Asian, European Leaders Pledge Economic Reform
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At the end of their two-day summit in Beijing, 40 members of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) made a show of unity to reassure frightened investors and try to bring stability to world markets
Asian and European leaders have promised to take effective and comprehensive actions to reform world monetary and financial systems.ASEM delegation members during closing of 7th Asia Europe Meeting in Beijing, 25 Oct 2008At the end of their two-day summit in Beijing, the 40 members of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) made a show of unity to reassure frightened investors and try to bring stability to world markets.During the meeting, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said officials must use every means to prevent the financial crisis from having an impact on the real economy. He called for stricter regulation of economic systems, saying lessons must be learned from the current crisis.The Chinese premier said China will take an active part in the Group of 20 summit on the financial crisis that U.S. President George Bush will host in Washington on November 15th. The G-20 includes major industrialized nations and key emerging-market countries like China, India and Brazil.Stock markets around the world suffered major losses last week. Key U.S. stock indexes closed down more than three percent Friday. European markets also fell, closing down as much as five percent after a report that the British economy is on the brink of recession. Markets in the Middle East began a new week of trading Sunday with indications that the downward trend is continuing. All the indexes there opened sharply lower.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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McCain Dismisses Polls Showing Him Behind Obama
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During an interview on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday, McCain -- a Republican -- said the race is very close
U.S. presidential candidate John McCain has dismissed recent opinion polls that place him behind his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama.An image of Sen. John McCain is seen on a television as the media pool watches live in the parking lot of KWWL-TV as McCain participates in "Meet the Press" in Waterloo, Iowa, 26 Oct. 2008During an interview on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday, McCain -- a Republican -- said the race is very close. He added that he believes he will win the November fourth election.Recent polls show McCain trailing Obama -- in some cases by double digits.Senator McCain was to hold a rally today in the midwestern state of Iowa before heading to Ohio, considered one of the most important states to win in the election. Senator Obama will appear at two rallies in Colorado. On Saturday, he campaigned in the neighboring state of New Mexico, and even farther west in Nevada. The Illinois senator returned to the campaign trail Saturday after visiting his gravely ill grandmother in Hawaii. Madelyn Dunham, who raised Obama, turns 86 Sunday.In a separate development, Obama's aides announced former President Bill Clinton will campaign with the Democratic candidate for the first time at a rally this week in Florida.
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Israel Heads for Early Elections After Livni Fails to Form Coalition
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Tzipi Livni's failure to form a government is a setback for efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians by year's end
Israel is headed for early elections, after Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni on Sunday announced she has given up efforts to form a coalition government. Livni's failure to form a government is a setback for efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians by year's end. VOA Jerusalem correspondent Luis Ramirez reports. Israeli Foreign Minister and Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni speaks following a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres at his residence in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008For weeks, Tzipi Livni has been negotiating with Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party. Livni was elected head of the centrist Kadima party last month, and was due to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who resigned last month amid corruption allegations. Livni was given several weeks to form a coalition government or face early elections.On Sunday, Livni announced she was dropping efforts to form a government. She said she decided to stop the talks when it became clear that parties were taking advantage of the opportunity to pose what she said were illegitimate economic and political demands. Livni told reporters on Sunday she had informed President Shimon Peres that, given the circumstances, there would have to be elections as soon as possible. It is now up to President Peres to call for the poll, which could take place in February, more than a year ahead of schedule.Parties in Israel are deeply divided over how to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians. The Shas party has opposed any Israeli concession on Jerusalem, the eastern part of which the Palestinians want as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Livni was unwilling to promise Shas hundreds of millions of dollars it demanded for welfare and religious programs. The party's support base is largely among Israel's impoverished, ultra-conservative Jewish factions. Speaking on Israeli radio, Shas leader Eli Yishai said his party cannot be bought and will not sell Jerusalem. He said that has been the party's message since the start of talks, and once its demands on Jerusalem and child allowances were not met, the party decided it could not join the government. Livni has preferred to push for a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. Her centrist position will be put to the test in new elections that analysts say will be tough for her party to win. Support has been building in Israel for Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party, as many Israelis have expressed growing uneasiness over what they perceive as the growing threat of Iran and its nuclear ambitions. Concern is also mounting over instability in the Palestinian territories, which are divided between the moderate Fatah faction in the West Bank and the rival militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. With Israel's internal politics in turmoil, prospects of negotiating a deal with the Palestinians soon appeared unlikely.A Palestinian negotiator on Sunday said he hopes Israel will stay the course and continue with the peace process. Talks brokered by the United States since last November have made little visible progress, and both sides said it will be difficult for them to reach an agreement by year's end as Washington has urged them to do.
