Suspected US Missile Strike Kills 20 in Pakistan
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Pakistani intelligence officials say unmanned aircraft launched Friday's attack on home of Afghan in North Waziristan, in village of Mohammed Khel
Pakistani tribesmen look at damaged house after suspected U.S. missiles strike in village in north Waziristan, 04 Oct 2008Pakistani intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. missile strike
has killed at least 20 people, including several suspected foreign
militants, along the Afghan border.Local villagers Saturday
began burying the dead from Friday's attack on a home in the village of
Mohammed Khel, in the North Waziristan tribal region.The
Pakistani officials say an unmanned aircraft launched a missile that
hit the home of an Afghan. Officials say many of the dead were Arabs
and that they had no information whether any senior militant leaders
were killed.Pakistan's army spokesman, Major-General Athar
Abbas, told VOA today that details of the missile attack were still
coming and that it was too early to say whether any foreigners were
killed in the attack. Abbas also denied reports of a separate attack
in North Waziristan Friday, saying international troops were carrying
out an operation across the border, in Afghanistan.Pakistan
objects to cross-border attacks and is conducting its own offensive
against suspected al-Qaida and Taliban militants in its northwestern
Bajaur tribal region. In some parts of Pakistan's northwest, tribal leaders are taking their own action against militants. Today,
a tribal council (jirga) in the Mamound area of Bajaur decided to
form a local tribal militia (lashkar) to fight insurgents.
Residents say the group immediately began setting fire to homes
belonging to suspected militants.Local tribesman also said the
government had re-established control of several parts of Bajaur, amid
the ongoing military operation there.Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Bush Calls Financial Rescue Plan 'Right Choice'
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But US President warns that not all of measures included in bill will have immediate impact
President Bush makes a statement after the House passed the $700 billion financial bailout bill at the White House in Washington, 03 Oct 2008
Many Americans are worried about the state of the U.S. economy and
their own financial future, but President George Bush says the
financial crisis will ease.The president tried to reassure
Americans during his weekly radio address Saturday, calling a
$700 billion plan to rescue the troubled financial industry "the
right choice." Mr. Bush signed the historic bailout bill
into law Friday, but he warned that not all of the legislation's
measures will have an immediate impact. The bill allows the
government to buy failing investments from troubled financial companies
in an effort to restore lender and investor confidence, and to restart
economic growth.But while President Bush praised lawmakers for
working on the bailout bill in bipartisan fashion, the Democrats used
their weekly radio address, given by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland,
Saturday to criticize the economic policies of Republican presidential
nominee John McCain.Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said this
week he will get right to work hiring experts needed to manage the
program. It is likely to take at least a month before Wall Street
firms receive any of the money.A previous version of the bill
was voted down in the House of Representatives because of objections
about the cost, and the concept of using taxpayer money to rescue
companies that made bad investments.But the House approved the plan Friday after the Senate made some changes to the bill.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, promised to hold a congressional hearing to investigate parts of the financial industry.President
Bush says it is likely that the government and taxpayers will be able
to recoup most of the cost of the bailout eventually.Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
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European Leaders Seek Common Response to World Financial Crisis
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French president called for summit as European financial institutes begin to feel bite of financial crisis that has spread from US to most parts of world
French, German, British and Italian leaders are meeting in Paris Saturday to look for a common European response to the world
financial crisis. Lisa Bryant has more for VOA from Paris.French President Nicolas Sarkozy (l), and the head of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn following their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, 04 Oct 2008French
President Nicolas Sarkozy called for the summit as European financial
institutes began to feel the bite of a financial crisis that has spread
from the United States to most parts of the world. The summit aims to
prepare European members of the G8 Group of Industrialized Nations for
a larger meeting on the crisis although no date has been set for
such a meeting. Philip Whyte, an analyst at the Center for
European Reform, supports the idea of European leaders working together
to find joint solutions to the turmoil."It's certainly a good
idea for the leading EU countries to be concerting with each other," he
said. "Two things have actively happened this past week: European
countries have shown they can actively cooperate to rescue banks that
have cross-border presences."That was the case of last week's
rescue by four countries of the Benelux banks Dexia and Fortis. Whyte
said experts had been skeptical countries would actually cooperate in
such a way. On the other hand, Ireland acted unilaterally to back its
banks this past week.It is unclear just what Saturday's summit
will produce. Countries are divided over a Dutch proposal to create a
European crisis fund to rescue troubled banks - somewhat similar to
the U.S. rescue plan newly approved by Congress. Thomas Klau,
head of the Paris office of the European Council on Foreign Relations,
doubts the leaders in Paris will back that plan. "I don't think we'll
get agreement on that because the Germans for one are very much against
it," he said. "But I do expect some commitment to reinforce
coordination."Some believe Europe will be able to weather the
financial storm better than the United States but many say it is just
too early to say.
