World Financial Leaders Meet On Economic Crisis
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy is hosting the 14 leaders in the EU's euro bloc and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at a summit Sunday in Paris
European leaders and members of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are holding separate meetings to coordinate responses to the global financial crisis.French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, welcomes Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown before a crisis summit at the Elysee palace in Paris, Sunday 12 Oct. 2008French President Nicolas Sarkozy is hosting the 14 leaders in the EU's euro bloc and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at a summit Sunday in Paris. Mr. Sarkozy said before the meeting he hopes an "ambitious, coordinated plan" will emerge.Mr. Brown has said he aims to persuade the other European countries to adopt a comprehensive approach similar to Britain, which includes partial bank nationalization.The IMF and World Bank were meeting in Washington Sunday.On Saturday, U.S. President George Bush met with finance ministers from the Group of Seven major economic powers.Egyptian Finance Minister Youseff Boutros Ghali said the IMF endorses the G-7's statement that it will do everything possible to protect the world's financial system and get credit moving again. The global economic crisis began with a drop in the U.S. housing market and the inability of some Americans to repay their home loans.Several high-profile financial companies that had invested in these loans collapsed, and many banks now are reluctant to lend money to consumers, businesses and each other.Some major European governments and the United States have stepped in to take control of some sinking lenders, but at great expense to taxpayers.The crisis has sent stock indexes plunging around the world.Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Large Taliban Attack Repulsed with Air Strikes
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Officials say troops backed by airstrikes killed at least 60 Taliban, who tried to attack Lashkar Gah with heavy weaponry from three sides
Two battles in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan have killed as many as 100 Taliban fighters, according to Afghan and international military officials. The NATO-led forces say the bulk of the casualties came when their aircraft bombed militants who were observed gathering for a major attack. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from from Kabul. It is believed to be one of the fiercest encounters in months in Afghanistan's main opium-producing province. Taliban fighters, armed with rockets and other heavy weapons, attacked the city of Lashkar Gar from three sides. But military officials say the insurgents were repulsed by air strikes conducted by the NATO-led force in Afghanistan. Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of ISAF, looks at Afghan Deputy Defense Minister, General Mohammed Akram, during a Kabul news conference, Sunday, 12 Oct. 2008U.S. Army General David McKiernan is the top commander of the International Security Assistance Force. "A large number of insurgents, in the hundreds, were detected and were acted upon by a combined operation, a partnered operation, between Task Force Helmand and the Afghan National Army … I know a large number of insurgents have been killed," McKiernan said. "have not heard reports of civilian collateral damage or civilian casualties." British forces, which primarily operate in Helmand, say 50 Taliban were killed. Afghan officials put the number at 62. A second clash, which lasted for three days and ended Saturday, in the same region, is reported to have killed dozens more militants.The battles took place in Helmand province, where the Taliban have regrouped and established links to other extremists and the illicit narcotics trade. Thousands of Afghans, mostly Taliban and other militants, have died this year in insurgency-related fighting. Speaking to reporters in Kabul Sunday, General McKiernan says the measures being taken by U.S. and other international forces to prevent civilian casualties are unprecedented in the history of warfare. "What I am worried about mostly though is we will lose the support of the population over time with civilian casualties. And so I am very aware of that and very sensitive of that," McKiernan said.The four-star general also is blasting media reports saying the war is being lost against the Taliban. While acknowledging that the current number of soldiers is inadequate and combat forces alone cannot achieve victory, General McKiernan emphasized that the Afghan military and 40-nation coalition is "not losing in Afghanistan."
