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Special US Envoy Arrives in Afghanistan
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State Department describes Richard Holbrooke's visit as 'orientation session'
U.S. officials say new American envoy Richard Holbrooke has arrived in
Afghanistan, one day after Taliban gunmen staged deadly attacks in the
capital, Kabul. Richard Holbrooke (File)Holbrooke, the envoy for Afghanistan
and Pakistan, is on his first trip to the region. He flew to Afghanistan from
Pakistan.Last
week, a U.S. State Department spokesman said Holbrooke's trip would be
like an "orientation session," and that he would bring no proposals for
advancing international efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.Afghan
authorities are investigating links between Pakistan and Taliban gunmen
who killed at least 26 people in coordinated attacks Wednesday on three
government buildings in Kabul. The Afghan National Directorate of
Security launched the probe.Afghanistan's security chief, Amrullah Saleh, said
Wednesday militant groups in Pakistan may have ties to the assault.He
said that as the bombers prepared to attack the Justice Ministry, they
sent messages to Pakistan calling for the blessing of their
"mastermind."The Taliban assault wounded nearly 60 other people.Afghan
officials say eight suicide attackers died after they tried to kill as
many people as possible. Some blew themselves up, while others were
killed by security guards.The United States and United Nations
condemned the attacks against the Afghan Justice Ministry, Education
Ministry and the office of prisons.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Pakistan Says Mumbai Attacks Planned on Its Soil
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Interior Ministry chief Rahman Malik says several suspects arrested, including
alleged ringleader, and criminal proceedings have begun
Pakistan has for the first time acknowledged that last November's deadly
attacks on the Indian financial capital of Mumbai were partly plotted on its
soil. Officials say several suspects have been arrested, including the alleged
ringleader, and criminal proceedings have begun.
Rahman Malik, Pakistan's interior ministry chief, shows a picture of a boat
used in Mumbai attack during a press conference in Islamabad, 12 Feb 2009Under
pressure from neighboring India and the international community, Pakistani
authorities launched their investigation to determine whether the Mumbai
attackers have links to militant groups in Pakistan. Pakistan Interior Ministry
chief Rehman Malik released initial findings of the probe at a news conference,
admitting the Mumbai terrorists were launched from Pakistani shores.
"The incident has happened in India and part of the conspiracy has been done in
Pakistan," he said. "We have located those locations, which were used by the
terrorists before launching themselves, and some of the accused, who have been
arrested, they have given us the full rundown."Malik says that Pakistani
authorities have arrested six people for allegedly facilitating the terrorist
attacks in Mumbai and have opened a criminal case against them. He says the
men, including the ringleader, have links to an outlawed Islamic group,
Lashkar-e-Taiba. India has blamed the group for the attacks.Pakistan shares
investigative information with India
The top Pakistani security official says Islamabad has shared findings of the
probe with New Delhi. He says the information India had given to Pakistan has
helped further the Pakistani probe, but investigators need more information
from India, including DNA samples of a lone surviving attacker in Indian
custody. "My appeal to the Indian authority is, the information which we have
requested, this is to make these prosecutions strong so that we can prosecute
them successfully to the extent they are convicted and that is our common
responsibility, and let us work for it together because we want these culprits
to be brought to justice and set the precedent for the future," said
Malik.Malik says Pakistani investigators have not been able to establish
identities of the nine gunmen killed in the attack because of a lack of
information and evidence from the scene.He says that the outcome of the probe
is a strong signal Pakistan condemns terrorism and wants to expose terrorist
forces that are bent upon destabilizing the region.India's foreign ministry
called Pakistan's announcement "a positive development." India has blamed
Pakistan's spy agency, known as ISI, for playing a role in the attacks. But
Islamabad denies the charge.The three-day assault on Mumbai that began on
November 26 killed more than 170 people, including foreigners, and raised
border tensions between Pakistan and India. The attacks have led to suspension
of a five-year-old peace process aimed at normalizing bilateral relations.
India says it wants the planners of the Mumbai bloodshed to be brought to
justice before it resumes the peace dialogue.