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Kurdish Rebels Kill 15 Turkish Soldiers
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Armed forces statement says soldiers were killed in attack on military outpost near Iraqi border
At least 15 Turkish soldiers have been killed in a clash with Kurdish
rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party. or PKK. The clash occurred on
the Turkish Iraqi border late Friday night. The Turkish state has been
fighting the PKK for more than 20 years. This latest clash, as Dorian
Jones reports from Istanbul for VOA, is most serious in recent months. A
statement by the Turkish armed forces says 15 of its soldiers were
killed in an attack on a military outpost near the Iraqi border. The
attack is being blamed on Kurdish rebels of the Kurdistan workers
Party.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks in Ankara, Turkey, 03 Oct 2008Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is visiting
Turkmenistan gave more details of the attack. Erdogan said he was
saddened to learn that 15 soldiers were killed and 20 others were
wounded in an assault by the PKK terrorists. He said two soldiers were
missing and 23 members of the PKK were killed during the attack. The
attack, according to Turkish media reports, lasted several hours and
involved scores of PKK rebels using heavy weapons. It is the most
serious attack by the PKK since last year. More than 20 members of the
PKK were also killed in the fighting.The same outpost was the
target of another attack in May. Clashes between the PKK and the
Turkish state have intensified in the last few weeks, as PKK members
attempt to cross back to their bases in neighboring northern Iraq ahead
of winter. Ankara accuses the PKK of using Iraq as a base to launch
attacks against its forces. Prime Minister Erdogan promises a firm
response. Erdogan said as the political authority, they shared
the same determinism displayed by the security forces. He said they
would reassess counter-terrorist measures and continue the fight
against terrorist organization PKK with determinism.Turkish commandos return from northern Iraq in Cukurca at the Turkey-Iraq border, 29 Feb 2008 file photoLast month
the prime minister asked the Turkish parliament to extend a year long
authorization for the Turkish military to launch attacks into Iraq
against PKK bases, a vote is expected in the coming weeks. The Turkish
air force regularly carry out air strikes against the rebels in Iraq,
the most recent being last week. Last February Turkish soldiers entered
Iraq in a eight-day long incursion. Despite such operations,
retired Turkish general Haldun Solmazturk says the PKK still remains a
serious threat. "They have the ability , the day factor ability, to
practically ambush Turkish units inside Turkey," he said. "And they
have the ability to attack military outposts, presumably
well-prepared, well-armed, well-equipped." The PKK have been
fighting the Turkish state, for Kurdish autonomy since 1984. The
Turkish government is due to meet with the heads of the armed forces to
discuss their reaction to this latest attack. Analysts say they will be
under intense public pressure for a firm response.
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Younger US Voters Weigh In on Vice Presidential Debate
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Republican candidate Palin's performance praised, support for Obama still strong on campuses
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, hosted the debates between Vice Presidential candidates Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden. It is the only time the candidates will meet to debate before the November 4 elections. As VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports from St. Louis, much of the focus was on Governor Palin's performance, particularly among younger voters who are trying to make a decision about who they will vote for.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden and Republican candidate Sarah Palin shake hands before start of debate at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., 02 Oct 2008In a rare, warm October afternoon, students on the campus of Washington University of St. Louis compete in a friendly game of croquet.Their loosely structured competition plays out just meters away from the site of one of the most talked-about Vice Presidential debates in U.S. history.While none of these students managed to get a ticket to the event between Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Delaware Senator Joe Biden, the excitement of the occasion is not lost on Chris Riha."In my opinion this is now the most exciting debate of the four debates that are happening. So everyone I talked to is really energized by this," Riha said.Riha is happy to keep playing his game and does not mind not having a ticket. He has already decided who he is voting for in November, something his croquet partner, Liz Kramer, says is typical among the students on this campus."It's going to be less to sway people who haven't decided but more to ground people that already have," said Kramer.Illinois Senator Barack Obama typically does well on college campuses, where his message of change and his youthful demeanor attract younger voters.But there is a different narrative unfolding across town, on the campus of St. Louis University, where supporters of Governor Palin gathered for a debate party and rally at the school's arena.