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Israeli Settlers Rampage After Settlement Dismantled
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Palestinian residents say Jewish settlers vandalized graves in a Muslim cemetery and slashed car tires after Israeli forces dismantled a settlement outpost
Israeli soldiers stand guard as a Palestinian man harvests olives near the Jewish settlement of Tal Romeda outside the West Bank city of Hebron, 24 Oct 2008Jewish settlers rampaged through the West Bank city of Hebron Sunday after Israeli forces dismantled a settlement outpost.Israeli authorities say at least four settlers were arrested, including a few who attacked members of Israel's security forces, in this latest occurrence of settler violence.Palestinian residents say the settlers vandalized graves in a Muslim cemetery and slashed car tires.The incident occurred one day after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas deployed hundreds of security officers to the city as part of a widening security crackdown. Officials say nearly 600 security forces entered the city before dawn on Saturday. They say the deployment took place with the coordination of the Israeli army, in a city divided between Palestinian and Israeli residents.Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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Iraq's Main Sunni Party Suspends Ties with US
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Move comes after an Iraqi man was killed and five arrested in a raid in Fallujah
Iraq's largest Sunni political party says it has suspended official contacts with U.S. military and civilian personnel after an Iraqi man was killed and five arrested in a raid in Fallujah.In a statement Saturday, the Iraqi Islamic Party demanded an explanation about what happened, along with an apology. The party also demanded assurances that those responsible will be punished.The party said the targets of the raid were party members. But the U.S. military said one man had been arrested and one had been killed in a joint U.S.-Iraqi raid against a suspected militant in Fallujah.Also Saturday, the U.S. military in Iraq said Iraqi security forces captured 15 suspected criminals and al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists in separate operations in northern Iraq during the past several days, October 21 through 24.The individuals are believed to be linked to intimidation attacks, weapons smuggling, attacks against coalition and Iraqi forces, and other criminal activities. They were detained during operations in Mosul, Samarra and Husaybah.
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Afghan, Pakistan Leaders to Meet in Islamabad to Discuss Insurgency
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Afghans are hoping the conference can agree on a road map to peace for both countries
About 50 Afghan political and tribal leaders have gone to Pakistan for a meeting with their Pakistani counterparts to discuss the insurgency on both sides of the border. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman in Kabul reports the Afghans are hoping the conference can agree on a road map to peace for both countries. Politicians, respected elders and Muslim clerics from Afghanistan and Pakistan will hold talks - dubbed as a mini-jirga -- in Islamabad from Monday to see if they can agree on joint action to end the rising violence by al-Qaida and Taliban militants. The jirga system has been used for more than one thousand years by the region's Pashtun tribal leaders to decide important matters. The two-day meeting in Pakistan is seen as a follow-up to a grand jirga last year in Kabul, when Afghans and Pakistanis pledged not to let their respective countries become training centers and sanctuaries for terrorism. The reality is that militants, fighting both governments, continue to operate in the two countries.The Afghan delegation, composed of all the major ethnic components in the country, is being led by former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah. Just before boarding the flight from Kabul to Islamabad, he told reporters the Afghans would do their best to reach agreement with their Pakistani counterparts on the path to peace. But Abdullah cautions against expectations of quick results, saying it is difficult to solve a deep-rooted problem by taking just one step. Analysts say the jirga system can play a major role as Pashtuns live in both countries and some sympathize with the Taliban, who are also mainly Pashtun.With attacks on the increase in Afghanistan and Pakistan the mini-jirga could decide to expedite dialog with the Taliban. Many prominent voices in the international community are endorsing the idea of talks with the fundamentalist rebels here, if the Taliban agree to the Afghan government's conditions to recognize the country's constitution and lay down their weapons. Afghanistan's Taliban have expanded the number of bombing attacks in their guerilla war against the government. In Pakistan, the Taliban there have been linked to al-Qaida and their Afghan counterparts. There are 70,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, combating the insurgency and helping to rebuild the country devastated by decades of war and the Taliban regime, which was ousted by U.S. forces seven years ago.
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Militants, Pro-Gov't Group Clash in Northwestern Pakistan, 15 Dead
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Officials say three commanders are among the 10 militants killed in the battle Sunday in the Matta district of Northwest Frontier Province
Pakistani officials say at least 15 people have died in a gunbattle between militants and local pro-government fighters in the northwestern Swat valley.Officials say three commanders were among the 10 militants killed in the battle Sunday in the Matta district of Northwest Frontier Province. At least five pro-government fighters also died.A Pakistani armored vehicle fires toward Taliban positions in Loi Sam, in the Bajaur tribal region, Pakistan, 25 Oct 2008Reports say the fighting began after militants took at least 60 people hostage.In the same province today. police say the brother of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was shot dead and left in a canal in Bannu district. Residents say the victim, Yahya, was not involved in Taliban activities. It is not clear why he was killed.In the nearby Bajaur tribal region Sunday, Pakistani security officials say government forces killed at least eight militants with the help of military helicopters. The military says nearly 1,500 suspected militants and 73 troops have died during a two-month-long offensive in Bajaur. Bajaur borders Afghanistan and is one of the tribal areas where the Pakistani government previously had little influence. Taliban and al-Qaida militants regularly launch cross-border raids into Afghanistan from the mountainous region.On Saturday, the military said it recaptured a key border town in Bajaur, dealing a severe blow to the militants' communication lines.The commander of the Bajaur offensive, Major-General Tariq Khan, said Loisam village was destroyed in heavy fighting. He warned it could take several more months before Pakistani authorities gain complete control of the region.The United Nations says the fighting has displaced about 190,000 people, many of whom have fled to Afghanistan.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters, AFP and AP.
