Check out our Special Report on the Financial Crisis. Don't miss feature
writer Ted Landphair's America - a blog on American life. And remember to log
on to USAVotes2008.com, our election community site, where you can discuss U.S.
politics with others around the world.
Asian Stocks Plunge as Policymakers Seek to Shore Up Confidence
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF7544:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
Leaders of advanced economies voice concern about swings in Japan's currency;
South Korea's president outlines agenda for getting through global turmoil
Asian stock markets had another rough and tumble day, even as policymakers
sought to restore confidence. Leaders of advanced economies voiced concern
about swings in Japan's currency, and South Korea's president outlined his
agenda for getting through the global turmoil. VOA Seoul correspondent Kurt
Achin reports.Thailand suspended trading on its stock market Monday, after it
plunged nearly 10 percent immediately after opening. The so-called "circuit
breaker" was invoked to ease the latest bout of panic selling. The Philippines
also paused trading after stocks plunged more than 12 percent.Hong Kong's Hang
Seng index slid more than 12 percent for its lowest close in four years, and
Japan's Nikkei dropped almost 6.5 percent for its lowest close since
1982.Availability of international credit has constricted following major bank
collapses in the United States. That, and predictions of a severe recession in
the United States have dealt a beating to global stock markets for days.
Investors have flocked to U.S. government securities and the dollar, which they
perceive as safe - ratcheting up the exchange value of the dollar against Asian
currencies.Leaders of the Group of Seven advanced industrial economies, or G-7,
voiced concern the Japanese yen is also becoming inflated. In a joint
statement read by Japanese Finance Minister Nakagawa Shoichi, leaders
reaffirmed a "shared interest in a strong and stable international financial
system." He says excessive volatility has an adverse effect on economic aid
and financial stability. We will continue, he says, to watch moves in the
foreign exchange markets.Japanese officials say they are considering a massive
capital injection into the country's banking system to try to offset the
effects of the current crisis.South Korean man walks past advertisement for
bank's interests in Seoul, 27 Oct 2008In South Korea, stocks finished slightly
higher - thanks to robust central-bank action, and a detailed economic policy
address by the South Korean president. The Bank of Korea slashed its key
interest rate by three quarters of a percent - the sharpest cut in South
Korea's history. The only other time the South Korean central bank cut the
rate was after September 11, 2001.President Lee Myung-bak went before lawmakers
in hopes of reassuring his citizens and international investors.Some raise a
question, says Mr. Lee, about whether we can get over this crisis. The
crystal-clear answer, he says, is "Yes, we can."Mr. Lee adds, Seoul will expand
government spending "boldly" to revitalize domestic consumption. He says there
will also be tax cuts, more investment in social infrastructure, and support
for small and medium-sized businesses.President Lee quoted Depression-era U.S.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, saying the only thing to fear is fear itself.
He urged South Koreans to have confidence that the lessons of the Asian
financial crisis ten years ago increased the stability of their country's
economy. Mr. Lee is scheduled to join other world leaders next month in
Washington for a summit on the financial crisis.