Emma Lutz-McKennaEmma Lutz-McKenna managed to get tickets to this event through an environmental advocacy group. At the time the debate started, she considered herself an independent voter."Every time I feel like I have my ideas as to which candidate I'd like to back something else comes up or the other one says something I am very excited about or very excited against, and so it's been very much the roller coaster," according to Lutz-McKennaThe roller coaster continued as Palin supporters cheered their candidate, and jeered Senator Biden.It was perhaps a difficult environment to make an objective decision, with the mood and momentum here clearly in Governor Palin's favor.The main event of the evening was an appearance by Palin after the debate. As she made a dramatic entrance on John McCain's Straight Talk Express campaign bus, the excitement of the crowd had reached a fever pitch.Governor Palin addressed the crowd and thanked her supporters, mostly staying on track with familiar talking points."You know that there is only one man who has ever really fought for you and that man has courage and he has the conviction, he has the skill to go on fighting for you and that man is John McCain," Palin said.As the crowd swarmed Governor Palin for autographs and pictures following her speech, Emma Lutz-Mckenna was making her way out of the arena, and had made her decision. In the end, the attitude of the crowd she watched the debate with was a major turn-off.
"If we were to think of this debate as a chess match, then hands down Palin won, that's all there is to it. But what she was saying, and because of the crowd I was listening to, I'm emphatically an Obama supporter as of now," Lutz-McKenna said.She admits she could still change her mind. The candidates have enough time to do or say something that could keep Lutz-McKenna's election decision roller coaster speeding along until the November 4 election.
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OJ Simpson Found Guilty of Robbery, Kidnapping
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Verdict comes 13 years after he was acquitted for murder of former-wife and her friend
A jury in the western U.S. state of Nevada has found former American football star O.J. Simpson guilty on charges of robbery and kidnapping. The verdict comes 13 years after he was acquitted for the murder of his former-wife and her friend. VOA's Gabe Joselow reports from Washington.O.J. Simpson arrives in court before being found guilty on all 12 charges, including felony kidnapping and armed robbery at the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, 3 Oct 2008O.J. Simpson showed no emotion as a clerk for the Clark County District Court in Las Vegas read the verdict:"We the jury in the above entitled case find the defendant Orenthal James Simpson as follows: count one, conspiracy to commit a crime, guilty; count two, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, guilty; count three, conspiracy to commit robbery, guilty; count four, burglary while in possession of deadly weapon, guilty..."Simpson and a co-defendant, Clarence Steward, were convicted on all 12 counts against them, including armed robbery, kidnapping and conspiracy.The charges stem from an incident in Las Vegas last year, when prosecutors say Simpson and a group of men stormed into the hotel room of two sports-collectibles dealers and demanded they return items related to Simpson's football career.Prosecutors said Simpson told two of the men in his group to bring guns. Simpson denied that allegation, and said he was only trying to reclaim items that had been stolen from him.Simpson, 61, could spend the rest of his life in prison. He is to be sentenced in early December.The defense can still file an appeal, but Stan Goldman, a law professor at Loyola Law School in California, says it is unlikely to reverse the verdict."The prosecution didn't have the strongest case in terms of the credibility of its witnesses, but it certainly had enough to survive an appeal, I think," he said.Friday's verdict came 13 years to the day after Simpson was found not guilty of murdering his former wife and her friend, a sensational case featuring a police chase on a Los Angeles highway, bloody gloves and excessive media attention.He was later found responsible for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in a civil trial, and he was forced to pay $33 million to the victims' estates.
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Developing Nations at Ghana Summit Worry About Prices, Trade
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Many express fears economies will bear brunt of economic slowdown expected to result from turmoil in Western financial institutions
Heads of state from 79 nations in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific are ending a summit in Ghana calling on the international community to stabilize financial markets and prices for oil and food. The leaders also asked for greater flexibility in negotiating trade agreements with the European Union, as we hear from VOA's Scott Bobb in our West Africa Bureau in Dakar.
Delegates to the summit in Accra of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) nations noted that their countries have experienced relatively little of the recent turmoil seen in western stock markets and financial institutions.
But many expressed fears that their economies will bear the brunt of the economic slowdown that is expected to result.
The director of Ghana's Development Policy Institute, Nii Moi Thompson, acknowledged that global market forces are putting pressure on basic commodities. But he says conditions within developing nations also contribute to higher prices.
"Credit in Africa is exceedingly high. In Ghana you pay as much as 30 percent for interest rates to do business," he said.
