FUNNY ENGLISH STORIES 2

Police in Iraq say two suicide bomb attacks in Baghdad have killed fourteen people and wounded twenty others.. Witnesses and officials say the first attacker exploded his bomb near an of[r]

Report Voters in the northeastern American state of Pennsylvania have voted in an important presidential primary contest Experts say Senator Hillary Clinton must win to stay in the race She is expected to win However, she needs to win by a large number of votes if she is to narrow the lead of her opponent, Senator Barack Obama He is ahead in the popular vote and in the number of the nominating delegates Ms Clinton says a victory in Pennsylvania along with her wins in California and New York will prove that Mr Obama cannot win in states with large numbers of delegates Mr Obama said that he does not expect to win Pennsylvania But, he believes he has already cut into her once large lead Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan is warning that climate change is making the food crisis worse He said this threatens political security Mr Annan spoke Tuesday in Geneva for the Global Humanitarian Forum, a new group that examines the effects of climate change The former U.N secretary general predicted more food strikes and demonstrations Severe and unpredictable weather he says has hurt the ability of many areas to grow crops He said poorer farmers are the most effected Mr Annan said countries that produce the most pollution should help poorer farmers deal with climate change The United Nations food agency says rising food prices threaten more than one hundred million additional people around the world The head of the world food program, Josette Sheeran, said the additional one hundred million people facing hunger within the past six months She says a major and long-lasting action is needed to prevent a crisis Such action she said should be like the emergency effort after a huge wave in the Indian Ocean destroyed many coastal communities in two thousand four Hundreds of people, angry about the rising cost of food, have demonstrated in eastern Afghanistan The protesters blocked a main road between the town of Jalalabad and the capital, Kabul They demanded the government quickly act to decrease food prices Earlier, the Afghan government announced it is putting aside fifty million dollars to buy wheat from other countries Many protesters expressed anger at Pakistan for slowing, restricting its food exports Pakistan did so because of its own worries over rising food prices Countries near Iraq and other nations say they support efforts by the Iraqi government to increase security and expand the political process The statement came at the close of talks in Kuwait The statement also expressed support for Iraq's national unity, territorial claims and the right to freely decide its political future Delegates at the talks also praised Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for taking steps against militias loyal to clergyman Muqtada alSadr American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised Iraq on its progress She said Iraq needs the support of its neighbors and countries around the world to succeed A bomb explosion has killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded four others in the northern city of Mosul The bomb was attached to a vehicle that Iraqi soldiers were inspecting Earlier, a suicide bomber killed six people in an attack near a police station in Diyala province Twelve others were wounded Most of the victims were policemen And, the United States military says two other bombs killed two American marines near the western city of Ramadi The Chinese government says a ship carrying weapons meant for Zimbabwe may be returning to China The ship has been waiting in the waters near the coast of southern Africa It was permitted to enter the South African port of Durban last week But, workers there refused to unload the weapons Officials in Mozambique have also turned away the ship A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says the contract for the weapons was signed last year as part of normal military trade She said the shipment is not connected to Zimbabwe's political crisis China and France are working to ease tensions Their relations worsened after pro-Tibet activists demonstrated during the running of the Olympic torch in Paris earlier this month Since then, some Chinese citizens have boycotted French goods and companies Chinese officials on Tuesday praised how the French company Carrefour does business in China The officials also thanked the company for supporting the Olympic games in Beijing Sudan has begun a count and study of its population for the first time in fifteen years The census is part of a peace agreement that ended the country's twenty-one year civil war The Sudanese government and the United Nations are paying for the census It will help show how wealth and power is divided in the country It will also set up voting areas before Sudanese elections are held next year They will be the first democratic elections in the country in twenty-three years President Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper have ended a twoday meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana President Bush said the three countries have each gained from the North American Free Trade Agreement He said now is not the time to renegotiate the agreement President Calderon agreed with Mr Bush's comments saying this is a time to make the agreement stronger, not change or cancel it Prime Minister Harper had similar comments Critics of NAFTA, including both Democratic party presidential candidates, say the United States has lost manufacturing jobs because of the agreement Briefly, here again is the major news of the hour Voters in the northeastern American state of Pennsylvania have voted in an important presidential primary contest Hundreds of people angry about the rising cost of food have demonstrated in eastern Afghanistan And, countries near Iraq say they support efforts by the Iraqi government to increase security and expand the political process Report The main opposition party in Zimbabwe is claiming victory in general elections But, election officials say the main opposition and the ruling party are tied The latest result show the ruling party ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change each won twenty-six seats in parliament Two hundred ten seats were to be decided in the vote Saturday The MDC disputes the results It says its own count shows the party winning seats in ninety-six of one hundred twenty-eight parliamentary areas where results have been announced The MDC also says its founder, Morgan Tsvangirai, is leading President Robert Mugabe sixty to thirty percent No official results from the presidential election have been announced American Defense Secretary Robert Gates says recent violence in southern Iraq has not changed American plans to withdraw some troops from Iraq The troops are expected to leave over the next few months Mr Gates spoke in Denmark He praised Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki's recent efforts against Shiite militias in the southern city of Basra Iraqi and coalition forces in Basra and Baghdad fought street battles over the past six days with militants loyal to extremist Shiite Moqtada al-Sadr About four hundred people were killed in the fighting American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is urging Israel to stop building more homes on disputed land She says Israel's continued expansion of settlements violates the peace plan known as "the Road Map" Secretary Rice is in Jordan for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Mr Abbas says he expects a peace agreement with Israel by the end of this year On Sunday, Ms Rice persuaded Israeli and Palestinian officials to ease restrictions on Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank President Bush has arrived in Kiev, Ukraine, the first stop on his European trip The President will attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Romania He is expected to urge NATO member countries to open membership to Ukraine and Georgia But, Russia has said it does not want NATO expanding to its borders NATO leaders are also expected to offer membership to Albania, Croatia and Macedonia The constitutional court in Turkey says it will consider banning the ruling Justice and Development Party The chief prosecutor has accused the party of violating the country's tradition of separating the government from religion He also believes that many members of the party should be banned from politics for five years The Justice and Development Party denies violating the separation between the government and religion The party has called the case anti-democratic A leading international conflict resolution organization is urging East Timor to more to settle one hundred thousand people displaced by unrest in two thousand six The International Crisis Group says the country's displaced population shows that the deeper causes of the conflict two years ago remain unresolved The new ICG report says displaced East Timorese remain in camps because they fear new violence or they have no home to return to Others are unable to reclaim their homes and depend on the free rice that the camps provide The French Justice Ministry has announced the release from jail of all six French aid workers found guilty of attempted kidnapping in Chad last year The ministry said they were freed just hours after Chadian President Idriss Deby pardoned them The six were tried in a Chadian court last year and sentenced to eight years in prison Chad agreed in December to let them serve their sentences in France The aid workers were arrested in Chad while preparing to take one hundred three African children to France They said the children had lost their parents and could be placed with European families An investigation found that most of the children were Chadian and had at least one parent or guardian still living A new study by the United States Department of Agriculture says American farmers will plant less corn this season though prices are at record highs The USDA says the amount of land planted with corn will drop by about eight percent, in part because the price of fertilizer has sharply increased This has hurt farmers' profits The amount of American land planted in soy beans is expected to increase by eighteen percent this season And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour The main opposition party in Zimbabwe is claiming victory in general elections But, election officials say the main opposition and the ruling party are tied American Defense Secretary Robert Gates says recent violence in southern Iraq has not changed American plans to withdraw some troops from Iraq And, American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is urging Israel to stop building more homes on disputed land Report The newly-elected prime minister of Pakistan has freed all judges detained under emergency rule last year Yousaf Raza Gilani