaceful change .
The tape , broadcast Friday , carries a message from Ayman al-Zawahiri in which he says expelling the " invading Crusaders and Jewish " forces from the Middle East will not be accomplished through demonstrations .
He said reform is possible only through fighting for the sake of God .
Ayman al-Zawahiri , speaking with a rifle beside him , also criticized the Pakistani , Saudi and Egyptian governments .
U.S. officials say they believe Osama bin Laden and his former deputy may be hiding in the rugged mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border .
A Pakistani court has sentenced an al-Qaida-linked militant to death for plotting a suicide attack that killed a U.S. diplomat in Karachi two years ago .
The anti-terrorism court in Karachi convicted Anwarul Haq Wednesday of murder and terrorism in connection with the bombing .
In the March 2006 attack , a suicide bomber rammed his car into a vehicle carrying U.S. diplomat David Foy near the American consulate in Karachi .
The explosion killed Foy and three Pakistanis , one day before President Bush began an official visit to Pakistan .
Pakistani authorities arrested Haq and another suspect , Usman Ghani , several months later and accused both of links to al-Qaida .
The Karachi court acquitted Ghani for lack of evidence .
The Associated Press quotes a defense lawyer Mohammed Farooq as saying Haq will appeal his conviction .
The lawyer also accused police of producing " fake " witnesses against his client .
The ruling party of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak looks set to retain its two-thirds majority in the 454-seat parliament , following Thursday 's final round of legislative voting .
Preliminary results Friday indicate the National Democratic Party won at least 120 seats in the first two rounds and at least four seats Thursday .
It will have about 125 candidates competing in next week 's run-off .
That run-off will be held in districts where no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote .
Egypt 's main opposition group , the Muslim Brotherhood , won 76 seats in the first two phases , but none on Thursday .
However , 35 of the candidates it endorsed qualified to compete in the run-off .
Brotherhood officials accuse authorities of manipulating the vote .
They point to widespread reports of police interference at polling centers in opposition strongholds , and to the arrest of hundreds of Brotherhood supporters .
An opposition leader in Belarus has been released after being detained trying to enter a political convention in Minsk .
Police officials say presidential hopeful Alexander Kozulin was detained while trying to register to attend a political gathering .
Witnesses say Mr. Kozulin was beaten and driven to a police station where he was detained .
He was later released , but prosecutors say he may face charges of hooliganism for allegedly shoving a police officer and damaging a picture of President Alexander Lukashenko .
Mr. Kozulin is one of three people challenging Mr. Lukashenko in elections scheduled for March 19 .
The United States has criticized Mr. Lukashenko , calling him Europe 's last dictator .
The Belarusian leader has , in turn , railed against what he called Western attempts to destabilize his administration .
The United States and Russia say they hope to sign a formal agreement next week that paves the way for Russia to join the World Trade Organization .
The two sides announced an agreement in principle Friday that covers tariffs on agricultural and industrial goods , access to Russian financial markets , and Moscow 's protection of intellectual property rights .
Terms of the agreement were not released .
U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said the two countries are still finalizing the details but hope to sign a formal document at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi next week .
The United States has been the last W.T.O . member to reach an bilateral pact with Russia .
Moscow would then enter into membership negotiations with the entire trade organization .
The World Health Organization is warning of the danger of small , undetected bird flu outbreaks in China , following the country 's third confirmed human fatality from the virus .
China announced on Thursday the latest bird flu victim was a 41-year-old woman in Fujian province who had died last week .
No outbreaks were reported in the area where she lived , and authorities are unsure how she contracted the virus .
The WHO 's spokesman in Beijing , Roy Wadia , said Friday many bird flu outbreaks among wild birds and poultry in China are small and hard to detect .
He said it is hard for China to alert the public when infected birds die in small numbers .
Police in Indian Kashmir say a Muslim woman has died when a bomb she was carrying exploded .
A militant group claimed she was a suicide bomber who killed or injured five soldiers , but police denied there were any casualties .
The separatist group , Jaish-e-Mohammad , called the Srinagar-based Current News Service Thursday to say she blew up an army vehicle , killing five soldiers .
A spokesman identified the attacker as Hafsa , a member of the women 's wing of the group .
While Kashmiri militants use women members for transporting arms and explosives , they have never used them as suicide bombers .
Muslim separatists in Indian Kashmir are fighting for an independent Kashmir or its merger with neighboring Pakistan .
The fight against Indian rule has killed tens of thousands of people since it began in 1989 .
World oil prices rose to another record high after a government report showed a decline in U.S. stocks of gasoline Wednesday .
The price of crude oil for future delivery hit $ 64.35 cents a barrel after the U.S. Energy Department reported the sixth-straight week of falling gasoline stocks .
The report showed gasoline supplies falling last week by just over two million barrels to a total of 203.1 million barrels .
The closely watched report also showed an unexpected increase in crude oil supplies , prompting an initial decline in oil prices .
Oil prices are about 42 percent higher than they were a year ago .
Analysts say strong demand and worries about possible disruptions in supplies are key reasons for the higher prices .
The new head of the U.S. Federal Reserve , Ben Bernanke , was formally sworn in to office Wednesday morning in Washington .
Bernanke succeeds Alan Greenspan and is expected to continue his fight to contain inflation .
Bernanke heads the committee that sets the key U.S. interest rate .
Tuesday , on Greenspan 's last day as chairman , the committee hiked interest rates one quarter of a percent in an effort to cool the economy and fend off inflation .
Fed officials said they remain concerned about high energy prices and worry that busier factories and low unemployment could raise production costs and increase inflation .
Most analysts expect Bernanke and his colleagues to raise interest rates at least one more time at their next meeting on March 28 .
A prison riot in Venezuela has killed seven inmates and wounded 11 more .
Prison officials said the riot broke out late Monday , as inmates battled for control of cell blocks inside the prison west of Caracas .
It is unclear whether prison authorities have quelled the riot .
Violence is common in Venezuela 's overcrowded prisons , where about 20,000 inmates live in facilities built to hold 15,000 people .
Iraqi police have detained a Saudi militant found crossing the border into Iraq .
Police said Abdullah Saleh al-Harbi is one of a group of militants that attacked a Saudi oil facility last week .
They say al-Harbi claimed to be on his way to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul , where he was to meet al-Qaida contacts .
Iraqi authorities say al-Harbi will be taken to Baghdad for interrogation .
However , Saudi officials have said the kingdom has no information about al-Harbi being a wanted militant .
The arrest comes days after Saudi officials reported killing the leader of al-Qaida forces operating in the kingdom in a firefight .
Al-Qaida 's Saudi branch has claimed responsibility for last week 's failed attack on the oil facility and has vowed to hit other Saudi oil installations .
Experts and policy makers from around the world have gathered in Cameroon to discuss new ways to battle malaria , which remains one of Africa 's main killers .
About 1,500 doctors , scientists and health workers are expected to attend the week-long Pan-Africa malaria conference in Cameroon 's capital , Yaounde .
The event was organized by the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria , a global alliance of organizations .
Topics to be covered include new drug treatment methods , prevention techniques , and the development of a malaria vaccine .
The deputy director of the London-based Gates Malaria Partnership , created four years ago by U.S. computer magnate Bill Gates , says the foundation recently approved grants to fund more malaria programs in Africa .
The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria estimates that an African child dies from malaria every 30 seconds .
U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley says he can not confirm reports that terror leader Musab al-Zarqawi has been seriously wounded in Iraq .
But Mr. Hadley told U.S. television that Zarqawi heads a lethal network and his death would lead to a significant difference in the level of violence in Iraqi .
His comments came after London 's Sunday Times quoted an Iraqi doctor who says he treated Zarqawi at a hospital in Ramadi on Wednesday .
The Times report says the doctor was debriefed by U.S. authorities on Friday .
The doctor said the terrorist was bleeding heavily when treated and left despite recommendations that he remain under hospital care .
Saturday , the U.S. military ended a week-long offensive against insurgents holed up near the border town of al-Qaim .
Authorities said nine Marines and 125 insurgents were killed in the fighting .
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has marked the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr with a call for peace .
Mr. Karzai called on Taliban militants Sunday to renounce violence and join the peace process .
He says insurgents can lay down their arms and help rebuild their war-torn country .
Meanwhile , the Taliban 's leader has made his own statement for the festival of Eid .
Mullah Omar warns that U.S. and NATO forces will face defeat in Afghanistan .
In a statement Saturday , Omar said Westerners need only study Afghanistan 's history to see that they will fail .
The Taliban leader is thought to be in Pakistan but has not been seen in public for years .
An Israeli newspaper reports that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is urging the United States to impose a naval blockade on Iran in an effort to curb its controversial nuclear program .
Israel 's Haaretz newspaper says Wednesday that Mr. Olmert raised the issue during a meeting Monday with U.S. House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi .
The report says Mr. Olmert told Pelosi that the present economic sanctions on Iran have exhausted themselves , and that aggressive action could be taken that is not violent .
According to the article , Mr. Olmert says international restrictions also should be placed on Iranian aircraft , business executives and senior officials .
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev would not confirm the information .
The United States , Israel and other countries accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian energy program .
Iran denies the charges .
Israeli troops have killed two Islamic Jihad militants in a clash near the West Bank town of Jenin .
Islamic Jihad says one of the two militants who died in the gun battle was a top leader of the group , Nidal Abu Saada .
Israeli and Palestinian officials said Israeli troops had surrounded a house near Jenin in order to arrest the militants when gunfire broke out .
Islamic Jihad has carried out a string of recent suicide attacks in Israel .
Elsewhere in the West Bank , Israeli soldiers prepared to evict Jewish settlers and activists from a hilltop settlement , a section of Amona , near Ramallah .
Hundreds of settler activists entered the area Tuesday in an attempt to resist the eviction , planned for Wednesday .
A British newspaper quotes Britain 's top military commander in Baghdad as saying the first pull-out of British troops from Iraq could begin in a matter of months , with a final withdrawal by mid-2008 .
The Daily Telegraph quotes General Nick Houghton as saying a withdrawal plan is under consideration .
The Telegraph Tuesday quotes General Houghton as saying a pull-out over two years would prevent Britain 's 8,000 troops from " overstaying our welcome " , while allowing time for Iraqi security forces to consolidate .
Britain 's Defense Ministry says the general 's plan depends on conditions in Iraq .
And the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace Sunday flatly denied recent media reports of a scheduled withdrawal of American and British forces .
British and U.S. officials have repeatedly stressed that coalition commanders would assess conditions on the ground and adjust troop levels as necessary .
The great-granddaughter of South Africa 's anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela has been killed in a car crash as she traveled home from the concert kick-off for the 2010 soccer World Cup .
The Nelson Mandela Foundation said Zenani Mandela died in the one-car accident on a Johannesburg highway .
It said no one else was injured in the crash .
Police in Johannesburg have charged the driver with drunk driving and say they are considering " culpable homicide " charges as well .
Zenani had celebrated her 13th birthday only two days earlier .
She is one of nine great-grandchildren of Mr. Mandela , who was South Africa 's first black president .
The foundation said the Mandela family asked for privacy as they mourned their loss .
The World Cup soccer championship officially begins Friday , with a match-up between South Africa and Mexico in Johannesburg .
Iraqi authorities have freed more prisoners under a national reconciliation plan announced last week by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki .
Several hundred detainees were released Thursday from the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison , west of Baghdad , and other facilities across the country .
U.S. officials say more prisoners will be freed Friday .
Some 600 prisoners were released last week .
Mr. Maliki has promised to free 2,500 prisoners by the end of the month to foster " reconciliation and national dialogue . "
Authorities say those being freed are not involved in violent crimes or had been detained by mistake .
New computing device will have web browsing , video-conferencing capabilities , ability to run on solar power , says HRD Minister Sibal India has created a prototype for a $ 35 touch-screen laptop that it hopes to make available to thousands of students .
India 's Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal says the computing device will have web browsing and video-conferencing capabilities .
The iPad-like gadget will also have the ability to run on solar power .
The Linux-based computer , introduced by the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science , should be available by 2011 .
Sibal says there are plans for the device to become even cheaper , with the price dropping to $ 20 and eventually $ 10 .
The inexpensive laptop is part of a nationwide Indian education initiative that also includes installing broadband capabilities on the nation 's more than 22,000 college campuses .
Every two to four years , the Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glacieres National Park , Argentina breaks apart .
It 's a spectacular sight that attracts thousands .
This year , for the first time in memory , the breakup took place during the southern hemisphere 's winter .
VOA 's Paul Sisco has more .
Bolivian President Evo Morales says he will not agree to a U.S. request to return weapons and equipment in an ongoing disagreement over the naming of a new commander for Bolivia 's counterterrorism unit .
Mr. Morales responded Tuesday to a written request by the U.S. Embassy that objected to the new unit commander .
Mr. Morales has called the U.S. request blackmail .
U.S. officials have confirmed that Washington will cancel its counterterrorism programs in Bolivia after its decision last week to drop the country from its list of anti-terrorism partners .
The lawyer for jailed Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi says an Iranian court will hear the appeal against her jail sentence on Sunday .
Lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi made the announcement Saturday .
It is not clear how long it will take the court to render a verdict in the case of Saberi , who was sentenced to eight years in prison last month on espionage charges .
Her family and the U.S. government say the charges against her are baseless .
Saberi 's father , Reza Saberi , says the 32-year-old freelance journalist ended a hunger strike Monday after refusing to eat for nearly two weeks .
Iran has criticized international involvement in the case , saying the judiciary is independent and outside interference contradicts international norms .
The former head of a self-proclaimed Serb republic in Croatia has gone on trial before The Hague tribunal on charges of war crimes and violating the laws and customs of war .
Milan Martic is accused of murder , torture and ethnic cleansing of Croats and Muslims in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina .
He is accused of actively supporting a criminal enterprise aimed at expelling Croats and Muslims from certain areas of the two countries with the goal of eventually including the regions in a future greater Serbia .
The indictment mentions that in 1995 , Mr. Martic ordered the bombardment by Serb artillery of downtown Zagreb , the Croatian capital .
The attacks caused seven deaths and numerous injuries .
At the time of the attacks , Mr. Martic was head of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina , a Serb entity opposing Croatia 's independence from Yugoslavia .
Iranian media is reporting that the country 's armed forces have staged a mock interception of six foreign planes since the start of a series of military exercises Tuesday .
The reports Wednesday quote a military exercise spokesman , General Hamid Arjangi , as saying " hypothetical enemy planes " crossed into Iranian air space but were turned back by Iranian fighter jets and artillery systems .
Official Iranian media blasted foreign press agencies that quoted state officials Wednesday as saying unknown foreign aircraft violated Iranian airspace .
Iran is in its second day of the its air force 's five-day military exercise to test the country 's ability to deter air strikes .
The war games are being held near nuclear facilities .
Iran says the exercises include tests of long-range missiles .
Tehran says it is the biggest exercise of its kind in the country .
Tehran conducts war games several times a year , often showcasing new military systems .
At least 10 people are dead after Typhoon Conson struck the main Philippine island Luzon Wednesday .
The typhoon struck the capital city Manila and surrounding areas Wednesday morning , carrying maximum wind gusts of 120 kilometers an hour .
Electricity was knocked out throughout Luzon , with tree branches and other debris left scattered across rain-swept streets .
The dead include four people who drowned and two others killed by falling trees .
At least 40 people are missing , including 11 fishermen last spotted off the coast of the central island Catandunes .
Typhoon Conson headed out over the South China Sea after striking Luzon .
During a meeting of the government 's National Disaster Coordinating Council Wednesday , new Philippine President Benigno Aquino scolded the government 's weather bureau for failing to predict the storm would hit Manila .
Experts studying the flooding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina say the breach of key floodwalls might have been caused by soft soil under the walls , a problem the Army Corps of Engineers had been warned about .
Engineers from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the University of California at Berkeley said Friday there was no evidence that the floodwaters surged over the tops of the floodwalls at 17th Street or London Avenue Canals , as previously thought .
Instead , they said , soft soil may have given way underneath the walls - a danger a contracting company pointed out to the Army Corps of Engineers in the early 1990s .
In one section of the 17th Street canal , a levee embankment had moved more than 10 meters from its original spot .
The experts also said they found at least 10 breaches and possibly more in the walls .
Norway says it will allow hunters to kill more than one thousand whales next year - the highest number allowed since the country resumed commercial whaling more than a decade ago .
Norway 's Fisheries Ministry said Wednesday it will raise the quota of minke whales that can be culled by 30 percent , to 1 , 52 whales .
The Norwegian parliament approved the higher quota in a unanimous vote .
Norway has said there are more than enough minke whales in the North Atlantic to sustain increased hunting .
But for the past two years , Norwegian whale hunters have fallen short of the quotas .
Norway is the only country that allows commercial whaling , in defiance of a global ban imposed by the International Whaling Commission in 1986 .
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has warned the European Union that there will be a strong reaction against cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published in European newspapers .
In an audio recording posted to an al-Qaida-affiliated Web site late Wednesday , a voice said to be bin-Laden 's described the publishing of the cartoons as part of a new crusade against Islam that involved Pope Benedict - head of the Catholic Church .
Satirical cartoons featuring Islam 's Prophet Mohammed were published in Danish newspapers in 2006 , sparking mass riots in Islamic nations worldwide .
Bin-Laden 's latest recorded statement , entitled " The response will be what you see , not what you hear " comes on the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq .
The message is bin Laden 's first public statement since late last year .
United Nations agencies say it will cost up to $ 50 million to clean up an oil spill caused by Israel 's bombing of a Lebanese power plant last month .
U.N. officials met experts from Lebanon , Greece , Syria , Turkey and the European Union Thursday in Athens to discuss the 15,000-ton oil slick .
Authorities say four weeks of fighting following the spill kept them from assessing the damage , but they say this week 's cease-fire makes it possible to deal with it .
Officials warn the spill has already caused severe damage to the coastline and may also have badly affected the region 's marine life .
Dubai Ports World says it will take months to sell its holdings in the United States , and these assets are worth " hundreds of millions " of dollars .
DP World was in the middle of a recent political storm in the U.S. after the company , based in the United Arab Emirates , purchased facilities in ports around the world , including some U.S. container and passenger terminals .
Members of the U.S. Congress and others expressed concern that DP World would not do enough to protect U.S. ports from terror attack .
DP World said last week that it would " transfer " its U.S. holdings to a U.S. entity , but gave few details .
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been rushed to a Jerusalem hospital after suffering his second stroke in less than three weeks .
Doctors at Hadassah Hospital said the stroke Wednesday was " significant , " and that Mr. Sharon was given anesthetic after being admitted to the clinic .
The prime minister 's office said that while Mr. Sharon was under anesthetic , his duties were transferred to his deputy , Ehud Olmert .
Earlier , his office said the 77-year-old was being accompanied by his personal physician as he was taken to the hospital from his ranch in southern Israel .
Mr. Sharon was admitted to the same hospital where he was to undergo a procedure Thursday to correct a defect in his heart .
That procedure was ordered after Mr. Sharon suffered a mild stroke last month .
A group of Indian left wing activists has protested the planned entry of U.S. retailer Wal-Mart into India 's retail market .
About 100 demonstrators rallied outside Indian government offices in the capital , New Delhi , Thursday demanding Wal-Mart stay out of the country .
The world 's largest retailer is planning to set up a chain of stores in India as part of a joint venture with India 's Bharti Retail .
Wal-Mart 's vice chairman , Michael Duke , visited shopping malls in Mumbai today to learn more about the Indian retail sector .
He is to have talks on the joint venture with Bharti officials in New Delhi Friday .
India 's retail industry is dominated by small shopkeepers who fear that the entry of large retailers could put many of them out of business .
A Republican-led U.S. Senate committee has rejected a proposed investigation of the Bush administration 's domestic surveillance program .
The Senate Intelligence Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to reject the proposal by Senator Jay Rockefeller , a Democrat .
Chairman Pat Roberts said the committee agreed to create a subcommittee for " enhanced oversight " of the program , in which the government monitors phone conversations and e-mails between people in the United States and suspected terrorists abroad without court approval .
Also Tuesday , the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill extending the anti-terrorism law known as the U.S.A .
Patriot Act , which was first enacted after the September 11 , 2001 attacks in the United States .
The Patriot Act expands the government 's power to obtain private records , conduct wiretaps and share information between agencies .
Critics say it threatens civil liberties .
Cuba says it has restored formal relations with Spain , a year after the European Union imposed diplomatic sanctions on the communist island .
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque announced the decision Thursday , shortly before a meeting in Havana with new Spanish Ambassador Carlos Zaldivar .
The European Union imposed the sanctions after Cuba 's 2003 detainment of 75 dissidents , and the execution of three men who tried to hijack a ferry to the United States .
No additional information has been given by either government .
Snow , freezing rain , gusting winds and record low temperatures in Europe are claiming lives and making for treacherous travel across the continent .
As many as 25 deaths have been reported .
Authorities say many of the victims are homeless people who died as a result of exposure to the brutal winter elements .
Vehicle accidents on ice-covered roads have caused many injuries and closed highways .
The M-1 motorway connecting Budapest with Vienna was closed Friday after a multi-car pile-up that killed a boy .
In Slovakia , the Bratislava-Trnava highway was closed after a 40-car accident killed at least one person and injured 20 others .
The storms disrupted rail , road and air transport across the region .
Electricity outages were reported Friday in Austria and Sweden .
New Year 's revelers across Europe are being advised to take measures to protect themselves against the extreme weather conditions .
Thousands of French workers have marched through Paris and other cities protesting planned government pension reforms as fishermen continued protests against soaring fuel costs .
Police say about 30,000 protesters marched in the French capital and tens of thousands in other cities protesting changes that will require them to work 41 years to get a pension , an increase of one year .
Trade union officials put the number of protesters nationwide at 7,00,000 .
The protests hobbled train traffic .
But subway service in Paris has been largely unaffected .
Meanwhile , fishermen rejected as inadequate a new government package aimed at compensating them for soaring fuel prices and continued blocking entry to some ports .
A nine-day strike by transportation workers last November cost the French economy an estimated $ 400 million a day .
Strikes in 1995 forced then-President Jacques Chirac to back down from reform plans .
Italian soldiers have begun arriving in western Afghanistan , under plans by NATO to expand its peacekeeping mission in the country .
The Turkish commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan , Lieutenant General Ethem Erdagi , said an initial deployment of Italian troops started to arrive today in the main western city of Herat .
Soldiers from Spain , Greece and Lithuania are due in the region later .
NATO took command of ISAF in 2003 .
Until now , its peacekeeping troops have only been deployed in the Afghan capital Kabul and the north of the country .
NATO defense ministers meeting in France last month approved plans to expand the peacekeeping mission .
The United States has been pressing for the expansion to relieve pressure on stretched American forces .
Police on horseback charged into crowds of angry British students demonstrating in central London on Thursday to protest university tuition hikes .
Lawmakers inside Parliament voted in favor of a controversial bill raising university fees in England , part of the government 's larger austerity plan .
Government officials have said the increases , which triple the current fees , are necessary to maintain the high quality of education in universities .
Riot police wielding batons scuffled with some students in front of London 's Houses of Parliament as they pushed up against a police barricade .
Students threw sticks at police and set off smoke bombs in front of the horses .
Television coverage showed at least one demonstrator being handcuffed , and one police officer on the ground .
It was the latest in a series of student protests against the fee hike , which would raise the yearly bill to about $ 14,000 .
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is ruling out plans to allow more democracy in China 's near future because he says the country must focus first on economic development .
In a speech published by China 's state-run media Tuesday , Mr. Wen said that China will remain in the primary state of socialism for a long time .
Mr. Wen did say , however , that China would develop its own democratic policies , and that a socialist system is not contradictory to those policies .
China 's annual parliamentary session is to open next week , with economic reform and social issues expected to be a core focus .
China 's economy has grown tremendously in recent years .
But leaders of China 's one-party system have carried out only limited democratic and political reforms .
The leader of Northern Ireland 's leading Protestant party is warning that the peace process in the British province is at risk unless the Irish Republican Army takes immediate steps toward disarming .
Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley said he is amazed that with only days ahead of the British and Irish government deadline for agreement , the Catholic IRA has not contacted monitors who are to oversee the group 's disarmament .
He spoke after talks in Belfast with the monitors .
Mr. Paisley said any progress on restoring Northern Ireland 's power-sharing government requires proof of IRA action instead of continued deception .
Meanwhile , Jerry Adams , the leader of the IRA 's political arm , Sinn Fein , expressed doubt whether Mr. Paisley is ready for agreement .
Britain suspended Northern Ireland 's power sharing government in 2002 amid charges of IRA spying on provincial officials .
U.S. officials are downplaying media reports that Washington is investigating possible Iranian involvement in an attack in Iraq that killed five U.S. soldiers .
At the State Department , a senior U.S. official said he does not know anything to substantiate the conclusion that Iran was involved , and called the idea a " supposition . "
White House spokesman Tony Snow said he would not comment on what it called " speculation " about Iranian involvement in the attack last Saturday in Karbala .
The New York Times and CNN had reported that the Defense Department is trying to determine whether Iranians or Iranian-trained operatives carried out the attack .
The U.S. military has said the attack was well coordinated , with assailants dressed in U.S. military-style uniforms and driving vehicles similar to those used by U.S. troops .
The United States is recalling to active duty several thousand Marines to bolster American military units in Iraq and Afghanistan .
A military spokesman says the reservists are men and women who returned to civilian life after previous active-duty service .
They will fill critical shortages among military-police units , intelligence and communications specialists .
President Bush issued an order authorizing the involuntary callup .
The Marines Corps has 35,000 reserve troops with time remaining on eight-year commitments made when they enlisted .
Mr. Bush 's order limits the number of those who can be recalled to 2,500 at a time .
Meanwhile , in Iraq , U.S. military officials report a declining trend in violence this month in Baghdad .
But insurgents carried out more attacks Wednesday , including a suicide bombing in Mosul that killed a woman and wounded eight policemen .
Malawi 's President , Bingu wa Mutharika , says a motion in parliament to impeach him will not stop his campaign against corruption .
Addressing a church service Sunday , Mr. wa Mutharika said there are those in parliament who want to remove him from office because of his anti-corruption campaign .
But he said no threat of impeachment would stop his so-called " zero tolerance " policy .
On Friday , the speaker of parliament , Louis Chimango , introduced an impeachment motion charging him with ignoring the constitution in setting up his own party and with misuse of public funds .
Mr. wa Mutharika , a former economist , has won praise from donor nations and aid agencies for his efforts to adopt economic reforms and stamp out corruption .
England 's bowlers have picked apart Sri Lanka 's lineup , with the host nation dismissed for only 188 runs on the first day of their first test match at Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy , Sri Lanka .
England lost the toss , but seam bowler Matthew Hoggard and spinner Monty Panesar took a total of seven wickets .
Hoggard finished at Apr-29 while Panesar was Mar-46 .
Kumar Sangakkara top scored for Sri Lanka with 92 runs , including 13 fours before being caught out by Paul Collingwood .
Prasanna Jayawardene added another 51 runs but he was caught out by Alastair Cook on a ball bowled by Panesar .
The second test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo starts December ninth .
The third test is scheduled for Galle International Stadium beginning December 18th .
England won the five-match , one-day series , 03-Feb .
President Barack Obama has reaffirmed his belief in a woman 's right to choose whether to have an abortion as tens of thousands of abortion opponents held their annual rally in Washington .
President Obama issued a statement Thursday calling abortion a sensitive and divisive issue .
While he said the government must not intrude in private family matters , the country is united on the need to prevent unintended pregnancies .
Thursday 's annual gathering , which supporters call the Right to Life March , came on the 36th anniversary of Roe versus Wade - the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion .
Supporters of the landmark decision say it protects women 's lives and makes the right to choose to have a safe and legal abortion sacred .
Abortion opponents say life starts at conception and liken abortion to genocide .
They urge women with unwanted pregnancies to carry their babies to term and give them up for adoption .
The party of Liberian presidential candidate George Weah has called for a re-run of Tuesday 's run-off vote , charging electoral fraud .
The call comes as Liberians await official confirmation of former Finance Minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 's apparent victory .
With 99 percent of the votes counted , Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf has won about 60 percent of the vote to 40 percent for Mr. Weah , a former football ( soccer ) star .
Final results are expected on Tuesday .
The National Election Commission says it will hear Mr. Weah 's complaints of election irregularities on Wednesday .
International observers say there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the run-off .
Saturday in the capital , Monrovia , hundreds of Mr. Weah 's supporters gathered in front of United Nations headquarters to demand a new election .
U.N. peacekeepers dispersed the crowd peacefully .
The Afghan Islamic Press says the Taleban has rejected a U.S. appeal for its fighters to surrender under a government offer of amnesty .
The Pakistan-based news organization quoted Taleban spokesman Latifullah Hakimi Friday as saying the group considers the U.S. offer an attempt to divide it .
The Afghan Islamic Press also quotes Mr. Hakimi as saying the Taleban will never stop fighting as long as U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan .
Thursday , U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad urged Taleban fighters to lay down their arms under an Afghan government offer of amnesty .
Ambassador Khalilzad said U.S. forces will cooperate with the the amnesty , which he said will not apply to those who , have committed " crimes against the Afghan people . "
Officials in Afghanistan say multiple suicide bombers attacked the governor 's compound in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar Saturday , killing five policemen .
Provincial official Ahmad Wali Karzai , who is the president 's brother , says three suicide bombers were involved in the attack .
There are reports that at least one of the bombers detonated his explosives outside the compound , while the others may have been inside the compound .
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack .
Earlier this month , four suicide bombers struck a provincial council office in Kandahar , killing 13 people .
Taliban militants also claimed responsibility for that attack .
China 's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva says the United States should " shut up " about his country 's military spending .
Sha Zukang was responding Thursday to a BBC interviewer .
The interviewer had asked him about U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld 's assertion that much of China 's military spending is concealed .
Sha said the United States should keep quiet and not dictate policy to China .
He said the United States itself accounts for half of the world 's military spending .
He also said China would sacrifice lives if Taiwan declares independence .
He said for China , one inch of territory is more valuable than the lives of its people .
He added China has a sacred duty to defend its state sovereignty .
Ethiopia 's main opposition coalition has reaffirmed its commitment to a non-violence pact with the government - a deal aimed at ending post-election violence in the country .
The Coalition for Unity and Democracy , or CUD , Sunday said it " unequivocally " accepts the terms of Friday 's deal with Ethiopia 's ruling party .
The pact was negotiated in an effort to stop recent violence sparked by last month 's election results .
At least 29 people were killed in a protest last week , when police opened fire on crowds alleging fraud during the vote .
Ethiopia 's government has accused the opposition of engineering the protests and breaking the non-violence pact .
Meanwhile , opposition officials say CUD leader , Hailu Shawel , remains under house arrest for a second day .
Officials say attempts to contact Mr. Hailu have failed because his telephone is not working .
Saudi authorities say they have arrested five suspected terrorists linked to a February attack on the world 's largest oil facility , located in the eastern part of the kingdom .
A Saudi Interior Ministry statement said the militants are linked to the foiled assault on the Abqaiq compound February 24 .
Police said militants tried to drive two vehicles loaded with explosives past barricades and into the oil facility , which handles about two-thirds of the country 's crude .
Authorities said the attack failed when two guards opened fire and the attack vehicles exploded .
Two guards and two militants were killed .
The Al-Qaida terror network claimed responsibility for that attack .
In late March , Saudi Arabia said it had arrested 40 suspected militants , including eight allegedly linked to the February attack .
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a mosaic of images to reveal the most complete picture of the early universe , with thousands of galaxies in " various stages of assembly . "
The U.S. space agency NASA said Tuesday that the farthest galaxies in the snapshot are seen as they appeared more than 13 billion years ago , or roughly 650 million years after the Big Bang - the massive explosion that many scientists believe formed our universe .
The Hubble picture displays the older , smaller galaxies together with closer , newer and more mature ones .
The result is a galactic family photo of sorts that portrays galaxies in various stages of evolution .
NASA says this is the most detailed picture of the universe yet in terms of clarity , accuracy and depth .
The Hubble Space Telescope is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency .
Yasser Arafat has been buried at his West Bank compound , as a sea of Palestinian mourners chanted " With our soul , with our blood , we will support you Abu Ammar . "
The 75-year-old leader , also known by his nom de guerre " Abu Ammar , " was laid to rest at the compound where he spent the last three-and-a-half years of his life as a virtual prisoner of Israel .
Palestinian masons worked through the night at the Muqataa compound to prepare his grave .
Tens of thousands of mourners waving Palestinian flags , and photos of their leader greeted the military helicopter as it brought his flag-draped coffin from a funeral in Cairo .
Arab royalty and heads-of-state , joined by European , American and other international officials , gathered for the service at a mosque near Cairo 's airport .
Mr. Arafat died early Thursday in a Paris hospital after a brief but undisclosed illness .
The Sri Lankan military says six soldiers have been killed and another one wounded by a land mine explosion in the country 's volatile north .
The military says the blast , blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels , hit the soldiers Sunday as they were transporting meals to their colleagues in Jaffna , some 400 kilometers north of Colombo .
The attack prompted Scandinavian monitors overseeing Sri Lanka 's truce with Tamil Tiger rebels to warn of " irreparable deterioration " of security in the island nation .
The monitoring mission appealed to all sides to calm the situation before it escalates further .
Tension has been mounting in Sri Lanka since Tamil Tiger leader V. Prabhakaran warned that the rebels will intensify their struggle for a Tamil homeland next year if grievances with the government are not resolved .
A religious festival that drew millions of Shi'ite pilgrims to Iraq 's holy city of Karbala has ended without major incident .
Heavy security was in place Saturday for the festival of Shaaban .
It commemorates the birth of ninth-century Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadar .
Violence elsewhere in Iraq killed at least 12 people .
Bomb attacks in Baghdad left at least two people dead .
And a gunman killed an employee of Iraq 's government-run newspaper in the capital .
On Friday , insurgents firing mortar rounds killed at least three Shi'ite pilgrims in a procession near Karbala .
The United States is warning that it would be a major international concern if North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile .
Reports by Japanese media say North Korea may be preparing to test-fire such a weapon .
A U.S. State Department spokesman said Friday that a missile launch would also violate an agreement reached in September at the last round of six-party talks on North Korea 's nuclear program .
On Friday Japanese broadcaster NHK quoted unidentified South Korean government officials as saying that satellite pictures show signs of activity at a launch site in northeastern North Korea .
Japan 's Defense Agency quickly responded , saying that Tokyo does not believe a launch is imminent .
However , Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso told a parliamentary committee that a launch would be no surprise .
In 1998 , North Korea surprised Japan and governments around the world by firing a long-range missile over Japan into the Pacific Ocean .
Every year on the last Friday in April Americans observe National Arbor Day .
Tree plantings and other events are held all across the United States to focus attention on the importance of trees in our communities and on our planet .
Sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation , a non-profit group founded in 1872 , Arbor Day somewhat overshadows another of the Foundation 's national projects .
It is called the " Tree City USA " program , and it recognizes communities that preserve , protect , and defend their trees every day of the year .
VOA 's George Dwyer recently visited a " tree city " just outside Washington .
The White House says President Bush will hold a news conference shortly .
A spokeswoman did not say what topics the president plans to address in the meeting with reporters , which is scheduled to take place in the Rose Garden of the White House .
The announcement comes one day after the president nominated White House Counsel Harriet Miers to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court .
At least three car bombs have exploded in Baghdad , wounding at least six people .
Iraqi police say the bombs went off almost simultaneously near a market in the southern part of the city .
The violence occurred as Iraqi politicians continued in their efforts to form a new government .
Shi'ite , Sunni and Kurdish politicians have been unable to agree on a cabinet .
Pressure has been mounting on Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari , a Shi'ite , to give up his post .
Sunni politicians say Mr. al-Jaafari is a divisive and ineffective leader .
The United States has been pressuring Iraqi politicians to form a new government , which Washington believes will help stem the violence .
Speaking Friday in northern England , U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States had probably made thousands of errors in Iraq , but she defended the decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein .
President Bush has urged recipients of Medicare , the national health care program for seniors , to sign up for a new prescription drug program .
In a broadcast on U.S. radio Saturday , Mr. Bush said the prescription drug program is the greatest advance in health care for U.S. seniors since the introduction of Medicare itself 40 years ago .
He said the new benefit will help pay for preventative medication that costs far less than the price of treating a serious illness .
He said the days of making painful sacrifices to pay for prescription drugs are now over .
Mr. Bush also urged friends and family of the elderly to help their loved ones enroll , by gathering information , making a phone call , or helping them to fill out forms .
Thousands of people in cities across Britain have rallied to protest Israeli military action in Lebanon .
A march through central London Saturday drew the largest numbers .
Police estimate that crowd at seven thousand people .
Many of them carried Lebanese flags .
British Muslim groups organized the protests .
The current Mideast crisis began July 12 , when Hezbollah guerrillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight in a raid .
Israel then launched an offensive on Hezbollah militias based in Lebanon .
More than 300 Lebanese and 34 Israelis have died in the violence .
Hundreds more have been wounded .
Confessed swindler Bernard Madoff will have to wait a bit longer to find out how long his prison sentence will be .
He could get up to 150 years for stealing tens of billions of dollars from investment clients through an elaborate scheme of lies .
The judge has put off Madoff 's sentencing until June 29 .
Some of Madoff 's many victims are expected to speak to the court before the judge pronounces the sentence .
Madoff 's $ 65 billion fraud is the largest in U.S. history and it went undetected by U.S. financial regulators for perhaps 20 years .
Thursday , the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to tighten regulations by subjecting investment advisers who hold clients ' money to surprise inspections by independent auditors once a year .
The human rights group Amnesty International says China is fast emerging as one of the world 's biggest , most secretive and irresponsible arms exporters .
Amnesty says Chinese weapons sales to Sudan , Nepal and Burma have aggravated conflicts there and encouraged repressive rule in those countries .
In a new report , Amnesty accuses China of shipping tens of thousands of rifles and grenades to Nepal 's security forces .
It also says Beijing has exported hundreds of military trucks to Burma and Sudan .
The London-based group says China 's arms exports , estimated to exceed $ 1 billion a year , often involve the exchange of weapons for raw materials to fuel the country 's rapid economic growth .
China rarely confirms sales of military equipment - a policy that has compounded U.S. concerns about Beijing 's military buildup and what Washington says is a lack of transparency in its defense policies .
Former Haitian leader Jean Bertrand Aristide says he will not play a role in his country 's politics once he returns home .
The former president and ex-priest told international news agencies in Pretoria , South Africa Wednesday , that he wants to return to Haiti to teach .
Mr. Aristide has been living in exile in South Africa since he was forced out of office in February 2004 after an armed uprising .
Mr. Aristide says the date of his return depends upon negotiations between Haitian President-elect Rene Preval , the United Nations and other interested parties .
Mr. Preval , a former protégé of Mr. Aristide , was declared the winner of Haiti 's February 7 presidential elections last week .
The Lebanese army Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire request from Islamic militants to allow their families to leave a Palestinian refugee camp where the two factions have been fighting for months .
The mediators , from the Palestinian Cleric 's Association , say Fatah al-Islam asked them late Monday for help in arranging a truce in the fighting at Nahr al-Bared camp near the northern port city of Tripoli .
In the past , the clerics ' group has tried but failed to mediate between the militants and the army , which is demanding an unconditional surrender of remaining fighters .
Most of the camp 's refugees have fled since fighting began in May .
Also Tuesday Lebanon 's military says a soldier was killed during fighting at Nahr al-Bared .
At least 200 people , including 141 soldiers , have been killed in the battles .
The U.S. State Department has labeled al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam a terrorist organization .
Campaigning has ended for the first round of local Palestinian elections to be held on Thursday .
Some 1,40,000 Palestinians are eligible to vote in 26 communities around the West Bank .
More than 800 people are running for local offices .
A second round of voting in other communities is set for early in the new year , after presidential elections that are scheduled for January 9 .
The vast majority of candidates in the local elections are members of the mainstream Fatah party .
Results from Thursday 's elections are not expected to be made public until the end of the week .
Taleban rebels in Afghanistan have launched attacks in the lead-up to Sunday 's parliamentary elections , in an effort to disrupt the vote .
Government officials say security forces arrested 20 suspected rebels Saturday , who were trying to blow up a large dam in southern Afghanistan .
Late Friday , three police officers were killed when Taleban guerillas ambushed their patrol near the capital .
In a separate attack , rebels ambushed police as they patrolled the main Kabul - Kandahar highway .
Seven rebels were killed in the ensuing firefight .
Seven national assembly candidates and several poll workers have also been the victims of election-related violence .
The Taleban have called for an election boycott , threatening attacks on foreign troops , but not on voters .
Political leaders representing Iraq 's ethnic and religious groups remain at odds over key provisions of a new constitution , despite Monday 's deadline for completion of a draft document .
Friday prayers brought calls from Sunni Arab clerics for followers to reject federalism and vote against a constitution containing provisions that divide the country .
On Thursday , Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim , the leader of Iraq 's largest Shi'ite party , the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution announced his support for a federal region in central and southern Iraq .
Iraq 's Kurds also favor a federal structure that will protect their autonomous status in the country 's north .
The draft is to be submitted to Iraq 's National Assembly Monday for debate before an October referendum .
In other developments , a roadside bomb attack early Friday killed an American soldier who was on patrol in Tikrit , north of Baghdad .
Many commuters in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro were stranded Friday as the city cut back bus service to curb deadly gang attacks on public transportation .
City officials took the measure after gangs set fire to at least six buses Thursday , burning seven people alive .
Gang members also attacked police stations .
Two policemen , seven alleged gang members , and two other civilians were reported killed , in addition to the victims on the bus .
Police said the motive for the apparently coordinated attacks was not immediately clear .
Some officials said it may be linked to anti-drug efforts in the city .
Some 200 people in Sao Paulo died earlier this year in a series of attacks by criminal gangs .
Indonesia says it will monitor Islamic boarding schools as part of its effort to fight militant violence and suicide bombings .
Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Thursday that the religious affairs minister will monitor all Islamic boarding schools .
The vice president said he believes there are only a few schools that could be considered possible breeding grounds for terrorists , but he declined to name them .
However , the Al-Mukmin and Al-Islam schools on the island of Java had previously come under scrutiny after several terrorists were found to have studied at them .
The former students include militants convicted in the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2003 bombing of the Marriott hotel in Jakarta .
A Palestinian suicide bomber has blown himself up at an Israeli checkpoint in the northern West Bank , killing one Israeli soldier and at least two Palestinians .
Israeli officials say the bomber struck Thursday , after stepping from a taxi to face soldiers at a makeshift checkpoint near the Israeli border .
Four other Israelis and several Palestinians were wounded .
Israeli authorities said they believed the bomber intended to strike in Tel Aviv .
The bombing occurred as Israeli warplanes and artillery hit targets in the northern Gaza Strip , in a campaign Israel says is aimed at stopping militants from firing rockets into Israel .
Meanwhile , Palestinian security forces continue to hunt for a British human rights activist kidnapped along with her parents Wednesday in southern Gaza .
Authorities say there has been no claim of responsibility and no ransom demands .
Officials in Nigeria say a bomb has exploded at a popular market inside an army barracks in the capital , Abuja .
Nigerian television is reporting that at least 30 people died in the explosion .
Police have not confirmed that figure .
Officials say the bomb went off inside Mammy market where people were eating and drinking to celebrate New Year 's Eve .
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack .
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan blamed the bombing on the radical Islamist group Boko Haram .
The group claimed responsibility for Christmas Eve bomb attacks in the central city of Jos , and for attacking several churches in the northern city of Maiduguri .
More than 80 people died in those attacks .
Abuja was shaken by car bomb attacks in October .
Militants from the southern oil-producing Niger Delta claimed responsibility for those blasts .
The eldest daughter of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has been taken into custody in Santiago , after returning from an unsuccessful bid for asylum in the United States .
Officials say Lucia Pinochet Hiriart was detained at the airport in Santiago Saturday on arrival from Washington .
Like her mother , father and several siblings , she faces tax evasion charges linked to $ 27 million the family allegedly hid in overseas bank accounts .
Pinochet Hiriart fled Chile Sunday , a day before her mother and four siblings were detained there .
They were freed on bail a day later .
In addition to the tax fraud charges , her father , Augusto Pinochet , also faces human rights charges related to his rule of Chile from 1973 to 1990 .
Pakistani officials say the senior officer heading the probe into last week 's suicide attack on former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has withdrawn from the case .
The home secretary of Sindh province , Ghulam Muhammad Mohtarem , says Manzur Mughal stepped down after Ms. Bhutto accused him of involvement in the alleged torture of her husband while in police custody in 1999 .
Ms. Bhutto survived an assassination attempt last Thursday when suicide attackers struck near her convoy as it drove through the packed streets of Karachi , the capital of Sindh province , hours after she returned to Pakistan , ending years of political exile .
The twice-serving former prime minister has said extremist elements in Pakistan 's political establishment were behind the attack , which killed 139 people .
Investigators have said they suspect two suicide bombers were responsible for the attack .
Israel says the population of its West Bank settlements has grown , even as the country withdraws from the Gaza Strip .
The Israeli Interior Ministry says 2,46,000 Jewish settlers lived in the West Bank as of June , 2005 , about 10,000 more than a year earlier .
A spokesman said the increase resulted from births and an influx of new residents , but he could not give a breakdown for each figure .
Palestinians claim the West Bank and east Jerusalem as part of a future Palestinian state .
Israel captured the territories in the 1967 Mideast war .
Meanwhile , an Israeli woman has died after setting herself on fire last week to protest Israel 's withdrawal from Gaza .
On Tuesday , Israeli troops finished evacuating all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 's plan to " disengage " from the Palestinians .
United Nations officials say Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein to ensure transparent and inclusive elections in the military-ruled country .
A U.N. spokesperson says Mr. Ban met Saturday with the Burmese premier on the sidelines of a Southeast Asia regional summit in Hanoi , Vietnam .
A statement says the secretary-general also reiterated his call for the release of political prisoners and to lift restrictions on detained pro-Democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi .
Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win said earlier this week that Aung San Suu Kyi may be freed soon after the November 7 vote .
The election is supposed to transition Burma from military to civilian rule .
It has drawn strong international criticism for imposing rules that ensure most of the seats in parliament will go to a pro-government party .
Iran 's top nuclear official says his country will not abandon its uranium enrichment program , and that the Middle East could become even more unstable if Tehran is referred to the United Nations Security Council for its nuclear activities .
Speaking at an international nuclear technology conference in Tehran Saturday , Hassan Rowhani said if Iran is brought before the Security Council , it could cause problems for the regional energy market .
Iran is the second largest oil producer in OPEC .
Britain , France and Germany are in talks in with Iran , trying to negotiate a permanent end to its uranium enrichment program in exchange for a package of economic incentives .
But Mr. Rowhani complained that talks with the Europeans are moving slowly , and he remained adamant that Iran will never abandon its enrichment activities .
A spokesman for an Iraqi court says the trial of a journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George Bush has been postponed .
Muntazer al-Zaidi was scheduled to go on trial Wednesday for the December 14 incident in Baghdad .
He has been charged with assaulting a foreign leader , and faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted .
The Iraqi television journalist threw his shoes at Mr. Bush as the outgoing U.S. president stood next to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at a news conference .
Mr. Bush ducked his head and narrowly missed being hit .
Mr. Maliki 's office says Zaidi has confessed to throwing the shoes on the orders of a militant known for beheading people .
The militant who allegedly masterminded the incident has not been identified .
The journalist 's family says he was coerced into writing the confession letter .
Iraq executed three convicted murderers Thursday - the first time the government has carried out the death penalty since Saddam Hussein was in power .
A government spokesman , Laith Kubba , told reporters that the three were hanged at 10 AM local time .
They were convicted of kidnapping , rape and murder .
The presidential council approved their death sentences last month .
But President Jalal Talabani , who opposes the death penalty , refused to authorize the hangings , and instead empowered one of his vice presidents to sign on his behalf .
Iran 's ambassador to the United Nations has assured Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Iran will cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) on the nation 's nuclear program .
Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee made the remark at a meeting with Mr. Ban during which he personally delivered a letter from Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki .
In it , Mottaki criticizes the latest Security Council sanctions on Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium , a process that can be used to make nuclear weapons .
Iran says its nuclear technology is intended for peaceful purposes .
Iran 's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the newest U.N. resolution , which tightens existing sanctions on trade , travel and Iran 's foreign assets , is invalid and lacks legal credibility .
Strategically important , Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht ; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830 .
In a referendum held in 1967 , Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency .
The subsequent granting of autonomy in 1969 by the UK led to Spain closing the border and severing all communication links .
A series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997 and 2002 on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar .
In response to these talks , the Gibraltar Government called a referendum in late 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain .
Since late 2004 , tripartite talks among Spain , the UK , and Gibraltar have been held with the aim of cooperatively resolving problems that affect the local population , and work continues on cooperation agreements in areas such as taxation and financial services ; communications and maritime security ; policy , legal and customs services ; environmental protection ; and education and visa services .
Throughout 2009 , a dispute over Gibraltar 's claim to territorial waters extending out three miles gave rise to periodic non-violent maritime confrontations between Spanish and UK naval patrols .
A new noncolonial constitution came into effect in 2007 , and the European Court of First Instance recognized Gibraltar 's right to regulate its own tax regime in December 2008 , but the UK retains responsibility for defense , foreign relations , internal security , and financial stability .
Chad , part of France 's African holdings until 1960 , endured three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990 .
The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001 .
In 1998 , a rebellion broke out in northern Chad , which has sporadically flared up despite several peace agreements between the government and the rebels .
In 2005 , new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and made probing attacks into eastern Chad despite signing peace agreements in December 2006 and October 2007 .
Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority .
In June 2005 , President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits and won another controversial election in 2006 .
Sporadic rebel campaigns continued throughout 2006 and 2007 .
The capital experienced a significant rebel threat in early 2008 .
Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747 .
The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919 .
A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup .
The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime , touching off a long and destructive war .
The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels .
A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban , a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country 's civil war and anarchy .
Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington , D.C. , a US , Allied , and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN .
The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution , a presidential election in 2004 , and National Assembly elections in 2005 .
In December 2004 , Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December .
KARZAI was re-elected in August 2009 for a second term .
Despite gains toward building a stable central government , a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government .
The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century .
Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838 .
Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century , but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades .
Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979 .
Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s .
After losing free and fair elections in 1990 , 1996 , and 2001 , former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra was elected president in 2006 .
The 2008 municipal elections were marred by widespread irregularities .
Nicaragua 's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt , but democratic institutions have been weakened under the ORTEGA administration .
With a well-developed infrastructure , a free-enterprise economy , generally pro-investment policies , and strong export industries , Thailand enjoyed solid growth from 2000 to 2007 - averaging more than 4 % per year - as it recovered from the Asian financial crisis of 1997 - 98 .
Thai exports - mostly machinery and electronic components , agricultural commodities , and jewelry - continue to drive the economy , accounting for more than half of GDP .
The global financial crisis of 2008 - 9 severely cut Thailand 's exports , with most sectors experiencing double-digit drops .
In 2009 , the economy contracted 2.2 % .
In 2010 , Thailand 's economy expanded 7.6 % , its fastest pace since 1995 , as exports rebounded from their depressed 2009 level .
Antigovernment protests during March-May and the country 's polarized political situation had - at most - a temporary impact on business and consumer confidence .
Although tourism was hit hard during the protests , its quick recovery helped boost consumer confidence to new highs .
Moreover , business and investor sentiment remained buoyant as Thailand 's stock market grew almost 5 % during the three-month period .
The economy probably will continue to experience high grow well into 2011 .
A FARMER , who bore a grudge against a Fox for robbing his poultry yard , caught him at last , and being determined to take an ample revenge , tied some rope well soaked in oil to his tail , and set it on fire .
The Fox by a strange fatality rushed to the fields of the Farmer who had captured him .
It was the time of the wheat harvest ; but the Farmer reaped nothing that year and returned home grieving sorely .
A LION and a Bear seized a Kid at the same moment , and fought fiercely for its possession .
When they had fearfully lacerated each other and were faint from the long combat , they lay down exhausted with fatigue .
A Fox , who had gone round them at a distance several times , saw them both stretched on the ground with the Kid lying untouched in the middle .
He ran in between them , and seizing the Kid scampered off as fast as he could .
The Lion and the Bear saw him , but not being able to get up , said , " Woe be to us , that we should have fought and belabored ourselves only to serve the turn of a Fox . "
It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil , and another all the profit .
A CARTER was driving a waggon loaded with a merchant 's goods , when the wheels stuck in a rut .
Thereupon he began to pray to Hercules , without other exertion .
" Indolent fellow ! " said Hercules ; " you ask me to help you , but will not help yourself . "
So the Carter helped himself to so many of the most valuable goods that the horses easily ran away with the remainder .
These two tuba players walk past a bar ...
Well , it could happen !
King Juan Carlos hired a public relations firmn to find out how the Spanish people felt about him .
They informed him that he had 75 % approval in the mountainous areas but only 50 % approval elsewhere The conclusion was that the reign in Spain was shaky on the plain .
The U.S. military in Afghanistan says five American and one Afghan soldiers were injured in two incidents when their helicopters were forced to make emergency landings after being hit by ground fire .
The military says the attacks on the ( CH-47 ) Chinook helicopters occurred Sunday in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Uruzgan - both hotbeds of Taleban insurgents and their allies .
In a separate attack Sunday , three American soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb blast in Zabul - also in southern Afghanistan .
The military says the wounded soldiers are in stable condition .
In another incident , a suicide attacker killed a civilian when he blew himself up near a coalition troop convoy in Kandahar .
Almost 3,000 workers at an electronics plant in northern China were off the job for a third day Thursday because of a strike demanding better pay and working conditions .
The stoppage at the Japanese-owned Tianjin Mitsumi Electric Company is the latest in a growing number of strikes by Chinese workers demanding salaries in line with those paid in other countries .
Most have been aimed at foreign-owned companies .
The Associated Press reports security forces were posted around the factory , but have not taken action against about 100 workers gathered outside the factory .
However foreign reporters were detained and removed from the area .
A worker at the plant told China 's state-run Xinhua news agency he works six days a week with two hours of overtime every day to earn $ 220 a month .
Afghans continued protests Saturday against a U.S. pastor 's threat to burn copies of the Quran .
The Associated Press reports protesters have set shops and police checkpoints on fire in eastern Logar province 's capital , Puli Alam .
And Reuters news agency says several thousand people gathered in three district in northeastern Badakhshan province .
On Friday , thousands of Afghans across the country demonstrated their outrage at the preacher 's insistence on burning Islam 's holy book .
At least eight people were wounded in the protests .
The preacher has since called off Saturday 's planned burning .
The obscure Florida pastor , Reverend Terry Jones , arrived in New York late Friday .
His plans have created an international firestorm and prompted leading political and religious figures to issue statements condemning the plans .
Top U.S. officials had warned the pastor that the Quran burning could provoke Islamist violence and put U.S. soldiers ' lives in danger .
The U.S. monthly trade deficit rose to an all-time high in November as oil imports soared .
The gap between what Americans bought abroad and the goods and services they sold to foreign nations widened to a record $ 68.9 billion .
The surge surprised economists who expected declining oil prices to ease the trade deficit .
Wednesday 's report from the U.S. Commerce Department says trade deficits with OPEC , China , Canada , the European Union , and Mexico were at record levels .
Some analysts say November 's huge trade deficit puts the United States on track to exceed last year 's record annual trade deficit of nearly $ 618 billion .
France , Germany and Britain have warned Iran it will answer to the United Nations Security Council if it resumes uranium enrichment activities that the United States says could produce fuel for nuclear bombs .
In a letter , foreign ministers from the three countries told top Iranian negotiator Hassan Rowhani that they will break off months of bilateral talks aimed at ending disputes over the nature of Iran 's nuclear ambitions .
The matter would then be referred to the Security Council for possible sanctions .
In Tehran , Mr. Rowhani is quoted as saying Iran will no longer respect the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if it is denied the right to develop a full civilian nuclear energy program .
The United States accuses Iran of clandestine efforts to develop nuclear weapons .
Tehran has repeatedly denied the charge .
Ukraine 's parliament has set the inauguration of President-elect Viktor Yushchenko for Sunday .
Thursday 's decision came hours after the Supreme Court threw out the final legal appeal by former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych , who alleged that last month 's election was fraudulent .
Chief Justice Anatoly Varema calls the court 's decision final .
Mr. Yanukovych has finally conceded defeat , telling Ukrainian television Thursday that the election campaign is over .
He called on supporters to end their protests and begin what he calls a new political struggle .
But his legal team plans to appeal the election to the European Court of Human Rights .
Meanwhile , Russian President Vladimir Putin , who backed Mr. Yanukovych , congratulated Mr. Yushchenko .
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will travel to Kiev for Sunday 's inauguration .
NATO is sending Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer .
Britney Spears is officially divorced - but at a stiff price .
The Star Magazine reports the singer 's divorce from Kevin Federline will cost her $ 13 million , including $ 25,000 a month in child support for each of the couple 's two sons until they reach 18 .
He also gets custody of the boys four days a week .
Kevin Federline gets to keep all the gifts Britney Spears bought him during their two-year marriage - but is forbidden from writing a tell-all book about their union .
He reportedly encouraged Britney to remain in a treatment center by telling her they would reconcile after she got out .
The U.S. Gulf Coast is bracing for Hurricane Katrina as it strengthens after pummeling southeastern Florida with strong winds and sheets of rain .
At least seven people have been killed in the storm , which came ashore Thursday , dumping several centimeters of rain in its path and triggering widespread flooding .
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses lost power and an overpass under construction in the Miami area collapsed onto a main east-west highway .
Katrina was briefly downgraded to a tropical storm as it crossed land , but it has turned into a stronger hurricane while moving over the warm Gulf waters .
At last report , the 11th named storm of this year 's Atlantic hurricane season was 97 kilometers west-northwest of Key West .
Katrina was moving slowly in a west-northwesterly direction at 13 kilometers per hour .
A court hearing began in South Africa Friday , pitting an influential AIDS lobby group against a doctor who claims his vitamin therapies are more effective against AIDS than anti-retroviral drugs .
Treatment Action Campaign , or TAC , is asking the Cape Town court to order Dr. Matthias Rath to stop making defamatory comments about the lobby group .
The German-born doctor calls TAC a front for drug companies .
He also claims AIDS drugs are toxic , saying the deadly disease can be treated successfully with nutrients .
The World Health Organization has condemned Dr. Rath , saying his claims are unhelpful and dangerous .
TAC successfully pressured the South African government to roll out a comprehensive program - including free drugs - to treat AIDS patients .
Pakistani authorities have released an alleged al-Qaida militant accused of involvement in a bomb attack against former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto last year .
A court in the city of Karachi ordered prison officials to release Qari Saifullah Akhtar Wednesday for lack of evidence .
But , the court also ruled that Akhtar must make himself available for further questioning if sufficient evidence is found .
Ms. Bhutto accused Akhtar of plotting the double suicide bombing of her homecoming parade in Karachi last October that killed about 140 people .
She made the accusation in a book written before her assassination in a December gun and bomb attack in Rawalpindi .
Pakistani authorities had detained Akhtar last month .
They also accuse him of attending al-Qaida training camps in Afghanistan before the fall of the Taliban in 2001 .
ome information for this report was provided by AFP .
Suspected Taleban rebels have ambushed a convoy carrying the governor of Afghanistan 's Ghazni province .
Governor Sher Alam was not harmed in the attack Saturday , but the resulting shootout left at least two attackers dead .
In a separate incident Saturday , Taleban fighters are also being blamed for killing the former governor of Ghazni province , Taj Mohammed Qari Baba .
Three others , including Baba 's bodyguard , were killed in the attack .
Meanwhile , officials say a roadside bomb attack has killed at least nine police officers .
Authorities say the blast occurred Friday as police were transporting the bodies of four citizens of Macedonia kidnapped in the region a week ago by suspected Taleban rebels .
The four Macedonians , along with four Afghans who were abducted and later released , worked for a company that provided sanitation services at U.S. and Afghan military bases .
Economic reports paint a mixed picture of the U.S. economy , with manufacturing rising and construction dropping .
Monday 's report from the Institute for Supply Management says an index of manufacturing rose 2.3 percentage points in December .
Factories are apparently boosting production to meet growing demand from government stimulus programs .
Demand is also helped by businesses that are rebuilding inventories that were drastically cut during the worst of the economic crisis .
A separate government report shows a very different trend .
The latest figures from the U.S. Commerce Department show construction falling to the lowest level in six years .
November 's data show a 0.6 percent decline for the month , which is the seventh drop in as many months .
India 's cricket team has scored 216-3 in response to Australia 's first innings total of 463 on the second day of the second test at the Sydney Cricket Ground .
V.V.S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid led the Indian counterattack with Laxman scoring his 18th test century with 109 runs .
Dravid added 53 for India , which lost the first test in Melbourne by 337 runs .
Australian Bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Brad Hogg took one wicket each for Australia .
Earlier , Andrew Symonds scored 162 not out for the Aussies and revived the home side 's hopes of winning its 16th test match in a row .
The third test of the four-match series starts in Perth January 16th .
The two sides will also play in a triangular series that features Sri Lanka beginning February third in Brisbane .
Yukos , the huge Russian oil company , says Russian authorities have again raided its Moscow offices .
A company spokeswoman tells VOA , officials Thursday searched an area where financial documents are stored .
The action comes as lawyers for Yukos are asking a U.S. court in Houston , Texas for an order blocking the planned auction of a major part of the company on Sunday .
The company says it would be seriously hurt by the forced sale of its main oil-producing subsidiary , Yuganskeneftegaz .
Russian officials ordered the auction to raise money to pay billions of dollars in back taxes .
Critics of Russia 's government say the tax dispute is retaliation for financial support the company 's chairman Mikhail Khodorkovsky gave to political opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin .
The Iranian government says it has the right to decide which international inspectors will be allowed to monitor its nuclear facilities .
A spokesman for Iran 's Foreign Ministry said Tehran could reject the inspectors on the basis of their previous activities .
The official , Ramin Mahmanparast , was echoing comments by the nation 's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi , who noted Iran had accepted alternate inspectors provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency .
Salehi was quoted as saying that two inspectors rejected by Iran had filed FALSE reports on Iran 's nuclear program .
A report released Monday by the IAEA said Iran 's objections to certain inspectors are complicating efforts to investigate its nuclear program .
The program is at the core of an international dispute over whether the activities have a military component .
An uneasy calm has settled over Nigeria , where more than 120 people have been killed in Muslim-Christian violence since Saturday .
Christian youths burned the corpses of Muslims Thursday in Onitsha , the site of riots on Tuesday and Wednesday .
Christian mobs in the city killed at least 80 people , mostly Muslims , in reprisal for rioting against Christians in Nigeria 's largely Muslim north .
More than 40 people , mainly Christians , died in riots on Saturday and Sunday .
Nigerian police have stepped up security across the country before Friday Muslim prayers , hoping to prevent further violence .
The sectarian riots began last Saturday in the northern city of Maiduguri during Muslim protests against Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad .
Sudan 's Foreign Ministry says six Sudanese , including a diplomat , have been kidnapped in Iraq .
The ministry says the victims were seized in Baghdad after attending prayers Friday .
The abducted diplomat was identified as the second secretary at Sudan 's mission in Baghdad .
Meanwhile , thousands of Sunni Arabs demonstrated in Baghdad , Tikrit and Mosul to protest what they said were flawed December 15 parliamentary elections .
Preliminary results show a strong lead for the main Shi'ite coalition .
Elsewhere , insurgents ambushed an Iraqi checkpoint in Adhaim , about 70 kilometers north of Baghdad , killing eight Iraqi soldiers and wounding 17 .
A suicide bomber also killed at least three people at a Shi'ite mosque in Balad Ruz , about 75 kilometers northeast of Baghdad .
The U.S. military also says two U.S. soldiers were killed Friday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad .
Iraqi authorities say gunmen have killed the chief of police in a town northeast of Baghdad .
Police say Colonel Hatem Rashid Mohammad was killed Friday , along with an aide during an ambush in Balad Ruz , 50 kilometers northeast of the capital .
Insurgents have been increasingly attacking Iraqi policemen and soldiers , who have taken a larger role in trying to stabilize the country in recent months .
Thursday , U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs Matthew Waxman said U.S. forces in Iraq are holding a senior aide to terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi .
Mr. Waxman said the man was arrested in Iraq in late 2004 and that he holds joint U.S. and Jordanian citizenship .
He said the suspect acted as an emissary between terror groups in Iraq and al-Zarqawi .
Final results from Iraq 's provincial elections show Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki 's allies have strengthened their standing across the country .
Candidates backed by the moderate Shi'ite prime minister dominated in the capital , Baghdad , and were victorious over other more sectarian Shi'ite rivals across southern Iraq .
The results released Thursday also showed that Sunni Arab tribal leaders who rose up against insurgents won the most seats in the western province of Anbar .
The tribal chiefs won eight out of 29 provincial council seats in last month 's elections .
The vote in 14 of Iraq 's 18 provinces was seen as a referendum on Mr. Maliki 's leadership ahead of national parliamentary elections later this year .
Polling is to take place later in the three Kurdish provinces of northern Iraq , as well as the disputed oil-rich region of Kirkuk .
Indonesian health officials say former vice president Sudharmono has died at the age of 78 .
Officials say Sudharmono died Wednesday in a Jakarta hospital .
He had served as former president Suharto 's fourth vice president , from 1988 to 1993 .
Sudharmono was a retired army lieutenant general and later a chairman of the powerful Golkar party who aided in intelligence operations to help Suharto stamp out the communist party .
Sudharmono is survived by his wife and three children .
Bayelsa State government officials in Nigeria say the mother of a state legislator has been kidnapped in the country 's southern Niger Delta .
Jonah Okah , A spokesman for the Bayelsa state parliament says gunmen took the woman from her home Monday night in Brass , a remote part of the oil-producing delta region .
The spokesman also says the 11-year-old son of another local legislator was released by kidnappers Tuesday .
It is not clear whether ransom money was paid for the child 's release .
The mother of the speaker of the Bayelsa state parliament was also abducted and released earlier this month .
Kidnappings for ransom are frequent in Nigeria 's delta region .
Armed gangs have mostly abducted foreign oil industry workers , but recently began including relatives of local officials they think can afford to pay for their release .
Voters in Nepal have begun casting ballots in the country 's first nationwide municipal elections in seven years .
Security forces have been authorized to shoot anyone caught disrupting the controversial elections .
Heavily guarded polling stations opened early Wednesday , but so far only a handful of the country 's nearly two-million registered voters have turned out to vote .
Elections are taking place in only 36 of Nepal 's municipalities .
The remaining 22 either do not have anyone running , or candidates are running unopposed .
Nepal 's government says the polls are a step toward democracy .
But opposition parties and communist rebels call the elections a sham aimed at legitimizing King Gyanendra 's seizure of absolute power a year ago .
Rebels have threatened to harm anyone who participates in the vote .
U.S. stock market indexes posted strong gains in Tuesday 's afternoon trading .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose three percent , the S & P 500 advanced 3.6 percent , and the NASDAQ moved up 3.3 percent .
European stock markets were higher at the close of trading .
London 's Financial Times 100 index gained 1.4 percent to finish at 4,123 .
The CAC-40 in Paris rose 2.4 percent to close at 3,153 , and the DAX in Frankfurt moved up 3.1 percent to hit 4,532 .
In Asia , Tokyo 's Nikkei index plunged 6.4 percent to finish the day at 7,864 .
In Hong Kong , the Hang Seng dropped five percent to end at 13,406 .
The price of gold rose more than $ 11 to trade at $ 780.47 an ounce .
The dollar was higher against the yen but lost value compared to the euro .
Venezuela 's oil minister says his country will end talks with foreign oil companies concerning the country 's takeover of oil projects financed by the private companies .
Rafael Ramirez said Monday that the negotiations have become impossible .
Venezuela has said it would take majority control of oil projects along the Orinoco River , where the private companies have invested billions of dollars .
Ramirez also says a plan by President Hugo Chavez to nationalize Venezuela 's electricity sector would mean the complete takeover of the country 's largest power company , Electricidad de Caracas .
EDC is owned by a U.S. company , AES .
Neither AES nor the foreign oil companies have responded to Ramirez 's statements .
U.S. officials have said nationalizations have a long history of failure and seldom benefit the people they are meant to serve .
The Afghan president 's office has responded to criticism by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf , insisting its intelligence on terrorists hiding in Pakistan is correct .
President Hamid Karzai 's office Tuesday defended intelligence it says shows terrorists are free to move in Pakistan .
The statement was a response to Mr. Musharraf 's accusation that Afghanistan is " bad-mouthing " his country and casting doubt on Islamabad 's commitment to fighting terrorism .
Mr. Musharraf said Monday , such criticism of Pakistan is " a deliberate , articulated conspiracy . "
He contends Afghan intelligence is outdated and incorrect .
Afghanistan 's and Pakistan 's comments , coming on the heels of President Bush 's visit to South Asia last week , point to a new low in relations between the neighboring states , at a time when Afghanistan is facing a sharp rise in attacks by insurgents .
Latin America enjoyed robust economic growth last year , but a new report by the Inter-American Development Bank warns that several factors could reverse that trend in 2005 .
The IADB says Latin American nations ' overall economic growth was 5.5 percent in 2004 , thanks to China 's increasing demand for raw materials , including steel .
However , Beijing has taken several steps to slow its economy , which grew to by 9.5 percent last year , which the bank says will have an immediate effect on global trade and the price of commodities .
In addition to a possible economic slowdown by China , the Inter-American Development Bank says , rising U.S. interest rates and a falling dollar could affect Latin America , where many countries already have massive levels of public debt .
Billionaire investor says the U.S. economy could fall into recession in 2007 .
He spoke in Singapore on Monday , and said the U.S. central bank could spark the downturn by raising interest rates too high , crimping the U.S. housing market .
High U.S. housing prices are a key reason that rising energy prices did not derail economic growth last year .
The U.S. Federal Reserve has been boosting interest rates steadily in a bid to fend off inflation , but Soros expects that campaign to end after two more quarter-point rate hikes ( at 4.75 percent ) .
The U.S. economy is the world 's largest , and Soros says a U.S. recession could slow global economic growth .
He also said future global growth could come from Asia , and urged Asian governments to encourage domestic demand to reduce their dependence on exports .
World oil prices hit new record highs Wednesday , as experts worried about production problems that could disrupt output .
Those concerns include refinery breakdowns and a worse-than-usual hurricane season that could threaten vital offshore wells .
The production problems come as traders say there is robust demand for oil from growing economies .
In New York , the price of crude oil for September delivery went as high as $ 62.47 a barrel .
London 's benchmark Brent contract also hit a new record high of $ 61.25 .
Japan 's Prince Tomohito of Mikasa says there is no need for the government to make an immediate decision on allowing women to succeed to the throne .
He told Kyodo news agency that a government panel should reconsider its proposal to allow the first-born child of either sex to ascend to the Chrysanthemum throne .
Tomohito is a cousin of Emperor Akihito and fifth in the line of succession .
He has been an outspoken critic against changing Japan 's laws for gaining the throne .
Only males who have emperors on their father 's side can succeed to the throne .
However , Japan is facing a succession crisis due to a lack of a male heirs since the 1960s .
Late last year , Tomohito suggested bringing back concubines to produce male heir before allowing a woman to head the ancient monarchy .
Ukraine 's parliament has overwhelmingly confirmed Yulia Tymoshenko as the country 's prime minister .
The vote was 373 in favor out of the 450-member chamber .
Earlier , President Viktor Yushchenko told lawmakers in Kiev Ms. Tymoshenko had earned his and the nation 's trust .
Calling her his political partner , Mr. Yushchenko said she can be trusted to organize a new government .
Ukraine 's parliament Tuesday postponed a hearing on Ms. Tymoshenko 's confirmation as her broad coalition was reported to be finalizing the makeup of a new cabinet .
Meanwhile , President Yushchenko is reported Friday to have dismissed three deputy prime ministers , 15 cabinet ministers and several other officials in a move political observers say was expected as the new government is being formed .
A moderate earthquake struck central Mexico Friday , forcing residents and office workers to evacuate buildings in Mexico City .
Officials say no major injuries or damages were immediately reported .
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the earthquake 's magnitude at 6 .
An aftershock that measured 5.5 hit a few hours later .
The center says the earthquake , which hit Friday morning local time , was centered in the southwestern state of Michoacan , about 200 kilometers southwest of Mexico City .
In 1985 , a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Mexico City killed more than 10,000 people .
Voters in Burundi are casting ballots in a parliamentary election the ruling party is almost certain to win , amid a boycott by an opposition coalition .
The opposition also boycotted last month 's presidential election .
Unopposed , President Pierre Nkurunziza was re-elected .
The opposition decided to boycott both votes after accusing the president of using fraud to win local elections in May .
International observers said there was no evidence of tampering .
Security has also been a concern during this election season .
Burundi has been on alert since Somali insurgents threatened to attack the country for its role in the peacekeeping mission in Somalia .
Somali Islamist rebel group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for bombings in Uganda earlier this month that killed 76 people .
It said the attacks were revenge for Ugandan participation in the peacekeeping force .