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Bomb Kills Iraqi Shi'ite Pilgrims in Karbala
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Dozens wounded in blast, near Imam Hussein shrine in holy city
Iraqi officials said at least six Shi'ite pilgrims were killed in a bomb blast
Thursday as they observed one of their most important religious holidays.A man
stands at a spot of a car bombing at Bayaa neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq,
Thursday, 12 Feb. 2009Dozens of other people were wounded in the blast, near
the Imam Hussein shrine in the holy city of Karbala in central Iraq.The
violence followed a twin bombing near a bus station in Baghdad Wednesday that
killed 16 people, as Shi'ite pilgrims were traveling to Karbala.Pilgrims are
gathering in Karbala, about 80 kilometers south of Baghdad, for the annual
Shi'ite religious ceremony of Arbaeen. The ceremony marks the end of the 40-day
mourning period following the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad, in the 7th century A.D.The United Nations special representative in
Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, Wednesday condemned the violence as "murderous"
attacks "clearly designed to provoke sectarian tensions."Also Thursday, police
said a car bomb in Mosul killed four policemen and wounded at least three other
people, including two civilians, the latest in a string of attacks in the
northern city.Although overall levels of violence in Iraq are down this year,
Shi'ite pilgrims have frequently been targeted by bombings in the past, with
most of the attacks blamed on Sunni extremist militants.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Netanyahu Likely to Form New Israeli Coalition
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Even though Likud party leader comes in close second in popular vote, analysts
say it is likely that he will form next Israeli government and become prime
minister
Israel's Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu attends a faction meeting
at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, 11 Feb 2009Israeli election
officials are continuing to tallying votes Thursday before announcing the final
results of parliamentary elections. It appears more likely that Likud party
leader Benjamin Netanyahu will form the next Israeli government.Even though he
came in a close second in the popular vote, analysts say it is likely that
hawkish Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu will form the next Israeli
government and become prime minister.Right-wing parties control parliament and
they back Mr. Netanyahu. The right has 65 seats in the 120-member Knesset, or
parliament. The center-left, led by dovish Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, has 55
seats including seven for Arab parties. So among the Zionist parties, the right
has a solid parliamentary majority. "Israelis voted for change and they clearly
gave a decisive victory to Netanyahu as the leader of the national camp," Ron
Dermer, an advisor for Mr. Netanyahu. "Netanyahu can form a government very
quickly."Livni apparently won the popular vote but she is on course to become
the first Israeli leader to "win" an election and fail to become prime
minister. But Knesset member Ze'ev Bielsky of Livni's Kadima party says she is
not out yet because she defeated Mr. Netanyahu, who is nicknamed Bibi."Most of
the people voted for Tzipi Livni, it was more personal elections as we all have
seen, it was either Bibi or Tzipi, they voted Tzipi; so of course she's got the
right to form a government and if it will be fruitful we'll have a government
under Tzipi Livni," she said.Israeli President Shimon Peres will meet with the
various parties and then decide who to appoint to form a government, Mr.
Netanyahu or Livni.Mr. Netanyahu has the upper hand and he could try to form a
rightist coalition or a more moderate national unity government with Livni's
Kadima party. Either way, the right wing will have a strong say in the next
government and that means trouble for the peace process. Mr. Netanyahu and his
allies oppose the cornerstone of American Mideast policy: the creation of a
Palestinian state.
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US Congress to Vote on Final Stimulus Plan
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Full House of Representatives could look at compromise bill Thursday; Senate
shortly thereafter
The U.S. Congress may vote as early as Thursday on a $789 billion economic
stimulus package aimed at jolting the nation's economy with a mix of federal
spending and tax cuts.The compromise deal could go before the full House of
Representatives for a vote Thursday and before the full Senate shortly after
that.Congressional leaders said they expect a final bill to be ready for U.S.