gave the order just minutes after he was elected by parliament He also promised a resolution calling for a United Nations investigation into the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto He is a member of her Pakistan Peoples Party In Washington, the Bush administration congratulated Mr Gilani and the Pakistani people for moving quickly to form a new government American commanders in Baghdad say Iran is continuing to provide money, weapons and training to Shiite rebels in Iraq A spokesman says it has been confirmed that Shiite extremist groups carried out rocket attacks Sunday on Iraq's secure green area He said the weapons used in the attack were supplied by Iran The spokesman said coalition forces are working to stop the groups Earlier, American General David Petraeus told British radio the attacks show Iranian operatives continue to pay for, to train and to supply and direct Iraq's rebels Israel says it may soon ease restrictions on some Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says the government is considering the removal of roadblocks He said it is also considering other actions to permit more free movement for Palestinian business people and officials Israeli officials also said that any agreement between the opposing groups Fatah and Hamas would mean an end to peace talks between Palestinians and Israel Leaders of the two Palestinian groups met in Yemen Sunday They signed an agreement to continue talking with each other The Lebanese parliament again has delayed its meeting to elect a new president Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says the new election will take place April twentysecond This is the seventeenth time the election has been postponed since September Political leaders from the governing coalition and the opposition cannot agree about power-sharing in the future government The two sides have agreed on the election of army commander General Michel Suleiman as president, but they differ on other ideas about the new government The governing coalition also has rejected the opposition's demand for veto power on government decisions Cambodian officials are traveling to the United Nations to request one hundred fourteen million dollars more to continue legal action against former Khmer Rouge leaders Three representatives of Cambodia's genocide court left Phnom Penh for New York They will meet at the U.N on Thursday The U.N.-supported court first asked for fifty-six million dollars over three years The court now says it needs one hundred seventy million to continue operating through two thousand eleven The first public trials of five former Khmer Rouge leaders are expected later this year The Khmer Rouge killed nearly two million people in Cambodia thirty years ago in an effort to create a classless nation The United Nations World Food Program says it may be forced to cut the amount of food it provides because of rising food and fuel prices W.F.P officials say the U.N agency needs donor countries to provide five hundred million dollars in the next four weeks The World Food Program feeds about seventy-three million people in seventy-eight countries It feeds three million people a day in Sudan's Darfur area alone Finally this news, President and Ms Bush have led a yearly children's holiday celebration in Washington Administration officials say fifteen thousand eggs were provided this year for the White House Easter egg roll Appearing at the celebration were children's book writers, the music group the Jonas Brothers and people dressed as children's characters such as Mickey Mouse The White House Easter egg roll began in eighteen seventyeight during the presidency of Rutherford Hayes Children take part in an egg-rolling race across the White House grounds the day following the Easter holiday Briefly, here again is the major news of the hour in Special English The newly-elected prime minister of Pakistan has freed all judges detained under emergency rule last year American commanders in Baghdad say Iran is continuing to provide money, weapons and training to Shiite rebels in Iraq And, Israel says it may soon ease restrictions on some Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank Report Several suicide bomb attacks are reported in Iraq The most recent took place in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah At least, two people were killed and thirty others were wounded Earlier, a bomber in Baghdad killed himself and five American soldiers Three other American soldiers and an Iraqi language assistant were wounded Northeast of the capital in Muqdadiya, a suicide bomber killed two people and wounded more than twenty others And in Diyala province, a suicide bomber attacked the home of a tribal leader The tribal leader and three other people were killed in the attack in Kanaan An unofficial truce is in effect in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip Palestinian militants have stopped rocket attacks against Israel Israeli army radio says Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert halted Israeli air attacks on Gaza Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Israel and Hamas have agreed generally to the cease-fire But, Mr Olmert denies any negotiations have taken place A Hamas spokesman says rocket attacks could be stopped forever if Israel would reopen border crossings between Gaza and Israel and Gaza and Egypt At least, one hundred twenty Palestinians were killed in a recent Israeli military offensive in the area Israel says the action was aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks The Indian government has moved to stop a march by Tibetan exiles to their homeland The march was part of protests organized before the Olympic games in Beijing It was also the forty-ninth anniversary of an uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet Police stopped more than one hundred men and women marchers fifteen kilometers from Dharmsala in northern India The town is home to the Tibetan government in exile and the Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama The marchers had begun a six-month trip to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa A local police chief said the march violates an agreement between India's government and the Tibetan government in exile They had agreed to permit no anti-China political activities in India Neither the Dalai Lama nor the Tibetan government in exile has supported the march Oil prices have increased to a record high of more than one hundred seven dollars a barrel Bloomberg News Agency reports that oil prices have increased seventyseven percent in the past year The price per barrel has moved higher several times in the past two weeks Oil is priced internationally in dollars and gains as the dollar falls in value The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced last week it will hold oil production as it is instead of increasing it as requested by the United States President Bush says the United States will help make the Polish military more modern In return, the United States will be able to put parts of a new missile defense system in Poland Mr Bush announced the plan after talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Washington He said experts will study Poland's needs and develop a plan before his term is over next year Poland says its military needs to improve because Russia has threatened to aim nuclear weapons at Poland if the American anti-missile system is deployed Health workers in the western Afghan city of Herat are refusing to work as a way to demand better security and an end to kidnappings A spokesman for the striking workers said hospital doctors are treating only emergencies and stores will be closed this week as part of the strike Doctor Abdul Zahir Miyazi said the striking workers are protesting a series of kidnappings across the city He said in the past few days nine people have been kidnapped in Herat including the sons of doctors, judges and jewelry sellers It is not clear who is responsible for the kidnappings Serbia's government has officially asked the president to dismiss parliament and call for early elections, probably to be held in May President Boris Tadic is expected to announce the action within days The cabinet announced its agreement after a short meeting Monday Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said Saturday the government could not continue to operate because of deep divisions following Kosovo's declaration of independence in February United States Senator Barack Obama has dismissed the idea of being the Democratic party candidate for vicepresident Mr Obama is competing against Senator Hillary Clinton for their party's presidential nomination He said during a campaign stop in the Southern state of Mississippi that he is not interested in being second The Illinois Senator said he received more votes and delegates than Ms Clinton He said he does not know how someone in second place is offering the vice-presidency to someone in first place Mississippi's primary election is Tuesday New York state Governor Eliot Spitzer has publicly apologized after a New York Times newspaper story linked him to women who perform sexual acts for money He admitted violating responsibilities to his family and any sense of right and wrong The newspaper said on its website that federal officials recorded Governor Spitzer making plans to meet a woman at a hotel in Washington, D.C The newspaper said the recording was made last month during an investigation of a prostitution operation Earlier, Mr Spitzer had served as New York state attorney general He was known as "Mr Clean" for his efforts against corruption in the state, including at least two prostitution groups And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour Several suicide bomb attacks are reported in Iraq, killing at least thirteen people An unofficial cease-fire is in effect in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip The Indian government has moved to stop a march by Tibetan exiles to their homeland And, oil prices have increased to a record high of more than one hundred seven dollars a barrel Report The United Nations Security Council has voted to approve a new resolution against Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium Fourteen of the council's fifteen members voted for the resolution Indonesia did not vote Indonesia's U.N ambassador says his nation is not sure more restrictions would help the situation The resolution strengthens existing restrictions on trade and on the travel and property of people involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programs The restrictions were declared because of concerns that Iran may be developing nuclear weapons Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful Israeli forces withdrew from northern Gaza early Monday But, Israeli air attacks and Palestinian rocket fire continued after the troop withdrawal More than one hundred Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed during Israel's five-day offensive in