U.S. senators say security at the country 's borders and ports must be strengthened after a federal investigation revealed critical gaps at two border checkpoints .
The Senate 's Homeland Security Subcommittee Tuesday is hearing testimony from security officials on the need to speed up improvements in preventing dangerous materials from entering the country .
A report by Congress 's investigative department says federal investigators tested security at U.S. checkpoints in December and successfully smuggled in enough radioactive material to produce two so-called " dirty bombs . "
The report says border guards had detected the radioactive material using newly installed equipment , but failed to recognize that investigators used counterfeit documents to transport the material .
A Republican senator says U.S. cargo security measures now suffer from " a massive blind spot . "
Joseph Wilson , the husband of Valerie Plame , the Central Intelligence Agency operative exposed by a newspaper article in 2003 , says his wife received specific threats after her identity was revealed .
Mr. Wilson spoke to the CBS television program " 60 Minutes , " which released excerpts of his interview in advance of Sunday evening 's broadcast .
According to CBS , Mr. Wilson said he could not go into detail about the threats .
He told the network that he and his wife have discussed her security with several agencies .
Mr. Wilson said that before Ms. Plame 's identity was published by a newspaper columnist , very few people outside the intelligence community knew she worked for the C.I.A .
Mr. Wilson has said his wife was exposed to discredit him after he criticized the Bush administration 's rationale for the war in Iraq .
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is to travel to India this week to discuss arms sales to New Delhi and Pakistan .
Mr. Rumsfeld is expected to discuss US-India relations when he meets with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday in New Delhi .
India wants to buy the Patriot missile system , which can defend against ballistic and cruise missiles , and aircraft .
India also is expected to raise its concern over Pakistan 's request to buy up to 25 F-16 fighter jets from the United States .
Indian and Pakistani media say the prospect of American arms sales has stirred up opposition in both South Asian countries .
The two nuclear-armed rivals , which have fought three wars in the past five decades , are currently in peace talks over all outstanding issues .
The U.S. ambassador to Nepal has urged King Gyanendra to reconcile with the nation 's political parties , warning that Nepal could " slide toward confrontation , confusion and chaos . "
Speaking in Kathmandu late Tuesday , Ambassador James Moriarty said the royal palace should reach out to political parties " with sincere proposals " that reflect a common agenda of multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy .
Nepal 's king seized absolute power on February 1 , saying the move was necessary to end government corruption and quell the nine-year-old Maoist insurgency .
Meanwhile , Nepal 's army troops are continuing a search for soldiers missing since Sunday 's fierce clash with the rebels in a remote western district .
Tuesday , the army said it found the bodies of 40 soldiers and 76 were still missing .
The rebels say they have killed 159 troops and captured another 50 .
The army rejects the claim .
The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders says it is concerned by what it calls the growing repression of journalists and cyber-dissidents in Iran .
In a report issued Sunday , the RSF ( Reporters Sans Frontieres ) announced the detention of five more journalists .
RSF says 41 journalists are currently imprisoned in Iran a month after the country 's contested election .
RSF says Iran is currently the world 's biggest prison for journalists , and is becoming the world 's most dangerous place for them to operate .
RSF says the recently-detained journalists include photographers Majid Saidi and Tohid Bighi , blogger Henghameh Shahidi , and journalists Somaieh Nosrati and Said Matinpour .
According to RSF , four of the five are being held in secret locations with no information about their condition being released to their families or legal representatives .
Ukraine 's Supreme Court has rejected at least two complaints of election fraud filed by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych .
The court was expected to rule Thursday on a total of four complaints by Mr. Yanukovych , who lost Sunday 's presidential runoff vote .
Mr. Yanukovych alleges there were thousands of election violations and is refusing to concede defeat to his rival , opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko .
Observers say the appeals are unlikely to change the election results because Mr. Yanukovych lacks popular support and because the number of irregularities was not enough to narrow the gap between the two candidates .
Official results released Tuesday show Mr. Yushchenko won the runoff with 52 percent of the vote , to 44 percent for the prime minister .
Brazil 's state-run energy company , Petrobras , has awarded a major contract to a Chinese firm to build a gas pipeline between southeast and northeast Brazil .
Petrobras signed the $ 239-million deal with China 's state-run oil company , Sinopec , on Monday .
Under the contract , Sinopec will build a 300-kilometer stretch of pipeline in southeastern Brazil .
It will connect the gas fields in Rio de Janeiro state to the city of Vitoria ( in Espirito Santo state ) , farther north .
The pipeline will have a daily capacity of 20 million cubic meters of gas .
Brazil plans to extend the pipeline from Vitoria to the town of Catu , in northeastern state of Bahia , covering a total distance of 1,300 kilometers .
The entire project , known as Gasene , is aimed at improving gas distribution in northeastern Brazil .
A new public opinion poll shows that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 's popularity has fallen but remains strong despite a bribes-for-votes scandal surrounding his government .
The Datafolha poll shows the number of people who believe the president is honest has fallen 11 percentage points in little more than a month to 62 percent .
Mr. da Silva himself has not been accused of wrongdoing .
The survey also says the government 's approval rating remains nearly unchanged , dropping one percentage point to 35 percent .
The Datafolha company polled more than 2,000 Brazilians for the survey .
The scandal erupted when the ruling Workers Party was accused of paying lawmakers $ 12,000 a month to win their support .
The party denies the allegations , which caused some government officials to step down .
Despite the scandal , surveys have shown that Mr. da Silva is still the favorite to win the 2006 presidential election .
One of the defendants on trial for conspiracy in the assassination of reformist Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic has implicated the leader 's former deputy in the plot .
Dejan " Bugsy " Milenkovic told a Belgrade court Thursday that Nebojsa Covic was aware of the conspiracy .
He said Mr. Djindjic 's sworn enemy , ultranationalist leader Vojislav Seselj , also was aware of the plot .
Seselj is on trial for war crimes in the Hague .
Covic has denied any involvement .
Officials of Seselj 's Radical Party dismissed the allegations against him .
Milenkovic is one of 13 suspects on trial for their roles in the assassination of Mr. Djindjic outside government offices in Belgrade in 2003 .
Mr. Djindjic was one of the leaders of the pro-democracy movement that toppled former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in 2000 .
He was also instrumental in extraditing the former leader to the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague .
Iraqi police say a suicide bomber blew up his explosives filled car near the Oil Ministry in Baghdad , killing at least nine people and wounding eight others .
Another suicide car bomb attack occurred in an eastern part of the capital Thursday .
Police said there were casualties , but no confirmed figure was immediately available .
The attacks come a day after 25 people were killed and 90 others wounded in a suicide attack at a Shi'ite mosque in the town of Hilla .
The bomber struck as the faithful gathered at the mosque to pray before breaking fast Wednesday - the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan .
Meanwhile , Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London Thursday , to discuss preparations for the October 15 national referendum on Iraq 's new constitution .
Russia 's military chief , General Yuri Baluyevsky , has reiterated international calls that North Korea must remain free of nuclear weapons .
Mr. Baluyevsky spoke Monday during a meeting in Moscow with his Japanese counterpart , visiting Military Chief General Hajime Massaki .
He said it is the international community 's duty to prevent any nuclear tests on the Korean peninsula .
On Sunday , North Korea confirmed a meeting with U.S. officials held earlier this month .
The statement came days after U.S. officials announced they held a rare meeting with North Korean authorities at United Nations headquarters in New York , to urge Pyongyang to return to talks on ending its nuclear weapons program .
South Korea , China , Russia and Japan have also been calling on North Korea to re-join the six-nation talks .
Iraq 's health minister says a girl who died earlier this month in northern Iraq was a victim of the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu - the first known case of the disease in the country .
Abdel Mutalib Mohammed told reporters Monday that new tests of the victim 's blood samples confirmed the Kurdish teenager had contracted the deadly strain .
Nearly two weeks ago , the World Health Organization said its tests for the virus were negative .
The girl died January 17th in the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniya , near the border with Turkey and Iran .
The death triggered concerns that infected birds from Turkey had begun spreading the virus in Iraq .
Tens of thousands of Georgian opposition demonstrators have marched through the Georgian capital to protest final parliamentary election results they say unfairly favored the ruling party .
Protesters marched Monday in Tbilisi , shortly after a military parade marking Georgia 's Independence Day .
Final results from the May 21 polls show President Mikhail Saakashvili 's United National Movement party winning 120 of 150 parliamentary seats .
Last week , opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze said his United Opposition Council will not take its 16 seats in the legislature to protest election results .
Monday he said his supporters will try to prevent the new parliament from convening , by force if necessary .
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe noted a number of problems , including pre-election intimidation of candidates and procedural shortcomings in the vote count .
However , they stopped short of rejecting the poll results .
The U.S. military in Afghanistan says a bomb explosion has killed four American service members .
The troops were on patrol in central Uruzgan province Monday , when their vehicle struck the explosive device .
Meanwhile , in Kunar province bordering Pakistan , an Afghan soldier was killed and five others wounded when their vehicle hit a land mine .
Late Sunday , in southern Helmand province , Taleban insurgents ambushed an Afghan militia unit , killing two men and leaving six missing .
A purported spokesman for the Taleban said the missing militiamen were killed , but Afghan authorities confirm only two deaths .
In another violence late Sunday , on a highway between Kandahar and Herat , suspected Taleban set fire to a tanker supplying fuel to coalition forces .
A congressman from South Carolina has urged his colleagues and President Bush to provide better equipment to troops in Iraq .
Representative Jim Clyburn said in the Democratic party 's weekly radio address that U.S. soldiers should never lack proper equipment nor accurate intelligence .
Mr. Clyburn also said he opposed attempts to invest Social Security on the stock market , calling proposed plans a gamble that could jeopardize benefits for children .
He also called for expanding health insurance coverage and making college education more affordable .
Ambassadors from Spain , Brazil and Venezuela met with a jailed Colombian rebel leader Friday in hopes of securing a cease-fire between his leftist group and Colombia 's government .
The officials traveled to a high-security prison in northwest Colombia to meet with Francisco Galan , a spokesman for the National Liberation Army , or ELN .
They want the group to halt armed operations and enter peace talks with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe 's government .
The ELN and a larger guerrilla group are fighting in a long-running civil war that also involves right-wing paramilitaries .
A Mexican diplomat met with Mr. Galan last year to push for an ELN cease-fire .
Mexico has offered to monitor negotiations between the group and Colombia 's government .
The U.S. military says Afghan police killed a senior militant commander this week in the central province of Ghazni .
A military statement says Abdul Baki was killed Wednesday while police were conducting a search of his residence .
The statement says Baki was the top militant commander in Ghazni 's Andar district , leading a cell of 20 to 30 fighters who coordinated and carried out attacks on troops and government officials .
The statement says Baki attacked Afghan police with small-arms fire as they entered his residence .
The military says Afghan police discovered 50 voter registration cards in the compound .
Authorities believe the cards were taken from villagers in order to prevent them from voting in the planned August presidential elections .
In a separate incident in Ghazni Wednesday , the U.S. military said seven militants were killed during an operation to cut the flow of weapons and fighters into eastern Afghanistan .
The grandmother of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has died from cancer .
Obama announced the death of long-ailing 86-year-old Madelyn Dunham Monday , just one day before voters went to the polls to elect a new president .
The Democratic candidate cried at a rally in North Carolina Monday when talking about the death of his grandmother , who helped raise him .
Obama suspended his campaign for two days last month to visit Dunham in the U.S. Pacific island state of Hawaii .
He said he feared she might not survive to see the historic election .
But although she did not live to see the outcome , Dunham 's vote - an absentee ballot - will count .
Obama faces Republican Senator John McCain in the election Tuesday .
Kenyan authorities report that more than 1,000 teachers have been fired during the past two years for sexually abusing girls .
Education officials said the teachers have been dismissed for impregnating students and committing other sexual offenses .
More of the cases have occurred in public schools .
In addition to being fired from their jobs , some of the teachers have faced criminal proceedings in courts .
Officials said more than 500 teachers have been fired so far this year for committing sexual abuses , and that 600 were dismissed last year .
The U.S. State Department has renewed a warning to U.S. citizens about the dangers of traveling in Colombia .
The department issued an updated travel warning for Colombia Friday .
It said there is potential for violence by terrorists and other criminals in all parts of the South American country .
According to the travel warning , violence has decreased in many urban areas , but small towns and rural areas can still be extremely dangerous .
The State Department also said kidnapping in Colombia has decreased from its peak at the beginning of the decade .
However , it said groups such as the FARC and the ELN , which are classified as terrorist groups by the United States , continue to kidnap civilians for ransom and political bargaining power .
On July 2 , the government of Colombia rescued 15 hostages who had been held for more than five years .
Three of the hostages were Americans .
NATO has detained a former Bosnian Serb policeman suspected of helping war crimes suspects .
NATO said Friday it suspects Dusan Tesic had valuable information about a network officials say has aided indicted war criminals .
But it did not say whom he is suspected of helping .
It was the second time this year NATO has held Mr. Tesic for questioning .
Thursday , the head of European Union peacekeepers in Bosnia said he was closing a bunker believed to have sheltered General Ratko Mladic , the former Bosnian Serb commander .
Meanwhile , the French news agency says Serbia has decided to give the guarantees needed for the release of two war crimes suspects until their trial .
Serb ultra-nationalist Vojislav Seselj and General Dragomir Milosevic have been held in The Hague .
California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats have reached what he calls a " historic agreement " that would make the state the first to impose a limit on greenhouse gas emissions .
Governor Schwarzenegger and the lawmakers Wednesday agreed to the deal that would require major energy companies to reduce their carbon emissions within 14 years to 1990 levels .
California is aiming to reduce gas emissions by 25 percent .
The bill still needs the approval of the state 's lawmakers .
It is expected to pass as Democrats currently hold the majority in the state legislature .
Carbon gases trap heat in the atmosphere and scientists believe the gases contribute to global warming .
California is the 12th largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions .
Zimbabwe has suspended exports of ostrich and other poultry after discovering a strain of avian flu that can be lethal to birds , but poses little risk to humans .
Thursday , Zimbabwe 's state-run newspaper The Herald reported that the H5N2 strain of avian flu was detected on two farms in Zimbabwe 's Matabeleland province .
It quotes the state veterinary services director , Dr. Stuart Hargreaves , as saying the virus was confirmed with samples sent to South Africa .
The H5N2 strain of avian flu is not known to pass from birds to humans , unlike the H5N1 strain that has killed nearly 70 people in Southeast Asia since 2003 .
Dr. Hargreaves says all of Zimbabwe 's ostrich farms have been placed under quarantine until a national survey can determine the full extent of virus outbreak .
The U.S. Geological Survey has reported a 7.1 magnitude earthquake some 300 kilometers off the coast of eastern Indonesia .
Geologists say the quake is unlikely to cause a tsunami .
There were no reports of casualties or damage , but the French news agency , AFP , says the Wednesday evening quake sparked panic among residents in several Indonesian provinces .
People in Australia also reported feeling tremors .
Recovery workers in Indonesia are still pulling bodies from the rubble of cities devastated by the December 26 earthquake and tsunami .
Jakarta 's official death count widely varies , but well over 1,00,000 people in Indonesia are believed to have died in the disaster .
China is defending its record of reporting human cases of bird flu following a newspaper report that local health officials may be hiding suspected cases .
China 's health ministry said Saturday that every human case of bird flu in China has been made public once confirmed .
On Thursday , the Asian edition of The Wall Street Journal reported that local health officials in China had failed to report possible human cases of bird flu to the central government .
China announced its first human bird flu case last November .
The country has reported 18 cases , including 12 deaths .
China was widely accused of suppressing information about the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) outbreak .
The outbreak infected more than eight-thousand people and killed nearly 800 , mostly in China , between late 2002 and mid-2003 .
The United Nations has called a special meeting to address the effect of AIDS in southern Africa .
U.N. officials say Wednesday 's meeting in Johannesburg , South Africa will focus on relief efforts and how to get badly-needed resources to the region to battle the growing epidemic .
U.N. special envoy and World Food Program Executive Director James Morris will attend the meeting .
Mr. Morris is currently on an 11-day , four-nation tour of southern Africa to call attention to the region 's problems with drought and AIDS .
U.N. Children 's Fund chair Ann Veneman and U.N. AIDS chief Peter Piot are also expected to attend the meeting .
U.N. figures show southern Africa is one of the world 's hardest-hit regions , with infection rates at nearly 40 percent in Botswana and Swaziland .
South Africa 's infection rate is over 20 percent .
Surrounded by election staff and bodyguards , former commander of Iran 's elite Revolutionary Guard , Mohsen Rezaei , seated , registers as a presidential candidate in Tehran A hard-line conservative candidate says he is withdrawing from Iran 's presidential election .
Mohsen Rezaei Wednesday said he is dropping out to avoid splitting voter support among several conservative candidates .
The announcement comes just two days before Friday 's poll .
His exit leaves three hard-line conservatives in the race , as well as leading reform candidate Mostafa Moin , former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani , and other lesser-known presidential hopefuls .
President Mohammad Khatami is barred from running for a third consecutive term .
Argentina has designated China as a " market economy , " a move that will limit the South American country 's ability to impose anti-dumping sanctions on Chinese exports .
The decision comes after China and Argentina signed accords that could bring more than $ 20 billion in Chinese investment to Argentina over the next 10 years .
Brazil also granted China " market economy " status during a visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao last week .
On Wednesday , Argentina 's agriculture department announced that China will increase imports of Argentine beef , apples and pears over the next few years .
Suspected Islamic militants have attacked security forces on both sides of the Afghanistan - Pakistan border .
Officials in Pakistan 's North Waziristan tribal region say at least eight militants were killed in a gunfight with Pakistani troops Tuesday near the area 's main town of Miran Shah .
The militants ambushed a security convoy and killed one soldier before the troops returned fire .
Earlier , militants shot to death two police officers in Miran Shah .
In neighboring Afghanistan , officials say suspected Taleban militants attacked a police post and a government office near the Pakistani border .
Two police officers were killed .
Authorities say several Taleban were also killed , but it is not clear how many .
Militants linked to the Taleban and al-Qaida have been active along Pakistan 's rugged northwestern border with Afghanistan since a U.S.-led invasion forced the Taleban from power in Afghanistan in late 2001 .
Intelligence officials in Pakistan say a suspected U.S. drone has fired missiles into a Taliban training camp in northwest Pakistan , killing as many as 14 militants .
Officials say the attack took place Tuesday in South Waziristan , along the country 's border with Afghanistan .
The area is a stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud , a top Taliban leader and al-Qaida ally wanted by both Pakistan and the United States .
Mehsud is blamed for scores of attacks against government and civilian targets , and is believed to be a key facilitator for al-Qaida fighters in Pakistan .
Pakistan 's military has been fighting Taliban militants throughout the country 's northwest for more than two months .
Islamabad deployed soldiers there to stop insurgents from fleeing into Pakistan after a major U.S. offensive against the Taliban in Afghanistan 's southern Helmand province , which borders Pakistan .
Palestinian officials said President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on May 28 .
On Tuesday , the White House announced Mr. Obama has invited the Israeli , Palestinian and Egyptian leaders for talks in the coming weeks .
President Obama has said he expects the Israelis and Palestinians to make " gestures of good faith " in the coming months , in an effort to revive the Middle East peace process .
Mr. Obama said he is a strong supporter of a two-state solution and that perpetuating the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not in the interest of the people in the region .
" The Washington Post " on Wednesday quoted top Israeli officials as saying they will not move ahead on the peace talks until they see progress on U.S. efforts to stop Iran 's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons and limit Tehran 's regional influence .
China says it will buy 150 passenger jets from Airbus in a deal worth almost $ 10 billion .
It is the largest single order Airbus has ever gotten from China .
The agreement was signed Monday in Paris as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his French counterpart , Dominique de Villepin , looked on .
On Sunday , Mr. Wen toured an Airbus manufacturing plant and signed an agreement that may lead to opening an aircraft assembly plant in China .
The planes in the French deal are part of the A-320 family that can carry between 110 and 185 passengers .
China bought 70 jets from the U.S. manufacturer Boeing during President Bush 's trip to Beijing last month .
Haitian President Rene Preval has chosen an official with the Inter-American Development Bank to be the country 's new prime minister .
Reports from Port-au-Prince say President Preval named Ericq Pierre to the post Sunday .
Mr. Pierre 's appointment must be ratified by legislators .
Earlier this month , lawmakers dismissed Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis to quell violent protests over rising food prices in the impoverished Caribbean nation .
The legislators said Mr. Alexis had not done enough to improve the economy or keep soaring food prices under control .
At least six people , including a United Nations peacekeeper , were killed as violence erupted in the capital as well as the city of Les Cayes over the cost of food .
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has a history of political turmoil .
Ukrainian authorities have imposed a quarantine on districts of Crimea affected by the country 's first outbreak of bird flu .
Officials ordered the slaughter of all poultry in five affected villages after officials confirmed the discovery of dead birds infected with an H5 strain of bird flu .
Authorities are now sending samples to Britain and Italy to determine whether it is the deadly H5N1 strain that has killed nearly 70 people in Asia since 2003 .
In Indonesia , officials said the World Health Organization has confirmed the country 's eighth human death from bird flu .
The officials said Saturday tests conducted at a laboratory in Hong Kong show that a 25-year-old woman who died earlier this week had the H5N1 strain .
Health experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that could be easily transmitted between humans and kill millions of people .
Rwandan President Paul Kagame says he disagrees with a U.N. plan for voluntary disarmament of Rwandan rebels based in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo .
Mr. Kagame says asking the ethnic Hutu rebels to voluntarily disarm is not an attainable goal .
He spoke Sunday in Kigali , after conferring with a delegation of U.N. Security Council members who are touring African nations affected by a decade of ethnic strife in the continent 's Great Lakes region .
President Kagame also criticized a recent U.N. decision to bolster its peacekeeping force in Congo by some 6,000 troops .
He said the issue is not increasing the numbers of U.N. troops , but having a clear definition of what the troops will do once they are in place .
U.S. authorities say they have arrested a Mexican national alleged to be the leader of an international drug-trafficking ring .
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says authorities arrested Augustin Haro-Rodriguez late Sunday as he tried to cross from Mexico into the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona .
An indictment unsealed after the arrest said Mr. Haro-Rodriguez 's organization smuggled nearly 5,000 kilograms of cocaine into the United States between March , 2004 , and July , 2005 .
Prosecutors say 17 members of the smuggling ring are now in custody .
If convicted , Mr. Haro-Rodriguez faces a possible sentence of life in prison .
Iraqi medical officials say seven people have been killed in fresh clashes between Shi'ite fighters and U.S. forces in Baghdad 's Shi'ite stronghold of Sadr City .
At least 20 other people were wounded in Thursday 's fighting .
U.S. and Iraqi forces have fought fierce battles in Sadr City against Shi'ite militiamen loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for the past month .
At least 30,000 people attended the funeral Saturday of a Pakistani student who died in German police custody .
Twenty-eight-year-old Amir Cheema was arrested in March on charges of attempting to kill the editor of " Die Welt " newspaper for reprinting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad , first published in Denmark last year .
German police say Cheema hanged himself in his Berlin jail on May 3 .
After Cheema 's body arrived in Lahore from Germany Saturday , a military helicopter flew his coffin to the family home in the village of Saroki .
Officials say the tens of thousands of mourners dispersed peacefully after the funeral .
A new report says the industrial world 's economy is recovering faster than expected , but still faces risks from the debt crisis and the possible overheating of emerging economies .
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development , which includes the world 's 30 richest nations , says its member economies will grow 2.7 percent this year , which is eight-tenths of a percentage point faster than earlier predictions .
The OECD says the nations that use the euro will expand more slowly ( 1.2 percent ) .
The report 's authors call on European nations to take " bolder " measures to cope with debt and other issues .
The report also says trade flows are rising again and strong growth in China and other emerging nations is helping to pull other countries out of recession .
But the OECD cautions that emerging economies should be careful to avoid the threat of inflation .
The United Nations says it will stop distributing food to Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip on Monday , because its vehicles have run out of fuel .
Gaza has been suffering fuel shortages because of Israeli cutbacks in fuel supplies to the territory and a strike by Palestinian fuel distributors .
Israeli authorities closed a border terminal that supplies fuel to Gaza Sunday after it came under mortar attack from Palestinian militants .
The U.N. Relief and Works Agency suspended food distribution to Gaza refugees for four days last month due to the lack of fuel .
It resumed the aid operation last Tuesday .
Israeli authorities have reduced fuel supplies to Gaza to pressure Palestinian militants to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel .
Gaza fuel distributors went on strike to protest the cutbacks .
Chinese officials say a gas explosion that tore through a mine shaft in northern China has killed at least 16 miners and left at least seven others missing .
The official Xinhua news agency says 83 miners were in the mine at the time of Wednesday 's explosion in Shanxi province , but 54 escaped .
Shanxi province is one of China 's biggest coal-producing regions , and mining accidents are common .
China has the most dangerous mining industry in the world .
At least 6,000 Chinese mine workers died on the job last year .
French officials say they want to get in contact with al-Qaida-linked militants in hopes of gaining the release of five French nationals and two Africans kidnapped in Niger last week .
Defense Minister Herve Morin said Thursday that France has every reason to believe the hostages are still alive and that they probably have been taken to northern Mali .
France has flown search missions over the Sahara in hopes of locating the victims .
North Africa 's al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the kidnapping .
The hostages include two employees of the French nuclear energy firm Areva and five with a subsidiary of the French construction company Vinci .
The group has warned the French government against doing what it described as anything " stupid . "
The al-Qaida group has carried out previous kidnappings in the region , including that of a 78-year-old Frenchman who was abducted in Niger in April and later killed .
The U.S. state of Connecticut began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Wednesday , making it the second state in the nation to permit gay marriage .
Superior Court judge Jonathan Silbert cleared the way for same-sex unions earlier today , just over a week after Californian voters banned gay marriage in their state .
Justices of the peace in Connecticut began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples immediately following today 's ruling .
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled last month that same-sex marriage is legal .
Voters last week rejected a ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriages in the state .
Same-sex marriages are also legal in Massachusetts .
Gay marriage was legal in California until last week , when voters approved a measure to ban it .
Similar bans passed last week in Arizona and Florida .
The social-conservative group Family Institute of Connecticut says it will continue to work to ban gay marriage in the state .
The U.S. Congress is considering an additional $ 51.8 billion in emergency aid for Hurricane Katrina relief operations .
After talks with President Bush at the White House Thursday , Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Congress is responding aggressively to the disaster , and working to address the short and long-term needs of the victims .
Meanwhile , Senate Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid accused Republicans of having a flawed plan for recovery , saying most of the money should not go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency .
Opposition Democrats and others have slammed FEMA for what they say was a slow response to the disaster .
The Bush administration says the spending bill is the latest installment in a costly relief effort .
President Bush last week signed an aid package of $ 10.5 billion .
A newspaper reports oil company BP was alerted two years ago to problems that caused a major pipeline shut down in Alaska .
Wednesday 's Financial Times reports that a BP workers ' advocate , Chuck Hamel , wrote about employee concerns in a letter to the chairman of BP 's environment committee , Walter Massey .
The newspaper says the letter raised concerns about corrosion inside the oil pipeline .
Members of the U.S. Congress have called for hearings to investigate BP 's operations at Alaska 's Prudhoe Bay oil field .
Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have said they will examine the shutdown which cut U.S. oil production by about eight percent .
Hearings are set for next month when Congress returns from a recess .
U.S. government regulators have approved a new partial artificial heart designed to help some patients as they wait for a heart transplant .
The Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of the new device Monday .
The mechanical device is designed to replace the lower part of a diseased heart , and keep patients alive while they await a donor heart for a transplant .
The device is implanted in the patient and connected to an outside power source .
The company that manufactures the new device - Syncardia Systems of Tucson , Arizona , in the southwestern U.S. - says it tested it on 81 patients .
It says it kept 79 of them alive more than two months until donor hearts could be found .
Turkish media report police have detained nearly 30 people suspected of links to the al-Qaida terror network .
Turkey 's state news agency , Anatolia , quoted a local governor as saying 28 suspects were nabbed in simultaneous operations in several districts of Eskisehir province Thursday .
Governor Mehmet Kiliclar said they are now being questioned by police .
In January this year , a suspected al-Qaida terrorist was killed , and three were captured , in a shootout with police during a robbery attempt in Istanbul .
Al-Qaida was blamed for a series of bomb attacks in Istanbul that killed more than 60 people in 2003 .
Afghan authorities have discovered the bodies of two intelligence agents kidnapped by suspected Taleban militants earlier this week .
Officials said Wednesday the men were abducted while on a mission in western Farah province , and their bodies were dumped in the desert .
They said members of the ousted Taleban were likely behind the killings .
Meanwhile , police in central Ghazni province arrested a Taleban commander , Mullah Nazer Shah , after his men set fire to a school .
Officials have blamed Taleban rebels for a series of attacks on educational facilities , including fires at a dozen schools and the killing of several teachers .
In other developments , 150 British troops have arrived in southern Helmand province to form part of a NATO peacekeeping mission .
Britain has pledged 3,300 soldiers to the expanded NATO mission planned for Helmand .
Afghan authorities say suspected Taleban insurgents have attacked a police post in southern part of the country , killing three policemen , while a rocket landed near a top hotel in the capital , Kabul .
The authorities say an unknown number of militants were involved in the assault late Saturday in southern Helmand province that sparked an hour-long exchange of fire .
Security forces launched a manhunt for the attackers .
The Taleban has claimed responsibility for the attack .
Also late Saturday , a rocket was fired at a Kabul hotel where foreigners often stay , but no one was hurt .
Helmand province has seen some of the fiercest fighting in recent months .
Last week , 150 British troops arrived in the province to form part of a NATO peacekeeping mission .
The Obama administration says it plans to approve more than $ 6 billion in arms sales to Taiwan .
The Pentagon 's Defense Cooperation Security Agency says it has notified Congress of possible sales that include 60 Black Hawk helicopters and technical and other related logistics support , worth an estimated $ 3.1 billion .
The agency says the possible sale includes 114 Patriot advanced capability missiles , radar sets and other related equipment and services , worth $ 2.8 billion , two Osprey class mine-hunting ships , and other related support and services , for an estimated cost of $ 105 million .
In the notification released Friday , the agency detailed other military hardware and services worth $ 37 million .
China considers self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign territory , and usually reacts with anger at official contacts between the island and any nation .
Beijing has threatened to use military force if Taiwan attempts to claim formal independence .
Turkey 's parliament on Tuesday extended the mandate that allows the military to strike at Kurdish separatist rebels based in neighboring northern Iraq .
The move to extend the mandate by one year coincides with Turkish government efforts to garner support for reforms to boost the rights of Kurds and encourage the rebels to lay down their arms .
Turkish warplanes and artillery units have staged a series of attacks on rebel bases in northern Iraq during the past two years , as part of Turkey 's battle against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers ' Party , or PKK .
The PKK has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey for 25 years .
The conflict has killed more than 30,000 people .
Turkey and much of the international community consider the PKK a terrorist group .
The United Nations Security Council is stepping up pressure on Liberia to freeze the assets of accused former president Charles Taylor .
The 15-member Council on Friday approved a resolution on sanctions that aim to eliminate funds for conflicts through the sale of illegally mined diamonds .
Taylor allegedly used profits from so-called " blood diamonds " to fund years of civil war in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone .
The former Liberian president is facing 11 charges for allegedly instigating a rebel campaign of rape , murder and mutilation in neighboring Sierra Leone that killed more than 1,00,000 people during a decade-long civil war , which started in the late 1990s .
Taylor is currently on trial for war crimes in the Hague , the Netherlands .
The court has set February 8 for the prosecution and defense to start their concluding arguments .
Diplomats say Southeast Asian nations are not able to agree on setting up a human rights commission , and on sanctions against members who fail to obey their regional bloc 's rules .
Negotiators meeting in the Philippines are rushing to complete a draft of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation 's first charter before foreign ministers from the 10-nation group meet Sunday .
The bloc has agreed on most of the charter , which will help to turn the group into a rules-based organization along the lines of the European Union .
A key sticking point is Burma , which has long been a problem for ASEAN , because of the country 's poor human rights record and its detention of activists , including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi .
Until now , ASEAN has operated without a constitution , choosing to rely on informal diplomacy and decision-making by consensus .
As the tsunami disaster in South Asia continues to unfold , millions of people are turning to the Internet for news updates - or to search for missing relatives .
Several weblogs , or " blogs " have been created in the days since the tragedy dedicated to providing first-hand accounts of the disaster .
Many websites have set up message boards for families who are searching for loved ones who either live or were vacationing in those countries .
The Internet has also been used to raise money for organizations involved in the relief efforts .
Internet retailer Amazon.com raised more than $ 4.5 million from its customers for the Red Cross .
U.S. and Iraqi forces have raided seven mosques believed to be providing support for insurgents in the restive western city of Ramadi .
The U.S. military says the operation is part of a joint effort to search for known terrorists and insurgents , as well as for illegal weapons .
Witnesses say soldiers arrested Sheikh Abdul Aleim Saadi , the region 's top Sunni Muslim cleric .
Also Tuesday , the United States said its warplanes conducted two strikes on buildings used by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 's terror network in the western city of Fallujah .
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for numerous car bombings , kidnappings and beheadings in Iraq .
In the south , an explosion rocked the city of Basra .
It was not immediately clear what caused the blast .
There were no reports of casualties .
Police in Sweden have arrested a man suspected of planning an attack in Somalia , the second such arrest there within a month .
The Swedish security police say the man , a Swedish citizen , was detained in the capital of Stockholm on Tuesday .
Police did not give the man 's name but said his arrest is linked to that of another Swedish national in the city of Gothenburg in May .
They say other people will be questioned in connection with the investigation .
Swedish authorities have expressed concern about Somali militant groups recruiting fighters from the country 's Somali immigrant population .
Over the past two decades , tens of thousands of Somalis have fled to Scandinavia to escape war and poverty in their homeland .
Turkish authorities say a double bomb attack in Istanbul has killed at least 15 people and wounded 150 others .
The bombs went off several minutes apart Sunday evening on a shopping street in a residential district of Gungoren in western Istanbul .
Officials say the first bomb caused a small blast in a telephone booth , drawing a crowd to the site before the second and more powerful device exploded .
Both bombs were placed in trash cans .
Turkish President Abdullah Gul condemned the attack and described its perpetrators as ruthless and savage terrorists .
Authorities are investigating who was behind the bombings .
Several groups have carried out bomb attacks in Istanbul in the past , including Kurdish separatists , far-left activists and Islamists .
Dozens of heads of state in the African continent are meeting in Abuja , Nigeria Sunday to discuss ways to bring peace and prosperity to the world 's most impoverished continent .
Among those attending the summit of the 53-member African Union are United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Nigerian President Olusegan Obasanjo , who is the head of the AU .
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is attending his first African summit in a decade .
The two-day summit ending Monday will focus on solving ongoing conflicts in the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo , as well as the humanitarian crisis in Sudan 's Darfur region .
The leaders will also discuss a greater role for Africa on the U.N. Security Council under reforms planned for the 15-member body .
Egypt 's President Hosni Mubarak says the militant Islamic group Hamas must recognize Israel if it wants to form a Palestinian government .
Mr. Mubarak spoke in an interview with an Israeli newspaper , Yedioth Ahronoth .
It is the first time that Egypt has laid down conditions for Hamas to form a government in the Palestinian territories .
At the same time , Egypt 's president asked Israel to be patient .
He said he was sure Hamas wants to live in peace and has no plans to establish a terrorist state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip .
Hamas scored an overwhelming victory in Palestinian elections in January , trouncing the ruling Fatah party .
Fatah has indicated that it prefers not to participate in a Hamas-led government .
Egypt has been trying to mediate between Hamas and Fatah .
Iran 's newly elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Aides to Iranian President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have again rejected accusations that he was involved in the 1979 seizure of the American embassy in Tehran .
One senior campaign advisor said Saturday that photographs of a hostage-taker purported to be a young Mr. Ahmadinejad actually show someone else .
Some of the hostage-takers also have denied that he played any role in the siege .
And other aides to the president-elect have added to the denials .
The White House says it is looking into allegations linking the Iranian president-elect to the crisis that lasted 444 days .
Another accusation against Mr. Ahmadinejad has surfaced in Europe .
An Austrian political figure contends that the Iranian president-elect was involved in the 1989 slaying in Vienna of a Kurdish opposition leader .
Aides to Mr. Ahmadinejad said the latest accusation is not worth comment .
An Afghan official says the country has made significant progress in its war on drugs .
The deputy interior minister for counternarcotics , General Mohammed Daoud , says anti-drug forces confiscated 40 tons of opium in the first five months of this year , compared to 135 tons during last full year and 10 tons in 2003 .
His comments follow U.S. criticism of the Afghan anti-opium program , and President Hamid Karzai 's recent visit to Washington , where he promised to eradicate Afghan poppy production in the next six years .
Afghanistan is the world 's largest producer of opium .
Washington is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into Afghanistan 's anti-drug efforts , saying the opium growing industry is now a bigger threat there than the remaining Taleban-led militants .
Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and maintained its own central bank , adopted the Deutchmark , then the euro - rather than the Yugoslav dinar - as official currency , collected customs tariffs , and managed its own budget .
The dissolution of the loose political union between Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 led to separate membership in several international financial institutions , such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development .
In January 2007 , Montenegro joined the World Bank and IMF .
Montenegro is pursuing its own membership in the World Trade Organization and signed a Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in October 2007 .
The European Council granted candidate country status to Montenegro at the December 2010 session .
Unemployment and regional disparities in development are key political and economic problems .
Montenegro has privatized its large aluminum complex - the dominant industry - as well as most of its financial sector , and has begun to attract foreign direct investment in the tourism sector .
The global financial crisis has had a significant negative impact on the economy , due to the ongoing credit crunch , a decline in the real estate sector , and a fall in aluminum exports .
Afghanistan 's economy is recovering from decades of conflict .
The economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assistance , the recovery of the agricultural sector , and service sector growth .
Despite the progress of the past few years , Afghanistan is extremely poor , landlocked , and highly dependent on foreign aid , agriculture , and trade with neighboring countries .
Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing , clean water , electricity , medical care , and jobs .
Criminality , insecurity , weak governance , and the Afghan Government 's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth .
Afghanistan 's living standards are among the lowest in the world .
While the international community remains committed to Afghanistan 's development , pledging over $ 67 billion at four donors ' conferences since 2002 , the Government of Afghanistan will need to overcome a number of challenges , including low revenue collection , anemic job creation , high levels of corruption , weak government capacity , and poor public infrastructure .
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy .
It depends on imports of crude oil , grains , raw materials , and military equipment .
Despite limited natural resources , Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years .
Cut diamonds , high-technology equipment , and agricultural products ( fruits and vegetables ) are the leading exports .
Israel usually posts sizable trade deficits , which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans .
Roughly half of the government 's external debt is owed to the US , its major source of economic and military aid .
Israel 's GDP , after contracting slightly in 2001 and 2002 due to the Palestinian conflict and troubles in the high-technology sector , grew about 5 % per year from 2004 - 7 .
The global financial crisis of 2008 - 9 spurred a brief recession in Israel , but the country entered the crisis with solid fundamentals - following years of prudent fiscal policy and a series of liberalizing reforms - and a resilient banking sector , and the economy has shown signs of an early recovery .
Following GDP growth of 4 % in 2008 , Israel 's GDP slipped to 0.2 % in 2009 , but reached 3.4 % in 2010 , as exports rebounded .
The global economic downturn affected Israel 's economy primarily through reduced demand for Israel 's exports in the United States and EU , Israel 's top trading partners .
Exports of goods and services account for about 40 % of the country 's GDP .
The Israeli Government responded to the recession by implementing a modest fiscal stimulus package and an aggressive expansionary monetary policy - including cutting interest rates to record lows , purchasing government bonds , and intervening in the foreign currency market .
The Bank of Israel began raising interest rates in the summer of 2009 when inflation rose above the upper end of the Bank 's target and the economy began to show signs of recovery .
Among the 25 poorest countries in the world , Mali is a landlocked country highly dependent on gold mining and agricultural exports for revenue .
The country 's fiscal status fluctuates with gold and agricultural commodity prices and the harvest .
Mali remains dependent on foreign aid .
Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River and about 65 % of its land area is desert or semidesert .
About 10 % of the population is nomadic and some 80 % of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing .
Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities .
The government has continued an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program that has helped the economy grow , diversify , and attract foreign investment .
Mali is developing its cotton and iron ore extraction industries to diversify its revenue sources because gold production has started to fall .
Mali has invested in tourism but security issues are hurting the industry .
Mali 's adherence to economic reform and the 50 % devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a 5 % average in 1996 - 2010 .
Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire .
However , Mali is building a road network that will connect it to all adjacent countries and it has a railway line to Senegal .
In 2010 , Mali experienced a regional drought that hurt livestock and livelihoods .
The economy benefits substantially from financial assistance from the US .
The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government revenues have grown .
The key tourist industry employs about 50 % of the work force and accounts for roughly one-fourth of GDP .
Japanese tourists predominate .
Annual tourist entries have exceeded one-half million in recent years , but financial difficulties in Japan have caused a temporary slowdown .
The agricultural sector is made up of cattle ranches and small farms producing coconuts , breadfruit , tomatoes , and melons .
Garment production is by far the most important industry with the employment of 17,500 mostly Chinese workers and sizable shipments to the US under duty and quota exemptions .
THE LION , the Fox and the Ass entered into an agreement to assist each other in the chase .
Having secured a large booty , the Lion on their return from the forest asked the Ass to allot his due portion to each of the three partners in the treaty .
The Ass carefully divided the spoil into three equal shares and modestly requested the two others to make the first choice .
The Lion , bursting out into a great rage , devoured the Ass .
Then he requested the Fox to do him the favor to make a division .
The Fox accumulated all that they had killed into one large heap and left to himself the smallest possible morsel .
The Lion said , " Who has taught you , my very excellent fellow , the art of division ? You are perfect to a fraction . "
He replied , " I learned it from the Ass , by witnessing his fate . "
Happy is the man who learns from the misfortunes of others .
A JUDGE was awakened by the noise of a lawyer prosecuting a Thief .
Rising in wrath he was about to sentence the Thief to life imprisonment when the latter said :
" I beg that you will set me free , and I will some day requite your kindness . "
Pleased and flattered to be bribed , although by nothing but an empty promise , the Judge let him go.
Soon afterward he found that it was more than an empty promise , for , having become a Thief , he was himself set free by the other , who had become a Judge .
If you love something , set it free .
If it comes back , it was and always will be yours .
If it never returns , it was never yours to begin with .
If it just sits in your living room and messes up your stuff , eats your food , uses your telephone , takes your money and never behaves as if you actually set it free in the first place -- you either married it or gave birth to it !
Canadian officials say Japan is banning all poultry exports from Canada after bird flu was found in a duck in the western province of British Columbia .
Officials also say Hong Kong , Taiwan , and the United States are imposing temporary bans on poultry from British Columbia .
The sick duck came from a commercial farm near Vancouver .
Canadian authorities said Monday the duck did not have the same bird flu strain that has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003 .
But they are killing almost 60-thousand ducks on the farm as a precaution .
Also Monday , Romanian officials said British lab tests confirmed four dead chickens in a remote Danube River village had bird flu .
China 's agriculture ministry also said Monday that bird flu has been found in chickens , ducks , and geese last week in Inner Mongolia and Hubei province .
Venezuela 's state-owned oil company says it is beginning to explore for oil in Cuban waters as part of a joint venture with the island 's state-owned Cubapetroleo .
Petroleos de Venezuela ( PDVSA ) said in a statement that the project would cover a 10,000-square-kilometer area and begin Wednesday .
The Venezuelan company says it expects to confirm the presence of light crude oil after conducting a seismic study .
Earlier this year , Venezuela offered discounted oil to Cuba , Bolivia , Nicaragua and Haiti in exchange for becoming the sole provider to those countries .
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his country 's oil will help with both economic and social development in the area .
The proposal called for Venezuela to offer oil at a 50 percent discount .
Venezuela sells about 98,000 barrels of crude oil daily to Cuba .
In return , Cuba provides Venezuela with medical personnel .
Authorities in Niger have detained a local journalist they say is linked to Tuareg rebels in the northern part of the country .
Moussa Kaka , a reporter for Radio France International , has been held since Thursday .
He is accused of what authorities call " conniving " with the rebel Niger Movement for Justice .
The rebel group has captured about 40 soldiers during raids in northern Niger this year .
Another 40 government troops have been killed in rebel attacks .
Tuareg rebels have been demanding a larger share of royalties from uranium mining in the northeast .
The government dismisses the rebels as bandits and drug traffickers .
Niger temporarily suspended local Radio France FM broadcasts in July , claiming their reports were biased toward the rebels .
Radio France confirmed Kaka 's detention on its Web site .
It did not comment on the charges against him .
The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of federal Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court .
The final vote was 58-to-42 , largely along party lines .
Tuesday 's vote came after the Republican-controlled Senate on Monday stopped an effort by opposition Democrats to extend the debate over Alito 's nomination .
Judge Alito is expected to be sworn in today and to attend the president 's State of the Union address with the other Supreme Court justices .
He replaces Justice Sandra Day O'Connor , who is retiring .
She was known as a " swing voter " on the Court , meaning she sometimes sided with the more conservative justices and sometimes with the more liberal ones .
Alito 's critics say he will move the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction , especially on issues like abortion and civil rights .
Delegates to a U.N. conference on global warming are working hard in the meeting 's final hours to reach a deal on long-term efforts to cut carbon emissions .
The biggest stumbling block is the United States , which rejects the Kyoto Protocol on cutting " greenhouse , " or heat-trapping , emissions .
Delegates want to extend talks on the accord , which is set to expire in 2012 .
The Bush administration says the protocol would hurt the U.S. economy , and says it unfairly exempts developing nations such as China and India .
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton rejected that charge in a surprise talk at the Montreal , Canada , summit Friday .
Mr. Clinton , who endorsed the Kyoto protocols while president , told delegates the accord would not hurt developed nations .
He added it was time to stop doubting the effect of these gases , saying " climate change is real . "
Britain has announced plans for a database of extremists who would face automatic questioning and could be barred from entering the country .
Home Secretary Charles Clark called the plan a response to the London suicide bombings that left at least 56 people dead this month .
He told parliament the database will list people known for unacceptable behavior such as preaching radical ideas , running extremist websites or writing articles that could foment terrorism .
Meanwhile , Prime Minister Tony Blair told lawmakers he is considering calling an international conference on ways to root out Islamic extremism .
He said it would address such issues as ways of dealing with Islamic schools that teach extremism .
Late Tuesday , British police removed a bomb-mangled 20-ton train car from a central London subway station nearly two weeks after the attacks .
Mexican police say they have found 12 mutilated corpses in hidden graves on the outskirts of Cancun , the latest sign drug-related violence is spreading to the popular tourist destination .
Authorities announced the discovery Friday , adding that some of the bodies had the letter " Z " carved on their chests , a likely reference to the powerful Zetas drug smuggling gang .
The grim find is at least the second such discovery this month .
In May , Mexican police arrested Cancun 's mayor Gregorio Sanchez on suspicion of offering information and protection to the Zetas , as well as the Beltran Leyva cartel .
Sanchez 's Democratic Revolutionary Party denounced the charges .
President Bush will meet with his Colombian counterpart , Alvaro Uribe , after Mr. Bush leaves the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation , APEC , summit later this month .
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday the president will briefly meet with President Uribe in the Colombian resort town of Cartagena on November 22 .
Mr. Bush will be flying back from the two-day meeting of APEC leaders that begins November 21 in Santiago , Chile .
It will be his first trip abroad since winning re-election last week .
Mr. Bush and Mr. Uribe last met at the White House in March , and agreed to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement .
After leaving Colombia , the president will head to his ranch in Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday .
Authorities in Yemen have detained an Australian woman for suspected ties to a militant group and have placed her two young children under house arrest .
A lawyer for Shyloh Giddens said Wednesday his client was arrested in mid-May along with at least one Bangladeshi woman who has since been deported .
Attorney Abdul Rahman Barman says Giddens , who converted to Islam , moved to Yemen in 2006 .
He says Yemeni authorities have not provided any specific reason for her arrest .
The French News Agency quotes Barman as saying people get arrested in Yemen based on " wrong U.S. intelligence information . "
He says many are accused of having links to al-Qaida .
Germany 's constitutional court has rejected a request by two lawmakers to prevent the deployment of German fighter jets in Afghanistan to support NATO forces there .
The lawmakers argued that sending the aircraft would entangle Germany in what the plaintiffs called " illegal operations " of the U.S. military .
The two are from German Chancellor Angela Merkel 's governing Christian Democratic party and its allied party , the Christian Social Union .
The two lawmakers went to court after Germany 's lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly Friday ( 405 - 157 ) to send the Tornado aircraft .
The planes are to provide NATO forces with aerial images of the positions of Taleban fighters .
Opponents say the mission amounts to a combat role for the German planes .
Germany has 3,000 troops in Afghanistan in the largely peaceful north , but it has come under pressure to take a more active role in the war .
V-E Day is short for Victory in Europe Day , when the Allies accepted Germany 's surrender , ending World War II in Europe .
The White House hosted an online discussion Wednesday , fielding questions about President Bush 's upcoming trip through Europe and Russia , in honor of the historic moment .
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried and Special Assistant to the President Thomas Graham answered questions Wednesday on the White House interactive website about President Bush 's VE day visits to the Netherlands , Russia and Georgia .
Questions were taken from around the world .
The discussion covered a range of topics , but mostly focused on issues within each country the president will visit .
A number of e-mails asked about Russia , its democratization process , and its role in European Union politics .
From May 6 to 10 , President Bush will visit Latvia , the Netherlands , Russia , and Georgia .
A new poll indicates U.S. public opinion of President Bush 's handling of the war in Iraq has hit a new low .
A survey by the U.S. publication Newsweek magazine indicates that 61 percent disapprove of his effort , with only 34 percent of those polled expressing approval .
The findings , which echo other recent polls , represent the lowest rating yet on Mr. Bush 's handling of Iraq .
The president 's overall approval rating dropped to 42 percent , while 51 percent of Americans answering the poll said they do not like the way he is handling the job .
Supporters have expressed concern Mr. Bush 's plummeting poll numbers and rising U.S. death toll in Iraq will affect next year 's congressional elections .
Hours after 14 U.S. Marines were killed in Iraq last week , President Bush said American troops will remain in the country until Iraqi forces can deal with the insurgency .
American and Iraqi troops have launched a new counterinsurgency operation in western Iraq .
A U.S. military spokesman Saturday , said about 500 U.S. Marines and 100 Iraqi soldiers are carrying out the offensive in Iraq 's western Anbar province .
They say 22 suspected insurgents have been detained since the operation began southeast of Falluja Thursday .
It is the fourth major counterinsurgency operation in Anbar province in the past month .
Military officials say the province stretching from the Syrian border to just west of Baghdad is a conduit for foreign militants entering Iraq .
Meanwhile , Iraqi and U.S. officials say they are concerned over a series of attacks on foreign diplomats in recent days .
Several high-level Arab officials have been targeted and Egypt 's ambassador Ihab al-Sherif was assassinated earlier this week .
Haitian police have killed a prominent rebel wanted in connection with the murder of four police officers earlier in the year .
Officials said Sunday Jean Rene Anthony was killed in a shootout with police near the capital city of Port-au-Prince .
The gunbattle came a day after another rebel leader , Remissaninthe Ravix , was killed in a shootout with Haitian authorities .
Mr. Ravix , the self-proclaimed leader of Haiti 's disbanded military , was one of four leaders of a February 2004 revolt that forced Mr. Aristide to flee the country .
Haitian officials had been searching for the two men in recent weeks in connection with several police killings .
Hurricane Ike roared through vital parts of the U.S. oil industry , boosted gasoline prices , and probably cost insurance companies billions of dollars Saturday .
Oil company officials say they are sending workers to assess damage at off-shore oil rigs and coastal refineries .
U.S. government officials say they are prepared to release stocks from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help make up for lost production .
Concerns about possible supply shortages have pushed gasoline prices up in some areas of the U.S. To boost gasoline supplies , the government has made it easier for companies to import fuel by suspending rules requiring certain formulations of gasoline to meet environmental standards .
Meantime , three groups of insurance industry experts have widely differing estimates of the storm 's cost to insurance companies -- ranging from six billion dollars to 18 billion dollars .
Following her crucial victory in the Democratic Party U.S. presidential primary in ( the northeastern state of ) Pennsylvania , Senator Hillary Clinton says she is still the best candidate to defeat the presumptive Republican nominee , Senator John McCain , in the general election .
VOA 's Robert Raffaele has the story .
The British government has proposed legally binding targets for reducing carbon emissions , becoming the first country to outline a legal framework for confronting global warming .
If approved by parliament , the bill introduced Tuesday would bind the government to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 26 to 32 percent by 2020 , and 60 percent by 2050 .
Officials say failure to meet interim targets could land the government in court .
Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters the proposed legislation is a revolutionary step that " sets an example for the rest of the world . "
European Union leaders last week agreed to cut carbon emissions from vehicles and factories by at least 20 percent over the next 13 years .
The EU plan calls for renewable energy sources , such as hydroelectric , solar and wind power , to replace heavily polluting fossil fuels .
Police say insurgents in Russia 's volatile southern republic of Dagestan have killed a prosecutor and then ambushed the regional government 's interior minister on his way to the scene of the first attack .
Russian news reports say the minister escaped , but two police officers accompanying him were mortally wounded .
Authorities say a bomb exploded as a car carrying prosecutor Bitar Bitarov to his office in the republic capital , Makhachkala , passed by .
The prosecutor later died at a local hospital .
Attackers later fired on a second vehicle carrying regional Interior Minister Adilgerei Magomedtagirov and several police officers as they approached the scene to investigate .
The two wounded officers died on the way to a hospital .
Dagestan borders Chechnya , where Islamic separatists have been fighting government forces for more than a decade .
An independent police panel in Britain says its probe into the fatal shooting of a Brazilian man by British police after the London subway bombings should be completed by the end of the year .
Britain 's Independent Police Complaints Commission said Tuesday findings of the investigation into the death of 27-year-old Jean Charles de Menezes will not be published until all of the case proceedings are complete , including any punishments against the officers involved .
Monday , two senior Brazilian justice officials conferred in London with senior police officials about the probe .
British police shot and killed Mr. de Menezes July 22 on a London subway train - one day after four failed bombings on the city 's transit system .
Police said the Brazilian man 's suspicious behavior led them to believe he was a terrorist .
But recent news reports have cast doubt on the official version .
Iran 's supreme leader says he sees no benefit to negotiations with the United States on his country 's nuclear program .
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei added Iran will not negotiate its right to use nuclear technology with anyone .
But he says Iran is willing to discuss international supervision of its program if other countries accept Iran 's right to a nuclear program .
The United States has offered to join European talks with Iran if it first agrees to suspend uranium enrichment .
On Monday , Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Iran is seriously considering a package of international incentives aimed at convincing Iran to abandon enrichment .
He said Iran will respond as soon as possible to the offer from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany .
The United States and its European allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons .
Tehran denies the allegation .
The United States and China have opened annual talks on economic issues , with Washington seeking changes to China 's economy and financial markets .
Treasury Secretary John Snow and Federal Reserve ( central bank ) chairman Alan Greenspan lead the U.S. side at the meeting outside Beijing in Xianghe .
The talks are part of an effort to close the record trade gap between the countries .
China sold the United States $ 162 billion more goods than it bought last year and a larger gap is forecast for this year .
A U.S. treasury official said that Washington is focusing on more than currency issues in its attempts to find a solution to the trade imbalance .
U.S. businesses accuse China of manipulating its currency to give Chinese exports an unfair price advantage .
Afghan officials say they fear more than 64 people may have been killed by a massive avalanche along a key northern road .
Interior Minister Hanif Atmar said Tuesday that rescuers have already recovered 24 bodies from the Salang Pass , but they fear that more than 40 others still trapped have already died .
Hundreds of people have been rescued , but the 3,400-meter-high mountain pass , as well as a nearby tunnel , remain blocked .
Local officials said days of heavy snow led to avalanches that buried part of the mountain pass that connects Kabul to the northern city Mazar-i-Sharif .
President Hamid Karzai has released a statement expressing condolences for the victims and ordered Afghan public works officials to assist the rescue effort .
Egypt says it has arrested more than 10 suspected terrorists who it claims were training to wage Jihad or holy war .
An interior ministry statement released Monday says the group , including nine French citizens , two Belgians and an American , were living in Egypt under the pretense of studying Arabic and Islam .
The statement says several Egyptians , Tunisians and Syrians are also under arrest .
The statement says the group had adopted extremist views and was working to recruit new members to wage terror in Iraq .
The government says the group has links to terror organizations abroad .
The ministry did not reveal the names of those under arrest .
The U.S. embassy in Cairo has refused to comment on the arrests .
The Afghan government and the United Nations refugee agency have pledged to strengthen efforts to resettle returnees and people inside the country displaced by violence .
The pledge came after a high-profile visit to the country this week by the head of U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees , Antonio Guterres .
As VOA 's Ravi Khanna reports , the U.N. official wants the international community to do more to resettle Afghan refugees .
Thousands of demonstrators staged a peaceful rally in Russia 's capital Saturday to protest recent reforms that reduced Soviet-era subsidies for rent and utilities .
Many elderly pensioners were among the 5,000 demonstrators criticizing the rising costs of living .
Protesters say people on fixed incomes can not afford to pay household expenses given recent rate hikes and subsidy reductions .
Demonstrators are urging the government to use some of the revenue from Russia 's booming oil industry to help maintain aging buildings and to assist people who can not afford rising housing and utility costs .
The Communist Party and other leftist groups sponsored the Moscow rally .
Demonstrations were also held elsewhere in Russia Saturday , including the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk .
Prosecutors in Kenya have charged a man with illegal possession of weapons just one day after he was acquitted of murder in the 2002 suicide bombing of an Israeli hotel .
Prosecutors accused Omar Said Omar Friday of possessing an assortment of firearms , including missile launchers and rifles .
Mr. Omar denied the charges .
The prosecution said Mr. Omar should be denied bail .
But defense lawyers said it would not be fair to keep Mr. Omar in jail , noting that he already was held for nearly two years on charges that ultimately were dismissed .
A ruling on bail is expected Monday .
A Kenyan judge said Thursday there was not sufficient evidence to link Mr. Omar to the 2002 bombing of an Israeli owned hotel in Mombasa that killed at least 15 people .
Three other Kenyans also were acquitted .
Health officials in Laos say a woman who fell ill near the Lao capital last month with symptoms of bird flu has died .
Laboratory tests had shown the 42-year-old woman had the H5 flu virus .
Hours before the woman 's death in a Vientiane hospital Sunday , authorities said it would take several more days to determine whether she carried the dangerous H5N1 strain .
The woman lived near a village where bird flu has infected poultry .
Last month , health officials confirmed the country 's first known human case of the disease in a 15-year-old girl who also lived near Vientiane .
Bird flu first appeared in Laos in 2004 .
It is known to have killed 167 people worldwide since 2003 , mostly in Asia .
Authorities in southern Afghanistan say suspected Taleban insurgents have shot and critically wounded a pro-government Islamic cleric .
They say Mawlawi Mohammad Nabi Masah , a member of the influential Ulema Council of clerics , was ambushed and shot Sunday as he was leaving home near Kandahar city .
Elsewhere , Reuters news agency reports U.S. warplanes have again pounded suspected militant positions in eastern Kunar province .
U.S. forces are searching the rugged area for a Special Forces unit that has been missing since Tuesday , just before a helicopter going to its rescue was shot down , killing all 16 troops on board .
Afghan government officials say a similar U.S. air strike in Kunar late Friday caused casualties .
There are conflicting accounts whether civilians were killed .
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has urged the United States and other nations with troops in Iraq to withdraw from the country within one year .
In a speech Friday at Harvard University in Cambridge , in the northeastern state of Massachusetts , Villepin said the United States remains the leading power in the world .
But he noted the war in Iraq marked a turning point , undermining not only America 's image , but also the image of the West as a whole .
Villepin continued that it is time for the United States and Europe to regain the respect and admiration of other peoples .
Villepin said he believes a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops is needed to allow Iraqis to feel their future is in their own hands and to put them back on the path of national sovereignty .
Israeli doctors say Prime Minister Ariel Sharon , who remains in a coma since suffering a stroke two weeks ago , underwent a surgical procedure overnight to replace his breathing tube .
The Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem issued a statement Wednesday morning , saying the procedure was necessary because the respiratory pipe developed a technical problem .
The statement said Mr. Sharon 's condition continues to be critical but stable .
The 77-year-old prime minister has been on respirator since he was incapacitated by a brain hemorrhage on January 4 .
Reporters Without Borders is calling on Venezuela 's government to discuss what it calls FALSE accusations made by Venezuelan officials in response to recent criticism by the organization .
The Paris-based group says Venezuela 's information ministry unfairly lashed out after it expressed concern about the recent detention of a Venezuelan journalist ( Gustavo Azocar ) on fraud and embezzlement charges .
The organization says the ministry responded by accusing Reporters Without Borders of being part of a psychological war campaign by the United States .
It says the ministry also said the group was paid by the U.S. government and secret services .
Reporters Without Borders denies both accusations and says it will continue to question governments on any issue it feels restricts press freedom .
The U.S. city of Los Angeles in the western state of California , and two Indian film industry groups have signed an agreement to boost cooperation between the U.S. and Indian moviemaking industries .
The Motion Picture Association of America announced the deal late Wednesday in Los Angeles .
At the signing of the deal , Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the declaration reinforces the city 's commitment to attracting international production .
The U.S. and Indian film industries , known as Hollywood and Bollywood respectively , dominate the world of moviemaking .
The Hindi films My Name is Khan and Kiteswere recently filmed in Los Angeles .
Representatives of the two industries agreed earlier this year to fight movie piracy , which is common in India .
An Associated Press correspondent left Ethiopia Sunday after getting an expulsion order from the government .
Anthony Mitchell was told by Ethiopian officials on Saturday he had 24 hours to leave the country .
The news agency says attempts to appeal the order went unanswered .
In a statement , the Ethiopian government accused Mitchell of reporting information " far from the truth " and tarnishing the country 's image .
Associated Press managing editor Mike Silverman says the news agency will stand behind Mitchell , a British journalist he describes as aggressive and fair .
Ethiopia recently began a crackdown on the press and opposition groups , charging 129 people with treason and genocide .
Among those charged are five Voice of America journalists in Washington .
South Korean Foreign Ministry officials say the Japanese foreign minister has misguided views on the history between the two countries .
The criticism from Seoul Monday came in response to Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso 's comments Saturday about visits to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo .
Mr. Aso said Japan did not have to worry about being isolated because of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi 's visits to the shrine since the only countries complaining were South Korea and China .
Japan 's relations with its two neighbors have deteriorated because of Mr. Koizumi 's annual visits to the shrine most recently last month .
The shrine deifies war criminals among the war dead honored there .
South Korea and China have said the shrine glorifies Japan 's militarist past .
Syria 's foreign minister , Farouk al-Shara , says his government will exchange ambassadors with Baghdad when a new Iraqi government is formed .
This is the first time that Damascus has set a time frame for restoring ties .
Al-Shara says Syria welcomes a close relationship with Iraq and is committed to Iraq 's territorial integrity and to an end to the U.S. occupation .
Damascus broke off relations with Baghdad more than 20 years ago .
Relations between the two countries deteriorated after Syria sided with Iran in the Iran-Iraq war .
Syria also joined the U.S.-led coalition against Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War .
Iraq is encouraging Arab countries to send ambassadors to Baghdad .
Turkey 's military says 15 Kurdish rebels have been killed in Turkish attacks on suspected rebel targets in northern Iraq .
The military said Saturday the rebels - from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK ) - were killed Thursday in artillery fire aimed at stopping the group from attacking Turkish targets .
A military statement said Turkish warplanes followed up the attack with airstrikes in northern Iraq Friday , but it was unclear if there were casualties .
Turkey accuses PKK militants of using suspected strongholds in northern Iraq to launch attacks in Turkey .
The PKK has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey 's mainly Kurdish southeast for nearly 25 years .
The violence has killed more than 30,000 people .
Turkey , the United States and other nations have designated the PKK a terrorist group .
Venezuela says it hopes to sign a new agreement with the United States next month on anti-drug cooperation .
Venezuelan anti-drug chief Luis Correa said Monday the deal will be signed around July 8 .
The U.S. Embassy in Caracas said the two sides are close to an agreement .
Reports say Venezuela wants the new accord to restrict U.S. agents operating in the Andean country but ensure cooperation in the areas of information-sharing , technology and training .
Last August , Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of spying on his government under the guise of fighting drug trafficking and suspended cooperation with the agency .
The U.S. government responded by revoking the visas of three Venezuelan military officers suspected of involvement in drug trafficking .
In September , the U.S. government said Venezuela had " failed demonstrably " to adhere to its obligations under international anti-narcotics agreements .
Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee will now run the foreign ministry , after a Cabinet reshuffle that brings in three new faces .
The new defense minister will be A.K. Antony , a former chief minister of the southern Indian state of Kerala .
Also sworn in as junior ministers were M.H. Ambareesh , a film actor-turned Congress politician , and Jayprakash Narain Yadav of the government 's coalition partner , Rashtriya Janata Dal .
The crucial foreign ministry post fell vacant last November when then-minister Natwar Singh was charged with receiving kickbacks in the investigation of the UN oil-for-food program in Iraq .
This reshuffle takes the number of ministers in the three-level Cabinet to 80 .
It has 34 ministers , seven deputy ministers and 39 junior ministers .
A suicide attack in southwestern Afghanistan Thursday killed six police officers and an Indian construction engineer , and wounded a dozen others .
Among those wounded were 11 Afghan police and another Indian .
The attack targeted a convoy carrying a group of Indian engineers in Nimroz province .
Afghan police did not say who was behind the attack , but Taliban rebels have often been blamed for such attacks .
A resurgent Taliban movement and other Afghan rebel forces have stepped up their attacks against Afghan , U.S. and NATO forces over the past year .
On Wednesday , U.S. military officials in Afghanistan said a soldier and his Afghan interpreter were killed in a roadside bombing in the eastern province of Khost .
And Afghanistan 's Defense Ministry said Wednesday at least four militants were killed in separate incidents when bombs they were planting exploded prematurely .
Rebels in Sudan 's war-torn Darfur region say they have shot down an unmanned spy plane which , they say , the Sudanese government was using to track their positions .
A spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army said its forces shot down the unmanned drone Thursday in the central mountainous Jabel Marra area .
A Sudanese army spokesman said an unmanned plane had made an emergency landing in the area , but was not able to say whether the aircraft was shot down .
Rebels say the aircraft appears to be Chinese-made .
Rights groups criticize China for selling weapons to Sudan 's government which , they say , are used against rebels in Darfur .
More than five years of fighting in Darfur among rebel groups , the government and government-allied militias have killed more than 2,00,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million others .
Irish physicians have recorded what they believe is the country 's first case of the human variant of mad cow disease , a fatal brain-wasting illness .
Physicians said Wednesday in Dublin that tests on a man in his early 20s have confirmed he is most likely suffering from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease .
The illness is the human form of the brain-wasting disease in cattle known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy .
Physicians say humans usually contract the human form of the illness by eating contaminated beef .
The illness has killed more than 100 people in Europe , most of them in Britain , since the mid-1990s .
The only previous case in Ireland involved a young woman who had spent much of her time in Britain .
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says there is an urgent need in India to counter a sense of alienation among its minority Muslims .
He told a meeting of state chief ministers in New Delhi that they should make sure that efforts to end Islamist militancy do not victimize the entire community .
He said no innocent person should be harassed in India 's struggle against terrorism .
Mr. Singh said any kind of insecurity among India 's 140 million Muslims could have extremely damaging effects on the country and fuel more terrorism .
His remarks came less than two months after train bombings in Mumbai were blamed on domestic Islamist militants with links across the border in Pakistan .
The bomb attacks in Mumbai prompted police raids on the city 's Muslim ghettos and the detention of hundreds .
U.S. and Brazilian media reports say police have arrested a key al-Qaida operative in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo .
The arrest was reported Tuesday by the Associated Press ( AP ) and Brazil 's daily newspaper , Folha de S. Paulo .
The suspect was not identified by name , nor was his nationality given .
But the AP said a federal police spokeswoman confirmed the newspaper 's report that the suspect is a top player in al-Qaida 's international communications .
She said the suspect is being held under laws that prohibit the promotion of racism in Brazil .
An internet message bearing the signature of a group that says it has links to al-Qaida is threatening a " bloody war " against European countries unless they pull their troops out of Iraq within one month .
The message , posted on an Islamist web site , says it speaks for the Abu-Hafs al-Masri Brigades , one of two groups whose signature appeared on statements claiming responsibility for the deadly July seventh bombings in London .
The statement , which mentioned Denmark , Italy , Britain and the Netherlands , said there will be no other warnings after the one-month ultimatum expires .
Experts have viewed past statements by the Abu-Hafs al-Masri Brigades with doubt , because the group has no proven track record of attacks and has claimed responsibility for events in which it was unlikely to have played any role .
A U.S. official in Iraq says four American security guards have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in the northern city of Mosul .
The official , who spoke on condition of anonymity , said two other guards were wounded in the attack on a three-vehicle diplomatic convoy , Tuesday .
Meanwhile , Britain has admitted that British troops in Basra used an armored vehicle to smash down a jail wall in a bid to free two detained undercover soldiers .
A Defense Ministry statement says the local British commander acted Monday because he feared the detained soldiers were being handed over to local Iraqi militia , which later proved to be correct .
Britain says the soldiers were freed from a nearby house where they had been taken before the military action on the prison .
Iraqi police had detained the British undercover soldiers after a clash in the southern city .
Iraq 's controversial deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi is meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Wednesday in Washington .
The meeting comes as Democratic U.S. lawmakers are asking Mr. Chalabi to discuss pre-war Iraq intelligence he provided about Saddam Hussein 's weapons that later proved faulty .
Mr. Chalabi is also accused last year of passing U.S. intelligence to Iran , and in 2004 U.S. forces raided his Baghdad offices .
Despite the allegations , U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said Tuesday U.S. officials regularly meet with Mr. Chalabi in his capacity as a representative of Iraq 's government .
Later Wednesday , Mr. Chalabi delivers a speech at a conservative public policy organization , the American Enterprise Institute .
It will be his first public speech in the United States in more than two years .
South Korea 's foreign ministry says pirates , probably from Somalia , have hijacked an oil tanker .
The ministry says the tanker , the Samho Dream , was on its way from Iraq to the United States when it was seized Sunday off the coast of East Africa .
It says the ship has a crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos .
Somali pirates have been especially active in recent weeks , taking advantage of good weather to hijack 16 ships since the beginning of March .
International naval forces have stopped numerous attacks and detained dozens of pirates .
But the forces can not fully cover the vast areas of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden in which the pirates operate .
Pirates usually release the hijacked ships and their crews unharmed after receiving a ransom , sometimes worth millions of dollars .
Turkey 's parliament has approved sending military forces to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon .
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had urged support for the mission following a cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah .
Lawmakers voted 340 to 192 to approve the deployment Tuesday .
Turkish officials say they will send nearly 1,000 military personnel to conduct naval patrols off Lebanon and to help train Lebanese troops .
Before the vote , thousands of people rallied outside the parliament building in Ankara to protest the mission .
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Ankara today for talks on the U.N. force .
Turkey is the second Muslim country , after Qater , to commit troops to the expanded force .
Militants in Saudi Arabia have attacked the U.S. Consulate in the port city of Jeddah with machine guns and explosives .
Authorities say at least four Saudi security guards and three of the attackers are dead .
A Saudi Interior Ministry statement said militants launched the late-morning attack with explosives aimed at the main gate of the heavily-fortified U.S. compound .
Two gunmen were reported in custody and officials say security forces had regained control of the compound by mid-afternoon .
There has been no claim of responsibility .
The attack is the latest in a series of assaults targeting foreigners in the kingdom over the past 18 months .
The U.S. State Department has issued a series of travel warnings in the past year , urging all non-essential Americans to leave the country .
The U.S. military says nearly two dozen militants were killed during a rare frontal attack on a U.S. base in southern Afghanistan .
A statement from the U.S. led coalition says a group of 75 Taleban militants tried to overrun the base in southern Uruzgan province earlier Tuesday .
The statement says Afghan and U.S. forces backed by air support repelled the attack , killing more than 20 militants .
Two Afghan girls and two Afghan soldiers were wounded .
Violence has surged in Afghanistan over the past year and half as suspected Taleban militants have stepped up suicide attacks and roadside bombings .
More than 50,000 NATO and U.S. forces are battling the renewed insurgency in their strongholds in southern and eastern Afghanistan .
A South Korean newspaper reports that a North Korean spy entered the South in 2003 by pretending to be an asylum-seeker .
South Korea 's JoongAng Ilbo reports the North Korean joined a group of refugees who entered the South Korean Embassy in Beijing in 2002 .
The newspaper says he spent more than a year in South Korea , collecting information on Seoul 's handling of refugees .