------------------------------------------------------
McCain, Obama Visit Critical States, Just Over a Week Until Election
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF7545:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama campaign in two
populous states seen as crucial to victory in the November 4 election
US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama helps to
make phone calls with volounteers to gather votes, at his campaign office in
Brighton, Colorado, 26 Oct 2008Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
and his Republican opponent, John McCain, are campaigning in two populous
states seen as crucial to victory in the November fourth U.S. election.Both men
hold rallies Monday in the eastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the state of
Ohio. An average of national polls compiled by RealClearPolitics-dot-com
indicates the Democratic candidate is ahead of the Arizona senator by more than
seven percentage points. Aides for Senator Obama say he will make what they
call his "closing argument" in speeches today, as Senator McCain continues what
his campaign calls its "Road to Victory" rallies. Meanwhile, Republican vice
presidential candidate Sarah Palin will hold an event in Virginia, and her
Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, campaigns in North Carolina.Republican
presidential candidate John McCain speaks at a campaign rally at Zanesville
High School in Zanesville, Ohio, 26 Oct 2008On Sunday, Alaska's largest
newspaper, The Anchorage Daily News, endorsed Obama. The paper criticized
McCain's economic policies and said Palin, who is governor of the traditionally
Republican state, is not fit to become president in the event that the
72-year-old McCain dies in office.On Sunday, Obama drew a crowd of more than
100,000 in Denver, in the western U.S. state of Colorado, where he linked
McCain to the policies of unpopular President George Bush. Sunday on NBC's Meet
the Press, McCain said he and the president share a common philosophy of the
Republican Party, but said he has stood up against Mr. Bush and others on some
key issues. Later, at rallies in the states of Iowa and Ohio, he urged
supporters to keep the presidency out of the hands of the Democrats, saying it
would result in higher taxes and increased spending. Some information for this
report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
------------------------------------------------------
Syria Protests Alleged US Raid on Syrian Border Town
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF7546:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
Syrian media say four US helicopters took part in raid Sunday on town of Abu
Kamal, near Iraqi border, killing 8 civilians
Syrian officials are protesting a raid on the Syrian border village of
Sukkariya, summoning the U.S. and Iraqi Charge d'affaires in Damascus. Syria
says U.S. forces conducted the raid, and that eight people were killed and 14
wounded. Edward Yeranian reports from Cairo.Syrians carry coffins of their
realtives who were killed yesterday in a US military raid on the village of
Sukkiraya, on the Syria-Iraq border, 27 Oct 2008A Syrian government spokesman
called the raid "a crime and an act of aggression," claiming U.S. forces
attacked a civilian building that was under construction. The building was
about seven kilometers into Syrian territory, near the border post of Bu Kamel.
Al Arabiya TV, quoting eyewitnesses, says two American helicopters remained in
the air, while two others landed troops in the Syrian border village of
Sukkariya. The report could not be confirmed.The U.S. military in Iraq says it
does not have any information on the incident, and the U.S. government has not
confirmed the attack nor commented on the allegations.Sources at the local
hospital say it had the bodies of seven men, all killed by gunfire. Arab
League Secretary General Amr Moussa condemned the attack.He expressed sympathy
and offered condolences to the families of those killed. He said Arab League
officials in Cairo are following the situation in what he called a dangerous
incident, which penetrated Syria's sovereignty. Map of Syria, highlighting Abu
KamalThe president of the Data and Strategic Studies Center in Damascus Imad
Fawzi el Shueibi called the attack an "act of stupidity" by the parting Bush
administration. Press reports, quoting the mayor of the Iraqi village on the
other side of the border, say Syrian Army troops took control of the area near
the attack site.Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said this region is a
theater of insurgent activities against Iraq, using Syria as a launch pad. He
said Baghdad is asking Damascus to extradite members of an unnamed group it
accused of killing 19 Iraqi security guards in a recent attack.An Iraqi woman
named Haifa Sabah al A'ani reacted on Jazeera TV's Web site, saying "What does
Syria expect, if it lets terrorists into its country?"A Lebanese man, named
Sultan Khaled asserted, sarcastically, "Now the time has come for (Syrian
President) Bashar al Assad to drink from the same cup as his Iraqi neighbors."