President Barack Obama's signature next week.Mr. Obama is continuing his public
campaign to ensure a bill gets to his desk quickly. He travels Thursday to the
central state of Illinois, where he will speak to workers at a plant owned by
the Caterpillar company, which has recently announced plans to cut 20,000
jobs. Mr. Obama says the stimulus plan could immediately save jobs at
Caterpillar, and also create about 3.5 million jobs across the country.The
compromise plan includes $282 billion in tax relief, more than $50 billion in
aid to states, and billions more for investments in health care, education,
energy and infrastructure projects.President Obama said he is grateful to
lawmakers for moving quickly and said the state of the nation's economy
requires urgent action.Mr. Obama had hoped to get bipartisan support for the
plan, but only three moderate Senate Republicans in the Democratic-controlled
Congress took part in the negotiations for the compromise bill. One of those,
Republican Susan Collins, called the bill "fiscally responsible." On the House
side, Republican minority leader John Boehner said the measure should have more
tax cuts and less government spending.House and Senate negotiators had been in
intense discussions to reach a compromise because the two bodies passed
differing versions of the stimulus package.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
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Obama Celebrates 200th Anniversary of Lincoln's Birth
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President Barack Obama is attending a celebration at US Capitol in honor of man
many consider as greatest US president
President Barack Obama during visit to Ford's Theater in Washington to mark
Abraham Lincoln bicentennial 11Feb2009 U.S. President Barack Obama is marking
the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, who is considered by
many to be the greatest U.S. president.Mr. Obama attends a celebration at the
U.S. Capitol Thursday, then travels to Springfield, Illinois, the hometown of
Mr. Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln was president during the Civil War in the 1860s that
nearly tore apart the United States over the issue of slavery and states'
rights. He signed the Emancipation Proclamation - ordering slaves to be freed
in most of the southern Confederate States, and eventually leading to the
abolition of slavery in all the United States. Mr. Obama, the nation's first
African-American president, attended a star-studded gala Wednesday at the
historic Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. - the site of Mr. Lincoln's
assassination in 1865. Reopening Wednesday after a lengthy renovation, the
theater featured a biographical play about Mr. Lincoln. Ford's Theater, where
President Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot, under renovation in Washington
(2008 file photo)Mr. Obama has sought to draw parallels between his presidency
and that of Mr. Lincoln.Mr. Obama began his presidential campaign in Mr.
Lincoln's Illinois hometown and re-enacted the 16th president's train journey
from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington D.C. on the way to his
inauguration in January. He took his presidential oath on the Bible that
Lincoln used for his own inauguration.The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, added after Lincoln's death in 1865, abolished all slavery in the
United States.Ford's Theater, in downtown Washington, D.C., was closed for more
than 100 years after Mr. Lincoln's assassination. It reopened in 1968 and now
functions as both a working theater and a historical site.
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ICC Says No Decision Reached on Bashir
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Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo seeks to charge Sudanese President with war
crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide
Supporters of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir raise anti-Ocampo banners
during Bashir's visit to Darfur's capital of al-Fasher, Sudan (File)The
International Criminal Court has denied media reports the court's judges have
agreed to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar al Bashir.
According to The New York Times newspaper and the Reuters news agency,
diplomats at the United Nations have said International Criminal Court judges
have approved an arrest warrant for Sudan President Omar al-Bashir.But the ICC
has issued a statement saying that no warrant has been issued and the judges
have not made a decision. An official announcement is expected sometime in
February.
The ICC chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is seeking to charge President
al-Bashir with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide for the
Sudanese government's role in the conflict in the western region of Darfur.
The reports did not say which charges the judges had agreed to.Meanwhile,
negotiations continue in Qatar between the Justice and Equality Movement and
the government of Sudan. JEM-leader Khalil Ibrahim joined the negotiations for
the first time Wednesday. JEM officials have said the talks are focusing on
confidence-building measures.
Sudanese opposition welcomes arrest warrant A representative of the Justice and
Equality Movement, Abdullah El-Tom, says the group would welcome the
announcement of an arrest warrant for President al-Bashir, but that it is
waiting for an official announcement."JEM would certainly welcome that and
celebrate that kind of decision if it comes out. But until now it is media
reports," said El-Tom.U.N. and humanitarian officials have expressed concern
that a warrant for President al-Bashir's arrest could lead to retaliation
against their representatives in Sudan. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon,
told a news conference on Tuesday that he had brought up the concern in a
meeting with President al-Bashir in Ethiopia during the weekend."Whatever the
circumstances or decision of the ICC may be it will be very important for
President Bashir and the Sudanese government to react very responsibly and
ensure safety and security of United Nations peacekeepers and protect the human
rights of all the populations. And he should fully cooperate with whatever
decision the ICC makes," said Ban.A spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping mission
in Darfur, Noureddine Mezni, told VOA that the force already has been operating
at a heightened security level since last summer.The African Union, the Arab
League, and China have all called for the request for the arrest warrant to be
delayed for a year. But it is not clear how far such countries would go to
support Sudan's president were a warrant issued.At least 200,000 people have
been killed in the Darfur conflict since 2003, according to most international
estimates, and more than 2.5 million people have been displaced.