Officials in Seoul say the man returned to North Korea in April , then came back to the South a month later , where he surrendered to authorities .
South Korea 's Yonhap news agency quotes government officials as saying they are investigating the 28-year-old on suspicion of spying for North Korea , but they doubt he actually conveyed any sensitive information .
Afghan officials say Taliban militants killed 11 policemen late Sunday , while two NATO soldiers died in a separate incident in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar .
The local deputy police chief , Amanullah Khan , says Taliban militants opened fire on a group of sleeping policemen at a remote checkpoint in Kandahar 's Arghandab district .
He said preliminary reports indicate that one of the policemen had links with the Taliban .
Meanwhile , the British Defense Ministry confirmed that two Royal Air Force servicemen were killed when their vehicle hit an explosive device .
NATO 's International Security Assistance Force says two other British soldiers were wounded in the blast Sunday .
The ISAF did not disclose the exact location of the incident .
The Taliban ambush was the latest in a series of recent attacks on Afghan police in the south .
Eight police officers were killed Saturday in Kandahar and neighboring Helmand Provinces by the militant group .
Police in Iran say a fire at a mosque in central Tehran has killed at least 59 people and injured more than 200 others .
Iranian state media said a faulty electrical heater sparked the blaze as crowds gathered in the Arg Mosque for a major Shi'ite religious festival , Ashura .
Eyewitnesses said panicked crowds rushed for the exits and some people jumped through windows to escape the flames .
Officials in Washington and New York say they have uncovered efforts by a Chinese company to sell Iran banned materials that could be used in Tehran 's missile and nuclear programs .
Tuesday , the Manhattan ( New York City ) prosecutor unsealed a multi-count indictment against China-based LIMMT Economic and Trade company and Li Fang Wei , one of the firm 's managers .
Prosecutors allege that the Chinese company used shell ( fake ) companies and aliases to circumvent laws that prevent U.S. banks from processing transactions for certain Iranian weapons companies .
At about the same time Tuesday , the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on six Iranian companies and one Chinese person in connection with the same case .
The foreign minister of Chad has called on wealthy nations to help poor countries reduce poverty and advance social and economic progress .
In comments at the United Nations World Summit , llam-Mi Ahmad also appealed for fair trade laws and total debt relief for African nations .
He pledged ongoing cooperation with neighboring African countries that face the threat of terrorism .
He also made an impassioned plea for international assistance in resolving the conflict in Sudan 's western Darfur region .
Over the last two years , at least 2,00,000 Sudanese refugees from Darfur have fled across the border into Chad .
Mr. Ahmad said Chad has helped efforts to mediate the crisis and has taken on the refugees with great cost to its environment , food supply and the constant threat of ongoing violence among the various combatants .
The United Nations has hailed a decision by Pakistan to postpone the purchase of fighter jets from Washington in order to provide more relief to earthquake victims as the Himalayan winter approaches .
U.N. Emergency Coordinator Jan Vandemoortele says such moves are helpful as U.N. officials work hard to secure more funding for humanitarian aid for victims of the quake .
Officials say hundreds of thousands risk death or illness without tents , food and other supplies .
Friday , British Cabinet minister Hilary Benn said the world 's response to the large-scale disaster was not enough .
Earlier , Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf criticized the level of international aid , saying more was given to victims of the tsunami in Asia and Hurricane Katrina in the United States .
More than 73,000 Pakistanis died and more than three million people have been left homeless by the October 8 earthquake .
Insurgents have killed at least 11 people in attacks across Iraq .
In the deadliest attack , a roadside bomb killed a police officer and his four children in Tikrit .
Another roadside bomb killed at least one person in Kirkuk .
In Baghdad , a suicide car bomber killed four people , included two police officers .
Other attacks across the city wounded five U.S. soldiers .
And in Baquba , a police officer was killed in a drive-by shooting .
Meanwhile , the U.S. military says soldiers killed two suspected members of al-Qaida in Iraq and detained 22 others during raids in Mosul and Ramadi .
The violence comes after Iraq 's Independent Electoral Commission said it found no serious election fraud in Iraq 's recent constitutional referendum .
Official results have not yet been announced .
officials are searching for survivors in a turbulent river from a ferry that capsized and killed at least 20 people .
Officials say more than 100 people were on the ferry when it overturned Saturday in a river in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal .
Officials say about 50 passengers have been rescued and sent to the hospital .
Dozens of others were missing .
Authorities say the boat 's maximum capacity was 60 people , but it was badly overloaded .
Officials say most of the passengers were Muslims returning to the town of Kakdwip after attending a religious festival .
Taiwan has asked internet search company Google to stop calling it a province of China on its maps .
A Taiwan foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday that the ministry has asked Google to correct the description .
Taiwan says it is a sovereign , independent state officially called the Republic of China .
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has threatened to attack the island if it pushes for formal statehood .
The two split in a civil war that ended in 1949 .
A new public opinion poll indicates Americans are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the course of the war in Iraq .
In a poll conducted by CNN , USA Today , and the Gallup organization , one-third of those surveyed said the United States should withdraw all troops from Iraq .
That is the highest percentage calling for a full withdrawal since Gallup began asking the question in August 2003 .
The poll of 1004 adults , taken Friday through Sunday , also found that 57 percent of Americans feel the war has made them " less safe " from terrorism .
Fifty-four percent of those surveyed said the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq , up from 46 percent in July .
President Bush 's overall approval rating was 45 percent , among the lowest ratings of his presidency .
Venezuela 's President Hugo Chavez has begun a three-day visit to Syria by announcing that the two countries are united against what he called " U.S. imperialism . "
Mr. Chavez and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad met Wednesday in Damascus to discuss bilateral cooperation .
Mr. Al-Assad stressed that the two countries have very close positions on international issues .
Support for Mr. Chavez in the Arab world has soared since Venezuela withdrew its ambassador to Israel at the start of the Israeli military offensive in Lebanon .
The Venezuelan president called Israel 's attacks against Hezbollah " genocide . "
In response , Israel recalled its own ambassador from Venezuela .
Mr. Chavez has accused Washington of plotting against him and his government , something U.S. officials deny .
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has resigned as head of his Democratic Progressive Party , after the party and its allies suffered a major defeat in Saturday 's parliamentary election .
An opposition alliance , led by the Nationalists , won 114 seats in the 225-member chamber .
Mr. Chen 's coalition won 101 seats .
Mr. Chen told reporters
Tuesday that he takes full blame for the coalition 's defeat and will leave his party leadership post as a result .
Observers say the election deals a setback to President Chen 's drive to move Taiwan toward an identity apart from mainland China .
China considers Taiwan a renegade province and has threatened to seize the island by force if it makes moves toward independence .
Police in the Nepalese capital , Kathmandu , have used batons to disperse student protesters who are demanding that their jailed leaders be released .
Witnesses say students retaliated by throwing bricks at police .
At least six demonstrators were injured during Monday 's skirmishes .
The student leaders were jailed for staging demonstrations against King Gyanendra 's seizure of absolute power , and for demanding the restoration of democracy .
The king says he needed to seize full political power to curb corruption and quell a Maoist insurgency that has claimed more than 11,000 lives .
The rebels , who claim to be inspired by Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong , have been fighting since 1996 to replace the constitutional monarchy in the world 's only Hindu kingdom with a communist state .
Israeli forces have killed three Palestinians Thursday as they pressed on with a three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip .
Palestinian officials say Israeli air strikes on the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza killed two people today .
Another Palestinian was killed during fighting between Israel and militants in the camp .
At least 100 Palestinians have been killed since Israel 's Gaza offensive began in late June .
At United Nations headquarters in New York today , Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict .
He said the international community must address the Israeli-Palestinian issue boldly .
Israel began its offensive in Gaza after militants captured an Israeli soldier ( Corporal Gilad Shalit ) in a cross-border raid .
It says it will continue the operation until the soldier is released and Palestinian militants stop firing rockets at Israel from Gaza .
A new report issued by the South African government indicates more than six million people in the country are HIV-positive , a much higher figure than previously thought .
The Department of Health says a study of women at pre-natal clinics in 2004 suggests that about six and a half million South Africans carry the virus that causes AIDS .
The figures are in marked contrast to a study earlier this year by the State Statistical Agency , which estimated that about four and a half million South Africans are infected with HIV .
Business Day newspaper quotes the Health Department 's head of health monitoring and evaluation , Lindy Makubalo as saying the variation in estimates is due to differences in methodology .
She says the Health Department follows methodology developed by the United Nations .
The Venezuelan government says it is investigating allegations that some members of the navy passed state secrets to the U.S. Defense Department .
Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel says some low-level officials were caught passing information to the Pentagon .
He said some suspects have been detained and that others have left the country .
The suspects include active and retired members of Venezuela 's navy .
Venezuelan authorities also allege U.S. Embassy involvement in the affair .
The attorney for one suspect told reporters a U.S. naval attache has been mentioned as a possible link between the Venezuelan officers and United States .
U.S. officials say they have not been contacted by the Venezuelan government about the matter .
The U.S. ambassador in Caracas , William Brownfield , told local media that when the Venezuelan government presents the U.S. with notification , officials will respond .
The central African nation of Chad has asked the African Union to condemn Sudan for its alleged support of Chadian rebels .
Chad 's president , Idriss Deby , made the appeal Tuesday during a meeting with Nigerian President and AU chairman Olesgun Obasanjo at his residence outside Lagos .
Chad says Sudan harbors and supports the anti-Deby rebels who attacked the eastern Chadian town of Adre earlier this month .
Sudan has denied the accusations .
Earlier , President Deby accused Sudan of planning another attack , saying the Sudanese military has deployed 50 armored vehicles to the town of Geneina near the Chad-Sudan border .
He said Sudan 's actions could destabilize other states in the region , including the Central African Republic .
The African Union has sent delegations to both countries ' capitals in an effort to defuse the rising tensions .
Flash floods sweeping through parts of Kenya have killed at least 20 people and left thousands of others homeless .
The floods are the result of torrential rains that have eased Kenya 's long drought but are making life miserable for people who live near rivers and in flood-prone areas .
The Kenyan Red Cross says some 30,000 people are in need of relief aid after water washed away homes , killed livestock , and destroyed crops .
The hardest-hit areas appear to be in western Rift Valley province .
Kenyan newspapers report deaths and especially heavy flooding in the Turkana East area and in the southwestern villages of Rongai , Marigat , and Mogotio .
Relief agencies and Kenyan officials say the number of casualties may rise as the rains are expected to continue for days or weeks to come .
The leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas is warning of a new uprising against Israel if an agreement for a Palestinian state is not reached in six months .
In Egypt Saturday , Khaled Meshaal said Western nations should help negotiate a Palestinian state based on borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East War .
He said Palestinians and Arab states agree on the borders which would include the West Bank and Gaza Strip in a future Palestinian state .
Israel rejects the pre-war borders as the basis for a peace settlement .
Meshaal has been meeting Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss forming a Palestinian unity government .
They also are discussing negotiations for the release of an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas militants .
Egyptian mediators are to fly to Israel for talks in the coming days .
Israel 's Defense minister says Israeli troops will withdraw from Palestinian cities for 72 hours during January 's Palestinian presidential election .
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz says troops will be absent from cities in the Palestinian territories from the day before the vote through the day after to help ensure the election goes smoothly .
Earlier , Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said any talks with Palestinian leaders depend on whether they can stop militant attacks such as the huge explosion in Gaza Sunday that killed five Israeli soldiers and wounded five others .
Mr. Sharon said Monday Israel wants to move toward peace , but sees no corresponding movement by the Palestinian side .
Two Palestinian militant groups , Hamas and the Fatah Hawks , have claimed responsibility for detonating more than a ton of explosives in a tunnel beneath an Israeli army post .
Bolivian President Carlos Mesa , who submitted his resignation Monday , has urged Congress to hold new elections as soon as possible to end weeks violent protests .
Mr. Mesa 's late night televised address came after tens of thousands of peasants and miners marched in La Paz Tuesday , demanding nationalization of the country 's oil and gas industry .
The president offered to resign late Monday in the wake of the growing unrest , saying he could no longer lead the poor Andean nation .
Bolivia 's Congress is expected to consider his offer to resign this week .
His offer to step down earlier this year was rejected by lawmakers .
Politicians , foreign troops and aid workers are all working in Sri Lanka 's tsunami ravaged areas to get the rebuilding effort into full swing .
A few dozen of the roughly 600 U.S. military personnel in Sri Lanka , are here at a primary middle school outside Galle .
They are using bulldozers , dump trucks and sometimes sledge hammers to demolish school buildings left structurally unsound by the tsunami .
In other parts of the area , U.S. Navy Seabees ( engineers and construction workers ) are distributing fresh water to camps for people left homeless .
Politicians , including the prime minister and the former prime minister , are also doing the rounds on visits similar to campaign stops , suggesting the tsunami and its aftermath may be political fodder for some time to come .
At least 13 people have been wounded by a powerful explosion near an Indian military camp in Srinagar , summer capital of Indian Kashmir .
Witnesses say at least five Indian soldiers were among the injured .
Police say the blast was caused by a car bomb .
It is unclear who carried out Tuesday 's attack .
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan , and rebel groups have been fighting for the region 's independence from India , or its merger with Pakistan , since 1989 .
The explosion came hours after top diplomats from India and Pakistan resumed peace talks in New Delhi .
Syria has dismissed as FALSE and " completely political " a United Nations report linking some of its top intelligence officials to the February assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri .
U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis issued a 54-page report Thursday , saying the assassination was planned over many months .
It implicates , among others , Syria 's military intelligence chief Asef Shawkat , who is the brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad .
In Beirut , anti-Syrian legislators hailed the findings and renewed their calls for Lebanese President Emile Lahoud - a close ally of Syria - to resign .
Mr. Mehlis ' report says President Lahoud received a telephone call from a suspect in Mr. Hariri 's assassination shortly before it occurred .
The president 's office has denied the accusation and says he has no intention of stepping down .
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has extended the investigation until December 15 .
Afghan soldiers stormed the Pul-i-Charki prison near Kabul Friday , ending a day-long crisis that began with an attempted escape .
At least four prisoners and four guards were killed , and several others wounded .
The head of the prison said four inmates linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network , one Iraqi and three Pakistanis , overpowered and killed a prison guard and seized his weapon .
They killed three other guards and , in the ensuing battle , two of the would-be escapees were killed .
The other two were eventually overpowered and killed when army troops stormed the prison about nightfall Friday .
The prison holds common criminals as well as terror suspects and is separate from US-run facilities that hold captured Taliban and al-Qaida fighters .
Some 200 soldiers and civilians working for the military battled the thin Afghan mountain air , a bumpy track and the threat of attack to run five long laps around the airstrip at Firebase Ripley , a remote military camp in central Uruzgan province .
In the end , First Lieutenant Mike Baskin beat the competition , running the course in three hours , 12 minutes and 15 seconds .
Bursting into tears at the finish line , the Army lieutenant said he thought only of his fallen comrades as he crossed the finish line .
Soldiers at the base are operating in one of Afghanistan 's most hostile areas .
Their most recent casualties were suffered last month when two soldiers were killed by a bomb that ripped through a patrol .
Tropical Storm Beta appears to have bypassed the Colombian island of San Andres , but forecasters say it could strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the island of Providencia .
The National Weather Service says a hurricane warning is in effect for the Colombian island of Providencia , off the coast of Nicaragua .
Beta is currently some 80 kilometers northeast of San Andres , moving north at about seven kilometers per hour .
The storm is expected to turn northwest and strengthen , possibly to hurricane strength , during the next 24 hours .
Forecasters say the center of the storm could reach mainland Nicaragua by Sunday .
Beta is expected to dump as much as 38 centimeters of rain across Honduras , Nicaragua , San Andres and Providencia .
A trial opened Thursday for at least 25 Shi'ite activists who are accused of plotting to overthrow the government .
The suspects face charges that include " forming an illegal organization " and " resorting to terrorism . "
They have pleaded not guilty to the charges and complained of alleged torture while in detention .
Security was heightened in the courtroom .
The trial could raise tensions between Bahrain 's Sunni-dominant government and members of its Shi'ite majority who have long complained about a lack of government representation .
The country 's main Shi'ite Muslim political bloc did make inroads in Saturday 's parliamentary elections , with all 18 of its candidates winning seats in the 40-member parliament .
The wins reflect a one-seat gain for the al-Wefaq bloc , compared to results from the last poll in 2006 .
President Bush has repeated his call for Congress to make his tax cuts permanent , saying they have improved the economy .
As many Americans prepare to file their annual tax payments before Monday 's deadline , President Bush said on U.S. radio Saturday that Americans will once again keep more of their earnings because of tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 .
He said his tax relief program has helped create new jobs that have brought the unemployment rate down to 4.7 percent .
Congress has been discussing whether to renew some of the tax cuts that are set to expire in the next few years .
Many Democrats argue that the tax cuts are irresponsible in light of the costs of the war in Iraq and other pressing issues .
Every year since 1995 , the United States Botanic Garden in Washington , DC , has partnered with the Smithsonian Institution to stage a massive floral exhibit of orchids .
VOA 's George Dwyer reports it offers visitors a colorful splash of floral brilliance as spring approached in the nation 's capital .
Jim Bertel narrates .
Police in Bangladesh say unidentified gunmen have killed a journalist working for an English-language daily .
Police say the attack on Shahid Anwar , an assistant editor of the Daily Asian Express , occurred late Sunday in the capital , Dhaka .
Police say personal rivalry might have been the motive behind his killing .
Mr. Anwar is the second journalist killed in Bangladesh in recent weeks .
Last month , an editor of the Daily Durjoy Bangla newspaper in the northern Bogra district was killed under similar circumstances .
The international media watchdog , Reporters Without Borders , has ranked Bangladesh one of the most dangerous countries for journalists .
Thai authorities say suspected Muslim militants have carried out at least 40 bomb and arson attacks in Thailand 's Muslim-dominated southern provinces .
Police say at least two people were injured in the attacks , which took place late Tuesday in the provinces of Pattani , Yala and Narathiwat .
They say the most serious attack was a fire set at a rubber factory .
The French news agency quotes the region 's top military official as saying the situation is under control and that six suspects have been arrested .
More than 1,400 people have been killed during two years of unrest in Thailand 's Muslim-majority provinces .
A Chinese demographer has said the imbalance between births of girls and boys may one day make it impossible for millions of Chinese men to find a spouse .
On Saturday , China 's official news agency quoted Professor Mu Guangzhong , of the Beijing University population research institute , as saying by the year 2020 , 25 million men will fail to have wives if the current gender imbalance continues .
In China , official policy restricts couples in urban areas to one child , and families have shown a preference for sons .
There are 119 boys born for every 100 Chinese girls .
Chinese lawmakers decided in June not to outlaw the practice of performing abortions based on the gender of the fetus .
But Xinhua says the new report is likely to prompt the government to take more forceful measures to reverse the male dominant population trend .
U.S. President Barack Obama is wishing Christians in the United States and around the world a happy Easter .
In his weekly Saturday radio and Internet address , Mr. Obama also reached out to Jewish communities , whose celebration of Passover ends next week , and to people of other faiths as well as non-believers .
Mr. Obama used his address to call attention to his administration 's top priorities - creating jobs , improving access to health care and improving education in the U.S.
He said he was heartened at statistics showing an increase in new jobs created lasted month .
But his address mostly focused on a call for unity , saying different faith communities share the " spirit of humanity . "
Within the next decade , some 77 million people in the United States will enter retirement age , and many of them are expected to offer their skills and experience to work as volunteers .
Better health , longer life-spans and a desire to give something back to society are among the reasons motivating many to volunteer .
Producer Zulima Palacio has this report narrated by Deborah Block on what is being called a " new army of volunteers " .
Vice President Dick Cheney 's chief of staff Lewis Libby is known to be a quiet but powerful force in the Bush administration .
The 55-year-old Mr. Libby helped build the case for the U.S. invasion of Iraq , arguing that Saddam Hussein 's regime had weapons of mass destruction .
No such weapons have been found .
Mr. Libby shies away from media attention , but is described by colleagues as being closely involved in everything the vice president does .
Widely known by his nickname " Scooter , " Mr. Libby is also a lawyer and a writer , who earned praise for a 1996 mystery novel he wrote .
Iraq 's President Jalal Talabani says he is willing to hold talks with insurgents and members of the ousted government , but al-Qaida in Iraq rejected any possibility of dialogue .
Speaking at a reconciliation conference in Cairo , Mr. Talabani said he would meet with any Iraqi citizen , even those he called " criminals . "
He also called on insurgents to disarm and join the political process .
But al-Qaida in Iraq claimed in an Internet statement that it would continue launching attacks .
In new violence Monday , at least four Iraqis were killed and 10 others wounded in a car bomb explosion in Kanan , a town north of Baghdad .
Police say the bomb was apparently aimed at a passing U.S. military convoy .
Meanwhile , a White House spokesman Trent Duffy says it is " highly unlikely " Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a raid Saturday , as some reports have said .
Witnesses say Israeli helicopters fired missiles into Gaza shortly after Palestinian militants killed five Israelis at a busy crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip .
The witnesses say two Israeli missiles hit the Deir al Balah refugee camp .
They say the target was a building belonging to a charity linked to a militant group .
An hour earlier , Hamas , al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committee carried out the attack at the Karni crossing .
Three Palestinians were killed in the bomb attack .
The upsurge in violence comes as newly-elected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas again called for attacks on Israelis to stop .
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon , who is expected to meet with Mr. Abbas within days , insists peace negotiations can not be revived unless Palestinians crack down on militants .
All 20 people aboard a Sudanese military plane were killed when it crashed on landing in southern Sudan on Saturday .
Officials with Sudan 's military say the plane blew a tire when it touched down , causing it to swerve off the runway and explode .
The accident happened Saturday morning in the town of Aweil , 800 kilometers southwest of Khartoum .
There were seven crew members and 13 passengers on the plane .
Iraqi National Guard troops have raided a Sunni mosque in Baghdad .
Reports say about 200 national guardsmen stormed the al-Hanifa mosque Friday , following weekly prayers , throwing stun grenades and firing shots in the air .
Casualties were reported during the fighting inside the mosque .
The purpose of the raid was not immediately clear , but worshippers say the Iraqi troops arrested the mosque 's imam .
Meanwhile , the top commander of U.S. Marines in Iraq says U.S. and Iraqi troops have " broken the back " of the insurgency there by taking control of Fallujah .
Lieutenant General John Sattler said the 11-day operation has pushed the insurgents out of their safe haven and into less familiar areas .
But he said Fallujah is not quite secure yet .
Iran has given reporters a rare glimpse into a key nuclear plant that the United States and Europe want permanently closed .
Some 50 reporters accompanied President Mohammad Khatami Wednesday , on a tour of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility south of Tehran .
They were shown a vast , empty underground hall that Iranian officials said is designed to house thousands of enrichment centrifuges .
Outside , dozens of anti-aircraft weapons guarded the facility .
Officials said all enrichment activities have been suspended at the site , which the International Atomic Energy Agency regularly monitors .
The tour was to continue later in the day at a uranium conversion plant near Isfahan .
The United States and Europe want Iran to permanently stop enriching uranium - which in certain forms can be used to fuel nuclear weapons .
But Iran says it is only pursuing the technology to produce electricity .
Two Burmese ethnic rebel groups are supporting a call for the United Nations Security Council to take up an urgent initiative to bring political reforms to military-ruled Burma .
In separate press releases Sunday , the Karen National Union and the Shan Democratic Union backed a report by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu calling for Security Council intervention .
Mr. Havel and Archbishop Tutu issued a report Tuesday comparing the situation in Burma to those in seven other countries in which the Security Council had intervened .
The 70-page report said conditions are far worse in Burma than they were in such countries as Sierra Leone , Afghanistan and Haiti before UN intervention .
U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan say coalition aircraft bombed a Taleban stronghold in southern Kandahar province overnight , killing 80 suspected Taleban militants and 16 civilians .
Kandahar Governor Asadullah Khalid said Monday that besides the militants , 16 civilians were killed and at least another 15 were wounded .
The coalition says it is investigating the reports of civilian casualties .
A coalition spokeswoman , Lieutenant Tamara Lawrence , said the village of Azizi in the Panjwayi district area is a known Taleban stronghold about 50 kilometers west of Kandahar 's provincial capital .
Meanwhile , Afghan police on Monday found the body of a missing former provincial governor .
Armed men snatched Paktika province 's former governor , Mohammad Ali Jalali , along with the former police chief of the same province on Sunday while they were attending a prayer service in neighboring Ghazni province .
The police chief was released unharmed .
U.S. officials have asked the Palestinian leadership to require parliamentary candidates to renounce violence if they want to run in upcoming elections .
The issue is expected to be discussed when President Bush meets Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas at the White House Thursday .
U.S. and Palestinian officials say the Bush administration is concerned that Palestinian militant groups , who have a history of attacks on Israelis , will do well in the January vote .
On Tuesday , White House spokesman Scott McClellan said there is more the Palestinian leadership can do to end violence and dismantle terrorist organizations .
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon , whose government recently withdrew settlements from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank , has said participation in the election by militant groups such as Hamas would be unacceptable .
Cambodian soldiers are heading to Sudan to support a United Nations landmine clearing operation .
About 109 soldiers are leaving the capital , Phnom Penh , Saturday for the northeast African nation , joining 26 other Cambodians already there .
Prime Minister Hun Sen has hailed the mission as historic and a great honor .
It is Cambodia 's first time taking part in a U.N. peacekeeping mission .
The United Nations estimates up to 20,000 people are killed or maimed by landmines worldwide every year and that at least one-fifth of the victims are children .
Nearly three decades of civil war , which ended in the 1990s , left Cambodia as one of the worst mine-affected countries .
Rival clans in southern Somalia have clashed in a fight for control over a trading town , and witnesses report dozens of deaths and injuries .
Residents say more than 20 people were killed and 30 injured in the battle that began late Friday night in a town identified by Reuters news agency as Ceel Waaq near the Kenyan border .
The town is described as a center of commercial activity .
Warlords have ruled Somalia since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991 .
Israel 's government is urging Israelis visiting Egypt 's Sinai peninsula to leave immediately because of what it calls an imminent terrorist attack .
Israel 's anti-terrorism office says it has " concrete " evidence of a plot to kidnap Israelis in the Sinai and smuggle them to the Gaza Strip .
Israeli officials called on family members to contact Israelis vacationing on the peninsula and ask them to return to Israel right away .
Some 20,000 Israelis traveled to the Sinai during the recent Jewish Passover holiday , despite prior Israeli warnings of possible terrorist attacks there .
Many vacationers have since returned to Israel .
The Sinai has been the scene of terrorist attacks on Israelis and Western tourists .
In 2004 , suicide bombers attacked a Sinai hotel and several campsites popular with Israelis , killing 34 people and wounding more than 120 .
Afghan officials say 10 Taliban militants have been arrested for an acid attack on schoolgirls and teachers in southern Afghanistan .
Officials say militants on motorbikes attacked the girls and teachers as they walked to school in the southern city of Kandahar earlier this month .
Several girls suffered facial burns and were hospitalized .
A Taliban spokesman earlier denied responsibility for the attack .
Under Taliban rule , girls were banned from school and were only allowed to leave the house accompanied by a male relative .
The Afghan government has accused Taliban militants of attacking dozens of schools and teachers .
Military officials in Pakistan say six soldiers and 40 militants were killed overnight in an attack on a paramilitary fort near the border with Afghanistan .
Pakistan 's military said most of the attackers came from the Afghan side of the border , and were joined by local Taliban fighters in the northwestern Mohmand tribal area , a center of Taliban and al-Qaida activity .
Security officials say gun battles raged for several hours before the attackers fled .
Officials estimate that about 600 militants took part in the attack .
Pakistani authorities say seven soldiers were wounded in the clashes , and that the paramilitary Frontier Corps inflicted heavy casualties on the militants .
Meanwhile , officials in South Waziristan say suspected militants abducted local government official Amir Latif today .
Police say gunmen stopped the official 's convoy , bundled him in their vehicle and drove off .
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are holding talks today expected to be dominated by the fight against terrorism , the Middle East , Afghanistan and Kashmir .
Before the London meeting , General Musharraf told the BBC that the global war on terrorism has made the world less safe and is not addressing the social grievances that help recruit terrorists .
In a separate interview , the Times of London quotes General Musharraf as saying he would welcome British involvement in negotiations with India over Kashmir .
Before going to London , the Pakistani leader met with President Bush to review the war on terror , the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the hunt for Osama bin Laden .
A U.S.-based media advocacy group says it is concerned that constitutional reforms proposed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez could threaten press freedom in the country .
The Miami-based Inter American Press Association voiced concerns Tuesday after meetings with media executives and union leaders in Caracas , Venezuela .
The IAPA delegation says the proposed measures include detention without charges and controls on the news media if Mr. Chavez declares a state of emergency .
Venezuelans will vote on the reforms in a referendum December 2 .
The proposal also includes eliminating presidential term limits .
The country 's opposition parties , human rights groups and the Roman Catholic Church have condemned Mr. Chavez 's proposals .
Two powerful explosions have ripped apart a vehicle belonging to a prominent Venezuela prosecutor .
Witnesses say the two blasts destroyed Deputy Attorney General Danilo Anderson 's truck as it drove through a neighborhood in western Caracas late Thursday .
Venezuelan officials say investigators are trying to determine if the charred body found inside the vehicle is Mr. Anderson .
Mr. Anderson was preparing a case against nearly 400 people allegedly involved in the April 2002 rebellion that briefly ousted populist president Hugo Chavez .
President Bush and other world leaders are welcoming the formation of an Iraqi government , months after the country 's parliamentary elections .
Mr. Bush issued a statement Saturday saying Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki 's government marks the end of Iraq 's difficult and inspiring democratic transitional process .
Mr. Bush added that the United States and freedom-loving nations will stand with Iraq as it takes its place among the world 's democracies .
British Prime Minister Tony Blair called the new government a huge step forward .
Italian officials also congratulated Iraq on its new government .
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised Iraqis for their determination in forming a government despite violence across the country .
In a written statement , he voiced hope the government will quickly address crucial issues , including security , reconstruction and the respect of human rights .
Italy has a diversified industrial economy , which is divided into a developed industrial north , dominated by private companies , and a less-developed , welfare-dependent , agricultural south , with high unemployment .
The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises , many of them family owned .
Italy also has a sizable underground economy , which by some estimates accounts for as much as 15 % of GDP .
These activities are most common within the agriculture , construction , and service sectors .
Italy has moved slowly on implementing needed structural reforms , such as reducing graft , overhauling costly entitlement programs , and increasing employment opportunities for young workers , particularly women .
The international financial crisis worsened conditions in Italy 's labor market , with unemployment rising from 6.2 % in 2007 to 8.4 % in 2010 , but in the longer-term Italy 's low fertility rate and quota-driven immigration policies will increasingly strain its economy .
A rise in exports and investment driven by the global economic recovery nevertheless helped the economy grow by about 1 % in 2010 following a 5 % contraction in 2009 .
The Italian government has struggled to limit government spending , but Italy 's exceedingly high public debt remains above 115 % of GDP , and its fiscal deficit - just 1.5 % of GDP in 2007 - exceeded 5 % in 2009 and 4 % in 2010 , as the costs of servicing the country 's debt rose .
Settled as early as 1000 B.C. , Samoa was " discovered " by European explorers in the 18th century .
International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago .
The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year .
French Togoland became Togo in 1960 .
Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA , installed as military ruler in 1967 , ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades .
Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s , the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA , whose Rally of the Togolese People ( RPT ) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967 and maintains a majority of seats in today 's legislature .
Upon EYADEMA 's death in February 2005 , the military installed the president 's son , Faure GNASSINGBE , and then engineered his formal election two months later .
Democratic gains since then allowed Togo to hold its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007 .
After years of political unrest and condemnation from international organizations for human rights abuses , Togo is finally being re-welcomed into the international community .
The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism , featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention .
The government controls key areas , such as the vital petroleum sector , through large-scale state-majority-owned enterprises .
The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum , hydropower , fish , forests , and minerals - and is highly dependent on the petroleum sector , which accounts for nearly half of exports and over 30 % of state revenue .
Norway is the world 's second-largest gas exporter ; its position as an oil exporter has slipped to ninth-largest as production has begun to decline .
Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994 ; nonetheless , as a member of the European Economic Area , it contributes sizably to the EU budget .
In anticipation of eventual declines in oil and gas production , Norway saves state revenue from the petroleum sector in the world 's second largest sovereign wealth fund , valued at over $ 500 billion in 2010 .
After solid GDP growth in 2004 - 7 , the economy slowed in 2008 , and contracted in 2009 , before returning to positive growth in 2010 .
A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands ended in 1814 , when they were ceded to the latter .
Independence came in 1976 .
Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new constitution and free elections in 1993 .
President France-Albert RENE , who had served since 1977 , was re-elected in 2001 , but stepped down in 2004 .
Vice President James MICHEL took over the presidency and in July 2006 was elected to a new five-year term .
A MAN had two daughters , the one married to a gardener , and the other to a tile-maker .
After a time he went to the daughter who had married the gardener , and inquired how she was and how all things went with her .
She said , " All things are prospering with me , and I have only one wish , that there may be a heavy fall of rain , in order that the plants may be well watered . "
Not long after , he went to the daughter who had married the tilemaker , and likewise inquired of her how she fared ; she replied , " I want for nothing , and have only one wish , that the dry weather may continue , and the sun shine hot and bright , so that the bricks might be dried . "
He said to her , " If your sister wishes for rain , and you for dry weather , with which of the two am I to join my wishes ? '
A MAN to Whom Time Was Money , and who was bolting his breakfast in order to catch a train , had leaned his newspaper against the sugar-bowl and was reading as he ate .
In his haste and abstraction he stuck a pickle-fork into his right eye , and on removing the fork the eye came with it .
In buying spectacles the needless outlay for the right lens soon reduced him to poverty , and the Man to Whom Time Was Money had to sustain life by fishing from the end of a wharf .
A noted biologist , who had been studying little green frogs in a swamp , was stumped .
The frog population , despite efforts at predator control , was declining at an alarming rate .
A chemist at a nearby college came up with a solution :
The frogs , due to a chemical change in the swamp water , simply could n't stay coupled long enough to reproduce successfully .
The chemist then brewed up a new adhesive to assist the frogs ' togetherness , which included one part sodium .
It seems the little green frogs needed some monosodium glue to mate .
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a roadside bombing in Afghanistan that killed the son of the new Dutch military commander .
Lieutenant Dennis van Uhm was one of two soldiers killed in the attack Friday .
His father , General Peter van Uhm , took command of the Dutch military on Thursday .
The Associated Press quotes a Taliban spokesman as saying van Uhm was specifically targeted because he was a high-profile soldier .
The Dutch government rejects the claim , saying there is no indication that van Uhm was personally targeted .
The roadside bombing took place north of the Dutch military base in the southern province of Uruzgan .
Also today , three Afghan civilians died in a roadside blast in Logar province , south of the capital , Kabul .
The U.S. ambassador to Iraq says the United States may cut funding for Iraq 's police because of their failure to punish those responsible for torture .
Zalmay Khalilzad said in an interview with The New York Times newspaper that U.S. officials are reviewing some programs because of a U.S. law that bans funding security forces that violate human rights .
But Khalilzad says he hopes Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani does punish those responsible to keep the funding .
Earlier this month , a special United Nations investigator said torture in Iraq may be worse now than it was when Saddam Hussein was in power .
He called the situation out of hand and said he examined reports of torture at official Iraqi detention centers and by private militias .
A poll taken by a major Japanese newspaper shows overwhelming support for a change in the law to allow a woman to succeed to the throne .
The Tokyo Shimbun said Sunday that 84 percent of its poll respondents approved of the idea that an empress could rule Japan .
It said only six percent of respondents said succession should be limited to males .
Under Japanese law , only males who have emperors on their father 's side can succeed to the throne .
The question of succession to the throne , now occupied by 71-year-old Emperor Akihito , is gaining urgency because no boys have been born into the Imperial household for 40 years .
The French government has condemned remarks by a top Vatican official linking the pedophile scandal in the Catholic Church to homosexuality .
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero Wednesday said the remarks linking the abuse to homosexuality was " unacceptable . "
He said France is committed to the struggle against discrimination and prejudice linked to sexual orientation and gender identity .
Gay rights groups also condemned the remarks by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone .
The top aide to Pope Benedict sparked a furor Monday when he said that homosexuality and not the priestly vow of celibacy is the cause of widespread sex abuse of children by the Catholic clergy .
In statement Wednesday , Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said that Bertone did not refer to the society at large , but only to the data gathered by Vatican investigators .
Critics have accused Pope Benedict and other church leaders of protecting abusive priests and attempting to cover up the scandal .
Officials in Ecuador say Venezuela is to help them build a $ 5 billion oil refinery that will become operational in 2012 .
Oil Minister Galo Chiriboga said Thursday the refinery will initially process Ecuadorean crude , but when supplies are depleted , Venezuelan crude will be used .
The facility will have the capacity to refine 3,00,000 barrels of oil daily .
The minister says a logistics study for the project should be concluded by June and that it is a way of promoting Latin American investment in refineries .
Ecuador is capable of producing more than 5,00,000 barrels of crude oil a day , but has no refining facilities and must import gasoline .
Ecuador is the fifth largest oil producer in South America .
The country rejoined the OPEC cartel last month after a 15-year break Venezuela is the only other Latin American country in OPEC .
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says his government will amend a controversial new intelligence law that human rights groups say could silence his critics .
Mr. Chavez told supporters Saturday that his government will soon correct what he called " mistakes " in the law .
The new law replaces Venezuela 's two main intelligence services with new agencies overseen by Mr. Chavez .
It requires Venezuelans to act as informants to secret police and community monitoring groups loyal to the president .
Anyone who refuses to provide information faces two to six years in prison .
Human rights advocates and legal scholars have condemned the measure , saying it will force people to report on their neighbors to avoid prison terms .
Mr. Chavez says the law is intended to protect national security and combat U.S. interference .
U.S. experts say sediment left by receding floodwaters in New Orleans is contaminated and could pose health risks to returning residents .
The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that recent test samples from storm debris and soil revealed high levels of bacteria and fuel oil .
Officials warned people to avoid contact with the contaminated materials .
U.S. experts had previously reported high levels of bacteria in the floodwaters of New Orleans .
As sediment dries , they plan to conduct air sampling and assess other exposure risks .
Oil spills have been reported in New Orleans and many parts of Louisiana 's southeastern coast .
The U.S. Coast Guard has counted more than 40 spills from refineries , storage depots and other facilities .
The spills range in size from several hundred liters to 15 million liters .
At least six Iraqis have been killed in clashes in the cities of Samarra and Ramadi , as pre-election violence continues virtually unabated .
Hospital officials say clashes near a U.S. military base west of Baghdad in Ramadi Wednesday killed two people .
And Iraqi police say gunmen attacked a police station in Samarra , north of the capital , killing at least four people .
Meanwhile , in neighboring Kuwait , U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld spoke to American troops at Camp Buehring preparing to go to Iraq .
Soldiers told Mr. Rumsfeld they are concerned about the lack of adequate armor on some vehicles and about their long deployments .
Mr. Rumsfeld said production of armored metal has been stepped up , but he said " you go to war with the army you have . "
The number of American combat deaths in Iraq reached 1,000 on Tuesday
Indian police say they have arrested a top militant commander blamed for dozens of attacks and tourist killings in Indian Kashmir .
Authorities said Saturday that Mudasir Gujri was arrested in Jammu - Kashmir , India 's only Muslim majority state .
State police chief Gopal Sharma told a news conference that Mudasir is believed to be the main planner of Lashkar-e-Toiba , a Pakistan-based Kashmiri militant group , and the mastermind behind at least 25 recent attacks .
The police chief called the arrest a great setback to the militants , but added that once one terror cell is defeated , " another one comes up . "
Indian officials have said they suspect last week 's railway attacks in Mumbai that killed nearly 200 people were carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba .
The group , which is fighting Indian rule in Kashmir , has denied involvement .
Burma 's military government has rejected a U.S. State Department report that slams Burma for restricting religious activities .
The annual report was issued earlier this month and lists countries , including Burma , Iran and China , as nations " engaged in or tolerating particularly severe violations of religious freedom . "
Burma 's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the allegations were politically motivated and unjustified .
It said no serious problems exist among religious groups in Burma .
Burma is overwhelmingly Buddhist , with small minorities of Christians , Muslims , Hindus and animists .
It has long been criticized by rights groups and countries , including the United States , for its human rights record .
The State Department report is meant to help U.S. officials shape policy , conduct diplomacy and decide whether to help private groups promoting religious freedom in their countries .
The U.S. nominee to head the World Bank has hailed what he calls a " new generation " of African leaders , and has promised to build stronger partnerships with African countries .
As he wrapped up a four-day tour of the continent in South Africa , Robert Zoellick said African leaders are taking responsibility for their countries in dealing with issues including energy , employment , investment and infrastructure .
Zoellick said if he is appointed president of the World Bank , he will focus on stronger partnerships with African countries to help with their individual strategies for development and growth .
Zoellick met with African leaders in Ghana , Ethiopia and South Africa on this week 's tour .
He is scheduled to visit Europe , Mexico and Brazil before returning to the United States .
Zoellick is expected to be confirmed as World Bank president next month .
Americans Andy Roddick and James Blake , along with Jarkko Nieminen of Finland have won warm-up events for the Australian Open - the first Grand Slam tennis event of the year .
Roddick beat German Tommy Haas in straight sets ( 06-Mar , 07-Jun ) Saturday at an exhibition tournament in Melbourne , which will host the Australian Open starting Monday .
Eighth seed Blake needed three sets to get by unseeded Russian Igor Andreev ( 06-Feb , 03-Jun , 07-Jun ) in the finals of the Sydney International tournament .
Seventh seed Nieminen broke a six-year title drought when he beat fifth seed Mario Ancic of Croatia in straight sets ( 06-Feb , 06-Feb ) at the Heineken Open in Auckland , New Zealand .
South Korean diplomats held face-to-face talks Friday with Taleban militants who have been holding 21 South Korean hostages for three weeks .
Taleban spokesman Yousef Ahmadi says two of its negotiators attended the talks in eastern Ghazni City .
Earlier , the Afghan government guaranteed safe passage for the Taleban representatives .
Negotiations had earlier been stalled over where to hold the meeting .
The talks are seen as one of the last diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the hostages .
A total of 23 South Koreans were abducted by Taleban militants on July 19 while traveling through Ghazni province .
The kidnappers have already executed two male hostages .
The captors have repeatedly threatened to kill more of the South Koreans unless the Afghan government and U.S. military release Taleban prisoners .
The Afghan government has refused their demands .
China 's state-run news agency says a coal mine accident in central Henan province has killed 13 miners and left 66 missing .
Xinhua , citing the state 's work safety agency , says Tuesday 's accident took place in Pingdingshan city .
It gave no other information .
Chinese coal mines are notoriously dangerous .
Accidents killed more than 3,000 people last year
The Afghan Defense Ministry says Afghan and U.S-led forces inflicted heavy casualties on insurgents in a battle Sunday in the eastern province of Nuristan .
Neither Afghan nor U.S. military officials said how many insurgents were killed .
Afghan officials said one of their soldiers had been killed .
The military officials said there were no reports of civilian casualties .
Nuristan officials dispute that , saying at least 20 civilians died in the attack and more were wounded .
Defense Ministry officials say eight insurgents were captured , while Nuristan leaders say those detained were civilians .
The Afghan Defense Ministry is investigating the situation .
Afghan and U.S. forces undertook the operation to clear insurgents from the remote province near the Pakistani border .
Nuristan is a known stronghold of Taliban-led militants .
One Nuristan leader said the Taliban had been in the area , but left before the fighting started .
A published report in Britain says authorities believe they foiled a terrorist plot to carry out a nerve gas attack on parliament .
The Sunday Times says an al-Qaida cell in Britain carried out extensive research last year and videotaped reconnaissance in preparation for an attack on parliament and London 's subway system .
The newspaper says and internal police security document shows the alleged terrorist plot involved the use of deadly sarin gas and chemical " dirty bombs . "
British intelligence officials are reported to have used an al-Qaida informant to crack coded e-mail correspondence found in computers seized from terror suspects in Britain and Pakistan .
The Sunday Times says deciphering the code also helped authorities uncover several terrorist plots .
Police have not commented on the newspaper report .
Family , friends and residents of a small town in the U.S. state of Ohio are mourning the loss of 19 U.S. Marines - all from the same unit - killed this week in Iraq .
On Wednesday , 14 Marines from the 3rd Battalion , 25th Marines unit based in the Ohio town of Brook Park died when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb .
Five more Marines from the same unit were killed in an ambush on Monday .
The deaths have rattled the residents of the small Cleveland suburb , which has just over 20,000 residents .
Local media say almost everyone in the town knew one or more of the Marines killed in this week 's attacks .
Relatives of the Marines killed have expressed both grief and anger , some calling for President Bush to withdraw the troops from Iraq , while others say the deaths only reaffirm their support for the war .
The U.S. space shuttle Endeavouris scheduled to return to Earth Friday , following a two-week mission to service the International Space Station .
Endeavourundocked from the orbiting outpost Tuesday , beginning the long journey home that will end with a landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida .
Endeavour 's mission at the space station included five spacewalks , during which shuttle astronauts installed an external platform on the station 's Japanese lab , known as Kibo , or " hope . "
The platform will allow scientists to conduct experiments in the vacuum of space .
The crew also conducted maintenance work on the station .
While the shuttle was docked at the station , the outpost 's population grew to 13 - the highest number in its history .
The shuttle will be bringing back Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata , who has been on the space station since March .
U.S. astronaut Timothy Kopra is taking his place .
Afghan President Hamid Karzai led his country 's Independence Day celebrations Sunday with a call for young Afghans to educate themselves to preserve their freedom .
Mr. Karzai told thousands of people gathered at the Kabul sports stadium that Afghanistan was still threatened by enemies , referring to the Taleban-led insurgency .
Meanwhile , Mullah Omar , the elusive Taleban leader in Afghanistan , issued a statement calling for people to join the insurgency to oust the U.S.-backed Karzai government .
Afghanistan served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from British control on August 19th of 1919 .
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has marked the 26th anniversary of the Islamic revolution with a stern warning that any invaders will face what he calls a " burning hell . "
Addressing tens of thousands of Iranians Thursday in central Tehran , Mr. Khatami said the Islamic republic does not seek " war , violence or confrontation . "
Iran is facing mounting international pressure over its nuclear program , which the United States alleges is aimed at developing nuclear weapons .
President Bush says he has not ruled out the use of military force , if negotiations fail to end the threat .
Today , for a second time in two days , Mr. Khatami dismissed Mr. Bush 's comments as part of a psychological war .
Britain , France and Germany are engaged in ongoing talks with Iran aimed at persuading Tehran to end its nuclear enrichment program .
Negotiators in Geneva have reported little progress in the talks .
The center-left opposition bloc has won the lower house in Italy 's parliamentary elections by a razor-thin margin while the race for the Senate is still unclear .
Official results give the opposition 49.8 percent of the vote while Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi 's ruling conservative coalition wins 49.7 percent .
Under Italy 's new election laws , the opposition will automatically control 55 percent of the seats in the lower house .
Meanwhile , officials are giving the Berlusconi coalition a one-seat margin in the senate - 155 to 154 .
But six seats chosen by Italians voting abroad still to be counted .
A coalition must control both the senate and the lower house in order to form a government .
Prime Minister Berlusconi and Mr. Prodi have both called for new elections if neither side controls both houses .
The election came after an angry campaign full of insults by both sides .
The head of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) is assuring consumers there is no risk of catching bird flu from properly cooked food .
Dr. Lee Jong-Wook said Monday that none of the 173 confirmed bird flu cases since 2003 came from eating well-cooked poultry or eggs .
Dr. Lee says poultry products are an important source of protein and that thorough cooking kills the virus .
European poultry farmers have said they have lost millions of dollars from people giving up chickens because of bird flu fears .
French officials say 20 countries have banned French poultry since bird flu was found on a commercial turkey farm last week .
Meanwhile , the virus has spread to a third African country with Niger reporting the disease in domestic ducks .
Bird flu has also been found in Nigeria and Egypt .
In Europe , Bosnia has reported its first bird flu cases in swans .
The British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline says it could have a bird flu vaccine ready for mass production as early as next year .
In a statement issued Wednesday , the company reported a breakthrough in recent trials of the vaccine , which it says is effective against the deadly H5N1 strain .
GlaxoSmithKline said it could be ready to submit the vaccine to regulators by the end of this year .
The company said the key to its vaccine is the low concentration of active ingredient .
This would allow the vaccine to be produced on a mass scale , allowing governments to stock up on the vaccine to be used in the event of a pandemic .
Several other companies are working to develop bird flu vaccines .
In the latest bird flu outbreak , health officials in Thailand reported Wednesday that a teenage boy who died earlier this week was infected with the deadly H5N1 variety of the disease .
Germany and the United States are two of the biggest gainers in this month 's world football rankings released by the International Football Federation ( FIFA ) on Wednesday .
After an impressive performace at the Confederations Cup , Germany moved up 10 spots to 11th place overall .
The U.S. team moved up four spots to sixth in the world , its highest-ever ranking , thanks to the team 's success at the ongoing CONCACAF Gold Cup .
Brazil remains atop the rankings followed by Argentina and the Netherlands , which each moved up one spot .
The Czech Republic fell two slots to fourth place , followed by Mexico , which rose one spot to fifth .
The U.S. team is sixth , with France down two positions in seventh place .
England dropped one place to eighth , with Spain up one slot in ninth place and Portugal falling two spots to 10th place .
Officials in Somalia 's capital say at least 10 people have been killed in fighting between government troops and police .
The gunbattle broke out Saturday in the Hamarjajab district in the south of Mogadishu .
Local officials say the fighting was sparked by an argument between the police and soldiers .
At least 10 civilians were wounded in the incident .
Most of those killed are said to be soldiers .
Somalia has endured nearly 20 years of war and chaos since the fall of the last stable government in 1991 .
The country 's current government is fighting Islamist insurgent groups and controls only small sections of the capital , with the help of African Union peacekeepers .
The United Nations Security Council has expressed concern that the Central African Republic could be destabilized by continuing violence in Darfur , Sudan and escalating tensions between Sudan and Chad .
The CAR shares its northern border with Sudan to the east and Chad to the west .
Its northern region has been beset by skirmishes between government forces and rebels .
At least 33 people were killed in clashes among the groups in June .
In a report issued last week , U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that the area could attract more armed groups , mercenaries and rebels trying to destabilize governments in the region .
The U.N. report also said humanitarian conditions in the country are deteriorating while human rights violations are rising .
Austria has assumed the presidency of the European Union for a six-month term .
Britain , which had held the EU leadership since July , turned over the presidency to Austria and its Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel Sunday .
Britain led the European Union during difficult and prolonged negotiations on a new budget for the 25-member group , and also bridged deep divisions within the bloc to begin talks with Turkey on EU membership for the secular Muslim state .
During Austria 's leadership term , Chancellor Schuessel will try to revive efforts to reach agreement on a controversial European constitution .
The project was all but abandoned since French and Dutch voters rejected the charter last year .
Finland is next in line for the EU presidency after Austria 's term .
Oil prices hit a 17-month low Monday as investors worried that a global economic slowdown will cut demand for energy .
At the close of trading , the price of a barrel of oil was down less than one dollar to hit $ 63.22 .
Earlier , prices went as low as $ 61.3 .
Oil prices fell even though OPEC ( the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ) members said Friday they would cut production by more than five percent ( 1.5 million barrels per day ) .
OPEC produces about two-fifths of the world 's oil .
Iran 's OPEC governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi says the cartel will consider further production cuts to help stabilize the oil market if demand does not pick up .
Oil prices are down more than 50 percent since hitting a record high of more than $ 147 a barrel in July .
The U.S. State Department says it is concerned by the continued repression of academic freedom in Iran .
A U.S. spokesman says that in recent months , dozens of Iranian students have been detained , professors have been replaced , and freedom of expression has been severely curtailed on university campuses in Iran .
A statement released Friday says the families of the detained men and women have not been allowed to communicate with their loved ones .
It calls on the Iranian government to release the detainees and to guarantee fundamental freedoms for all citizens .
The State Department says the abuses have taken place since September , when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a speech in New York that universities should be places where the freedoms of expression and conscience flourish .
The U.S. Justice Department will seek to dismiss at least 180 cases brought by detainees held at the U.S. military 's detention center at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba .
The prisoners ' lawsuits challenge the legality of their confinement at the prison .
Justice Department officials notified judges presiding over the cases at the U.S. District Court in Washington that official motions to dismiss the lawsuits will be filed .
Legislation signed by President Bush last week curbs U.S. civilian courts ' abilities to hear detainees ' cases .
About 500 prisoners are held at Guantanamo , most of them captured in Afghanistan on suspicion of ties to the Taleban or al-Qaida .
Supporters of Pakistan 's main religion-based parties have marched in the capital , Islamabad , to protest a nationwide crackdown on suspected Islamic militants .
More than 1,000 demonstrators marched in Islamabad Friday chanting religious and anti-American slogans and demanding the release of those detained .
Organizers say they object to raids on religious schools and mosques in a crackdown they say is an effort to appease the United States and the West .
More than 300 people have been detained so far across Pakistan since the July seventh London bombings carried out by British Muslims of Pakistani origin who had visited the country before the attacks .
In a nationwide address Thursday , Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf sought the support of Pakistanis in the fight against extremism and terrorism .
Police in Israel have charged an Iranian-born Israeli with passing defense information to Iran .
Media reports say the man is believed to have had contact with Iranian intelligence agents in Istanbul and given them the names of people serving in the Israeli security and intelligence services .
Police officials say the suspect was arrested earlier this month and formally charged in Tel Aviv Sunday .
The suspect 's identity has not been released .
Japan says it will give Afghanistan $ 110 million in aid to help with border security , literacy and the plight of refugees in the war-torn country .
Japan announced its pledge Tuesday at the beginning of a two-day international conference in Tokyo on Afghan reconstruction aid .
Representatives from 24 countries and international organizations are attending the meeting , which will also focus on combating narcotics and improving security in Afghanistan .
Speaking Tuesday in Tokyo , Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta thanked the international community for its help and asked for its continued support .
Japan provides funds for Afghanistan 's rebuilding efforts .
Last month , Tokyo resumed a naval refueling mission in support of U.S.-led coalition efforts .
Afghanistan 's foreign minister met with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in Tokyo on Monday ahead of the two-day meeting .
During that gathering , Mr. Fukuda said Japan would continue to support Afghanistan 's reconstruction and security .
China has reported another flock of bird flu-infected fowl - its ninth outbreak in a month .
The latest outbreak killed poultry in Anhui province .
The announcement came as World Health Organization experts are in China to investigate whether bird flu caused the death of a 12-year-old girl and sickened two other people in Hunan province .
Vietnam also reported new outbreaks of avian flu among birds in four provinces today .
The deadly H5N1 strain of the virus has been found in 10 of the country 's 64 provinces and has killed more than 40 people in Vietnam since 2002 .
Taiwanese officials are on alert as agriculture officials reported finding a sample of the H7N3 strain of bird flu in droppings left by a migratory bird .
The H7 strains are also known to infect humans .
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist says he will continue to perform his duties on the nation 's highest court as long as his health permits .
In a statement issued to the media Thursday , Chief Justice Rehnquist said he is not about to announce his retirement -- and that he wants to put to rest what he called " speculation and unfounded rumors " of his imminent retirement .
The chief justice released his statement hours after he was discharged from a hospital outside Washington .
Mr. Rehnquist was admitted Tuesday for a fever .
The 80-year-old chief justice has thyroid cancer , and his health has raised questions about how much longer he will be able to serve on the nine-member high court .
President Bush is currently considering choices to replace another judge on the court , retiring justice Sandra Day O'Connor .
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld , who is in Guatemala , has announced Washington will release $ 3.2 million in military aid to the Central American country .
Mr. Rumsfeld made the announcement following a meeting Thursday , with President Oscar Berger .
The money is intended for various uses , including assisting in training and modernizing Guatemala 's armed forces .
Meanwhile , Venezuela 's vice president Jose Vicente Rangel has rebuffed comments made by Mr. Rumsfeld in Brazil Wednesday .
The secretary said that he does not understand why Venezuela needed to purchase 1,00,000 AK-47s .
Mr. Rumsfeld said they could pose a threat in the region .
The vice president says the U.S. defense secretary 's criticisms violate Venezuela 's sovereignty and are part of what he called a " systematic " U.S. campaign against President Hugo Chavez 's government .
An Army investigator is reported to have recommended seeking the death penalty against four U.S. soldiers accused of murdering Iraqis .
The Associated Press says the recommendation by Colonel James Daniel will be forwarded to Army officials for a final decision .
The news agency says it has obtained a report in which the Colonel concludes the slayings were premeditated and warranted the death penalty , based on evidence he heard at an August hearing .
The four soldiers , part of the 101st Airborne division , are accused of killing three Iraqi men during a raid near Samarra on May 9 .
The soldiers have denied any wrongdoing , and have said they were following orders to kill all military age Iraqis they encountered on their mission .
Their commanding officer denied issuing such an order .
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte met with Pakistan 's President Pervez Musharraf at the leader 's official residence in Islamabad Thursday .
Pakistan 's Foreign Ministry said the men discussed bilateral relations , counter-terrorism and regional issues .
The ministry said General Musharraf told Negroponte that the U.S. , particularly the media , needed to better understand Pakistan 's anti-terrorism efforts .
During this two-day trip to Pakistan , Negroponte has praised Mr. Musharraf 's government as a key ally in the fight against terrorism .
Also Thursday , the U.S. diplomat met with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz .
Details of their talks are not yet available .
Negroponte arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday .
He is the former director of national intelligence , the head of all U.S. intelligence agencies .
He also served as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq in 2004 and 2005 .
Three school children were among at least 13 people killed Wednesday in a series of attacks in the Iraqi capital .
Police say the children were headed to school when they were killed by a roadside bomb in central Baghdad .
Shootings and three car bombs in Baghdad claimed 10 more lives , including those of six policemen .
The U.S. military also announced that U.S. soldiers killed five suspected terrorists in incidents south of Baghdad this week .
Meanwhile , the Pentagon has confirmed the authenticity of a set of photographs aired on Australian television of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners at Iraq 's notorious Abu Ghraib prison .
Defense officials say the photos , which show graphic abuse , were among those investigated after the prison scandal two years ago .
Those photos sparked widespread protests against U.S. presence in Iraq .
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi says India 's decision to go ahead with a pipeline project to bring Iranian gas to India via Pakistan will encourage regional peace and trade .
Mr. Kharazi is on a two-day visit to New Delhi and he made the remarks as he met Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and was due to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh .
He said India 's recent approval of the gas pipeline has created an encouraging atmosphere for pushing ahead this highly important project .
Negotiations on the more than 2,700 kilometer pipeline began in 1994 .
But strained relations between India and Pakistan held up approval of the project .
The talks gained momentum after India 's new Congress government came to power last May and pushed forward an ongoing peace process with Pakistan .
Russia has handed Poland thousands of new documents on the investigation into the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski in April .
Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Zvyagintsev says the documents include witness interviews , photographs and other data from the crash in western Russia .
The documents were given Thursday to a Polish delegation led by chief military prosecutor Krzysztof Parulski .
Earlier this month , Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk complained about what he called Russian delays in turning over the evidence , which is crucial to a parallel Polish probe .
The April 10 crash killed President Kaczynski , his wife and 94 others outside the Russian city of Smolensk .
Officials say poor visibility was a major factor in the crash .
But they are also seeking to learn whether President Kaczynski or others pressured the pilots to attempt a landing despite heavy fog .
Robert Zoellick is welcomed by an African Union soldier as he arrives in Northern Darfur region 's administrative capital El Fasher U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick has called on the Sudanese government to accept responsibility for disarming the Arab militias accused of subjecting civilians to rape and other violence .
Mr. Zoellick arrived in the war-torn Darfur region Friday to assess the security and humanitarian crisis that has left tens of thousands of people dead and has displaced more than two million others .
He is scheduled to meet with Sudanese officials later .
Earlier , the U.S. diplomat met the head of the African Union mission in Sudan Said Djinnit .
Both agreed that security remains unacceptably low and that an increase in the number of peacekeepers and an expansion of their presence is essential to restoring civility .
A mutilated Afghan woman , who appeared on a recent cover of Time magazine , has arrived in the United States where she will undergo reconstructive surgery .
The 18-year-old , named Aisha , will decide with doctors at the Grossman Burn Foundation in Los Angeles in the U.S. western state of California how to replace her nose , which was sliced off by her abusive husband .
Her ears were also hacked off .
Aisha , who has been identified only by her first name , says her nose was cut off as punishment by the Taliban for running away from her abusive husband and in-laws .
Activists and human rights workers say they are glad Aisha is getting treatment , but note that thousands of other women continue to be victims of domestic violence in Afghanistan .
U.N. official says Secretary-General Kofi Annan has written a letter to Iran 's new president , Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , demanding the release of a jailed dissident journalist .
The official , speaking on condition of anonymity because Iran had not yet received the letter , said Mr. Annan is seeking Akbar Ganji 's immediate release on humanitarian grounds .
Mr. Ganji was jailed in 2001 , after writing news stories linking public officials to the murders of political dissidents .
Two months ago , he began a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment .
He remains in government custody at a Tehran hospital and is believed to be in critical condition .
Iranian officials say Mr. Ganji has ended the hunger strike .
But his wife told VOA she could not confirm the claim because she had been denied access to her husband .
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his Christian Democratic Union challenger , Angela Merkel , are so close together in the latest pre-election polls that they have both vowed to break with tradition and campaign straight through the end of voting on Sunday evening .
Two polls released on Friday indicate a conservative coalition led by Ms. Merkel has a slim majority over a center-left coalition led by Mr. Schroeder .
However , 25 percent of those polled say they are still undecided , which makes the race too close to call .
The conservatives started out the campaign with a large lead , one that has decreased as Mr. Schroeder 's attacks on Ms. Merkel 's economic plan have hit home .
Ms. Merkel has assailed the high unemployment rate in Germany under Mr. Schroeder 's leadership , while Mr. Schroeder says Ms. Merkel 's tax proposals will unravel the country 's social fabric .
The head of the Arab League has stressed the Arab world 's ties with Iraq 's Kurds during a visit to the country 's autonomous Kurdish region .
Amr Moussa addressed the Kurdish parliament Sunday , telling lawmakers that Kurds are an important part of Iraq and the entire Middle East .
Mr. Moussa is in Iraq for his first visit since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 .
He has proposed holding a conference to help reconcile Iraq 's Sunni Arab , Shi'ite and Kurdish communities .
Meanwhile , insurgents killed at least 11 people in attacks across Iraq Sunday .
In the deadliest attack , a roadside bomb killed a police officer and his four children in Tikrit .
And the U.S. military says soldiers killed two suspected members of al-Qaida in Iraq and detained 22 others during raids in Mosul and Ramadi .
Police in Australia say they have charged eight people with involvement in an illegal Asian World Cup betting ring .
New South Wales police said Wednesday they took six men from Hong Kong and two Malaysian women into custody after raiding a hotel in central Sydney .
Officers from a special South East Asian Crime Squad seized computers , networking equipment , calculators , mobile phones , documents and cash .
In a statement , police say the eight were part of an Asian betting operation and that they flew into Australia three days ago .
They were charged with unlicensed bookmaking under Australia 's Unlawful Gaming Act and are due to appear in court on July 4 .
The accused have been turned over to immigration department officials pending their court appearance .
World oil prices hit a new record high Monday of nearly $ 64 a barrel .
The price of crude oil for future delivery was as high as $ 63.95 a barrel in New York trading .
Analysts say the rising prices reflect security concerns in the world 's largest oil producer , Saudi Arabia .
The United States has temporarily closed its embassy in the Saudi capital , along with some other diplomatic facilities in the country , after threats of terrorist attacks .
Australia and Britain also warned of possible attacks .
Experts say oil prices also are being pushed upward by problems at refineries .
Crude oil prices are at least 40 percent higher today than they were one year ago .
Thousands of Buddhist pilgrims gathered at a temple in southern Russia Tuesday to join prayers led by the Dalai Lama , who has been allowed in the country for the first time in more than 12 years .
The Tibetan spiritual leader was visiting the Khurul Monastery during the second day of this three-day visit to Russia 's Buddhist region of Kalmykia .
China has criticized Moscow 's decision to grant the Dalai Lama a visa , saying Beijing does not approve of any country allowing him to engage in what China calls separatist activities .
Russian officials say they issued him a visa with the expectation he would not engage in any political activities .
Moscow has rejected visa requests from the Dalai Lama at least three times in the past .
The Ukrainian parliament has ousted the government of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in a no-confidence vote .
A majority of 243 lawmakers in the 450-member chamber on Wednesday approved the no-confidence measure brought by the party of Regions led by newly-elected President Viktor Yanukovych .
Mr. Yanukovych defeated Ms. Tymoshenko in a presidential runoff election last month .
Under Ukraine 's constitution , the Tymoshenko government is automatically required to resign , although it can stay on as a caretaker until a new government is appointed .
Ms. Tymoshenko earlier indicated she would resign immediately , if the no-confidence measure was approved .
A newly released poll shows Americans may be ready to change the political party in control of Congress .
An Associated Press / Ipsos poll released Friday found that 49 percent of those surveyed would like to see opposition Democrats in control of Congress while 36 percent favored the ruling Republicans .
Midterm elections will not be held until November .
Inside the House of Representatives , a petition has begun circulating among Republicans calling for the election of new party leadership .
Former House Leader Tom Delay relinquished his leadership position in Congress when he was indicted on money-laundering charges but said he would reclaim the post when he clears himself of the charges .
Republican house members say recent reports of Mr. Delay 's association with a disgraced lobbyist make his timely return to leadership unlikely .
Spain has announced its Davis Cup tennis team that will host the United States in the final next month in Seville .
The team members are Juan Carlos Ferrero , Carlos Moya , Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo , the same players Spain used to beat the Netherlands in the quarterfinal and France in the semifinal .
Moya is the highest ranked player on the team at number five .
Robredo is next at 13th .
The United States announced its team for the final last month , and it will be headed by world number two Andy Roddick .
The Davis Cup final is set for December 03-May .
The United States has won the cup a record 31 times but this is the first final since 1997 for the Americans , who last took the title in 1995 .
Spain won the Davis Cup in 2000 .
The trial of scores of soldiers and a dozen civilians accused of plotting a series of coups in Mauritania resumed Tuesday , despite a boycott by defense lawyers protesting the arrest of a colleague .
The defense lawyers walked out on Monday after the judge jailed one of them for what he called a lack of discipline .
A handful of suspects were questioned during Tuesday 's proceedings , but all refused to give any answers since their lawyers were absent .
Those on trial include two opposition leaders and former Mauritanian President Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah .
They said they will plead innocent to the charges .
There are a total of 181 suspects accused of taking part in successive coup plots against current President Maaouiya Ould Taya since last year .
The United States has launched an advertisement campaign on Pakistani television and radio offering multi-million dollar rewards for information leading to the arrest of Osama bin Laden and 13 other al-Qaida leaders .
The brief television commercial which shows pictures of Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri , offers a $ 25 million reward for each of them and a lesser amount for the others .
The ad also promises resettlement and witness protection for informants and their families .
A key ally in Washington 's war on terror , Pakistan has already captured about 500 al-Qaida suspects and handed them over to the United States .
U.S. officials believe bin Laden and other key militants have been hiding along the rugged border between Pakistan and Afghanistan .
U.S. and Russian officials have opened a customs control center in Moscow aimed at improving Russia 's ability to prevent illegal trafficking in nuclear-related materials .
Before the center opened Thursday , customs offices along Russia 's expansive border regions communicated with their Moscow headquarters primarily by telephone .
The new U.S.-funded center provides electronic data transfer between the outposts and Moscow .
Russian officials say the customs offices managed to block 200 attempts to take radioactive materials into or out of the country last year .
Since 1998 , the United States has spent millions of dollars to assist Russia in preventing trafficking in nuclear materials and equipment .
Afghan military officials say a suspected bomb has exploded among fuel tankers outside the main base for the U.S.-led coalition force in southern Afghanistan .
The officials say two fuel tankers exploded outside the base near Kandahar city early Friday , setting fire to eight others .
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties .
The blast came amid a major surge in violence by Taleban-led rebels that has left more than 1,400 dead in the past six months and raised concern for Afghanistan 's fragile democracy .
Violence has risen sharply in and around Kandahar , a former Taleban stronghold , with four suicide bombings in recent weeks and five medical aid workers killed Wednesday as they were returning to the city after treating people at a nearby refugee camp .
Russian environmental officials have detected an increase in the level of cancer-causing benzene in the Amur River , but they said it is not clear if it is from the November 13 Chinese chemical spill .
Officials in Russia 's far east said it could take several more days before the worst of the spill reaches Russian territory .
Also Wednesday , scientists with the non-profit World Wildlife Fund rejected claims that the toxic slick poses less of a threat as it becomes diluted .
They said the full extent of the damage may not be understood until well after the spring thaw , when melting ice frees trapped chemicals .
An explosion at a Chinese factory two weeks ago released some 100 tons of cancer-causing agents .
They are now flowing down China 's Songhua River towards Russia , forcing cities to shut down water systems over contamination fears .
Cuba and Brazil have remembered Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat with praise and have restated their support for his dream of a Palestinian state .
Cuban President Fidel Castro Thursday declared three days of official mourning for Mr. Arafat , saying the pain of the Palestinian leader 's loss was Cuba 's pain .
In a commentary , Cuba 's Communist Party newspaper , Granma , called Mr. Arafat one of the " firmest , most prestigious and tireless fighters for the Arab cause . "
It called his life a struggle for liberation , the defense of his people 's rights , and a sovereign and independent Palestine .
In Brazil , President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called Mr. Arafat a historic leader and sent his condolences .
He called for peace in the Middle East and a free and sovereign Palestinian state .
Venezuela 's president is urging President Bush to use his second term in office to strengthen ties with Latin American nations .
President Hugo Chavez says he hopes President Bush 's foreign policy agenda will include efforts aimed at repairing strained relations with Venezuela .
The statement comes as President Chavez arrived in Santo Domingo Saturday for a meeting with Dominican President Leonel Fernandez .
The relationship between Venezuela and the U.S. has been troubled since 2002 , when Washington endorsed a coup that briefly ousted President Chavez from office .
The Associated Press quotes the Dominican President as saying his country is willing to serve if it can be helpful in mediating a return to good relations between Venezuela and the U.S.
Venezuela and Cuba have signed 16 new cooperation agreements , including accords on telecommunications , tourism and the economy .
The agreements were signed in Caracas Wednesday by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage .
During a news conference with Lage , Mr. Chavez said his ailing friend , Cuban leader Fidel Castro , is recovering following intestinal surgery last year and has been up and walking around .
The Venezuelan president showed a letter that Mr. Chavez said was signed by Mr. Castro .
Last week , Mr. Chavez said Mr. Castro was in a battle for his life .
The Cuban government treats Mr. Castro 's health as a state secret .
Mr. Castro has not been seen in public since late July when he underwent surgery .
At the time , he temporarily handed power to his younger brother , Defense Minister Raul Castro .
Two senior U.S. envoys have delayed a trip to the Middle East this week after Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon suffered a major stroke .
A State Department spokesman said the trip , set to begin Thursday , would be rescheduled .
The envoys were to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials in an effort to prevent delays in Palestinian legislative elections set for January 25 .
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said he may postpone the vote if Israel makes good on a threat to block voting in East Jerusalem .
Thursday , Mr. Abbas expressed concern for Mr. Sharon 's medical condition , but said it would not affect the election .
In Jerusalem , Israel 's acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the Israeli government is fully operational .
Officials said Israeli elections set for March 28 will be held as scheduled .
Afghan officials say a roadside bomb killed six civilians and wounded nine others Sunday in southern Kandahar province .
There has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing .
Roadside bombs are a favorite weapon of Taliban insurgents in their campaign against foreign forces and the Afghan government , but civilians often fall prey to the explosions .
U.S. and NATO commanders have warned of an increase in violence as international and Afghan forces work to clear the south of Taliban insurgents .
In other developments Sunday , the Dutch are scheduled to withdraw the last of their 1,600-member force from Afghanistan .
And in the Afghan capital , Kabul , hundreds of demonstrators protested the killing of 52 civilians in a NATO rocket strike .
NATO disputes the report of civilian deaths in the Helmand province attack .
Vice President Dick Cheney says the Bush administration will continue " full speed ahead " with its Iraq war policy , no matter which party takes control of U.S. Congress in Tuesday 's elections .
In a television interview to be aired Sunday , Cheney acknowledges the conflict is not popular with the American public , but says the administration is doing what it thinks is right .
Recent polls suggest the opposition Democratic Party is poised to take control of the House of Representatives , and possibly the Senate .
The vice president repeated the administration 's assertion that Democrats do not have a concrete plan on Iraq .
He also says the opposition will not extend the tax cuts President Bush successfully pushed through Congress in 2001 .
Police in Istanbul have arrested 63 people taking part in a demonstration ahead of International Women 's Day .