Gaza Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised to seek more military action in Gaza But, Hamas said the Israeli withdrawal is a victory for the Palestinians Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas suspended peace talks with Israel to protest the offensive Officials in Washington have confirmed that the American military has launched two missiles at terrorist targets in southern Somalia A Defense Department pokesman told reporters the attack in the town of Dobley was aimed at known al-Qaeda terrorists He said the United States will continue to target terrorists and their operations wherever the military may find them In Dobley, witnesses said at least two missiles destroyed a house and injured several people They said extremist Islamist religious leader Hassan Turki was in town on Sunday to meet with other militants Colombian police say they have found documents showing that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez paid three hundred million dollars in support of Colombian rebels Colombia's national police chief said the documents were on three computers found after the attacks Saturday on a rebel base in Ecuador Oscar Naranjo said the documents include a letter from a top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Commander Raul Reyes was one of seventeen rebels killed during the attack Mr Naranjo said the documents also show the group's efforts to get fifty kilograms of uranium He said this shows the rebels' desire to be involved in international terrorism At least, two bombs have exploded in the Iraqi capital At least fifteen people were killed when a bomb exploded in the center of Baghdad More than forty others were injured Iraqi security officials said a second bomb exploded near an Iraqi army security position in eastern Baghdad That attack by a suicide bomber killed at least two police officers and wounded five others The United States military said Iraqi soldiers guarding the position probably saved the lives of other people The military blamed the attacks on Sunni Islamist al-Qaeda forces in Iraq United Nations officials in Nepal have confirmed that U.N workers were among those killed in a helicopter crash A spokesman says seven U.N workers and three crew members were on the aircraft that went down in an eastern district Police said ten bodies were pulled from the wreckage The cause of the crash was not immediately known The top United States military officer has arrived in Pakistan Admiral Mike Mullen is expected to discuss military cooperation with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and military leaders The United States plans to send twenty-two members of the military to Pakistan this year to train Pakistani security forces An American embassy spokeswoman in Islamabad says the Americans will arrive in Pakistan between June and October They will train Pakistani officers in methods to fight against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants near the Afghan border The Defense Department has expressed concern about China's increasing military power, saying it threatens security in Asia A new department report says the international community has limited knowledge of China's military changes It says this lack of information about China's military and security operations increases the chance for misunderstanding The report also says China's military modernization is aimed at the Taiwan Strait Human Rights Watch has called on China's National Peoples' Congress to approve human rights legislation and policy reform Congress's yearly meetings begin March fifth The American-based rights organization made the request in a letter to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao It urges Mr Wen to act on his promises of supporting social justice and building the rule of law Human Rights Watch is urging China to carry out reform on ten issues, including civil and political rights China promised to improve its rights situation before the Olympic games take place in Beijing later this year Briefly, here again is the major news The United Nations Security Council has voted to approve a new resolution against Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium Officials in Washington have confirmed that the American military has launched two missiles at terrorist targets in southern Somalia And, Colombian police say they have evidence that Venezuelan President Chavez paid three hundred million dollars in support of Colombian rebels Report Serbia's prime minister says his government will continue to rule parts of Kosovo where citizens want to remain under Serbian rule Vojislav Kostunica said Serbia will everything it can for what he called loyal citizens in Kosovo He especially named ethnic Serbs and nonAlbanians The Prime Minister also said Serbia will not have relations with countries that have recognized Kosovo until they change their decision He spoke during a visit by Russian presidential candidate Dmitry Medvedev in Belgrade Mr Medvedev said there will be no change in Russia's support for Serbia's rule over Kosovo Iraqi officials say at least sixty-three people have been killed in two days of attacks against Shiite Muslims Officials said the victims were traveling to Karbala for Arbaeen, one of Shiite Islam's holiest gatherings At least, four Shiites were killed in a bomb attack in southern Baghdad Fifteen others were reported wounded On Sunday, a bomber killed at least fifty-six Shiites who had stopped to rest in Iskandariyah, south of Baghdad The United States military blamed al-Qaeda in Iraq supporters for that attack The Turkish military says it has killed one hundred fiftythree Kurdish rebels since launching attacks in northern Iraq last week The military annonced that forty-one rebels were killed in recent clashes It said another one hundred twelve died in earlier attacks The military also said seventeen of its soldiers died in the offensive Rebel reports have not confirmed the numbers Scientists in the United States say a third powerful earthquake has hit near the southwest coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island within the past twenty-four hours The United States Geological Survey said the latest earthquake measured almost seven It struck one hundred fifty kilometers from Padang, about thirty-five kilometers below ground Two earthquakes struck nearby on Monday No damage or injuries were reported from any of the earthquakes The United States has declared new restrictions on businesses and individuals linked to military leaders in Burma The Treasury Department said the restrictions ban American citizens from doing business with the Burmese company Asia World Company Limited They also affect two groups of hotels owned by Burmese businessman Tay Za The United States considers him guilty of selling weapons and financially supporting Burma's repressive rulers A top Treasury official said the restrictions will continue until Burma's government stops violently oppressing its people A statement from President Bush expressed concern about the Burmese government's refusal to talk with the opposition and ethnic minority groups The New York Philharmonic Orchestra has arrived in North Korea for a historic musical performance Lorin Maazel is the group's musical director He told reporters in Pyongyang that he hopes the trip will improve ties between the United States and North Korea He said the Philharmonic hopes its music will move those who listen and bring the countries closer The orchestra's performance on Tuesday will be broadcast internationally on North Korean television and radio The orchestra performance will include Antonin Dvorak's "Symphony Number Nine" and George Gershwin's "An American in Paris" A suicide bomber in the northern Pakistani city of Rawalpindi has killed at least eight people, including the nation's top military medical officer A spokesman said the bomber killed himself and wounded many others after Lieutenant General Mushtaq Baig's car stopped The spokesman blamed militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban for the attack Also in Pakistan, at least three soldiers were killed when a bomb exploded near an army vehicle in southwestern Baluchistan province A group called the Baluchistan Republic Army claimed responsibility for the attack The American Internet company YouTube says a Pakistani ban on the video-sharing website caused worldwide interference in its service Sunday Pakistan ordered local Internet service providers to block YouTube on Friday because it contained videos considered insulting to Islam The company says its site was interfered with internationally for two hours on Sunday when a Pakistani company began blocking the website Internet experts say the Pakistani company meant to block the website only in Pakistan But, the blockage instead affected the whole world Finally, this news: an Austrian man diving off the coast of the southern united states of Florida has died after being bitten by a shark The man was attacked on Sunday about eighty kilometers east of the city of Fort Lauderdale, near the waters of the Bahamas He was part of a group of divers who used bloody meat to get sharks to come close to him Newspaper reports say the Bahamas Diving Association warned the group that organized the dive that it was a dangerous thing to Report The United Nations Security Council has met about Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia Serbian leaders called the act illegal After the meeting, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on all sides to remain calm He said the UN will continue to supervise the province to secure peace The UN Security Council will meet again on the issue on Monday European Union foreign ministers will meet on Monday in Brussels to discuss the situation in Kosovo Many, but not all, EU countries are expected to recognize the new nation Citizens in Pakistan are preparing to vote in general elections They will decide the members of Pakistan's national assembly and provincial assemblies Security has been increased for the elections About four hundred thousand people and eighty thousand soldiers are deployed across the country Early results are expected Monday The election committee is to announce final results Wednesday On Sunday, American Senator Joseph Biden said the United States should cut military aid to Pakistan if the elections are not free and fair The senator is in Pakistan to observe the voting He urged Pakistani officials to make sure no election cheating takes place Afghan security officials say a suicide bomb attack near the southern city of Kandahar killed at least eighty people, including some fighters opposed to the Taliban Governor Asadullah Khalid said many others were wounded when the bomb exploded at a dog fighting competition in Arghandab He blamed the Taliban but no one has claimed responsibility An Interior Ministry spokesman condemned the bombing and said police are investigating He said the attack shows that those responsible are opposed to the Afghan people Officials say the attack seemed to be aimed