------------------------------------------------------
Afghan, Pakistani Representatives Hold Jirga on Taliban Conflict
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF7547:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
Meeting comes after suspected US missile strike killed 20 people in Pakistan's
Taliban-controlled tribal regions
A suspected U.S. missile strike has killed 20 people in Pakistan's
Taliban-controlled tribal regions. The attack came hours before Pakistani and
Afghan tribal leaders and government representatives began two days of talks
about the Taliban insurgency in both countries. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports
from Islamabad.Residents of South Waziristan said the early morning missile
strike hit the home of a Taliban commander outside the main town, Wana. Local
residents reported some foreign militants were among the dead.Since late
August, more than 12 such missile strikes have hit targets mainly in the North
and South Waziristan tribal agencies, which are considered key strongholds of
Taliban factions that also operate in Afghanistan. During the same time,
Pakistan's military has been engaged in heavy fighting in the Bajaur tribal
agency, where the army claimed this week that more than 1,500 militants and 73
soldiers have been killed since the operation began. Despite the increase in
U.S. missile strikes and the intensified efforts of the Pakistani military,
there is also growing support for using negotiations and diplomacy to resolve
the Taliban conflict. Last week Pakistan's parliament passed a resolution
supporting peace talks as the government's top priority. This week, a group of
Afghan tribal leaders, clerics and government officials arrived in Islamabad
for talks with their Pakistani counterparts on the Taliban insurgency. A
general view of the opening session of Pakistan Afghanistan Tribal Elders Jirga
meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan on Monday, 27 Oct. 2008At the start of the
two-day meeting traditionally known as a jirga, Pakistan's foreign minister
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said both countries acknowledge that the Taliban
insurgency must be resolved through diplomacy. "There is an increasing
realization that the use of force alone cannot yield the desired results. For
lasting success, negotiations and reconciliation must be an essential part of
the process" Qureshi said.Since the last Pakistan-Afghanistan jirga held in
Kabul more than a year ago, relations between the two countries have worsened
and the Taliban insurgency has strengthened. Afghan officials have accused
elements of Pakistan's intelligence and military institutions of helping
insurgents plot attacks in Afghanistan.Despite the difficulties, officials in
both countries say there is now more support for working together to negotiate
an end to the conflict. Unlike last year, representatives from Pakistan's
tribal agencies are attending the talks, citing the minor but hopeful progress
that was made during the last round. Some critics in Pakistan say the talks are
meaningless unless U.S., NATO and Taliban representatives attend. But the
leader of Afghanistan's delegation, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah,
said searching for common ground at this stage is the best way forward.
"Through the decisions of the peace jirga and the discussions that we have here
we will explore those opportunities further and hopefully what we decide here
will help us to expedite the process of dialogue and reconciliation," Abdullah
said.The talks among 50 officials and tribal elders from both countries are
expected to continue through Tuesday.
------------------------------------------------------
Lebanese Political Rivals Hold Rare Meeting
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF7548:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
Officials say Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah met with parliamentary majority
leader Saad Hariri at an undisclosed location Sunday
Lebanon's key political rivals have met for the first time in two years.
Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah (L) and Lebanese parliamentary
majority leader Saad Hariri (R) at their first meeting in more than two years,
27 Oct. 2008Officials said Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah met parliamentary
majority leader Saad Hariri at an undisclosed location Sunday.A joint statement
released after the meeting stressed the importance of "national unity and civil
peace" to prevent tension and reinforce dialogue. The statement said the
meeting was "open and frank." It did not elaborate.The two sides are to meet
again on November 5 for a national dialogue that will deal primarily with the
fate of Hezbollah's weapons.The dialogue is part of a Qatari-brokered
power-sharing deal that ended fighting between supporters of the Western-backed
parliamentary majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.The violence erupted in
May after an 18-month-long political standoff that shut down the government.
The power-sharing deal allowed the election of consensus President Michel
Suleiman, as well as the appointment of a Cabinet where Hezbollah and its
allies hold enough seats to veto any government decision.Lebanon is to hold
parliamentary elections next year.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
------------------------------------------------------
Mugabe, Tsvangirai Meet to Discuss Zimbabwe Impasse
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF7549:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki optimistic about finalizing plans
for unity government
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai are meeting Monday in Harare to try to salvage their
power-sharing agreement. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, left, and new Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai pose after signing the power-sharing accord, 15 Sept
2008Former South African President Thabo
Mbeki, who brokered the deal, says he is optimistic about finalizing
plans for a unity government.The Southern African Development
Community convened the meeting amid fears the power-sharing deal was
about to unravel after weeks of tense negotiations. Last week,
Tsvangirai refused to go to a similar meeting in Swaziland because
Zimbabwe authorities would only issue him emergency travel documents
instead of renewing his passport.Tsvangirai says he is
committed to reaching an equitable power-sharing agreement with
President Mugabe, but that he will not agree to something just to get a
settlement.Last month, the two leaders signed a
deal to form a unity government, however the agreement since stalled
over a dispute over how to allocate key cabinet positions. Under
the agreement, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change would
control 16 Cabinet posts, with the ruling ZANU-PF party getting 15. This
month, Mr. Mugabe unilaterally gave his ZANU-PF party control of key
posts that oversee the military, police and foreign affairs. This led
the MDC to threaten to pull out of the deal.The agreement was
designed to end the crisis sparked by Zimbabwe's disputed and
widely-dismissed presidential elections earlier this year.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
------------------------------------------------------
UN Reports Afghan Opium Crop Drops but Remaining Plants Have Higher Yield
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF754A:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
Christina Oguz, head of UN Office of Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan, calls on
government and international community to help farmers who have stopped
cultivating opium
United Nations officials say they are "quite confident" their estimates are
correct, showing a 20 percent drop in Afghanistan's opium crop for the year,
but only a six percent drop in production, because of higher yields. The
figures show significantly higher yield than just-released American government
data predicting a 31 percent plunge for the production of the heroin
precursor. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman in Kabul has details.