A crowd of 150 people had gathered in front of the mayor 's office in an early observance of the March 8 celebration .
Police ordered them to disperse , saying their rally was illegal .
The protesters refused , and continued to chant slogans .
Television footage showed police using pepper spray and truncheons to break up the demonstration .
Many in the crowd dispersed , fleeing into side streets .
Authorities say demonstrators broke the windows of a police vehicle in the process .
Police also broke up a second demonstration of about 250 people in the Beyazit district .
There were no reports of arrest .
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held separate talks in Cairo Sunday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders , as well as the US Middle East peace envoy .
Sunday 's meetings focused on ways to encourage the two sides to return to direct negotiations .
The Associated Press quotes Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit as saying the basis to move from indirect to direct talks is still " lacking . "
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he wo n't negotiate directly with Israel until there is progress on issues including borders , security and Israeli settlement construction .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to move to direct talks .
US envoy George Mitchell has been in the region for indirect talks with both Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Abbas .
The head of China 's environmental protection agency has resigned following a chemical spill that polluted a major river and forced the shutdown of water supplies in parts of the country 's northeast .
The official Xinhua news agency reported the resignation Friday , but did not provide details .
Meanwhile , China 's foreign ministry says it is sending Russia 150 tons of activated charcoal to help filter pollution from the toxic chemical slick moving along the Amur river toward the Russian city of Khabarovsk .
Earlier this week , Russian environmental officials reported higher levels of benzene in the river , but said it is not clear if the toxic chemical is from the massive spill in China two weeks ago .
A November 13 explosion at a factory dumped 100 tons of poisonous chemicals into China 's Songhua river .
The environmental group Worldwide Fund for Nature is warning that illegal fishing is driving the bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic to extinction .
The WWF says in a new report that annual fishing quotas for the bluefin are exceeded by more than 40 percent .
It calls the European Union , Libyan , and Turkish fishing fleets the biggest offenders .
The report says some unreported bluefin catches are quickly processed at sea before being shipped to Japan , where the fish is one of the most popular portions of sushi dinners .
The WWF is urging European officials to call for an immediate halt to Atlantic bluefin fishing to give the species time to recover .
It says it will call for a consumer boycott in the United States and Japan if no action is taken .
Palestinian medical officials say an Israeli airstrike has killed two Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip .
The Israeli military has confirmed the attack , saying its helicopter targeted two men who were firing rockets across the border into Israeli territory .
The Islamic Jihad militant group claimed responsibility .
The airstrike was launched after rockets fired from northern Gaza exploded in the Israeli town of Sderot .
One Israeli was wounded .
Earlier Sunday , Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Hamas gunmen in northern Gaza .
The Israeli army confirmed that its troops shot two Palestinians who approached the border fence .
Israeli troops often shoot at Palestinians who approach the fence in an effort to prevent infiltrations by militants .
Israel also conducts raids into Gaza to stop militants from launching rockets into Israel .
Afghan and NATO forces have killed 20 Taleban militants during fighting in southern Afghanistan .
A local police chief says the clash occurred late Wednesday in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province .
The police chief says three of the 20 Taleban fighters ' bodies were found .
Authorities say there were no injuries among Afghan or NATO forces .
Militant attacks have soared in recent months in Afghanistan .
More than 3,000 people have been killed this year as Afghan , NATO and U.S. forces battle Taleban fighters .
President Bush has called on the U.S. Congress to pass a defense spending bill before it goes on recess next month .
Mr. Bush made the comment Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council ( ALEC ) .
The organization is made up of state lawmakers who draft " model legislation . "
During his speech , the president said Congress has been " dragging its feet " in getting 12 spending bills to him , including the defense bill .
On the economy , Mr. Bush stressed the need to keep taxes low , which he said has yielded a strong economy .
On education , the president said Congress needs to reauthorize his " No Child Left Behind " legislation in order to close what he called an " achievement gap " in America .
Mr. Bush concluded his speech by speaking of securing the United States from terrorists .
A U.S.-based rights group says Chinese authorities arrested two elderly Roman Catholic priests in the days before the death of Pope John Paul .
The Cardinal Kung Foundation , which supports the underground Catholic Church in China , said in a press release Sunday that authorities detained Bishop Yao Liang last Thursday .
The foundation said that before his arrest , Bishop Yao , who is in his eighties , had been under mounting pressure from authorities to sever ties with the pope and join China 's official Catholic Church .
The statement said that on Friday , Father Wang Jinling , also in his eighties , was arrested too .
The foundation said it does not know why he was detained or where he is being kept .
Officials in Afghanistan say the commander of a pro-government militia force has been killed by a roadside bomb in an attack blamed on Taleban insurgents .
Officials say the commander was killed Friday , when his car was hit by the blast in southern Helmand province .
Reuters news agency identifies the victim as Shadi Khan -- the former chief of Deshu district police .
Hours earlier , a government official was killed in an ambush in neighboring Zabul province .
Violence has spiraled in recent weeks after a winter lull in fighting , with repeated attacks on Afghan security forces and U.S.-led coalition troops .
Taleban fighters have been waging an insurgency since U.S.-led forces ousted the hard-line Afghan government in the aftermath of the September 11 , 2001 attacks on the United States .
Kosovo 's delegation for possible talks on the future of the United Nations-run province has met for the first time and stressed it would seek independence for the largely ethnic-Albanian region .
After the meeting , Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova said seeking unification of Kosovo with Albania would create more problems .
He says an independent Kosovo is the best solution for the Balkans .
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Wednesday said he will soon decide whether to start the Kosovo talks .
Kosovo is officially part of Serbia , and authorities in Belgrade oppose any change in that status .
Meanwhile , the International Committee of the Red Cross says Kosovo and Serbian authorities have identified the remains of 200 more people unaccounted for since the conflict of the late 1990s and returned them to their families in the past few months .
But it says there is no word on the fate of additional 2,500 .
A man described as an Israeli army deserter shot and killed four people near a northern Israeli-Arab town , but was then killed by a huge mob of angry townspeople .
Israeli media quote witnesses as saying the mob killing came shortly after the Israeli opened fire aboard a bus Thursday afternoon near the Israeli-Arab town of Shfaram .
Witnesses say two girls and the bus driver were among the dead .
At least 12 others were wounded before locals stormed the bus and killed the gunman .
He was identified as a religious deserter from the army who refused to take part in the upcoming Israeli pullout of the Gaza Strip .
Israeli news reports say the shooter was a member of the outlawed extremist Kach party .
Spanish police have arrested four Moroccans suspected of having direct links to last year 's Madrid commuter train bombings that killed 191 people .
An Interior Ministry statement says police detained the four Tuesday in a Madrid suburb .
It says the four , all members of the same family , are believed to have ties to Morocco 's Islamic Combat Group , an al-Qaida-linked movement blamed for bombing attacks in November 2003 , in Casablanca , Morocco , that killed 45 people .
Police also say they issued an international arrest warrant for another Moroccan , Youssef Belhadj , who currently lives in Belgium .
Spanish authorities say they believe the suspect appeared on a videotape claiming that al-Qaida had carried out the attacks on four Madrid commuter trains , which also wounded about 1,900 people .
Russia 's embattled oil giant Yukos says a Moscow court has frozen the company 's stake in the Sibneft oil firm .
The business daily Vedomosti says the action could pave the way for the 34.5 percent stake to be seized if authorities prove it was acquired with illegal funds .
Yukos was to merge with Sibneft , but that deal was called off following the arrest last year of then-Yukos chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky .
Mr. Khodorkovsky has remained in prison and is currently on trial for tax evasion and fraud .
Meanwhile , Yukos is struggling to pay billions of dollars in back taxes .
Critics say the extensive probe is politically motivated because Mr. Khodorkovsky was a supporter of the political opposition .
The Kremlin insists the actions are part of a crackdown on corruption .
Several civilians - including children - have died in separate violent incidents in Afghanistan .
In southern Helmand province , a suicide bomber Friday detonated explosives near a military compound in Sangin town , killing two children .
Also Friday , the U.S. military said that several other civilians were killed during a battle between Taleban insurgents and Afghan troops backed by U.S.-led coalition forces in the southeast .
The joint force came under attack during a raid on compounds suspected of housing militants in Paktika province .
The U.S. military says that several Taleban fighters also died .
Afghan leaders have repeatedly called on the nearly 50,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan to avoid causing civilian deaths .
The U.S.-led coalition and NATO-led forces have blamed the Taleban for launching attacks from within civilian compounds and from populated areas .
Afghanistan is going through its worst period of violence since a U.S.-led invasion in 2001 ousted the Taleban government .
Chad 's government is extending emergency measures by six months in an effort to quell ethnic conflicts in the country 's east .
Prime Minister Pascal Yoadimnadji told lawmakers that more time is needed to restore peace and reconciliation .
He also accused the government in neighboring Sudan of fueling the conflict .
Sudan denies the claim .
Chad first declared a state of emergency last week , because of fighting between ethnic Arab and ethnic African communities .
Officials say 400 people have died in recent attacks , and thousands of others have fled their homes .
United Nations officials say Chadian villagers described being attacked by Arab nomads from Chad and western Sudan .
U.N. officials and aid workers say they fear the conflict in Sudan 's Darfur region between rebels and pro-government forces is spreading to Chad .
An Iraqi member of al-Qaida has confessed to killing a Jordanian taxi driver and kidnapping two employees of Morocco 's embassy in Baghdad .
The confession of Ziyad Khalaf Karbouli was broadcast Tuesday on Jordanian state TV .
Jordanian TV says Karbouli worked as a customs agent on the Iraqi side of the border with Jordan .
In his confession , Karbouli described how he shot the Jordanian driver Khaled Desouki twice in the head .
Karbouli says he kidnapped the two Moroccans last October as they returned to Iraq after visiting Amman .
Jordanian TV credited the country 's intelligence service and its special forces with the capture without releasing details .
It is unclear whether the kidnapped Moroccans are still alive .
Zimbabwe 's state-run Herald newspaper says authorities have temporarily closed a school where at least 53 students were sexually abused .
The Herald reports that five suspects , including a teacher and a caretaker , carried out the abuse at the school in the southeastern town of Macheke .
The paper says 16 girls were repeatedly abused by one person and infected with sexually transmitted diseases .
The Herald quotes Zimbabwean Education Minister Aeneas Chigwedere as saying the school closed a week early and all staff were transferred immediately .
It says the school will re-open on September 1 under a new administration .
Hospital officials in Israel say the condition of comatose former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has deteriorated further .
A statement issued Monday from the Tel Aviv hospital where Mr. Sharon is being treated says the former prime minister has a new chest infection and his urine output has decreased significantly .
The 78-year-old Mr. Sharon has been unconscious since early January when he suffered a massive stroke .
Pakistan says it will consider extraditing Taleban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi to Afghanistan if the Afghan government makes a formal request .
Pakistani officials say Mr. Hakimi was detained with five other suspected Taleban members in a raid this week on a house on the outskirts of Quetta , capital of Pakistan 's Baluchistan province bordering Afghanistan .
Afghan President Hamid Karzai told France 's LCI television Wednesday his country would seek the extradition of Mr. Hakimi , saying he is responsible for many atrocities in Afghanistan .
A Pakistani foreign ministry spokeswoman said the ministry has seen the reports , but has not formally received a request from Afghanistan for the extradition of Mr. Hakimi .
Pakistani intelligence officials say they have been questioning Mr. Hakimi about his links with senior Taleban leaders , the organization and structure of the Taleban , and to determine how he was operating in Pakistan .
Iraqi political leaders are continuing efforts to win support from Sunni Arabs for a new constitution , before Saturday 's national referendum on the draft .
Iraq 's majority Shi'ites and Kurds support the draft , but minority Sunni Arabs oppose it , fearing that they will be sidelined under the proposed federal system .
In another development , Iraq 's anti-corruption commission says arrest warrants have been issued for some two dozen officials from the previous interim government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi .
The commission says the former senior officials , including former defense minister Hazem al-Shaalan , are suspected of embezzling more than $ 1 billion from military procurement funds .
Many of the accused are said to have left Iraq since the Allawi cabinet was replaced by an elected transitional government in April .
The European Commission says it will initiate legal action against France over that country 's failure to comply with European legal rulings in six cases dealing with environmental protection .
The Commission , the EU 's policy initiating body , says France has failed to react to several court rulings by the European Court of Justice since 2001 .
The cases relate to the protection of water , species and habitats , as well as waste treatment .
The Commission says that under the rulings , France must adjust its national environmental laws to bring them in line with EU regulations .
Otherwise , it says , France could incur fines .
The Associated Press quotes French officials as saying their government has made it a priority since 2002 to catch up on its delays in enforcing EU directives .
Business jumped 16 percent in the first half of the year for Dubai World 's global port operations .
The firm is the fourth-largest of its kind in the world and saw gains at ports it operates in Asia , Australia , and parts of Europe .
The company handled the equivalent of 23.7 million standard containers between January and June .
That is a significant gain from the same period a year ago when it moved a bit more than 20 million containers .
The company welcomes the growth , which comes after a steep decline in global trade during the economic crisis .
But managers say it is unclear if the growth will continue for the rest of the year .
Come one , Come all to the Inaugural Jameson Grill
The only fund raising event in the world where you can bring your entire family , other employees , or maybe even your neighbors .
Saturday , September 20 , 1997 , from 2.00 p.m. until 7.00 p.m. , marks a special day , as Jameson Camp will hold its first ever Jameson Grill .
A fund raiser dedicated to you and your family having fun ! !
For this event , when you purchase a corporate picnic table , you will be able to bring 16 people .
( and if you need room for a couple of more , we can swing that too ! )
The Grill will feature enough activities that you and your kids will have a tough time deciding what to do .
From basketball , kickball , volleyball , archery , crafts , an egg toss , and even a walk through our creek , you will have plenty to do to get you good and hungry .
Hungry , you bet ! We 'll prepare a hog roast and hot dogs for the kids , with all the fixings .
In addition , we will have soft drinks and a raffle , so that you can walk home with a great prize !
The Jameson Grill has been designed to be nothing but fun for you , your family , employees , and maybe even your neighbors .
Join in this wonderful event and help Jameson Camp continue to provide the year-round support that gives kids a chance to create dreams .
Simply fill out the enclosed card , and we will see you at the Grill !
One of our volunteers will be contacting you soon .
Questions ?
Call Pat Bray at 241-2661 or e-mail , [email protected]
Multiple waves of colonizers , each speaking a distinct language , migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century .
This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day .
The British and French , who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century , agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium , which administered the islands until independence in 1980 , when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted .
Founded in 963 , Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands .
It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839 but gained a larger measure of autonomy .
Full independence was attained in 1867 .
Overrun by Germany in both world wars , it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year .
In 1957 , Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community ( later the European Union ) , and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area .
Russia conquered the territory of present-day Uzbekistan in the late 19th century .
Stiff resistance to the Red Army after the Bolshevik Revolution was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic established in 1924 .
During the Soviet era , intensive production of " white gold " ( cotton ) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies , which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry .
Independent since 1991 , the country seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves .
Current concerns include terrorism by Islamic militants , economic stagnation , and the curtailment of human rights and democratization .
The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century ; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War .
In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth .
Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition .
In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II , and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944 - 45 to regain control .
On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence .
A 20-year rule by Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986 , when a " people power " movement in Manila ( " EDSA 1 " ) forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president .
Her presidency was hampered by several coup attempts that prevented a return to full political stability and economic development .
Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992 .
His administration was marked by increased stability and by progress on economic reforms .
In 1992 , the US closed its last military bases on the islands .
Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998 .
He was succeeded by his vice-president , Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO , in January 2001 after ESTRADA 's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another " people power " movement ( " EDSA 2 " ) demanded his resignation .
MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected to a six-year term as president in May 2004 .
Her presidency was marred by several corruption allegations but the Philippine economy was one of the few to avoid contraction following the 2008 global financial crisis , expanding each year of her administration .
Benigno AQUINO III was elected to a six-year term as president in May 2010 .
The Philippine Government faces threats from several groups on the US Government 's Foreign Terrorist Organization list .
Manila has waged a decades-long struggle against ethnic Moro insurgencies in the southern Philippines , which has led to a peace accord with the Moro National Liberation Front and on-again / off-again peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front .
The decades-long Maoist-inspired New People 's Army insurgency also operates through much of the country .
TWO GAME COCKS were fiercely fighting for the mastery of the farmyard .
One at last put the other to flight .
The vanquished Cock skulked away and hid himself in a quiet corner , while the conqueror , flying up to a high wall , flapped his wings and crowed exultingly with all his might .
An Eagle sailing through the air pounced upon him and carried him off in his talons .
The vanquished Cock immediately came out of his corner , and ruled henceforth with undisputed mastery .
Pride goes before destruction .
The Minnesota Fish and Game Comission wanted to develop a fish that would offer more for their sportsmen so they crossed a Coho with a Walleye and called it a Kowal .
It grew to a nice size and reproduced well but it would n't bite .
They crossed the Kowal with a Muskie and called it a Kowalski but they were so stupid they had to teach them how to swim .
If you owe the bank $ 100 , that 's your problem .
If you owe the bank $ 100 million , that 's the bank 's problem .
India says it would like the dispute over Iran 's nuclear program to be resolved through negotiations at the International Atomic Energy Agency , not the United Nations Security Council .
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters in New Delhi Wednesday that the matter should be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue .
The five permanent members of the Security Council have agreed to bring Iran before the powerful body .
But some other key nations have indicated they want to avoid going to the Council .
Mr. Singh declined to specify India 's stand on a possible Security Council referral .
He said he will review the issue in the " national interest . "
In September , New Delhi voted with the United States on an earlier IAEA resolution that could have led to Iran 's referral to the Council .
But the Indian government was severely criticized for that by its left-wing political allies at home .
The presidents of South Africa and Nigeria have arrived in Ivory Coast in another effort to resolve a standoff over the selection of a new prime minister .
Thabo Mbeki and Olusegun Obasanjo plan to hold talks with President Laurent Gbagbo , opposition leaders and rebels who control the northern half of Ivory Coast .
The parties have been unable to agree on a new prime minister who would run a caretaker government until elections scheduled for October 2006 .
Mr. Gbagbo canceled elections scheduled for October of this year and vowed to remain in office another 12 months , sparking anger among rebels and opposition leaders .
The Nigerian and South African leaders traveled Sunday from Mali , where they attended the France-Africa summit .
The president of Niger , Mamadou Tandja , is scheduled to join them for the talks in Abidjan .
U.S. Senator Al Franken says Laotian officials restricted his access to 4,500 Hmong refugees who were forcibly repatriated from Thailand last year .
The lawmaker traveled to Laos on Tuesday to observe the living conditions of the refugees .
He says he spoke with a group of 150 Hmong at village being built for them by the government , and took an aerial tour by helicopter .
Franken told reporters after his visit that he was " unhappy " with the amount of access he was granted .
He says he was accompanied by a high-ranking military official throughout his visit .
The Democratic senator represents Minnesota , which has one of the largest Hmong expatriate communities in the United States .
The senator traveled to Laos as part of a three-member delegation traveling to Vietnam this week , including Tom Harkin of Iowa and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont .
A legal group representing a detainee who committed suicide at Guantanamo Naval Base earlier this month is expressing concern that the Bush administration may intentionally dispose of evidence related to the case .
The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights this week sought court protection of evidence related to the death of its client , Ali Abdullah Ahmed al-Salami .
It said the Bush administration has failed to provide a death certificate or autopsy report since three Guantanamo inmates were found dead in their cells June 10 .
The motion also asks for an independent investigation into the suicides .
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told VOA that preservation of evidence is standard military practice and , in his words , " a vital part " of such an investigation .
But he said such evidence is not likely to be made public before the inquiry is complete .
Philippine Senator Benigno Aquino III has been formally declared the winner of the country 's presidential election .
A joint session of the upper and lower chambers of Congress formally proclaimed Mr. Aquino the Philippine 's 15th president Wednesday .
The president-elect won the May 10 automated elections in a landslide , garnering more than 15 million votes , while his closest challenger , ex-President Joseph Estrada , got only 9.4 million votes .
Mr. Aquino will take office on June 30 , succeeding President Gloria Arroyo , whose nine-year tenure has been marred by allegations of corruption and election fraud .
He campaigned on a platform of eliminating corruption and poverty .
Mr. Aquino is the son of the late President Corazon Aquino and Senator Benigno Aquino , Jr. , who was assassinated in 1983 at the Manila airport after returning from exile in the United States to challenge the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos .
Business owners in parts of the devastated city of New Orleans are being allowed back into the area to start clean-up and begin readying for re-opening .
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has called on business owners to return to the French Quarter and some other parts of the city -- but other officials are warning there may be limited or no electricity or clean running water .
Some residents will also be allowed to return to their homes Monday .
Less than half of New Orleans remains flooded , but dangers from downed power lines , natural gas leaks , toxic debris and other hazards remain .
Hurricane Katrina ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast on August 29 .
The death toll in five states is now more than 800 .
President Bush is calling on U.S. lawmakers to pass legislation that will limit jury awards in medical malpractice lawsuits .
During a speech in Illinois Wednesday , Mr. Bush promoted legislation that would limit damages awarded for pain and suffering to $ 2,50,000 .
The president says the bill is necessary to put a stop to lawsuits he calls " frivolous . "
The president says excessive jury awards from malpractice lawsuits are forcing doctors out of medicine , because they can not afford the rising costs of malpractice insurance premiums .
But critics say Mr. Bush 's bill favors big insurance companies and drug makers , and does nothing about the rising costs of prescription drugs and insurance premiums .
Mr. Bush made the issue one of the central themes during his re-election campaign .
Authorities in Indian Kashmir say monsoon rains have caused a house to collapse south of Srinagar , killing six members of a family .
One person was rescued from the debris .
Local officials say heavy rains also forced authorities to close the Himalayan region 's main highways , leaving thousands of motorists stranded .
Military units are on standby for flood relief operations .
Monsoon rains sweep through South Asia every year from June to September , killing hundreds of people .
They bring misery to millions of people , but are also crucial for the farm-dependent economies .
Iraqi police say a suicide attack in the northern city of Baiji has killed at least seven people and wounded at least 13 .
Police say the bomber rammed a vehicle into a police building in a residential area Saturday .
Baiji , about 250 kilometers north of Baghdad , has the country 's largest oil refinery and is a key export point for crude oil .
Also , a possible rocket or bomb attack has killed a local leader of the movement of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr .
Iraqi authorities say Uday Hamid and his wife and two children were killed in an explosion at their home south of Baghdad , in Numaniya .
In other news , the U.S. military says coalition forces killed 12 terrorists and detained 13 suspects in operations today targeting al-Qaida in Iraq networks in central and northern Iraq .
Every year , millions of tourists visit Washington 's National Mall .
Many come to participate in events that take place in the U.S. capital .
But the Mall , the 4 kilometer-long green space stretching from the Lincoln Memorial to the domed Capitol Building , is in trouble .
Producer Zulima Palacio has the story , narrated by Jim Bertel , about the Mall 's decay and the urgent need for repair .
India 's economy is growing at an unprecedented rate , prompting far-reaching changes that are rapidly transforming the country .
Among the most visible signs of the new India is a housing boom that targets the country 's growing middle class .
VOA 's Mil Arcega reports .
Egyptian security officials say the number of people killed by a rockslide in Cairo earlier this month is at least 95 , as the search continues for more bodies in the rubble .
The previous death toll was at least 80 , after giant rocks fell from the cliff above the impoverished Manshiyet Nasr neighborhood September sixth .
Angry residents have clashed with rescue workers over what they consider an inadequate response to the disaster .
Rescuers have had to work mostly by hand to remove debris because streets in the neighborhood are too narrow for large machinery .
Officials say rockslides are frequent in the area .
Families living there have appealed to authorities for safer housing .
The U.S. military says American and Iraqi forces have killed nine insurgents , including five suspected Syrians , in a village northwest of Baghdad .
U.S. military officials say the insurgents had fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at a U.S. and Iraqi patrol in Cykla .
The officials did not say when the clash occurred .
Washington and the Iraqi government say many insurgents in Iraq come from neighboring Arab countries .
On Thursday , insurgents killed seven people , including six Iraqi soldiers , in coordinated attacks in and around the capital .
The attacks came a day after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 's terrorist group ( al-Qaida in Iraq ) claimed to have murdered two kidnapped Algerian diplomats .
U.S. and Afghan forces report killing eight insurgents during fighting in southeastern Afghanistan and say they thwarted an attempted suicide bombing at a U.S. base .
Authorities in Zabul province say coalition forces raided a Taleban hideout Saturday , sparking a gunbattle during which eight militants were killed and three captured .
In Khost province Saturday , coalition forces detained a man outside a U.S. base after a grenade he was carrying failed to detonate .
A military statement says the assailant had several explosives hidden on his body when he approached Camp Salerno .
In central Uruzgan province Saturday , Afghan and U.S. troops killed one insurgent and captured six others .
The Taleban has stepped up attacks ahead of parliamentary elections next month .
Croatian General Ante Gotovina pleaded not guilty Tuesday to four new charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the murders of Croatian Serbs in 1995 .
Prosecutors at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in the Hague have charged Gotovina and two other Croatian officers , Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac , with the crimes .
Gotovina was arrested a year ago on Spain 's Canary Islands and remains in custody .
He had pleaded not guilty to earlier charges .
Cermak and Markac have been released to await their trial .
They appeared at Tuesday 's hearing via a video link , and also pleaded not guilty to new charges .
The Hague war crimes tribunal indicted General Gotovina in 2001 for his role in the deaths of civilians during a 1995 offensive through a Serb-held area of the country .
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told a forum of Arab leaders in Qatar to enact economic and political reforms or face increased unrest and extremism .
Clinton spoke Thursday in the capital , Doha , as she wrapped up a four-nation tour of the Persian Gulf .
The top U.S. diplomat said if leaders do not offer young people " meaningful ways to contribute , " then others are ready to fill the void .
Clinton said extremists and terrorist groups " who would prey on desperation and poverty " are already appealing for influence .
She also called for an end to corruption and for increased economic opportunities for women and minorities .
Clinton said the " new and dynamic Middle East " needs a firmer foundation in order to grow .
Her tour also included stops in Oman , Yemen and the United Arab Emirates .
Fifty-one people are believed to have killed in a fiery bus crash in China 's mountainous southwest .
China 's official Xinhua news agency reported the bus left the road and plunged 100 meters into a valley in Sichuan province .
Witnesses say they heard an explosion and saw black smoke rising from the crash site .
Xinhua says Sichuan 's provincial governor , Jiang Jufeng , was on his way to supervise rescue and recovery efforts .
There are no reports of any survivors .
The bus was on its way from Sichuan to Ningbo , a coastal city south of Shanghai in eastern Zhejiang province China 's roads are among the most dangerous in the world with accidents often caused by reckless driving , poor road conditions and overloaded vehicles .
Germany 's defense ministry says it is investigating photos published by a popular newspaper that appear to show German troops in Afghanistan posing with a skull .
The daily Bildnewspaper says the pictures were taken near Afghanistan 's capital , Kabul , in 2003 .
The paper says it does not know where the soldiers obtained the skull or how old it was .
German Defense Minister Josef Jung called the pictures disgusting and incomprehensible .
He said such behavior by German soldiers will not be tolerated .
Germany has about 2,800 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission .
Germany 's parliament voted last month to extend their deployment for another year .
The photos show the soldiers holding the skull up and fastening it to a vehicle like a hood ornament .
Another soldier is shown exposing himself next to the skull .
The newspaper did not say how it obtained the photos .
The head of the U.S. central bank says banks must be smarter about the ways they pay their executives , and government must find better ways to cope with the failure of large financial firms .
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke Friday to a group of community bankers in Phoenix in the western U.S. state of Arizona .
He said " poorly designed " compensation policies can create the wrong incentives and jeopardize the bank 's health .
Bernanke urged bankers to find ways to align executive pay with the long-term interests of the bank .
Bernanke spoke after $ 165 million in bonus payments to executives of the troubled AIG insurance company - which has been propped up with billions of dollars in taxpayers ' money - caused a huge political upheaval .
He also said the government must find a safer way to shut down large financial firms outside the banking sector without disrupting the entire financial system .
The United Nations mission in Liberia says it will respond strongly after threatening text messages were sent to the chief of the electoral commission .
National Elections Commission head Frances Johnson-Morris has told news organizations she laughed when she received two recent messages sent to her mobile phone .
But the U.N. mission in Liberia says it is taking the threats seriously , describing them as a serious impediment to the consolidation of peace and stability in Liberia .
The United Nations also says it will respond " robustly " to any threats of violence against individuals involved in the election process .
Liberians have been widely praised for holding peaceful and transparent elections on October 11 , the nation 's first post-war poll .
A presidential run-off vote is expected in November between the two top vote-getters , former football ( soccer ) star George Weah and former cabinet minister and World Bank economist Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf .
Pakistani officials say a U.S. missile strike has killed at least 10 militants in a tribal region of northwest Pakistan .
Officials say a drone attack Tuesday destroyed a militant compound in the Datta Khel region of North Waziristan .
The United States has regularly launched attacks by the unmanned planes on the district , which is a stronghold of al-Qaida and the Taliban .
Meanwhile , Pakistani police say an anti-Taliban militia in Kurram , another tribal region along the Afghan border , killed 10 Taliban fighters Tuesday .
The militia attacked the Taliban fighters after they attempted to kidnap one of its members .
Last week , Pakistani intelligence officials said two suspected U.S. drone strikes killed at least 12 people in the North Waziristan village of Mizarkhel .
Such attacks have killed senior members of al-Qaida and the Taliban , but have sparked criticism from Pakistan 's government .
United Airlines , the second largest carrier in the United States , is cutting additional jobs , grounding airplanes that use the most fuel , and slashing domestic flights to offset record fuel prices .
United Airlines announced Wednesday it will cut an extra 900 to 1,100 jobs by the end of the year .
The layoffs are in addition to 500 job cuts the carrier announced previously .
United is also grounding 100 of its least fuel-efficient aircraft , 94 Boeing 737s and six 747 airplanes .
The carrier will also slash domestic flights 17 percent by the end of the year .
Last month , American Airlines , the largest carrier in the United States , announced similar measures to offset the high cost of fuel .
American Airlines said it would cut an undetermined number of jobs and slash domestic flights by up to 12 percent .
A British security firm says four of its employees have been killed and 15 others wounded in an attack in Baghdad 's heavily fortified " Green Zone , " which houses the Iraqi government and the U.S.-led coalition .
A spokesman for the " Global Risk Strategies " firm declined to say Friday what kind of attack occurred , but said the incident took place on Thursday .
The development came as Iraqi authorities said an Iraqi policeman was killed and three others wounded when insurgents attacked a police station late Thursday in Rashad , southwest of the northern city of Kirkuk .
Also Friday , the U.S. military said Marines have cleared more than half the houses of weapons in the restive city of Fallujah , after mounting an offensive to crush the city 's rebels .
On Thursday , a large cache of weapons and an apparent chemical weapons laboratory was discovered in Fallujah .
Pakistan 's finance chief says the International Monetary Fund has agreed to provide a $ 7.6 billion loan to help the country stabilize its economy .
Top economic advisor Shaukat Tareen says the loan will prevent Pakistan from defaulting on its foreign debt .
Tareen told reporters in Karachi Saturday that Pakistan will formally apply for the loan next week , but that the IMF has agreed to the deal .
Tareen says Pakistan expects its first IMF loan disbursements this year .
Pope John Paul II will miss the re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ , the first time he has not physically attended the ceremony in his 26-year pontificate .
Vatican officials say the 84-year-old pontiff may participate in the Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum through a video link depending on his health .
The pope was hospitalized twice within the past month and had a tube inserted in his throat to relieve breathing difficulties .
He has delegated other Church officials to preside over ceremonies leading up to Easter , including Friday 's Good Friday events .
Vatican officials say they expect the pope to deliver his Urbi et Orbi blessing on Easter Sunday , when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ .
A South African court says two farm workers accused of killing a white supremacist leader will remain in custody until at least next month .
Court officials said Wednesday that a bail hearing for suspect Chris Mahlangu has been postponed until May 10 at the request of the man 's lawyer .
Meanwhile , the French News Agency says the lawyer for an unidentified 15-year-old suspect has withdrawn a bail application .
Authorities have charged the two workers , both of them black , with murdering Afrikaner Resistance Movement founder Eugene Terre'Blanche .
Terre'Blanche was found bludgeoned to death on his farm west of Johannesburg earlier this month .
Police say the killing may have stemmed from a pay dispute .
The incident has heightened racial tensions in South Africa .
President Jacob Zuma has appealed for calm .
A suicide bomb attack on a convoy of Canadian troops in southern Afghanistan has killed three civilians , including a Canadian official .
Hospital sources in Kandahar city say another 12 people , including three Canadian soldiers , were wounded in Sunday 's blast .
Witnesses say the bomber slammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the convoy .
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin confirmed the Canadian casualties during an election campaign appearance in Quebec .
He offered condolences to the victim 's family , and described Canada 's presence in Afghanistan as essential to establishing peace and security there .
A purported spokesman for the Taleban claimed responsibility for the attack .
The Taleban has also claimed responsibility for Saturday 's killing in Kandahar of a former Taleban intelligence chief who renounced the group after it was ousted from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001 .
Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri says Islamabad is willing to seal its border with Afghanistan by building a fence to stop militants from infiltrating into Afghan territory .
Kasuri made the remark during Sunday talks with his Dutch counterpart , Bernard Bot , who suggested sealing the border during his visit in the Afghan capital , Kabul , a day earlier .
He also said that the fenced border should be jointly monitored by both Pakistani and Afghan security forces .
A Foreign Ministry statement says Bot welcomed Pakistan 's readiness to seal the Afghan-Pakistani border and told Kasuri he would discuss this with other NATO partners .
Afghan officials say Taleban leaders frequently find shelter in Pakistan .
Islamabad denies those accusations , saying it has deployed 80,000 troops in the rugged border region to hunt down Taleban and al-Qaida fugitives .
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is calling for presidential elections to be held four months earlier than an election date set by the country 's Independent Election Commission .
President Karzai issued a decree Saturday noting the constitution requires the vote to be held 30 to 60 days before his five-year term expires on May 21 .
The Independent Election Commission announced last month that it rescheduled the election for August 20 to give incoming U.S. forces time to stabilize the country .
The commission also said it needed time to work out logistical issues and wanted to avoid holding the vote during Afghanistan 's harsh winter weather .
Opposition leaders have insisted that President Karzai step down when his term expires in May and install a caretaker government .
U.S. support for the embattled president came into question after the Obama administration openly accused Mr. Karzai of failing to crack down on government corruption .
The Zambian government says President Levy Mwanawasa has suffered a stroke .
The president was hospitalized Sunday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh , where he was preparing to attend Monday 's summit of African Union leaders .
Zambian Vice President Rupiah Banda says in a statement Monday that Mr. Mwanawasa is being attended to by doctors and his condition is stable .
The Zambian president fell ill on Sunday after attending an AU committee meeting on United Nations reform .
An initial statement from Zambia 's foreign minister had described his ailment as a consequence of high blood pressure .
The AU summit has so far focused largely on the political crisis in Zimbabwe .
Mr. Mwanawasa is known as a critic of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe , but has said he will not comment on the current situation before AU leaders discuss the matter .
Brazil has agreed not to break a pharmaceutical patent on a crucial AIDS drug after a U.S. drug manufacturer agreed to significantly reduce the price of the drug .
The agreements were announced late Friday after 10 days of talks between Brazil 's government and Abbott Laboratories .
The drug manufacturer will cut prices , saving Brazil 's Ministry of Health over $ 259 million over the next six years .
Abbott also agreed to a technology transfer allowing Brazil 's state-run pharmaceutical labs to begin producing the drug Kaletra in 2009 .
Brazil had accused the U.S. drug maker with exorbitant pricing , and said the government planned to locally produce a cheaper generic copy of the patented drug .
Abbott denied the overpricing charges , and said Brazil 's plans were illegal .
Celebrations of the New Year 2005 were muted around the world as people remembered the tens of thousands of people killed or still suffering as a result of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster .
Thailand and Turkey canceled traditional fireworks displays and parties .
Malaysians and Indonesians took part in prayer services .
Most New Year 's Eve celebration 's that were held included a moment of silence for the victims as well as fund raising efforts for disaster relief .
Some reports also suggest as many as 10,000 visitors from outside Asia are still missing in the disaster zone .
Many Europeans were on Christmas holiday vacations at south Asian beach resorts and nearly 3,600 Swedes , 1,000 Germans and 700 Italians are still missing .
U.S. officials believe about 3,000 Americans were in south Asia but it is not clear how many of them were in dangerous areas .
U.S. Marines fighting in Fallujah say they have found the mutilated body of what appears to be a Caucasian woman .
A Marine patrol found the unidentified body in a street of the violence-torn Iraqi city .
Two Western women who also have Iraqi citizenship are known to have been kidnapped in Iraq .
Both have been missing since separate abductions last month .
They are British aid worker Margaret Hassan and Teresa Borcz , a native of Poland .
A spokesman for the African Union says all 38 peacekeepers who were kidnapped in Sudan 's troubled Darfur region have been released .
The spokesman said the hostages were released on Monday following a shootout between rival groups .
The peacekeepers were abducted Sunday in the town of Tine near Sudan 's border with Chad .
A dissident faction of Darfur 's rebel Justice and Equality Movement has been blamed for the kidnappings .
The kidnappings took place a day after two AU peacekeepers and two civilian contractors were killed in an ambush blamed on the main Darfur rebel group , the Sudan Liberation Army .
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan says attacks by rebels groups and criminal activity in Darfur have created a very dangerous situation for humanitarian workers .
He warned the government and rebels continued violence will impede humanitarian aid .
President Bush is to host Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas October 20 at the White House .
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in a statement Friday that Mr. Bush looks forward to discussing Palestinian efforts to improve governance , revive the economy , institute security reform , and fight terror .
Mr. McClellan said the leaders will discuss a wide range of other bilateral and regional issues .
The United States is making public and diplomatic appeals to Israel and the Palestinians to end the violence that has sent regional tensions soaring only weeks after Israel 's Gaza withdrawal .
The Indian cricket board has delayed the departure of its team for a test and limited-over series in Bangladesh , after a little-known militant group threatened to kill the Indian players .
In a letter mailed Thursday , a group calling itself Harkat-Ul-Zihad threatened to kill the Indians to avenge the deaths of Muslims killed during communal riots in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002 .
Indian cricket board president Ranbir Singh Mahendra said Sunday that the team , which had been scheduled to leave Tuesday , would not leave before Wednesday after receiving an advisory from the government .
He said the government is taking the threat seriously and the tour 's fate will be decided by the security delegation , which arrives in Dhaka on Monday .
The Indian cricketers had been slated to depart from the eastern city of Calcutta for Bangladesh on Tuesday to play two tests and three one-dayers .
Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko says she believes Viktor Yushchenko will nominate her as prime minister .
Ms. Tymoshenko , a top ally of the president-elect , said in Kiev Saturday that a written agreement with Mr. Yushchenko last year promised her the post .
She was a central figure in last year 's massive protests in Kiev against a flawed November presidential run-off vote .
Election officials had declared then-Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the winner of that balloting , but the Supreme Court threw out the results because of fraud and it ordered a December re-run .
Several other people have been named as possible candidates for prime minister , including parliamentarian Petro Poroshenko .
Ukraine 's Supreme Court begins hearings Monday on an election challenge by Mr. Yanukovych , who is alleging fraud in the December 26 re-run vote .
In U.S. politics , there are mounting calls for Senator Hillary Clinton to end her campaign for the Democratic Party 's presidential nomination .
Mathematically , observers say Clinton can not catch up with rival Senator Barack Obama in pledged delegates .
And prominent Democratic Party officials fear that an acrimonious fight between Clinton and Obama could lead to depressed turnout among Democratic voters in the general election .
But Clinton finds a strong defense from women 's rights activists who do not want her to quit the race .
VOA 's Leta Hong Fincher has more .
Witnesses say gunmen have opened fire on the motorcade of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh .
Palestinian officials say Mr. Haniyeh was not hurt in the attack Friday in Gaza .
The incident comes amid a power struggle between the ruling group Hamas of Prime Minister Haniyeh and the more moderate Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas .
The Associated Press reported that disgruntled relatives of a Fatah activist killed in recent fighting with Hamas were responsible for the attack .
The leader of Cyprus ' Orthodox Church has warned clerics critical of an upcoming visit by Pope Benedict that they must show the pontiff respect .
Archbishop Chrysostomos said Tuesday that freedom of expression is allowed in the Orthodox Church , but that clerics must not offend a guest like the Pope .
Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit Cyprus in early June at the invitation of Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias .
Several clerics have threatened to boycott the Pope 's visit .
One bishop told a Cypriot newspaper that the pope is a heretic and that it would be better if he did not visit .
Most Greek Cypriots are followers of the Greek Orthodox Church , which split with the Roman Catholic Church in the 11th century , but the island has a small Catholic community .
India 's government plans to spend nearly $ 13 million to create a special force to protect the endangered tiger population .
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram announced to parliament Friday that the money will be used to raise , arm and deploy a special tiger protection force .
A recent survey found India 's tiger population has declined to just over 1,400 from 3,600 in 2002 .
Chidambaram said the number should ring an alarm bell and that the tiger is under grave threat .
India 's government last month pledged to spend $ 150 million to create new tiger reserves and shift villages and tribal communities out of tiger habitats .
Officials have also opened a national wildlife crime bureau to counter the poaching of tigers and other endangered animals .
Tiger hunting is illegal worldwide .
Poachers often sell tiger skins and other body parts to China for use in traditional medicine .
Leaders of rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have opened talks in Saudi Arabia in efforts to end a deadly power struggle and form a unity government .
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah , Hamas ' exiled political chief Khaled Mashaal and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh are meeting in the Muslim holy city of Mecca .
Tuesday , the rival Palestinian leaders met separately with Saudi Arabia 's King Abdullah .
The Saudi monarch says he hopes the Palestinians will reach an agreement to " stop the bloodshed . "
Fighting between Hamas and Fatah erupted in December .
More than 90 Palestinians have been killed in street battles since then .
Fatah and Hamas have been locked in a power struggle since parliamentary elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip brought Hamas to power last year .
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has rejected charges he made anti-Semitic remarks last month .
Speaking to the Venezuelan parliament Friday , President Chavez said a call for an apology by the U.S.-based Simon Wiesenthal Center is part of what he called an " imperialist campaign . "
The Wiesenthal Center had asked Mr. Chavez to apologize for comments he made in a Christmas Eve speech regarding , " descendants of those who crucified Christ " and those who " took the world 's riches for themselves . "
A group of Venezuelan Jewish leaders on Friday defended the president and criticized the Wiesenthal Center for speaking out without consulting the Venezuelan Jewish community .
The group says Mr. Chavez did not specifically target Jews in his speech .
The group also said the world 's Jews must learn to work together .
Syria 's ruling Baath party has endorsed political and security reforms that include relaxing the country 's long-standing state of emergency laws .
Other recommendations include allowing greater media freedoms , more political parties and provisions for addressing grievances of the country 's Kurdish community , which has long complained of discrimination .
The party recommendations were broadcast Thursday on Syrian state news media .
They are expected to be voted on by the full party congress later today , but are still a long way from being implemented by parliament .
Analysts say it could take more than a year for the recommendations to take effect , and that they could be changed before then .
The Baath Party has held power since 1963 , and comes under frequent criticism for alleged human rights violations and repressive emergency laws .
China 's official news agency says 96 miners are missing following an explosion at a coal mine in the country 's northern province of Hebei .
In the country 's latest mine accident , Xinhua said some 123 people were underground when the blast occurred , but 27 later escaped .
Overall , at least 171 people have died in Chinese mine accidents in the last two weeks .
At a coal mine in Henan province , officials said divers would search flooded mine shafts for 42 workers missing since Friday when a nearby river overflowed .
Attempts to pump water out of the mine have been unsuccessful .
China 's mines are the deadliest in the world , with thousands of miners killed each year .
The recent series of deadly accidents .
Colombian security forces say they are investigating an alleged attempt to kill President Alvaro Uribe after an explosion in a building close to an airport , shortly before the president 's arrival there .
Officials say the blast occurred Thursday in the city Neiva about 230 kilometers south of Bogota .
They found what appeared to be a homemade rocket and two grenades .
The officials believe the devices exploded prematurely and suspect the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia , FARC , may be behind the alleged plot .
President Uribe later arrived safely at the airport .
With the support of the United States , Mr. Uribe is waging a campaign against armed insurgents in Colombia .
A Kenyan minister personally intervened to help police rescue five singers who say they were being held against their will in a Nairobi nightclub .
Kenyan police say Immigration Minister Jebii Kilimo received a text message about the women on her mobile phone , and alerted police , who raided the nightclub late Tuesday and rescued the singers .
The five Indian women claimed their travel documents had been confiscated when they arrived in Kenya .
They say they were forced to sing in the club , and were locked up during the day .
Authorities say Ms. Kilimo took the women to an unknown destination for safe custody .
Kenyan police are investigating the incident .
Pope Benedict XVI has extended greetings to Orthodox Christians as they celebrate Christmas Eve on the Julian calendar .
The pontiff made his comment Friday to thousands of pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter 's Square as Roman Catholics celebrated the feast of the Epiphany saying the light of Christianity continues to spread .
In Moscow , the head of the Russian Orthodox Church , Patriarch Alexy , urged believers to mark Christmas with good deeds .
Russia 's Itar-Tass news agency says he urged the faithful to pool their efforts to allow the joy of Christmas to enter every home .
Russia 's Orthodox Church did not accept the " new " calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XII in 1582 , and celebrates Christmas about two weeks later than most Christians .
Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a Christmas Eve service at a cathedral in the Siberian city of Yakutsk .
The head of Cuba 's parliament is offering to support Iran in its fight to develop nuclear energy within Iranian borders .
Speaker of parliament Ricardo Alarcon voiced solidarity Thursday in a meeting with the visiting speaker of Iran 's parliament , Gholam Ali Haddad Adel .
Iran resumed enrichment of uranium for nuclear fuel earlier this week , despite international pressure against the move .
Haddad Adel is on a two-day visit to Cuba after spending Wednesday in Venezuela , where he thanked the government for its support on nuclear issues .
Before leaving Cuba , he is expected to meet with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Vice President Carlos Lage .
Venezuela and Cuba have both opposed a move by the U.N. nuclear agency to report Iran as noncompliant with atomic energy regulations .
China 's minister for Taiwan affairs arrives in Washington Tuesday for talks with U.S. officials .
A U.S. State Department spokesman says Chen Yunlin will meet with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and other officials for talks on a variety of issues between China and Taiwan , including China 's proposed anti-secessionist law .
China says the sole purpose of the legislation , to be considered by the country 's parliament in March , is to contain Taiwan 's separatist forces and promote peace and stability in the region .
Taiwan says the measure is aimed at suppressing the island .
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has threatened to take the island by force if it makes moves toward independence .
Russian news reports say a court ruled Monday that Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner are guilty of embezzling property .
The verdict means the two have been found guilty of stealing oil from Khodorkovsky 's now-defunct company Yukos .
The judge has yet to announce a sentence .
Former chief executive of Yukos , Khodorkovsky - once Russia 's richest man - and his partner , Platon Lebedev , are accused of embezzling 350 million tons of oil and laundering about $ 25 billion in proceeds .
Both defendants deny the charges , saying they were framed for opposing Kremlin policies .
Khodorkovsky is currently nearing the end of an 8-year sentence for fraud and tax evasion .
The widow of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl has sued al-Qaida , other radical groups and one of Pakistan 's largest banks , blaming them for the torture and murder of her husband .
In her lawsuit , Mariane Pearl alleges Habib Bank Limited knowingly provided financial services to charities linked to extremist groups .
It says with the bank 's backing , terrorists kidnapped , tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl and broadcast the images .
The suit seeks an unspecified amount of money .
Daniel Pearl was the South Asia bureau chief of the Journal when he was kidnapped in the Pakistani city of Karachi in January 2002 while seeking an interview with suspected Islamist militants .
A videotape of Pearl 's killing was sent to the U.S. embassy in Karachi .
British-born militant Omar Sheikh and three other men have been convicted of his murder .
The Palestinian parliament has approved the government proposed by Hamas , clearing the way for the Islamic militant group to take office .
Lawmakers voted on the Cabinet Tuesday , one day after Prime Minister-designate Ismail Haniyeh presented his government .
The approval was expected because Hamas holds a majority in the parliament .
On Monday , Mr. Haniyeh called on the Quartet of mediators - the United States , the European Union , Russia and the United Nations - to help reach peace in the Middle East .
But he added his militant group will not disarm or recognize Israel .
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says Hamas must take those steps before it can take part in talks .
The U.S. Senate Thursday confirmed General David Petraeus as the country 's top military commander in the Middle East .
Lawmakers voted 95 - 2 to make General Petraeus the new leader of the U.S. Central Command , which oversees American forces in the Middle East , East Africa and Central Asia .
The Senate is expected to approve the nomination of Lt. General Raymond Odierno to replace Petraeus as the top U.S. commander in Iraq .
General Petraeus helped quell growing disapproval of the war in Iraq by providing Congress with progress reports and warning that the sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops could plunge Iraq into chaos and reverse progress that had been made .
During his confirmation hearings in May , General Petraeus said he expected to recommend further troop withdrawals before leaving his post in September .
The recommendation would follow a 45-day assessment period over coming months .
The prime ministers of Ireland and Britain have presented Catholic leaders meeting in Dublin and Protestant leaders in London a blueprint aimed at breaking the deadlock on Northern Ireland power-sharing .
The plan offered Wednesday by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern includes a commitment by the Irish Republican Army to permit Catholic and Protestant clerics to witness the organization 's disarmament .
The IRA proposal falls short of the detailed arms inventory sought by hard-line Protestants but opposed by the Catholic Sinn Fein party .
The two prime ministers have given the Northern Ireland adversaries one week to respond in a first step toward a return to the power-sharing arrangement created under the 1998 Good Friday peace accord .
That agreement was abandoned two years ago after Protestant lawmakers accused their Sinn Fein counterparts of spying .
British prime minister says it wants other allies - not including the United States - to send another 5,000 troops as well .
The White House says President Bush will return to the stricken Gulf Coast Sunday - this time for an overnight visit in Louisiana .
Mr. Bush has received increasing criticism for the government response to the national disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina .
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday the president is still looking at ideas for a federal " czar " to coordinate relief efforts .
Mr. Bush thanked 100 countries around the world for their offers of assistance and support , singling out Afghanistan and Sri Lanka .
In New Orleans , authorities are stepping up pressure on residents who have refused to leave the devastated city to get out now .
Thousands of police and National Guard troops are going from house to house , trying to make everyone leave and marking homes where they find bodies .
An estimate 5,000 to 10,000 residents remain in New Orleans , despite contaminated floodwaters and several raging fires .
A United Nations spokesman has condemned the use of violence in the run-up to the Democratic Republic of Congo 's elections .
Spokesman Jean-Tobie Okala in Kinshasa says at least four people died Monday , including one National Army soldier , when heavily armed gunmen opened fire on a political rally in Congo 's North Kivu province .
At least six people were seriously injured in the attack .
The identity of the gunmen is unknown .
Speaking to VOA , Okala said the U.N. condemns the use of violence to , " push people around ahead of the election . "
Many opposition groups have accused the government of incumbent president Joseph Kabila of trying to gain an unfair advantage in the July 30 polls .
Some international election monitors warn the government is threatening the fairness of the electoral process through unjustified arrests and intimidation .
U.S. military officials have announced they are delaying the trial of an Australian man accused of fighting for Afghanistan 's ousted Taleban regime .
The presiding officer , Colonel Peter Brownback , granted the delay Wednesday to allow for what he called a full and fair trial of Australian David Hicks .
Mr. Hicks has been detained at Guantanamo Bay since he was captured in late 2001 .
Officials said the trial has been moved to March 15 from its originally scheduled date of January 10 .
David Hicks was among the first of the detainees at Guantanamo to be arraigned before a military tribunal .
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of aiding the enemy , conspiracy to commit war crimes and attempted murder while fighting alongside the Taleban .
Mr. Hicks ' father , Terry , welcomed the delay , saying the defense needs more time to plan its case .
Major oil companies have been reporting sharp increases in profits this week , sparking calls from some U.S. politicians for an investigation , a possible tax hike on profits , and new refinery construction to ease supply problems that boosted energy prices to record levels .
The latest third quarter profit report came from Chevron on Friday , showing a $ 3.6 billion net income , and a 12-percent hike in profit .
Earlier , oil giant ExxonMobil showed a 75 percent profit hike and a nearly $ 10 billion net .
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist , a Republican , has asked colleagues to question top oil company executives at congressional hearings .
Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton criticized Republicans for opposing a plan to help the poor pay heating bills , and urged oil companies to invest in new energy technologies .
Ecuador 's president , Rafael Correa , is set to travel to Saudi Arabia this week for the upcoming OPEC summit , 15 years after the country left the international oil cartel .
OPEC countries ' heads of states will meet in the Saudi capital , Riyadh , on Saturday November 17 for the two-day summit .
Ecuador left OPEC in 1992 , but officials announced last month the country would officially rejoin the cartel at its next summit .
Ecuador produces more than 5,00,000 barrels of crude oil a day , making it the fifth largest producer in South America .
Venezuela is the only other Latin American country in OPEC .
A Russian rights group says at least 2.5 million children in Russia are homeless .
The chairman of the group - known as " The Children are Russia 's Future " told reporters Wednesday over 30,000 children and teenagers go missing every year in Russia .
He also said over the past five years Russian authorities have uncovered 190 networks trafficking children .
Saturday , March 8th is International Women 's Day , a day to celebrate the economic , political and social achievements of women .
One woman who has been an inspiration for women in Afghanistan is Massouda Jalal , who ran for the nation 's highest office in its first presidential election in October 2004 .
Although Jalal attracted enthusiastic and widespread support , Afghanistan 's current President Hamid Karzai ultimately defeated her .
Now a new documentary film called " Frontrunner " is re-examining Massouda Jalal 's presidential run .
As VOA 's George Dwyer reports the film is offering viewers some important insights , about personal courage and political transformation .
Jim Bertel narrates .
The new head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has told employees to expect more changes in the agency 's organization and personnel .
CIA Director Porter Goss sent out an e-mail message Monday , a few hours after two top CIA officials resigned .
The officials , Deputy Director for Operations Stephen Kappes and his deputy Michael Sulik , had reportedly clashed with aides that Mr. Goss brought with him from Congress , where he chaired the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee .
Two other top CIA officials announced their resignations last week .
In his e-mail , Mr. Goss appeared to rebut charges from Democrats that he has a partisan agenda favoring President Bush .
He told employees to " let the facts alone speak to the policymakers . "
The president named Mr. Goss to head the CIA in August , in part to reform the agency many have criticized as ill equipped to fight the war on terror .
In National Football League action Monday night , Denver 's Mike Anderson scored on a 44-yard touchdown run and Rod Smith reached a career milestone as the host Broncos rolled over the Kansas City Chiefs 30-Oct .
Smith , who caught a touchdown , finished with seven catches for 80 yards , putting him over 10,000 receiving yards for his career .
He is the 24th player in league history to reach the mark and first undrafted player to do so .
Denver quarterback Jake Plummer also scored on a one-yard touchdown run and kicker Jason Elam kicked three field goals .
Kansas City 's lone touchdown came with two minutes to go , a pass from quarterback Trent Green to receiver Samie Parker .
It was Green 's first touchdown pass of the season .
Israel 's top general has announced the military will investigate allegations that Israeli soldiers abused and photographed the bodies of Palestinian suicide bombers and those killed during Israeli military operations .
Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon made the announcement Friday , responding to abuse charges in Israel 's largest selling newspaper , Yediot Aharonot .
General Yaalon condemned the alleged abuses and said maintaining the army 's ethical strength is as important as sustaining its military power .
The newspaper 's report included soldiers ' accounts of several incidents , including one in which troops put a cigarette in the mouth of a dead suicide bomber and then posed for photographs with the corpse .
Another incident details the shooting death of an apparently unarmed Palestinian man , whose remains were then strapped to the hood of a jeep and driven back to base .
North Korea released a South Korean fishing boat and its seven-man crew Tuesday , after asking South Korea for a shipment of rice , cement and heavy equipment to help it recover from recent flooding .
Pyongyang announced on Monday that it would free the squid-fishing boat and its crew of four South Koreans and three Chinese seized a month ago for alleged illegal fishing .
North Korea called the release a " humanitarian " gesture .
South Korean media said Tuesday that freeing the ship and its crew was a step toward receiving food aid .
The North 's aid request came after Seoul offered last week to provide $ 8.5 million in emergency aid , including food , relief materials and first aid kits .
That offer did not include rice or construction equipment and supplies .
The Unification Ministry said Tuesday that the South Korean government is reviewing the request .
The so-called " peace bridge " linking Indian and Pakistani portions of Kashmir has been reopened after parts badly damaged in last month 's earthquake were repaired .
An Indian army spokesman says the reopening has enabled faster delivery of relief supplies to villages on the Pakistani side that were flattened by the earthquake .
He said the final stretch of the road -- between the town of Uri in India and the Kaman Post crossing point on the military Line of Control -- was cleared Thursday .
Last month , India and Pakistan decided to open five check points along the de~facto border , including at Kaman Post , to hasten relief efforts for quake victims .
As part of an ongoing peace process between the two arch-rivals , the highway was re-opened six months ago after nearly 60 years to relaunch a bus service connecting the two Kashmiri capitals , Srinagar and Muzaffarabad .
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for expansion of ties between his country and Iraq following a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki .
Iran 's state news agency ( IRNA ) reports that President Ahmadinejad said stronger relations between the two nations will help Iraq 's development and stability .
The two leaders met late Sunday as part of Mr. Maliki 's state visit to Iran , his third since he became prime minister .
President Ahmadinejad made a landmark visit to Iraq in March .
Earlier today , the Iraqi prime minister met with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and he assured Tehran that a proposed U.S.-Iraq security agreement will not harm Iran .
The comment comes as U.S. and Iraqi officials discuss a security deal that would allow American forces to remain in Iraq beyond December 31st , when their U.N. mandate expires .
Iran opposes such an agreement .
The sister of a Buddhist monk imprisoned by Burma 's military rulers for pro-democracy activities says her brother is on a hunger strike .
Khin Thu Htay tells VOA Burmese service that monk Ashin Gambira began the hunger strike 10 days ago after prison authorities blocked him from seeing her and other family members .
She says the family tried to visit him at a prison in the central region of Mandalay .
The sister says Burmese authorities told her that several days later , Gambira was transferred to another prison Hkamti in a remote part of the northwestern Sagaing region .
Courts in military-run Burma sentenced the monk last year to 68 years in prison for leading pro-democracy protests in 2007 .
Burmese citizens began weeks of mass protests against the military in June 2007 before authorities crushed the demonstrations .
The United Nations says at least 31 people were killed and thousands more were detained in the crackdown .
The leader of Venezuela 's ruling party is claiming victory in Sunday 's parliamentary elections .
Willian Lara says President Hugo Chavez 's Fifth Republic Movement won 114 seats in the 167-seat National Assembly .
Mr. Lara also says the rest of the Assembly 's contested seats will go to parties supportive of Mr. Chavez .
Official results have yet to be announced .
Venezuela 's election chief estimates voter turnout at just 25 percent .
Most opposition parties boycotted the election , accusing electoral officials of manipulating electronic voting machines and favoring the president .
Mr. Chavez is accusing the United States of orchestrating the boycott .
Washington denies the charges .
Meanwhile , officials say an explosion that damaged an oil pipeline in western Venezuelan state of Zulia late Saturday was an attempt to disrupt the elections .
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has canceled a scheduled trip to China for the opening of the Olympic games .
Pakistan 's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq confirmed the cancellation Wednesday , but did not give an explanation .
President Musharraf had planned to attend the opening ceremony in Beijing and meet with Chinese leaders .
The change in plans comes as leaders of Pakistan 's ruling coalition met to discuss a number of issues , including the possible impeachment of Mr. Musharraf .
Pakistani People 's Party leader Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke Tuesday , and also discussed restoring the country 's judiciary .
They are scheduled to meet again today .
Mr. Musharraf declared a state of emergency last November and purged the Supreme Court , in order to halt any legal challenges to his presidency .
Nepal 's government says it has detained 43 people , top political leaders and other activists , for their " own personal safety " as well as to maintain law and order .
A Home Ministry statement Wednesday says 25 of the detainees are being held in government centers and the rest , under house arrest .
Tuesday , nine United Nations human rights investigators called on Nepal 's King Gyanendra to restore democracy in the country .
The King dissolved the constitutional government , seized power , and declared a nationwide state of emergency on February first .
The monarch and his hand-picked government curtailed most civil rights , including criticism of security forces , and banned protest rallies .
Nepal 's human rights groups say they plan to defy the ban by holding a protest demonstration on Thursday .
A Jordanian military court has sentenced to jail 10 Islamic militants for plotting attacks on U.S. forces in Jordan and Iraq .
The court handed out prison terms of two to five years .
At least one of those found guilty has been linked to al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi .
Ten other suspects , including a Syrian national , were found not-guilty .
The 17 were rounded up in 2005 .
They faced several charges , including plotting to attack U.S. troops who were training Iraqi forces in Jordan at the time .
They were also accused of plotting activity to undermine Jordan 's relations with another country .
Up to 140 people are feared dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo , after a crowded river boat overturned .
Officials said Thursday that the accident occurred on the Congo River in the western province of Bandundu .
Information Minister Lambert Mende said at least 80 people are confirmed dead , while local officials put the death toll higher .
About 200 people were believed to be on the boat , which was also carrying merchandise from Bandundu to the capital , Kinshasa .
Officials say the boat was overloaded and unable to navigate through rough waters .
Mende said rescuers are looking for more survivors .
Fatal boat accidents are common in the DRC , where a lack of paved roads and the high cost of air travel forces many people to travel by boat , even if they do not know how to swim .
The river vessels are often overcrowded and poorly maintained .
A slimy Justin Timberlake emerged victorious at the 20th annual Nickelodeon Kids ' Choice Awards .
Making good on his promise to make this year 's edition the messiest ever , the singer - who also hosted the show - was both dispenser and recipient of the signature green goo .
He took honors for Best Male Singer .
Other winners included Adam Sandler as favorite male movie star ; Dakota Fanning as favorite female movie star , and Ben Stiller , who took the evening 's top honor , the Wannabe Award .
It signifies the celebrity the youthful voters most want to emulate .
Nickelodeon says the lighthearted Kids ' Choice Awards last year received 25 million online votes .
The only African-American member of the United States Senate has begun a two-week tour of Africa .
On Sunday , Senator Barack Obama visited the South African island where Nelson Mandela was imprisioned during his long fight against apartheid .
Obama said the visit to Robben Island made him realize that everyday worries in the U.S. are " fairly trivial " compared to the struggle Mandela and other inmates went through .
Monday , Obama met with another anti-apartheid hero , South African archbishop Desmond Tutu , in Cape Town .
Obama is due to visit his father 's home country of Kenya as well as Congo and Chad during the trip .
He told reporters today that he will probably get an HIV test while in Kenya , in order to promote AIDS-prevention awareness .
Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 , representing the U.S. state of Illinois .
U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman says the United States will offer incentives to spur companies to construct six nuclear power plants .
Bodman Friday announced a plan that will provide risk insurance coverage against bureaucratic and legal issues that make construction of the plants more expensive .
The plan would provide up to $ 500 million in coverage for the first two plants built , and up to $ 250 million more for the next four plants .
The United States has 103 nuclear power plants in 31 states .
But a new plant has not been built since 1973 , and a partial meltdown at Pennsylvania 's Three Mile Island plant in 1979 ended plans to construct new ones .
Australian Prime Minister John Howard is brushing off criticism over a deal his government has reached with China that opens the door to a potential free trade agreement between the two nations .
Canberra granted Beijing market economy status on Monday as part of the agreement to begin free trade talks .
But a spokesman for Australia 's opposition Labor Party says Mr. Howard gave away Australia 's strongest bargaining chip in the talks .
Mr. Howard says the Labor Party is simply complaining because it has no ideas of its own to promote .
The prime minister says a new deal will not be reached until sometime next year , adding that there was goodwill on both sides , but " not that good . "
Hurricane Paula has strengthened as it threatens the Gulf Coast of Mexico and parts of Central America , forcing officials to call for the evacuation of many coastal areas .
At last report ( 1745 UTC ) , forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Paula 's maximum sustained winds had increased from 120 kilometers to 160 kilometers an hour .
Further strengthening is expected .
The storm is about 220 kilometers southeast of the Mexican resort island of Cozumel , where hurricane warnings are in effect .
It is expected to approach the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula late Tuesday and Wednesday .
Hurricane Paula could dump eight to 15 centimeters of rain over western and central Cuba , the Yucatan Peninsula and northern Belize , with some isolated areas receiving more than 25 centimeters .
Forecasters say the heavy rains could trigger flash flooding and mudslides in the region , especially in mountainous parts of Nicaragua and Honduras .
China has raised its estimate for economic growth in 2005 to 9.8 percent .
That is an increase of 0.4 percent from the government 's previous figure .
The new number was released Sunday by Ou Xinqian , vice minister of China 's National Development and Reform Commission .
The official Xinhua News Agency says the Commission adjusted its growth estimate because recent data shows China 's economy in 2004 was much bigger than previously thought .
Last month , the government raised its national output figure for 2004 by 16.8 percent over the original estimate .
Officials said service industries accounted for most of the revision .
The new growth estimate from Mr. Ou is the latest in a series of economic data released by Chinese officials .
China 's National Bureau of Statistics is expected to announce the final figures for 2005 in the coming weeks .
Pakistani authorities say they have arrested at least 27 suspected Taleban insurgents after a raid on a private hospital in southwestern Baluchistan province .
Local officials say initial investigation showed that the militants were brought from neighboring Afghanistan to the hospital in the provincial capital , Quetta .
They say several Taleban were being treated for wounds sustained in fighting in southern Afghanistan .
Last month , authorities in the restive Pakistani province arrested more than 200 Afghan nationals suspected of having links with Taleban militants .
Among those caught was a former commander of Taleban forces in southern Afghanistan .
The raids follow months of pressure from the Afghan government , the U.S.-led coalition and NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan , who want Islamabad to act more forcefully against the Taleban remnants hiding in Pakistan .
Iran says it will sign a deal next week with Russia under which Moscow will provide fuel to Iran 's Bushehr nuclear power plant .
Iranian state television quotes a deputy head of Iran 's Atomic Energy Organization , Asadollah Sabouri , as saying a pact , which obligates Tehran to return spent nuclear fuel to Russia , will be signed February 26 .
Under the deal , Mr. Sabouri says Russia will provide the Bushehr plant with nuclear fuel for the next 10 years .
Moscow and Tehran have been locked in negotiations over the final disposition of spent fuel .
Russia had refused further assistance in developing the Bushehr plant until Tehran agreed to return the spent fuel , which can be used in the development of nuclear weapons .
The United States says it suspects Iran is trying to develop such weaponry , despite Tehran 's assertions its nuclear intentions are peaceful .
A Chilean appeals court has ruled former dictator Augusto Pinochet can not avoid prosecution for alleged human rights violations on health grounds .
In a unanimous ruling , the judges concluded that recent medical exams do not disqualify Pinochet , who is 90 years old , from standing trial .
The ruling clears the way for Pinochet to be brought to trial in connection with the murder of leftwing dissidents during his 17-year military rule from 1973 to 1990 .
The specific case relates to a campaign , known as " Operation Colombo , " in which 119 dissidents disappeared in 1975 and were believed killed .
It is one of several human rights cases brought against the retired general .
He and members of his family also have been charged with tax evasion and fraud stemming from his years in power .
Conservative Muslim candidates have swept elections in Saudi Arabia 's first nationwide municipal vote , giving rise to complaints that they had an unfair advantage because of religious endorsements .
Thursday 's voting in the western part of the kingdom completed the three-phase vote , which began in February .
Western region winners were announced Saturday .
In the holy city of Medina , as well as in the ultra-conservative town of Buraydah , cleric-supported candidates swept the vote .
In Jeddah , long considered one of the country 's most liberal cities , voters also chose conservatives .
Saudi men over age 21 voted for half the members of the kingdom 's municipal councils .
The government will appoint the remaining half .
India 's Tata Motors has begun removing equipment from its " cheapest car " factory in eastern India , after no resolution in a land dispute .
A Tata spokesman would not comment Wednesday , but there are reports that the equipment is being moved from the Singur plant in West Bengal state to Tata 's existing facility in the northern state of Uttarakhand .
The Tata plant was set to manufacture what is being called the world 's cheapest car - the " Nano . "
Work has been shut down for several weeks after deadly protests by the West Bengal 's opposition party , which says that local villagers were unfairly compensated for their land , that was used to build the factory .
Efforts to resolve the standoff have failed , with protesters recently rejecting a government offer to return 30 hectares of land .
Tata officials have said they are considering moving the plant out of West Bengal .
Zimbabwe has condemned opposition activists for stamping protest messages on the country 's bank notes .
Deputy Finance Minister David Chapfika warned Wednesday the government would punish those behind the vandalism .
No group has claimed responsibility for printing the words " enough " and " get up , stand up " on some bank notes found in circulation in Zimbabwe .
Last year , officials blamed an underground rights group known as " Enough " ( Zvakwana ) for a similar campaign in which messages were printed on condom packages .
Opposition groups say the government of President Robert Mugabe has launched a new crackdown ahead of key parliamentary elections due later this year .
Tuvalu consists of a densely populated , scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil .
The country has no known mineral resources and few exports and is almost entirely dependent upon imported food and fuel .
Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities .
Fewer than 1,000 tourists , on average , visit Tuvalu annually .
Job opportunities are scarce and public sector workers make up most of those employed .
About 15 % of the adult male population work as seamen on merchant ships abroad , and remittances are a vital source of income contributing around $ 2 million in 2007 .
Substantial income is received annually from the Tuvalu Trust Fund ( TTF ) an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia , NZ , and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea .
Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals , this fund grew from an initial $ 17 million to an estimated value of $ 77 million in 2006 .
The TTF contributed nearly $ 9 million towards the government budget in 2006 and is an important cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government 's budget .
The US Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries .
In an effort to ensure financial stability and sustainability , the government is pursuing public sector reforms , including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts .
Tuvalu also derives royalties from the lease of its " .tv " Internet domain name with revenue of more than $ 2 million in 2006 .
A minor source of government revenue comes from the sale of stamps and coins .
With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise imports , continued reliance must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees , remittances from overseas workers , official transfers , and income from overseas investments .
Growing income disparities and the vulnerability of the country to climatic change are among leading concerns for the nation .
Niue 's remoteness , as well as cultural and linguistic differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest of the Cook Islands , have caused it to be separately administered .
The population of the island continues to drop ( from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to an estimated 1,311 in 2011 ) with substantial emigration to New Zealand 2,400 km to the southwest .
Anguilla has few natural resources , and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism , offshore banking , lobster fishing , and remittances from emigrants .
Increased activity in the tourism industry has spurred the growth of the construction sector contributing to economic growth .
Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector , which is small but growing .
In the medium term , prospects for the economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and , therefore , on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions .
A former British colony , Cyprus became independent in 1960 following years of resistance to British rule .
Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963 , when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia .
Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964 , sporadic intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island .
In 1974 , a Greek Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by military intervention from Turkey , which soon controlled more than a third of the island .
In 1983 , the Turkish Cypriot-occupied area declared itself the " Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus " ( " TRNC " ) , but it is recognized only by Turkey .
The election of a new Cypriot president in 2008 served as the impetus for the UN to encourage both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reopen unification negotiations .
In September 2008 , the leaders of the two communities began negotiations under UN auspices aimed at reuniting the divided island ; the talks remain ongoing .
The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004 , although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies only to the areas under the internationally recognized government , and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish Cypriots .
However , individual Turkish Cypriots able to document their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy the same rights accorded to other citizens of European Union states .
Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire , Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I .
Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945 , Austria 's status remained unclear for a decade .
A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation , recognized Austria 's independence , and forbade unification with Germany .
A constitutional law that same year declared the country 's " perpetual neutrality " as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal .
The Soviet Union 's collapse in 1991 and Austria 's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality .
A prosperous , democratic country , Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999 .
A FISHERMAN skilled in music took his flute and his nets to the seashore .
Standing on a projecting rock , he played several tunes in the hope that the fish , attracted by his melody , would of their own accord dance into his net , which he had placed below .
At last , having long waited in vain , he laid aside his flute , and casting his net into the sea , made an excellent haul of fish .
When he saw them leaping about in the net upon the rock he said : " O you most perverse creatures , when I piped you would not dance , but now that I have ceased you do so merrily . "
A PIGEON , oppressed by excessive thirst , saw a goblet of water painted on a signboard .
Not supposing it to be only a picture , she flew towards it with a loud whir and unwittingly dashed against the signboard , jarring herself terribly .
Having broken her wings by the blow , she fell to the ground , and was caught by one of the bystanders .
Zeal should not outrun discretion .