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Baghdad Attacks Kill 11
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Security officials say the attack occurred Sunday on a commercial street in Bayaa, a predominantly Shi'ite area in the southwest of the capital city
Iraqi police say a car bomb attack has killed at least nine people and wounded 13 at a busy market in Baghdad.Security officials say the attack occurred Sunday on a commercial street in Bayaa, a predominantly Shi'ite area in the southwest of the city.In another attack, police say sniper fire killed two Iraqi security officials in the western Baghdad area of Mansour today.Separately, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered an immediate investigation into a recent series of attacks against Christians in the northern city of Mosul. In a statement following talks with Christian officials, Mr. Maliki condemned the violence that has prompted hundreds of Christian families to flee the city in recent weeks. He said security forces will take all steps necessary to provide protection for Christians in the predominately Muslim nation. Iraqi officials have deployed more than a thousand police officers to guard Christian districts and churches in Mosul.It is unclear who has been carrying out the attacks. But Iraqi Christian leaders say the minority community is facing a killing campaign.Saturday, police said unidentified attackers blew up three empty homes belonging to Christians in Mosul.In recent weeks, thousands of Iraqi Christians have taken to the streets in Mosul to protest against a new election law that removes a clause reserving some seats in parliament for minorities. Iraq's government has asked lawmakers to restore the quota system.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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Iranian Reformist to Run in 2009 Presidential Race
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Mehdi Karoubi announces his candidacy and says Ahmadinejad administration has failed in its handling of foreign, economic policy
A leading Iranian reformist says he will run in next year's presidential elections, challenging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is widely expected to seek a second term.Former Iranian reformist parliament speaker, Mehdi Karoubi, speaks during a press conference in Tehran (File)Former parliamentary speaker Mehdi Karoubi announced his candidacy for the June 2009 poll at a news conference in Tehran Sunday. He said Mr. Ahmadinejad's administration has failed in its handling of foreign policy and economic issues.Karoubi also criticized the president for denying the Holocaust. He said Mr. Ahmadinejad's past remarks have cost the country a great deal.Karoubi is the first major political figure to declare himself a candidate for the Iranian presidency. However, Mr. Ahmadinejad has won crucial backing from the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who recently endorsed the president for a second four-year term in office.The supreme leader has the final say on all of Iran's affairs. His endorsement in August was the first time he had made such a strong public statement about Mr. Ahmadinejad.President Ahmadinejad has come under strong criticism from fellow conservatives for his handling of Iran's high inflation and other economic problems. Some of his conservative critics may challenge him for the presidency.Iran is also facing demands by major world powers to suspend uranium enrichment. Tehran says its nuclear work is aimed at generating electricity, but Washington and its allies accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons.Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Russia Tests Intercontinental Missiles
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Russian President Dmitri Medvedev says Russia will continue to develop new types of weapons
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, Col. Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, the commander of Russia's strategic missile forces, at the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia, 12 Oct 2008Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has watched his military test new long-range missiles and says the country's missile defense system is strong.Russia fired two missiles Sunday from submarines in the Pacific Ocean and the Barents Sea, and one from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. Mr. Medvedev watched the launch in Plesetsk, and said Russia will continue to develop new types of weapons. But he praised the existing system's effectiveness, saying Russia's missile shield is "fine."Moscow has objected to U.S. plans to install a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. U.S. officials say the missile shield is designed to protect against what they call threats from rogue countries, such as Iran. But Russia says deployment of the system in Europe will undermine its own missile capability and threatens its security.The U.S. plan provides for deploying 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic.Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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Israeli Police Crack Down on Jewish-Arab Violence
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Outgoing PM Ehud Olmert tells Cabinet Acre's 53,000 residents are being 'held hostage by a small group of extremists, both Jews and Arabs'
Israel is cracking down on a wave of ethnic violence in a mixed Jewish-Arab city. Robert Berger reports from the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered police to show "zero tolerance" toward Jewish and Arab rioters in the ancient port city of Acre. Mr. Olmert told the Cabinet the city's 53,000 residents are being "held hostage by a small group of extremists, both Jews and Arabs."Israeli border policemen patrol in a market in the mixed city of Acre, northern Israel, 12 Oct 2008Police say they have arrested instigators of the riots on both sides and they will be punished with the full severity of the law. About 700 police have deployed in Acre since clashes erupted Wednesday on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Though it is customary not to drive on the holiday, an Arab drove through a Jewish neighborhood with music blaring and was attacked by angry residents. Arabs responded by vandalizing Jewish-owned cars and shops. Since then, there have been stone throwing clashes and several Arab homes have been set on fire. Each side is blaming the other for the violence. Jewish residents of Acre say they are intimidated by Arab thugs, but Israeli-Arab civil rights activist Jafar Farach sees things differently. "For the last three years, there was ongoing incitement against the Arab community by political leaders and extreme leaders in the Jewish community," said Farach. Prime Minister Olmert called for Israeli Jews and Arabs to isolate the extremists and live together in tolerance and mutual respect.