at local police chief Abdul Hakim Jan He was killed in the explosion Witnesses say some of the commander's forces fired at the crowd after the explosion They killed an unknown number of people Israeli forces have raided the southern part of the Gaza Strip Three Palestinian gunmen and one civilian were killed At least, eight Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were also wounded Israeli troops detained at least twentyfive Palestinians Israel says the military acted to stop Palestinian rocket attacks Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also says his government will continue to reduce power and fuel supplies to Gaza until such attacks end Earlier, Palestinian officials said President Makmud Abbas has agreed to meet with Mr Olmert Tuesday in Jerusalem Israel has not confirmed the date China says it is concerned that United States plans to shoot down a broken spy satellite could damage the security situation in space A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said his government is closely watching the situation and may take what he called preventive measures He urged the Bush administration to honor its international responsibilities and not damage security in space and in other countries Russia also has expressed concern about the military plans to destroy the satellite with a missile The Russian Defense Ministry has said the United States military could use the operation as a way to secretly test a new space weapon American officials say the plan is meant to stop the satellite from leaking poisonous fuel as it reenters the Earth's atmosphere next month The crew of the American space shuttle Atlantis is preparing to leave the international space station The astronaut groups said final words to each other and closed the entrances between the two spacecrafts Atlantis will separate from the space station early Monday and return to Earth on Wednesday The Atlantis astronauts completed three space walks during their visit to the space station President Bush is continuing his visit to Tanzania for a second day He and his wife Laura are expected to visit a hospital, a girls' school and a clothing factory Earlier, Mr Bush met with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete in Dar es Salaam They signed economic growth measures worth about seven hundred million dollars for the East African nation In the United States, it is no longer legal for the government to listen to communications of suspected terrorists without court orders The legislation permitting such action expired Saturday night after the House of Representatives failed to approve a bill making it permanent The Director of National Intelligence says that failure puts the country in increased danger He said intelligence agencies cannot force private telecommunications companies to help with the program because they are not guaranteed protection President Bush also criticized lawmakers for not approving the law He said intelligence agencies will have increased difficulty following the activities of suspected terrorists Democrats said Mr Bush was trying to create false fears American officials have declared unsafe more than one hundred forty million pounds of beef produced by a company accused of violating food safety laws Reports say it is the largest food recall in United States history The United States Department of Agriculture announced the recall of frozen beef produced in the past two years by the Westland/Hallmark meat company Federal officials suspended operations there last week after an investigation found that sick animals were being killed for their meat And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour The United Nations Security Council has met about Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia The people of Pakistan are preparing to vote in general elections And, Afghan security officials say a suicide bomb attack near the southern city of Kandahar has killed at least eighty people Report The United States government has announced murder and war crimes charges against six suspects in the terrorist attacks of September eleventh, two thousand and one A military lawyer said officials want the suspects tried together and are seeking the death penalty for all six A military judge will study the evidence and decide whether to move forward with the trial The suspects include the reported leader of the attack plot, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed They are being held at the United States military jail in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba They would be tried under the United States military justice system The United States has arrested a Defense Department official on charges of spying for China The Justice Department says Gregg William Bergersen was arrested near Washington, D.C Officials say he passed secret government information to an American citizen born in China That person, Tai Shen Kuo, was arrested in New Orleans Kuo and another person arrested in New Orleans are charged with planning to pass national defense information to a foreign government The third suspect is Yu Xin Kang, a Chinese citizen who lives in the United States In a separate case, officials announced the arrest of a former engineer for the Boeing company Dongfan "Greg" Chung reportedly passed to China stolen trade secrets about the space shuttle, military aircraft and a rocket Two bomb attacks have killed at least nineteen people in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad About forty others were wounded in the explosions The bombs exploded at almost the same time near a building where Sunni tribal chiefs opposed to al-Qaeda were meeting Also in Iraq, officials say electric power has been cut in much of the north after two explosions hit the country's energy equipment One explosion damaged a natural gas pipe that serves power stations in northern Iraq And, a bomb damaged a power station in the northern city of Mosul on Sunday The bombings came as United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates completed a two-day visit to Iraq The American television station Cbs says two of its reporters have gone missing in the southern Iraqi city of Basra A network statement said efforts are being made to find the reporters Their names were not released Reports from Basra say about eight gunmen kidnapped the reporters from the city's Sultan Palace Hotel In New York, the group Committee to Protect Journalists says it is deeply concerned about the safety of the missing reporters The group expressed hope that they are found quickly and are able to continue with their work The President of East Timor remains in critical condition following a murder attempt against him in Dili, the capital Jose Ramos-Horta is in a hospital in Australia Doctors operated on him for wounds to his stomach Rebels shot Mr Ramos-Horta in his home early Monday morning Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he will send more troops and police to East Timor to protect its government United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the murder attempt He also urged people in East Timor to remain calm The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the attempted murder of President Ramos-Horta and has wished him a quick recovery It released a statement following a special meeting about the situation in East Timor The Security Council statement also condemned a separate attack on a vehicle carrying Prime Minister Xunana Gusmao And, it called for those responsible to be punished The Council also called for calm and expressed continuing support for international peacekeepers deployed in East Timor Earlier, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks President Bush did the same and said they will not stop democracy in the newly independent country Mr Bush and Mr Ban are expected to discuss the situation in East Timor when they meet Friday in Washington The United States has criticized a plan by Burma's military leaders to hold a vote in May about a new constitution A Bush administration spokesperson said Burma's leaders have been writing the document in closed meetings She said opposition leaders and minority ethnic groups have not been included The State Department said the continuing arrests of peaceful political activists have created a climate of fear in Burma that would make a true vote impossible The Bush administration also urged Burma's leaders to honor a United Nations Security Council resolution approved in answer to its supression of demonstrations The resolution called for the government to open talks with its opponents, including detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi The United Nations is calling for international action to fight climate change Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke at the opening of a two-day General Assembly meeting He said the issue is extremely important and called for all countries to join forces New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also spoke to the meeting He said working against climate change is as important as stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and terrorism Delegates from nearly every country in the world are taking part in the meeting to discuss an agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol That document requires industrial countries to reduce the release of harmful gases by two thousand twelve The United States is the only major industrial country that has not yet approved the Kyoto Protocol And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour read in VOA Special English The United States government has announced murder and war crimes charges against six suspects in the terrorist attacks of September eleventh, two thousand one The United States has arrested four people on charges of spying for China And, two bomb attacks have killed at least nineteen people and wounded about forty others in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad Report In United States political news, there are some early results in the primary elections held in twenty-four states Tuesday In the southern state of Georgia, Senator Barak Obama is expected to win the Democratic primary election He is still in a close race with Senator Hillary Clinton In the state of West Virginia, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has won the Republican caucus He'd received more votes than Arizona Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney America's Peace Corps is pulling out from Kenya because of concern for the safety of its volunteers there The Peace Corps said it is withdrawing fifty-eight volunteers at least temporarily from the eastern, central and coastal areas of the country The group said its decision resulted from the violence in the country after the elections on December twenty-seven At the time, the Peace Corps had one hundred forty-four volunteers serving in Kenya Since then, eighty-six volunteers have left Kenyan business leaders are offering their support for negotiations to settle the country's