A LION who had caught a Mouse was about to kill him , when the Mouse said :
" If you will spare my life , I will do as much for you some day . "
The Lion , good-naturedly let him go .
It happened shortly afterwards that the Lion was caught by some hunters and bound with cords .
The Mouse , passing that way , and seeing that his benefactor was helpless , gnawed off his tail .
12-year-old Jeff Maier reached out and caught a fly ball at the Yankees-Orioles game , causing Baltimore to lose the first game of the playoffs .
This means that Maier has already caught more fly balls than the entire Mets outfield ...
Christmas was over .
Santa and his reindeer finally had a chance to rest .
And they deserved it .
They had done a good job .
Rudolph had a chance to do something he had wanted to do for a long time .
He made an appointment with a plastic surgeon because he was so sensitive about his looks .
However it was n't his glowing proboscis that he wanted changed .
He was proud of his nose and the help he had given Santa because of it .
No , he was sensitive about his long ears which were much more prominent than the ears of the average reindeer , or bear for that matter .
So one week after Christmas , he let the good doctor do the pinna reconstructive surgery procedure , and since that time , January 1st has been celebrated as ... New Ears Day .
The U.S. military says three American soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb blast in northern Iraq .
The military says one soldier was also wounded in the explosion that hit their combat patrol in the town of Balad , north of Baghdad , late Wednesday .
In another development , Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa flew to Baghdad Thursday , - on his first visit to Iraq since the 2003 U.S. - led invasion .
Mr. Moussa is to hold talks with senior Iraqi leaders and also meet the country 's most influential Shi'ite cleric , Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani .
The 34-member Arab League has been criticized for not strongly condemning the insurgency in Iraq and also for not taking a more active role in supporting the post-Saddam Iraqi government .
Pakistani police say multiple gas cylinder explosions tore through a building in the city of Lahore , killing at least 24 people and injuring many more .
Witnesses say there were about 40 residents in the collapsed building , and that most were asleep when the blasts occurred Tuesday morning .
Officials say rescue workers were searching for people who were believed trapped in the rubble of the multi-story structure .
Police say the building had a gas cylinder storage area and an ice cream factory on the ground floor .
Several near-by buildings and a number of cars were also damaged .
The city of Washington is widely known for a keen appreciation of the social arts :
Politics , for example or the fine art of diplomacy .
But an important development in the history of the visual arts had its origins here as well .
It is called the " Color Field " movement , and it is the subject of a major new exhibition now underway in the nation 's capital .
As VOA 's George Dwyer reports , the passing of years appears to have cast this colorful school of painting in a whole new light .
The host Italian Olympic team has suffered a blow just days before the start of the Turin Games , with the loss of two ski jumpers .
Marco Beltrame and Stefano Chiapolino were seriously injured Tuesday during pre-Olympic training at Predazzo .
The 19-year-old Beltrame was admitted to a local hospital , in Belluno where he had his spleen removed .
Chiapolino was treated at another hospital , in Cavalese .
The 20-year-old Olympic teammate had several small fractures to his face and a slight concussion .
With the loss of two of its five ski jumpers , the Italian Olympic team will not be able to field a four-person squad in the team event on February 20 .
Opening ceremonies for the Games are Friday .
The Olympics run through February 26 .
Pakistani officials say heavy rains led to the deaths of 228 people in the southern city of Karachi on Saturday .
Officials had earlier said 43 people were killed in the storm , however , the number increased when the bodies of 185 more victims were identified Sunday .
Many people were killed when the roofs and walls of their homes collapsed .
Others were killed or injured by power lines downed in the storm .
Weather forecasters expect the heavy rains to continue through Monday .
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended the United Nations extend its mission in Haiti through February 2008 .
In a report issued Tuesday , Mr. Annan said the primary responsibility for socio-economic development and building security is with Haiti 's leadership and people .
But he said international help remains essential .
Meanwhile , the Haitian-born spokeswoman for new U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon tells the Associated Press she hopes to use her office to publicize human rights abuses around the world , but especially in her home country .
Former broadcast journalist Michele Montas and her husband , Jean Dominique , were persecuted in Haiti for reports critical of the government .
Dominique was assassinated in 2000 .
Montas survived two attempts on her life before going into exile .
She told the Associated Press she remains mindful of her Haitian identity and hopes to return to her homeland someday .
But she said that is not possible now .
South Africa 's main labor federation has again criticized Zimbabwe 's government for organizing elections it says will not be free and fair .
The Congress of South African Trade Unions , COSATU , says it will hold a series of protests ahead of the March 31 poll , aimed to draw attention to alleged problems .
The group 's general secretary , Zwelinzima Vavi , says the result of the parliamentary vote is already decided , because President Robert Mugabe has skewed conditions in favor of his party .
South African officials have warned they will not tolerate illegal protests by the union group .
Labor officials say they are currently seeking permits for marches and a planned blockade of traffic along the border with Zimbabwe .
Earlier this year , Zimbabwe officials refused entry to a COSATU delegation planning to study voting conditions in the country .
Pakistan 's election commission has announced the final list of three candidates for the upcoming presidential election .
The commission said Saturday regional and national lawmakers will be able to choose from Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari , retired judge Said-uz Zaman Siddiqui and Mushahid Hussain Sayed .
Siddiqui is aligned with the Pakistan Muslim League-N party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif , while Sayed represents the party of former President Pervez Musharraf .
Mr. Musharraf resigned last week following a series of carefully orchestrated no-confidence votes in parliament .
He lost public support after he declared a state of emergency and fired several judges who planned to rule on the legitimacy of his presidency .
The election is set for September 6 .
Russian bombers left Venezuela , one week after arriving in the South American country to conduct military exercises .
The Russian news agency Itar-Tass reports that the two strategic bombers took off from Caracas in the early morning hours Thursday .
While in the region , the bombers conducted air patrol flights over neutral waters in the Caribbean .
Itar-Tass says the bombers will patrol neutral waters in the Atlantic and North Arctic Oceans before returning to Russia on Friday .
The Tu-160 bombers arrived in Venezuela September 10 , days after Russia announced it would send a naval squadron and anti-submarine aircraft to Venezuela for possible joint military exercises in November .
Russia 's military exercises later this year would be its first major maneuvers in the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War .
A car bomb attack south of the Iraqi capital has killed at least 10 people , while the death toll from a series of coordinated blasts Thursday north of Baghdad has risen to nearly 100 .
In Friday 's attack , police say a bomb blast tore through a crowded market in the mainly Shi'ite city of Hillah .
More than 40 other people were injured in the explosion .
Meanwhile , hospital officials said the death toll from three nearly simultaneous car bomb attacks Thursday in the northern city of Balad had risen to 99 .
Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for that attack in an unverifiable Internet statement .
The group , which is led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , has declared war on the country 's majority Shi'ites , ahead of the October 15 constitutional referendum .
American gymnast Shawn Johnson is expected to be one of the brightest stars at the Beijing Olympic Games later this year .
For her coaches , a trip to the summer games would be a homecoming .
Elaine Lu and producer Liu Enming have more on the aspiring Olympian 's path to the Beijing games .
The U.S. economy grew a bit faster than first estimated in the first three months of this year , but still expanded at a slow pace .
Thursday 's report from the Commerce Department puts the first quarter 's economic growth at nine-tenths of one percent .
That is three-tenths of a percent better than economists first thought , and a bit better than the growth rate for the last quarter of 2007 .
The world 's largest economy has been hurt by sagging housing market , tight credit , and soaring energy costs .
A separate government report from the Labor Department said the number of Americans signing up for unemployment assistance rose slightly last week - by 4,000 , to a total of 3,72,000 .
Bolivia 's President Evo Morales has announced that his government will take over the operations of the Chaco oil company , as part of efforts to nationalize the country 's resources .
Mr. Morales Friday visited Chaco , in which the British company BP is a majority stakeholder .
He presented the nationalization move as a gain for the Bolivian people , saying " little by little we are taking back our companies . "
The left-leaning president won election on a platform of economic reform , pledging to share the country 's energy wealth among the impoverished indigenous majority .
He has already nationalized several key energy companies .
Today 's take-over of Chaco comes just days before Bolivians vote on a new constitution backed by Mr. Morales .
A Mexican police commander has been shot to death outside his home in the northern border city of Nuevo Laredo .
Authorities say Enrique Cardenas was killed Thursday as he left home to take his young daughter to school .
They say the killing took place one day after another local police commander was ambushed and wounded by assailants who opened fire from a moving car .
Officials say at least five other police officers have been killed in Nuevo Laredo since the beginning of the year in a wave of violence attributed to drug traffickers battling for territory .
Earlier this year , the U.S. State Department issued travel alerts on Nuevo Laredo , prompting an angry response from the Mexican government .
South Korea 's foreign minister says he is willing to travel to Pyongyang if it will help bring North Korea back to international nuclear disarmament talks .
Ban Ki-moon did not say if North Korea had extended an invitation .
But he said he is willing to make the trip if his efforts will help .
Six country talks on North Korea 's nuclear program have been stalled since last November .
The United States , China , Russia , Japan and South Korea were trying to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear program entirely .
Work toward resuming negotiations intensified last month when North Korea test-fired several missiles .
The head of the U.S. Central Bank says home prices could fall as the nation 's booming housing market inevitably slows down .
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan made the comment Saturday during concluding remarks at an economic summit in the western state of Wyoming .
He said that as the housing boom simmers down , home price increases will slow and that prices could even decrease .
One day earlier , Mr. Greenspan warned Americans not to assume that recent soaring home prices will continue forever .
He said increased buying power fueled by higher home prices could disappear if investors become cautious .
Large numbers of U.S. homeowners have taken out loans against the increased value of their homes to pay for renovations and other purchases , fueling much of the recent growth in the economy .
Afghan authorities say seven Taleban prisoners have escaped from Afghanistan 's main prison and 10 guards are being investigated for helping them break free or for negligence .
The director of Afghanistan 's prisons said Tuesday , the men broke out of Policharki Prison on the outskirts of the capital , Kabul , on Sunday .
He declined to identify the escaped prisoners , citing security reasons , but said security forces were searching for them .
Pakistani officials say suspected U.S. drone-fired missiles have struck a vehicle and a religious school building in an al-Qaida and Taliban stronghold , killing at least ten militants , including two foreigners .
The officials say the missiles hit in the Khaisor area of North Waziristan region , near the border with Afghanistan .
The victims have not yet been identified .
This is the latest of more than 40 suspected U.S. missile strikes on militant targets in northwest Pakistan over the past year .
Last week , a suspected U.S. drone ( unmanned ) aircraft fired a missile at a compound in South Waziristan , also near the Afghan border , killing at least 8 .
The United States rarely discusses the strikes , which Pakistan has criticized as counterproductive and a violation of its sovereignty .
These latest missiles hit as Pakistani security forces battle extremist militants elsewhere in northwestern Pakistan , around the Swat valley .
The head of South Africa 's football association has announced that the shoes used by the national team 's Siphiwe Tshabalala to score the first goal of the 2010 World Cup will become a " historic monument . "
SAFA chief executive Leslie Sedibe told a parliamentary committee Tuesday that the shoes will be displayed at SAFA headquarters in Johannesburg .
In a memorable start to World Cup , Tshabalala gave South Africa a 1-0 lead over Mexico in the opening match at Soccer City in Johannesburg .
The match ended in a 01-Jan draw .
Sedibe says Siphiwe Tshabalala knows those shoes do not belong to him " because of the historic symbolism they represent . "
He added that the shoes represent hope and what South Africa can deliver on a world stage .
Taiwan 's president is calling for one million of his fellow citizens to take to the streets to protest China 's new anti-secession law .
Chen Shui-bian 's criticism came Wednesday in his first public comments since China 's parliament approved a bill authorizing military force if Taipei formally declares its independence .
He says the law will only heighten tensions across the Taiwan Strait , and that only peaceful dialogue will resolve the situation .
Mr. Chen says the mass protest planned for March 26 will show the world that only Taiwan can decide its future .
The president is also calling on the European Union to reconsider its plan to lift its 15-year-old arms embargo against Beijing .
U.S. President Barack Obama has extended sanctions on Burma 's military government for another year .
Mr. Obama informed Congress of the decision Friday , saying Burma is " engaging in large-scale repression of the democratic opposition . "
He added that Burma 's actions and policies are hostile to U.S. interests , and they pose a continuing threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy .
The existing sanctions on Burma must be renewed annually .
They were set to expire next week .
The curator of the Beijing Palace Museum arrived in Taiwan Sunday to arrange a local exhibition of Chinese relics .
The four-day visit by Zheng Xinmiao follows an unprecedented visit to Beijing last month by the director of Taipei 's National Palace Museum .
Beijing has agreed to send 29 Qing Dynasty ( 1644 - 1911 ) relics to Taiwan for a joint exhibition in October .
The bulk of artifacts in Taipei 's main museum were taken from the Forbidden City by the Nationalists as they fled the Chinese mainland at the end of the civil war in 1949 .
The Taiwan museum holds around 6,50,000 items spanning 7,000 years of Chinese history .
Britain 's Court of Appeal has rejected the British government 's attempt to stop an Australian terror suspect from seeking British citizenship .
The suspect , David Hicks , is being held at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba .
Hicks ' mother was born in Britain and he has sought British citizenship hoping London would secure his release from Guantanamo , as it did for several British nationals held there .
Hicks , a convert to Islam , was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2001 and accused of being an al Qaeda fighter .
The British government had refused his citizenship bid because of his alleged involvement with terrorism .
Britain 's High Court rejected that position in December , and the Court of Appeals upheld the decision Wednesday .
Israeli police say Prime Minister Ehud Olmert 's personal secretary has been placed under house arrest for 10 days as part of a corruption probe - the latest political scandal to rock the Jewish state .
A spokesman says Shula Zaken was among more than 15 people questioned Tuesday in an investigation into government officials accepting or giving bribes in return for tax breaks .
Tax officials were among those questioned .
Reports say Mr. Olmert has not been targeted in the probe .
The Israeli prime minister has been the subject of several previous corruption investigations but has not been charged .
President Bush will meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair next Friday in Washington for talks on the Middle East crisis .
The White House says the two leaders will discuss efforts to secure " a lasting peace " in the region .
They will also talk about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan , as well as efforts to stop the violence in Sudan 's Darfur region .
Also on the agenda will be Iran 's nuclear ambitions and ways to stop Tehran from getting the technology to build nuclear weapons .
The two men will also discuss ways to promote free and fair trade .
The White House announcement of the visit Friday , noted that the United States " has no closer ally and partner than the United Kingdom . "
Mr. Blair 's support for Mr. Bush 's policies , especially on Iraq , have prompted a backlash from critics in Britain .
An Israeli human rights group says Israeli authorities have allowed Jewish settlers to seize more than 400 hectares of land from Palestinian farmers by extending security barriers .
The Rights group , B'Tselem issued a report Thursday saying settlers , with government backing , installed security fences around 12 West Bank settlements , cutting off access to private land owned by Palestinians .
Israeli officials say the security zones are meant to protect Israelis from attacks .
The report notes that settlers have also used violence and systematic harassment to force Palestinian farmers from the land .
In a separate development in Gaza , Israeli military officials say two bombs exploded today near an Israeli army vehicle on patrol near the border barrier .
Nobody was injured in the blasts .
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has condemned the Uzbek government 's crackdown on protesters in the city of Andijon .
Speaking Sunday on the BBC , Mr. Straw said there had been a clear abuse of human rights , and urged Uzbek officials to allow foreign observers and international aid groups such as the Red Cross to survey the situation .
The Associated Press says that an Uzbek foreign ministry statement called Mr. Straw 's comments ill-informed .
Meanwhile , Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed regional extremists , including Afghanistan 's Taleban , for the violence .
But the New York-based Human Rights Watch organization argues that the Uzbek government can not use the war on terror to justify shooting demonstrators protesting poverty and repression .
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the world may soon face what he calls a " cascade " of countries acquiring nuclear weapons .
Mr. Annan says relying on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is not enough and proposes new , joint action , including tougher inspection rules .
His comments at a security conference in Germany Sunday come as concerns grow over North Korea and Iran 's nuclear programs .
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer struck a tougher tone on Iran , telling the conference Tehran could be referred to the U.N. Security Council if it resumes nuclear enrichment activities .
Germany , France and Britain have been leading diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to not develop nuclear weapons , which Tehran says it is not trying to do .
The United States has called for a tougher line with the country
China is offering Taiwan a series of trade concessions in an effort to boost public sentiment on the island in favor of reunification with the mainland .
The concessions , announced Saturday , will add four types of Taiwan-grown fruit to a list of 18 varieties that can enter China .
They will also offer a tax-free import status to 11 kinds of vegetables and some Taiwan aquatic products .
The director of China 's Taiwan Affairs Office made the announcement in Beijing at the end of a government forum on cross-straits business .
The former chairman of Taiwan 's opposition party joined the forum , but representatives of Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian were absent .
Taipei and Beijing split amid civil war in 1949 .
China considers the island part of its territory and says it must accept reunification .
Iraqi police say a suicide truck bomber has killed at least 15 people and wounded more than 20 at a police station in northern Iraq .
Police say the attack took place Sunday in the mainly Sunni town of Adwar , 20 kilometers south of Tikrit .
They say the bomber rammed a truck loaded with hay through the gate of a police station and triggered the blast outside the building .
The explosion severely damaged the building , killing and wounding policemen , prisoners and civilians .
Officials say the death toll could rise as emergency workers search through the rubble .
Elsewhere , police say gunmen killed eight border guard recruits today as they were riding a minibus near the town of Rabiyaa in northwestern Iraq , near the Syrian frontier .
In another development , the U.S. military says an American soldier was killed today in a gun battle with insurgents in Diyala province , northeast of Baghdad .
Israeli forces have carried out air strikes on a vehicle and buildings linked to the Palestinian militant group , the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades .
Three Palestinian men were killed in a Gaza City attack while Israeli aircraft and artillery also targeted areas near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun .
Israel launched the strikes Sunday after Palestinians fired rockets from Gaza into southern Israel on Friday .
Elsewhere , Israeli police say a knife-wielding Palestinian man killed a woman and wounded five other passengers on a bus near Tel Aviv .
Authorities say the man entered Israel from the West Bank .
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have risen in recent days after Israel killed a top commander of the Islamic Jihad militant group .
Pakistani security forces have detained at least 25 suspected Islamic militants in a series of raids linked to the July 7 London suicide bombings .
Officials in Punjab province say members of outlawed Islamist groups were among the people detained overnight in the cities of Dera Ghazi Khan , Multan , Faisalabad and Khushab .
They say the suspects are being questioned for possible links with three of the four London bombers - British-born Muslims of Pakistani origin who had visited Pakistan in the past year .
On Monday , Pakistani immigration officials released photographs of the three -
Mohammad Sidique Khan , Shehzad Tanweer and Hasib Hussain - taken upon their arrival in Karachi .
There was no official confirmation of reports that at least one of the bombers visited Islamic religious schools during the visits .
Clashes between Maoist militants and government forces in western Nepal have killed at least 24 people , as a rebel-blockade shut down major highways in the capital city .
Army officials say rebels attacked patrols in a remote area in far-western Nepal .
Officials said at least 22 guerrillas and two soldiers were killed in the fighting .
In the capital Kathmandu , Maoist rebels Thursday blocked major roads in and out of the city to protest alleged abuses by security forces .
The rebels are demanding information about their missing activists who , they say , disappeared while in custody .
A similar rebel road-block in Kathmandu for a week in August led to a shortage of essential supplies in the city .
Maoists rebels have been fighting since 1996 to replace Nepal 's constitutional monarchy with a communist state .
Lebanese authorities say four people are dead after an apparent assassination attempt against a top Lebanese police official near the southern city of Sidon .
Officials say Colonel Samir Shehade was wounded , but in stable condition after a bomb exploded near his car Tuesday .
The blast killed four of his aides and bodyguards , and wounded four others .
There was no immediate word on a possible motive for the attack against Shehade , a senior officer in Lebanon 's internal security force .
He was involved in the investigation of last year 's killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri .
Many in Lebanon blame Syria for the Hariri murder , which the United Nations also is investigating separately .
Syria denies any involvement .
President Bush 's pick for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security says the White House was extremely supportive of his decision to withdraw from consideration for the post .
Bernard Kerik made the comment to reporters outside his home in New Jersey Saturday .
He said he informed the White House Friday of the decision to withdraw after uncovering tax and immigration problems related to a woman who was his family 's housekeeper and nanny .
President Bush nominated Mr. Kerik last week to succeed Tom Ridge .
Some analysts said he lacked the skills necessary to lead the 180,000-employee agency .
They also questioned his links to the Taser International stun gun company that earned him millions of dollars through stock options .
Mr. Kerik once served as New York City police commissioner under New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani .
The former mayor today described Mr. Kerik as a highly qualified candidate who made a mistake .
A security official in Pakistan says a suspected U.S. drone fired missiles at a building used by Taliban militants in Pakistan 's Kurram tribal region , near the Afghan border .
Witnesses say at least 12 people were killed in the missile attack .
The security official did not immediately confirm the witnesses ' claims .
If verified , this would be the first suspected drone attack in Kurram .
The strike comes just days after the new U.S. envoy to the region , Richard Holbrooke , visited Pakistan to talk to senior officials about security in the border region .
There have been more than 30 similar missile strikes on Pakistani territory since the middle of last year , despite the public objections of the Pakistani government .
The strikes have generally targeted al-Qaida and Taliban militants .
Iran has officially confirmed it has detained an Iranian American in Tehran a week after the United States demanded his release and the release of three other Iranian-Americans .
A foreign ministry spokesman confirmed the detainment of Ali Shakeri , a peace activist from California Sunday .
Iranian officials previously accused three of the dual nationals of endangering national security , but no information has been given about Shakeri .
President Bush has called for the detainees to be freed " immediately and unconditionally . "
He said the four pose no threat to Iran .
He noted they were in Iran either to visit family or conduct humanitarian work .
The Democratic Republic of Congo has transferred a militia leader to the International Criminal Court in the Hague to face war crimes charges .
The head of the Union of Congolese Patriots , Thomas Lubanga , was being flown from the capital Kinshasa to the court 's headquarters Friday .
The court issued an arrest warrant for Lubanga last month , but it was not made public until Friday .
The court says there are reasons to believe Lubanga enlisted children under the age of 15 to participate in fighting .
The rebel leader is to become the first person processed by the court .
Lubanga has been detained in Kinshasa since his arrest in March 2005 .
His group , dominated by ethnic Hema rebels , is accused of committing widespread human rights violations in Congo 's northeastern Ituri district .
Congo 's five-year civil war ended in 2003 .
The new chief of the United Nations commission investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has arrived in Beirut .
Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz says he is acutely aware of the expectations of victims ' families of the February attack and he will do his utmost to meet those expectations .
Brammertz replaces German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis , who stepped down last month .
The U.N. investigation has already implicated several top Syrian officials in the killing of Mr. Hariri and at least 20 others in a massive bomb attack .
In October , the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution demanding Syria 's full cooperation with the probe .
But Syria 's president , Bashar al-Assad , has already rejected the commission 's request to interview him .
Damascus has denied it played any role in the assassination .
Police in Iran have warned that they will confront any opposition protests on the anniversary of the country 's disputed June presidential election .
Iran 's ILNA news agency quoted Tehran police chief General Hossein Sajedinia as saying that police will confront any illegal gathering .
Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi have called on supporters to take part in peaceful protests to mark the June 12 election , which returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power .
Iran 's opposition accuses Mr. Ahmadinejad of rigging the election , adding that Mr. Mousavi was the rightful winner .
Thousands of people were arrested in the post-election protests that left several demonstrators dead .
More than 80 people were sentenced to prison terms of up to 15 years in connection with the demonstrations .
Several other activists face death sentences .
Lebanese officials say Syria 's military and intelligence withdrawal from Lebanon will be complete ahead of schedule , within the next two days .
There were conflicting reports of the exact timing .
A Lebanese military official said Saturday the pullout would be complete by Sunday , while a security official said it would be in the next 48 hours .
Last week , Syria said the last of its 14,000 troops would be out of Lebanon by Tuesday .
Saturday , a large number of Syrian troops left positions in Lebanon 's eastern Bekaa Valley .
As Syria prepares to end its 29-year presence in Lebanon , thousands of Maronite Christians marched in the mountains north of Beirut calling for the release of imprisoned anti-Syrian warlord Samir Geagea .
Jailed in 1994 , Geagea is serving multiple life sentences for crimes committed during Lebanon 's civil war .
British airport authorities say service should be back to normal Friday after strict new security measures caused a week of serious flight delays and cancellations .
Officials banned nearly all liquids and many carry-on items after police last week broke up an alleged plot to blow up passenger planes with liquid explosives .
British Airways canceled just 19 flights from London 's Heathrow Airport Thursday .
Heathrow is also scrambling to return thousands of pieces of luggage left behind by frustrated passengers .
Meanwhile , British and U.S. news reports say police investigating the alleged plot have found a suitcase filled with bomb-making components in the woods northwest of London .
One of the suspects lives in the area .
Twenty-three people , most of them British citizens of Pakistani descent , are in police custody in London .
Seven other suspects are jailed in Pakistan .
The Venezuelan Supreme Court had ruled in favor of a lower court petition seeking extradition from the United States of a Cuban militant wanted in connection with the 1976 bombing of a Cuban Jet liner that killed 73 people .
A statement from the Supreme Court Tuesday said Luis Posada Carriles should be tried in Venezuela .
Mr. Posada escaped from a Venezuelan prison before he could be tried in 1985 over the bombing .
He was later jailed in Panama where he was accused in a plot to kill Cuban President Fidel Castro .
He was pardoned last year on that charge .
Mr. Posada applied for asylum in the United States last month .
New opinion polls indicate Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 's new party will win a large number of seats in March 's parliamentary elections .
The polls were published Friday in the Ma'ariv and Yedioth Ahronoth newspapers .
They say the new party would win at least 33 seats in the 120-member parliament .
The polls gave the Labor party at least 26 seats and Mr. Sharon 's former party , Likud , just 13 .
Mr. Sharon quit Likud - the party he co-founded in 1973 - because he said the party was no longer able to lead Israel to its national goals .
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has chaired his first Cabinet meeting since undergoing gallbladder surgery last month in Germany .
Mr. Mubarak met with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and several other government ministers Thursday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh .
Mr. Mubarak temporarily handed over power to Prime Minister Nazif before undergoing surgery in Heidelberg , Germany on March 6 .
Doctors removed his gallbladder and a growth in his small intestine .
The 81-year-old president 's absence from public functions had set off new speculation about his frail health .
Mr. Mubarak has ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years .
His ruling party is expected to dominate in parliamentary elections later this year and Mr. Mubarak is expected to run for president again next year .
Many political experts also believe President Mubarak is grooming his son , Gamal , to take over .
Iraqi police say a suicide bomber drove a truck into a checkpoint Monday in a town north of Baghdad , killing at least nine people .
Police say the victims were members of a neighborhood patrol ( known as Awakening Councils , ) set up to oppose al-Qaida militants .
Two other people were reported missing and believed to be dead .
The attack comes just days after the release of a new Internet message purportedly by al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden .
He warned Iraqis not to take up arms against his movement or to support the unity government .
In a separate incident today , authorities said at least two Iraqi soldiers were killed and two others wounded when a roadside bomb struck their patrol near the Iranian border in Diyala province .
Several U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern about the possible nomination of Air Force General Michael Hayden to become the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency .
Senior Bush administration officials have said General Hayden may be named to replace Porter Goss , who announced his resignation on Friday .
But Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra said a military official should not be in charge of the CIA because it is a civilian agency .
He told Fox News Sunday that the appointment of General Hayden could raise tensions between the CIA and defense officials .
Senators Diane Feinstein , a Democrat , and Saxby Chambliss , a Republican , also expressed concern over placing a military official in charge of the CIA .
But Republican Senator John McCain told CBS television that he hopes that , if nominated , General Hayden would be confirmed quickly in congressional hearings .
Afghan authorities say at least two Taleban insurgents have been killed and six others captured , while two Afghan soldiers and a civilian were wounded in separate incidents .
Local officials say the militants were killed overnight in southern Helmand province after Taleban forces attacked a police post there .
No police casualties were reported .
In another incident late Monday , in southeastern Paktika province , security forces arrested six insurgents following a brief exchange of fire .
A spokesman for the provincial governor said a mid-level Taleban commander , Mullah Akhtar Mohammad , is among the arrested .
And , in eastern Khost province , at least two Afghan soldiers and a civilian were wounded when an army vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb .
Afghanistan 's southern regions have seen some of the worst fighting in recent months since the Taleban regime was ousted from power in 2001 .
In Moscow , the lower house of Parliament has approved President Vladimir Putin 's controversial plan to end popular elections for Russia 's regional governors , and allow the Kremlin to appoint them instead .
Mr. Putin says such changes are necessary to block terrorists from trying to influence Russia 's local elections , but critics across the political spectrum say his plan is undemocratic .
The bill won final approval in the State Duma by a wide margin Friday .
It is expected to pass easily in the upper house .
The central government proposes that the Kremlin should select gubernatorial candidates , whose appointment would have to be confirmed by regional lawmakers .
If a provincial parliament rejects a governor chosen by Moscow , Mr. Putin could either dissolve the local body or over-rule its veto by appointing an acting governor .
A British court has set a September trial date for five men accused of planning to detonate bombs on London 's transport system .
The defendants appeared before London 's Old Bailey court Thursday via videolink from a high-security prison .
No one was hurt in the July 21 attacks when four of the men , ranging in ages from 23 to 27 , tried to detonate bombs at three subway stations and a bus on July 21 .
A fifth man was arrested after explosives were discovered in his backpack in London .
The charges against the men include attempted murder , possession of explosives and conspiracy to murder .
The bomb attempts came two weeks after suicide bombers killed 52 people in the London subway system and a bus .
Two U.S. lawmakers have formed a caucus to help mobilize support for Tibet 's exiled spiritual leader , the Dalai Lama , and to bring attention to China 's rule over the Tibetan people .
Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of California and Democrat Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii plan to co-chair the caucus .
In a statement Tuesday , Rohrabacher said he and Abercrombie urge other members of Congress to join the caucus to uphold the rights of Tibet 's people and give a voice to those silenced by China 's government .
Rohrabacher also said the U.S. can not hide behind the spirit of the Olympics this August in Beijing as an excuse to ignore what the congressman called China 's " horrifying " human rights record .
China has controlled Tibet since 1951 and accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking independence for the region .
The spiritual leader insists he only wants autonomy for Tibetans under Chinese sovereignty .
Hurricane Katrina has battered southern Florida with high winds and heavy rain , leaving at least three people dead before moving out over the Gulf of Mexico .
The 11th named storm of this year 's Atlantic hurricane season came ashore Thursday between Hallandale Beach and North Miami Beach , packing 130 kilometer-per-hour winds .
It knocked down trees , flooded streets and left more than one million people without power .
The U.S. National Weather Service says Katrina temporarily lost some strength early Friday , but regained hurricane status as it moved over the Gulf of Mexico .
Forecasters anticipate the storm will turn north in the Gulf as it strengthens and could strike Florida 's panhandle in the coming days .
The Goldman Environmental Prize is awarded to environmental activists around the world annually for what the Goldman foundation calls " environmental grass roots heroism . "
The prize carries with it $ 1,50,000 and has been called the nobel prize for the environment .
This year 's winner from Europe is Belgium 's Ignace Schops .
VOA'S Paul Sisco has his story and the story of the national park he helped establish .
Bosnia 's Foreign Minister Mladen Ivanic has resigned two days after the United States and the top International mediator in Bosnia-Herzegovina imposed new sanctions against the country 's Serb Republic .
Mr. Ivanic is chairman of the Serb Party of Democratic Progress , one of two Bosnian Serb political movements , whose leaders have been barred from entering the United States for undermining Balkan peace efforts .
The other is the Serb Democratic Party , founded by indicted war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic .
As the United States announced the measures , International mediator Paddy Ashdown fired six top Bosnian Serb police officers and three other government officials for failing to arrest war crimes suspects .
Mr. Ashdown acted under wide powers the international community granted him to insure compliance with the 1995 Dayton Peace accord that halted the Balkan conflict .
Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Dragan Mikerevic resigned Friday to protest the dismissals .
Negotiators in Beijing will resume work Sunday on forging an agreement to end the North Korean nuclear crisis .
China presented a draft statement Saturday , and U.S. envoy Christopher Hill said the draft represents a good basis for the negotiations .
Mr. Hill said he expects the Sunday session to be devoted to building a final text .
Negotiators from both Koreas , China , Russia , Japan and the United States are involved in the talks .
Mr. Hill said there is a consensus on making the Korean peninsula nuclear-free , but he added that obstacles remain .
Diplomats have said Pyongyang is sticking to its demand that it receive aid and security guarantees before dismantling its nuclear programs , while Washington wants to see the programs scrapped first .
The United States has urged Haiti to speed up planning for its elections , now scheduled for mid-December .
In New York Tuesday , U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said Washington expects Port-au-Prince to work with greater speed and efficiency in organizing the elections .
The balloting for president and 129 parliamentary seats was first slated for October , then postponed until November .
Haiti 's interim prime minister , Gerard Latortue , told U.N. officials Tuesday the elections will now be held between December 11 and 18 .
Meanwhile , the U.N. Security Council urged Haitian authorities to work with the U.N. Stabilization Mission to develop an electoral plan .
It said national reconciliation and political dialogue should be promoted as a means to ensure long-term stability and good governance .
The elections will be the first since former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled the country in February 2004 .
Israel says residents of a small Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip have agreed to relocate to Israel , rather than resist the planned removal of all settlers from the occupied territory next year .
The official in charge of the Israeli government plan to evacuate all 8,000 Gaza settlers next year says 25 families in the Pe'at Sadeh settlement will voluntarily move together to southern Israel in March .
The settlement would be the first to be dismantled under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 's evacuation plan , which has drawn calls for resistance from the top settler council .
The Sharon government has offered cash incentives for Gaza settlers willing to leave before the withdrawal , which is scheduled to begin in about eight months .
Tibetans living in India are preparing to demonstrate in New Delhi during the four-day official visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao that begins Monday .
Members of the Tibet Youth Congress said they want to highlight Tibet 's issues during the visit .
Tibetan organizations and Tibet support groups said that , in addition to the planned protests in New Delhi , they also plan demonstrations in other parts of the country .
Indian authorities have reportedly asked Tibetans to leave the city center and told students to stay inside their dormitories during Mr. Hu 's visit .
They said they will take appropriate action against those who disobey the order .
In the northern Indian town of Dharamsala , Tibet 's parliament-in-exile called on the Chinese leader to meet with Tibet 's exiled spiritual leader , the Dalai Lama , to discuss the future of Tibet .
A U.S. newspaper says HIV / AIDS among infants in the United States may be nearly eliminated by next year .
The New York Times reports Sunday that the number of infants born in the United States with AIDS or HIV , the virus that causes AIDS , has dropped to about 200 a year , from nearly 2,000 in 1990 .
It said in New York City alone , the figure has dropped from 321 in 1990 to just five in 2003 because of success in fighting mother-to-child transmission .
The paper said that was achieved through use of better drugs , public education and testing , and cooperation at federal and local levels .
But the report warned that much of the rest of the world continues to be ravaged by AIDS , including more than two million people in sub-Saharan Africa last year .
France 's foreign minister says European states could impose unilateral sanctions on Iran if the United Nations fails to pass its own sanctions .
Bernard Kouchner told reporters in Finland Sunday that efforts should first be devoted to passing a resolution in the U.N. Security Council .
But he said if that does not happen , France may propose sanctions on Iran 's banks and insurance companies , and on travel permits for specific people .
Kouchner spoke to reporters outside a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in northern Finland .
On Saturday , his Finnish counterpart , Alexander Stubb , said there was enough agreement within the EU to impose unilateral sanctions on Iran .
Western members of the U.N. Security Council support a fourth round of sanctions against Iran , but veto-wielding China is urging more diplomacy .
Western nations accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon .
Tehran says it is working on nuclear energy projects .
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says talks between his Fatah party and the ruling militant group Hamas on forming a coalition government have broken down .
Mr. Abbas made the comment Wednesday in Ramallah before a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice .
Mr. Abbas ' Fatah faction has been locked in a power struggle with Hamas - even as the two sides tried to form a unity government .
Fighting between the sides has claimed 12 lives since Sunday .
In other news , Palestinian officials say unidentified gunmen killed a local Hamas leader , Mohammed Odde , as he left a mosque in a West Bank village .
On Tuesday , a militant faction linked to Fatah threatened to kill several Hamas leaders as part of the escalating power struggle .
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades warned in a leaflet that it will target exiled Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal and two senior officials in the Palestinian interior ministry .
It 's Christmas Eve in the Holy Land and festivities have already begun in the little town of Bethlehem .
Palestinian boy and girl scouts are marching through Manger Square here in Bethlehem , kicking off Christmas Eve celebrations .
They are passing the ancient Church of the Nativity , the site where tradition says Jesus was born .
Religion is mixing with nationalism here : decorations include Christmas trees and lights and Palestinian flags .
Although Palestinians complain about Israel 's separation wall at the entrance to Bethlehem , the mood is upbeat this Christmas .
Bethlehem is enjoying a boom in tourism thanks to a lull in violence .
About 50,000 visitors are expected for Christmas , giving a boost to the Palestinian economy .
The South Korean leg of the Olympic Torch relay is under way in the capital of Seoul under heavy security .
Authorities say more than 8,000 riot police have been deployed to provide security for the relay .
At least two human rights groups have promised to try to disrupt the relay .
They want China to stop deporting North Korean refugees , who face stiff punishment or execution for fleeing the north .
The Japanese leg of the relay took place Saturday , with a few demonstrators throwing objects into the torch 's path and scuffles between protesters and police .
At least one person was detained as the torch made its way through the streets of the northern city of Nagano .
The torch run has been disrupted in other major cities in recent weeks by protesters condemning Chinese human rights practices , especially its forceful suppression of demonstrations in Tibet .
An audio recording purported to be of the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq has been posted on the Internet , four days after reports he had been killed in a clash among members of his insurgent group .
The voice said to be that of Abu Ayyub al-Masri denied reported internal fighting among Sunni Arab militants .
In the statement , posted on a militant Web site , Masri criticized the Iraqi Islamic Party headed by Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi for working with the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki .
Iraq 's Interior Ministry said Tuesday intelligence reports indicated Masri had been killed in fighting north of Baghdad .
The U.S. military has not confirmed the report .
Masri , an Egyptian , assumed leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi after the Jordanian militant was killed in a U.S. airstrike last June .
Iraqi officials say at least three people were killed Thursday in a series of bomb attacks apparently targeting police and government officials .
Investigators say a suicide bombing outside of the federal police headquarters in the city of Mosul killed two police officers and left at least eight people wounded .
In Baghdad , a high-ranking security official died after a bomb attached to his car exploded .
A second official was wounded in the blast .
A separate car explosion in Baghdad injured a ministry official .
Zimbabwe 's state-run newspaper reports police have arrested nearly 15,000 people in a new crackdown on illegal vendors .
The Herald reports that over the last two weeks , police have rounded up 14,706 individuals whom the paper described as street people , touts and illegal currency and fuel dealers .
The report says the operation was designed as a follow-up to " Restore Order , " when Zimbabwe 's government destroyed unauthorized dwellings and market stalls in what it said was a bid to end urban crime .
The newspaper says criminals were returning to the same neighborhoods .
A United Nations fact-finding mission called the policy disastrous and inhumane .
It estimated some 7,00,000 people lost their homes and businesses .
Zimbabwe has promised to build new housing for those it displaced .
Pakistani officials say missiles fired from a U.S. drone aircraft have killed at least five suspected militants in the northwest tribal region near the Afghan border .
Authorities say three missiles struck a compound Monday about 25 kilometers east of Miranshah , the main town in North Waziristan , a known insurgent stronghold .
In recent months , the United States has increased missile attacks by pilot-less drones against suspected al-Qaida and Taliban hide-outs in Pakistan 's northwest .
Elsewhere in the tribal region , officials said Monday that Taliban militants kidnapped and killed a pro-government tribal elder , Maulana Abdul Haleem , and dumped his body in Bajaur .
Here are the prices of some key commodities traded in New York on Tuesday :
The price of crude oil rose nearly $ 2 to settle at $ 121.79 a barrel .
Earlier , oil prices went as high at $ 122.73 a barrel , a record high .
Coffee prices rose more than one cent to finish the day at $ 1.329 a pound .
Copper prices fell more than $ 0.65 to close at $ 3.913 a pound .
And cocoa futures soared $ 91 to end at $ 2,781 a ton .
Japan 's foreign minister has warned North Korea that time is running out to stop its nuclear weapons program before Tokyo and its allies impose economic sanctions .
In an interview on Japan 's NHK television Sunday , Nobutaka Machimura said that if the situation continues for a year or two , the issue will have to be sent to the UN Security Council .
Mr. Machimura said Tokyo could also start economic sanctions if Pyongyang does not tell the truth about eight of 13 Japanese citizens who were abducted to train spies during the Cold War .
North Korea says the eight are dead , but Japan suspects they could still be alive .
Two sets of remains turned over last month proved not to be those of two abductees .
A British court has sentenced a Saudi prince to at least 20 years in prison for beating and strangling his aide in a London hotel .
A judge on Wednesday told Prince Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud that no one is above the law .
Bandar Abdulaziz was found dead in a hotel room in February .
The prince had admitted to manslaughter , but denied intending to kill the man .
Prosecutors said the victim had been badly beaten and that his injuries showed there was a " sexual element " to the attack .
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has found another place in the National Football League record book while leading his team to a 41-9 victory in Detroit over the Lions .
Manning threw six touchdowns Thursday and raised his season total to 41 scoring passes .
Manning set an NFL record with at least four touchdown passes in a fifth straight game .
The retired Dan Marino had a four-game streak with at least four touchdowns in 1984 , when he also set a record 48 scoring passes in a single season .
Two struggling teams played in Dallas , where a late scoring burst gave the host Cowboys a 21-Jul win over the Chicago Bears .
Julius Jones had two touchdowns for Dallas , including his first career NFL score .
Kidnappers in Haiti have released an American missionary , one day after seizing him at gunpoint outside the capital , Port-au-Prince .
Haitian police officials say Phillip Snyder was freed Friday after kidnappers received a ransom payment .
Mr. Snyder 's condition , as well as the amount of his ransom payment , are unclear .
In a separate incident , kidnappers released a group of children Thursday , after abducting them from a school bus hours earlier .
Police said the children were unharmed .
Some media report the abductors were paid an unspecified ransom .
But the Associated Press quotes a police commissioner as denying any ransom was paid .
Neither case was considered to be politically motivated .
India has reported new cases of bird flu in nearly 200 villages in the western state of Maharashtra , the site of two earlier outbreaks this year .
Officials say they suspect the virus could be the deadly H5N1 strain and tests are underway on samples from the birds .
No cases were reported in humans .
Officials say some 2,50,000 birds would have to be culled .
Reports from the region say the affected villages are in the neighboring states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh .
The affected region includes Maharashtra 's Jalgaon district , which also reported India 's second set of infections of H5N1 earlier this month .
Meanwhile , a European laboratory has confirmed that a buzzard found dead in Denmark two weeks ago was infected with the deadly strain of bird flu .
President Bush and Bolivian President Evo Morales have agreed on the need for constructive relations and dialogue between their nations .
White House spokesman Scott McClellan says Mr. Bush telephoned Mr. Morales to congratulate him on his election and inauguration and that Mr. Bush commended the Andean nation 's strong commitment to democracy .
The spokesman also says Mr. Morales outlined his agenda for social and economic change in Bolivia .
The United States has adopted a " wait-and-see " approach towards Mr. Morales , who has been a vocal opponent of U.S. drug and trade policies .
The call comes as Mr. Morales faces the first crisis of his presidency .
Heavy rains have caused floods that have killed at least 13 people , leaving tens of thousands homeless .
The full U.S. Senate has begun its debate on President Bush 's nominee to the Supreme Court , Samuel Alito .
The Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday confirmed Alito on a party-line vote .
The committee 's 10 Republicans approved the nomination , while the eight Democrats on the panel rejected the conservative federal judge .
Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid said he plans to oppose the nomination , saying he believes Alito would not be an independent check on the executive branch at a time when the president is abusing power .
But South Carolina Republican Lindsay Graham dismissed Democratic party opposition , saying they are merely playing politics with the nomination .
The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to confirm Alito , perhaps by the end of this week .
He would replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor , a moderate who has been an important swing vote in many cases .
World oil prices soared to all-time highs Thursday in New York and London , as investors bet that rising demand for oil will outstrip supply .
The New York price of oil for future delivery went as high as 57 dollars and 50 cents a barrel in early trading Thursday .
In London , Brent crude rose to 56 dollars and 15 cents a barrel .
The surging oil price came even though the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries raised its official production quotas at a meeting in Iran on Wednesday .
Analysts say China , India , the United States , and other nations are all seeking additional oil to power their expanding economies , but OPEC has little unused capacity to supply additional crude oil .
OPEC supplies about 40 percent of the world 's oil .
Talks have begun in Vienna between Iranian negotiators and the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency .
Iran 's delegation to Tuesday 's meeting on Tehran 's controversial nuclear program is headed by the country 's deputy national security chief , Javad Vaeidi , and Ali Asghar Soltanieh , Iran 's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Commission .
The IAEA delegation is led by senior inspector Olli Heinonen .
Neither side made any comment as the talks began .
The U.N. Security Council has imposed two sets of sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment .
Enriched uranium and plutonium can be used to build nuclear weapons , but Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes .
The United States and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons .
Yemeni officials say at least three people have been killed in attacks on security and intelligence buildings in the country 's southern Abyan province .
Local authorities said Wednesday gunmen on motorcycles using mortars and rocket-propelled grenades opened fire on people inside the two buildings in the provincal capital , Zinjibar .
After the assault and subsequent clashes with police and guards , the attackers fled .
Officials said al-Qaida is believed to be responsible for the attacks , and security had arrested seven suspected insurgents .
The militant group was blamed for an attack last month on security headquarters in southern Yemen that left 11 people dead .
In southeast Texas , colonies made up of billions of so-called " crazy ants " are making life difficult for homeowners and others .
Researchers at Texas A & M University are working with environmental officials and pest control experts to find ways to top the spread of the invasive species .
It has been fouling electrical devices , overwhelming other insect species , and raising concerns over the health of the Texas ecosystem .
VOA 's Paul Sisco reports .
Japan has asked China to stop drilling for gas in a disputed area along the two countries ' sea border in the East China Sea .
A Japanese foreign ministry official said Wednesday , that his country deeply regrets China 's one-sided decision to start extracting natural gas from the region .
Beijing does not recognize Tokyo 's territorial claims in the area west of Japan 's southernmost islands .
However , it is not clear if the drilling is within what Japan considers its exclusive economic zone .
On Tuesday , China said it was within its rights to continue drilling in the area , but was willing to negotiate with Japan over the territorial waters .
Police in Spain 's North African enclave of Ceuta have arrested at least 11 suspected Islamic militants .
Police sources say forces sent by boat from the Spanish mainland carried out the sweep in pre-dawn raids early Tuesday across the tiny enclave on Morocco 's northwestern coast .
Authorities identified two of the detainees as brothers of Hamed Abderrahaman Ahmed , a Spaniard who spent two years in detention at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , after his 2001 capture near the Afghan-Pakistani border .
Authorities say Ahmed , who was released earlier this year by a Spanish court , was not among those arrested today .
The French news agency , AFP , quotes Spanish anti-terror services as saying authorities were alerted when a group linked to al-Qaida posted a document on the Internet calling for " a war against the infidel Spanish state . "
Malawi 's high court has ordered Vice President Cassim Chilumpha reinstated to his office , and his salary and benefits restored in full .
President Bingu wa Mutharika fired Chilumpha last month in a letter , citing his poor attendance at cabinet meetings and his unwillingness to move to Lilongwe , the capital of the southern African country .
Chilumpha protested the letter , saying that only Parliament has the power to dismiss him .
In its ruling , the high court said the firing was suspended pending judicial review , which will be scheduled later .
President Mutharika and Chilumpha were running mates in the 2004 elections , but have been feuding publicly since the president quit the United Democratic Party to set up his own political party .
Egypt 's political opposition is challenging President Hosni Mubarak 's election victory , saying the official vote count was fraudulent .
Challengers Ayman Nour , who came a very distant second to Mr. Mubarak , and Noaman Gomaa who finished third , continued to protest the results Saturday accusing the ruling National Democratic Party of tampering with the vote .
In central Cairo , opposition demonstrations were also planned .
But it appears Mr. Mubarak 's victory is final .
State-run television reported Saturday that parliament will hold an emergency session Wednesday to swear-in Mr. Mubarak for a fifth term that will end in 2011 .
Mr. Mubarak won Wednesday 's election with 88 percent of the vote .
But his victory was marred by reports of voting irregularities and low turnout - less than a quarter of the country 's 32 million registered voters cast ballots .
Lebanon 's prime minister , Fuad Siniora , says military forces are working to enforce the government 's authority in southern Lebanon .
Mr. Siniora warned Thursday that troops will confiscate weapons they find in the area , which is home to Hezbollah militant bases .
Thousands of Lebanese troops have deployed in southern parts of the country , after the end of fighting last month between Hezbollah and Israel .
Hezbollah leaders say fighters continue to operate along the border with Israel , to defend what they call land belonging to the group .
A United Nations resolution to end the fighting has called for Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon to be disarmed .
Syria and Iran are believed to be key suppliers of weapons and money to Hezbollah .
The White House has strongly condemned Friday 's rocket attack at the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba where two American naval ships were docked .
A statement says the United States condemns all such attacks , and that U.S. officials are investigating in cooperation with Jordan .
U.S. military officials say it is safe to conclude that the two warships , the USS Ashland and the USS were the main target .
One of the rockets hit a military warehouse , killing a Jordanian soldier .
Another exploded near a military hospital .
The third rocket landed about 15 kilometers away , on the Israeli side of the border near the town of Eilat .
It did not explode .
Jordanian security forces have launched a massive hunt for four individuals suspected of firing the Katyusha rockets .
A group linked to al-Qaida has claimed responsibility in an unverifiable Internet statement .
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has instructed prosecutors to consider reopening a probe into a financial scam allegedly involving the front-running presidential candidate .
In a statement released Sunday , Mr. Roh said a videotape had surfaced in which frontrunner Lee Myung-bak admitted having founded the company at the center of the 2001 scandal .
Lee , a former Hyundai executive and Seoul mayor running as the Grand National Party 's candidate , has been heavily favored to win Wednesday 's election .
Lee was suspected of involvement in a scam in which his ex-partner , Kim Gyeong-jun , allegedly manipulated the price of stocks in a company he owned .
South Korean prosecutors announced earlier this month that they had found no evidence that the conservative politician was involved in stock market manipulation .
The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo , Joseph Kabila , has married his longtime girlfriend in the country 's capital , Kinshasa .
The nuptials come just weeks before Congo 's first free national elections in four decades .
Mr. Kabila presides over an interim government in the chaotic central African country .
He is one of 33 candidates for president in the elections , scheduled for July 30 .
Mr. Kabila assumed the presidency of Congo in 2001 following the assassination of his father , former rebel and President Laurent Kabila .
The 34-year-old Joseph Kabila married Olive Sita di Lembe on Saturday in a religious ceremony presided by Catholic and Protestant clergy .
They held a civil ceremony on Friday .
The two have been dating for six years .
They have a five-year-old daughter .
Saudi Arabia 's ambassador to the United States , Prince Turki al-Faisal , has resigned from his post and has left Washington .
Prince Turki reportedly made the announcement to his staff in Washington on Monday , citing personal reasons .
The prince held the post for a year-and-a-half , succeeding Prince Bandar bin Sultan , who left for personal reasons after 22 years on the job .
The Washington Post newspaper says colleagues of Prince Turki said they were shocked at Monday 's announcement .
The newspaper also says the departure comes as his brother , Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal , is in ill health , noting rumors that Prince Turki could be a possible replacement for Prince Saud .
Israel is now allowing Israelis and tourists to bring the iPad , Apple 's new tablet computer , into the country , instead of having them confiscated by customs agents .
Israel 's Ministry of Communications says that after a technical review with the U.S. computer maker , officials are now allowing the latest gadget into the country .
The devices confiscated during the past two weeks will be returned to their owners .
Israel initially banned the iPad because it feared the computers wireless signal had the potential to disrupt other devices , and was more powerful that European standards allowed .
Apple said it sold some 5,00,000 units of the iPad computer in the week after its U.S. debut on April 3 .
The company says it expects demand for the device to exceed supply in the coming weeks .
The computer maker said it will announce international pricing and begin taking online orders on May 10 .
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder says China has expressed support for his country 's candidacy for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council .
Mr. Schroeder spoke with reporters Tuesday in Beijing after talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao .
Germany is one of several countries , including India , Brazil and Japan that are seeking a permanent seat on the Security Council .
Monday , Mr. Schroeder met with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao .
Chinese officials signed an agreement to buy European-built Airbus jetliners and German-made goods , including locomotives .
The German chancellor opposes the European Union 's ban on weapons sales to China , imposed after the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing .
His stand has been criticized by opponents in Germany , and the European Parliament renewed the sanctions last month .
Mr. Schroeder travels to Tokyo Wednesday for talks with Japanese officials .
A survey of U.S. households indicates that Americans are confident in the future of their economy , while a separate survey shows the rate of existing home sales in the U.S. continues to slip .
The rate of U.S. consumer confidence rose slightly in July in a monthly survey of American households .
The index rose more than a point to 106.5 .
Analysts had expected the index to fall slightly to 104 .
Experts say strong job prospects drove the increase , despite record high fuel prices .
In another survey , sales of previously owned homes fell more than a percent in June to 6.6 million , continuing an almost year-long slide .
Both surveys were released Tuesday .
Consumer confidence is widely seen as a gauge of spending and measures how consumers feel about the future of the economy .
The measure of home sales is seen as a barometer of activity in the housing sector .
A U.S. military court in Afghanistan has sentenced an American soldier to six months confinement and a reduction in rank after finding him guilty of mistreating Afghan detainees .
Military officials say Sergeant Kevin Myricks was accused of punching detainees at a base in southern Uruzgan province .
He was convicted during a court martial Monday at Bagram air base near Kabul .
Another U.S. soldier accused in the same incident was sentenced on Friday to four months detention without pay and demotion .
U.S. military personnel have been accused in other instances of Afghan prisoner abuse .
But U.S. officials deny widespread mistreatment of those held in military custody .
Tens of thousands of Turks protested Sunday against the country 's Islamist-rooted government .
The demonstrators chanted " Turkey is secular and will remain secular " as they gathered in Samsun .
The Black Sea port is where modern Turkey 's secular founder , Mustafa Kemal Ataturk , launched the country 's war of independence .
Pro-secular demonstrations have also been held in Ankara , Istanbul and Izmir , where more than one million people protested against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan 's government last week .
Mr. Erdogan has expressed support for the country 's secular laws .
But his opponents accuse him of having a secret Islamist agenda .
Turkey 's main opposition party , the pro-secular Republican People 's Party and the left-wing Democratic Left Party formed an alliance last week to contest July parliamentary elections .
Israeli military police have arrested a defense force officer who allegedly stole computers from the Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli commandos in May .
Officials say the officer is suspected of stealing as many as six laptop computers , some of which were sold to other soldiers .
News reports say some of the soldiers who allegedly purchased the computers are also under investigation .
In May , nine pro-Palestinian activists on a Turkish ship were killed after Israeli commandos boarded vessels attempting to deliver aid directly to Gaza , in violation of an Israeli blockade .
The incident increased tensions between Israel and Turkey .
Israel had commandeered several Turkish ships that were part of the flotilla .
However , earlier this month it allowed the ships ' operators to sail the vessels back to Turkey .
Irish quartet U2 rocked the French seaside resort of Cannes early on May 20 , prior to the premiere of its three-dimensional concert film .
Titled U2 3D , the full-length movie was shot in South America during the band 's 2006 " Vertigo " tour .
Producer John Modell said the digital production heralds a new wave of three-dimensional filmmaking .
" We are replicating the physiology of sight , " Modell said .
" If you get it off by just a hair it creates actual physical problems - eye strain , nausea .
We do n't have that at all . "
The production will only be shown in 3D .
At present , about 700 screens are equipped with the Real D 3D system on which the film will initially show .
Most are in the United States .
Real D chairman Michael Lewis predicted the number will soon rise to 1,000 worldwide .
For 715 years , from 1278 to 1993 , Andorrans lived under a unique co-principality , ruled by French and Spanish leaders ( from 1607 onward , the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of Seu d'Urgell ) .
In 1993 , this feudal system was modified with the titular heads of state retained , but the government transformed into a parliamentary democracy .
For decades Andorra enjoyed its status as a small refuge of fiscal and banking freedom and benefitted from Spanish and French tourists attracted to the country 's duty-free shopping .
The situation has changed in recent years as Andorra started to tax foreign investment and other sectors .
Tourism accounts for over 80 % of Andorra 's gross domestic product .
Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991 .
Greece 's objection to the new state 's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols delayed international recognition , which occurred under the provisional designation of " the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia . "
In 1995 , Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations .
The United States began referring to Macedonia by its constitutional name , Republic of Macedonia , in 2004 and negotiations continue between Greece and Macedonia to resolve the name issue .
Some ethnic Albanians , angered by perceived political and economic inequities , launched an insurgency in 2001 that eventually won the support of the majority of Macedonia 's Albanian population and led to the internationally-brokered Ohrid Framework Agreement , which ended the fighting by establishing a set of new laws enhancing the rights of minorities .
Fully implementing the Framework Agreement and stimulating economic growth and development continue to be challenges for Macedonia , although progress has been made on both fronts over the past several years .
Coconuts , grown throughout the islands , are the sole cash crop .
Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply , but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia .
There is a small tourist industry .
There are 27 coral islands in the group .
Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609 , but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century .
From the 1820s to 1978 , members of the CLUNIE-ROSS family controlled the islands and the copra produced from local coconuts .
Annexed by the UK in 1857 , the Cocos Islands were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955 .
The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island .
Occupied by the UK in 1841 , Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year ; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century .
Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984 , Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ( SAR ) of the People 's Republic of China on 1 July 1997 .
In this agreement , China promised that , under its " one country , two systems " formula , China 's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years .
A FISHERMAN , engaged in his calling , made a very successful cast and captured a great haul of fish .
He managed by a skillful handling of his net to retain all the large fish and to draw them to the shore ; but he could not prevent the smaller fish from falling back through the meshes of the net into the sea .
THE People being dissatisfied with a Democratic Legislature , which stole no more than they had , elected a Republican one , which not only stole all they had but exacted a promissory note for the balance due , secured by a mortgage upon their hope of death .
A medical student was working in the toxicology department at the poison control center .
A woman called in very upset because she caught her little daughter eating ants .
The medical student quickly reassured her that the ants are not harmful and there would be no need to bring her daughter into the hospital .
She calmed down , and at the end of the conversation happened to mention that she gave her daughter some ant poison to eat in order to kill the ants .
The student told the mother that she better bring her daughter in to the emergency room right away .
Seems that a year ago , some Boeing employees on the work field decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s .
They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home .
When they took it for a float on the river , they were quite surprised by a Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them .
It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator that is automatically activated when the raft is inflated .
They are no longer employed there .
A motorist was unknowingly caught in an automated speed trap that measured his speed using radar and photographed his car .
He later received in the mail a ticket for $ 40 and a photo of his car .
Instead of payment , he sent the police department a photograph of $ 40 .
Several days later , he received a letter from the police that contained another picture of handcuffs .
A woman was reporting her car as stolen , and mentioned that there was a car phone in it .
The policeman taking the report called the phone and told the guy that answered that he had read the ad in the newspaper and wanted to buy the car .
They arranged to meet , and the thief was arrested .
A lawyer charged a man $ 1,000 for legal services .
The man paid him in cash with crisp new $ 100 bills .
After the client left , the lawyer discovered that two bills had stuck together -- he 'd been overpaid by $ 100 .
The ethical dilemma for the lawyer : Should he tell his partner ?
Egypt 's top prosecutor has charged opposition leader Ayman Nour with forgery , in a case that has sparked high-level criticism in the United States and Europe .
The indictments were announced Tuesday in Cairo .
No trial date has been set .
Mr. Nour , who says he will seek the Egyptian presidency in upcoming elections , is set to stand trial along with six defendants from his al-Ghad party .
Prosecutors allege Mr. Nour used documents with forged signatures last year when registering the party with the Cairo government .
Mr. Nour was arrested in January and spent six weeks in a Cairo jail , before his release on bond last week .
In a letter to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak , the New York-based Human Rights Watch said it was dismayed by what it called Cairo 's " radical intolerance " toward political dissent .
The U.S. State Department and the European parliament also voiced concern .
Pakistani military officials say 14 of about 40 Pakistani soldiers who went missing following an attack on a security checkpoint have been found in neighboring Afghanistan .
Officials say the Frontier Corps paramilitary troops disappeared from the Mohmand tribal region after a Taliban insurgent attack along the Afghan border earlier this week .
Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told reporters Thursday that Afghan authorities handed over the troops to the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad and the soldiers were being flown back to Pakistan .
Taliban militants said they captured 10 soldiers during the attack on the paramilitary post , but officials could not verify the claim .
On Wednesday , Pakistani officials said 10 paramilitary soldiers and at least 36 militants were killed in fighting in the country 's Bajaur tribal region .
The Pakistani military has twice declared victory there following offensives aimed at clearing the area of insurgents linked to the Taliban and al-Qaida .
Thailand 's military has named a committee to begin the process of writing a new constitution , following a military coup last month .
Officials said Thursday the 17-member panel will be led by Air Force Chief Chalit Phukphasuk .
The committee is to select 2,000 people for a National Assembly , from which 100 people will be selected to draft the new charter .
Leaders of the military coup have pledged to return the country to civilian rule in one year and hold new elections in October of next year .
Interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont Thursday reaffirmed plans for the army-led government to finish its work in one year .
He said he does not want to " bear the burden " assigned by military leaders longer than necessary .
Earlier , a member of the interim cabinet , Thirapat Serirangsan , said the transition process may take as many as 17 months .
Government officials in Sudan 's semi-autonomous south say Saturday fighting within the army has killed at least 13 people , including civilians and soldiers .
Authorities say the violence erupted in the oil-rich Unity State Friday between bodyguards of the state 's governor and troops loyal to army General Paulino Matip .
Government officials say the clashes stem from an argument that escalated into violence .
The infighting comes as southern Sudan 's ruling party ( Sudan Peoples ' Liberation Movement , SPLM ) seeks to reclaim a major oil field in Unity State .
An arbitration court granted the land where the oil field is located to the northern-based national government in a July ruling .
Southern Sudan is also scheduled to vote on independence from the North in a 2011 referendum .
The independence vote is part of a 2005 peace deal between the north and the south that ended 21 years of civil war .
Israel has stepped up security around Jerusalem 's holiest site to prevent clashes between Muslim worshippers and Jewish extremists opposed to Israel 's impending withdrawal from the Gaza Strip .
Hundreds of police have been mobilized around what Jews call the Temple Mount , and Muslims know as the Noble Sanctuary .
Thousands of Jews are expected to attend prayer services at the compound through Sunday to commemorate the destruction of the biblical Jewish temples 2000 years ago .
Muslim clerics have urged their followers to protect mosques on the holy site .
Meanwhile , Hamas leaders in Gaza held a rare news conference Saturday , vowing to continue their struggle against Israel .
The Palestinian Authority says security forces are fully prepared ahead of their deployment today to prevent any attempts by militants to disrupt Israel 's withdrawal from Gaza beginning this week .
Venezuela 's president has called on the international community to do everything possible to avoid a military conflict with Iran because of its nuclear program .
Speaking on a trip to London Monday , Hugo Chavez said that Europe has a very important role to play in the dispute with Iran , which is accused of seeking atomic weapons .
Earlier , Mr. Chavez warned that the price of oil would soar if the United States took military action against Iran .
The Venezuelan leader was set to conclude a two-day trip to London , which did not include a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair .
Later Monday , Mr. Chavez was to travel to Algeria for talks with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika .
Tuesday , he is to meet Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in Tripoli .
French singer Henri Salvador , who performed with Django Reinhardt and is credited with inspiring the bossa nova , died in Paris Wednesday , at the age of 90 .
Officials of his recording company say Salvador died in his home of an aneurysm .
Salvador was born in French Guiana and moved to Paris , where he began playing the guitar .
Renowned guitarist Django Reinhardt discovered him in the 1930s .
He later played with band leader Ray Ventura before going on to a solo career .
Salvador 's song " Dans mon Isle " inspired the Brazilian musician Antonio Carlos Jobim , who borrowed the song 's innovative sense of timing and used it to create the bossa nova style .
A leading human rights group says Afghanistan 's human rights situation demands continuing monitoring by the United Nations .
Human Rights Watch issued a statement late Tuesday , urging the U.N. Human Rights Commission to keep Afghanistan on its agenda and to increase the number of monitors in the country .
The U.N. commission is holding its annual meeting in Geneva this week .
The U.S.-based group says there is still a human rights crisis in Afghanistan , where warlords and armed factions continue to dominate many regions and routinely abuse human rights , especially the rights of women and girls .
It also urged the United States to help increase human rights monitoring in Afghanistan , saying it is particularly important ahead of the country 's parliamentary election , which is expected in September .
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has issued a new warning that Tehran will respond to any hostile military action from the United States , but he says he does not believe U.S. forces will attack his country .
Speaking in Uganda Thursday , Mr. Khatami said Tehran does not welcome tensions with Washington , and said he believes the possibility of a U.S. attack is " very low . "
The two governments have been locked in a three-year stand-off over U.S. allegations that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons .
Tehran flatly denies the charges .
Mr. Khatami 's remarks follow a published report Sunday that said the United States is carrying out secret reconnaissance missions in Iran to identify targets for possible military strikes .
The White House rejected the New Yorker magazine report , saying it was riddled with inaccuracies and conclusions not based on fact .
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is hosting a two-day meeting of officials from three other former Soviet republics aimed at building democracy in the region .
Representatives of Azerbaijan , Georgia and Moldova join their Ukrainian colleagues in Kiev Monday ahead of a meeting of the four countries ' presidents on Tuesday .
Talks are expected to focus on energy issues as well as cooperation by the four nations , known under the acronym GUAM , in international organizations .
Ukrainian officials say the meeting will consider expanding the activities of the group and changing its name to the Organization for Democracy and Development .
The group was founded in 1997 with the aim of expending cooperation of the four members of the Commonwealth of Independent States .
Uzbekistan joined in 1999 , but announced its withdrawal three years later , complaining that the group had deviated from its goal of economic cooperation to a focus on political issues .
A stampede at a religious gathering in southern Pakistan has killed at least 29 women and children .
More than 70 people were injured in the stampede , which occurred Sunday after a Sunni Muslim ceremony in Karachi celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad .
At least 20,000 women and their children attended the ceremony .
Local officials and witnesses said the stampede began after a girl fell down in the middle of a crowd leaving a mosque .
They said a woman bent down to pick up the girl , causing others behind to trip over her .
Dozens of unconscious women and children were sent to nearby hospitals .
More bleak news for the U.S. economy Friday : the Labor Department reported the nation lost more than a half million jobs in November , the most in about three decades .
And the number of homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments is rising .
President Bush expressed concern about the deteriorating U.S. economy and used the word " recession " for the first time .
Members of the U.N. Security Council have arrived in Rwanda at the start of a tour of nations affected by a decade of ethnic strife in Africa 's Great Lakes region .
Delegates are also scheduled to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo , Burundi and Uganda to study ways of encouraging rebuilding and an end to violence .
The tour comes one day after a Great Lakes summit in Tanzania , where 15 African leaders signed a pledge to disarm fighters , stop the flow of weapons and improve security .
Speaking at the summit , U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan promised to back peacekeeping operations and humanitarian aid in the region .
In 1994 , the genocide in Rwanda sparked a series of ethnic conflicts and cross-border wars , killing and displacing millions of people , mostly civilians .
The United States is the only wealthy , industrialized nation that does not provide universal health care for its citizens .
And now , rising costs for both health care and for insurance premiums put health care out of reach for many Americans .
Forty-seven million do not have health insurance .
VOA 's Carol Pearson has more .
President Bush says the United States needs to increase its oil refining capacity after two Gulf of Mexico hurricanes tightened gasoline supplies .
Following a briefing by the Energy Department , the president said Hurricanes Rita and Katrina exposed the fragility of the balance between oil supply and demand in the nation .
The president said he was willing to use the national Strategic Petroleum Reserve to meet immediate fuel needs and he urged citizens to conserve fuel by curtailing nonessential trips and conserving electricity during peak hours .
The president said many pipelines and refineries should be back to full capacity by next week , but officials are still assessing the damage at several key sites .
Oil prices fell today to about $ 64 a barrel on reports of limited hurricane damage to industry facilities .
The Paris Club of international creditors has agreed to cancel 80 percent of the debt Iraq owes member countries .
Officials say the deal , brokered in Berlin , is worth about $ 33 billion .
Club officials were set to make a formal announcement in Paris later Sunday .
The United States had sought as much as a 95 percent debt reduction as part of a strategy aimed at increasing the chances of survival for the post-war Iraqi government .
For its part , France had sought to have member countries initially waive 50 percent of the debt and then review the matter in three years .
Paris had argued that slashing the debt by more than 50 percent was unfair to other poor , debt-ridden nations that lack the potential oil revenues of Iraq .
President Bush is urging senior citizens to enroll in the new Medicare prescription drug plan by its May 15 deadline .
Mr. Bush issued the call Tuesday as he visited seniors in the Midwestern U.S. states of Missouri and Iowa to discuss the program .
The president told his audiences that 29 million Americans are already participating in the program intended to give them choices and save them money .
The president 's chief Medicare official , Mark McClellan , said more than 1,000 enrollment seminars are planned around the country this week to raise awareness about the program .
Democrats have said the numerous options in the plan confuse senior citizens and will cost them more money .
Mr. Bush has acknowledged problems with the plan since its January debut , but says his administration has straightened them out .
Top Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives say they are planning legislation that would block a Dubai company from taking over operations of several U.S. ports , setting up a showdown with the White House .
The chairman of a key House committee says he will attach a provision blocking the proposed deal to an emergency spending measure for the war in Iraq and for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts .
The proposal marks a significant break between the White House and Republican lawmakers who have supported President Bush 's legislative agenda in recent years .
The White House has vowed to veto any legislation overturning the deal with Dubai-owned DP World , and on Tuesday a spokesman said the administration would continue to work with Congress on the matter .
But House members say the issue is a " very big " political problem for lawmakers and they expect to hold talks with the Senate on ways to block the takeover .
A spokesman for U.S. President Barack Obama says a decision on how many additional troops will be sent to Afghanistan will be made shortly .
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Monday aboard Air Force One that the decision will be made within days and not weeks .
Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters last week that the president will have several options before him .
The U.S. commander in Afghanistan , General David McKiernan , has requested up to 30,000 additional troops , including combat and aviation brigades , to join U.S. military units already in the country .
There are currently about 60,000 foreign soldiers in Afghanistan , most of them part of the International Security Assistance Force .
The Obama administration has ordered a review of U.S. policy in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan , to consider new ways to root out terrorist havens and how to battle insurgents more effectively .
Pyongyang is demanding Seoul pay at least $ 1 billion in compensation for allegedly torturing North Korean spies and prisoners of war formerly held in South Korea .
North Korea 's official KCNA news agency says the government submitted its claim for damages to South Korea 's Human Rights Commission Friday .
Pyongyang 's complaint involves 63 North Koreans freed by South Korea in 2000 , and sent back to the North after decades of detention .
Seoul agreed to release them after a reconciliation summit between the two Koreas .
North Korea says the prisoners were subjected to physical and mental torture , and held in solitary confinement for refusing to renounce their ideology .
Pyongyang has also faced international criticism for allegedly torturing prisoners .
Seoul says hundreds of South Korean prisoners are still being held by the North .
New violence has killed at least 11 people in Iraq , casting a shadow over celebrations to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan .
North of Baghdad , near Baquba , gunmen attacked a police checkpoint in the town of Buhriz , killing six officers and wounding at least 10 others .
In the town of Taza , near Kirkuk , a roadside bomb exploded , hitting a convoy of Iraqi soldiers .
Five were killed and four were wounded .
And the U.S. military said a roadside bomb blast in east Baghdad killed an American soldier .
Meanwhile , a senior British general , Major General James Dutton , told reporters that sophisticated technology and explosives for making bombs are entering Iraq from neighboring Iran .
The general said it is still not clear whether Iran 's government , its intelligence service , or other unspecified groups are involved .
President Bush was in the middle of a minor confrontation involving his Secret Service agents and Chilean security forces at the APEC summit in Santiago , Chile Saturday night .
A shoving match between the Chilean and U.S. agents occurred Saturday when the Chileans tried to stop the Secret Service bodyguards from accompanying the president to a dinner with world leaders .
When the president noticed the confrontation , he stepped away from First Lady Laura Bush , Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and his wife , and pulled the U.S. agent from Chilean security .