U.N. officials in the Afghan capital are defending their latest projections on
the reduction of the country's opium poppy crop. U.S. government statistics
claim a five times greater reduction in production. UNODC Afghanistan head
Christina Oguz at Kabul news conferenceThe head of the U.N. Office of Drugs and
Crime in Afghanistan, Christina Oguz, tells reporters she has high confidence
in the U.N. estimates because they are based on ground inspections, analysis of
the actual opium yield of the latest crop and satellite imagery."Whichever
figure it would turn out to be right would be a tragedy because it's still far
too much produced, in any case," she said.The U.S. government data says yields
are falling, not rising. Both the United States and the United Nationd agree
that 18 provinces are now poppy-free, up from 13 last year.The United Nations
says 90 percent of the farmers have responded to U.N. and Afghan government
pleas not to grow poppies, persuaded that cultivating the crop is un-Islamic or
responding in expectation of alternative aid. At a Kabul news conference, Oguz
warned that, at this time of the year, many of these same farmers are deciding
whether to prepare their land to grow the illicit crop for the next
season."Both the government and the international community are playing with
fire if they don't honor the promises to the farmers who have stopped
cultivating opium," added Oguz.The U.N. official says there is mounting anger
among farmers and their families, especially in the northeast part of the
country, which has become less stable than before. Oguz calls the trend "very
dangerous." Anti-poppy education posterThe United Nations, in its latest
report on Afghanistan's illicit opium industry, says public education campaigns
and alternative support for farmers has become more effective than eradication
of fields. Despite the efforts, Afghanistan remains the world's top producer of
opium poppies, an illegal industry sustained by what the United Nations calls
an alliance of big landowners, drug traders, corrupt officials and insurgents.
The opium industry is a significant source of income for the fundamentalist
Taliban rebels, battling Afghanistan's government and the 70,000 foreign troops
in the country. Meanwhile, the Taliban are claiming responsibility for a
suicide attack Monday in Baghlan Province. Officials in the provincial
capital, Pul-e-Khumri say a man wearing a police uniform blew himself up in a
police station there, killing and wounding American soldiers and Afghan
security officers.
------------------------------------------------------
Indian Troops in Kashmir to Block Anniversary Protests
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF754B:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
Troops patrol Srinagar streets amid general strike
India has deployed thousands of troops to its part of Kashmir to stop protests
on the 61st anniversary of Indian rule. The move comes as Indian soldiers shot
dead five members of Kashmir's largest militant group, Hizbul Mujahideen,
during an overnight Sunday gun battle.Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard
at a closed market during a strike in Srinagar, India, 27 Oct. 2008 In
Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, Indian troops patrolled the deserted
streets Monday. Separatists observed a general strike to mark the
anniversary.Shops, businesses, and government offices closed for the day.
