Bombings Kill at Least 19 in Iraqi Capital
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Dozens have also been injured in the two attacks that ripped through Baghdad Monday morning
Iraqi police say at least 19 people have been killed in two bombings in the capital, Baghdad. Edward Yeranian reports for VOA from Cairo.An Iraqi woman cries out in pain as she is treated for burns after a bus bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, 24 Nov. 2008Iraqi police say at least a dozen employees of the Iraqi Trade Ministry were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near a passenger bus transporting them to work.A second explosion took place less than an hour later, when a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a checkpoint leading into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. Five people, including two members of the Iraqi army, were killed in the blast. Officials say at least 12 people were wounded. In a third explosion, a roadside bomb apparently targeting an Iraqi police patrol reportedly killed one person and wounded five others.The Green Zone houses Iraq's parliament, the U.S. Embassy and several Iraqi government offices.Iraq's parliament has been debating a new military pact with the United States at quarters inside the Green Zone. Sargent Chris Stagner, a spokesman for U.S. military forces in Baghdad, called the acts a despicable attempt to strike fear into the hearts of Iraqis and negatively affect their quality of life.Iraqi security forces inspect the wreckage of a bus bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, 24 Nov. 2008The bombing at the Green Zone checkpoint had by far the most political impact of the three explosions, with Iraqi intelligence services coming under attack at their heavily manned checkpoint, just dozens of meters from their headquarters.The last time the Green Zone came under attack was on October 7th, when two separate explosions, just outside the Zone wounded a handful of civilians and an Iraqi soldier.Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki says that a vote by parliament not to approve the new three-year U.S.-Iraqi military pact would have the undesired consequences of forcing coalition forces to withdraw at the end of their December 31 U.N. mandate.Mr. Maliki says that he is asking parliament to vote to approve the new U.S.-Iraqi military pact because the alternative, a sudden U.S. withdrawal, would have undesirable consequences and would probably not be in Iraq's best interests.The Iraqi parliament is scheduled to vote on the new military pact on Wednesday, amid attempts to obstruct approval by radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his 30-member parliamentary block, along with a coalition of Sunni Arab and secular groups.Analysts say attempts to postpone debate of the new accord could disrupt the process entirely, or force the debate to continue until year's end. They say the annual Islamic pilgrimage, or Haj, begins around December 7, and many top Iraqi politicians will leave for Saudi Arabia, soon, paralyzing all political business.
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Obama Names Choices for Top Economic Posts
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New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner named to lead the Treasury Department
President-elect Barack Obama, right, introduces Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner and Council of Economic Advisers Chair-designate Christina RomerU.S. President-elect Barack Obama has nominated New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner to lead the Treasury Department, former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers to head the National Economic Council, and Christina Romer to his Council of Economic Advisers.
Geithner has been deeply involved in the current administration's effort to rescue battered U.S. financial markets. Mr. Obama said Geithner has a "unique" insight into the crisis.
The president-elect said he is drawing his economic team from the "best minds in America" and credited Summers with good work in coping with previous international economic crises.
Mr. Obama said crafting an effective economic recovery plan is the new team's top priority. He called for a big stimulus package that will "jolt the economy back into shape" and said he intends to create two and a half million jobs.
The stimulus plan will be far larger than the one the Bush administration used to briefly boost the U.S. economy earlier this year, and much bigger than the $175 billion package Mr. Obama had proposed earlier.
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Pirates Holding Saudi Tanker Dismiss Islamist Threats
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Pirate leader tells VOA the supertanker Sirius Star remains anchored off the Somali coast, though residents of Haradhere tell VOA the pirates took the ship out of the area
The leader of a Somali pirate group holding a Saudi-owned supertanker carrying $100 million in oil has denied reports the group has moved the vessel away from the coast of the central Somali town of Haradhere, where it had been anchored for more than a week. Eyewitnesses said the pirates moved the ship after Islamist militants threatened to rescue the supertanker by force. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has this exclusive story from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.