The incident was shown on APEC 's summit television .
White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said Chilean security tried to stop the president 's Secret Service from accompanying him .
She also said the issue was resolved when the president told the Chileans the Secret Service agents were with him .
Veterinary experts meeting in Paris say all countries regardless of their economic problems must fight bird flu .
The World Organization for Animal Health said Tuesday just one country failing to control bird flu can endanger the whole planet .
The experts warned that the deadly H5N1 virus is highly likely to infect domestic poultry in Europe as migrating wild birds return from Africa and the Mideast .
Bird flu has already struck a turkey farm in France .
France says 43 countries have either banned or curbed exports of French poultry .
Meanwhile , Sweden reported its first bird flu case in wild ducks Tuesday .
And bird flu was found in a cat on the German Baltic Sea island of Ruegen , where bird flu killed a number of wild birds .
Experts say there is no evidence cats can spread the disease to humans .
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan says the United States has weathered two years of sharp rises in fuel and natural gas prices reasonably well , thanks to what he calls " market flexibility . "
In a speech Wednesday in Washington , Mr. Greenspan also praised market flexibility for what he termed " the impressive performance " of the U.S. economy over the past 20 years .
Analysts have often praised Mr. Greenspan , who has been in office since 1987 , for fostering economic stability with his interest rate and monetary policy .
On Wednesday , he made no mention of interest rates , which the Federal Reserve has raised several times in recent months .
Mr. Greenspan 's term on the Federal Reserve 's Board of Governors is scheduled to end on January 31 .
Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova has nominated Bajram Kosumi as prime minister of the Serbian province .
Mr. Kosumi is a close associate of former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj , who resigned last week and surrendered to the United Nations tribunal in The Hague after it indicted him for war crimes .
Kosovo lawmakers are expected to consider the nomination next week .
The appointment comes just months before Kosovo 's ethnic Albanian-led government and Serbian leaders are due to open talks on the future of the province .
Kosovo 's ethnic Albanian majority wants independence , while its Serb minority wants the province to remain part of Serbia .
The United Nations has been administering the area since 1999 , when NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia forced Serbian and Yugoslav security forces to withdraw from the area .
Gunmen in Iraq have attacked a bus carrying Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims to shrines south of Baghdad , killing three and wounding several others .
Britain 's Foreign Office says it is investigating reports that at least two British citizens are among the dead from Monday 's shooting .
Meanwhile , there is no word on the fate of four Western humanitarian workers who disappeared in Iraq on Saturday .
A Canadian official disclosed the kidnappings of a Briton , two Canadians and an American on Sunday , but did not reveal details .
Since then , U.S. and British officials have confirmed the abductions .
There has been no public claim of responsibility .
Meanwhile , the U.S. military says 20 suspected insurgents have been captured south of Baghdad in Babil province .
Separately , authorities say U.S. troops have unearthed more than 2,700 mortar rounds at an abandoned Iraqi army base near Kirkuk .
Pope Benedict XVI says he does not feel well enough to take many foreign trips , but said he he hopes to travel to what he calls a peaceful Holy Land .
In an interview with German television broadcast Sunday , Pope Benedict said the Vatican wants to mobilize all forces who he says recognize that war is the worst solution for all sides , even for those he calls the apparent victors .
Earlier Sunday , the pope voiced hope for the ceasefire in Lebanon and is urging the quick delivery of humanitarian aid once the truce takes hold .
An anti-American protest turned violent Wednesday , as police and protesters clashed in the Afghan capital , Kabul .
Hundreds of demonstrators chanted " Death to America , " burned tires and blocked a main highway , as part of a protest against the previously canceled plans of a small U.S. church to burn hundreds of Qurans .
At least 35 police officers and 10 demonstrators were injured after police moved in to disperse stone-throwing crowds .
Afghan officials say police opened fire after being shot at by protesters .
Some of the demonstrators waved Taliban flags and police say some members of the militant group had infiltrated the crowd .
The American church 's plans to burn Qurans to mark the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks was called off last week amid international outrage .
Separately , two protesters were killed Sunday when police opened fire on a similar demonstration in eastern Logar province .
United Nations officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have paid tribute to Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed in an ambush Friday .
Dominique McAdams , head of the U.N. bureau in Congo 's eastern Ituri province spoke to international soldiers Saturday at Bunia airport , where the bodies of the nine peacekeeers were to be loaded on a plane to Bangladesh .
She said the Bangladeshi peacekeepers wanted to improve the lives of ordinary Congolese and to help free them from the grip of what she called " demented " armed elements .
Ms. McAdams said the U.N. mission must do its utmost to ensure that the Bangladeshis ' sacrifice will not be in vain .
The United Nations accused local armed groups , which it did not name , of being behind what it said were premeditated killings .
Police officials in Spain say Spanish and Moroccan security forces have thwarted another attempt by African migrants to illegally cross over from Morocco to Spain 's North African enclave of Melilla .
Police say at least 1,000 migrants tried to scale razor wire fences early Thursday but failed to get through .
The attempt came just hours after Spain announced measures to deter migrants , mostly from west Africa , from storming Melilla and its sister enclave , Ceuta .
Spain said it would invoke for the first time a 1992 agreement with Morocco allowing it to send back to Morocco any Africans who had succeeded in getting into Ceuta or Melilla .
Earlier Wednesday , about 500 migrants in Morocco tried storming a fence surrounding Melilla .
About 65 people successfully climbed over the fence while dozens of others suffered serious cuts from razor wire .
Iraqi authorities say a female suicide bomber has blown herself up near a government compound north of Baghdad , killing at least 15 people and wounding 40 others .
The woman detonated her explosives vest in the Diyala province capital of Baquba Sunday , near a heavily guarded area that includes government offices and a courthouse .
Authorities say at least seven policemen were killed in the attack .
An increasing number of women have been carrying out suicide attacks in Iraq in recent months .
The U.S. military says al-Qaida in Iraq has been recruiting women because it is easier for them to avoid security searches .
Authorities in Saudi Arabia have identified three of the militants killed in Monday 's terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah .
The Saudi Interior Ministry says the three were not on a most wanted list of suspected al-Qaida sympathizers issued by Saudi authorities last year .
Authorities are still trying to identify a fourth dead militant , while the name of a fifth militant taken into custody was not released .
The militants stormed the consulate with grenades , triggering a gunbattle with Saudi security forces .
Five non-American staff members died in the attack .
The United States says it is boosting security at its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia due to Monday 's attack .
The Jeddah consulate remains closed Tuesday .
Russia says it thinks the top threats to its future security will come from NATO expansion and rivalry over energy resources .
The Kremlin on Wednesday unveiled its new National Security Strategy , outlining its priorities through the year 2020 .
The policy paper was signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev .
It says Russia can not rule out the use of military force to " solve emerging problems " around the competition for energy sources .
The document says Moscow hopes to build " an equal and full-fledged strategic partnership with the United States , " but criticized U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in Europe .
The new security strategy says Russia views any expansion of NATO to its neighboring countries to be " unacceptable . "
That remark is likely aimed at Georgia and Ukraine , which have sought to join the alliance over Moscow 's objections .
Osama bin Laden 's deputy has appeared in a new videotape threatening Britain with more terror attacks and warning the United States it could face thousands of military casualties in Iraq if it does not withdraw its troops .
Al-Qaida deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri did not directly claim al-Qaida carried out the July 7 London attacks in the video aired Thursday on the Arab satellite channel al-Jazeera .
But he said further attacks would be the fault of British Prime Minister Tony Blair 's policies .
Of the United States , he said losses in the September 11 , 2001 attacks , and in Iraq and Afghanistan , would only be the beginning until " you withdraw from our land , stop stealing our oil and resources , and end support for corrupt rulers . "
Ayman al-Zawahiri last appeared in a videotape on June 17 , in which he said peaceful change was not possible .
The New York Times says the CIA has sent more than 100 suspected terrorists to other countries for interrogation under a secret program authorized by the Bush administration .
Sunday 's edition of the newspaper quotes former and current government officials as saying the CIA has acted under a still-classified directive that President Bush signed within days of the September 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks .
The officials said the process , known as rendition , has been central in U.S. efforts to disrupt terrorism .
Suspects have been sent to countries including Egypt , Syria , Jordan , Saudi Arabia and Pakistan .
The transfers have been criticized because some former prisoners alleged they were mistreated .
An administration official told the paper the CIA takes care to ensure the prisoners are detained under humane conditions and not tortured .
Venezuela 's president says his government may give its U.S.-made fighter jets to Cuba and China , after accusing the United States of breaking an agreement to provide jet parts .
President Hugo Chavez Tuesday said the United States is refusing to sell parts to Caracas to maintain its fleet of U.S.-made F-16 fighters .
Mr. Chavez said his nation can do whatever it wants with the jets - even give them to Cuba and China .
The comments were made at a ceremony announcing Venezuela 's plans to launch a telecommunications satellite with China 's help .
A Defense Department official speaking on condition of anonymity says there has been no communication with Caracas about giving away the jets .
The official also said U.S. laws strictly govern third party transfers .
Venezuela bought two-dozen F-16 jets from the United States in the 1980s .
Iran 's foreign minister says Tehran will restart its uranium enrichment program if Friday 's talks with European nations fail .
Kamal Kharrazi spoke to reporters at The Hague , saying if the two sides fail to resolve the impasse Friday , then Tehran " will have no choice " but to restart its enrichment program .
Britain , France and Germany , backed by the United States , want Iran to permanently give up uranium enrichment , which can be used to fuel nuclear weapons .
European officials have offered economic incentives in exchange for abandoning enrichment , but Tehran has resisted , saying its enrichment activities are for peaceful purposes .
Iran agreed in November to stop enriching uranium , but has insisted the move is temporary .
Kuwait has found the deadly H5N1 variety of avian flu in one of two infected birds culled by authorities .
The strain was found in a migrating flamingo , while a second , imported bird had the milder H5N2 variant .
Meanwhile , Vietnam said Friday , it will set up a medical facility for Cambodian bird flu patients near the border between the two countries in an effort to contain the spread of the virus .
Health officials said the small ward will be built at a hospital in Kien Luong district , 30 kilometers from the border , so Cambodian patients do not have to travel more deeply into Vietnam for treatment .
And on Thursday , China reported another outbreak of bird flu in a flock of chickens in northeastern Liaoning province - the country 's seventh outbreak in a month .
A new film premiering this week in South Korea dramatizes the suffering faced by tens of thousands of North Koreans who flee their country 's poverty and repression .
North Korean rights activists say the film 's emotional power may draw global attention to the issue .
VOA 's Kurt Achin has a preview .
Iran 's influential former president , Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani , has praised the late Pope John Paul II as a man of peace and offered his condolences to the world 's Christians on the loss of the Roman Catholic leader .
Speaking to Muslims at Friday prayers in Tehran , Mr. Rafsanjani praised the pope for opposing the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and his condemnation of the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib jail by some U.S. soldiers .
Mr. Rafsanjani , who has hinted at a comeback in June 's presidential election , asked how the Vatican could be indifferent to U.S. policies , which he said dishonor Jesus Christ .
Iran 's president , Mohammad Khatami , represented the Islamic Republic at the pontiff 's funeral Friday in Rome .
Sri Lankan officials say at least four people have been killed in clashes since unidentified gunmen killed a Tamil legislator Sunday .
Officials say soldiers shot and killed two suspected Tamil Tiger rebels during a search operation in the city of Batticaloa early Monday .
And two civilians were killed overnight in the neighboring Trincomalee district .
Meanwhile , preparations are underway for the funeral of Tamil legislator Joseph Pararajasingham , a key figure in the Tamil National Alliance party .
He was shot dead while attending Christmas Mass in Batticaloa .
The violence is the latest in a series of deadly attacks since rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran threatened to resume his struggle for an independent Tamil homeland if the government fails to reach a peace settlement within the next year .
Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has accused Iran 's government of persecuting opponents in the name of Islam .
In comments published on his website late Sunday , Mousavi said Islam does not beat anyone , arrest people or keep them in prison .
He also rejected accusations by Iranian conservatives that the opposition is linked to external forces , saying such allegations do not benefit the country .
Iran 's opposition accuses conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of rigging a presidential election last June to give himself a second term .
The opposition claims Mousavi was the rightful winner .
Mousavi 's website also quotes him as criticizing the government 's post-election crackdown on independent media .
He urged supporters of his Green Movement to keep raising awareness about their campaign for basic rights through social networking tools on the Internet .
Sudan 's government and southern rebels have signed a peace deal formally ending Africa 's longest-running war .
Sudanese Vice President Al Osman Mohammad Taha and rebel leader John Garang pledged to end more than 21 years of fighting during a ceremony Sunday in Nairobi , Kenya .
The ceremony included U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell who urged Sudan 's government to advance peace in a separate conflict in the western Darfur region .
Mr. Powell said Sudan 's future and its relationship with the United States rely on achieving peace throughout the entire nation .
Today 's peace deal includes terms for sharing power and oil resources , and calls on rebels and ruling party officials to form an interim coalition government , followed in six years by a southern vote on independence .
An estimated two million people have died during the war between the Arab-controlled government and mostly black southern rebels , mainly of famine and disease .
Iraqi officials say President Jalal Talabani is to travel to Tehran Monday to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad .
The talks are expected to focus on the deteriorating security situation in Iraq and how Iran can help stem sectarian violence .
Iran is said to have influence with Shi'ite factions and militias in Iraq .
The New York Times newspaper says a bi-partisan panel studying U.S. strategic options in Iraq is expected to urge the Bush administration to undertake aggressive regional diplomacy , including direct talks with Iran and Syria .
The Times quoted officials familiar with the plan as saying the panel will not recommend a specific timetable for a military withdrawal .
Iraq 's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urged rival factions of his government to unite to prevent more sectarian violence , which killed a number of Iraqi across the country Sunday .
Mr. Maliki said public disputes among Iraq 's politicians are fueling the bloodshed .
Israeli Education Minister Yuli Tamir has ordered that new textbooks no longer show the occupied West Bank as part of Israel .
Tamir , a member of the Peace Now group that opposes West Bank settlement , said Tuesday the textbooks must show the Green Line that divides Israel from the West Bank .
Israel seized the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War .
About 2,00,000 Jews live in West Bank settlements , among more than two million Palestinians .
Israel occupies the area but has not annexed it .
Many settlers want the enclaves to be incorporated into the Jewish state .
The Palestinians hope to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip .
Pro-settlement Jewish activists are criticizing the education minister .
A member of parliament from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert 's Kadima party , Ronit Tirosh , said the minister has no right to make the decision .
Colombia has signed a free trade agreement with the four countries that make up the European Free Trade Association , EFTA .
A statement from the association says the Colombian trade minister , Luis Guillermo Plata , and his partners from Switzerland , Liechtenstein , Iceland and Norway signed the agreement Tuesday in Geneva .
Officials say the agreement covers Colombia 's industrial and agricultural exports .
EFTA ministers said they are confident the new trade opportunities with Colombia will contribute to economic growth and development among the participating countries .
EFTA was founded in 1960 and has 17 ongoing free trade treaties with countries ranging from Canada to Egypt .
A Vatican spokesman says Pope John Paul II tried to express his thanks when he was told about the crowd of thousands of young people gathered in St. Peter 's Square offering their prayers and support for him .
The spokesman says the pope apparently was thinking of the countless young Catholics he met during his many trips abroad - to 129 countries and foreign territories - when he tried to speak to the priests attending him late Friday .
The pope 's spokesman , Joaquin Navarro-Valls , told reporters that John Paul II " seemed to have said the following sentence : " I have looked for you .
Now you have come to me .
And I thank you . "
Asked for further details , Mr. Navarro-Valls said those words were " reconstructed " or pieced together from several attempts the pope made to speak late Friday .
Leaders from Africa and Germany are meeting in Berlin for a conference aimed at promoting sustainable development and economic growth in Africa .
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen are joining German Chancellor Angela Merkel in opening the conference .
The German government says the two-day meeting of the African Partnership Forum will serve to prepare recommendations for summits of the Group of Eight and the African Union .
G8 leaders are scheduled to meet in northern Germany on June 6 .
The Africa Partnership Initiative was established by the G8 in 2003 as a way to encourage dialogue between African nations and the world 's wealthiest countries .
Germany currently holds the rotating European Union and G8 presidencies .
The Swedish government continues to face criticism for a slow response to Asia 's tsunami disaster .
Local media have been very critical of the government of Prime Minister Goran Persson , noting that his Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds did not go to her office for more than a day after the tsunami was first reported .
Newspapers say hundreds of angry citizens have written letters and e-mails condemning the government 's response to the tragedy .
Sweden has been the hardest-hit Western nation , with more than 3,500 of its citizens unaccounted for and at least 59 known dead .
The prime minister has ordered an investigation , but has said that Ms. Freivalds is safe in her job .
Mr. Persson does not face re-election until September 2006 .
Meanwhile , flags flew at half-staff Sunday as Sweden , Finland and Norway marked an official day of mourning .
A flurry of new reports give a mixed assessment of the US economy Thursday .
The job market looks better , with the Labor Department reporting the biggest drop since 2001 in requests for first-time unemployment compensation .
Its report shows the number of such initial claims falling 43,000 to 3,17,000 last week .
But that news was tempered by other reports .
The Commerce Department says the deficit in U.S. foreign trade and investment , called the current account , hit a record $ 165 billion between July and September .
Many economists had predicted the gap between what Americans buy abroad and what they sell would be even worse .
Commerce also reported the number of new houses started in November dropped 13 percent , the sharpest decline in almost 11 years .
Indonesian health officials say local tests have confirmed a man has tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus .
Authorities say the man , in his 20s , is in stable condition at a hospital in West Sumatra province .
Friday , the World Health Organization confirmed that a one-year-old girl had become the 23rd person in Indonesia to die of the H5N1 strain of bird flu .
Also Friday , representatives from the Pan American Health Organization , the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture and the Organization of American States met in Washington to discuss ways to head off a possible bird flu epidemic .
About 25 centers throughout the region already monitor outbreaks of influenza .
With the world sending much of its financial and technical aid to other geographic areas , the officials say it is important for the region to pool its resources .
The United States has reopened its embassy in the Saudi capital , Riyadh , but its consulate in Jeddah remains closed , two days after it was stormed by militants linked to al-Qaida .
An embassy spokeswoman says U.S. officials Wednesday ended the emergency closure of the embassy as well as a consular office in the eastern port of Dhahran .
The missions were closed after Monday 's attack that killed five non-American staff and four of the five gunmen .
U.S. officials say they are bolstering security at all U.S. missions in Saudi Arabia in the wake of the attack .
Tuesday , the U.S. State Department re-issued a travel warning for Saudi Arabia , saying private American citizens should leave the country or cancel plans to travel there .
The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered two Marines not to speak to the media about their accusations of prisoner abuse at the Guantanamo Bay detention center .
Both Marines are part of a military legal team defending a detainee at Guantanamo Bay .
Marine officials say the gag order was issued to ensure the legal team 's actions conform to professional standards .
Last week Lieutenant Colonel Colby Vokey and Sergeant Heather Cerveny released a report which included a sworn statement from Cerveny alleging she heard guards describing the physical and mental abuse of prisoners .
The Defense Department is investigating the accusations .
The United States has been widely criticized for creating and maintaining the Guantanamo Bay prison , where suspects from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are held for questioning .
The McDonald 's Corporation will have to answer a lawsuit filed by four New York teenagers who allege the company hid the health risks of hamburgers and Chicken McNuggets .
The suit blames McDonald 's for the teenagers ' obesity and health problems , and it asks billions of dollars in damages .
McDonald 's is the world 's largest fast-food chain , and company officials have called the lawsuit " frivolous . "
A district judge originally dismissed the suit , but an appeals court late Tuesday allowed the case to move forward and cleared the way for the teens to demand that McDonald 's turn over documents .
The case was originally filed in 2002 , and is the first obesity-related lawsuit against a food company to reach a judge .
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso says Tokyo is planning to host a meeting with Israeli , Palestinian and Jordanian officials next month to help peace efforts in the Middle East .
Speaking Tuesday in Tokyo , Aso said plans have not been finalized , but Japan hopes the meeting will happen in mid-March .
He said the meeting would be a follow-up to a proposal by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during a visit to the Middle East last July .
The proposal included Japanese economic assistance for development projects on the West Bank .
Mr. Koizumi 's trip to the Middle East was the first by a Japanese leader in a decade .
Japan 's current leader , Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , has not announced any official plans to visit the region .
The U.S. Food And Drug Administration ( FDA ) is searching for the cause of a salmonella outbreak that it has traced to raw tomatoes .
More than 165 people across the U.S. have become ill with salmonella poisoning since April .
On June 7 , the FDA issued an advisory , warning consumers not to eat several common types of tomatoes .
VOA Producer Barry Unger has more in a report voiced by Tony Budny .
More than 2,500 Sri Lankan Marxists have marched in Colombo to press the government to cancel planned peace talks with Tamil rebels and to punish them instead for a rash of killings blamed on the rebels .
The People 's Liberation Front , which left the coalition government over plans to share tsunami aid with the rebels , said it is time to get tough with the Tigers .
The protesters carried a picture of slain Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar , an ethnic Tamil who helped outlaw the Tamil Tigers in the United States and Britain .
The Sri Lankan government has blamed the group for his assassination , a charge denied by the Tamil Tigers .
Norwegian mediators are arranging emergency talks between the government and the rebels to find ways to save a more than three-year-old cease-fire .
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband is in Pakistan for talks with government leaders .
Officials say Miliband traveled Sunday to the northwestern city of Peshawar , capital of the volatile North West Frontier Province .
The British official is expected to meet with the provincial governor and other local officials to discuss security issues and ongoing cooperation .
Earlier this month , British Interior Minister Jacqui Smith said Britain is ready to increase its assistance to Pakistan to combat militancy .
Pakistan is a key Western ally and has helped the United States and Britain thwart terrorist attacks .
Pakistani officials say pro-Taleban militants have beheaded a taxi driver in a northwestern tribal region after accusing him of being a U.S. informant .
The officials say the taxi driver 's headless body was found Tuesday in South Waziristan .
He had been missing since last week .
Militants accused the man of working with U.S. forces across the border in Afghanistan .
He was the second taxi driver to be killed in the Pakistani tribal region this month in similar circumstances .
Pro-Taleban militants have been blamed for killing scores of local tribesmen accused of helping Pakistani or U.S. forces .
Pakistan has deployed 80,000 troops along its border with Afghanistan to root out foreign militants and their local allies .
Red Cross officials in Pakistan say a helicopter with a crew of seven returning home to Turkmenistan after assisting with earthquake relief is missing .
A relief agency official said Sunday the air control tower lost contact with the aircraft Friday as it crossed into Afghan airspace not long after taking off from Peshawar , Pakistan .
The Soviet-era Mi-8 helicopter from Turkmenistan had been chartered by the Red Cross for the earthquake relief effort in Pakistan for the past three months and was returning home after completing its mission .
The official says a search operation is under way to locate the helicopter and crew .
Dozens of angry Muslims in Pakistan 's southern city of Karachi protested Friday against the release of an anti-Islamic film by a Dutch lawmaker .
Members of the hard-line Islamist party Jamaat-i-Islami organized the protest , chanting " Death to the filmmaker " and demanding that Pakistan 's government sever diplomatic ties with The Netherlands .
The film , called Fitna , was made by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders and contains images of terrorist attacks and quotations from the Koran .
The Pakistani government Friday lodged a strong protest with the Netherlands , summoning the Dutch ambassador to Pakistan to condemn what it called the " defamatory " film .
Protests have erupted in Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent weeks in anticipation of the film 's release and after the reprinting of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspapers .
NATO peacekeepers in Afghanistan say three Italian troops have been slightly wounded in a suicide car-bombing attack in the western city of Herat .
A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force told reporters in Kabul that the attacker was killed in the blast , which occurred Tuesday on the road from Herat airport to the city .
The spokesman says the Italians were wounded by flying glass from their vehicle , which was damaged by the explosion .
A purported Taleban spokesman , Qari Mohammed Yousuf , says his group carried out the attack - the latest in a spate of suicide bombings and other attacks in Afghanistan claimed by the Taleban .
A former U.S. contractor in Iraq has pleaded guilty to bribery , conspiracy and money laundering involving millions of dollars meant for reconstruction .
Robert Stein entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Washington Thursday .
Stein worked for the Coalition Provision Authority in Iraq , the temporary U.S.-led government , handing out millions of dollars intended to rebuild the city of Hilla , south of Baghdad .
Stein admitted he formed a ring of co-conspirators who diverted reconstruction money to such personal use as luxury cars , jewelry and U.S. real estate .
Stein has a prior fraud conviction and it was not immediately clear why he was allowed to control tens of millions of dollars , much of it in cash .
U.S. businessman Philip Bloom and five U.S. servicemen have also been implicated in the scheme .
Thai police say a bomb blast in southern Narthiwat province has injured at least 15 people .
The police say they do not yet know whether anyone was killed in the explosion , which occurred Thursday in the town of Sungai Kolok .
It was not immediately clear who was responsible .
But a Muslim separatist group called the Pattani United Liberation Organization had warned of a violent backlash over the deaths of some 84 people during protests Monday in southern Thailand .
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has promised an investigation into the incident that brought widespread international outrage , particularly in majority Muslim countries Most of the deaths were attributed to suffocation after police packed detained protesters in a truck for transport to a detention center .
Pro-government lawmakers in Venezuela have appointed 17 new judges to the Supreme Court , strengthening the administration of President Hugo Chavez .
In Caracas Monday , legislators from the ruling party pushed the appointments through the 165-seat Congress .
Opposition leaders condemned the appointments as unconstitutional , and then walked out of the session .
Earlier this year , lawmakers approved measures that expanded the number of Supreme Court justices from 20 to 32 .
They also changed the rules to allow Congress to appoint judges with a simple majority , and to fire sitting justices .
Human rights groups have condemned the measures , saying they are a threat to democracy .
Among the new justices is Francisco Carrasquero , head of the nation 's electoral council .
Critics accuse him of helping Mr. Chavez defeat a recall in August .
North and South Korean officials have apparently made little progress toward reaching an agreement on the plight of South Korean prisoners of war and missing civilians South Korean officials believe are alive in the north .
Talks hosted by the Red Cross began Tuesday at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea .
The Yonhap news agency says that South Korean officials pushed for at least eight annual reunions for family members separated by the Korean War .
The report said North Korea instead suggested holding one reunion each June .
Seoul says more than 500 prisoners and hundreds of kidnapped civilians are still alive in the North .
Pyongyang denies holding any war prisoners and says any South Korean citizens in its country defected voluntarily .
On a separate issue , South Korea agreed to donate 1,50,000 tons of fertilizer to the impoverished North .
Two senior officials at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency have turned in their resignations amid mounting turmoil since the recent appointment of a new director .
Deputy Director John McLaughlin announced his retirement from the spy agency Friday after 32 years of service .
The Washington Post newspaper quotes unidentified officials as saying he resigned after warning recently-appointed director Porter Goss that one of his top aides , chief of staff Patrick Murray , was " treating senior officials disrespectfully and risked widespread resignations . "
Deputy Director of Operations Stephen Kappes also tendered his resignation Friday , reportedly after a confrontation with the same aide .
The article says after offering his resignation , Mr. Kappes agreed to delay his decision until Monday .
It also says several other senior CIA officers have threatened to quit .
The CIA has been sharply criticized for intelligence failures leading up to the 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks and the Iraq war .
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has met with Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan , South Korea .
Japanese officials say Mr. Toledo told the Japanese leader that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori 's recent return to South America should not affect the two nations ' relationship .
Mr. Fujimori , a Japanese citizen , fled to Japan five years ago in the midst of a corruption scandal .
He was arrested last week in Chile .
If returned to Peru , he faces charges of corruption and of authorizing death squads .
Last week , Peru recalled its ambassador to Japan after a Japanese consular official visited Mr. Fujimori in jail .
Lima says Tokyo is interfering in his extradition process , but Tokyo insists it is treating him like any other Japanese citizen .
U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain have received endorsements by a newspaper in Iowa , where the first step in the election process takes place next month .
The Des Moines Register endorsed Senator Clinton for the Democratic Party nomination and Senator McCain for the Republican Party , saying they are the most competent and ready to lead of the 2008 presidential hopefuls .
Meanwhile , the Boston Globe newspaper endorsed Democratic Senator Barack Obama , saying he fulfills America 's need for a president with an intuitive sense of the wider world .
The newspaper also endorsed Senator McCain , calling him a straight talker who could help a polarized nation .
Iowa holds presidential caucuses on January 3 in which state voters from each party choose their preferred candidates for the November election .
The European Union has welcomed Sunday 's publication of Iraq 's draft constitution .
The EU presidency , held currently by British Prime Minister Tony Blair , issued a statement calling the document an " important milestone " in Iraq 's political process .
The EU statement urged all Iraqis to participate in the ratification vote scheduled for October .
It also offered EU help in preparing for that vote and for national elections scheduled for December .
The biggest U.S. bank , Citigroup , lost $ 5.1 billion in the first three months of this year after making bad investments in securities backed by home loans .
The losses reported Friday grew as more and more consumers also fell behind on car and credit-card loans .
Citigroup 's managers say they will cut costs sharply , focus on the most fundamental parts of their business , and fire another 9,000 of their 3,70,000 workers .
It is the second major quarterly loss for Citigroup , and it is the latest in a wave of dismal bank earning reports over the past week .
Merrill Lynch revealed a $ 2 billion loss and 3,000 job cuts on Thursday .
Witnesses and aid groups in Sudan say at least 40 people have been killed in tribal clashes in Darfur .
The witnesses said Sunday at least 21 people were wounded in the violence Saturday .
Tribal conflicts are becoming an increasing concern in Darfur , where people are already struggling with fighting between rebels and government forces along with militias backed by Khartoum .
The United States has called the fighting genocide against the people of Darfur .
More than 2,00,000 people have been killed in Darfur since 2003 .
That was when a conflict over land and water resources turned violent after non-Arab rebels accused the Arab-dominated government of neglect .
The government has been accused of arming militias , called Janjaweed , to crush the rebels in a brutal campaign of rape and murder .
Some reports say tribal members blamed Saturday 's attack on the Janjaweed .
Hundreds of Saudi riot police have launched a crackdown on would-be protesters in the cities of Riyadh and Jeddah , in a show of force triggered by an exiled dissident 's call for anti-government demonstrations .
There are reports of arrests in both cities , but authorities have not yet commented .
Public protests are banned in the kingdom .
About an hour after the protests were set to begin Thursday , Western news reports say the demonstrations failed to materialize in either city .
Earlier this week , London-based dissident Saad al-Fagih , who heads the Movement for Islamic Reform , called for tens of thousands of Saudis to protest after noon prayers Thursday against the Saudi monarchy .
Last year , he accused Saudi agents of attempting to kill him in a stabbing incident at his London home .
The Saudi government denied any involvement .
Pakistan has again expressed support for the European Union 's efforts for a negotiated settlement to Tehran 's dispute with Washington over Iran 's nuclear program .
Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri told a news conference Pakistan would like to support the European approach because the Islamic world can not afford another conflict after U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq .
He says Pakistan has been talking to the United States , the European Union and Iran to defuse tensions .
Last month , President Bush said the United States could not rule out using force if Iran fails to rein in its nuclear plans .
Iran denies U.S charges that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons .
Last year , the father of Pakistan 's nuclear bomb , Abdul Qadeer Khan , admitted selling nuclear secrets to Iran .
Bombs targeting Iraqi troops in Baghdad and police in the north of the country have killed at least 10 people .
Police say a truck bomb attack on a police station in the northern city of Mosul killed four people and wounded more than 30 others Tuesday .
In Baghdad , a car bomb blast near an Iraqi army checkpoint killed three soldiers and three civilians , and wounded 25 other people .
In other violence , three Iraqi policemen were shot to death by gunmen at a checkpoint in eastern Baghdad .
Separately , the U.S military in Iraq says it captured four wanted men and detained six suspected terrorists during operations to disrupt al-Qaida networks in central Iraq .
Iran has rejected the possibility of suspending its uranium enrichment program , after world powers agreed to discuss sanctions against Tehran .
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Sunday that suspending Iran 's enrichment program is , in his words , completely unacceptable .
He also said Tehran wants to solve the issue through talks , not sanctions .
On Friday , the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany agreed to discuss possible non-military sanctions against Iran for its failure to meet an August 31 U.N. deadline to stop enriching uranium .
The United States and Britain have lobbied for sanctions , while Russia and China have said the standoff should be resolved through negotiations .
Western nations believe Iran wants to make nuclear weapons .
Iran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes .
The European Union 's top official for Bulgaria says reopening two shuttered Bulgarian nuclear reactors is " out of the question . "
Michael Humphreys said at a Balkans energy conference in Sofia Monday that closing the reactors is part of Bulgaria 's membership agreement with the EU .
He said all 26 other EU members would have to agree to change Bulgaria 's membership deal .
He calls that impossible .
Bulgaria was forced to close reactors three and four of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant because of safety concerns .
Energy ministers and other top officials from five Balkan nations - Albania , Bulgaria , Croatia , Macedonia , and Serbia - urged the EU in a statement to allow the reactors to temporarily reopen until other electricity sources can be found .
The officials say they fear closing the reactors will create a regional energy shortage .
Swiss Reinsurance Company , the world 's second-biggest reinsurer , says the global insurance industry could face some $ 20 billion in claims from Hurricanes Rita and Wilma .
The Zurich-based company estimates the cost from Rita will be around $ 10 billion , while damage claims from Wilma could range from $ 6 billion to $ 12 billion .
Insurance companies were already reeling from Hurricane Katrina , which analysts say will cost the industry at least $ 40 billion .
Swiss Reinsurance announced Wednesday that its own earnings will be hurt by the recent string of storms to hit the U.S. Gulf coast .
The company says it expects claims of $ 750 million from Rita and Wilma , on top of an estimated $ 1.3 billion in claims from Katrina .
Reinsurers sell back-up insurance to other insurance companies , spreading risk so losses from major natural disasters can be covered .
U.S. aircraft maker Boeing has received $ 5 billion worth of orders for its new and upgraded version of its 747 jetliner .
Boeing says that Cargolux Airlines of Luxembourg has ordered 10 of its new 747-8 aircraft , with purchase rights for an additional 10 jets .
Japan-based Nippon Cargo has ordered eight of the new jets , with options for 10 more .
The airlines will begin receiving the new jets in 2009 .
The head of Boeing 's commercial airplanes division says the new 747 will utilize engines designed for its new 787 Dreamliner passenger jet to make it quieter and more efficient .
Boeing is competing against Europe 's Airbus consortium for dominance of the international aviation market .
Airbus is preparing its new A-380 superjumbo jet for service beginning next year .
Authorities in Ethiopia say several people were injured Tuesday from two explosions in the capital , Addis Ababa .
Officials say the first blast occurred at a hotel , injuring four people and damaging the building .
They say the second explosion happened in a market in Addis Ababa , but no injuries were reported there .
There was no immediate indication of what caused the explosions .
Chechnya 's Kremlin-backed government has dismissed a purported separatist statement pledging to observe a ceasefire throughout this month .
Russian media quote Chechen President Alu Alkhanov as describing the declaration as a " trick " and an attempt by the separatists to gain attention .
A web site linked to Chechen separatists posted the ceasefire offer Wednesday said to be from their top leaders Aslan Maskhadov and Shamil Basayev .
Meanwhile , an independent British television station has announced plans to broadcast an interview with Mr. Basayev in which he is said to warn of more terrorist attacks in Russia .
Russian officials have demanded that the station not air the segment , calling it irresponsible to spread the views of a wanted terrorist .
Mr. Basayev has taken responsibility for a number of bloody attacks , including the siege of a school last year that led to the deaths of more than 330 people .
President Bush has vowed to increase the number of needy countries the United States aids through the Millennium Challenge Corporation , which rewards nations making democratic and free-market reforms .
Mr. Bush said Tuesday that nearly two dozen new countries have been selected as eligible for aid .
He spoke during the swearing-in ceremony of John Danilovich , the corporation 's new chief executive officer .
President Bush said he has asked Mr. Danilovich to implement several new agreements with developing countries in upcoming months .
The corporation currently has agreements with Armenia , Benin , Cape Verde , Georgia , Honduras , Madagascar , and Nicaragua .
The corporation gives development aid to needy countries that are judged to govern justly and encourage economic freedom .
The aid goes toward projects in agriculture , education , and private sector development .
The British military says one of its soldiers has died fighting insurgents in Afghanistan .
The military says the British Royal Marine was killed Wednesday in the Nad-e-Ali district near Lashkar Gah , the capital of Helmand province .
About 70,000 international forces are in Afghanistan fighting a Taliban insurgency that has raged since the United States pushed the group from power in 2001 .
On Wednesday , Afghan and international troops said they had captured a senior insurgent commander in a raid on a suspected insurgent cell in Baghlan province .
A joint statement from the Afghan and U.S. militaries said insurgent Mullah Dahoud is suspected of involvement in a deadly October attack in Baghlan and the 2007 bombing of a sugar factory , which killed more than 50 people .
The U.S. Secretary of Energy says it may take about six months to restore Iraq 's oil output to pre-war levels of 2.5 million barrels a day .
Samuel Bodman made the comments in Baghdad Tuesday , where he called Iraqi estimates that they could boost production to three million barrels a day " optimistic . "
Bodman also said Iraq is working on a new " hydrocarbons law " intended to set a legal framework to attract and regulate badly needed investment by foreign oil companies .
He said Iraqi officials hope to finish the law by the end of this year .
Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the Middle East , but oil production suffers from years of sanctions , war , and insurgent attacks on key infrastructure .
China says its exports rose 21 percent in January from the same period a year ago , a further sign that its economy has withstood the global recession .
The figures released by the General Administration of Customs Wednesday show exports totaled over $ 109 billion .
January 's increase follows on the heels of a 17.7 percent increase in December .
Officials says last month 's export increase was partly due to the comparison with a period of low activity last year , when companies were idled for the Lunar New Year .
The customs office also says imports soared 85.5 percent in January .
The import and export figures taken together made a $ 14.2 billion trade surplus for the month .
But in a month-on-month basis , exports dropped 16.3 percent in January from December , and imports fell 15.1 percent .
Angola is rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002 .
Fighting between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola ( MPLA ) , led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS , and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( UNITA ) , led by Jonas SAVIMBI , followed independence from Portugal in 1975 .
Peace seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections , but fighting picked up again by 1996 .
Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people displaced - in the quarter century of fighting .
SAVIMBI 's death in 2002 ended UNITA 's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA 's hold on power .
President DOS SANTOS held legislative elections in September 2008 and , despite promising to hold presidential elections in 2009 , has since pushed through a new constitution that calls for elections in 2012 .
Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands , and the island group of Tristan da Cunha .
Since independence in 1968 , Mauritius has developed from a low-income , agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial , financial , and tourist sectors .
For most of the period , annual growth has been in the order of 5 % to 6 % .
This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution , increased life expectancy , lowered infant mortality , and a much-improved infrastructure .
The economy rests on sugar , tourism , textiles and apparel , and financial services , and is expanding into fish processing , information and communications technology , and hospitality and property development .
Sugarcane is grown on about 90 % of the cultivated land area and accounts for 15 % of export earnings .
The government 's development strategy centers on creating vertical and horizontal clusters of development in these sectors .
Mauritius has attracted more than 32,000 offshore entities , many aimed at commerce in India , South Africa , and China .
Investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $ 1 billion .
Mauritius , with its strong textile sector , has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act ( AGOA ) .
Mauritius ' sound economic policies and prudent banking practices helped to mitigate negative effects from the global financial crisis in 2008 - 9 .
GDP grew 3.6 % in 2010 and the country continues to expand its trade and investment outreach around the globe .
First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century , Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667 .
With the abolition of slavery in 1863 , workers were brought in from India and Java .
Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975 .
Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic .
It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987 , when international pressure finally forced a democratic election .
In 1990 , the military overthrew the civilian leadership , but a democratically elected government - a four-party coalition - returned to power in 1991 .
The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until August 2010 , when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power .
Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650 , Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century , when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants - was incorporated into a single British dependency along with Saint Kitts and Nevis .
Several attempts at separation failed .
In 1971 , two years after a revolt , Anguilla was finally allowed to secede ; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980 with Anguilla becoming a separate British dependency .
AN ASS , being driven along a high road , suddenly started off and bolted to the brink of a deep precipice .
While he was in the act of throwing himself over , his owner seized him by the tail , endeavoring to pull him back .
When the Ass persisted in his effort , the man let him go and said , " Conquer , but conquer to your cost . "
A willful beast must go his own way
A funny old lion , who had the misfortune to lose his mane , was wearing a wig as he was taking a stroll on a very windy day .
Looking up , he spied one of the charming Tiger sisters across the street , and , wishing to make an impression , smiled blandly and made a beautiful low bow .
At that moment a very smart gust of wind came up , and the consequence was that his wig flew off and left him there , feeling foolish and looking worse , with his bald head glistening like a billiard ball .
Though somewhat embarrassed at first , he smiled at the Lady and said : " Is it a wonder that another fellow 's hair should n't keep on my head , when my own would n't stay there ? "
" Wit always has an answer ready . "
A WOODCHOPPER , who had dropped his axe into a deep pool , besought Mercury to recover it for him .
That thoughtless deity immediately plunged into the pool , which became so salivated that the trees about its margin all came loose and dropped out .
A LION roaming through the forest , got a thorn in his foot , and , meeting a Shepherd , asked him to remove it .
The Shepherd did so , and the Lion , having just surfeited himself on another shepherd , went away without harming him .
Some time afterward the Shepherd was condemned on a FALSE accusation to be cast to the lions in the amphitheatre .
When they were about to devour him , one of them said :
" This is the man who removed the thorn from my foot . "
Hearing this , the others honourably abstained , and the claimant ate the Shepherd all himself .
A couple of Yogi Berra 's teammates on the Yankees ball club swear that one night the stocky catcher was horrified to see a baby toppling off the roof of a cottage across the way from him .
Yogi dashed over and made a miraculous catch - but then force of habit proved too much for him .
He straightened up and threw the baby to second base .
The bathtub was invented in 1850 .
The telephone was invented in 1875 .
This might not seem like much but , if you had lived back then , you could have sat in the bathtub for 25 years without being bothered by the phone
This particular Wizard worked in a modern factory .
Everything was satisfactory except that certain miscreants took advantage of his good nature , and would steal his parking spot .
This continued until he put up the following effective sign :
This parking space belongs to the Wizard .
...
Violators will be toad .
Israel 's interim prime minister , Ehud Olmert , says he hopes to resume peace talks after both the Israeli and the Palestinian parliamentary elections .
Palestinians are to hold their legislative vote on January 25 , and Israeli elections are set for March 28 .
Mr. Olmert said resuming peace talks will depend on Israel 's long-standing demand that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas disarm militant groups .
He said the basis for the talks would be the U.S.-backed " road map " peace plan , which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state .
Also Tuesday , Israeli police began forcibly removing right-wing settlers from the West Bank city of Hebron .
The settlers have been protesting a court order evicting Jewish squatters from an abandoned Palestinian market in the city .
Elsewhere in the West Bank , Israeli troops shot and killed a wanted Palestinian militant in Tulkarem .
The United States says it will respond to European concerns about reports of secret prisons in Europe and transport flights for terror suspects .
A State Department spokesman , Sean McCormack , said Tuesday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier that Washington will reply to an expected query from the European Union .
Mr. Steinmeier said U.S. officials also have agreed to respond to European questions on the matter .
The State Department spokesman said Secretary Rice told Mr. Steinmeier that all U.S. activities comply with American laws and the constitution .
Recent media reports say the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency allegedly runs secret prisons in eastern Europe for terrorist suspects .
There also have been reports of flights transporting CIA prisoners through EU airspace .
U.S. authorities have refused to confirm or deny the reports .
Opinion polls in Israel indicate support for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 's new centrist Kadima party is still strong ahead of the March 28 election despite the massive stroke that has incapacitated the Israeli leader .
A poll published Friday in the Yediot Ahronot daily newspaper found that the Kadima party under acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would win 39 of 120 parliament seats , well ahead of the right-wing Likud party and moderate Labor party .
A poll published by the Ha'aretz daily newspaper had similar results .
The opinion polls are the first to test the future for Mr. Sharon 's new party since the prime minister suffered a massive stroke on Wednesday and was said by doctors to be unlikely to return to his post .
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says some of Russia 's efforts at democratic reform are " going in the wrong direction . "
Rice told CBS television Sunday that the way Russia used energy against Ukraine and a new law regulating non-governmental organizations are problems .
Russia cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine during a price dispute last month , causing gas shortages in Europe .
Ukraine called it a political move .
Rice said despite Washington 's concerns , the situation in Russia is better than it was in the former Soviet Union and that U.S.-Russian relations are the best they have been for quite some time .
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said in China Tuesday that any misunderstandings between Paris and Beijing are a thing of the past .
Mr. Fillon told Chinese university students in Beijing the countries now want to build a relationship based on " mutual respect . "
Tensions between Paris and Beijing grew last year when French President Nicolas Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama .
China accuses the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader of seeking independence for the Himalayan region , which the Buddhist leader denies .
Fillon traveled to Beijing to smooth both diplomatic and economic relations .
He oversaw the signing of 12 deals involving aviation , energy , culture and water resource utilization .
Fillon held talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao and parliamentary speaker Wu Bangguo , a day after meeting Premier Wen Jiabao .
British authorities have charged a third man in connection with last month 's failed car bombings in London and Glasgow , Scotland .
Police said Saturday they charged an Indian-born doctor , Sabeel Ahmed , 26 , with having information that could prevent an act of terrorism .
Ahmed 's brother , Kafeel , remains hospitalized with severe burns suffered when he and another man allegedly rammed a vehicle packed with gasoline and gas canisters into Glasgow airport 's main entrance .
Earlier today , Australian police charged Indian-born doctor Mohammed Haneef , 27 , with providing " reckless " support to a terrorist organization allegedly behind the three failed bombings on June 29 and 30 .
Haneef was the second person charged in connection with the failed attacks in London and Glasgow .
He is reported to be a cousin of Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed .
Authorities say he shared a house in Liverpool with them for about two years .
The head of the U.S. central bank says a variety of factors , from a weaker dollar to tougher budget discipline in Congress , may help restrain the rapid growth in the nation 's trade deficit .
In remarks prepared for a speech in London , Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan cautioned that the unprecedented level of economic interaction between countries makes it difficult to predict what will happen to the U.S. trade deficit .
Economists say that to finance the trade gap , the United States depends on the willingness of foreigners to lend money to the country through investments like stocks and bonds .
Analysts worry that the declining dollar might prompt investors to abruptly sell their stocks , which could push the dollar down further and force interest rates up .
That could slow the U.S. economy and hurt nations that export to the huge U.S. market .
A federal judge in the U.S. state of Iowa has awarded a small Internet service provider more than one billion dollars in a lawsuit aimed against unsolicited commercial e-mails , known as spam .
The ruling Friday is believed to be the largest judgment ever against people or companies who send spam .
Robert Kramer , whose company provides e-mail service for about 5,000 users in Iowa , had filed a lawsuit against some 300 spammers in 2003 .
Mr. Kramer 's lawyer says the entire judgment will probably never be collected , but he hopes to recover costs caused by the spammers .
Mr. Kramer said spam clogged his server system , frequently disabling it .
He said he spent thousands of dollars upgrading his servers to handle the heavy flow of spam .
NATO officials say they plan to use smaller bombs in Afghanistan to limit the rise in civilian casualties .
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the number of civilians killed during fighting between NATO with the Taleban has damaged the reputation of the alliance .
He added that NATO commanders recently instructed troops to hold off attacking rebels in situations where civilians would be at risk .
The NATO chief spoke in an interview published Monday by the Financial Times .
In the past , Scheffer has blamed Taleban militants for using Afghan civilians as human shields .
The coalition in Afghanistan has been criticized for the number of civilian casualties resulting from combat operations against the Taleban and other militants .
Last month , Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused NATO and U.S.-led forces of killing 90 civilians in air strikes and artillery fire against the Taleban .
Palestinian medical officials say Israeli troops have killed three Palestinian militants in the West Bank .
Hospital officials say two of the men were shot dead Friday , near the al-Faraa refugee camp , in the northern West Bank .
The third was killed in the village of al-Yamoun .
The Israeli army says its troops opened fire on the men during operations against militants in the areas .
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana Thursday called on Israelis and Palestinians to show more flexibility in helping to restart the Middle East peace process .
Solana made his plea after meeting with Israel 's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Tel Aviv .
He urged Israel to reopen a border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt , which Israel closed for security reasons .
Pakistani police say the country 's former President Pervez Musharraf faces arrest if he returns to Pakistan .
Police registered a case Tuesday against Mr. Musharraf over his detention of judges during a political crisis in 2007 .
He could serve three years in jail if convicted .
Last month , the Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Musharraf violated the constitution when he imposed emergency rule and dismissed top judges in an effort to hold onto the presidency .
The former military chief resigned as president last year to avoid impeachment .
He has been living in London the past two months .
Mr. Musharraf was replaced by Asif Ali Zardari , the widower of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto , whose Pakistan People 's Party had won parliamentary elections .
France has unveiled plans to improve education and tackle job discrimination , as part of new measures to expand opportunities following three weeks of riots in largely ethnic North African-inhabited areas .
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin told his monthly news conference Thursday the country must strive to make equality of opportunity a reality for everyone - with the focus on jobs and education .
He pledged to direct more aid to education districts with mainly low-income populations , and he outlined plans for a contract of parental responsibility to ensure that parents are involved in their children 's education .
Mr. de Villepin also said acts of discrimination will be punishable by fines of up to $ 30,000 .
The new measures follow the country 's worst civil unrest in almost 40 years .
The deaths in late October of two teenagers hiding from police near Paris set off the rioting .
Top Iraqi officials greeted the new U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffery at a ceremony in Baghdad Wednesday .
The ambassador presented his diplomatic credentials to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari .
Jeffery is a career diplomat who has served as the former ambassador to Turkey .
He previously served as special state department advisor for Iraq and as the deputy chief of mission in Baghdad .
Jeffrey was appointed to the Iraqi post by the U.S. Senate earlier this month .
His arrival comes two weeks before the U.S. is scheduled to end its combat mission in Iraq and with the Iraqi political process hamstrung over the formation of a ruling government coalition .
Jeffrey succeeds Christopher Hill who has retired from the U.S. foreign service .
A U.S. Navy plane was destroyed Tuesday when it overshot the runway at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan .
U.S. military authorities say one crew member was slightly injured when the Navy P-3 Orion overshot the runway while landing at the base - the largest U.S. military facility in Afghanistan .
Authorities at the base say the plane sustained serious structural and fire damage as a result of the crash .
They say an investigation has begun into what caused the incident .
The P-3 Orion is a workhorse of the Naval aviation fleet and is used as a reconnaissance aircraft and for maritime and anti-submarine patrol activities .
India 's defense ministry says it has successfully tested a nuclear-capable ballistic missile from a ship near the east coast .
The Dhanush missile , developed by India , was fired Friday from a ship , the Subhadra , in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Orissa .
It has a striking range of at least 250 kilometers .
The missile , which can carry both nuclear and conventional weapons , is a naval version of India 's surface-to-surface Prithvi .
Earlier this month , India 's nuclear rival , neighboring Pakistan , said it successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile .
Pakistan and India often conduct such tests to demonstrate their defensive readiness .
The two rivals normally give each other notice for long-range missile launches .
World-renowned Russian choreographer Igor Moiseyev has died at the age of 101 .
Russian news media reports say Moiseyev died Friday of heart failure in Moscow .
President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to relatives and colleagues .
Moiseyev established his professional folk dance group , the Moiseyev Dance Company , in 1937 and remained at its helm for six decades .
Soviet leaders favored the choreographer , although he was not a member of the Communist Party .
His dance group was one of the first permitted to travel abroad .
Moiseyev 's innovative choreography combined balletic movement with traditional folk steps .
His performances included acrobatic Caucasus mountain dances as well as American rock-and-roll .
Audiences hailed them as promoting tolerance and appreciation for diverse cultures .
Iraqi police say a bomb exploded in a crowded animal market in central Baghdad Friday , killing at least 13 people .
Authorities say nearly 60 others were wounded in the blast , including several police officers .
The Souq al-Ghazl market in Baghdad also was bombed earlier this year .
In the northern city of Mosul , police say a suicide car bombing targeting a police patrol killed at least nine people , including at least three policemen .
Today 's explosions came amid a decrease in violence across the nation .
In separate news today , Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his government will withdraw all of its troops from Iraq in 2008 .
Poland has about 900 soldiers in southern Iraq .
A Hungarian government spokesman says the deadly strain of bird flu virus has been found in the southern part of Hungary .
The spokesman , Andras Batiz , said Tuesday three wild swans found last week have tested positive for the H5N1 virus .
German veterinary officials Tuesday confirmed 22 new cases of flu in birds on the island of Ruegen bringing the total in the country to 103 .
The German government announced Monday the virus had spread to the mainland .
One hundred three cases have now been found in wild birds in Germany .
Croatia has confirmed the H5N1 virus in a wild swan found dead last week .
France and the Netherlands are petitioning EU animal health experts so they can vaccinate their poultry .
Some EU countries are skeptical if such inoculations can ward off the deadly virus .
Bird flu has killed more than 90 people since 2003 in Asia .
The stage is set for football 's World Cup in Germany , after the organizing committee approved the newly laid playing field at the stadium in Hanover .
With the approval of the Hanover field Wednesday , all 12 stadiums now have playing surfaces that fit the requirements of 25 percent rye grass and 75 percent Kentucky bluegrass .
Field preparations at the stadiums included more than 96,000 square meters of new turf .
Organizers say the fields now will be mown , fertilized and watered in a what is billed as a " carefully orchestrated program to bring the surfaces into perfect condition " and to the approved height of 2.8 centimeters .
Moroccan authorities say six African migrants were killed as hundreds of people tried to illegally enter a Spanish enclave in North Africa .
They described the migrants as extraordinarily violent in their Thursday attempt to scale the razor-wire fence surrounding Melilla .
Moroccan police arrested 290 people during the incident - the latest of almost daily attempts to enter Melilla or Ceuta , the other Spanish enclave bordering Morocco , in hope of making it to the European Union .
Five immigrants died last week trying to enter Ceuta .
But Spanish officials say their troops were not responsible because they did not use live ammunition .
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has called on the European Union to boost economic cooperation with Africa to help stem the flow of economic immigrants from the continent .
Spain is also starting to return to Morocco any Africans who make it into the enclave .
Iraq 's female politicians plan to push for more positions in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki 's new Cabinet , which includes only one woman .
Female lawmakers say they will petition Iraq 's top leaders and international organizations for more Cabinet posts .
The Cabinet Maliki unveiled Tuesday allocated two posts for women .
One woman leads a ministry with no job description , no office and no budget .
The other , a Kurdish lawmaker , was offered the women 's affairs post but turned it down .
In approving the new government Tuesday , Iraq 's parliament filled 29 of the 42 Cabinet positions .
" Acting ministers " comprise the 13 remaining posts until permanent successors are accepted by parliament .
Approval of the new Cabinet potentially ends a nine-month political stalemate following inconclusive elections in March .
The Cabinet held its first meeting on Wednesday .
Published reports say four Turkish soldiers have been killed in fighting with Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey .
The reports say the soldiers were killed Tuesday in the southeastern province of Sirnak , near the Iraqi border .
Kurdistan Workers ' Party rebels have carried out a series of deadly attacks on Turkish troops in southeastern Turkey in recent weeks .
Turkey has threatened to launch a military operation in northern Iraq to attack PKK rebels who take refuge there .
Meanwhile , there are conflicting reports about a Turkish aerial incursion into northern Iraq today .
Some reports quote Iraqi Kurdish officials and witnesses as saying Turkish aircraft bombed abandoned villages near the Turkish border , without causing casualties .
Another report quotes an Iraqi Kurdish official as saying Turkish aircraft only dropped flares in the area .
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that he is not aware of any Turkish air strikes in northern Iraq .
Two leading U.S. senators say the plan to raise U.S. troop strength in Iraq ahead of elections there falls short of what is needed .
In interviews Sunday , Senators John McCain of Arizona and Joe Biden of Delaware both expressed doubt that an additional 12,000 troops would be enough .
The military 's plan , announced Wednesday , is aimed at improving security in time for Iraq 's January 30th elections .
On ABC television 's This Week program , Senator Biden said he is concerned that " civil chaos " could derail the elections in Sunni Muslim areas .
And on the television program FOX News Sunday , Mr. McCain accused the military of letting insurgents in Iraq take the initiative .
The plan will take U.S. troops strength in Iraq up to 1,50,000 .
Saturday , U.S. General John Abizaid said the increase was necessary because Iraqi security forces need more training .
United States national team captain Claudio Reyna has retired from international soccer , one day after his team was eliminated from the World Cup in Germany .
Reyna , who has been the U.S. captain for almost eight years , made the announcement Friday .
On Thursday , his final World Cup game ended with a disappointing loss and injury .
The United States finished last in Group-E with one point after losing 02-Jan to Ghana on Thursday .
Reyna sprained a ligament in his left knee in the first half , losing the ball in a challenge that led to Ghana 's first goal .
The U.S. captain played a key role in the team 's run to the quarterfinals at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan .
Reyna scored eight goals in 112 appearances with the U.S. team .
He plans to continue to play club football with Manchester City in England .
Some 100 people have been killed in and around Baghdad in one of the bloodiest days in Iraq in weeks .
In the deadliest attack Tuesday , a double bombing near a university killed at least 65 people and wounded more than 100 others .
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed the attack on what he called " terrorists and Saddamists . "
He linked the bombings to the executions on Monday of two former officials from Saddam Hussein 's ousted government .
Meanwhile , the U.S. military said a roadside bombing killed four American soldiers Monday in northern Iraq .
And a top U.N. official in Baghdad , Gianni Magazzeni , announced that more than 34,000 Iraqi civilians were killed and more than 36,000 wounded in violence last year .
The figures are much higher than Iraqi government estimates .
Magazzeni said the situation is particularly grave in Baghdad , where most casualties and unidentified bodies are recorded daily .
Hopes are fading that rescuers will find more survivors in the rubble of a five-story building that collapsed in Nairobi , Kenya on Monday .
Rescue teams continue to cut through piles of concrete and metal , but they have not pulled out any more survivors after saving at least three on Tuesday .
Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua says rescuers are no longer hearing any signs of life from under the wreckage .
Officials say 13 people are confirmed to have died in the collapse , but they predict the death toll will rise .
An unknown number of laborers were inside the building , which was still under construction when it suddenly collapsed Monday afternoon .
More than 100 people were injured in the collapse , which officials have blamed on poor construction and government negligence .
An Indian company , eChoupal , has been selected to receive this year 's Development Gateway Award for its use of technology to make agricultural information available to farmers in rural India .
eChoupal received the $ 1,00,000 award Friday at a forum in Beijing co-hosted by the Chinese government and the World Bank .
eChoupal installed more than 5,000 computer kiosks in villages around India where farmers could use them to learn management techniques , order fertilizer less expensively , and monitor market prices .
The Development Gateway Award recognizes efforts to use information technology to enhance the quality of life in communities around the world .
eChoupal was selected from among 135 nominees for the award .
Iraqi police have arrested at least two suspects Thursday and recovered millions of dollars from a bank robbery that left eight guards dead .
Officials in Baghdad say police raided the home of an Iraqi soldier where they found the stolen money .
Reports vary as to the total amount stolen and whether all or only part was recovered .
But officials say at least several million dollars have been returned to the bank .
The money was stolen from the Rafidain bank in Baghdad 's Karrada district on Tuesday .
Eight security guards were shot and killed during the robbery .
The heist came only two days after gunmen opened fire at a money exchange office in the same area , killing at least three people .
A radical Muslim cleric on trial in London on charges of advocating murder of non-Muslims has denied inciting any killings .
Abu Hamza al-Masri took the stand stressing opposition to racism .
When his lawyers asked if he had advocated killings he replied he did not advocate murder but supported what he termed combat .
The attorney then mentioned Afghanistan .
The defendant is the former chief preacher at Finsbury Park mosque in north London .
He faces at least 15 charges that include stirring racial hatred , as well as possession of threatening recordings and a terrorist document .
The Egyptian-born cleric , who gained international notoriety for his fiery sermons , has denied any role in terrorism .
The United States has sought to extradite him on terrorism charges .
Abu Hamza al-Masri says he lost both hands and an eye fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s .
The U.S. military in Iraq says at least six Iraqi policemen were killed in a car bomb explosion in the northern town of Tikrit Tuesday .
Officials say several policemen were also wounded in the attack believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber .
Separately , at least seven people were killed in a small town south of Baghdad .
The victims were passengers of a minibus passing through an area known as the " triangle of death . "
The killings were the latest in a wave of attacks across Iraq , as insurgents pressed on with their campaign of violence ahead of the country 's January 30 election .
Hurricane Danielle is picking up strength over the Atlantic Ocean , and weather forecasters say it could soon become a major storm .
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Danielle is now a Category Two hurricane on the five-point scale of hurricane strength , with sustained winds of nearly 165 kilometers per hour .
At last report , Danielle was about 1,000 kilometers northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands and moving toward Bermuda .
Farther east over the Atlantic , the winds of Tropical Storm Earl are at nearly 75 kilometers per hour .
The National Hurricane Center says the storm is expected to get stronger and could become a hurricane by Saturday .
Meanwhile , in the Pacific , Hurricane Frank is expected to start weakening Friday .
Frank earlier soaked Mexico 's southern coast , where heavy rains killed four people .
The U.S. space agency NASA is marking Saturday 's 20th anniversary of the Challenger space shuttle tragedy , which took the lives of seven astronauts .
Families of the astronauts will take part in a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral , Florida , where Challenger was launched .
Among those on board was high school teacher Christa McAuliffe .
After a successful liftoff in near freezing temperatures and clear , blue skies , Challenger exploded into a huge fireball 73 seconds into flight as people across the world watched on television .
The cause of the explosion was a poorly designed seal in the shuttle 's solid rocket booster .
Three years ago , the space shuttle Columbiadisintegred while re-entering earth 's atmosphere , killing another seven astronauts and causing the temporary grounding of the shuttle fleet .
Australia says it will end its military 's humanitarian mission in Indonesia 's tsunami-ravaged Aceh province on Friday .
In a statement released Thursday , Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill said the military 's primary mission to restore hospital services , water and other infrastructure has been achieved .
He said the last navy vessel will leave Indonesian waters Friday .
Meanwhile , the United Nations Refugee Agency says it will also cease operations in Aceh by Friday .
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Thursday it had hoped to complete a $ 60 million relief plan for the province , but that the Indonesian government said its help was no longer needed .
Both groups were part of the huge international effort that followed the December 26 undersea earthquake and tsunami that killed over 2,30,000 people around the Indian Ocean .
British sports officials have projected that the country 's athletes in Beijing will bring home the most medals at an Olympics since 1920 .
UK Sport said Wednesday they believe British athletes should win around 35 medals , including 10-Dec gold .
That would work out to eighth place in the medals standings , two spots higher than their 10th place finish at the Athens Games in 2004 .
The country 's strongest showings are expected in cycling , athletics , sailing and rowing , with 19 medals from those four disciplines .
UK Sport chief executive John Steele says the targets are " ambitious . "
He believes the way Britain performs against the 2008 targets will demonstrate how close it is to reaching the long-term goal of fourth place at the 2012 London Games .
A former Argentine military officer has gone on trial in Madrid , Spain , accused of committing human rights abuses during his country 's so called " dirty war " more than two decades ago .
Adolfo Scilingo is alleged to have dumped drugged dissidents from military helicopters into the ocean .
Mr. Scilingo , who went to Spain in 1997 , had earlier confessed , becoming one of the first officers to openly admit such atrocities occurred during Argentina 's brutal 1976 - 1983 crackdown on leftists .
But he later recanted and recently went on a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment and trial .
Spanish prosecutors are trying the case under a law that allows Spain 's courts to act against suspected human rights violators , even if the alleged crimes were committed in other countries .
The office of the Israeli prime minister says a visit to Israel by the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan will take place July 25 , not this week as previously planned .
Ehud Olmert 's office gave no reason for the postponement .
The Egyptian and Jordanian ministers are making the trip on behalf of the 22-nation Arab League to discuss reviving an Arab peace initiative with Mr. Olmert .
The initiative includes offering Israel normal relations with all Arab countries in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from all lands captured during the 1967 war .
A U.S. aid organization says one of its American workers in Iraq and three other people were killed in an ambush Wednesday in Baghdad .
An official in Washington with the National Democratic Institute , Leslie Campbell , says the American and three security personnel , including an Iraqi , a Croatian and a Hungarian , were killed in the attack .
He said it is not clear who carried out the attack .
The National Democratic Institute is a non-profit organization that is providing training and advice to Iraqi political parties , civil groups and parliamentarians .
Campbell says the group has no immediate plans to end its mission in Iraq , but he says the situation will be re-assessed in light of the attack .
Iraqi officials say a roadside bomb blast in Baghdad has killed at least two security officers .
Authorities say at least two others were wounded in the explosion early Saturday in the eastern section of the capital .
Also in Baghdad , police say a top police officer was unharmed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle , but at least one person was killed and another was wounded .
The U.S. military says a roadside bomb in the city today killed a U.S. soldier .
Police report they found the bound and blindfolded bodies of two unidentified men in Baghdad who had been shot .
In another development , British military officials in southern Iraq said today two Macedonian contract workers were kidnapped Thursday near Basra .
In place of the cult of personality that the Communist Party built around Chairman Mao , the Chinese are embracing a new cult : celebrity .
No Chinese person is more famous now than basketball player and NBA All-Star , Yao Ming , who is headlining China 's Olympic basketball team .
Mandy Clark reports from Beijing .
Egyptian citizens in a number of provinces are voting Sunday in the second round of parliamentary elections .
More than 1,700 candidates are competing in 72 constituencies in the nine second- round provinces .
The first round of voting , centered on Cairo , ended Wednesday amid accusations from monitoring organizations and opposition parties of widespread irregularities .
Officials say the ruling National Democratic Party won 112 of the 454 parliament seats in the first round .
Candidates associated with the banned Muslim Brotherhood won 34 seats , more than doubling its presence .
Meanwhile , leaders of the banned group say police arrested about 200 of its members before polling began today .
Brotherhood Essam el-Erian says the arrests indicate ruling party interference in the election .
The third and final stage of voting is set for December 1 .
Serbia has submitted to the U.N. General Assembly a draft resolution that seeks new dialogue on Kosovo , but does not call for the reopening of status talks on its former province .
Instead , the Serbian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday on its Web site that Belgrade wants the General Assembly to call on both sides to find " mutually acceptable solutions for all outstanding issues through peaceful dialogue . "
The resolution comes less than a week after the world body 's International Court of Justice ruled that Kosovo 's unilateral 2008 declaration of independence was legal under international law .
Immediately after last Thursday 's ruling , Serbian President Boris Tadic said Serbia would keep trying to get Kosovo back using all peaceful and legal means .
The Belgrade government said Monday it expects 55 more countries to join the 69 that have already recognized Kosovo 's independence .
U.S.-led coalition forces clashed Sunday with Taleban militants in the country 's southern Helmand province .
Military officials say at least 10 insurgents were killed when coalition air strikes hit militant positions during an early morning operation in the Garmser district .
Coalition and Afghan forces have been fighting Taleban insurgents since 2001 , when a U.S.-led invasion drove the Islamic group from power .
Militant attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan have escalated over the past 19 months , marking the bloodiest period since the beginning of the war .
Saddam Hussein 's former deputy prime minister says that U.S. interrogators have questioned him about whether French President Jacques Chirac or other leaders benefited from the former United Nations oil-for-food program in Iraq .
The British Observer newspaper published the letters Sunday in which it says Tariq Aziz also complains of his treatment in U.S. custody .
Mr. Aziz wrote that when he was asked if he had recommended giving " kickbacks " to Mr. Chirac or other international leaders , he said " my answer is no . "
Mr. Aziz also complained that he was being held unjustly - claiming that " we have no meetings or telephone contacts with our families . "
He faces charges that include crimes against Iraq 's Kurdish and Shi'ite communities .
The Observer says the letters in English and Arabic were written on pages from the diary of his lawyer , who was with him while he was being questioned .
U.S. President George Bush Tuesday signed a bill that allows Nelson Mandela to enter the United States without special clearance .
The measure officially removes Mr. Mandela and his African National Congress from a U.S. terror watch list .
The former South African president may now visit the United States without the U.S. secretary of state having to certify that he is not a terrorist .
Mr. Mandela was placed on the list because of his work with the African National Congress ( ANC ) , which fought to end white minority rule in South Africa .
Mr. Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his work with the ANC to fight apartheid rule in South Africa .
The Nobel Peace Prize winner turns 90 on July 18 .
An Israeli aircraft has fired a missile at a target in the Gaza Strip .
Witnesses say an Israeli helicopter gunship fired the missile at a building housing the offices of an Islamic charity .
The Israeli military says the attack targeted an office of a militant group in Gaza city .
There were no reports of casualties .
The attack was the latest in a series of Israeli strikes that began Saturday after Palestinian militants in Gaza fired three rockets into southern Israel .
Earlier , Israel accused the Palestinian Authority of allowing wanted terrorists to cross into Gaza from Egypt in violation of the security agreement brokered by the United States last month .
Palestinian security officials admit some militants have crossed the border , but say Israel 's demand that they be kept out is not part of the agreement .
Egyptians walk by a giant poster of President Hosni Mubarak that says : " We support you , we pledge our allegiance to you " Egyptian police have arrested 25 more members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood , including one of the opposition group 's top leaders .
The Brotherhood 's secretary-general , Mahmoud Ezzat , was among those arrested in pre-dawn sweeps Sunday ahead of Wednesday 's national referendum on presidential election rules .
The Muslim Brotherhood and other groups have urged a boycott of the vote .
If approved , the referendum will amend the constitution so Egypt can hold its first multi-candidate presidential election in September .
The Brotherhood opposes the amendment because it sets tough conditions for independent candidates , effectively excluding anyone not endorsed by the ruling party .
Egypt has arrested more than 700 members of the Brotherhood in recent weeks .
The group says today 's arrests are an attempt to silence influential opposition voices .
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says he advised President Bush to send more troops into Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion was launched .
Powell , in an interview with Britain 's ITV1 , says he gave the advice to now-retired General Tommy Franks , who planned the Iraq invasion , Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Mr. Bush .
Powell says Mr. Bush 's military advisors believed the troop level was adequate .
Powell says he still disagrees with this and would have preferred to initially send more troops .
Rumsfeld has been under mounting criticism over the war in Iraq .
Six retired U.S. generals recently called for Rumsfeld 's resignation , faulting his leadership and accusing him of making a series of major errors in the Iraq war .
Workers in Kurdish northern Iraq digging the foundation for a new hospital have discovered a mass grave that a regional official says may contain scores of bodies .
Speaking Wednesday in the town of Suleimaniyah , regional human rights minister Salah Rashid said the bodies are likely those of Kurds killed by Saddam Hussein 's army following the end of the 1991 Gulf War .
The Associated Press quotes a 60-year-old local man as saying hundreds of Kurds are buried at the site , including his brother .
U.S. and Iraqi officials say more than 250 mass graves have been unearthed across Iraq since Saddam 's ouster in 2003 .
The former dictator remains in U.S. custody , and is expected to go on trial next year on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity .
American troops and warplanes repelled an insurgent attack Wednesday in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul , killing at least 25 attackers .
The U.S. military said 15 of its troops were injured and one died in fighting after rebels detonated a car bomb outside a U.S. outpost and opened fire on arriving soldiers .
Violence in Mosul has intensified following a November offensive against insurgents in Fallujah , as some militants fled to the northern city .
Thursday , the interim government announced the arrest of a Kurdish man accused of facilitating communications between al-Qaida and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 's terrorist network .
A similar arrest was announced Wednesday .
And the insurgent group that claimed responsibility for last week 's attack on a U.S. base in Mosul that killed 22 people has renewed its threat to kill anyone who takes part in next month 's election .
A U.S. soldier at the center of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq is to plead guilty Monday to reduced charges .
Her attorney says Army Reservist Lynndie England will plead guilty to conspiracy , maltreating prisoners and dereliction of duty .
Two charges are to be dropped .
England was seen in widely publicized photographs holding a leash attached to a naked detainee at Abu Ghraib and , in another photo , smiling and pointing at a prisoner 's genitals .
The judge must still accept the plea agreement that could bring a maximum prison term of 11 years , instead of 16 .
The New York Times , citing prosecution sources , says England is expected to receive a term of 30 months .
England 's ex-boyfriend , described as the ringleader of the abuse , has already been sentenced to 10 years in prison .
Japan 's Nissan Motor Company and France 's Renault say they are willing to begin talks with General Motors on a possible alliance with the American company .
The boards of directors of Nissan and Renault approved the talks on Monday .
Last week , GM 's most high-profile investor , billionaire Kirk Kerkorian , urged the company to consider joining forces with Nissan and Renault .