political crisis More than three hundred business leaders met in Nairobi Tuesday They urged the government and opposition to reduce the violence resulting from the recent elections The business leaders also called for immediate action to protect Kenya's transportation systems They said this would improve the movement of goods and people The head of the Kenyan Association of Manufacturers says about forty-nine thousand people have lost their jobs in the travel industry and other businesses French President Nicolas Sarkozy says his country may intervene to stop the fighting in Chad Mr Sarkozy said France would its duty and has the resources to answer rebel aggression in the former French colony About one thousand five hundred French forces are currently in Chad The rebels have accused French troops of causing civilian deaths near the airport in N'Djamena But, a French military official denied the accusation The U.N Refugee Agency says about twenty thousand civilians have fled to Cameroon to escape the fighting Israel says its forces have killed nine Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip Seven Hamas members were killed in an Israeli air raid on a police position in southern Gaza Israeli officials said the raid followed rocket attacks on southern Israel They said militants fired more than fifteen rockets Tuesday The rocket attacks wounded at least five Israelis in the town of Sderot Earlier, Israeli troops operating in Gaza shot and killed two other Hamas members Also on Tuesday, Hamas claimed what it called full responsibility for the suicide bomb attack Monday in the Israeli town of Dimona The United States military says American troops have killed three civilians, including one woman, during a raid on a village in central Iraq This is the second time in two days that the American military has admitted to killing civilians during raids against suspected terrorists Local Iraqi forces say the three people killed were members of the same family They were killed in their home east of Tikrit At least, one child was wounded American officials say the troops were shot by small arms when they went inside the house They shot back in self defense The incident is under investigation The head of America's national intelligence says al-Qaeda remains the biggest threat to the United States, both at home and throughout the world Mike McConnell announced the warning in a report to the United States Congress But, he said recent intelligence suggests that fewer than one hundred al-Qaeda members have left Iraq to create new terrorist groups in other countries Mr McConnell said American forces have taken steps against supporters of alQaeda in Iraq He also said al-Qaeda continues to use tribal areas in Pakistan to train militants Mr McConnell has also questioned North Korea's seriousness about nuclear disarmament talks The United States national intelligence director said American officials believe that North Korea most likely still has a uranium enrichment program Such a program could be used to make nuclear weapons Mr McConnell also told American lawmakers that North Korea continues to sell missiles to Middle Eastern countries and to Iran In a report, he says North Korea has developed missiles that may be able to deliver a nuclear weapon to the United States A United Nations official says countries should use police officers and not their armies to fight the illegal drug trade The U.N High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour spoke Tuesday with a Mexican television station She also said it is dangerous for the army to the job of the police Mexican President Felipe Calderon has sent more than twenty thousand troops and federal agents to areas affected by drug violence Ms Arbour is in Mexico to sign an agreement with the Mexican government aimed at supporting and protecting human rights The head of soccer's world governing body has proposed plans to limit the number of foreign players who play at the start of games In a statement, Fifa President Sepp Blatter said he strongly supports the rule It would limit football teams to five foreign players on the field at the beginning of games Mr Blatter plans to propose the rule change to the Fifa congress at their May meeting in Sydney, Australia He says teams have slowly lost their identity with increasing numbers of foreign players And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour America's Peace Corps is pulling out of Kenya because of concern for the safety of its volunteers there French President Nicolas Sarkozy says his country may intervene to stop the fighting in Chad And, the United States military says American troops have killed three civilians, including one woman, during a raid on a village in central Iraq Report 10 Opposing sides of a political dispute in Kenya have begun talks in Nairobi Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan is leading the talks between Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga Mr Odinga said the results of the recent presidential election must be discussed The opposition has accused President Kibaki of stealing the vote More than eight hundred people have been killed in unrest since the election United Nations aid agencies say the violence in Kenya is hurting their ability to help hundreds of thousands of people The UN World Food Program says it had to stop giving out food on Monday because a trucking company refused to leave the port city of Mombasa In United States political news, early results in the Republican party's presidential primary in Florida show Senator John McCain with a small lead over Mitt Romney Mr Romney is the former governor of the state of Massachusetts Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is in third place The unofficial result show former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in fourth place In recent campaigning, Mr Romney has criticized Senator McCain's record on energy, immigration and campaign finance reform Mr McCain has criticized Mr Romney's economic record The latest reports on the American economy show strength in manufacturing and weakness in the housing market A report from the American Commerce Department says factories showed about a five percent increase in orders for long-lasting goods in December A report on the housing market in ten major American cities showed home prices dropped more than eight percent in November from last year It was the eleventh straight time that the home price index has dropped The United States House of Representatives has approved an economic plan proposed by President Bush The plan aimed at growing the economy was approved by a large number of votes Under the measure, more than one hundred million families would receive between six hundred and twelve hundred dollars from the government The total value of the plan is one hundred forty-six billion dollars The Senate will consider an economic growth bill on Wednesday The President of Costa Rica says he plans to ask the United States to extend the time limit for putting a free trade agreement into action The time limit is February twenty-ninth, but President Oscar Arias says his country cannot meet that date President Arias says his country needs more time to pass local laws needed for the Central American Free Trade Agreement to take effect Costa Ricans approved the agreement last October Other countries included in the agreement are Guatamala, Hondorus, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic The United States and Germany are condemning Syria's arrest of a leading dissident who is a former member of the Syrian parliament An American State Department spokesman has called for the immediate release of Riad Seif Germany's Foreign Minister has expressed concern about the arrest Mr Seif was arrested Monday for joining a meeting of dissidents last month He is one of eleven Syrian dissidents facing charges for helping to organize opposition to President Bashar al-Assad Environmental groups are criticizing hydropower dams being built in Cambodia China is building and paying for the dams The American group International Rivers and a coalition of Cambodian environmentalists say one of the dams will flood thousands of hectares of protected forest The Kamchay Dam will be completed in two thousand ten International Rivers says the dams could damage Cambodia's natural resources forever The production of gold in China has almost reached that of South Africa, the world's top gold producer The China Gold Association says the country's production last year was just one thousand eight hundred kilograms less than South Africa's Chinese state media say South Africa has been the largest gold producer since the year nineteen five, but China wants to change that Chinese gold production has risen with the discovery of five big mines last year China has also opened up its mining industry to foreign gold miners to bring in investors South Africa's gold production has been hurt by power shortages, accidents and the rising cost of labor Officials in Venezuela say they have captured four gunmen who held more than thirty people hostage while trying to rob a bank Monday The robbery took place in the town of Altagracia de Orituco The gunmen took people in the bank hostage when a police car arrived during the robbery On Tuesday under a deal made with police, the gunmen took five hostages with them and tried to escape in a medical truck The robbers surrendered when police caught up to their vehicle on a road The hostages in the vehicle were freed In Ecuador, officials are investigating the killing of fiftythree sea lions in the Galapagos Islands Galapagos National Park official Victor Carrion says the animals were discovered on the island of Pinta The dead include adults as well as young sea lions The park official said no cuts were found on the animals' remains The reason for the killings is not known The Galapagos Islands are famous for being the home of many rare birds, animals and plants And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan is leading the talks in Nairobi to settle a political dispute between Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga Early results in the United States Republican presidential primary in Florida show Arizona Senator John McCain has a small lead over opponent Mitt Romney And in Venezuela, officials say they have caught four gunmen who held up a bank and took hostages Report 11 Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says he will permit some fuel and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip beginning Tuesday The decision means the European Union can again begin to send fuel to Gaza's main power center The center halted operations Sunday because of a lack of fuel Six hundred thousand people in Gaza City are without electric power Israeli forces had closed the border in an attempt to stop Palestinians from firing rockets into Israel United Nations officials, human rights groups and Palestinians had condemned the action The United Nations Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting in New York on Tuesday to discuss the Middle East The Council is especially interested in the Israeli blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza Israel's blockade of the border crossing is inciting anger and concern from Arab states and other countries Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait have criticized it Also, among the critics are Egypt and Jordan, the only two Arab countries to sign peace agreements with Israel Police in northern Iraq say a suicide bomb explosion has killed at least fifteen people at a funeral service near Tikrit About ten others were wounded when a bomber exploded the device near a group of mourners South of Baghdad, the American military says it has carried out a third air attack against suspected militants The military says its planes struck more than thirty targets in Arab Jabour on Sunday The American military says nearly fifty tons of bombs were dropped on the mainly Sunni area this month Fighters of al-Qaeda in Iraq are accussed of using the area to keep weapons and to plan attacks In Iran, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has supported parliament over the president in a dispute about a natural gas law President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad opposed a measure approved by parliament that would have supplied natural gas to small villages He said it was too costly Ayatollah Ali Khamenei intervened and ordered Mr Ahmadinejad to carry out the law He acted at the request of parliament speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel Mr Ahmadinejad has been accussed of trying to keep decisionmaking powers in a small group of loyal followers Opposition groups are expected to attempt to defeat the president's allies during parliamentary elections March fourteenth Stock prices have fallen sharply in Europe, Asia and Latin America Losses between three and seven percent were recorded in major markets in several countries, including India, China, Brazil, Argentina and Britain The head of the International Monetary Fund called the situation serious Dominique Strauss-Kahn said all countries in the developed world are suffering from the slowed growth in the United States The values of American stocks have fallen in recent weeks because of worries about credit, increasing oil prices and the housing market President Bush has proposed a plan to prevent a recession The president of Sudan has defended his appointment of a suspected janjaweed militia leader to a top government position Sudanese officials confirmed that Musa Hilal was appointed an adviser of federal affairs Human rights groups denounced the appointment They say Mr Hilal helped train the janjaweed militia and took part in attacks in north Darfur villages in western Sudan Mr Hilal has denied any wrongdoing Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir says Mr Hilal is an influential person in Darfur who has worked for peace and security there Heavy snow in central and eastern China has killed at least sixteen people Chinese news reports say five people died when buildings collapsed in Hubei province The snow destroyed more than ten thousand houses in Hubei It also damaged about five hundred thousand hectares of crops On Sunday, eleven people died in Anhui province when a crowded bus turned over on a snowy road Fifty-one others were injured Many roads are closed in Anhui because of the bad weather The International Red Cross says changes in the world's climate are partly to blame for increased agricultural and public health emergencies The organization's secretary general, Markku Niskala, says rising temperatures will create fresh water shortages He says diseases like malaria will also spread to new areas of the world Mr Niskala spoke at the start of a campaign to raise nearly three hundred million dollars in the next two years to deal with the expected crisis He said most of the money would be used to prevent and prepare for disasters in high-risk communities More than forty percent of the money will be used in Africa Officials in Abu Dhabi say they are investing about fifteen billion dollars to develop renewable energy resources They say they hope to build the world's first green city Masdar City will depend on energy from the sun and a hydrogen power center Fifty thousand people are expected to live in the city The Masdar City project is to be completed in the year two thousand thirteen Abu Dhabi officials say the city will not burn any fuel that releases carbon waste into the air, like coal or oil Briefly, here again is the major news Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says he will permit some fuel and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip beginning Tuesday Police in northern Iraq say a suicide bomb explosion has killed at least fifteen people at a funeral service near Tikrit And in Iran, supreme leader Khamenei has supported parliament over the president in a dispute about a natural gas law Report 12 Four suspected Taliban militants have killed six people at a hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul An Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman said one American and a Norwegian reporter are among the dead Also killed were several hotel security guards Six others were wounded The spokesman said one attacker was killed when he exploded a bomb he was wearing The others threw small bombs and fired guns Several reports say another attacker was shot dead by hotel guards The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack at the Serena Hotel News reports say Norway's Foreign Minister was preparing for a meeting there but was not hurt A bomb explosion has killed at least ten people in Karachi, Pakistan Police say at least fifty others were wounded when a bomb exploded on a motorcycle in the Quaidabad area It is not clear who is responsible Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was in Karachi when the bomb exploded Also in Pakistan, military officials say fighting between troops and Islamic militants has killed nearly thirty people near the border with Afghanistan Several of the dead were soldiers The others were militants A Pakistani military official says the clash began after militants attacked military vehicles in the Mohmand area The Bush administration has officially told Congress of its plans to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to oppose Iran A State Department spokesman told reporters the announcement opens a thirty-day period in which lawmakers can publicly oppose the sale The agreement involves equipment that will change regular bombs into smart bombs These would be sold to Saudi Arabia for one hundred twenty million dollars It is part of a greater twenty billion dollar sale announced last August Officials made the announcement as President Bush was meeting with King Abdullah in the Saudi capital, Riyadh Mr Bush is expected to talk to the king about what the United States considers, "the Iranian threat to security in the Middle East" Israel's government says Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed to meet again after starting talks about a final peace agreement The two sides met for two hours in Jerusalem Officials on both sides said the atmosphere of the talks was good, but details were not released And, Israeli Foreign Ministry officials said both sides want to keep the talks private The negotiating teams are discussing issues such as the future of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and the borders of a Palestinian state Opposition lawmakers in Kenya say they will interfere with the opening meeting of Parliament by sitting in seats saved for the government The opposition also says it will hold demonstrations around the country on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday The protests would violate a government ban on such meetings An opposition spokesman says the protests will give Kenyans a chance to express their feelings about the government's refusal to negotiate an end to the political crisis More than six hundred people have been killed in violence since the disputed presidential election Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is planning to start negotiation efforts on Tuesday But, the government of President Mwai Kibaki says it won the election and does not need any help A top Chinese general says the United States should not be concerned about increases in China's military spending General Chen Bingde met in Beijing with Admiral Timothy Keating, the head of the United States Pacific command He said that his country sees no need to compete with the United States military He also said his country's military development is for defense He said foreign naval vessels are welcome in Hong Kong but must be prepared to follow the rules He did not explain why American ships were barred from Hong Kong last November A doctor treating former Indonesian President Suharto says he is surprised at the fighting spirit of the former leader Dr Marjo Subiandono told reporters Mr Suharto's desire to survive is very strong Doctors have said he is in extremely serious condition with almost all his organs failing Earlier, family members said they will leave to Mr Suharto's doctors any decisions about life supports Finally this news, the American automobile company General Motors has bought part of a company that is working to develop a fuel called ethanol The Coskata company says it wants to bring ethanol fuel to market in three years High oil prices have led to an increase in the search for other fuels like ethanol It is now made from corn and sugar, but those crops are becoming more costly as demand increases It would be cheaper to produce ethanol from other parts of the corn plant or from waste material General Motors officials say the company has developed a way to turn waste into a gas that can be processed by bacteria to produce ethanol And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour Four suspected Taliban militants have killed six people at a hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul A bomb explosion in Karachi, Pakistan has killed at least ten people And, the Bush administration has officially told Congress of its plans to sell advanced weapons to Saudi Arabia Report 13 Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has invited opposition leader Raila Odinga for talks to end the country's election dispute Several hours before, Mr Odinga had canceled plans to organize more protests this week He said he wants to try negotiations Earlier, the opposition leader met with American Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer They discussed a negotiation process to help end the country's political crisis Miss Frazer told reporters that she believed both political parties were guilty of dishonest vote counting She said the Kenyan people have been cheated by their political leaders Violence has killed nearly five hundred people in Kenya since the disputed presidential election last month Police in Iraq say two suicide bomb attacks in Baghdad