Recession Hits Germany
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Officials in largest European economy blame shrinking exports for contraction; analysts say world's developed nations face prolonged downturn
Stock brokers go about their business at the stock exchange in the central German city of Frankfurt, 10 Nov 2008Evidence is mounting that the global economy is in steep decline, with more bad financial news from Europe and Asia.A report by the German government says the nation is officially in recession, for the first time in five years. The report says the economy shrank by one-half of one percent in the third quarter of 2008 - the second straight quarter of decline. Shrinking exports are blamed for the decline in the world's third-biggest economy.A separate report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts that economic activity will shrink by half a percent in countries using the euro and nine-tenths of a percent in the United States next year.Washington has been trying to boost the battered U.S. economy with a $700 billion rescue plan for the financial industry. Wednesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said he is working to develop ways to assist financial institutions that offer consumers credit for consumer loans for things such as college costs or automobile purchases.That is a new focus for the plan which was first intended buy up troubled investments.The financial crisis tops the agenda Saturday when leaders from the world's 20 biggest industrialized and emerging nations gather in Washington. Global stock markets are mixed Thursday. Key markets in Tokyo and Hong Kong plunged more than five percent. European share prices were mixed in midday trading, while U.S. stock indexes posted gains as markets opened in New York.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Washington Finance Summit Seeks Ways to Combat Economic Slowdown
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Summit is first-ever gathering of leaders from 20 industrialized and developing nations
Amid a dramatic global economic slowdown, leaders of 20 developing and industrialized economies are holding an emergency summit in Washington Saturday, November 15. VOA economics correspondent Barry Wood reports on what may result from a meeting whose formal discussions will last only five hours.Traders on the Tokyo Stock Exchange gaze at digital indicator as Japan's key stock index nose-dives on a rising yen and growing recession fears in Tokyo (File Photo)When world leaders convene in Washington, they will focus on a slowdown that has affected virtually every country. In just months, $25 trillion have been erased from global stock markets. Millions of jobs have been lost, and consumers are holding on to whatever cash they have, sparking further declines.Former US Treasury official Ted Truman helped plan financial meetings of industrialized countries. He believes this broader gathering --not of seven but of 20 -- is significant."I hope it will focus on the big problem we face, which is global recession," he said. To maintain consumer purchasing power and avoid calamity, leaders must commit to coordinated measures, says Wing Thye Woo of Washington's Brookings Institution.
"Boosting government expenditure, lowering interest rates, and countries should not engage in export promotion policies at this point," he explained. World Leaders Some countries, especially China, have already announced emergency spending programs. Experts say China is signaling a desire to play a bigger role in the global economy."They are now important players and will become even more important in the future," Woo said. "We need the Chinese to continue growing fast." The need for better regulation of financial institutions will also be discussed, as will the need for developing economies -- like China and India -- to have a bigger say in the International Monetary Fund.Ted Truman Ted Truman says the financial summit could mark the beginning of regular consultations between developed and developing countries.
"I think the most significant thing about this meeting is that it probably marks the beginning of the end of the G-7 as a summit organization," he said. Annual G-7 summits of the United States, Canada, Japan and western European nations have taken place for over 30 years. The broader group accounts for 75 percent of global output.
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Obama Taps Bipartisan Team for Washington Summit
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Officials say former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a Democrat, and former Republican Congressman Jim Leach will represent president-elect at gathering
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has named a bipartisan duo of Washington veterans to meet with foreign delegations at a global financial summit beginning Saturday in the U.S. capital.Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (file photo)Officials say former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a Democrat, and former Republican Congressman Jim Leach will represent Mr. Obama at the gathering of delegations from 20 countries. President-elect Obama is not attending the summit and will not meet with foreign dignitaries as he has not yet been inaugurated. His aides have said that there is one president at a time in the United States. President George Bush called the summit of the world's richest nations and biggest emerging economies to seek ways to prevent future financial crises.Mr. Obama, however, has been in touch with many foreign leaders who called to congratulate him on his election last week. They included the leaders of Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico and South Korea. The president-elect has also spoken with Mwai Kibaki, the president of his late father's country, Kenya, as well as with Pope Benedict XVI.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Gates Criticizes Latest Russian Missile Threats
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US defense secretary calls Russia's threats to deploy missiles in Kaliningrad 'provocative and misguided'