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China Aims to Double Income of Farmers in 12 Years
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Communist Party's central committee agree to implement plans to improve farmers' incomes
A farmer walks along a country road near Tianshui in China's northern Gansu province, 12 Oct 2008China's ruling Communist Party says it hopes to double the income of Chinese farmers in 12 years.The official Xinhua news agency says the Communist Party's central committee agreed on a plan of rural reforms Sunday at the end of a four-day meeting in Beijing.Details of the plan were not released, but Xinhua says the party set a goal of doubling the per capita income of rural residents from the current level of around $590 by the year 2020. It says the party also promised to boost spending by farmers and eliminate rural poverty over the same period.The Communist Party's farm plans are designed to reduce a growing income gap between China's urban elite and the vast majority of rural poor.Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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South Korea Says US Deal With North Means Nuclear Disabling Can Resume
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New compromise between US, North Korea aims to make nuclear activities more transparent to the international community
South Korea is welcoming a compromise between the United States and North Korea on inspecting the North's nuclear facilities. The deal removes North Korea from a U.S. list of suspected terrorism sponsors. As Seoul Correspondent Kurt Achin reports, South Korea says it paves the way for the North to resume disabling its nuclear facilities.South Korea is welcoming a new compromise between the United States and North Korea aimed at making the North's nuclear activities more transparent to the international community.Kim Sook, speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, 12 Oct 2008Kim Sook, the chief South Korean envoy to multinational nuclear talks with the North, told reporters in Seoul Sunday his government welcomes the deal as an opportunity that gets the six-nation nuclear talks back on track, and leads to North Korea's eventual abandonment of its nuclear programs.As part of a multiple stage agreement with Japan, the United States, South Korea, China, and Russia, Pyongyang spent the first half of the year actively disabling its main nuclear facility in Yongbyon. It also submitted a declaration of its nuclear activities, limited mainly to Yongbyon's plutonium production.However, when North Korea refused to agree to a plan for confirming the declaration's truthfulness, President Bush delayed the promised removal of the North from a State Department list of nations suspected of sponsoring terrorism. Pyongyang responded angrily by vowing to resume Yongbyon's operations, then barring international inspectors from conducting their usual surveillance of the site. North Korea maintained the terror list removal was entirely separate from the verification talks, and threatened to begin reprocessing nuclear fuel into material useable for weapons.Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill traveled to Pyongyang earlier this month as part of a diplomatic push to overcome the disagreement. U.S. officials announced the compromise in Washington Saturday, simultaneously removing North Korea from the terror list. Washington says inspectors will have access to all of North Korea's declared nuclear sites as well as access "based on mutual consent" to undeclared sites.South Korea's Kim Sook says the success of the deal will depend on cooperation from Pyongyang.He says North Korea will need to work with international inspectors on logistical issues such as selecting sites, providing transportation, and making information available.Not everyone is celebrating the U.S. - North Korea deal. Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, speaking on the sidelines of credit crisis talks in Washington, called the deal "extremely regrettable." Japanese officials have said North Korea should remain on the U.S. terror sponsors list until it fully accounts for Japanese citizens abducted in the past by North Korean agents.Backers of a stringent North Korea policy are also not pleased. Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton calls the verification compromise "pathetic," and says it does not compel North Korea to be sufficiently forthcoming about its nuclear capabilities.