have killed fourteen people and wounded twenty others Witnesses and officials say the first attacker exploded his bomb near an office The office provided services for Sunni religious centers and holy places in the Azamiyah area A second bomb exploded in a car shortly after that Officials said among those killed was the head of the local American-supported Sunni militia fighting alQaeda in Iraq Most of the victims were members of the Sunni group The first of more than one hundred witnesses has spoken to the court in the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor A Canadian expert said the African diamond business made it possible for the civil war in Sierra Leone to continue for eleven years The chief lawyer for the special court for Sierra Leone says he has evidence against Mr Taylor from one hundred forty-four people The trial is expected to continue for eight months The former leader is charged with murder, sexual attacks and using child soldiers during Sierra Leone's civil war He says he is innocent American officials say five Iranian naval boats acted aggressively toward American warships in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday Military officials said the Iranian boats dropped boxes in the water near three American ships The American ships prepared to use force after Iranian radio messages said the boxes would explode But, the ships did not fire their weapons and the boxes did not explode The Bush administration later warned Iran against any actions that could create a dangerous incident Iran's foreign ministry said the situation was a normal incident and suggested that the Iranians did not know the ships were from the United States The commander of the American coalition of naval forces in the Persian Gulf said the American ships did identify themselves to the Iranian boats The American military says two fighter planes have crashed into each other over the Persian Gulf, but all three crew members escaped The statement from the United States navy said the planes were providing air support from Iraq when they crashed The navy said rescue crews found the pilots in good condition They are now on an American aircraft carrier The Pakistani military has launched an offensive against Taliban fighters in a northwestern tribal area near Afghanistan Reports say Pakistani troops fired shells and big guns at several towns in South Waziristan Islamic rebel leader Baitullah Mehsud is based in South Waziristan The Pakistani government blames him for the murder of opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto He denies involvement Afghan officials say a bomb explosion has killed two police officers and two civilians in the southern province of Helmand Four others were wounded Officials say Afghan police discovered the bomb and were trying to disarm it when it exploded In Kandahar province a suicide bombing wounded five police officers in the Spin Boldak area Also in Afghanistan, the United States-led coalition says a bomb explosion killed one coalition soldier and wounded two others in Nangarhar province Leaders of the two largest parties in the Kosovo assembly have signed a coalition agreement to create a government expected to lead the Serbian province toward independence Former ethnic Albanian guerrilla leader Hashim Thachi will head the government His Democratic Party of Kosovo won the largest number of assembly seats in elections last November The party will govern in coalition with President Fatmir Sejdiu's Democratic League of Kosovo Under the agreement, the Democratic Party of Kosovo will have seven ministries The League will have five The assembly expects to confirm the agreement on Wednesday An industrial fire in South Korea has killed at least forty people Firefighters found more bodies while putting out the last of the fire in a new building in Incheon, about eighty kilometers south of the capital, Seoul Most of the victims' bodies were burned so badly they could not be recognized The cause of the fire is still not known Officials say chemicals were normally kept in the building Australia will begin observing Japan's whaling program this week, gathering evidence for possible legal action Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said a ship will leave this week for a twenty-day trip in the Antarctic Ocean Australia will also examine Japan's whaling activities by air, using planes from the government's scientific division in Antarctica Last month, Australia led an official international protest against Japan's whaling program Japan had suspended plans to kill fifty rare humpback whales during its Antarctic hunt The country expects to kill about nine hundred other whales It defends the hunt as a cultural tradition And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has invited opposition leader Raila Odinga for talks to end the country's election dispute Police in Iraq say two bomb attacks in Baghdad have killed fourteen people and wounded twenty others And, the first of more than one hundred witnesses has spoken to the court in the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor Report 14 The Iraqi parliament has condemned Turkish air attacks in the ethnic Kurdish area of northern Iraq The parliament says the air attacks are a major violation of Iraq's independence Turkey says its airplanes attacked bases of the Kurdistan Workers Party Sunday But, Iraqi Kurdish officials say several villages were damaged and at least one civilian was killed American officials say Turkey warned the United States about the attacks before they took place American officials did not say if they approved the attacks A top American military commander in Iraq says important progress has been made but it is still too early to declare victory over terrorist forces Major General Joseph Fil spoke from Baghdad to reporters in the United States He said the security situation has improved in the Iraqi capital and in almost all other areas But, he said alQaeda continues to be a threat Earlier, the second top commander in Iraq urged the Iraqi government to use this time of lowered violence to work toward peace and political reform Iran has confirmed receiving fuel from Russia for a nuclear power center in the town of Bushehr An Iranian official says the eighty-two tons of fuel will be used to operate the center for one year In the United States, President Bush said he supports Russia sending enriched uranium to Iran for civilian purposes He said it means Iran has no need to continue its own enriching efforts Russia's foreign ministry agrees A ministry statement said Russia believes new conditions have been created that will permit Iran to stop uranium enrichment But, a top Iranian official has rejected the calls and said Iran will not halt its uranium enrichment French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says nations from around the world have promised seven billion four hundred million dollars in aid to the Palestinians He made the promises during a meeting in France of more than sixty countries Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appealed for five billion six hundred million dollars over three years to avoid a financial crisis The European Union said it will give six hundred fifty million dollars to the Palestinians in two thousand eight The United States has promised five hundred fifty million Palestinian medical workers say an Israeli air attack in Gaza City has killed three militants from the Islamic Jihad group The Islamic Jihad reportedly said that one of its commanders was among those killed The group promised Israel that it would answer the attack Israel's military said it carried out an attack in the Gaza Strip but gave no other details Israeli air and ground forces often attack Palestinian militants in Gaza who fire rockets and mortars into southern Israel nearly every day Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he supports a plan to strengthen buildings in Israeli towns near Gaza to protect them from rockets Lebanon has postponed for the ninth time a vote to choose a new president The parliament had planned to vote on Monday It is now planned for Saturday Opposing political parties have agreed to nominate army chief General Michel Sleiman as president But, they have failed to agree on how to fill other government jobs The opposing groups also disagree about how to change Lebanon's constitution to permit General Sleiman to be elected The document now bars top political appointees from campaigning for president while in office One lawmaker says the opposition is demanding that the ruling majority agree to form a national unity government after a new president is elected Lebanon has had no president since the term of Emile Lahoud ended November twenty-third Nearly two million people have left the Muslim holy city of Mecca for the yearly religious trip called the haj The group has reached the Valley of Mina where they will spend the night before continuing to Mt Arafat on Tuesday Officials in Saudi Arabia say the five-day holy trip causes many problems for government officials They are especially concerned about the bird flu virus The bird flu recently killed birds on a farm eighty kilometers south of the capital, Riyadh At least, seven people have drowned after a boat turned over off the Turkish Aegean coast The people on the boat were seeking to enter Europe illegally Turkey's official Anatolia news agency says nine people swam to land where police seized them for questioning Police say the boat was going to Greece They say it turned over because it was carrying too many people Last Monday, about fifty people from Africa and the Middle East drowned off the same Turkish coast when their boat sank on the way to Greece They were also seeking illegal entrance to Europe The European Union has urged Turkey to strengthen its enforcement of illegal emigration laws Turkey is seeking to join the E.U A group of thirty media organizations has launched a campaign for an international law to protect reporters in conflict areas The organizations represent about fifty thousand reporters around the world The media defense group Press Emblem Campaign said one hundred ten reporters in twenty-seven countries died this year That is a fourteen percent increase over two thousand six It said Iraq is the most dangerous place for reporters for the fifth straight year Fifty reporters were killed there this year Somalia is second and Sri Lanka is third The organization's president said the proposed law also aims to increase protection for independent reporters Hadeyad Abdul Nabi said they face the same threats but not have the support of a media organization Briefly, here again is the major news The Iraqi parliament has condemned Turkish air attacks in the ethnic Kurdish area of northern Iraq Iran has confirmed receiving fuel from Russia for a nuclear power center but again has rejected calls to end its uranium enrichment And, countries meeting in France have promised more than seven billion dollars in aid for the Palestinian Authority Report 15 Officials