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Russian threats to place tactical missiles near Poland's borders, in response to U.S. missile defense plans, are "hardly the welcome" a new U.S. president deserves.U.S. Defense Sec. Robert Gates at a press conference during informal NATO- Ukraine consultations, Tallinn, 13 Nov 2008Gates spoke Thursday in Estonia, after an informal meeting of NATO defense ministers with their Ukrainian counterpart. He noted that Russian President Dmitri Medvedev's threat last week to place missiles in its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad came hours after the U.S. presidential election had concluded. He called the threat provocative and misguided.Gates attended the NATO meeting to highlight U.S. support for eastern European allies currently under fire from Moscow for efforts to build closer ties with the West.The United States wants to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and guidance radar in the Czech Republic, to protect U.S. allies from possible attacks by Iran. Moscow says the missile system will destabilize Europe and lead to a new arms race.On arrival in Tallinn Wednesday, Gates said Russia should not seek to prevent former Soviet allies from fully integrating with the West. He also said he wanted to reaffirm Washington's commitment to Baltic countries Ukraine and Georgia. Gates said NATO is working on defense plans for Estonia and other alliance members. He also promised funding to boost Estonian cyber security. Some NATO allies are reluctant to move too fast in admitting the former Soviet allies, so as to avoid angering Moscow.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Iranian Diplomat Kidnapped in Northwestern Pakistan
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Officials say attack happened in Peshawar, Iranian consul's guard was killed in attack
Unidentified gunmen in Pakistan have abducted an Iranian diplomat after killing his security guard in Peshawar. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad the kidnapping occurred a day after an American aid worker and his local driver were shot dead in the troubled northwestern city. A senior police officer, Jawad Qamar, told VOA by telephone from Peshawar that the Iranian diplomat, Hashmatullah Attarzadeh, was ambushed as he drove to the consulate in the city. "He left his home for the consulate. He had a police guard with him. A white car in which there were allegedly three to four armed criminals, they intercepted his car, they fired upon the police guard, killed him and kidnapped the Iranian consul," said Qamar.Pakistani police officer looks at bullet hole in windshield of Iranian diplomat's car after attack in Peshawar, 13 Nov 2008The ambush took place a day after unknown gunmen killed an American aid worker and his local driver in Peshawar. The victims were employees of a U.S-based aid organization working on a development project in the region. Thursday's kidnapping happened in the same area where Afghanistan's ambassador-designate was abducted in September. He is still missing. Peshawar is the last city on the road to the Khyber Pass, the main land route to Afghanistan. It is also the capital city of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, where militants linked to al-Qaida and the Taliban have carried out frequent high-profile kidnappings, suicide bombings and deadly attacks on security forces in recent months. These insurgents are also believed to be using the Pakistani border region for cross-border raids on NATO and Afghan forces.Early this week, pro-Taliban militants seized 13 trucks carrying supplies to foreign forces in Afghanistan as they drove through the Khyber Pass.Taliban militants are believed to be behind the kidnappings of two Chinese engineers and a Polish surveyor. The men were abducted from two different districts in the northwest of the country. Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq, condemned the kidnappings, saying Pakistan has assured their respective countries it is making all possible efforts to secure their safe release. But he dismissed the incidents will undermine Pakistan's relations with its friendly countries."The government has reaffirmed its commitment that all the kidnapped diplomats or foreigners will be recovered as soon as possible. These are very sad incidents, but we hope that they will not affect the relationships as such because we [Pakistan] are passing through a difficult phase, difficult period," said Sadiq.Pakistani security forces are said to have killed up to 2,000 militants since early August during anti-insurgent military operations in the Swat district and the Bajaur tribal region on the Afghan border. U.S.-led coalition forces based in Afghanistan also have stepped up missile strikes in Pakistan's mountainous Waziristan border region targeting al-Qaida bases and training facilities. These attacks have killed scores of people, mostly militants, but Pakistani leaders condemn the U.S. move as a violation of their country's sovereignty, saying the strikes are fueling anti-America sentiment and hurting the government's anti-terror efforts.
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Afghanistan Suicide Bombing Targets US Military Convoy
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10 civilians, one US soldier killed in Nangarhar province attack
U.S. officials and local police in eastern Afghanistan say a suicide bomber has killed at least 11 people and wounded 74 others in an attack aimed at a U.S. military convoy. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Kabul.U.S. soldiers walk by a vehicle damaged in a suicide attack in Batti Kot district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, 13 Nov 2008Local police in the Bati Kot District of Nangarhar province said the blast occurred after dawn when a bomber driving a small passenger car targeted a nearby coalition convoy. Interior Ministry spokesman Zamary Bashary said many people had gathered in the area for a weekly livestock market. "Prior to reaching the convoy he detonated himself and since there was a bazaar there, children were going to school - so unfortunately children were included in those injured," Bashary said. Awal Jan was unloading cows from his truck when the bomb detonated. He said many people ran, but there were scores of others on the ground. He said most of those who were wounded or killed were the people who came to buy the animals. He said they were hit by the shrapnel.The military said one soldier was among those killed. Local doctors said the wounded have been transported to two nearby hospitals. They said some of the wounded people are in critical condition.The attack occurred about 25 kilometers from Jalalabad, a major city where U.S. bases provide support for missions in eastern Afghanistan. The region has experienced a surge in violence in 2008, contributing to the highest annual death toll for U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion. The suicide blast is the second in as many days. On Wednesday, a suicide bomber driving a truck packed with explosives attacked a provincial government compound in Kandahar province. The blast flattened several nearby buildings, killing six people and wounding more than 40.