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Obama Thanks McCain for Urging Supporters to be Respectful
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Two candidates on campaign trail as Obama opens lead in new public opinion polls
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has thanked his opponent, Republican John McCain, for asking his supporters to control their angry outbursts at McCain campaign rallies. VOA's Kent Klein reports from Washington. The U.S. presidential election is about three weeks away, and some of John McCain's supporters are growing anxious about Barack Obama's widening lead in public opinion polls. At McCain's rallies, some supporters have been telling the Arizona Republican to become more aggressive in attacking Obama.Man: "We would like you to remain a true American hero. We want you to fight."McCain: "I will fight. But we will be respectful. I admire Senator Obama and his accomplishments, I will respect him, and I want, everyone to be respectful."At a rally in Philadelphia on Saturday, Obama acknowledged McCain's requests to his supporters, and said he appreciates the reminder that political opponents can disagree, while still being respectful of each other. But the Democrat said McCain's economic plans are wrong for the country.Obama has built a lead of between five and 10 percentage points in recent public opinion polls. McCain was booed at a rally in (the North Central state of) Minnesota on Friday, when he tried to reassure one man about Obama's character.Man: "We are scared. We are scared of an Obama presidency."McCain: "I want to be President of the United States, and obviously, I do not want Senator Obama to be. But, I have to tell you, he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as President of the United States."At the same rally, McCain took the microphone away from a woman who had implied that Obama was un-American.Woman: "I cannot trust Obama. I have read about him, and....he is an Arab."McCain: "No, ma'am. No, ma'am. He is a decent family man (and) citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues."As the candidates urged their supporters to focus on the issues, they also continued to emphasize their differences. Obama said on Saturday McCain "still does not get it," regarding the economic crisis.And McCain's running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, criticized Obama Saturday at a rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, for comments he had made earlier in the campaign. "You know, we still do not quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then, though, talks about how bitterly they 'cling to their religion and their guns' when they are not listening. I do not know what to make of a candidate who would say that. We tend to prefer candidates who do not talk about us one way in Johnstown and another way in San Francisco," he said.Meanwhile, a bipartisan state legislative panel ruled Friday that Palin put pressure on a subordinate to fire her former brother-in-law from his job as a state police officer. But the report also concluded that Palin was within her rights to fire the subordinate.
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US Soccer Team Beats Cuba to Advance in Regional Qualifying
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US soccer team scored a 6-1 victory over visiting Cuba in the final round of regional qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa
The U.S. men's soccer team scored a 6-1 victory over visiting Cuba Saturday night to clinch a berth in the final round of regional qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. VOA Sports Editor Parke Brewer was at the match at RFK Stadium in Washington and has a report.On a beautiful fall evening in the nation's capital before a crowd of just over 20,000, the Americans wasted no time against a Cuban team that came into the match with no wins and three losses in semifinal group play.DaMarcus Beasley scored two goals in the Americans' 6-1 win over Cuba, 11 Oct 2008Midfielder DaMarcus Beasley scored in the 10th minute from 12 meters out on the left side of the box."It's always difficult to get the first one, so once we got that one I thought, you know, more will come, hopefully," said Beasley.And it was Beasley himself who added a second goal in the 30th minute beating Cuban goalkeeper Silvio Minoso to the far post.The Cubans got one back two minutes later from Jenzy Munoz who lofted a shot just under the crossbar. But when his teammate Yoel Colome was sent off with his second yellow card just before the intermission, it meant Cuba played a man down for the entire second half.U.S. veteran midfielder Landon Donovan scored three minutes after the intermission to make it 3-1. Forward Brian Ching made it 4-1 in the 63rd minute, and the Americans added two goals in the final minutes. Eighteen year-old substitute Jozy Altidore tallied in the 87th minute after eluding his defender and Oguchi Onyewu, a defenseman who grew up in the Washington suburbs, scored in the 90th minute to make the final 6-1.US coach Bob Bradley, 12 Oct 2008U.S. coach Bob Bradley said he was pleased the way his players moved the ball around against Cuba, and acknowledged when Cuba had to play a man down the visitors faced a difficult challenge."If you stick to doing the right things, if you keep moving, if you keep finding little seams, playing the right ball, then you know that over the course of 90 minutes, they won't be able to keep going. And so I think we had that working for us in the second half, and again that's helped by the fact that a guy [Cuban player] gets sent off right before halftime," he said.The lopsided win puts the U.S. soccer team into the final round of World Cup qualifying from the North, Central America and Caribbean region, even though the Americans still have two semifinal round matches remaining.Next year's final group will include six regional teams, from which three will qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
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