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China Seeks Stronger Relations with Africa
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President Hu Jintao in Mali, goes to Senegal, Friday, will also visit Tanzania,
Mauritius before returning to Beijing
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang YuChina says this year is a turning
point in its relations with Africa, with the Chinese president heading to the
continent as part of his first overseas trip in 2009. Meanwhile, a Chinese
spokeswoman welcomes the inauguration of former opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai as Zimbabwe's prime minister. There are few concrete details about
Chinese President Hu Jintao's trip to Africa. But Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Jiang Yu Thursday says strengthening friendly cooperation will
benefit both China and Africa.Jiang calls this year a "turning point for China
and Africa," which will present, in her words, "great opportunities." She says
China hopes President Hu's visit will "promote practical cooperation in
extensive areas."Hu Jintao (file photo)Chinese President Hu Jintao is in Mali
and goes to Senegal, Friday. He also will visit Tanzania and Mauritius before
returning to Beijing, next week.The four African nations are not rich in oil or
mineral resources. Senior Chinese diplomat Zhai Jun says the visits will
emphasize friendship. Zhai also says China will offer new aid to the
countries.Meanwhile, the Chinese spokeswoman welcomed the inauguration of
former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as Zimbabwe's prime minister.
Jiang says China hopes the relevant parties in Zimbabwe will continue to make
joint efforts to form the new government to lead the Zimbabwean people out of
their difficulties.Morgan Tsvangirai (l) leader of the main opposition party in
Zimbabwe takes the oath of Prime Minster, in front of President Robert Mugabe
(r) at the State House in Harare, 11 Feb 2009China has been one of the few
international supporters of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who retains his
office and has been Mr. Tsvangirai's political foe.In response to a question
about the International Criminal Court's imminent indictment of Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir, China says only that it hopes the court's actions
contribute to stability in Sudan. The Chinese spokeswoman says China believes
in a Sudan peace process that involves three parties - the Sudanese government,
the African Union and the United Nations.The Sudanese president is facing
possible charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. These are related to
the ongoing crisis in Darfur, where fighting between government-backed militias
and rebel groups have killed thousands of civilians.Beijing also has been one
of Sudan's most prominent international defenders. China is one of Sudan's
largest foreign investors and is especially active in the African nation's oil
sector.
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China Admits Need to Improve Regional Autonomy
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Foreign ministry statement is a rare acknowledgment that its protection of
minority group interests still needs work
China says it is going to work on improving regional autonomy, a rare
acknowledgment that its protection of minority group interests still needs
work.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters Thursday that
China will continue to, in her words, "improve the system of regional national
autonomy." Jiang says China will take various measures to safeguard the
"fundamental issues" of all ethnic groups.Her comments came in response to
questions about the Dalai Lama's travels in Europe, this week. Tibet's exiled
spiritual leader traveled to Italy and Germany for four days, to receive
several awards.In Italy, the City Council of Rome and Venice gave the Dalai
Lama honorary citizenship for his work towards a peaceful resolution of the
Tibetan issue.In Baden Baden, Germany, the Dalai Lama accepted the German Media
prize. A 20-member jury selected him for the award on behalf of the German
audience research company, Media Control.The Dalai Lama told German business
and media figures attending the ceremony that Tibetans are not trying to break
away from China. He says he is only seeking to ensure religious and cultural
autonomy for Tibetans, not independence.Meanwhile, China continues to insist
the 73-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has a separatist agenda. Spokeswoman
Jiang says that Tibet was never an independent state and has enjoyed remarkable
changes in the last half century, including an end to feudal serfdom.Jiang says
this year marks 50 years of Tibet's democratic reform.The beginning of March is
also the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama fleeing Tibet and a failed uprising
against Chinese rule. The Chinese government last month announced this
anniversary will be commemorated as "Serf Liberation Day." Last March,
protests by monks in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, led to violent riots and general
unrest in the region. Foreign reporters are not allowed into Tibet without
official permission. Since the riots, the Chinese government has taken a few
small groups of journalists on government-supervised reporting trips.
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US, Russian Satellites Collide in Orbit
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Officials say event, which has never happened before, creates possible risk to
International Space Station
Image provided by NASA shows artist concept of Iridium satellite in earth's
orbitA defunct Russian communications satellite has smashed into a U.S.
satellite in orbit, creating a possible risk to the International Space Station.
U.S. officials say this is the first time two whole satellites ever crashed
into each other in space.
They collided Tuesday about 780 kilometers above Siberia, creating a huge
explosion with many pieces of debris.
The U.S. space agency, NASA, said the floating satellite parts create a small
risk to the International Space Station, which flies at a lower orbit than
where the collision took place.
But NASA says it will be weeks before the full magnitude of the collision is
known.
Scientists say there are thousands of pieces of space junk orbiting the Earth,
including old satellites and burned-out rocket boosters.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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