News reports say Nissan and Renault may each acquire 10 percent of GM 's stock .
General Motors is the world 's largest automobile manufacturer , but it is plagued with declining sales , high manufacturing costs , and steep losses .
GM is shedding factories and workers in an effort to restore profitability .
Nissan overcame serious problems and became profitable again under the leadership of Carlos Ghosn .
Some analysts say he could speed GM toward efficiency and profit .
Pakistani police in southwestern Baluchistan province have arrested at least 11 people in connection with a deadly bomb blast on a passenger bus late Sunday .
The provincial police chief , Chaudhry Mohammed Yaqoob , says the suspects are all ethnic Baluch tribesmen and were arrested overnight in a series of raids in Quetta , the capital of Baluchistan province .
Local authorities say they have also taken the driver of the bus into custody for questioning .
Thirteen people were killed and 20 wounded when the bomb ripped through the bus carrying about 50 people from Quetta to the eastern city of Lahore .
No one claimed responsibility for the bomb .
But the police chief blamed Baluch tribal militants who have stepped up their insurgency seeking greater autonomy and more compensation for the region 's gas and other natural resources .
Bolivia 's education minister Felix Patzi is calling on the contry 's school teachers to end their nationwide strike and return to work .
The teachers began their two-day strike on Tuesday , along with Bolivia 's transporation workers .
Patzi is the reason for the teachers ' work stoppage .
They oppose his plan to revise the nation 's school curriculum , and they are calling for his resignation .
Bolivian drivers walked off their jobs over fines for traffic violations and the high price of diesel fuel .
Reports say confrontations between striking and working drivers got violent in some places , with activists stopping cars and damaging them .
Ethiopia 's prime minister and opposition leaders have met to discuss for the first time together disputed parliamentary elections in May .
Friday 's talks between Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the two main opposition groups were set up to ease tensions sparked by the elections .
Shortly after the vote , security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters , killing at least 36 people .
A top official in one opposition party says the talks included the possibility of establishing a coalition government and opposition access to state-run media .
The discussions are expected to continue .
The latest election results show Mr. Zenawi 's ruling party and its allies have won 263 seats , 11 short of the majority needed to form a new government .
Opposition groups have won 170 seats .
Opposition leaders have rejected the results and called for new elections in 299 constituencies .
Indonesia sent a dozen bird flu samples to a World Health Organization laboratory this week , the first time it has done so it more than a year .
Health Ministry officials say they shipped the samples to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the southeastern U.S. city of Atlanta , Georgia .
Indonesia stopped sending its virus samples to WHO because it wanted assurances that poor and developing nations would be allowed access to affordable vaccines developed from their samples .
The government has been in talks with WHO to create a new virus-sharing system .
Health Ministry officials say the samples sent to the CDC laboratory are for diagnostic purposes only .
Indonesia is the most affected nation from the outbreak of the lethal H5N1 form of bird flu with 105 deaths .
Eritrea has rejected a suggestion that fresh talks be held to resolve its border dispute with Ethiopia .
In a statement issued late Monday , the Eritrean Foreign Ministry said the dispute was legally concluded when an independent commission issued a ruling on the border in 2002 .
It said any new talks or initiatives on the subject would be " utterly irrelevant . "
Last week , parties that witnessed the peace agreement Eritrea and Ethiopia signed in 2000 said the border commission should hold a meeting with the two countries and work out technical details on marking the border .
The physical demarcation has been delayed because of Ethiopia 's refusal to accept the commission 's ruling .
A frustrated Eritrea imposed travel restrictions on U.N. peacekeepers watching the border last year , and expelled Western members of the U.N. staff .
The U.N. mission says the military situation along the border remains tense .
Turkish health officials say three more people have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu .
Officials said Sunday the three cases were discovered in the capital of Ankara .
They are the first human cases outside the far eastern Van province , where the disease killed a teenage brother and sister last week .
A World Health Organization team is in Turkey to assess the government 's response to the disease .
The WHO says all evidence so far shows the virus has come from sick birds and not through human contact .
The H5N1 virus has killed more than 70 people in Southeast Asia and China since 2003 .
The WHO is assuring people they can not catch bird flu from eating properly cooked poultry and eggs .
WHO spokesman Ian Simpson tells VOA that thorough cooking will kill the virus .
He also advises people to carefully clean food preparation areas .
A two-day meeting of the African Union in Addis Ababa is focusing on how to disarm Rwandan rebels in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo .
There are up to 14 thousand ethnically Hutu rebels in the region , who stage attacks against Rwanda ’s government and destabilize local communities in the DRC .
The rebels , called Interahamwe , are blamed for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda against minority Tutsi and moderate Hutu .
The presidents of the DRC and Rwanda have agreed to allow the African Union to coordinate a solution using AU troops .
Desmond Orjiako is the spokesman for the Africa Union in Addis .
He told English to Africa reporter William Eagle that the AU is considering a number of possibilities – including sending in troops to work alongside UN peacekeepers or the Congolese military , or going in alone
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran will not hold any further talks with world powers on its controversial nuclear program .
Mr. Ahmadinejad told a news conference in Tehran Monday Iran will only agree to discussions with major powers about cooperating in managing global problems .
He said Iran will not participate in talks about nuclear issues outside the framework of the U.N. nuclear agency .
Six world powers have offered Iran a package of incentives to suspend uranium enrichment .
Western nations fear Iran will use the enrichment process to develop nuclear weapons .
Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful .
President Ahmadinejad said that if he is re-elected next month , he is ready to debate U.S. President Barack Obama at the United Nations in New York .
Mr. Obama has said he wants a dialogue with Iran to persuade it that developing nuclear weapons is not in the Iranian interest .
An international press freedom group has asked U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to pressure Iran into halting the executions of two Iranian journalists .
Reporters Without Borders said in a news release Tuesday that it wrote to Mr. Ban urging him to try and help the Kurdish journalists , Adnan Hassanpour and Abdolvahed " Hiva " Botimar , who both wrote for the magazine Asou before it was banned in 2005 .
The two were sentenced to death in July on charges of being " enemies of God . "
The European Union , which opposes the death penalty in all cases , has called on Iran not to carry out the death sentences .
The EU said it is particularly troubled by the repression of Iranians who try to freely express opinions , especially those in minority Arab and Kurd regions .
Chinese activists say the government has paid compensation to the mother of a 15-year-old boy who died in police custody days after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests .
They say the Chinese government paid the mother of Zhou Guocong more than $ 8,700 ( 70,000 yuan ) in so-called hardship assistance .
Activists say the payment is the first known time China has paid compensation to a relative of someone killed during the crackdown on the democracy movement .
Activists say Zhou was detained by police in the southern city of Chengdu as part of a nationwide crackdown on democracy protests .
The 1989 student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square were crushed by the Chinese military .
Other protests were held across China .
A rocket was fired on the Afghan capital of Kabul Saturday as more than 600 delegates from Pakistan and Afghanistan held a third day of talks aimed at improving security and strengthening bilateral relations .
Interior Ministry officials say the rocket landed in an open area , several kilometers from a high security zone where the meeting was being held .
No damage or casualties have been reported .
The four-day peace conference , or grand jirga , focuses on specific issues dividing the two countries .
Many Afghans expressed hope that the conference will help reduce violence in both countries .
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is expected to attend the closing session on Sunday .
A second conference is planned for Pakistan at a later date .
The international organization Doctors Without Borders is reporting that more than 900 people have died from cholera in Angola in just 10 weeks .
The Angola country director for the group , Richard Veerman , said the outbreak is one of the worst ever in the southern African country , and has not yet reached its peak .
In a statement released Thursday , the group said measures to halt the outbreak are grossly inefficient , and called on the Angolan government and international relief organizations to step up their efforts to halt the epidemic .
Doctors Without Borders says that on some days this week its doctors have seen almost 1,000 cases of cholera , and more than 30 deaths .
The organization has 10 treatment centers in Angola , and reports seeing 11,700 cases of the disease since February .
Six countries along the Mekong river have agreed to a three-year plan to fight human trafficking .
Authorities from Cambodia , China , Laos , Burma , Thailand and Vietnam made the pledge Thursday at the conclusion of a three-day conference in Hanoi .
In a statement , the officials said they will work across borders to detect trafficking rings , recover victims and return them home , and prosecute offenders .
No estimates exist on how many people are trafficked each year in the Mekong region , but the United Nations Children 's Fund believes some 2,00,000 people have been trafficked across the entire Asia-Pacific region .
Most victims are children and women .
Iraqi police say gunmen have attacked a convoy belonging to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani , killing at least six of his bodyguards and wounding as many as 15 others .
Early reports say the president was not in the convoy when the attack occurred about 90 kilometers south of Kirkuk .
The Associated Press quotes police as saying the security detail was returning cars from Iraq 's Kurdish north to Baghdad when gunmen opened fire .
In other developments , Iraqi police say they have found the bodies of 36 men dumped in a river southeast of Baghdad .
Details are sketchy , but initial reports say the men were found in their underwear , each with a single bullet wound to the head .
The identities of the men and the motive behind the killings remain unclear .
A crowd in Bangladesh has beaten eight pirates to death after they boarded a river boat and tried to rob passengers .
Authorities say at least a dozen pirates boarded the ferry on the Jamuna river , northwest of the capital , Dhaka .
But police on the ferry challenged the bandits , and passengers chased them when they jumped overboard to flee .
Several pirates escaped , but the others were caught and beaten .
Eight died from their injuries .
American speedskater Chris Witty has dropped out of the women 's 1,500-meter race to end her Olympic career after two disappointing performances at the Turin Winter Olympics .
Witty was a three-time medalist competing in her fourth Winter Games .
But she placed last of the 28 skaters who finished the 500-meter event .
Witty was 27th in Sunday 's 1,000-meter race .
Witty 's training was hampered by a groin injury she sustained in December at a World Cup meet in Turin .
She also was having problems with her hip .
The 30-year-old Witty carried the American flag at the Turin opening ceremonies .
Her 1,000-meter world record ( 0.051655093 ) set while winning gold in the 1,000-meter race at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games still stands .
She also won silver and bronze medals at the 1998 Nagano Games .
Rights groups have criticized Egypt for allegedly continuing to detain up to 2,400 people in the investigation into last October 's Taba Hilton hotel bombing .
U.S.-based Human Right Watch says that some of the detainees have been tortured and all have been held some 16 weeks without communication with lawyers or their families .
During a news conference with local rights groups in Cairo Tuesday , Human Rights Watch said Egyptian officials have not confirmed the mass detentions in northern Sinai , but they have defended such tactics by citing methods used against terrorism suspects by the United States and Israel .
The attacks last October on the Taba Hilton and two other resorts in the Sinai killed 35 people and wounded more than 100 , mostly Egyptian and Israeli tourists .
The top U.N. envoy to Sudan , Jan Pronk , says he is horrified by ongoing violence in Darfur and called on the government to stop the killing .
In Khartoum Wednesday , Mr. Pronk said he saw evidence of widespread atrocities during his tour of Darfur last week .
He specifically mentioned Labado , a village in South Darfur , the scene of recent fighting between rebels and government forces .
Mr. Pronk said he was " horrified " by what he had seen there - burned villages and destroyed water wells - and described a pattern of attacks on civilians by unidentified militias .
Mr. Pronk 's comments came two days after a a special U.N. report concluded that while no genocide had taken place in Darfur , Sudanese government forces and allied Arab militias had committed widespread killings , rapes , and other atrocities that warranted prosecution by the International Criminal Court .
U.S. and Iraqi forces Monday battled insurgents for a third day near the Syrian border , in a push U.S. commanders say is aimed at cutting off the flow of weapons and fighters into Iraq 's population centers .
U.S. authorities say one Marine has been killed in the fighting at Husaybah .
A CNN reporter with the coalition force quotes a Marine commander as saying between 60 and 80 insurgents have been killed .
Another Marine told the network about 180 military-age males have been detained for questioning .
A U.S. statement says the coalition force is clearing the town of 30,000 people house-by-house , and says insurgents have planted homemade bombs throughout the area .
Elsewhere , at least nine people , including six Iraqi police officers , have been killed in a suicide bombing in south Baghdad .
Separately , at least four people were killed and six others wounded when a mortar shell exploded in east Baghdad .
International donors have pledged an additional $ 580 million in assistance for earthquake relief efforts in Pakistan .
Top United Nations relief official Jan Egeland said the pledges came at a donor meeting in Geneva .
But officials said it was not clear how much money was intended for emergency relief aid , and how much was for long-term reconstruction efforts .
Earlier , U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed for help to prevent a second wave of deaths .
Officials have warned that thousands of people may die if they do not receive aid before key supply routes are blocked by winter snow and freezing temperatures .
The United States has pledged $ 156 million for humanitarian aid , reconstruction and relief operations by American military personnel .
The death toll in Pakistan now stands at more than 54,000 people , and officials say rebuilding damaged areas will cost $ 5 billion .
Officials in Georgia 's breakaway republic of Abkhazia have delayed announcing the results from Sunday 's presidential election .
Central Election Commission chief Sergei Smyr said Monday that a slowdown in the delivery of ballots from some districts would hold up a scheduled announcement of the official results .
Mr. Smyr said results posted Sunday on a web site that purported to be the commission 's official site were fraudulent .
Before the vote , Prime Minister Raul Khadjimba was considered the leading contender among five candidates .
Abkhaz power company chief Sergei Bagapsh was thought to be his most serious opponent .
Mr. Smyr said Mr. Bagapsh and another candidate have alleged voting irregularities that may have to be investigated .
Abkhazia declared itself independent of Georgia in 1993 and has since been led by President Vladislav Ardzinba .
Authorities in Tbilisi say the election lacks legitimacy .
Dozens of armed militants briefly took control of Palestinian government buildings in the Gaza Strip Saturday to demand jobs .
Witnesses and security sources say members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade , an armed wing of the Fatah movement , occupied several offices in central Gaza .
Separately , gunmen protesting the death of a police officer set up a roadblock at Gaza 's border crossing with Egypt , threatening to prevent officials from passing .
The police officer had been recently killed in a family feud .
Late Friday , gunmen in Gaza released three British hostages who had been seized earlier in the week in Rafah .
A previously unknown group , Mujahadeen Brigades Jerusalem Branch , claimed responsibility for the kidnapping .
Also Friday , Palestinian police briefly occupied the Gaza-Egypt border crossing at Rafah to protest the killing of the officer , forcing the crossing to temporarily close .
Authorities in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan say at least 86 people were killed late Friday when a truck packed with pilgrims veered off a mountainous road and plunged into a gorge .
The authorities say at least 60 others were injured when the driver lost control of the vehicle on a curve in a remote part of the rural state .
Officials say the truck , usually used for hauling large containers , was carrying more than 149 pilgrims to a temple fair at the time of the crash .
Local police are investigating the incident .
The state government says it will pay the families of the dead about $ 1,200 each in compensation .
Fatal road accidents are common in India , due mainly to poorly maintained roads and vehicles , and disregard for traffic rules .
President Bush has stepped up pressure on members of his own party in Congress to pass an intelligence reform bill before it adjourns for the year .
In his weekly radio address Saturday , Mr. Bush called on lawmakers to create a national intelligence director with full budget authority over the nation 's intelligence agencies .
The opposition has come from key leaders within the president 's own Republican party , who object to portions of the bill that would overhaul 15 spy agencies .
Those objections focus on preserving the military chain of command and the flow of intelligence to troops in the field .
Analysts say the bill would likely pass in its current form with support from Democrats if a vote were held .
Embracing many of the recommendations from the independent commission investigating the September 11 attacks , the president said the legislation presents a clear and sensible path towards needed intelligence reforms .
Al-Qaida has claimed responsibility for attacks earlier this month on security and intelligence buildings in Yemen 's south that left at least three people dead .
The militant group 's regional wing , known as Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula , said in an Internet statement Friday the attacks were in retaliation for the killing of at least one militant fighter in Yemen 's southern Abyan province .
On July 14 , gunmen on motorcycles using mortars and rocket-propelled grenades opened fire on people inside the two buildings in the provincial capital , Zinjibar .
After the assault and subsequent clashes with police and guards , the attackers fled .
Al-Qaida was also blamed for an attack last month on security headquarters in southern Yemen that left 11 people dead .
Democratic Republic of Congo troops who are apparently upset over a pay dispute fired on a United Nations base in the country 's eastern region .
U.N. officials say 27 soldiers have been arrested for allegedly firing on a U.N. peacekeepers ' base in North Kivu province .
No casualties were reported .
United Nations officials say the Congolese troops are upset because they have not been paid for several months .
A top Syrian official says Israel is responsible for a car bomb blast in Damascus Monday that wounded three people .
Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan said Israeli intelligence or a group affiliated with it had targeted the vehicle of a Palestinian member of the radical group Hamas .
The minister said the man and a family member were unharmed because they got out of the vehicle just before the blast .
Syrian officials called the attack Monday afternoon an " act of sabotage . "
Police quickly removed the damaged vehicle from the scene In September , a senior Hamas member was killed in when a bomb blew up his car , also in Damascus .
Syria blamed Israel for that attack .
Pakistan 's main government coalition partner says it will split from the country 's ruling party alliance and join the opposition .
A spokesman for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement , or MQM , announced Sunday that it would sit with the opposition in both the National Assembly and the Senate .
The move follows last week 's resignation by two of the party 's federal cabinet ministers .
The MQM previously has been at odds with the government over tax reforms , increased fuel prices and efforts to improve security .
It is not clear if the move will collapse the U.S.-allied government , which previously held a small majority in parliament .
Pakistan 's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani says his government will not fall , despite the planned MQM move .
Saudi Arabia says it will send a delegation to Iraq next week to look into reopening its embassy , more than four years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq .
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Tuesday the delegation will explore security concerns related to opening the diplomatic post .
He first announced the plan last week during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice .
Rice welcomed the move as an important step .
Iraq re-opened its embassy in Saudi Arabia last February .
Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim country and Iraq has a Shi'ite majority population and a Shi'ite prime minister .
A pro-reformist Web site says Iran has barred former President Mohammad Khatami from leaving the country .
The Web site Parlemannews says Mr. Khatami was scheduled to depart Thursday night to attend a nuclear disarmament conference in Japan .
There was no immediate reaction from the Iranian government .
Mr. Khatami was a key supporter of defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi in June elections .
Opposition leaders claim that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the vote .
The Iranian government has carried out violent crackdowns on anti-government protests staged since the presidential election .
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Obama administration has decided to engage directly with Burma 's military government , in an effort to push its military leaders toward democratic reform .
Clinton told reporters at the United Nations Wednesday that the U.S. government still will use sanctions against Burma to try to influence its government .
However , she said sanctions by themselves have not produced the results the United States has wanted .
She said engagement versus sanctions is a FALSE choice , and that the Obama administration has decided to use both methods .
Burma has been under military rule since 1962 .
The opposition National League for Democracy won the last elections in 1990 , but the military government refused to acknowledge the results .
Burma 's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been in some form of detention for 14 of the past 20 years .
The Summer Olympic Games could prove the winning ticket for foreign brands seeking access to China 's lucrative consumer market .
Corporate sponsorship of the Beijing Games is booming , as companies seek visibility before 1.3 billion Chinese and the world at large .
Sam Beattie reports for VOA .
Authorities in Azerbaijan have inaugurated a NATO-funded project for reprocessing surplus rocket fuel dating back to Soviet times .
The project is being launched in Alyaty .
It involves the conversion of about 1,500 metric tons of fuel known as melange into fertilizer .
Warsaw Pact forces formerly used the fuel .
It is considered hazardous to the environment .
The $ 2-million program will deal with fuel stored at two locations in Azerbaijan
U.S. Republicans and Democrats in 16 states have picked the economy as the most important issue facing the country .
A survey of " Super Tuesday " voters conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for the Associated Press and television networks shows Democrats ranked the war in Iraq second on their list of issues of concern , with health care third .
The survey shows Republican voters ranked immigration as the second-most important issue after the economy , followed by the war in Iraq .
In southern U.S. states in particular , issues such as the war in Iraq , taxes and religion were expected to weigh heavily with voters Tuesday .
Voters in western states were expected to focus on national issues such as the economy , as well as specific issues , such as the environment and energy .
A fifth Venezuelan opposition party has pulled out of Sunday 's congressional elections , saying it is concerned the balloting will not be fair .
The New Era party has joined the opposition boycott , just days after the Democratic Action , Project Venezuela , Copei , and Justice First parties announced their withdrawal .
Opposition parties say they are boycotting the vote because the electoral council is biased .
They also say the electronic voting machines do not guarantee confidentiality .
The government said Friday the vote will go forward on Sunday as planned with the Organization of American States and the European Union observing the electoral process .
The government statement also said the National Electoral Council has agreed to a set of 11 changes in response to opposition concerns .
Meanwhile , U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack has again denied any U.S. involvement in the withdrawals .
Backers of a controversial referendum in Kazakhstan to extend President Nursultan Nazarbayev 's rule until the year 2020 say a majority of voters support the idea .
If the proposal is approved in a referendum , next year 's planned presidential election will not take place .
Supporters of the proposal say they collected more than five million signatures from Kazakh voters who say they want Mr. Nazarbayev to extend his rule into third decade .
There are about nine million registered voters in Kazakhstan .
Mr. Nazarbayev , who has been the country 's leader since 1989 , rejected the referendum plan earlier this month , saying he planned to contest the 2012 election .
He is not expected to face any serious challengers .
The U.S. Embassy in Astana issued a statement welcoming the president 's decision to reject the referendum and urged others to avoid steps that would violate Kazakhstan 's constitution .
A Chinese Health Ministry official has warned that tens of millions of people could be infected with H1N1 influenza in China in the coming months , and that fatalities would be " unavoidable " .
The deputy director of the ministry 's health emergency office , Liang Wannian , made the comments to reporters Friday .
So far , the world 's most populous nation has reported nearly 7,000 cases of the disease and no deaths .
More than half of China 's reported cases have been detected since late last month .
Of those cases , nearly 95 percent originated in China , whereas the vast majority of cases reported from June to August originated overseas .
China says it will soon launch a nationwide vaccination program to prevent mass outbreaks of the virus .
China has suspended a dam project in the southwestern province of Sichuan and fired a local Communist Party official after large-scale demonstrations .
At least one person was killed last month when tens of thousands of farmers in Hanyuan county protested construction of a hydroelectric dam that will flood 1,00,000 people out of their homes .
The protesters were dissatisfied with the compensation offered for residents ' relocation .
The local Communist Party said today that county party secretary Tan Zhengyu had been removed from his post earlier this month and replaced by a former deputy .
The central government also has sent a team to deal with the concerns of local residents .
However , scores of riot police remain in the region .
A U.S. military officer has been charged with stealing nearly $ 7,00,000 of funds intended for humanitarian relief in Iraq and Afghanistan .
Captain Michael Dung Nguyen is accused of stealing the money while on duty in Iraq , from April 2007 until last month .
Nguyen was arrested after the U.S. Internal Revenue Service tracked large deposits made by Nguyen in U.S. banks .
The army captain is charged with theft of government property , money laundering and illegally structuring financial transactions .
A British-based mine clearing agency says two of its Afghan employees have been killed and six others wounded when a remote-controlled bomb tore through their vehicle in southern Afghanistan .
Halo Trust regional director , Mohammad Ashraf , said Sunday 's blast occurred in the volatile southern Kandahar province , and that the wounded were rushed to nearby hospitals .
Also Sunday , in the same province , three Afghan soldiers were wounded in a similar roadside attack .
Witnesses say several civilians were also injured in the explosion .
No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts .
But similar acts have been blamed on Taleban insurgents who have carried out a series of suicide attacks and ambushes against U.S.-led coalition forces , Afghan troops and aid and government workers .
As the price of gasoline continues to rise in the U.S. , more Americans are buying smaller , more fuel-efficient vehicles .
Others are holding on to their big cars , in hopes that gas prices will eventually go down .
VOA 's Deborah Block has a report .
Human skulls and clothes found at a mass grave near Samawa Investigators have uncovered a mass grave in southern Iraq containing as many as 1,500 bodies .
Forensic experts say most of those buried at the site near the town of Samawa , about 300 kilometers south of Baghdad , are believed to be Kurds .
They say the victims , many of them women and children , were apparently lined up in front of the 18 trenches and shot with AK-47 assault rifles .
Officials say the victims were most likely killed during the Anfal campaign of the late 1980s - a drive by Saddam Hussein 's regime to exterminate the Kurdish community of southern Kurdistan .
According to international human rights groups , as many as 1,82,000 Kurdish civilians disappeared during 1988 alone .
The housing crisis , the credit crunch and high gas prices may be hurting consumer confidence in the United States but the impact is not necessarily the same for everyone .
Some see a silver lining in a weak U.S. economy .
During tough economic times , some businesses specialize in turning losses into profits .
VOA 's Mil Arcega reports .
Tension is high in Lebanon as government supporters plan a mass rally in Beirut Wednesday to mark the second anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri .
The rally is set to take place in central Beirut , near where anti-government protesters led by the Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah have been camped out since December .
Hezbollah has been trying to bring down the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora .
Tuesday , bomb blasts on two commuter buses northeast of Beirut killed three people and wounded 20 others .
Anti-Syrian lawmakers in Lebanon 's parliament blamed the blasts on Syria and called for increased security along the Syrian border .
Syria is also widely blamed for the February 14 , 2005 slaying of Rafik Hariri -- a charge Damascus denies .
Pro-government parties want Syria to stay out of Lebanese affairs and support an international investigation into the Hariri assassination .
A world Buddhist summit of more than 1,000 monks from around the globe has ended in Burma .
The summit , which opened in the military-ruled southeast Asian nation on Thursday , attracted controversy because of the junta 's reported persecution of some monks and its detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi .
Burma alone sponsored the event after its main sponsor , Japan 's Nenbutsushu sect , boycotted the three-day meeting amid concerns over Burma 's human rights record .
However , the military government praised organizers of the conference and said it had contributed to world peace .
The meeting included appearances by the prime ministers of Thailand , Sri Lanka and Laos , as well as a rare appearance by the head of Burma 's government , General Than Shwe .
Crude oil prices rose to fresh record highs Friday as traders speculated that reduced output from Nigeria will hamper efforts to produce fuel for the peak summer driving months in the United States .
The price of crude oil for future delivery was up more than two dollars , going as high as $ 126.2 a barrel .
The price of crude oil has doubled in the past year , and is up more than seven percent just this week .
Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries have said there is no need to increase oil output .
They say high oil prices are due to the U.S. dollar 's decline in value , compared to other currencies , and surging investments in commodities .
Two more tropical depressions , one in the Atlantic Ocean and one in the Caribbean , have forecasters waiting to see if this year 's hurricane season will get its 18th named storm .
Early Saturday , a slow-moving depression was reported to be about 1,000 kilometers west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands .
Its top winds were near 55 kilometers per hour , with some higher gusts .
At the moment , forecasters do not expect it to pose a threat to land .
The other storm was reported 175 kilometers southeast of Cozumel , Mexico , moving toward the west-northwest .
Mexico 's government has issued a tropical storm warning for the Yucatan Peninsula , with landfall expected by Sunday .
Already this is the fourth-busiest Atlantic hurricane season since forecasters began keeping records in 1851 .
Indonesian police say Islamic militants in the country are running short of funds and are selling pre-paid phone cards to raise cash for operations .
National police chief General Sutanto says sources in Saudi Arabia had been getting money to the militants using a courier network , but that was broken up last year .
With money running out , police say the militants are earning as much as $ 500 a day selling phone cards .
Police have said that the fact that the most recent terrorist attacks in Indonesia used small bombs carried in backpacks instead of larger car bombs was a sign the attackers were low on funds .
Tribal clashes in drought-stricken central Kenya have killed at least 30 people .
Local authorities say cattle rustlers from the Pokot tribe attacked the Samburu tribe late Monday .
The attackers killed at least 21 Samburu and made off with hundreds of cows .
A local member of parliament , Raphael Letimalo , said some of those killed were children .
Police killed nine of the raiders in a shootout , and are combing the area for the other suspected raiders and the stolen livestock .
Much of Kenya is suffering from a severe drought that has hurt farm production , killed livestock and led to shortages of food and water .
The U.N. World Food Program recently said that about 3.8 million Kenyans will not have enough food over the next months because of the drought .
Kenya 's government blames the food crisis on four straight years of lower-than-normal rainfall .
Iran has rejected U.S. and European economic incentives offered in exchange for abandoning its nuclear enrichment activities , saying it will not bend to external pressure .
The Iranian response comes a day after Washington said it would drop its objections to Iran 's application to the World Trade Organization , WTO , and to the licensing of spare parts for Iranian civilian aircraft .
A foreign ministry spokesman dismissed the offer Saturday saying restrictions against Tehran 's right to buy spare parts and join the WTO should never have been imposed in the first place .
In a major policy shift , the Bush administration agreed to back European incentives , after Britain , France and Germany said they would support U.S. efforts to bring Iran before the U.N. Security Council if nuclear talks fail .
The tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati has designated an oceanic wilderness as the world 's largest protected marine reserve .
The Phoenix Islands Protected Area lies about halfway between Fiji and the U.S. island state of Hawaii , covering more than 4,10,000 square kilometers .
It is one of the Earth 's last intact coral archipelagoes , and boasts a vast biological diversity .
Research conducted by Kiribati and the U.S.-based New England Aquarium has discovered more than 120 species of coral and 520 species of fish , some of them new to science .
The area also supports a large population of birds and sea turtles and contains several undersea reefs .
Kiribati established the reserve to protect it from overfishing .
Parts of the archipelago are already suffering from the effects of warming seas due to climate change .
Iraqi police say at least eight policemen were killed in separate insurgent attacks in Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk Tuesday .
In Kirkuk , insurgents ambushed a police patrol , killing four officers .
Hours afterwards , two more policemen died in a roadside bomb blast on the outskirts of the city .
In Baghdad , at least two policemen were killed and several people were wounded when a car bomb exploded outside a restaurant popular with police officers .
Meanwhile , U.S. and Iraqi forces are continuing an operation against insurgents in western Iraq , despite calls from the country 's Sunni Arab leaders to halt such operations .
Sunni leaders say halting such attacks in mostly Sunni areas will encourage Sunnis to participate in next month 's parliamentary elections .
Physically challenged Kenyans face serious discrimination in their professional and personal lives .
But some Kenyans with disabilities have risen above seemingly insurmountable odds to pursue their dreams .
VOA 's Cathy Majtenyi caught up with a member of Uwezo Mix Dance Theatre and a young man studying graphic art and she filed this report .
The White House says North Korean officials have given no indication that Pyongyang is considering returning to the six-nation talks on halting its nuclear weapons program .
State Department officials met with North Korean diplomats in New York Monday .
A spokesman for President Bush said Tuesday that the diplomats said they were committed to the six-party talks , but gave no indication that Pyongyang is ready to return to the negotiations .
The spokesman , Scott McClellan , said the White House remains hopeful that North Korea will return to the talks soon , without preconditions .
The New York meeting was the second such direct meeting between U.S. and North Korean officials in less than a month .
Egypt attempted to colonize the region of southern Sudan by establishing the province of Equatoria in the 1870s .
Islamic Mahdist revolutionaries overran the region in 1885 , but in 1898 a British force was able to overthrow the Mahdist regime .
An Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was established the following year with Equatoria being the southernmost of its eight provinces .
The isolated region was largely left to itself over the following decades , but Christian missionaries converted much of the population and facilitated the spread of English .
When Sudan gained its independence in 1956 , it was with the understanding that the southerners would be able to participate fully in the political system .
When the Arab Khartoum government reneged on its promises , a mutiny began that led to two prolonged periods of conflict ( 1955 - 1972 and 1983 - 2005 ) in which perhaps 2.5 million people died - mostly civilians - due to starvation and drought .
Ongoing peace talks finally resulted in a Comprehensive Peace Agreement , signed in January 2005 .
As part of this agreement the south was granted a six-year period of autonomy to be followed by a referendum on final status .
The result of this referendum , held in January 2011 , was a vote of 98 % in favor of secession .
Independence was attained on 9 July 2011 .
Tourism is the primary economic activity , accounting for 80 % of GDP and employment .
The islands hosted 2.4 million visitors in 2008 .
The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining , rum distilling , textiles , electronics , pharmaceuticals , and watch assembly .
One of the world 's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix .
The agricultural sector is small , with most food being imported .
International business and financial services are small but growing components of the economy .
The islands are vulnerable to substantial damage from storms .
The government is working to improve fiscal discipline , to support construction projects in the private sector , to expand tourist facilities , to reduce crime , and to protect the environment .
By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus , the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia .
The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area , which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area .
Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236 ; over the next century , through alliances and conquest , Lithuania extended its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine .
By the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in Europe .
An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through the person of a common ruler .
In 1569 , Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state , the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth .
This entity survived until 1795 when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries .
Lithuania regained its independence following World War I but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries .
On 11 March 1990 , Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence , but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 ( following the abortive coup in Moscow ) .
The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993 .
Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions ; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004 .
Success of the economy hinges upon seasonal variations in agriculture , tourism , and construction activity as well as remittance inflows .
Much of the workforce is employed in banana production and tourism , but persistent high unemployment has prompted many to leave the islands .
This lower-middle-income country is vulnerable to natural disasters - tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994 , 1995 , and 2002 .
In 2008 , the islands had more than 2,00,000 tourist arrivals , mostly to the Grenadines , a drop of nearly 20 % from 2007 .
Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards .
The government 's ability to invest in social programs and respond to external shocks is constrained by its high public debt burden , which was over 90 % of GDP at the end of 2010 .
Following the global downturn , St. Vincent and the Grenadines saw an economic decline in 2009 , after slowing since 2006 , when GDP growth reached a 10-year high of nearly 7 % .
The GONSALVES administration is directing government resources to infrastructure projects , including a new international airport that is expected to be completed in 2011 .
A MAN , very much annoyed with a Flea , caught him at last , and said , " Who are you who dare to feed on my limbs , and to cost me so much trouble in catching you ? '
The Flea replied , " O my dear sir , pray spare my life , and destroy me not , for I can not possibly do you much harm . "
The Man , laughing , replied , " Now you shall certainly die by mine own hands , for no evil , whether it be small or large , ought to be tolerated . "
A Tortoise desired to change its place of residence , so he asked an Eagle to carry him to his new home , promising her a rich reward for her trouble .
The Eagle agreed and seizing the Tortoise by the shell with her talons soared aloft .
On their way they met a Crow , who said to the Eagle : " Tortoise is good eating . "
" The shell is too hard , " said the Eagle in reply .
" The rocks will soon crack the shell , " was the Crow 's answer ; and the Eagle , taking the hint , let fall the Tortoise on a sharp rock , and the two birds made a hearty meal of the Tortoise .
Never soar aloft on an enemy 's pinions .
Two Thieves having stolen a Piano and being unable to divide it fairly without a remainder went to law about it and continued the contest as long as either one could steal a dollar to bribe the judge .
When they could give no more an Honest Man came along and by a single small payment obtained a judgment and took the Piano home , where his daughter used it to develop her biceps muscles , becoming a famous pugiliste .
The smoke detector industry is covering up research showing more people are injured every year falling from ladders and stepstools while trying to replace smoke detector batteries than are injured in house fires .
Turkish security officials say Kurdish rebels killed eight soldiers in an attack on an army outpost in eastern Turkey Monday .
They say several others were wounded when rebels rammed a vehicle into the post and threw a hand grenade in Tunceli province .
One attacker was killed in a shootout following the blast .
At least one other attacker escaped .
On Sunday , the Turkish military shelled a Kurdish rebel stronghold in northern Iraq .
But ground forces did not cross the border .
Turkey has been massing troops near the Iraqi border .
But U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned Turkey against sending troops into northern Iraq to hunt down Kurdish rebels accused of carrying out terrorist attacks in Turkey .
The Kurdistan Worker 's Party , or PKK , has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey 's mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984 .
The United States , the European Union and Turkey classify the PKK as a terrorist group .
Turkey 's prime minister is appealing for national unity after unrest in Kurdish-majority areas of the country left at least 16 people dead in the past week .
Speaking to members of his political party , Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday vowed not to give in to violence and to expand democratic reforms .
He also rejected any dialogue with the main Kurdish political group , the Democratic Society Party , until it openly condemns the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party , or PKK as a terrorist organization .
In the past week , hundreds of Kurds have clashed with Turkish security forces in the country 's southeast .
The unrest started last Tuesday in Diyarbakir after a funeral for 14 members of the PKK killed by the security forces .
The United States has condemned the violence and called on all parties to exercise restraint .
Thousands of demontrators have marched through the Nepalese capital , Kathmandu , to demand the restoration of democracy and the withdrawal of strict new media laws .
Human rights activists , journalists , lawyers , teachers and students chanted slogans protesting restrictions on the media that allow the royal government to shut down newspapers and radio stations .
The new laws also call for longer prison sentences for journalists convicted of defamation .
Criticism of King Gyanendra and independent reporting on Nepal 's Maoist insurgency have been banned since the king seized absolute power on February 1 .
The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to replace Nepal 's constitutional monarchy with a communist state .
The king says his move was necessary to quell the insurgency , which has claimed more than 11,000 lives .
The White House says President George Bush will host a lunch next month with President-elect Barack Obama and all the living former American presidents .
The White House said Wednesday Mr. Bush has invited his father , George H.W .
Bush , along with former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton , to the luncheon that is set for January 7 .
President Bush has made a smooth transition to the next administration a top priority as his presidency winds down .
Last month , Mr. Bush and President-elect Obama held talks at the White House on major issues the incoming chief executive will face during his administration .
Mr. Obama will be sworn into office on January 20 .
Pakistan 's President Pervez Musharraf and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi have met in Islamabad for talks on nuclear nonproliferation and economic issues .
Japanese diplomats said Saturday the two leaders discussed Islamabad 's efforts to prevent leaks of Pakistani nuclear technology .
International concerns over possible such transfers emerged after Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan confessed last year to illegally selling nuclear technology to several countries , including Iran .
Mr. Khan is currently under Pakistani investigation , but few details have been made public .
The Associated Press quotes a Japanese official as saying Mr. Koizumi promised , as expected , a resumption of Japanese loans to Pakistan , ending a financial freeze imposed after Pakistan 's 1998 nuclear tests .
Mr. Koizumi 's one-day visit to Pakistan comes after his stop for talks Friday in India .
An official at Iran 's Interior Ministry says the estimated 1.5 million Afghan refugees illegally living in the country could face arrest and detention for up to five years .
He says Iranian officials now have legal authority to begin moving unregistered refugees into detention camps with prison-like conditions .
Iran began expelling tens of thousands of Afghan immigrants last April by loading them on buses and dropping them off at the Iran-Afghanistan border .
Several million Afghans fled to Iran after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan almost 30 years ago and from subsequent fighting among Afghan factions .
Iranian officials say the immigrants are causing a strain on the economy .
Since 2002 , the United Nations Refugee Agency has helped 8,00,000 Afghans in Iran return home .
But in recent years the number of returnees has declined because of increasing violence in Afghanistan .
Some French lawmakers have boycotted a meeting with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in protest against his country 's human rights record .
Members of the Socialist Party and some from the ruling Union for a Popular Movement refused to attend Tuesday 's event at the National Assembly .
Mr. Gadhafi began his visit to France on Monday and met with French President Nicholas Sarkozy .
Mr. Sarkozy says he asked Mr. Gadhafi to make progress on human rights .
But the Libyan leader later denied that in an interview with French television .
On Monday , the two countries signed business deals worth billions of dollars , including Libya 's purchase of a civilian nuclear reactor and 21 Airbus planes .
It is Mr. Gadhafi 's first trip to France since 1973 .
Libya was long-condemned for supporting terrorism , but its relations with the international community have improved since the country ended its nuclear weapons program in 2003 .
Pakistan and Jordan have called for a quick withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and the creation of a Palestinian state .
Pakistan 's President Pervez Musharraf and Jordanian King Abdullah spoke to reporters after holding talks Tuesday in Islamabad .
General Musharraf said it is crucial to restore Lebanon 's sovereignty so that the root cause of the Middle East problems can be addressed .
King Abdullah said a just and lasting peace in the Middle East can only be achieved by establishing an independent Palestinian state , living side-by-side with Israel .
He urged the two sides to resume peace negotiations .
Pakistan does not recognize Israel , and has condemned the Jewish state for attacking Lebanon after last month 's kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah fighters .
Pope John Paul says he is praying for victims of the Asian earthquakes and tidal waves , and is calling on members of the international community to mobilize assistance for victims of the calamity .
Speaking to Roman Catholic pilgrims in Vatican City , the pope said Sunday 's news from Southeast Asia has cast a pall of sadness over Christmas celebrations .
When treating people with Type Two Diabetes , doctors sometimes prescribe high doses of medications that lower blood sugar .
The American Diabetes Association recommends good control of blood sugars in order to reduce the risk of heart attacks .
But recently part of a large clinical diabetes study was halted after researchers found an increased death rate among those taking higher doses of blood sugar lowering medication .
The ACCORD trial , as it is called , is funded by several U.S. government agencies and the finding surprised many doctors .
The surprise death rate has lead some U.S. physicians to push an uncommon diet as a way to lower blood sugar .
VOA 's Shelley Schlender reports from Phoenix , Arizona .
There appears to be growing support for a suggestion that voting in Iraq 's election , now scheduled for January 30 , be spread over a two to three-week period .
In Baghdad Wednesday , the Interior Ministry said staggered voting would facilitate the work of international observers and guarantee the participation of all Iraqis .
Ministry officials also said it would allow for adequate security to be provided to voters and candidates .
The final decision lies with the independent Electoral Commission , not the government .
In Washington , the State Department said the details of the election are up to the Iraqis to decide , but the United States is currently operating under the assumption that elections will be held nationwide on January 30 .
Insurgents in Iraq have carried out a series of attacks Tuesday north of Baghdad against the country 's security forces , killing at least 23 police and national guards .
Eighteen policemen were among the dead .
Authorities say a combination of gunmen and car bombs were responsible for the violence in and near the towns of Tikrit , Samarra , Balad and Baquba .
In Baghdad , officials say a senior National Guard officer survived an apparent assassination attempt when a car bomb exploded near his home .
At least six guardsmen were wounded in the blast .
U.S. Brigadier General Jeffrey Hammond told reporters in Baghdad that the U.S. military in Iraq expects an escalation in attacks and assassination attempts ahead of the January 30 elections .
U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife , Michelle , spent a portion of the Christmas holidays visiting troops and their families at a Hawaii Marine base .
The Obamas visited the same military base last year during their holiday vacation in the president 's home state .
Mr. Obama and the first lady are encouraging the public to support military communities , especially during the holidays when separation from family can be difficult .
Mrs. Obama says a " care package " or a simple " thank you " is an important gift to members of the military .
Sudan 's army says it has killed at least 300 rebels in clashes this week , while losing more than 70 of its own troops .
Sudanese state media on Saturday quoted General Al-Tayeb al-Musbah Osman as describing the fighting with the Darfur region 's Justice and Equality Movement .
The Sudanese general said government forces destroyed rebels ' vehicles during the series of clashes .
Violence in Darfur has increased since insurgent forces withdrew from peace talks in May .
The region has experienced seven years of war and instability since rebels took up arms in 2003 , accusing the government of neglecting the western region .
The United Nations says fighting and related violence have killed 3,00,000 people and displaced more than 2.7 million .
Sudan puts the death toll at 10,000 .
Al-Qaida 's deputy leader , Ayman al-Zawahiri , is second after Osama bin Laden on the F.B.I 's list of most wanted terrorists .
The Egyptian-born doctor has become the terrorist organization 's most senior spokesman - appearing in a series of video , audio and print messages over the past three months .
In his most recent comment broadcast on videotape last week by Arabic broadcaster al-Jazeera , Zawahiri called on President Bush to confess that the United States has been defeated in Iraq and Afghanistan .
Ayman al-Zawahiri was indicted for his alleged involvement in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam , Tanzania and Nairobi , Kenya .
He founded the Egyptian Islamic Jihad , a group that opposes the secular Egyptian government and seeks to overthrow it through violent means .
Zawahiri has been on the run since late 2001 after U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan .
Thousands of Iranians have gathered in the southeastern city of Bam to mark Sunday 's one-year anniversary of the earthquake that claimed more than 31,000 lives and devastated the ancient city .
Relatives and friends of survivors have been making pilgrimages to Bam 's cemetery to remember the dead with prayers , flowers and candles .
Despite President Mohammed Khatami 's pledge to rebuild , and help from the international community , much of Bam remains in ruins , and the slow pace of reconstruction has angered survivors .
The powerful quake shook the city before dawn on December 26 last year , killing thousands as they slept .
Pakistan 's military says it has killed about 60 pro-Taliban militants in heavy fighting in the country 's northwest .
A military spokesman says fighter jets attacked militant camps in the Swat Valley inflicting heavy casualties .
The attacks took place near Bajaur where there has been heavy fighting between the military and militants since August .
The main town in the area , Khar has been under a strict curfew for several days .
According to the United Nations the fighting has displaced about 1,90,000 people .
The U.N. says many have fled into neighboring Afghanistan to escape the violence .
Colombian officials say leftist rebels have attacked a military convoy in remote northeastern Colombia , killing six soldiers and 10 security officers .
The attack Thursday took place near the town of Hacari in Norte de Santander province , which borders Venezuela .
The Colombian military says it and the Department of Administrative Security ( DAS ) were carrying out operations against the country 's largest rebel group , the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ( FARC ) when explosives were detonated alongside their convoy .
Violence has increased ahead of the May 28 election , in which anti-crime President Alvaro Uribe , is expected to win re-election .
Human Rights Watch has accused FARC of massacring dozens of civilians , including children in an effort to intimidate voters .
Dozens of commercial truck drivers honked their horns as they circled the U.S. Capitol Thursday to protest the rising cost of diesel fuel .
The drivers looped around the National Mall in Washington D.C. to draw attention to an issue they say is hurting their livelihood .
The average U.S. price of diesel fuel is $ 1.06 per liter .
That is up from 76 cents per liter a year ago .
Meanwhile , the average price of unleaded gasoline in the United States is 88 cents per liter .
That is up from 73 cents per liter this time last year .
The U.S. trade deficit hit the third-highest level on record in August , as the price of imported oil soared .
Thursday 's report from the Commerce Department says the gap between what Americans buy and what they sell abroad was $ 59 billion .
The figures show little impact from Hurricane Katrina , which struck at the end of the month .
But a separate government report from the Labor Department shows storm damage prompted 75,000 more people to apply for unemployment compensation last week .
That brings the total jobs lost to hurricanes to 4,38,000 .
Nationwide , the number of people asking for first time compensation declined slightly during the week .
Analysts say in spite of the hurricanes , the overall labor market is strong as companies expand labor forces to meet growing demand .
Iraq has halted crude oil exports to South Korea , in protest of an exploration deal between Korean firms and the Kurdish regional government .
The annual contract between Iraq and South Korea 's top refiner , SK Energy , was due for renewal January 1 .
SK Energy says it has been told to back out of the Kurdistan deal if it wants exports to resume .
A consortium of South Korean firms led by the state-run Korea National Oil Corporation signed a deal with the Kurdish government to explore the Bazian oil field in the Dahuk region of northern Iraq .
The corporation says it will not change its plans .
South Korean energy officials say Iraqi crude accounts for less than four percent of total imports .
Officials say purchases will be made in the spot market to cover the shortage .
A roadside bomb blast near the motorcade of Iraq 's oil minister has killed at least two of his escorts and wounded two others .
Iraqi officials say Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum was not hurt in the bombing , which occurred in a north Baghdad district as he set out for the oil refining city of Beiji .
Meanwhile , U.S. military officials deny that al-Qaida in Iraq has abducted two Marines in western Iraq , where U.S. troops are in the third day of an offensive to drive out insurgents .
A website message from the purported kidnappers Sunday said the Marines would be killed unless all female Sunni Muslim prisoners in U.S. and Iraqi custody were freed within 24 hours .
U.S. officials say at least 20 insurgents have been killed in the current operation .
A report commissioned by the British government says the country 's foreign policy contributes to driving some members of its Muslim population toward extremism .
The report says perceived injustices in Western foreign policy , especially in the Middle East , often trigger radical impulses in the Muslim community .
The report adds that criticism of British foreign policy should not be seen as disloyalty .
It says peaceful disagreement is a sign of a healthy democracy .
The Home Office organized seven working groups to prepare the report on the root causes of the July 7 suicide attacks by British Muslims that killed 52 people in London .
The groups made several recommendations , including creation of a British Islam website to counter extremist Islamic Internet sites .
Iraqi officials have increased security in the holy city of Karbala where tens of thousands of pilgrims are gathering for Ashura , one of the most important holy days for Shi'ites .
Authorities have deployed at least 23,000 security force members around the city , located south of Baghdad .
Police say a roadside bomb targeting Shi'ite pilgrims exploded in Baghdad
Tuesday , killing at least 39 people .
Iraqi officials say at least four Shi'ite pilgrims were killed in a suicide bombing near the capital , Monday .
Ashura is celebrated by Shi'ite Muslims around the world .
It commemorates the death of Imam Hussein more than 1,300 years ago .
He was a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed .
Monday is a national holiday in Japan .
It 's " Coming of Age Day , " a day of recognition for those who turn 20 years old this year .
Twenty is the age of adulthood in Japan , when a person is old enough to vote , drink or smoke .
Financial markets and many offices are closed for the holiday .
Municipal governments host special coming of age ceremonies for the 20-year-olds in their juristictions .
The ceremonies are held to encourage responsibility and self-reliance .
Young men usually wear suits to the ceremony .
Young women usually wear special kimonos bought or rented for the event .
Pakistan-based Islamic militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir have announced what they are calling a " new jihad " or holy struggle to help victims of Saturday 's quake .
The group was originally known as Lashkar-e-Toiba .
But it changed its name to Jamaat-ud-Dawa after the United States blacklisted it as a terrorist organization .
It says its activists have launched a campaign throughout Pakistan to collect relief goods for quake victims in Pakistani Kashmir .
A spokesman for the group says all members of the group are busy in the new effort .
The charity has dispatched trucks carrying blankets , tents and food to quake-affected areas and it plans to send more .
The spokesman also was quoted as saying the group has set up three field hospitals in the worst hit Pakistani city of Muzaffarabad .
Officials in Djibouti say two of their soldiers were killed and at least 21 others wounded in a battle with Eritrean forces on their disputed border .
Djibouti military and diplomatic sources say the fighting began Tuesday in the northern Mount Gabla area .
Sporadic fighting was reported Wednesday .
Officials in Djibouti say the fighting began after several Eritrean soldiers deserted , crossing the border into Djibouti and drawing gunfire from the Eritrean troops .
The Eritrean government has not confirmed or denied the incident .
It did issue a statement saying it was surprised by Djibouti 's recent anti-Eritrean campaigns and refused to be drawn into what it called Djibouti 's " concocted animosity . "
The two Horn of Africa nations have been locked in a standoff since mid-April , when Djibouti accused Eritrean troops of illegally crossing into its territory .
The countries clashed over their border in the 1990s .
Two U.S. lawmakers who blocked $ 100 million in U.S. aid to Lebanon 's military say they have lifted their hold on the funds after being assured the aid would not fall into the hands of Hezbollah militants threatening Israel .
Democratic Representative Howard Berman released a statement Friday saying he based his decision to release the funds on a U.S. review of the aid-to-Lebanon program and a series of classified briefings with Obama administration officials .
Fellow Democratic Representative Nita Lowey confirmed through a spokesman that she has also lifted her hold on the funds .
The lawmakers withheld their support for the aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces in August after a border clash between Lebanese and Israeli soldiers that killed two Lebanese soldiers , a Lebanese journalist , and an Israeli officer .
Berman is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs committee .
Lowey heads a foreign operations subcommittee on the House Appropriations committee .
Iranian authorities say a bomb exploded at a military parade in the northwest and has killed at least 12 people , wounding 70 others .
Reports from Mahabad say most of the victims are women and children .
The wives of two military officers are said to be among those killed .
The bomb went off at a military parade in the northwestern town Wednesday morning .
Similar events are being held around the country as it marks the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war , 30 years ago .
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast .
But provincial Governor Vahid Jalalzadeh blamed what he called " counter-revolutionary groups . "
The phrase is often used to refer to Kurdish militants in the region .
Mahabad lies close to the borders of Turkey and Iraq and is home to many ethnic Kurds and minority Sunni Muslims .
When fireworks light the sky at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies , Cai Guo-Quiang will be making art .
This Chinese born artist who now calls New York home creates artwork from fireworks and gunpowder .
He is currently designing the computer-controlled firework spectacle that will mark the start of the Beijing games .
Recently , his work was on display at New York 's Guggenheim Museum in an exhibit called I Want to Believe .
For producer Wang Yiru , Elaine Lu has the story .
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United Nations may need to take a greater role in peacekeeping efforts in Sudan 's war-weary Darfur region .
Ms. Rice says the 7000-member African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur is " pretty close to the limits " of its ability to contain violence , amid mounting tensions along the border between Sudan and Chad .
The Secretary of State says the Sudanese government should cooperate with the international community , instead of opposing proposals to increase the peacekeeping force in the country 's restive western region .
Three years of war in Darfur between rebel groups and a pro-government Arab militia have displaced millions of people from their homes .
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people .
The U.S. Peace Corps is evacuating 35 of its volunteers from western Kenya because of the violence that has rocked the country since the disputed December 27 presidential election .
The relief agency says the volunteers are safe , and should arrive in the main Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam Saturday .
The Peace Corps has 144 volunteers based in Kenya , although the organization says 22 of them are currently out of the country .
An agency statement says the remaining volunteers have been " consolidated in a variety of locations . "
The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi is asking U.S. citizens in Kenya to remain indoors while the fighting continues , and urges them to consider leaving for their own safety .
More than 300 people have been killed in the post-election violence .
A doctor for the World Health Organization in Ivory Coast says 40 people have died from meningitis and more than 200 have been infected in rebel-held parts of the country .
Spokesman Aka Bian Tanoh blamed the outbreak on the lack of vaccines and trained medical workers , who have fled violence in the area after a failed coup attempt sparked at civil war in 2002 .
He says a vaccination campaign is urgently needed in the northeastern region of Bouna , noting that immunizations have dropped sharply since last year .
Ivory Coast has been divided between the rebel-held north and government-controlled south since the end of violence in 2003 .
Mauritania has asked for international aid to help thousands of homeless people after heavy rains caused mudslides in the eastern part of the country .
The country 's finance minister , Abderahmane Ould Hamma Vezzaz , said Sunday about 10,000 people in and around the town of Tintane were left homeless after heavy rains that started last week .
Those rains caused mudslides that wiped out homes and businesses in much of the town in southeastern Mauritania , near the border with Mali .
At least two people were reported killed in the mudslides and an unknown number of others are missing .
China 's health ministry has confirmed the country 's eighth human infection of bird flu .
The official Xinhua news agency reports officials said a six-year-old boy in central Hunan province first showed symptoms of the disease on December 24 and is now being treated for the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus .
Also today , Indonesia 's Health Ministry says initial medical tests indicate a 39-year-old man died of suspected bird flu earlier this month .
A ministry official says the man had been in contact with sick poultry .
If the World Health Organization laboratory confirms the man had the H5N1 strain of bird flu , it will raise Indonesia 's death toll from the virus to 12 .
Bird flu is known to have killed more than 70 people in Asia since 2003 .
Investigators in Mexico have recovered at least 18 bodies from a mass grave near the Pacific coast resort city of Acapulco .
Authorities do not yet know if the bodies found in the grave are those of the 20 men abducted last month while visiting Acapulco from neighboring Michoacan state .
Police began digging at the site after receiving an anonymous tip , which led them to discover two bodies nearby .
An eruption of suspected drug violence has left more than 28,000 people dead across Mexico since the government began cracking down on cartels in 2006 .
Meanwhile , U.S. officials said they have discovered a tunnel used for drug smuggling across the California-Mexico border .
Authorities said they seized 20 tons of marijuana at a site near the tunnel , which ran more than 500 meters underground from Mexico to Otay Mesa , California .
Iran 's Intelligence Minister has accused the United States of spying on the country 's nuclear sites .
Iran 's state-run news agency ( IRNA ) quoted Ali Yunesi as saying the United States has been using satellites and other tools to spy on Iran for a long time .
Earlier this week , the Washington Post reported that unmanned surveillance drones have been flying over Iran for almost a year to search for evidence of nuclear weapons programs and detect weaknesses in air defenses .
Meanwhile , the head of the U.N. nuclear agency says there has been no evidence so far to support U.S. suspicions that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons .
In an interview with four U.S. newspapers ( including the Post ) , Mohamed ElBaradei also called for greater U.S. participation in diplomatic efforts to engage Iran and North Korea in talks about their nuclear programs .
A new opinion poll conducted in eight nations that are U.S. allies indicates a majority of people do not want the United States to secretly interrogate suspected terrorists in their country .
The Associated Press-Ipsos poll last month asked people in Canada , Mexico , South Korea , France , Germany , Italy , Spain and Britain about their opinions on torturing and secretly interrogating terrorist suspects .
The poll shows a clear majority of people in every nation would oppose secret American interrogations conducted in their country .
However , people were more closely split over whether it is justified to torture suspected terrorists to obtain information about terrorist activities .
A majority of respondents in Spain and Italy said such action would never be justified .
But about half of people in Canada , Mexico , France , Germany and Britain said torture could be justified on certain occasions .
Monday marks the one year anniversary of the tsunami that devastated the Indian Ocean coastline from Malaysia to East Africa and memorials to the victims of that natural disaster have already begun .
In Thailand Saturday , some mourners prayed , others observed a moment of silence while separately the country 's sea gypsy tribe , the Moken , banged drums , chanted and made offerings to the sea .
The tsunami , triggered by a massive earthquake off Sumatra island , killed more than 2,00,000 people and left more than two million people homeless .
Many ceremonies are planned for Monday , when survivors , relatives of victims , government officials and others in the region and around the world mark the day that one of the worst natural disasters in recent history occurred .
Poland and the United States have opened formal talks on a controversial U.S. plan to place part of a U.S. missile defense system on Polish soil .
A U.S. State Department senior advisor , Robert Loftis , met Monday in Warsaw with Polish defense officials .
U.S. embassy spokesman Andrew Schilling characterized the meeting as a good beginning , with an exchange of ideas about how negotiations should move forward .
Another round of higher level talks is set for next week involving senior U.S. envoy John Rood , the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security .
Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has voiced support for the deployment of 10 U.S. missile interceptors in Poland and guidance technology in the Czech Republic .
Washington has repeatedly said the missile system is aimed at protecting the United States and its allies from missile attacks from Iran .
Russia strongly opposes the plan , saying the missile shield would threaten Russian security .
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has submitted his resignation to run for a seat in the Palestinian parliament in next month 's elections .
Mr. Qureia , a former Fatah party peace negotiator under the late Yasser Arafat , was required by law to leave office ahead of the January 25 polls .
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas did not immediately name a replacement .
Late Wednesday , the rival Hamas party registered a slate of candidates headed by senior leader Ismail Haniyah .
The slate also includes two widows of prominent militants killed by the Israeli military .
Another candidate , Mariam Farhat , is the mother of three militant sons killed over the past three years by Israeli forces .
Meanwhile , the fourth and final phase of local council elections was completed Thursday in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip .
Airport officials from around the world are cautioning passengers to " pack lightly " and arrive early as delays continue following Thursday 's arrest in Britain of key figures in an alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners .
British officials are asking passengers Friday to arrive prepared for security checks .
Travelers should have no hand luggage and items like prescription medicine should be kept in clear plastic bags .
Long lines are reported at Heathrow Airport , with many flights being canceled .
Asian airports have introduced new security measures Friday as well , banning all liquids and gels from cabins .
New Zealand also banned the substances from flights to Britain and the United States .
U.S. authorities have designated all U.S.-bound flights from Britain under a " severe " threat level , the highest level of alert .
All other international flights are operating under a " high " threat level .
Iran has expressed interest in continuing talks with the United States on Iraq , begun last month in Baghdad .
Iranian media quote Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying Tehran will view a continuation of the talks positively , if Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials call for them to take place .
Mottaki spoke after meeting Sunday in Tehran with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh .
Late last month , the U.S. ambassador to Iraq , Ryan Crocker , held talks with his Iranian counterpart , Hassan Kazemi Qomi , on the security situation in Iraq .
During the talks , the U.S. urged Iran to stop supporting militias in Iraq .
Crocker said Tehran asserted that the coalition presence in Iraq was an occupation .
Tehran denies it is responsible for insurgent attacks in Iraq .
Last month 's meeting marked the highest-level talks between the U.S. and Iran in almost 30 years .
Bermet Akayeva
The daughter of ousted Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev has unexpectedly appeared in parliament to assume the seat she won in disputed elections earlier this year .
Bermet Akayeva returned to Bishkek after weeks in self-imposed exile following a late March coup .
She told journalists outside the parliament Thursday that she does not expect any problems from the Kyrgyz people , nor does she fear prosecution .
Ms. Akayeva predicted that her brother Aidar , who also won a parliamentary seat , will return to Kyrgyzstan soon .
Last week , parliament voted to strip the members of Mr. Akayev 's family of immunity from prosecution .
Her father , who resigned last week after nearly 15 years in power , fled Kyrgyzstan after protesters ransacked his offices in Bishkek and the opposition seized power March 24 .
North Korea 's demand that it be given a light water reactor before dismantling its nuclear weapons program has sparked mixed reactions from the six nations attending the talks .
The White House says the demand is the opposite of the sequence of events agreed to on Monday and suggested Pyongyang needs time to reflect on the deal .
Japan called the demand " unacceptable . "
China 's Foreign Ministry urged all sides to keep their commitments .
North Korea had pledged to give up its nuclear weapons in return for energy aid and security assurances at talks in Beijing .
Parties agreed that supplying a light water reactor for civilian use would be discussed later .
But soon after signing the agreement , the North said Washington should not expect Pyongyang to dismantle its weapons before it received light water reactors .
At least four people , including a German peacekeeper , have been killed in two separate suicide attacks against the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in the Afghan capital , Kabul .
Local authorities say the two bombings Monday occurred within 90 minutes of each other on a 500-meter stretch of road near the offices of organizers of last September 's legislative elections .
They say the attackers rammed explosive-laden cars into vehicles belonging to the NATO-led peacekeepers , and that several people were wounded in the incidents .
Later in the day , NATO troops foiled what they believe was an attempted third attack by opening fire on a car racing toward the scene of the initial blasts .
Witnesses say at least two people in the car were killed .
A man identifying himself as a spokesman for the ousted Taleban said the group was responsible for the attacks and warned of more suicide bombings .
Mexican President Vicente Fox has called on United States and Mexico to work together to control lawlessness along the border of the two countries .
Speaking in the Mexican state of Sonora Tuesday , Mr. Fox said the crime along the border is the shared responsibility of both governments .
Mr. Fox issued his call after the governors of two U.S. states , Arizona and New Mexico , declared states of emergency along their border with Mexico .
Both Janet Napolitano of Arizona and Bill Richardson of New Mexico have accused the U.S. federal government of not doing enough to control drug traffickers , illegal immigrant smugglers , and criminal gangs .
Asked about the governors ' actions , U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Mexico has taken significant steps to address violence on the border .
He said the U.S. and Mexican governments are working together " very closely " to improve border security .
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad says Saddam Hussein 's conviction by an Iraqi court for crimes against humanity is an " important milestone " for the country .
Khalilzad says in a statement issued Sunday that " closing the book " on Saddam gives Iraq an opportunity to unite and build a better future .
He acknowledged that Iraq may face difficult times in the coming weeks , in a reference to fears the verdict will spark a sectarian backlash .
The U.S. ambassador praised the Iraqi judges and attorneys who worked on the trial for showing courage in the face of intimidation .
He says the trial demonstrates Iraq 's determination to hold Saddam and his co-defendants accountable for their crimes .
Three defense lawyers for Saddam were murdered during the trial , prompting the defense team to complain that Iraq 's government had not provided it with enough security .
Sri Lanka 's national cricket team will have to wait until Friday to leave New Zealand , as players anxiously attempt to get home following this week 's devastating tsunami .
No flights were available for the Sri Lanka team , which canceled its tour of New Zealand after this week 's disaster .
No players lost close relatives in the tsunami disaster , though the mothers of two players were injured .
New Zealand and Sri Lanka agreed to cancel the tour Wednesday so that players could return home .
The International Cricket Council agreed to the move , and said its normal penalties would not be imposed in this case .
The death toll in Sri Lanka from Sunday 's tsunami is more than 22,000 people .
New Zealand is hoping to reschedule the tour within the next two years .
Thousands of students in several Egyptian cities have protested the Israeli army 's killing of three Egyptian policemen on the Gaza border .
Students called on the government Sunday to reject Israel 's apology and allow Egyptians to wage holy war over the incident .
The Egyptian government has demanded a formal inquiry into the Thursday shootings , in which Israeli troops said they mistook the policemen for Palestinian insurgents .
Egypt has also suspended a planned trip to Israel by its Foreign Minister after the killings .
Two separate attacks in the southern Iraqi city of Basra killed at least 14 people , including four American security guards , on Wednesday .
Iraqi police say a suicide bomber detonated his explosives filled car in front of a busy restaurant , killing 10 people and injuring 15 others .
Hours earlier , the four private American guards were killed in a roadside bomb blast in the Shi'ite dominated city .
In other developments , U.S. troops rescued American contractor Roy Hallums , who was kidnapped more than 10 months ago .
He is reported in good physical condition .
Separately , the U.S. military says Iraqi and American forces have carried out dozens of joint operations in Baghdad this week , detaining more than 50 suspected terrorists .
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she thinks the insurgents in Iraq are " losing steam " ( energy ) as a political force .
In an interview with Time magazine published Sunday , Ms. Rice said she believes the insurgents have become more and more isolated from Iraq 's people as the country 's political process moves forward .
Ms. Rice also argued that the media focus too much on violence in Iraq and not enough on what she called Iraq 's " rather quiet political progress . "
China 's parliament has passed legislation giving the country 's military a legal basis for attacking Taiwan if the island moves toward declaring independence .
The law was approved early Monday by the National People 's Congress - a largely rubber-stamp legislature that approves decisions made by the ruling Communist Party .
Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province , and opposes any moves by the island to boost its international profile .
The new law says China will employ " non-peaceful means " to prevent Taiwanese independence if efforts at peaceful reunification fail .
Chinese President Hu Jintao Sunday urged the armed forces to step up preparations for possible military struggle .
But , speaking after its passage , Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said the new law is not a " war bill . "
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice , speaking on American television ( ABC ) , urged both China and Taiwan to avoid actions that could raise tensions .
Survivors of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that swept across Indonesia 's northern Aceh province marked the first year anniversary of the disaster - with prayers for the more than 1,69,000 people who perished in the disaster in Indonesia .
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led a group of a thousand tsunami survivors , dignitaries , and aid workers in prayer on the shoreline in Banda Aceh where the tsunami struck .
" We stand here together today in remembrance of that suffering paying respect , once again , to the good men and women and all the children lost to the sea , " he said .
All across Aceh province , bells rang and people bowed their heads in prayer .
It was the worst hit region of the 12 Indian Ocean nations hit by the tsunami , which killed more than 2,30,000 people .
China says it will launch its second manned space mission in September , 2005 .
Chinese state media says it will send two astronauts on the Shenzhou Six spacecraft for a five-day mission to circle the Earth .
Fourteen astronauts are currently training for the flight including Astronaut Yang Liwei , who became China 's first man in space when he flew aboard Shenzhou Five in October , 2003 .
China is only the third nation to launch a man into space , behind the United States and Russia .
Palestinian authorities say raw sewage has swept through a Bedouin village in the northern Gaza Strip , killing at least four people .
Officials say sewage and mud completely submerged at least 25 buildings in Umm Naser village , after the earthen wall of a sewage pool collapsed Tuesday .
Hospital sources say at least 15 people were injured , and residents say scores of villagers are missing .
In 2004 , the United Nations warned that the sewage facility was operating well beyond capacity , but local government lacked the financial resources to construct a new facility .
Witnesses say angry villagers threw stones and opened fire on the convoy of Palestinian Interior Minister Hani al-Qawasmi , who went to inspect the damage .
Israeli troops have shot dead a Palestinian militant in the West Bank .
Israeli army officials say soldiers killed Mahmoud Hammad , a member of the militant group Islamic Jihad , as he tried to escape from a house in the village of Raba , close to the West Bank town of Jenin .
They say the militant was carrying a weapon when he was shot .
Israeli troops have carried out frequent raids in West Bank cities and towns targeting militants spearheading a four-year-old Palestinian uprising .
The leader of Brazil 's ruling Workers Party has resigned amid a bribes-for-votes scandal in Congress .
Jose Genoino announced his resignation Saturday at a news conference in Sao Paulo .
Later , the party elected Education Minister Tarso Genro as its new leader .
Mr. Genoino 's resignation comes amid allegations that the Workers Party paid $ 12,000 a month to several lawmakers to win their support on key votes .
The party denies the accusations .
Mr. Genoino is the latest senior official in President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 's government to leave his post .
Both the party treasurer and secretary-general stepped down recently .
The scandal also forced presidential chief of staff Jose Dirceu to resign last month .
President da Silva has been reshuffling his Cabinet to boost support for his governing coalition .
Swiss food giant Nestle has resumed operations in Zimbabwe , after resolving a dispute with the government .
Nestle officials said Tuesday that government officials have assured the company they will not interfere with its business .
Nestle shut down its factory in Harare last month , citing harassment by Zimbabwean authorities .
It said officials had forced staff to accept milk from " non-contracted suppliers " and also questioned two managers .
The company had said in October that it would not buy milk from a farm owned by the wife of President Robert Mugabe .
The farm had been seized from white farmers under Mr. Mugabe 's controversial land reform program .
Critics say the Mugabe government 's seizure of white-owned commercial farms has devastated Zimbabwe 's economy .
Mr. Mugabe was forced to accept a power-sharing agreement with the longtime opposition MDC party last year .
The trouble that began on Wall Street is beginning to trickle down to Main Street , as small businesses find credit tightening up .
Many banks are wary about lending until it 's clear who will take responsibility for the bad debt they are carrying .
Many small business owners are finding it hard to borrow to finance their operations , and they worry about whether their customers will be able to buy their products .
Leta Hong Fincher has more .
Pakistani police say a bomb has exploded outside a Shi'ite mosque in the country 's northwest , killing at least four people .
The bomb went off in the city of Dera Ismail Khan Monday as worshipers were leaving the mosque after evening prayers .
The explosion destroyed parts of the mosque and wounded at least two people .
Police say they suspect the bomb was on a timer .
They do not know who planted the device .
Dera Ismail Khan in North West Frontier Province has a history of sectarian violence .
Last month , gunmen killed at least six Shi'ite Muslims in two suspected sectarian attacks in Dera Ismail Khan .
Most Pakistanis are Sunni Muslims , but Shi'ites make up about 20 percent of the country 's 160 million people .
The communities generally coexist peacefully , but militants from both sides have attacked each other since the 1980s .
A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of Indonesia , but no tsunami alert was issued .
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 6.1 magnitude earthquake south of the main island of Java on Monday .
The quake struck about 15 kilometers under the sea .
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage .
Another earthquake that struck off Java 's southern coast last week killed at least 64 people and damaged or destroyed more than 87,000 homes .
That magnitude-7.0 earthquake shook buildings and caused panic in the capital , Jakarta , about 200 kilometers away .
Indonesia 's 18,000 islands sit atop tectonic plates that frequently slam together to cause massive earthquakes .
Iraqi officials say they have stepped up security measures ahead of the Asia Cup final match between Iraq and Saudi Arabia to be played in Jakarta Sunday .
After last week 's semi-final victory against South Korea , 50 people were killed and 130 others wounded by two car bombs , when thousands of Iraqis poured into the streets to celebrate .
Authorities have announced a vehicle ban in parts of Iraq ahead of the game Outside the capital , U.S. military officials said coalition forces killed eight terrorists and detained 22 other suspects during operations Sunday targeting al-Qaida members across central Iraq .
The military also says the troops killed seven terrorists and detained one person during an operation near Muqudadiyah Wednesday and Thursday .
Earlier , U.S. military said coalition forces captured 16 suspected terrorists in raids Saturday targeting al-Qaida in Iraq .
Today , April 22 is Earth Day , a global event that began in 1970 and is credited by some with giving birth to the modern environmental movement .
Earth Day grew from an annual event in the United States to a global event in about 180 countries .
It 's a day of celebration in some places , but has also turned into a day of action and reflection and conversation and sometimes protest about the situation with our environment , particularly climate change .
VOA 's Paul Sisco has more .
Six people are missing and at least 42 injured after an explosion ripped through a sugar refinery in the southeastern U.S. city of Savannah , in the state of Georgia .
The blast caused a massive fire that firefighters were still trying to bring under control more than 12 hours after the explosion .
The refinery is owned by Imperial Sugar Company .
A company spokesman says the blast tore through a silo where refined sugar is kept .
He suspects sugar dust , which can be volatile , may have caused the explosion .
About 100 workers were inside the refinery at the time of the blast .
United Nations agencies are appealing for immediate assistance to communities on the Somali coast affected by South Asia 's earthquake-generated tsunami .