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Congolese Rebels Seize Military Base, National Park
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Unknown number of people have been killed as civilians fled the area where rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda and government troops traded gunfire
Indian UN soldiers drive past people fleeing fighting, near Kibumba, some 40 kilometers north of Goma in eastern Congo, 26 Oct 2008Rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have seized a military base and captured the headquarters of a national park.Forces loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda launched a new offensive in North Kivu province Sunday, overrunning an army base near the town of Rumangabo and driving park rangers out of Virunga National Park.Civilians fled the area as rebels and government troops traded gunfire and artillery. Witnesses say an unknown number of people were killed.Virunga is home to about 200 rare mountain gorillas. The park has often been the scene of battles, and conservationists worry about the impact on the gorilla population.Nkunda's followers seized the same military base near Rumangabo earlier this month, although the army soon drove them back out.Officials from the World Food Program say the renewed fighting has driven some 200,000 people from their homes since August. The newly-displaced join another 1.2 million driven from their homes since early 2007, when the clashes began.The agency warned last week that the situation is deteriorating and that it urgently needs assistance to keep up with the needs of the displaced population.Nkunda says his rebel militia is defending Tutsi civilians from Hutu fighters from neighboring Rwanda. Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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US Pledges Additional $320 Million in Fight Against Bird Flu
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Pledge announced at international conference in Egypt at Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh
A U.S. official says the United States will provide an additional 320-million dollars for the global fight against bird flu.Paula Dobriansky (file photo)Undersecretary
of State Paula Dobriansky announced the pledge Saturday at an
international bird flu conference in Egypt at the Red Sea resort of
Sharm el-Sheikh.She warned against complacency in fighting avian flu, which the United Nations says could cause a pandemic.The
U.S. pledge brings to about $950 million Washington's total
contribution to fight bird flu, which has killed 245 people in Asia,
Africa and Europe since 2003. In some cases, the avian virus
has been passed from infected birds to humans with fatal results.
Experts fear the virus could become transmissible from person to person.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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Phillies Wins Dramatic World Series Game 3
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Host Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-4, in a dramatic Game 3 contest that ended well past midnight Saturday
The Philadelphia Phillies have taken a two games to one lead in Major League Baseball's best-of-seven World Series. The host Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-4, in a dramatic Game 3 contest that ended well past midnight Saturday. VOA Sports Editor Parke Brewer was there and has a report. The ground crew moving water off the tarp, 25 Oct 2008The Phillies scored on a short infield hit by catcher Carlos Ruiz with the bases-loaded and no one out in the last of the ninth inning to gain the 5-4 victory in Game 3.With strong, gusting winds and hard rain, it looked for awhile like the first outdoor game of this World Series might have to be postponed.The first two games had been played at the Rays' indoor stadium in Florida.But the storm system finally moved through Philadelphia, and after a 91-minute delay from the scheduled start time, the game got underway at 10:06pm. It was the latest start to a game on record in World Series history.The Phillies had their patient fans in sold-out Citizens Bank Park on their feet in the very first inning.Shortstop Jimmy Rollins led off with a single, took second on a walk to the next batter, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a ground ball out to first by second baseman Chase Utley.The fans packed into the concourse under cover out of the rain, 25 Oct 2008The Rays tied the game in their next at-bat, but the Phllies went right back ahead in their half of the second inning on a solo home run by Ruiz. Utley and Phillies' slugger Ryan Howard made it 4-1 in the sixth inning on back-to-back solo home runs. The Rays cut the lead to 4-3 in the seventh inning and tied the game at 4-all in the eighth.For the nearly 46,000 Philadelphia fans who stuck around until the Phillies scored the winning run in the ninth inning at almost 2 am, the wait was worth it.All three games in this series have been close, and Phillies' manager Charlie Manual said they could have gone either way."We're 2-1, and actually we could have been 3-0, or basically Tampa could have been 3-0. I mean games have been real close, and there's been chances for both teams to win all the games," said manual. "And, so far, it's been an outstanding series."Ryan Howard, who broke out of his hitting slump with his home run, put this win in perspective.
"It was definitely huge, you know, to come out here and win the first game here in Philly [Philadelphia]. You know, you definitely want to come out and try to set the tone and put you in a good position to try to come out tomorrow [Sunday] and try to get another game," said Howard.This was the first World Series game in this East coast city in 15 years, and the Phillies will try to take a commanding three games to one lead at home in Game 4 Sunday night.
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