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South Korea Seeks Talks as North Takes Dramatic Self-Isolation Steps
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Seoul says US will contact North soon to discuss latest snag in efforts to get rid of nuclear weapons
South Korea says it wants dialogue with North Korea as soon as possible. The North has taken several dramatic steps to isolate itself from South Korea, and possibly from the United States and even China. VOA's Kurt Achin has more from Seoul.South Korea says the United States will contact North Korea soon to discuss the latest snag in efforts to get rid of the North's nuclear weapons.Pyongyang says inspections to verify the accuracy of a nuclear declaration it made earlier this year will be limited only to field visits, and that no samples of nuclear material will be allowed to leave the country.South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan speaks during National Press Club forum in Seoul, 13 Nov 2008South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan says the North is not living up to the nuclear verification deal it agreed to recently with the United States. He says the North Korean announcement is a direct contradiction of what South Korea and the United States have understood up to now. He expresses South Korea's regret about that.The North's nuclear move comes alongside several other apparent steps to isolate itself. Officials in Beijing were unable to confirm a media report Thursday citing travel agents that North Korea is restricting travel by visitors across its border with China. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang says he has not heard of any abnormal situation on the North Korean border, but will investigate.North Korean media has informed its citizens about a border warning it issued to South Korea this week.A North Korean newsreader says as of December 1, the country will prohibit crossings of the military demarcation line which separates the two Koreas.South Korean Unification Ministry Spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun says Pyongyang has suspended crucial telephone lines that help the two Koreas carry out basic communication.He says North Korea has blocked telephone landlines between authorities and the International Red Cross at the North-South border village of Panmunjeom. Now, he says, the North will not even accept test calls.The two Koreas are technically at war. Only a temporary 1953 armistice halted fighting three years after the North invaded the South. North Korea has repeatedly warned the South in recent weeks to prevent civic groups from launching balloon-borne leaflets into the North's territory. The leaflets are severely critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, and contain highly sensitive information about his prolonged public absence and possible recovery from a stroke he may have suffered earlier this year.South Korea's Defense Ministry says it managed to fax a message to the North saying it is trying to stop the leaflet launches. Lee Sang-cheol is the Ministry's director of North Korea policy.He says he hopes talks can be arranged with North Korea soon.
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Israeli Blockade Creates Food Shortages in Gaza
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Move is response to Palestinian rocket attacks; UN official condemns attacks but says cutting off food supplies is collective punishment
A crippling Israeli blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip is creating food shortages. Robert Berger reports from the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.Palestinian refugees wait to receive their monthly supplies of flour at a United Nations food aid distribution center, in Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Wednesday, 12 Nov. 2008.A U.N. flour warehouse in Gaza is empty a week after Israel halted shipments in response to Palestinian rocket attacks. A warehouse containing canned meat is also about to run out of supplies, affecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. U.N. spokesman Chris Gunness condemned the rocket attacks. "They are an abomination and they have to stop," Gunness said. But he said cutting off food supplies is collective punishment. "We would love to see the borders open because you know, we have supplies going to blind children in Gaza; they are not firing rockets and they should not be punished," Gunness said. A wave of clashes during the past week is testing a five-month-old ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza.
Fighting erupted when Israel launched a cross-border raid to destroy a tunnel the army said was going to be used to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Seven Palestinian gunmen were killed in the raid. Hamas has retaliated with rocket and mortar fire. Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner says the flow of supplies into Gaza depends on Hamas halting the attacks. "At the end of the day, the Gazan authority, namely the Hamas terrorist organization, they have to control what is going in and around Gaza," Lerner said. "Otherwise the crossings will remain closed." Israel has also barred journalists from entering Gaza, prompting this protest from Foreign Press Association Chairman Steven Gutnik. "This is a serious violation of freedom of the press," Gutnik said. "It is essential that journalists be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip since it is the foreign media that serves as the world's window into Gaza." Israel says it will not be business as usual in Gaza as long as rockets are being fired across the border.