Police detained some separatists expected to lead protest rallies.At least one
person was killed and several others wounded on Sunday when police opened fire
on a crowd of stone-throwing protesters in Baramullah, a town about 55
kilometers outside Srinagar.Demonstrators chanting pro-freedom slogans had
taken to the streets to call for the release of several people who had been
arrested during a recent strike. Indian government troops arrived in Kashmir on
October 27, 1947, two months after India and Pakistan won independence from
Britain. Their deployment came after the Hindu ruler of Kashmir said
Muslim-majority Kashmir would join India and not Pakistan.Kashmir has since
been claimed by both India and Pakistan.Violence has declined significantly
after the two countries began a peace process in 2004, but people are still
killed in almost daily shootouts.About 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have
died in Indian-administered Kashmir since a separatist insurgency began in 1989.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
------------------------------------------------------
Cambodian, Thai Leaders Seek Peaceful Solution to Temple Dispute
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF754C:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
Dispute over an ancient temple complex continues to challenge both countries
The dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over an ancient temple complex
continues to challenge both countries. Cambodia says Thai troops damaged an
ancient temple during a recent military clash. The allegation comes after the
two governments promised that negotiations to resolve a dispute will resume
next month. Rory Byrne has this report from Phnom Penh.Cambodia's Prime
Minister Hun Sen greets well-wishers on his arrival at Phnom Penh International
Airport, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 26 Oct. 2008Thailand says its troops are not
responsible for damage at the Preah Vihear temple, which sits just inside
Cambodia. Soldiers from the two countries clashed there almost two weeks
ago.Cambodia officials say the Thais damaged the temple with rockets.The
dispute over ownership of land leading up to the 900-year-old complex has
heated up since July, when Cambodia successfully asked that it be designated a
United Nations World Heritage site. On October 15, several soldiers on both
sides were injured or killed when fighting erupted.Late last week, the prime
ministers of the two countries met on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe summit
in Beijing, and pledged to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.Cambodian
Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh on Sunday described the meeting."It was very
friendly...it was very friendly and both prime ministers have agreed together
that we have to avoid further clashes among the military that are stationed
along the border," Cham said. "And we have to again start increasing the
cooperation and the negotiations at all levels."In 1962, the International
Court of Justice ruled the Preah Vihear temple lies in Cambodia, but land
surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims. Cham Prasiddh
says the two countries will resume talks on the dispute next week, after the
Thai parliament approves a framework for the negotiations. The parliament is
expected to discuss the matter Tuesday.
------------------------------------------------------
New Study Says Global Warming Heaping More Pressure on Fragile Coral Reefs
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EF754F:2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254&;
Research comes as Queensland state government announces new
multi-million-dollar plan to protect Great Barrier Reef from agricultural
pollution
A new study says that a global agreement on climate change will come too late
to save the majority of the world's coral reefs. The research comes as the
Queensland state government announces a new multi-million dollar plan to
protect the Great Barrier Reef from agricultural pollution. From Sydney, Phil
Mercer reports.The study, from Stanford University in the United States, makes
gloomy assessments about the future health of the world's coral reefs.It finds
that carbon dioxide emissions are making seawater so acidic that coral reefs
could begin to disintegrate within a few decades.The report states that even
ambitious plans to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions, thought by many to be
the main cause of a warming climate, will not be enough to save the reefs.About
a third of carbon emissions is soaked up by the world's oceans, where it
combines with seawater to form carbonic acid.The research comes as the
Queensland state government in Australia announces a new plan to protect the
Great Barrier Reef from agricultural pollution. The iconic reef is being
damaged by pesticides and sediment from farms that seep into waterways. The
Queensland government is to spend an extra $30 million to reduce this hazardous
run-off. Farmers also will face tougher environmental regulations. Queensland
Premier Anna Bligh says that man-made threats present serious challenges to the
reef, which is a world heritage site."We know that there are many contributing
factors to the water quality of the reef," she said. "We are already
addressing a number of those activities, particularly around increased
population levels, sewerage treatment, etc. But what the science is telling us
is that the highest levels of damaging chemicals and nutrients are in those
areas that have intense farming activity."Coral reefs are common in warm
southern and equatorial oceans, and provide homes and feeding grounds for
thousands of species, including fish that are important to the diets of
millions of people in the developing world. In Asia, Indonesia, Indonesia and
Papua New Guinea are among the many countries that rely on reefs to provide
food and to draw in tourists eager to explore the ocean. Environmental groups
welcome the Queensland plan to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Farmers,
however, argue they have already taken significant steps to stop the spread of
pollutants from their land.The Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 2,000
kilometers along Australia's northeast coast. It is not only an ecological
marvel, but generates billions of dollars for Australia's tourism industry,
drawing in thousands of scuba divers and others who want to see the marine
animals that live along the reef.
------------------------------------------------------
If you have questions about this E-mail newsletter send an e-mail to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Click here to unsubscribe from the VOA Daily World News Summary:
http://enews.voanews.com/u?id=2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254
Forward this E-mail:
http://enews.voanews.com/bin/ftaf?id=2DA063D257D43931D33D20A2DD3E2D6F2A201403E89ED254
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"News" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected]
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/newsfcv?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