In addition, he says many ACP nations maintain rigid domestic exchange rates. These favor domestic exports if they are low but put pressure on consumer prices.
And he says subsidies to farmers are also a serious issue but adds that these can have positive effects and therefore should be studied closely.
The main focus of the ACP summit, however, was primarily on a controversial series of Economic Partnership Agreements advocated by the European Union.
EU officials say these agreements are meant to encourage trade and open markets between Europe and the ACP which represents 300 million people in some of the world's least wealthy nations.
The World Trade Organization has ruled that an earlier set of EU accords with ACP nations was illegal.
But some ACP members oppose the agreements because they are negotiated separately with each of the ACP's 79 member-nations.
They say this weakens the collective bargaining power of the group as a whole and favors the more powerful EU block of nations. They want more time to allow ACP nations to develop a common position on the agreements.
Economist Thompson says very few ACP governments have seriously studied EPAs and their effects. "The opposition to EPA has become something fashionable that people do without thinking through the problems and emerging with solutions, lasting solutions not just as far as EPAs are concerned but also as far as Africa's economic well-being is concerned," he said.
He acknowledges that EPAs can cause a loss of jobs in certain sectors of the economy but says they also can encourage job creation in other sectors. And he says they can provide a force for economic reform and more open markets.
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US Problems Spread to Ecuador's Dollar Economy
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Crisis is sparking debate on whether or not to continue the dollarization program
U.S. financial problems are affecting economies around the world, especially Ecuador which uses the U.S. dollar as its national currency. VOA's Brian Wagner visited Quito, where the economic crisis is sparking debate on whether or not to continue the dollarization program.
Woman counts her dollars in EcuadorU.S. dollars have flowed freely in Ecuador since the Quito government in 2000 stopped circulating the sucre in an effort to stem rampant inflation. Since then, reaction to the decision has been mixed. But most economists agree that dollarization has brought stability to Ecuador's economy, allowing for greater investment and business opportunities. Panama, El Salvador and several smaller nations have pursued dollar programs as well.
Now however, some business and political leaders are reassessing the decision as the ripple effects from the United States spread around the world.
Pablo Davalos, economist at the Catholic University of Ecuador, says the dollar economy means Ecuador's Central Bank has few tools to protect itself from the widening crisis.
He says international economic problems often spread, but Ecuador is more vulnerable because it has no monetary policy. He says Ecuador's dollar-economy allows U.S. problems to spread directly to Ecuador.
Davalos says U.S. problems have weakened the value of the dollar around the world, leading to inflation inside Ecuador. Already this year, Ecuadorian officials report domestic prices have jumped more than eight percent.
In Quito, market owner Jose Rivadeneira says many consumers are complaining about rising prices for food and other goods.
He says inflation is apparent at the market, because prices often go up with every new shipment he receives.
Experts say price hikes also are a result of economic and political concerns inside Ecuador, such as a recent referendum to approve a new constitution.
Department store owner Jose Cueva says a slight downturn at his business is a result of domestic factors.
Cueva said domestic policy mistakes and not U.S. troubles are the cause of rising prices, but he said the latest round of bank failures in the United States will eventually hit Ecuador.
In recent months, President Rafael Correa has criticized the adoption of the dollar economy, saying it hobbles future economic growth in the Andean nation. Some opposition leaders have expressed fear the president may abandon the current system, but Mr. Correa has ruled out making any such changes so far.
One positive note in the current economy is that a weaker U.S. dollar has made some Ecuadorian exports more attractive to foreign buyers, especially in Europe. John Price, managing director of Kroll consulting in Miami, says shrimp and banana exporters based in the coastal city of Guayaquil stand to benefit.
"The folks in Guayaquil were not happy with the dollarization. However, we live in a world of a weak dollar and those folks are [now] reasonably happy with their level of competitiveness."
Price says many exporters and other business leaders would oppose an end to the dollar economy, if Quito's government decided to launch its own currency.
Economist Pablo Davalos in Quito says the government is unlikely to move in that direction, because the political risks are too great.
He says the government may criticize the dollar economy, but right now the president must defend the program to ensure his own political stability.
Davalos says the government could be forced to change that position in coming months, however, if the fallout from the U.S. crisis continues to hurt Ecuador's economy.