Click image to see larger mapSpeaking to VOA by satellite telephone aboard the hijacked supertanker, the pirate leader, who refuses to be identified, insisted the vessel is still anchored off the coast of El Gaan near the central Somali town of Haradhere.
The pirate said his group has not taken the tanker from the area and they are not concerned about being attacked by the al-Shabab or by any other Islamist group. He declined to confirm reports that his group may reduce the $25 million dollar ransom demand for the release of the tanker and its 25-member crew.
A resident in Haradhere, who wished to remain anonymous because of security concerns, told VOA the pirates took the ship and headed out to sea two days ago. That ship is very far from town now, the resident said. He added the pirates fled because they feared Islamist militias were preparing to mount an assault to free the ship.
The hijacked Saudi-owned oil tanker MV Sirius Star is at anchor off the coast of Somalia, 19 Nov 2008 On 15 November, pirates brazenly attacked the Saudi-owned Sirius Star, a 330-meter supertanker transporting two million barrels of crude to North America. The pirates captured the ship nearly 800 kilometers off shore as it sailed toward the Cape of Good Hope.
Somali Islamist groups waging an insurgency against the country's transitional federal government and its Ethiopian backers called the hijacking a crime against Islam and have demanded the immediate release of the tanker.
The condemnation is a show of unity from an Islamist movement that has split and is now largely divided between the Islamic Courts Union, which was ousted from power by Ethiopia with U.S. support in early 2006, and the far more radical Shabab group, once the military wing of the courts. It is listed as an al-Qaida-linked terror group by the United States.
There are unconfirmed reports that dozens of Islamic courts militiamen, who control Haradhere, stormed the port last Friday to hunt for the pirates.
Somali pirates have carried out dozens of successful hijackings of private yachts, bulk carriers, and freighters off the coast of Somalia this year, earning them tens of millions of dollars in ransom. Their activities have driven up shipping costs and insurance premiums, prompting navies from the United States, India, Russia, and several NATO countries to dispatch more warships to the area to safeguard global trade and commerce.
In the southern port city of Kismayo, the spokesman of the city's Shabab-led administration, Hassan Yacub, denies western allegations the militants are colluding with pirates and benefiting from ransom payments. He told VOA the Islamists will stamp out piracy if they regain power in Somalia.
The Shabab spokesman said an Islamist administration in Somalia would safeguard the waters off its coast, and said pirates who do not stop their activities would be dealt with severely.
In recent months, Islamists have re-captured most of southern and central Somalia and are closing in on the Somali capital Mogadishu. There were hardly any acts of piracy during the six months the Islamic Courts Union was in power in 2006. Under Islamic law, piracy is punishable by death.
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Dozens of Rebels, Troops Killed in Sri Lanka Fighting
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Officials say 120 rebels, 27 soldiers were killed and 80 rebels, 70 soldiers wounded
Sri Lankan soldiers patrol in a railway station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 23 Nov 2008Heavy fighting rages on in Sri Lanka's rebel-held north as the military continues its campaign to push the Tamil Tigers from the area.Defense officials say Monday 120 rebels were killed and 80 wounded during clashes Sunday near the Tiger's political capital of Kilinochchi.The pro-rebel Web site TamilNet reports that 43 government soldiers were killed. However, military officials say 27 soldiers died and 70 were wounded. It is not possible to confirm the military or rebels' claims in Sri Lanka's civil war because journalists are banned from traveling to the conflict zone.The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 to create an independent state in Sri Lanka's north and east. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict.Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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Protests Force Government to Postpone Parliament Meeting in Bangkok
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Protesters blocked building's gates in effort to prevent lawmakers from holding session on constitutional amendment