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Jailed Ex-Taiwanese President on Hunger Strike
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Attorney Cheng Wen-long says former president staging his hunger strike to call attention to 'death' of justice in Taiwan
The lawyer for ex-Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian says his client has begun a hunger strike to protest his arrest on several counts of official corruption.Former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian raises handcuffs as he is led away from prosecutor's office in Taipei, 11 Nov 2008Mr. Chen was detained Wednesday over allegations of graft, bribery, illegal possession of state assets, and other offenses that he says are politically motivated. He was jailed after several hours of questioning. Attorney Cheng Wen-long says the former president is staging his hunger strike to call attention to the "death" of justice in Taiwan, and the regression of democracy on the self-ruled island.The pro-independence Mr. Chen has accused his successor, Ma Ying-jeou, of bringing the charges to appease China. Mr. Ma succeeded Mr. Chen in May on a platform of improving relations with Beijing. President Ma has denied his predecessor's charges. A spokeswoman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office has rejected Mr. Chen's allegation that China was involved in the arrest.Mr. Chen's wife, Wu Shu-chen, is under investigation in the same case. His wife is also accused of embezzling more than $400,000 from a special presidential fund in a case dating back two years.Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Bush Receives Humanitarian Award for Africa Aid Efforts
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US President is latest recipient of the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Award
President Bush has received a major humanitarian award for his work in Africa. VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson has details.
George W. Bush (file photo) The president is the latest recipient of the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Award - given each year to leaders who have made a significant commitment to Africa.
President Bush was honored for his efforts throughout his administration to combat disease across the continent. At the same time, he has expanded U.S. development assistance through his Millennium Challenge initiative which links aid to political and economic reforms.
He says America has an obligation to help the people of Africa. "It is in our national security interest that we defeat hopelessness. It is in our economic interest that we help economies grow. And it is in our moral interest that when we find hunger and suffering, the United States of America responds in a robust and effective way," he said.
The award was presented by the group Africare - which focuses attention on the problems facing Africa, and coordinates programs in areas ranging from clean water, to refugee relief.
Africare's annual dinner in Washington is one of the largest events held each year in the United States for Africa - bringing together more than thousand of international government and corporate leaders.
Mr. Bush told his audience that seeing the results of U.S. efforts to fight disease and poverty in Africa first hand has been one of the most uplifting experiences of his life.
He recalled a visit to a hospital in Tanzania that tests babies for malaria and helps mothers obtain bed nets to keep away disease-carrying mosquitoes while their children sleep. "I cannot tell you the expression of pride they had on their face when they held their babies up and said, 'my baby is healthy.' Nothing more hopeful than to see the joy on a mother's face, realizing that her baby has escaped the scourge of the deadly disease of malaria," he said.
Mr. Bush said he is especially proud of his effort to provide treatment for one-point-seven million people battling AIDS through PEPFAR - the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. He told the story of a South African mother whose life was saved at a PEPFAR clinic. She later brought her son, Baron, to the White House to bear witness as President Bush signed an extension of the AIDS treatment program into law.
"Baron is a reminder of the many lives that have been touched and saved by the compassion of the American people. And he represents the bright and promising future awaiting the folks in Africa," he said.
The president also reflected on the past recipients of Africare's Walker Award and said he is in very good company. They include former South African President Nelson Mandela, former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
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Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch Remains on Track
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Endeavour's seven astronauts will be bringing extra bedrooms, another bathroom and a kitchenette to increase the living space aboard the International Space Station
All systems are go for Friday's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Endeavour's mission to the International Space Station. VOA's Jessica Berman reports the mission comes amid uncertainty at the US space agency NASA over the direction it will take under the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama.
The crew of space shuttle Endeavour have spent hours studying the plan for a busy 15 days in spaceNASA officials have given the green light for launch Friday night of the space shuttle Endeavour barring any bad weather.
But for now, the head of the mission management team, LeRoy Cain says everything look good for lift off. "Everybody is 'go' to proceed on toward launch on Friday of STS 126. So, we're ready to go. The vehicle and crew and the ground teams have prepared very hard for this mission."
Endeavour's seven astronauts will be bringing extra bedrooms, another bathroom and a kitchenette to increase the living space aboard the orbiting scientific outpost, which currently houses three permanent astronauts.
The expansion is designed to make room for a total crew of six astronauts to live and work aboard the space station beginning in the middle of next year.
The shuttle is also delivering a recycling system which will turn waste water and urine into drinkable water on the space station.
During the 15-day mission, Endeavour's crew will perform four complicated space walks to repair and lubricate a massive solar array joint which is essential for the panels to track the sun. They will also perform preventive maintenance on the second solar joint.
With an aging space shuttle fleet that's increasingly in need of repair and due to be retired in 2010, NASA officials are looking toward the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama for the future of the space agency.
The space agency has planned between ten and twelve more shuttle flights, but Cain says it's possible the program could be extended. "However many more times we are directed to fly as a matter of policy, we will do it with flight safety being at the very top of the list in terms of things of importance," he said.
Meanwhile, NASA officials say there's a forty percent chance that a cool front of rain and heavy clouds moving toward the launch pad in Florida could postpone Endeavour's Friday's lift-off until Saturday.
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