The appeal was issued Friday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs , which took part in an aerial assessment of the affected areas in northern Somalia .
Meanwhile , the number of dead in Somalia has climbed to at least 132 people , although the Associated Press quotes a senior Somali official as putting the number at 200 .
Many others remain missing .
The United Nations says it is difficult to get a clear picture of both the number of those killed and the extent of the damage because the region is remote and the conditions are harsh .
The U.N. World Food Program began distributing relief supplies Wednesday in the town of Hafun on the northern coast of Somalia .
The tsunami also took lives in Tanzania , Seychelles and Kenya .
Olympic champion Philipp Schoch of Switzerland and compatriot Ursula Bruhin have won World Cup parallel giant slalom snowboard events in Le Relais , Canada .
Schoch beat Austrian Andreas Prommegger in the final , winning both runs .
Schoch leads the World Cup standings with 1,700 points .
Countryman Heinz Inniger is second ( 1,630 points ) with Switzerland 's Gilles Jaquet third ( 1,460 points ) .
In the women 's final , Ursula Bruhin beat compatriot Fraenzi Kohli in both runs to take the title .
Another Swiss athlete , Daniela Meuli , finished third .
Bruhin is tied with French skier Julie Pomagalski atop the World Cup standings with 1,950 points .
Salt Lake City gold medalist Isabelle Blanc of France is third with 1,900 points .
Yemen has executed an Islamic militant convicted of killing three American medical workers in 2002 .
Authorities say a firing squad killed Abed Abdul Razak Kamel in the central prison of Yemen 's Ibb province Monday , one day after President Ali Abdullah Saleh endorsed his death sentence .
Kamel opened fire on American medical staff at a Baptist hospital in the southern Yemen town of Jibla .
Authorities believe he may have been part of or linked to a terror network .
A prominent leader of France 's far-right has gone on trial for questioning whether the Nazis used gas chambers in the Holocaust .
Bruno Gollnisch , the deputy leader of France 's National Front Party , appeared in court in Lyon to answer charges of " disputing crimes against humanity . "
Gollnisch , a member of the European parliament , received a five-year suspension from his post as a professor of Japanese at Lyon University after he made the comments at a press conference in 2004 .
He faces a possible one-year prison sentence if he is convicted .
A government spokesman says Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will seek another five-year term after his current tenure ends in 2007 .
Pakistan 's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed made the announcement Tuesday , saying Pakistan needs his leadership .
He did not say if he would also continue as the army chief .
Pakistan 's parliament currently has a majority of pro-Musharraf lawmakers , and it was generally considered likely that General Musharraf would remain at the helm after the general elections in 2007 .
But up until now he had not publicly declared his intentions .
General Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in October , 1999 , appointed himself president in June , 2001 , and won a heavily criticized referendum in April , 2002 .
He then won a parliamentary vote of confidence a year later .
Uganda 's main opposition leader Kizza Besigye has pleaded not guilty to charges of treason .
Twenty two co-defendants also entered pleas of innocence during a hearing in Uganda 's High Court Tuesday .
Besigye 's supporters say the treason charge is one of several the government made up to keep him from making an effective challenge to President Yoweri Museveni in recent elections .
Museveni won the February election but Besigye 's party has asked the Ugandan Supreme Court to nullify the results .
The High Court dropped rape charges against Besigye last month , and President Museveni said Besigye would not be tried by a military court that had charged him with terrorism and illegal arms possession .
The treason trial proceedings have been adjourned until Wednesday because the court did not have a translator for the first prosecution witness , a woman who speaks the Acholi language .
The World Health Organization says an outbreak of Marburg virus in Angola is not yet over , as the death toll continues to rise .
A WHO spokeswoman , Aphaluck Bhatiasevi , says there have been some recent cases that do not have a clear link to previous cases , a finding the U.N. agency is concerned about .
Angolan officials say 292 people have died from Marburg out of a total of 336 people identified as having been infected by the virus .
So far , all those infected are believed to have contracted the disease in northern Uige province .
The virus kills quickly , spreading through contact with bodily fluids such as blood , excrement , vomit and saliva .
Three Jordanians and an Algerian man have been convicted Wednesday of plotting attacks on Jewish targets in Germany .
The three Jordanian men , Mohammed Abu Dhess , Ismail Shalabi , and Ashraf al-Dagma were also convicted of belonging to al-Tawhid , an organization believed to be linked to al-Qaida and headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , who now claims to be head of al-Qaeda in Iraq .
They were sentenced to six to eight years in prison .
The Algerian , Djamel Mustafa was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in planning attacks and supporting a terrorist group .
All four were accused of planning to use explosives against Jewish-owned discotheques in Dusseldorf and a Jewish community center in Berlin .
Another Jordanian man , Shadi Abdalla was convicted separately in 2003 .
He testified against the other four suspects .
Google won a key European Union court ruling on trademark issues Tuesday .
The European Court of Justice , Europe 's highest court , said Google did not violate luxury goods trademarks by allowing companies to buy other companies ' brand names as advertising key words .
Google is the world 's most-widely used Internet search company , and it makes tens of billions of dollars a year by selling the right to display advertisements next to search results .
Luxury goods makers like Luis Vuitton complained that competitors were buying the right to use Luis Vuitton brand names as key words .
That could guide customers to buy goods at web sites run by Vuitton 's competitors , including counterfeiters .
The European Court of Justice said Google must remove the advertisements quickly if trademark holders show the ads are used for illegal activity like selling counterfeit goods .
Opera fans in New York were recently treated to a rare performance of one the most ambitious musical theater pieces ever produced .
Bernd Alois Zimmermann 's Die Soldaten was mounted in the cavernous drill hall of the Park Avenue Armory .
VOA 's Behnam Nateghi takes us behind the scenes for a closer look at the staging of this German opera .
A 300-member delegation from South Korea has arrived in North Korea to take part in celebrations marking the fifth anniversary of the historic 2000 inter-Korean summit .
The delegation includes politicians and representatives from labor unions , religious and agricultural groups .
The June 15 , 2000 summit in Pyongyang marked the first and only time the leaders of North and South Korea have met .
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young leads a separate 40 member government delegation to Wednesday 's anniversary celebrations .
Mr. Chung is carrying messages from last week 's summit between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and President Bush , urging North Korea to return to the six-nation talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program .
China has signed a deal with Nigeria to build an $ 8-billion oil refinery near the city of Lagos , in another example of China 's investment in Africa .
The Lagos state government made the announcement Tuesday , saying that 80 percent of the money is coming from China and the other 20 percent from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation .
This new refinery is expected to produce some 3,00,000 barrels of oil a day in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos state .
The Lagos refinery is part of a larger deal to build three new refineries and a petrochemical complex in Nigeria .
The new projects are expected to increase the country 's production of refined oil from 4,50,000 barrels to 7,50,000 barrels per day .
Nigeria is one of the world 's biggest oil producers , but its current refineries operate far below capacity because of aging equipment and poor maintenance .
Former rebels in Indonesia 's Aceh province are beginning a second round of weapons surrender Friday as part of a peace accord designed to end 29 years of separatist violence .
Members of the Free Aceh Movement are expected to hand over 210 more weapons in the next few days to international monitors in northern Aceh .
In return , the Indonesian government is scheduled to withdraw 6,500 more soldiers from the province .
Under the peace accord , the Free Aceh Movement must decommission all its weapons in exchange for the withdrawal of 32,000 police and troops by the end of the year .
Implementation began in September .
Many Acehnese want a separate Islamic state and resent that profits from their rich natural resources have been directed elsewhere by the central government in Jakarta .
World oil prices declined below $ 54 a barrel Friday after hitting records above $ 58 early this week .
The easing of prices follows a U.S. government report on Wednesday showing an increasing supply of crude oil in the U.S. market , and growing refinery operations to turn out gasoline .
While prices have dropped , they are still about 44 percent higher than they were a year ago .
Most economists surveyed by the Bloomberg financial news service say high oil prices and rising interest rates will slow U.S. economic growth later this year .
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has presented his nominee for prime minister to parliament , one week after the death of the previous minister .
Mr. Saakashvili praised the work of the nominee , Finance Minister Zurab Nogaideli , and said he deserves the promotion .
Lawmakers are to vote on the nomination Friday .
Parliament speaker Nino Burdzhanadze had said the choice was quite unexpected , and other candidates had been under consideration .
Mr. Nogaideli would succeed Zurab Zhvania , who was found dead last week in a Tbilisi apartment from what officials say was accidental gas poisoning .
In his address to parliament Thursday , President Saakashvili also hailed the achievements Georgia has made in battling corruption and boosting the economy since his election just over one year ago .
He also said he is ready to travel again to Russia to strengthen relations with Moscow .
President Bush has thanked U.S. and Iraqi troops for working to ensure a safe voting environment as Iraqis vote on a new constitution Saturday .
Mr. Bush conducted a video conference Thursday with members of the U.S. Army 's 42nd Infantry Division in Tikrit , Iraq , to discuss preparations for Saturday 's constitutional referendum .
First Lieutenant Greg Murphy told the president that Iraqi troops have taken the lead in security preparations for the vote .
He said conditions were different in the January elections for a transitional government , when coalition troops controlled security .
Captain David Williams says Iraqis are ready and eager to vote on the constitution .
He says voter registration in north-central Iraq is up 17 percent , which translates to about 4,00,000 new voters .
Approval of the constitution on Saturday would clear the way for national elections in December .
Witnesses say at least 10 people have been injured in a grenade attack on a Somali parliament member 's house .
The home of Abdullahi Shaleyste in the southwestern town of Baidoa was attacked late Thursday .
The lawmaker was apparently unharmed but members of his family were injured in the blast .
At least four of the wounded are said to be in serious condition .
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack .
Islamist insurgents have waged a bloody 17-month battle against Somalia 's Ethiopian-backed interim government .
The government and exiled opposition leaders who back the insurgents are set to resume reconcilation talks in Djibouti on Saturday .
However , leaders of the Eritrean-based Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia appear split on whether the group should be holding the talks .
Hard-liners in the group say no talks should take place until Ethiopia withdraws its troops from Somalia .
Russian news media reports say prosecutors have released two of 10 suspects detained in the killing of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya .
The reports Thursday say authorities freed Oleg Alimov and Alexei Berkin .
Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika Monday announced the arrest of 10 people in the case .
He said the murder was organized by a Chechen emigre who had led a group of contract killers in Moscow .
He said evidence as to a motive pointed to what he called attempts from abroad to destabilize Russia and discredit its leaders .
Russian news media reports earlier had named an agent of the Federal Security Service , Pavel Ryaguzov , as one of the suspects in the case .
But a military court in Moscow Thursday said his arrest is not linked to Politkovskaya 's murder .
The journalist was gunned down in her Moscow apartment building last year on October 7 .
The spiritual leader of the Anglican church has written an article criticizing the U.S. and British governments for their roles in the Iraq war .
The Archbishop of Canterbury , Rowan Williams , says in an article published in the London Times Saturday that military actions in the Middle East put Christians in the region at risk .
The Archbishop said that Middle Eastern Christians are frequently seen as supporters of the West .
He says the war has troubled relations between Muslims and Christians in countries such as Iraq , Egypt and Turkey .
The Archbishop wrote specifically about the isolation of Christians in the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank .
Christians revere Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus .
Archbishop Williams has been visiting the Holy Land before Christmas with other church leaders from Britain .
A U.S.-based human rights organization alleges that detainees in U.S. custody in Iraq were routinely subjected to beatings , sleep deprivation , stress positions and other forms of abuse by American interrogators .
In a report released Sunday , New York based Human Rights Watch said the findings come from first-hand accounts from U.S. military personnel .
The report alleges that detainee abuse was an established and apparently authorized part of the detention and interrogation process .
Human Rights Watch used the report to call for a Congressional investigation into the scope of detainee abuse and allegations of involvement by higher level officials .
But the U.S. Defense Department has said that multiple reviews of prisoner interrogation methods have concluded that no uniformed or civilian leaders directed or encouraged the prisoner abuses committed in Iraq .
One man was seriously wounded and several others injured in clashes between Bosnian Croats and Muslims in Mostar after Croatia 's loss in a World Cup football match Tuesday night .
Police said the fighting broke out between Croats disappointed by their team 's loss to Brazil and Muslims who had been cheering for Croatia 's opponents .
Police were sent in to try to stop the clashes , and 26 people were detained .
Six police officers were injured and one man suffered serious gunshot wounds .
Although the Bosnian war of the early 1990s is over , Mostar has remained divided between its Muslim and Croat communities who fought each other during the conflict .
British officials are denying a newspaper report that London is urging the United States to set a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq .
A spokesman for the office of Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that what is important is not a timetable but to help Iraq while it determines its own future .
He said Britain 's troops will remain in Iraq as long as authorities there want them .
He was responding to a report in London 's Daily Telegraph newspaper , which quoted an unnamed government source as reporting that the Blair administration hopes to have the United States agree to announce a timetable .
The newspaper report said that setting the timetable would be an indication that U.S.-led coalition troops do not intend to stay in Iraq indefinitely .
The report said the announcement would bolster Iraq 's interim government and undermine insurgents in that country .
President Bush has met with Jordan 's King Abdullah at the White House Wednesday .
The president said he and the Jordanian monarch had two good meetings over the past two days , discussing Iraq , Iran and the Palestinian territories .
King Abdullah called the discussions " fruitful , " and said he appreciates Mr. Bush 's desire to promote peace and stability in the Middle East .
The two leaders both rejected the violence triggered by cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad , and at the same time called for all religions to be respected .
U.S. economic troubles are being blamed for rising energy prices , but it is not just the price of oil that is going up .
The average grocery bill is also rising .
Twelve eggs now costs about 30 percent more than they did just a year ago .
And consumer advocates say Americans are not just paying more for some products .
In some cases , they are actually getting less .
VOA 's Mil Arcega reports .
The head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency says CIA interrogators do not torture prisoners to get information .
CIA Director Porter Goss says in an interview with the USA Today newspaper published Monday that torture does not work .
But Mr. Goss says interrogators use a variety of what he calls " unique and innovative " ways to collect information .
He declined to describe interrogation methods .
Republican Senator John McCain is pushing a proposal that bars the use of cruel , inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees by military or CIA interrogators .
President Bush has threatened to veto any defense spending bill that includes the proposal .
Mr. Goss says the CIA takes a neutral position on Senator McCain 's proposal , adding that some techniques restricted by the measure have yielded valuable intelligence .
Despite a slowdown in the U.S. economy , the amount of goods the United States ships overseas recently increased .
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce , U.S. exports in the second quarter of 2008 expanded at an annualized rate of nine-point-two percent , thanks in large part to a decline in the value of the dollar against other currencies Many U.S. exporters are benefiting from the weak dollar , which makes American goods cheaper abroad , and boosts U.S. firms ' profits when they convert overseas earnings back into dollars .
But as Nathan King reports for VOA , it is not just large global corporations that are benefiting .
Iraqi political parties have been registering their candidates for the December 15 general elections after each of the three main Sunni , Shi'ite and Kurdish communities agreed on separate broad coalitions .
Leaders of the dominant Shi'ite United Iraqi Alliance were the latest to announce that they will stay unified .
The two main Kurdish factions and three groups representing the minority Sunni community had each earlier said they will submit single candidate lists for the polls ahead of Friday 's registration deadline .
The December elections will mark the third major phase in this year 's political process , following the January poll forming the interim government and the October 15 constitutional referendum .
Meanwhile , the U.S. military in Iraq says roadside bombs killed two American soldiers in Baghdad and Ramadi , west of the capital , on Thursday .
Nepalese authorities say they have detained 30 Tibetan exiles who were marching towards the Chinese border to protest the Beijing government .
Authorities said the Tibetans were picked up Sunday in the northeastern village of Jalbire , near the border with China .
The group was transported back to the Nepalese capital Kathmandu .
Tibetans in Nepal have been holding regular demonstrations against the Chinese government since March , when deadly clashes broke out between protesters and Chinese authorities in the Tibetan capital , Lhasa .
About 20,000 Tibetans live in Nepal .
More than 100 of them were detained last week for demonstrating for Tibetan freedom outside the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu .
The U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch has accused China of pressuring Nepal to crack down on the Tibetan protests .
Beijing denies the charge .
Tibetans have complained of discrimination by the Chinese since Beijing took over Tibet nearly 60 years ago .
The Israeli army says Israeli troops have shot dead a Palestinian gunman during a clash in the northern West Bank .
Army officials say Israeli soldiers were conducting a routine patrol early Sunday north of the city of Jenin when they spotted three armed men .
The soldiers opened fire on the group , killing one of them .
There were no Israeli casualties .
Shooting incidents in the northern West Bank have increased in the past two weeks after Israeli troops began raids in the area .
Israel completed a withdrawal from the Gaza Strips and four Jewish settlements in the northern West Bank last month .
Zimbabwe 's ruling party has suspended six senior officials from their posts for five years , exposing an unprecedented power struggle within ZANU-PF .
The state-run Herald newspaper reports the six are also banned from running in key parliamentary elections in March .
The officials , including Energy Minister July Moyo , were initially suspended for six months .
They were accused last month of holding a secret meeting to oppose President Robert Mugabe 's choice of second vice president .
The post , granted to a woman for the first time in Zimbabwe 's history , is seen as a stepping stone for the presidency once Mr. Mugabe retires .
Two other top officials , Information Minister Jonathan Moyo and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa , have also been implicated in the power struggle .
Both men have been dropped from the ruling party 's list of candidates in the parliamentary elections .
Iraqi officials say 11 of their soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb attack north of Baghdad .
The soldiers were killed as they patrolled Saturday , in a town north of the restive city of Baquba .
In a similar attack on Thursday , 10 American Marines were killed and 11 wounded near the western city of Fallujah .
In another development , the U.S. military says Iraqi and U.S. forces captured 18 suspected terrorists during operations Thursday in various parts of north-central Iraq .
Meanwhile , insurgents holding four western peace activists hostage have threatened to kill them unless all detainees in Iraqi and U.S. detention centers are freed by Thursday .
A British Muslim organization has sent a negotiator to Iraq to try to win the hostages ' release .
The United Nations has appealed for $ 265 million in humanitarian aid for Iraqis this year .
The appeal Tuesday is aimed at providing emergency relief in such areas as food , water , education , sanitation , protection , housing and shelter , and health and nutrition .
The U.N. hopes some of the aid will focus on immediate relief for newly displaced people who can not access their food rations .
An estimated 4 million Iraqis are in need of food assistance .
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Iraq , David Shearer , says U.N. officials must respond rapidly to people who need support .
The U.N. believes more than 2 million Iraqis have become internally displaced since the start of the Iraq war in 2003 , and another 2 million have fled to Jordan and Syria .
U.S. seismologists say an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 has struck Guatemala .
There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage following the tremor Wednesday .
The U.S. Geological Survey says the epicenter of the quake was near the Pacific coast about 115 kilometers from Guatemala City .
The Vatican has opened its secret archives of the pre-World War Two papacy of Pius XI .
The documents detail the 1922 to 1939 papacy of Pius XI , when his successor - the wartime Pope Pius XII - served as the Vatican 's secretary of state .
For years , the Vatican has defended Pope Pius the XI against claims he did too little to save European Jews from the Holocaust .
There is hope the released records could offer insight into the controversy .
However , the Vatican still has not released the records from Pope Pius the XII 's papacy .
Archive officials say some 50 researchers have come to consult the nearly 30,000 files totaling millions of pages .
Israeli police on Monday said they are recommending that former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be indicted in connection with a real estate scandal .
Olmert is already on trial for fraud and bribery .
Police suspect Olmert received tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for his support for a large residential development in Jerusalem .
He was then mayor of Jerusalem .
Olmert denies the charges .
The case has shocked Israelis and is one of the biggest corruption scandals in the country 's history .
Police suspect the total amount of money transferred from the project 's initiators to a middleman who mediated between the parties involved , is $ 15 million .
Police have recommended that a former Olmert aide and former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski also be indicted .
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I .
In 1918 , the Croats , Serbs , and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia .
Following World War II , Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO .
Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 , it took four years of sporadic , but often bitter , fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands .
Under UN supervision , the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998 .
In April 2009 , Croatia joined NATO ; it is a candidate for eventual EU accession .
A military power during the 17th century , Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries .
An armed neutrality was preserved in both world wars .
Sweden 's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000 - 2 and 2009 by the global economic downturns , but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries .
Sweden joined the EU in 1995 , but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum .
The economy , one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean , is highly dependent on tourism generating an estimated 45 % of the national income .
More than 9,34,000 tourists , mainly from the US , visited the islands in 2008 .
In the mid-1980s , the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands , and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues .
Roughly 4,00,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000 .
The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994 , which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses , made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business .
Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity ; poor soils limit the islands ' ability to meet domestic food requirements .
Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands , the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959 .
Sri Lanka is engaging in large-scale reconstruction and development projects following the end of the 26-year conflict with the LTTE , including increasing electricity access and rebuilding its road and rail network .
Additionally , Sri Lanka seeks to reduce poverty by using a combination of state directed policies and private investment promotion to spur growth in disadvantaged areas , develop small and medium enterprises , and promote increased agriculture .
High levels of government funding may be difficult , as the government already is faced with high debt interest payments , a bloated civil service , and historically high budget deficits .
The 2008 - 9 global financial crisis and recession exposed Sri Lanka 's economic vulnerabilities and nearly caused a balance of payments crisis , which was alleviated by a $ 2.6 billion IMF standby agreement in July 2009 .
The end of the civil war and the IMF loan , however , have largely restored investors ' confidence , reflected in part by the Sri Lankan stock market 's recognition as one of the best performing markets in the world .
Sri Lankan growth rates averaged nearly 5 % in during the war , but increased government spending on development and fighting the LTTE in the final years spurred GDP growth to around 06-Jul % per year in 2006 - 8 .
After experiencing 3.5 % growth in 2009 , Sri Lanka 's economy is poised to achieve high growth rates in the postwar period .
A MAN wished to purchase an Ass , and agreed with its owner that he should try out the animal before he bought him .
He took the Ass home and put him in the straw-yard with his other Asses , upon which the new animal left all the others and at once joined the one that was most idle and the greatest eater of them all .
Seeing this , the man put a halter on him and led him back to his owner .
On being asked how , in so short a time , he could have made a trial of him , he answered , " I do not need a trial ; I know that he will be just the same as the one he chose for his companion . "
A man is known by the company he keeps .
A MIDDLE-AGED MAN , whose hair had begun to turn gray , courted two women at the same time .
One of them was young , and the other well advanced in years .
The elder woman , ashamed to be courted by a man younger than herself , made a point , whenever her admirer visited her , to pull out some portion of his black hairs .
The younger , on the contrary , not wishing to become the wife of an old man , was equally zealous in removing every gray hair she could find .
Thus it came to pass that between them both he very soon found that he had not a hair left on his head .
Those who seek to please everybody please nobody .
Lena once had two chickens .
One of them got terribly sick .
So she killed the other one to make soup to get the first one well again .
John Garang
The Sudan People 's Liberation Movement says funeral services for its late political leader , Sudanese Vice President John Garang , will be held in Juba , the planned capital of an autonomous southern Sudan .
It is unclear when the funeral will be held .
Mr. Garang 's political party says the body of the former rebel leader , who died Saturday evening in a helicopter crash , is lying at New Site in Southern Sudan .
Sudan 's government on Monday declared a night curfew in the capital , Khartoum , to prevent riots that erupted following news of his death .
At least 36 people were killed in the violence .
Mr. Garang was a key figure in the peace accord reached this year between the Sudanese government and southern rebels to end a 21-year civil war .
Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir and General Salva Kiir Mayardit , who was named by the SPLM to succeed Mr. Garang , have stressed that his death will not stop the peace movement .
From the dazzling Opening Ceremonies to the number of gold medals won , China 's Olympic performance has been a source of great national pride .
And any dissent has been quickly silenced .
So it comes as no surprise that Chinese fans at the Beijing Olympics have been boisterous supporters of their national team .
But VOA 's Brian Padden was surprised to learn that many Chinese are also rooting for the Americans .
The U.S. Senate committee considering the nomination of federal Judge Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court will vote on the matter next week .
The Senate Judiciary Committee was scheduled to hold a final vote on Mr. Alito 's nomination Tuesday , but opposition Democrats demanded a one-week delay - a move that angered Republicans .
Democrats are under pressure to delay the vote as long as possible to build public opposition to Mr. Alito 's nomination .
Liberal interest groups are concerned his presence could tilt the court in a more conservative direction .
Mr. Alito managed to withstand two days of tough questioning from Democrats , and observers say he will easily be confirmed in the Republican-controlled Senate .
NATO said Saturday one of its operations in Afghanistan has resulted in the deaths of two civilians and the wounding of another .
NATO service members discovered a dead woman and two wounded men who had been caught in the crossfire of a gunbattle to secure a compound in the village of Kalachen in Kandahar district , where the alliance force was looking for a Taliban commander .
One of the men later died from his injuries .
The alliance force arrested the Taliban commander and killed one insurgent , while another was wounded .
NATO says the joint security force , along with local elders and government officials , are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the death of the civilians .
Brazil 's health ministry says the country has the world 's highest swine flu death toll .
The health ministry says swine flu has killed 557 people between April and August of this year .
The ministry released its latest report Wednesday based on figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control .
It says the United States ranks next , with 522 fatalities , and Argentina places third with 439 .
Brazil 's government says it wants to free up $ 2 billion to purchase 73 million doses of vaccine to fight the A-H1N1 virus .
Latin America has seen a greater impact from swine flu because it is the winter season in the Southern Hemisphere , when viruses are easily transmitted .
The World Health Organization has declared the swine flu outbreak a pandemic , and says up to two billion people may eventually be infected .
Japan 's Supreme Court has rejected a demand that Japan apologize to and compensate former Korean forced laborers who survived an explosion aboard a Japanese ship at the end of World War II .
The ship , carrying 4,000 Korean laborers and their families , was enroute to what is now South Korea when it exploded and sank off the coast of western Japan in August 1945 .
More than 500 people died .
The Supreme Court Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that said the Japanese government did not neglect its responsibility when the incident occurred and does not need to apologize .
The United States has denied any rift between Washington and Seoul , after a South Korean official made a statement about North Korea that conflicts with the official U.S. position .
In Washington , a U.S. State Department spokesman emphasized Thursday that the ongoing six-party negotiations on North Korea 's nuclear program are complex .
He indicated that differences in opinion would naturally emerge from talks involving several parties .
In an interview earlier Thursday , South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Pyongyang has a general right to pursue a civilian nuclear program .
Washington is firmly opposed to Pyongyang having any nuclear facilities whatsoever .
The six-party talks - involving China , Japan , Russia , the United States and the two Koreas - recessed Sunday after 13 days .
Negotiations are expected to resume the week of August 29 .
Direct charter flights from Taiwan to mainland China have begun for the Lunar New Year holiday season , under an agreement between the diplomatic rivals to temporarily allow non-stop air travel .
A plane with Taiwan 's biggest carrier , China Airlines , arrived in Shanghai Friday from Taipei .
Six airlines from each side will operate 72 flights across the Taiwan Strait .
The service will connect the mainland Chinese cities of Beijing , Shanghai , Guangzhou and Xiamen with Taipei and Kaohsiung on Taiwan until February 7 .
This is the second year that Beijing and Taipei have allowed the holiday flights .
Last year , flights were limited to Taiwan business people living on the mainland .
This year , the flights include Taiwan tourists .
At other times of year , travelers must connect through other airports , usually Hong Kong .
Senator John Kerry and former Senator John Edwards , Democratic running mates in the 2004 Presidential election , have lambasted President Bush for his response to Hurricane Katrina .
Senator Kerry of Massachusetts , the Democratic nominee for President in 2004 , told a university audience Monday that Katrina has exposed a broader pattern of " incompetence and negligence " in the Bush administration .
The Republican National Committee responded to Senator Kerry 's speech by saying the efforts to politicize the tragedy are " unsavory " .
Mr. Edwards criticized a move by President Bush to suspend regulations that set a minimum wage for workers on federal contracts .
Former President Bill Clinton was also critical Sunday , telling television audiences that a disaster plan affecting only middle class and rich people is not workable .
A separatist group fighting Indonesian troops in Aceh has rejected the government 's offer to let rebel leaders run for political office , but only as part of existing political parties .
A Free Aceh Movement spokesman said Friday at peace talks in Helsinki , Finland that if the rebel group agreed to the offer , it would mean the organization was given privileges not available to others in Aceh .
The spokesman says that is not acceptable .
On Thursday , Indonesia 's government proposed that Aceh rebels be allowed to field candidates in existing political parties , but not as a new party .
The proposal would require a change in Indonesian law , which says parties must have representation in at least half of the country 's 32 provinces .
The current round of peace talks is scheduled to end Sunday .
Officials in Belgrade say a local employee of the U.S. Embassy has accidentally crashed into a motorcade in which the president of Serbia , Boris Tadic , was traveling .
Serbian Interior Minister Dragan Jocic said Wednesday that what had been feared to be an assassination attempt turned out to be a traffic offense .
The minister also said the driver , identified as Miroslav Cimpl , became very aggravated while trying to pass the motorcade .
The minister also said that when Mr. Cimpl spotted flashing lights , he panicked and hit the president 's car .
The pro-Western Mr. Tadic was not hurt .
Pro-Western Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic was assassinated last year in front of his office building in Belgrade .
The head of the U.S. government 's hurricane relief effort says it is too soon for residents of New Orleans to return to their storm-ravaged city .
On the Fox News Sunday program , Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen urged New Orleans ' mayor to " slow down " a plan for city residents to start coming back this week .
In that interview and others with U.S. television networks Sunday , the admiral said officials are still concerned about polluted floodwater , lack of clean drinking water and weakened levees .
Business owners were allowed to return to some parts of New Orleans on Saturday to begin assessing damage and cleaning up .
The number of confirmed deaths from Hurricane Katrina has climbed to nearly 900 , with the majority , 646 , in the state of Louisiana .
Negotiators from the Indonesian government and Aceh-based separatists have begun meeting in Finland for the latest round of peace talks aimed at ending decades of conflict that has taken tens of thousands of lives in the northwestern province .
Finnish mediators are helping the two sides discuss a draft peace proposal in hopes of reaching a deal in the next few weeks .
Officials say the separatists have given up their demand for independence from Indonesia .
There is still disagreement , however , over whether Indonesian troops will withdraw from Aceh , and whether the rebels will be allowed to form their own political party .
Peace talks that stalled in 2003 were re-started after last year 's December 26 tsunami that devastated Aceh and highlighted the need to cooperate on reconstruction efforts .
The director of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles says he is recommending that the museum return to Greece several antiquities that country says were illegally taken abroad .
Greece has demanded the return of four items in particular - a gold wreath , a marble statue of a woman dating to the sixth century BC , a tombstone and a sculpted relief .
A joint statement by museum director Michael Brand and Greek Culture Minister George Voulgarakis did not say which items will be returned .
The Getty Museum has been embroiled in several antiquities smuggling scandals .
Italian authorities have charged former curator Marion TRUE with receiving stolen goods .
Greek authorities also are investigating TRUE .
They raided her vacation home in Greece , where they found dozens of antiquities that had not been registered with the Greek government .
South Africa 's President Thabo Mbeki says former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide may be able to return home .
Mr. Aristide has lived in exile in South Africa since fleeing a 2004 uprising in Haiti .
But Mr. Mbeki told South African radio Sunday he sees no reason why Haiti 's newly-elected president Rene Preval would oppose Mr. Aristide returning home .
He said he thinks a determination will come after the two men consult about the timing of such a move , so that , in his words , it does not create unnecessary problems .
President-elect Preval and Mr. Aristide were once political allies but broke over the corruption scandal that helped to bring down Mr. Aristide 's presidency .
The head of the U.S. central bank says the bank will strictly enforce new rules to prevent another financial crisis like the one that has disrupted the global economy for the past two years .
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in Washington on Thursday .
He said the most important lesson of the financial crisis is the need for an orderly way to shut down failing firms that are so big that they could damage the overall financial system if they collapse .
Bernanke also said there is too little evidence to blame low interest rates for the inflated housing prices that played a major role in the crisis .
The commission is nearing the end of a year-long investigation into what caused the financial crisis , and how to prevent a future one .
The White House says U.S. President George Bush will travel to Europe next month to strengthen the trans-Atlantic partnership between the U.S. and European nations .
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino Tuesday said the eight-day trip , beginning June 9 will include stops in Britain , France , Italy , Germany , Slovenia , and the Vatican .
Mr. Bush is scheduled to attend an annual summit between the European Union and the United States , being held this year on June 10 in Slovenia .
Mr. Bush , along with his wife Laura Bush , will also celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Marshall Plan , which provided U.S. reconstruction aid to Europe after World War II .
They also will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift , a U.S. operation to bring much-needed supplies into the western half of the divided German city , which was cut off by a Soviet blockade .
Key developing countries say an offer by the United States to cut agricultural subsidies and re-start stalled negotiations on a global free-trade pact is insufficient .
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim made the statement to reporters Tuesday in Geneva , following a meeting of ministers of leading developing and industrialized countries .
The discussions came one day after the United States said at talks in Switzerland it is ready to reduce certain agricultural subsidies by 60 percent .
The European Union also proposed cuts in farm supports , while Japan rejected the U.S. offer .
Developing countries say subsidies to farmers in rich nations give these farmers an unfair advantage on world markets .
Diplomats say this week 's discussions may be the last chance to secure the broad outlines of a global trade treaty before a key Hong Kong summit on World Trade in December .
A former detainee of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo who later rejoined al-Qaida in Yemen has turned himself in to Saudi authorities .
Saudi Arabia 's Interior Ministry says Jabir Jubran al-Fayfi contacted the Saudi government from Yemen to express his readiness to surrender .
The Yemeni government arranged for his return .
Al-Fayfi was released from Guantanamo in 2006 to undergo rehabilitation in Saudi Arabia .
He rejoined al-Qaida after completing the reform program .
Saudi officials say 11 of more than 100 former Guantanamo inmates who finished the rehabilitation program returned to militancy .
The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is known for launching attacks on regional and Western targets .
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani says an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would worsen the situation in the country .
Speaking at a news conference in Jordan Tuesday , Barzani said he supports a U.S. troop withdrawal , but only when Iraqi security forces and the government have the situation under control .
He said the situation in Iraq is tragic , but would get worse if U.S. troops are pulled out suddenly .
On Monday , Barzani held talks with Jordan 's King Abdullah , who reaffirmed his country 's support for efforts to secure reconciliation between Iraq 's rival groups .
Barzani is president of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq .
U.S. authorities have charged a man living in New York with relaying programs from Hezbollah television station al-Manar , deemed a global terrorist entity by the U.S. Treasury Department .
Federal prosecutors say Javed Iqbal , also known as John Iqbal , was relaying the Hezbollah-operated station to customers in New York .
Al-Manar is seen as a mouthpiece for the Lebanese Shi'ite group .
U.S. law forbids conducting business with any terror group .
Iqbal faces five years in jail if he is convicted of the charges under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act .
Hezbollah went to war with Israel last month after attacking an Israeli outpost and capturing two of its soldiers .
Al-Manar headquarters in southern Lebanon have been destroyed in the conflict , but the station remains on the air .
Machinists for the U.S. airplane maker Boeing voted to strike Friday , after rejecting a new contract offer .
Union members voted late Thursday to authorize the strike by more than 18,000 workers who manufacture components and assemble planes .
Boeing officials expressed disappointment at the vote .
In a written statement , they said they will not assemble airplanes during the strike .
Earlier , Boeing officials warned a strike would be devastating to the company .
Union leaders had urged members to reject the new contract , saying it failed to meet their demands on health care and pension benefits .
Boeing managers were seeking to cut some benefit costs , which they say have risen sharply in recent years .
Boeing is currently locked in a trade dispute with its European rival Airbus over government subsidies .
Scientists say they have discovered a gene responsible for increasing a person 's likelihood of contracting type 1 diabetes .
In an article published Sunday in the journal Nature , researchers said people with a variation of the gene are as much as 50 percent more likely to suffer from type 1 diabetes .
That sort of diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes because it is often diagnosed in childhood or early adulthood .
Researchers say the ability to forecast a vulnerability to diabetes would allow doctors to intervene in time to lessen its impact on patients .
Type 1 diabetes is an incurable disease in which the body destroys its cells which produce insulin , a hormone that regulates blood glucose .
Those with the disease have a higher risk of heart disease , kidney failure , blindness and other medical problems .
Authorities in Pakistan say unidentified gunmen killed seven people near the Afghan border Thursday .
They say the gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying the men near the town of Wana , in the remote tribal region of South Waziristan .
It was not clear who the victims were .
Pakistan has thousands of troops deployed in the region to hunt for al-Qaida and Taleban fighters .
A suicide car bomber has killed four U.S. soldiers outside Baghdad , as coalition forces continue their offensive against insurgents near Syria 's border .
Military officials said the four soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on a checkpoint south of the Iraqi capital Monday .
Meanwhile , coalition forces battled insurgents for a third day in the Iraqi border town of Husaybah , where officials say one Marine and 36 insurgents have died .
Officials say coalition forces have encountered frequent attacks by snipers and discovered homemade bombs in the area .
There are no reports of civilian casualties in the operation aimed at stopping the flow of weapons and foreign fighters from Syria .
Near Baghdad , separate attacks killed 13 people , including six Iraqi police officers .
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has replaced his vice president and plans to make at least 12 more Cabinet changes .
He named Ramon Carrizales , a housing minister , to replace Vice President Jorge Rodriguez .
The Cabinet reshuffle comes after Venezuelans rejected constitutional reforms that would have greatly expanded the president 's power .
It was the first electoral defeat for Mr. Chavez in nine years .
The reforms would have allowed Mr. Chavez , who has vowed to transform Venezuela into a socialist state , to seek re-election indefinitely .
The proposals also would have abolished the Central Bank 's independence , limited individual rights under states of emergency and created new forms of community-owned property .
Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has announced his retirement from politics .
The former prime minister made the surprise announcement in Mumbai Thursday at a rally celebrating his Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party 's 25-year existence .
Mr. Vajpayee stepped down as prime minister in May after the BJP was defeated in national elections in May , 2004 .
The May election prevented Mr. Vajpayee from serving a fourth term as India 's prime minister .
He served as prime minister from 1999 to 2004 and briefly in 1996 and 1998 .
Mr. Vajpayee 's tenure saw India conduct nuclear tests , make strides toward peace with Pakistan and achieve major economic progress .
A grand jury in the U.S. state of Texas has indicted U.S. Congressman Tom DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy .
The indictment announced Monday is the second in less than a week against the former U.S. House Republican majority leader .
Last week , Mr. DeLay was forced to temporarily step down from his powerful leadership position when he was charged with violating a Texas campaign-finance law .
In both indictments , he is accused of conspiring to get around a state ban on corporate campaign contributions by funneling money through the Republican National Committee .
Mr. DeLay has denied the charges .
In a statement released Monday , Mr. DeLay accused the Texas district attorney Ronnie Earle of " prosecutorial abuse , " and called the charges illegitimate and baseless .
If convicted , he could face up to life in prison for money laundering .
Spanish police in raids across the country have arrested 186 people in a crackdown on the distribution of child pornography .
A total of 650 officers took part in the operation that broke up a system that used the Internet to distribute pornographic materials without the need to place them on web pages .
The suspects used a series of pre-arranged passwords to share files directly between computers .
Last month , Spanish police broke up a group of pedophiles who abused and raped children then distributed the images over the Internet .
The top U.S. envoy for arms control says North Korea , Iran and Syria are among the worst proliferators of weapons of mass destruction .
U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton told reporters in Tokyo that the three countries are states of proliferation concern .
He called for closer monitoring of shipments to and from such countries .
Mr. Bolton is visiting Tokyo to observe multinational exercises , held under the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative , aimed at training troops from several countries to intercept weapons of mass destruction at sea .
The United States says the drills send a message that the world does not tolerate anyone who tries to traffic weapons of mass destruction .
An Ethiopian official says the first portion of the ancient Axum obelisk will be returned home next week after being taken to Rome 70 years ago .
Ethiopian Culture Minister Teshome Toga told reporters Friday the first section of the obelisk is scheduled to be flown to Ethiopia next Wednesday .
The roughly 24-meter high , 160 - metric ton granite structur , believed to be nearly 2,000-years-old , is too large to be moved in one piece .
The obelisk was taken from taken from the city of Axum in 1937 by order of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini during Italy 's brief occupation of Ethiopia .
The two nations signed an agreement for the return of the structure in 1947 , but " technical difficulties " have delayed its delivery .
California has become the first U.S. state to ban trans fats , a type of unsaturated fat that has been shown to clog arteries .
Doctors are applauding the decision , but some residents complain that the government is interfering with their freedom .
VOA 's Carolyn Presutti takes us to the controversy .
Cuban officials and allies of President Fidel Castro say the aging leader is doing well after undergoing intestinal surgery .
Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said in Bolivia Sunday that Mr. Castro will recover within a few weeks and will return to his duties .
The 79-year-old Cuban leader underwent surgery last Monday to stop intestinal bleeding .
The government says the president handed power to his brother , Raul , who has not been seen in public since the political shift .
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez , a close political ally to Mr. Castro , said Sunday he had learned the Cuban leader was able to get out of bed and hold conversations .
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday Washington encourages democratic change in Cuba , but would not stir up a political crisis while Mr. Castro remains ill .
British authorities have increased security measures following intelligence that terrorists could be planning to attack major transportation hubs .
British transport police cancelled leave and called in extra officers .
But officials say the overall threat level has not changed , and there is no suggestion of an imminent attack .
The heightened security steps come after two terrorist plots were linked to Britain in the past few weeks .
A Swedish citizen , who had lived in Britain for the past 10 years , blew himself up in mid-December in Stockholm , wounding two other people .
At the end of December , British police arrested 12 men from around the country , suspected of plotting a terrorist attack in Britain .
An artist from Argentina is preparing to showcase her work at the Embassy of Argentina in Washington later this month .
The show is just the latest step in an artistic career that began as a teenager .
VOA 's Sahar Sepehri introduces us to Evangelina Elizondo , an artist making a name for herself in the international world of art .
Iran 's state news agency says an Iranian fighter jet has crashed into the Oman Sea off the country 's southeastern coast .
Iran says the F-4 Phantom jet crashed at 12.45 p.m. local time ( 915 UTC ) Monday in waters near the Iranian port city of Konarak .
There was no word on the fate of the pilot or the cause of the crash .
Many of the warplanes in Iran 's air force are aging U.S.-built jets such as the F-4 that Iran bought before its Islamic Revolution in 1979 .
U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran after the revolution have made it hard for Tehran to buy spare parts for its military and civilian aircraft .
Iran 's air force also has Russian-made Sukhoi warplanes and recently conducted test flights on two domestically-produced fighter jets .
The U.S. Senate has begun debate on two proposals calling on President Bush to establish a strategy that will lead to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq .
The proposals , introduced by both Democrats and Republicans , call for Mr. Bush to inform Congress and the American people every three months how he plans to achieve the successful completion of the U.S. mission in Iraq .
But the two sides disagree on whether to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces .
Democrats want the administration to give estimated dates on withdrawal , as long as certain conditions are met , while Republicans say setting any timetable would embolden the terrorists .
Votes on the proposals are expected Tuesday .
Iraq says it will prosecute Saddam Hussein on 12 well-documented criminal charges , drawn from a list of 500 criminal counts that authorities had considered filing against the jailed ex-dictator .
Speaking in Baghdad on Sunday a government spokesman also repeated a government prediction that Saddam will go on trial within two months .
No trial date has been set .
Saddam is widely expected to face genocide charges for allegedly ordering the 1988 chemical attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja that killed five thousand people .
Other charges are expected for the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and for the deadly suppression of Shi'ite muslims that began a year later in southern Iraq .
Meanwhile , the U.S. military says it has seized a vast underground insurgent hideout in western Iraq .
Authorities say the complex includes fully furnished living spaces , fresh food and a massive munitions cache .
The United Nations weather agency says 2010 is set to be one of the three warmest years on record , and possibly the warmest ever .
The World Meteorological Organization says the past 10 years , 2001 - 2010 , have also set a new record for the warmest decade , with the highest worldwide temperatures since records began in 1850 .
The WMO released the data Thursday at U.N. climate change talks in Cancun , Mexico .
Figures for November and December will be factored in early next year .
Iraqi election officials say it is too early to suspect problems during Saturday 's constitutional referendum , as workers continue to review ballots .
Officials say workers are still auditing results for about 12 Shi'ite and Kurdish areas which reported unusually high totals of " yes " votes .
Those regions were expected to support the constitution .
Election officials say a final vote count may be ready by Friday or Saturday .
At least one predominantly Sunni Arab province , Salaheddin , appeared to have voted against the constitution .
The draft will fail if three provinces vote against it .
Some Sunni Arab leaders have alleged fraud in Saturday 's vote .
Meanwhile , Iraqi police said gunmen in Ramadi killed the deputy governor of Anbar province , Talib al-Dulaimi , on Tuesday .
And U.S. military officials said one soldier died in a gun battle in Mosul .
Iraqi police say car bomb attacks at churches in Baghdad and Kirkuk have killed at least three people and wounded several others .
They say the cars exploded at nearly the same time outside two churches in Kirkuk and four in Baghdad .
The blasts came shortly after Iraqi authorities adjourned the trial of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein until at least Wednesday .
Saddam and some co-defendants were thrown out of court Sunday , after Saddam 's co-defendant half-brother cursed the court and was then dragged away by guards .
Several defense lawyers walked out in protest .
The former Iraqi leader and seven co-defendants are accused of killing more than 140 people in the town of Dujail in 1982 after a failed assassination attempt .
Elsewhere , a suicide car bomber killed four Iraqi soldiers near Saddam 's hometown of Tikrit .
Another insurgent attack killed 10 people south of Baghdad .
Uganda says it will send an additional 250 soldiers to Somalia to train forces loyal to the Somali interim government .
Ugandan defense officials announced the move to parliament on Wednesday .
They said the training is part of the mandate of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia .
The AU has promised 8,000 peacekeepers for the war-ravaged country .
But so far , only Uganda has sent troops .
Those 1500 troops have largely stayed out of the Somali capital 's chronic violence , focusing on protecting the airport , seaport , and presidential palace .
Witnesses in the Somali capital say a landmine explosion in northern Mogadishu Thursday , killed two policemen and wounded three other people .
The 250 soldiers will increase Uganda 's contingent in Somalia to 1750 troops .
Ugandan officials said the new troops will deploy as soon as the Somali government works out the logistics for their stay .
Up to two million people evacuated the city of New Orleans and surrounding areas in advance of Hurricane Gustav , which was not nearly as severe as Hurricane Katrina three years earlier .
VOA 's Barry Wood in New Orleans tells us about a French Quarter hotel that for traveling journalists provided welcome shelter from the storm .
The British government reports that more than 4,00,000 workers from Eastern Europe have come to work in Britain since 10 new members joined the European Union in 2004 .
Figures published by the British Home Office Tuesday show the government admitted 4,27,000 workers from the 80 formerly communist-ruled new EU member nations .
If self-employed workers are included , that figure may be as high as 6,00,000 .
Poles make up the majority of the registered immigrant workers in Britain , followed by Lithuanians and Slovaks .
Poland has the bloc 's highest unemployment rate .
The immigration figures have triggered debate in Britain over foreign labor .
Some politicians have called for additional restrictions on immigration ahead of the EU decision whether to admit Bulgaria and Romania in 2007 .
The countries that gained EU membership in 2004 are Cyprus , the Czech Republic , Estonia , Hungary , Latvia , Lithuania , Malta , Poland , Slovakia and Slovenia .
Witnesses say an Israeli drone aircraft fired a missile into a car near a Gaza refugee camp Tuesday , but they say the passengers escaped unharmed .
Israel says the strike near Khan Younis targeted two Palestinian militants wanted in connection with a series of mortar attacks on nearby Jewish settlements .
The Khan Younis camp in southern Gaza is a stronghold of militants who often target Jewish settlements with homemade rockets and mortars .
Israel has raided the camp repeatedly to kill or capture militants , and frequently destroys Khan Younis homes linked to such suspects .
Israel has killed scores of Palestinian militants in targeted attacks since the Palestinian uprising ( intifada ) erupted more than four years ago
Jordan 's King Abdullah has postponed a peace mission to Israel and the Palestinian territories because of a flare-up in factional fighting in the Gaza Strip .
Speaking Monday in Amman , a spokesman for the king said the current security situation in Gaza is not conducive to the visit .
Hours earlier , Palestinian lawmakers voted to urge Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to fire his cabinet for failing to stop fighting between Hamas militants and police .
The bill also demands that Mr. Abbas form a new government within two weeks or face a no-confidence vote .
The vote came a short while after several dozen Palestinian police stormed the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza City to press demands for a security crackdown on Hamas .
Sunday , three Palestinians were killed and at least 50 others wounded in gunbattles between Hamas militants and police .
Turkey 's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul says he remains a candidate for president - despite opposition from secularists .
Gul told reporters Friday his candidacy will has not been derailed by the political crisis his nomination by the ruling A.K. ( Justice and Development ) party sparked .
Gul withdrew his candidacy from consideration from parliament after he failed to gain enough support .
Thursday , Turkey 's parliament approved a set of constitutional amendments that would allow the president to be elected by a popular vote , instead of by parliament .
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer must sign the amendments before they can become law .
The ruling party proposed the electoral reform package and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called early legislative elections ( July 22 ) after parliament failed to elect a president .
Secularists opposed Gul 's candidacy and accused the Islamist-rooted A.K. Party of attempting to undermine Turkey 's secular order .
Authorities in Colombia have killed two soldiers and wounded six others after they mistook them for leftist rebels .
Police say the incident occurred Thursday in the village of Chipaque south of the capital , Bogota .
They say military police rushed to the town after receiving information that rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia , or FARC , were planning to blow up electricity towers in the area .
A firefight broke out when an army patrol arrived at the scene at the same time to investigate a separate report about the FARC .
Authorities say the incident is under investigation .
The FARC , along with a smaller leftist rebel group and rightist paramilitaries , is involved in a long-running war with the government in Colombia .
The conflict leaves thousands of people dead each year .
World leaders have praised Iraq 's national election as a triumph for the Iraqi people .
In Europe and Russia , several leaders who opposed the war joined the United States in declaring the vote a success .
French President Jacques Chirac told President Bush by phone Monday the elections are an important stage in Iraq 's reconstruction .
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Iraqis deserve great recognition for heading to the polls despite the danger .
But he reaffirmed Germany 's refusal to send troops to the country .
Russia 's President Putin called the vote a historic event .
Praise also came from Asian countries , including China , which said it hopes the vote brings stability to Iraq .
President Bush and Britain 's Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed the election Sunday , calling it a blow to terrorism .
A public opinion poll indicates that nearly nine out of 10 Israelis believe their country 's offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon is justified .
The survey published Tuesday in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth ( " Latest News " ) found that 81 percent of those polled think the offensive should continue .
Nearly 60 percent said the offensive should continue until Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is killed .
Only 17 percent said Israel should stop the attacks and start negotiations .
The poll also showed that Israelis are largely satisfied with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert 's response to the crisis .
Nearly 80 percent said that Mr. Olmert 's job performance was either very good or fairly good .
Top officials of the U.S. central bank are expected to hold interest rates steady when they gather at a key policymaking meeting Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington .
The U.S. Federal Reserve has cut interest rates several times recently to bolster economic growth that has been hurt by the faltering housing market , tight credit , and other problems .
But economists say cutting rates too low can spark inflation , which is a growing threat as oil prices soar to ever higher record levels .
Experts interviewed by news organizations , like Bloomberg and Reuters , say the Fed will probably keep interest rates unchanged for a while , but raise them later this year .
U.S. officials in Iraq say two American civilians have been killed and a third wounded in a roadside bomb blast south of Baghdad .
The U.S. Embassy says the victims , who worked for a private security firm protecting U.S. diplomats , came under attack Saturday on the main road to Hilla .
Meanwhile , there are reports that talks among Iraq 's leading parties on forming a new government are stalled .
Sources close to the talks say leaders of the Kurdish alliance 's two factions were still debating Sunday a draft deal reached last week with the Shi'ite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance .
The two camps are supposed to announce an agreement on a new government Monday - two days before the Iraqi National Assembly convenes for the first time since January elections .
The United States is urging Uzbekistan to give fair and humane treatment to a journalist recently arrested for violating the Uzbek constitution .
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli says the United States is closely following the case of Sabirjon Yakubov , who was arrested April 11th .
Mr. Ereli says Uzbek authorities have harassed other journalists in the past to limit publications of critical stories .
Mr. Yakubov , who works for the Hurriyat ( Freedom ) weekly , faces a 20 year prison sentence .
He has recently written articles about Islam and political reforms , as well as the " Orange Revolution " in the Ukraine .
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says that if Mr. Yakubov is being held for expressing his religious and political beliefs he should be freed immediately .
MTV Networks has launched its first music video channel for Africa .
The new 24-hour channel , called MTV Base , is broadcast on satellite television , available to 1.3 million homes across Africa .
MTV says it also hopes to sell blocks of broadcast time to local stations so it can reach more people .
MTV says about 30 percent of the music played on the channel will be African - such as South Africa 's popular kwaito music , a derivative of hip-hop , or mbalax - music from West Africa made famous by Senegalese artist , Youssou N'Dour .
MTV Base is the network 's 100th channel and its final global outpost .
MTV has already launched stations in North America , Europe , Latin America , and Asia .
French President Jacques Chirac says he is opposed to any international sanctions against a Palestinian government formed by the militant group Hamas .
Speaking to reporters Monday on the final day of a visit to Saudi Arabia , Mr. Chirac said he was aware of calls for cutting off aid to a Hamas-led government because of the group 's refusal to renounce violence against Israel .
But he said imposing sanctions would mostly hurt the Palestinian people .
Hamas won a landslide election victory in January , prompting Israel , the United States and the European Union - which includes France - to threaten to stop funding unless the Islamic militant group recognize Israel and stop its militants from attacking the Jewish state .
France often presents itself as supporting Arab causes , while many Arabs regard the United States as biased toward Israel .
Cuban President Fidel Castro has walked for the first time in public since suffering a damaging fall two months ago .
Mr. Castro , assisted by a young school girl , received a standing ovation Thursday as he walked into the year-end session of the National Assembly .
The Associated Press reports he walked slowly and a bit stiffly as he took his seat on stage at Havana 's Convention Palace .
The 78-year-old Cuban leader stumbled and fell in October after making a speech , shattering his knee and fracturing an arm .
In November , Mr. Castro surprised many when he stood up from his wheelchair to receive Chinese President Hu Jintao , who was on a state visit .
A study by the South African Medical Research Council has found that women in abusive relationships are more likely to become infected with HIV .
Researchers say that South African women in unequal relationships had a higher rate of HIV infection compared to women who had more equality in their relationships .
Researchers also say that addressing inequalities in relationships could prevent nearly 14 percent of new HIV infections .
Nearly 12 percent of new infections could be prevented if women were not physically or sexually abused by their partners .
The South African Medical Research Council is calling on the World Health Organization and other groups to develop and widely implement policies and programs that build gender equality and prevent domestic violence .
Algerian state television says a suicide bomb attack has killed about 15 people and wounded more than 70 others .
Security officials say the attack occurred Thursday in the eastern town of Batna - shortly before President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was scheduled to visit .
Witnesses say the bomber was among a crowd of people waiting to see Mr. Bouteflika .
The Algerian president later visited some of the wounded at a local hospital .
He condemned those who carried out the attack as " criminals " and said Algeria was committed to achieving national reconciliation .
Al-Qaida 's North African branch has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks in Algeria .
Islamic militants have been fighting in Algeria since 1992 .
Violence has largely subsided in recent years , but the group al-Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb continues to fight .
President Bush is seeking public support for his economic agenda , urging Congress to pass his proposed budget and reforms to the Social Security retirement program .
Speaking in the midwestern city of Detroit Tuesday , Mr. Bush said his $ 2.5-trillion budget maintains discipline on spending while enabling the military and Homeland Security Department to protect Americans .
About Social Security , he said younger workers should be allowed to divert part of their taxes into private accounts that they could invest for a possibly higher return .
The speech was part of the president 's effort to promote his plans , in the face of opposition from Democrats .
Opponents have called Mr. Bush 's budget " irresponsible , " noting that it does not take into account costs for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan .
The Democrats have likened Mr. Bush 's Social Security plan to a form of roulette ( gambling ) .
Somali pirates have released a Taiwanese ship that they seized off the coast of Somalia more than five months ago .
Taiwanese officials say the vessel , Chung Yi 218 , has safely set sail from Somali waters .
It is not clear how many crew members are on board , and if a deal was made to secure the ship 's release .
The vessel was one of three Taiwanese ships held by Somali gunmen since August .
The pirates had demanded a ransom of $ 5,00,000 for each boat and its crew .
The other two vessels are reported still being held .
Pirates have attacked many ships off the Somali coast , including a United Nations World Food Program vessel hijacked last year .
Somalia has been without an effective central government since 1991 .
Condoleezza Rice ( l ) and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao The subjects of North Korea and Taiwan dominated meetings in Beijing Sunday between top Chinese leaders and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice .
The French news agency quotes Ms. Rice as telling President Hu Jintao she hopes Beijing will intensify efforts to get North Korea to resume talks on its nuclear program in a constructive manner .
Mr. Hu said China is committed to resolving the issue .
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Ms. Rice also met and expressed their mutual desire to enhance Chinese-U.S. relations .
The prime minister told Ms. Rice China 's new anti-secession law is meant to contain forces on Taiwan seeking independence .
While on her Asia tour , Ms. Rice said the European government would be acting irresponsibly if they sell weapons to China that might be used against U.S. forces in the Pacific .
The United Nations World Food Program ( WFP ) says Burma 's military government has placed restrictions on food deliveries as it cracks down on mass protests throughout the country .
The U.N. agency on Friday expressed concern that the government 's actions could block efforts to feed some 5,00,000 people in the impoverished Southeast Asian country .
According to the agency , Burmese authorities have stopped all movement of food out of the country 's second-largest city , Mandalay , which will affect deliveries in northern Shan State .
Unrest also has stopped food delivery in the port city of Sittwe , disrupting the World Food Program 's operations in north Rakhine State .
The U.N. agency says it is appealing to authorities for access to all parts of the country , to protect children , as well as HIV and tuberculosis patients .
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulija Tymoshenko says she is breaking with President Viktor Yushchenko following his decision to dismiss her government .
Ms. Tymoshenko said Friday she is no longer a member of Mr. Yushchenko 's political team , but stopped short of calling herself an opponent .
The former prime minister said she and her followers plan to run for office separately in next year 's parliamentary elections .
Mr. Yushchenko dismissed the government Thursday , amid allegations of corruption and reports of infighting between the prime minister and Petro Poroshenko , another senior official .
The president has named senior regional official Yuri Yekhanurov prime minister .
Ms. Tymoshenko was a key figure during Ukraine 's Orange Revolution that swept the president into power last year .
She blamed presidential advisors , rather than Mr. Yushchenko himself , for her firing .
Ivory Coast has reported its first outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of birdflu .
The Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health says tests have confirmed the presence of the virus in birds from two outbreaks in Abidjan .
The H5N1 strain was detected in seven chickens , nine ducks and one sparrowhawk .
The virus has been confirmed in five other African nations - Burkina Faso , Cameroon , Egypt , Niger and Nigeria .
Earlier this week , a minister from the southern African country of Malawi told a 19-nation bird flu conference that Africa is not prepared to fight bird flu .
A United Nations official at the same conference said poverty and inadequate medical and veterinary services make Africa vulnerable to the disease .
Bird flu has killed more than 113 people worldwide since 2003 , mostly in Asia .
Many members of Iraq 's national football ( soccer ) team were scheduled to leave Iraq Saturday - just one day after ceremonies honoring them for their win last week at the Asian Cup championship in Jakarta .
Some players have contracts with teams outside Iraq and live abroad .
The Iraqi team has not played at home for 17 years due to fears of violence since the start of the 2003 U.S. invasion and to international sanctions against Saddam Hussein 's regime before that .
The team practices in Jordan .
On Friday , Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki welcomed Iraq 's national team to celebrations in Baghdad 's heavily fortified Green Zone .
Most Baghdad residents were barred from the celebration because of security concerns .
Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the Asian Cup final , sparking a rare moment of national jubilation .
The European Union is hopeful U.S. President Barack Obama 's message to Iran can help thaw relations between Tehran and much of the world .
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in Brussels Friday that the broadcast appeal could help open " a new chapter " for relations with Iran .
Solana also called Mr. Obama 's attempt to reach out to Iran constructive .
Like the United States , the EU accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons and has imposed a series of sanctions on Tehran .
Last month , German Chancellor Angela Merkel threatened to impose additional sanctions on Iran if talks do not work .
New White House budget figures show a program to help seniors pay for prescription drugs will cost the government some $ 320 billion more than projected .
Figures released late Tuesday raised the estimate of the program 's cost to $ 720 billion over the next decade .
That is nearly twice the $ 400 billion estimate President Bush offered in 2003 , before Congress added the prescription drug benefit to the government 's Medicare medical insurance program .
The increased cost is likely to draw criticism from lawmakers concerned about the soaring U.S. budget deficit .
Speaking with reporters at the White House Wednesday , Mr. Bush said Medicare has " unfunded liabilities " that he and Congress will have to deal with after fixing the Social Security retirement program .
The United Nations says it has placed U.N. disaster teams around the world on alert and told them they are ready to be deployed to the U.S. Gulf Coast .
A U.N. spokesman in Geneva Friday said members of its U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination Center specializing in natural disasters are ready to help the United States deal with the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina , if requested by Washington .
He said the world body 's various agencies - including the World Health Organization , UNICEF , the World Food Program and the U.N. refugee agency - are meeting Friday in New York to put together an offer of logistical support .
The U.N. announcement comes several hours after Secretary-General Kofi Annan said America has always been generous in responding to disasters around the globe , and urged the international community to offer assistance to the devastated communities along the U.S. Gulf Coast .
Burmese officials have blamed local dissident student groups , working with western governments , for Friday 's bomb blast at a luxury hotel in Rangoon .
Officials held a rare news conference in the capital city Sunday to denounce the attack .
They released a statement that alleged several groups , including the All Burma Students Democratic Front , the Karen National Union , and the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors were behind the small blast outside the Traders Hotel , that did little damage and caused no injuries .
The Burmese Information Minister Brigadier General Kyaw Hsann also said authorities had thwarted a separate major bomb attack .
Officials have not mentioned any arrests in the alleged bomb plots .
Burma 's tightly-guarded capital has seen a number of explosions in recent months .
The government regularly blames exile groups that oppose military rule .
Some dissidents say the blasts are carried out by government-linked groups to justify tighter security .
Activists from an alliance of five political parties in Nepal say they will hold a second round of protests Monday against King Gyanendra 's assumption of absolute power .
A spokesman for the alliance said Sunday the nationwide rallies will go ahead despite the king 's ban on demonstrations .
Last Tuesday , political parties organized street protests to pressure the king to restore democracy in Nepal .
Police arrested dozens of people , including former government ministers and former lawmakers .
Sunday , police in Kathmandu arrested three students for shouting anti-monarchy slogans .
King Gyanendra dismissed the government , imposed a state of emergency and suspended civil liberties on February 1 .
He said his move was prompted by the government 's failure to contain a Maoist rebellion , which has killed thousands of people since 1996 .
NATO says two civilians have been killed and at least 10 others wounded in a fuel truck explosion in eastern Afghanistan .
A NATO statement says Thursday 's blast in Nangarhar province also damaged nearby shops and vehicles , and that the explosion was likely triggered by an improvised explosive device .
In neighboring Logar province , NATO says coalition forces killed 12 Taliban insurgents , including a commander during an operation on Wednesday .
Another three insurgents were killed while Afghan and coalition forces were pursuing commanders of the insurgent group Jama'at ul Dawa al-Qu'ran in northeastern Kunar province .
The group is linked to attacks that killed two U.S. service members .
And the alliance says eight coalition members were injured Thursday after a NATO helicopter made a hard landing in southern Kandahar province .
NATO says based on initial reports , the incident was not a result of enemy fire .
Colombian authorities say they have dismantled a FALSE passport ring with links to al-Qaida and the Islamic militant group Hamas , and arrested 19 people in connection with the case .
Prosecutors said Thursday three members of the state intelligence agency known as DAS , were among those arrested , and that one of them is among eight people sought by the United States for extradition .
Officials also say a member of Colombia 's National Registry , which provides official identification documents , was arrested in the sweep .
Authorities say the arrests follow an investigation that began in 2002 .
Local media reports say the passport-forging ring enabled foreign nationals to travel as Colombians to Europe and the United States .
The reports say the suspects sent the forged passports to citizens of Pakistan , Jordan , Iraq and Egypt , who never actually set foot in Colombia .
Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinian civilians in separate incidents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Tuesday .
They say soldiers shot dead a Palestinian bystander during a clash with militants in Nablus .
Several Palestinians and two soldiers were wounded in the clash that erupted when Israeli troops raided the Palestinian city .
Israeli forces regularly mount raids into West Bank towns to arrest wanted Palestinians .
In the Gaza Strip , witnesses say a Palestinian farmer was killed when Israeli forces fired tank or artillery shells into the territory .
Members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee say confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers will begin November 7 .
The announcement Wednesday comes a little more than two weeks after President Bush nominated Ms. Miers to take over the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor .
Mr. Bush has drawn fire from fellow Republicans for the nomination of Ms. Miers , the current White House Counsel .
Some want the president to withdraw her nomination and pick a known conservative who would decisively shift the high court to the right .
Ms. Miers has not made her positions on contentious issues like abortion and gay marriage publicly known since her nomination .
Indian search teams have recovered at least 50 bodies in the eastern state of West Bengal where an overcrowded ferry capsized .
Officials say more than 100 people were on the ferry when it overturned Saturday in a turbulent river near the Bay of Bengal .
Dozens of passengers have been rescued , but others are still missing .
Officials say most of the passengers were Muslims returning to the town of Kakdwip after attending a religious festival .
Authorities say the boat 's maximum capacity was 60 people .
Boating accidents are common in India , where vessels are often overloaded and safety standards are poor .
Iraqi authorities say a suicide bomber killed four policemen in Baghdad and gunmen killed at least 11 other Iraqis in another town Thursday .
Police say the gunmen killed the 11 men and women in Latifiyah .
They believe the victims were members of an extended Shi'ite family .
To the north , in Baghdad , the suicide bomber blew himself up outside Iraq 's Interior Ministry .
In a separate attack in the capital , a roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier .
U.S. Brigadier General Donald Alston said Thursday that U.S. forces expected insurgent attacks to increase after security measures imposed for Iraq 's elections were lifted .
Meanwhile , al-Qaida in Iraq posted video footage on the Internet it says shows five Sudanese nationals , including a diplomat , abducted in Baghdad .
The group threatened to kill the five unless Sudan cuts ties with Iraq .
The chief of the Polisario rebels in Western Sahara has asked the African Union for help securing the release of prisoners held by Morocco .
According to Algeria 's APS news agency , Mohamed Abdelaziz , secretary-general of the Polisario Front , wrote to the current chairman of the African Union , Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo , asking him to intercede with Morocco .
Mr. Abdelaziz said it was unfair that Morocco was still holding the prisoners , even after the Polisario Front released hundreds of Moroccan soldiers this month .
The letter said Morocco was holding 37 political prisoners and 151 prisoners of war .
It said that some 500 people were missing .
Rebels battled Moroccan troops over control of Western Sahara for 16 years , following the withdrawal of colonial power Spain .
In 1991 , the United Nations brokered a cease-fire to end fighting .
Bolivia 's new president has cut top officials ' salaries by half and says the savings will be used for education and health programs .
Evo Morales fulfilled his campaign promise to cut salaries after a cabinet meeting late Thursday .
He announced a 57 percent pay cut for himself , to about $ 1,800 ( U.S. ) a month .
He reduced his ministers ' salaries by half and decreed that no public official can make more than the president .
During his campaign , Mr. Morales promised a more austere budget for Bolivia , South America 's poorest country .
The coca farmer and workers ' rights activist was elected by a landslide in December .
He is Bolivia 's first ethnically indigenous president .
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has urged international donors to keep aid flowing following last week 's election victory by the militant group Hamas .
Mr. Abbas , who is not a member of Hamas , says the Palestinians will stick to their agreements with Israel .
He spoke alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel after talks Monday in Ramallah .
Ms. Merkel stressed her previous demand that Hamas renounce violence and accept Israel 's right to exist .
EU foreign ministers say Hamas must take those two steps to ensure aid is not suspended .
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a similar demand Sunday .
In London , members of the so-called Middle East quartet - the U.S. , Russia , the EU and the United Nations - are meeting for talks on how to deal with a Hamas-led Palestinian government .
Burma 's state media are hailing the capture of a rare , white elephant as a sign the country will enjoy peace , stability and prosperity under a new , elected government , as the media say it does under present military rule .
The official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said Saturday that the elephant , captured Thursday in western Rakhine state , is a source of national pride .
The paper said the pachyderm is estimated to be 18 years old and is the fifth white elephant captured since 2001 .
Burma has been under harsh military rule since 1962 and elections scheduled for November have been widely criticized by the international community as a sham to keep the military in power .
Police in Mauritania say security forces have arrested the leaders of a terrorist cell with alleged links to al-Qaida .
The detainees are said to be prominent leaders in the guerrilla group , Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat .
A statement from the national police says seven people were arrested earlier this week as they returned from the group 's training camp in Algeria .
The detainees are said to be among a total of 20 guerrillas who were sent to the camp for training .
A top U.S. general says the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is presenting challenges to the U.S. ability to advance its interests in the Middle East .
General David Petraeus , head of the U.S. Central Command , says the conflict foments anti-American sentiment in the region due to a perception of U.S. favoritism toward Israel .
The U.S. Central Command oversees American forces in the Middle East and Central Asia .
Petraeus 's comments to a Senate committee Tuesday came amid a U.S.-Israeli dispute about Israel 's plan to build 1,600 more housing units in disputed East Jerusalem .
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians have been stalled for more than a year primarily because of the construction of Jewish settlements .
World oil prices hit record highs for the fifth day in a row Friday .
The price of crude oil for future delivery reached $ 66.15 a barrel in New York trading .
Prices are up six percent this week and have more than doubled since the end of 2003 .
Analysts blame the latest increases on strong demand for oil , a spate of refinery problems , and worries that Middle East tensions could crimp crude oil supplies .
Soaring prices for imported oil also boosted the U.S. trade deficit six percent in June .
Friday 's report from the Commerce Department says the gap between what Americans sell abroad and what they buy reached $ 58.8 billion .
The politically sensitive U.S. trade deficit with China rose to a record $ 17.6 billion .
Colombia 's former president , Andres Pastrana , has been named the country 's next ambassador to the United States .
Mr. Pastrana , a lawyer and former television journalist , is replacing Luis Alberto Moreno .
Mr. Pastrana led Colombia from 1998 to 2002 , but has spent the past several years living in Spain .
His main objectives as ambassador to the United States will include promoting " Plan Colombia " - a U.S. sponsored anti-cocaine initiative .
Over the past three years , the United States has spent more than $ 3 billion to help eradicate coca production in Colombia .
Critics of the plan say it has done little to combat drug trafficking or stem Colombia 's drug-fueled civil war .
The United Nations Human Rights Council has ordered a commission of inquiry to investigate alleged abuses by Israel in its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon .
Council members Friday voted 27-Nov in support of the inquiry at a special session in Geneva .
The 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference requested the session and proposed the resolution that singled out Israel for condemnation and avoided any criticism of Hezbollah .
Earlier Friday , the U.N. human rights chief urged the Council to take account of Hezbollah 's actions - in addition to Israel .
Louise Arbour said Israeli attacks affecting civilians continue unabated , but she also deplored Hezbollah 's " indiscriminate shelling of densely populated centers in northern Israel . "
And she noted repeated allegations of Hezbollah 's use of human shields .
Western Sahara has a small market-based economy whose main industries are fishing , phosphate mining , and pastoral nomadism .
The territory 's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult , and Western Sahara imports much of its food .
The Moroccan Government administers Western Sahara 's economy and is a source of employment , infrastructure development , and social spending in the territory .
Western Sahara 's unresolved legal status makes the exploitation of its natural resources a contentious issue between Morocco and the Polisario .
Morocco and the EU in July 2006 signed a four-year agreement allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco , including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara .
Oil has never been found in Western Sahara in commercially significant quantities , but Morocco and the Polisario have quarreled over who has the right to authorize and benefit from oil exploration in the territory .
Western Sahara 's main long-term economic challenge is the development of a more diverse set of industries capable of providing greater employment and income to the territory .
Since 1962 , when France stationed military personnel in the region , French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence agricultural economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry .
With the halt of French nuclear testing in 1996 , the military contribution to the economy fell sharply .
Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings .
Other sources of income are pearl farming and deep-sea commercial fishing .
The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products .
The territory benefits substantially from development agreements with France aimed principally at creating new businesses and strengthening social services .