say mortar shells have hit a government-run prison in Baghdad, Iraq At least, five prisoners were killed and more than twenty people were reported hurt, including some police officers Seperately, American military officials say a fire in an oil production center in Baghdad was caused by an industrial accident Early reports said the center had been attacked Also in Iraq on Monday, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said American and Iranian experts will hold another meeting about Iraq's security situation on December eighteenth Former American Vice-president Al Gore and a United Nations committee have accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for their work on climate change The ceremony took place in Oslo, Norway Mr Gore shares the prize with two thousand five hundred members of the U.N Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Mr Gore goes to the U.N climate change meeting in Bali, Indonesia, later this week He said he will call for worldwide rules limiting the release of harmful gases At the climate meeting in Bali, American negotiators are leading an effort to remove firm targets for reducing climate change gases American negotiator Harlan Watson says there should be no numbers in the agreement now being debated In Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been sworn in as president She is the first woman ever elected president in Argentina President Kirchner said after the ceremony that she will not stop fighting poverty as long as there is one poor person in the country She also promised to continue the economic policies of her husband, former president, Nestor Kirchner He resigned after serving one term in office Cuba says it will permit United Nations human rights observers in two thousand nine [to enter the country] Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque announced the decision in Havana on international human rights day He also said Cuba would sign the U.N agreement on civil and political rights and a similar agreement on economic, social and cultural rights Cuban dissidents demonstrated as Mr Felipe Perez Roque spoke to reporters Other Cubans answered the dissidents by voicing support for Cuban leader Fidel Castro The trial of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori began and was temporarily suspended by judges near the capital, Lima Mr Fujimori at first shouted that he was innocent of the charges The judges later canceled the planned day's events after a court doctor said Mr Fujimori was suffering from signs of high blood pressure The trial is to restart on Wednesday The former president of Peru is accused of involvement in the killings of twenty-five people He also faces corruption charges And, he is also accused of ordering two kidnappings If found guilty, he could be sent to prison for up to thirty years A former prime minister of Pakistan has begun to campaign for parliamentary elections in January Nawaz Sharif had said he would boycott the elections, but he says his party and another opposition party failed to reach agreement on a boycott plan Mr Sharif blamed opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto for not supporting the boycott plan Ms Bhutto says her party may still boycott the election President Pervez Musharraf has again said that the election on January eighth will be free and fair He also said he will end emergency rule on December fifteenth Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced his support for First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to replace him Mr Putin made the announcement on Russian television He spoke after his United Russia party and three other parties nominated Mr Medvedyev His announcement is likely to guarantee Mr Medvedev's election The Russian constitution bars Mr Putin from competing for a third term in the elections March second United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has criticized Burma's military government for its slow steps toward democracy He said the international community expects more progress Mr Ban spoke to reporters in Bangkok He said Burma's leaders are arresting dissidents every day Officials in Uganda say the disease Ebola has now killed at least twenty-eight people The death count includes five health workers who were treating Ebola patients Ugandan newspapers say the fifth health worker died Sunday at a hospital in the western area of Bundibugyo Officials say about one hundred ten people are confirmed to be infected with the deadly virus Many Ugandans have expressed fear that the disease will spread to the east But, a health ministry official said tests for Ebola in two eastern areas have found no virus And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour Iraqi officials say mortar shells have killed five prisoners in an attack on a prison in Baghdad Former American Vicepresident Al Gore and a United Nations committee have accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for their work on climate change And in Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been sworn in as president Report 16 A new United States intelligence report says Iran stopped a secret program to develop nuclear weapons four years ago, but has the ability to restart it again anytime The Bush administration urged world leaders to increase pressure on Iran National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said earlier that the latest national intelligence estimate suggests Iran halted nuclear weapons development in two thousand three, but continues to enrich uranium The resulting material can be used to make nuclear weapons The report also says Iran would likely be able to produce enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear weapon by two thousand fifteen Russian President Vladimir Putin and the nation's central elections commission have rejected comments that the parliamentary elections were undemocratic Earlier, Europe and the United States urged Russia to investigate German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the election was neither fair nor democratic Russian opposition leader Garry Kasparov called the elections the dirtiest in the history of modern Russia Almost all of the votes have been counted from the Russian election Sunday President Putin's United Russia party has more than sixty-four percent The opposition Communist Party is second with about twelve percent of the vote Two other parties, supportive of President Putin, also won the necessary seven percent of votes to enter Parliament Voters in Venezuela have rejected proposed reforms that would have given more power to President Hugo Chavez Election officials say fifty-one percent of voters said no to the sixty-nine proposed changes to the Venezuelan constitution The proposed reforms would have ended presidential term limits and permitted wider government powers in a national emergency They also would have reduced the work day in Venezuela from eight hours to six hours After the results were announced, President Chavez said the defeat was only for now and that he would continue to build socialism in Venezuela The media rights group Reporters Without Borders is calling for a peaceful debate in Venezuela after voters rejected constitutional reforms The group said in a statement that it believes the result of the vote was influenced by the media and the proposed reforms affecting press freedom The group said the voter decision ends a year of violent attacks on government and privately-owned media A United Nations-supported conference on climate change is about to begin on the Indonesian island of Bali More than one hundred eighty countries are represented at the meeting The goal of the meeting is to get the countries involved to replace the Kyoto Protocal, which expires in two thousand twelve That agreement provided guidance on how to reduce the types of air pollution scientists say are changing the Earth's climate A two-day meeting has opened in Japan to discuss questions concerning water in the Asia Pacific area Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda spoke at the opening ceremony in the city of Beppu He said the area faces a serious situation because of many problems linked to water Officials and environmental experts at the meeting will discuss how to cooperate in efforts to work with less and less water Experts are increasingly concerned that climate change is worsening the effects of natural disasters linked to water Former Pakistani prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto say they will make a list of demands for the government to meet The two said their parties will boycott the parliamentary elections January eighth if the demands are not met They also said a committee will approve the list of demands within a few days And, they said the election will not be free and fair if it takes place under emergency rule Pakistan has been under emergency rule for one month President Pervez Musharraf has said he will end the order on December sixteenth American Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Afghanistan He told reporters he is concerned about an increase in violence in Afghanistan in recent years He said he is there to examine the needs of military commanders battling attacks by the Taliban and other rebels Mr Gates is to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday He will also talk with the commanders of American forces and the NATO-led international security assistance force The majority of people questioned in Afghanistan supports the presence of American forces The majority is also critical of American efforts to fight the rebels and organize building projects The percentage of Afghans who have a good opinion of the United States is falling It was sixty-eight percent in two thousand five and is forty-two percent now But, seventy-one percent of the Afghans questioned say it is good that the Taliban government was overthrown and also good that American forces are in Afghanistan The report was produced by a group of news organizations from the United States, Britain and Germany A British teacher who was jailed in Sudan is on her way home Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir pardoned Gillian Gibbons after meeting with two British Muslim lawmakers in Khartoum Ms Gibbons was arrested for permitting her seven-year-old students to name a small class toy Mohammed, the name of Islam's founder She was sentenced to fifteen days in jail after being found guilty of insulting Islam Ms Gibbons has said she respects Islam and apologized for any problems she caused to the people of Sudan And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour A new United States intelligence report says Iran stopped a secret program to develop nuclear weapons four years ago but could restart it again anytime Russia's president and its central elections commission have rejected comments that the nation's parliamentary elections were undemocratic And, voters in Venezuela have rejected proposed reforms that would have given more power to President Hugo Chavez