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UN: 32 Million Refugees in Need of Protection and Care
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Representatives at refugee agency's annual conference will be asked to approve budget of $1.8 billion for coming year to assist growing needs of tens of millions of people
The U.N. refugee agency's annual conference opens in Geneva on Monday. Representatives from the UNHCR's 76-nation governing body will attend the week-long meeting to set the work agenda for the coming year. They will focus on the needs and actions to be taken on behalf of some 32 million refugees, internally displaced, and stateless people that come under the care and protection of the UNHCR. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva. A displaced family sits in a camp in the vicinity of the eastern Chadian European Union peacekeepers' base in Farchanaon, 12 May 2008The conference will be asked to approve a budget of $1.8 billion for the coming year. This large amount of money reflects the growing needs of tens of millions of people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. U.N. refugee spokesman, Ron Redmond, tells VOA, refugee and asylum issues have become more complex in today's world."You have got environmental degradation which is forcing people to go on the move," he said. "You have got increasing competition for scarce resources, which can result in conflicts which then in displacement. In Darfur, Chad would be an example of that among other things. The UNHCR now cares for some 11 million refugees as well as 14 million internally displaced people. They, unlike refugees have not crossed international borders, but remain uprooted in their own countries.Redmond says there are a number of protracted refugee situations that are of great concern. He says millions of uprooted people have been living in camps for decades with no prospect of going home.He says U.N. High Commissioner, Antonio Guterres, has launched a special initiative, which he will discuss during the upcoming conference, aimed at finding solutions for five protracted refugee situations. People queue for food at a refugee camp set up for displaced villagers, in Charsadda near Peshawar, 19 Sep 2008These include Eritrean refugees in eastern Sudan, Burundian refugees in Tanzania, Croatian and Bosnian refugees in Serbia, Rohinga refugees in Bangladesh and Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan.He says the UNHCR also is concerned about overall migration patterns in the world. He says refugees often are denied asylum because they are confused with migrants who go to other countries for economic reasons."One of the major migration patterns we see, of course, is from Africa across the Mediterranean toward Europe as well as using other routes," Redmond said. "Every week, we hear about people from sub-Saharan Africa, for example, getting in boats and going toward the Canary Islands. Just about every week now, we also hear about Africans dying in the Gulf of Aden, Africans fleeing the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia." While major concerns persist, UNHCR spokesman Redmond says there also are many successes.Last year, he notes more than 700,000 refugees and two million internally displaced people went home, many from the Great Lake Region of Africa. Since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2002, he notes more than four million Afghans have returned home from Pakistan and Iran.
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NASA: The Next 50 Years
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Some are asking if NASA has lost the 'The Right Stuff'
For 50 years NASA has led the world in space exploration. Much of the scientific knowledge about the moon, our solar system and the universe has come from the dedicated scientists, administrators and personnel working for NASA. VOA's Paul Sisco takes a look at the agency celebrating its golden anniversary with an eye on its uncertain future.
For 50 years NASA has led the world in space explorationThe U.S. space agency NASA has been promoting and celebrating its fiftieth anniversary with events all year, but the current state of the agency and its uncertain future has many concerned. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson is Chairman of the Senate subcommittee that overseas NASA."NASA is at a crossroads," Nelson said, "and that crossroads has to do with whether or not we will commit the political will and the national resources in order to achieve the dream of our continued space program, both the human space program and the unmanned space program."NASA's glory days and the accomplishments of its manned space program are well known and documented. For many years after its inception, the agency thrived thanks to substantial federal funds.Space consultant and former NASA manager Alan Ladwig says that is no longer the case. "During the high point of the Apollo program, NASA represented four percent of the federal budget," according to Ladwig. "Today it represents six-tenths of one percent." The space shuttle has been flying American astronauts into space since 1981. But the aging fleet is to be retired in 2010 and there could be a five-year gap before a replacement vehicle is ready. President Bush and NASA now have their sights on returning to the moon, future missions to Mars, and the building of new space vehicles to accomplish the tasks. But again, says Senator Nelson, the problem is money."NASA can not do both the space shuttle program and the start of the new Constellation program, without additional money, which is what has caused the two not to overlap, and has us facing a five year gap in not flying humans in space," said Nelson.
Glenn says NASA has been cutting back shuttle flights to save cashWhile those vehicles are being built and tested America will not be able to get to the space station on its own, a situation that angers former astronaut and Senator John Glenn."They are so strapped for money at NASA that they are having to cut the shuttle flights to save enough money to complete the station," Glenn said. "I think it's a little ridiculous when we're cutting to the point where our transportation to our space station is gone and we have to contract after 2010 with the Russians to put us up to our station." Astronauts will always look to space exploration with great optimism. But in this, NASA's golden anniversary year, the U.S. space agency clearly sees significant challenges on the horizon.
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