Thailand's opposition has called on the government to open talks with anti-government protesters, in a bid to ease political tension after a major rally outside parliament prevented a joint house meeting from taking place. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, the rally that drew tens of thousands opposing the government went off peacefully, after police and security forces allowed it to proceed.Thai riot police officers confront anti-government protesters during a mass rally in Bangkok, Thailand Monday, 24 Nov. 2008A rally by tens of thousands of anti-government protesters surrounded parliament in the Thai capital, Monday, leading the house speaker to postpone a joint session aimed at passing key legislation. By mid-morning speakers from the People's Alliance for Democracy or PAD, triumphantly told supporters the government was unable to hold the meeting. Electrical power supplies had been cut to the parliament building.The PAD has laid siege to a government administrative building since late August, in a bid overthrow the government, which it claims to be a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.Early Monday, police allowed the tens of thousands of demonstrators to gather outside the parliament. The peaceful nature of the rally stood in contrast to a similar protest in early October, when security forces opened fire with tear gas and two people died and some 400 others were injured.Elsewhere Monday, hundreds of anti-government protesters blocked access to the Metropolitan Police headquarters and other key ministries.Chris Baker, an author and commentator on Thai politics, says, despite the absence of violence, the outlook remains uncertain, with both pro- and anti-government sides looking to a "trial of strength" in numbers to win public support. He says the PAD's strategy had been to concentrate on what he calls "symbolic targets." "This is quiet a clever strategic move, to concentrate when forces (the PAD has) on key symbolic targets in the capital," Baker said. "Obviously, particularly first government house, now the parliament. So it's really come down to this trial of strength about what forces you can put on the streets and public places. Where this ends, God only knows."The rally comes as pro-government rallies have been staged, in recent weeks -- also drawing tens of thousands of supporters -- calling for a return to power of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.The PAD says it fears the government is looking to pass key constitutional amendments to halt investigations and court proceedings against Thaksin, his family and supporters.Last month, judges found Thaksin violated conflict-of-interest laws in 2003 when his wife purchased land from a government fund. They sentenced him to a two-year jail term. But, despite the back-down by the government, tensions remains high. In recent days, grenade attacks on the PAD's stronghold at the government house compound have left two people dead and more than 20 others injured. The opposition Democrat Party has called on the government and the opposition to start talks. Party Spokesman Buranaj Samutharak says the government must give assurances the constitutional amendments will not proceed, at the present time. "It is incumbent in order for the negotiations -- if they were to take place and proceed. The government needs to unequivocally give its word or action that the constitutional amendment motion would not be part of any parliamentary session," Buranaj said. Thailand remains deeply politically divided. The PAD has proposed "new politics," with parliament being made up of elected and appointed representatives, a move seen as disenfranchising many voters in rural areas.But the urban middle class has accused Thaksin of authoritarianism, as well as threatening the role of independent institutions, including the judiciary.Thaksin remains strongly popular -- especially among the urban working class and in key north eastern rural areas, where his grassroots support was built on populist economic policies, such as low-cost health care and cheap loans for development.
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North Korea Shuts Down City Tour
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Many South Koreans fear shutdown of joint industrial park will happen in near future
North Korea has taken more steps to restrict crossing of its border by South Koreans, warning it may soon sever contacts with the South, completely. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, the latest steps involve tourism and freight trains, but many South Koreans fear the shutdown of a joint North-South industrial park is in the near future.South Korean tourists listen to North Korean guide, right, during visit to Kaesong, 22 Nov 2008North Korea says it is serious about a warning it issued this month to further restrict crossings of its border by South Koreans on the first of next month.South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun says Pyongyang took several major steps Monday to restrict border crossings.He says North Korea is suspending a tour program operated by South Korea to the Northern city, Kaesong. Daily railroad crossings by South Korean freight trains are also to be curtailed.North and South Korea have remained technically at war for 55 years. A 1953 armistice, signed three years after North Korea invaded the South, has maintained a fragile peace along their heavily fortified border.An historic 2000 North-South summit warmed ties and opened floodgates on a wide range of aid and economic cooperation projects funded by the South. The two showpieces of the South's engagement efforts were a joint tourism zone at the North's Mount Kumgang and an industrial park near Kaesong.The Kumgang project was suspended after North Korea's military shot an unarmed South Korean tourist to death in July, then refused to cooperate in an investigation. North Korea says it will partially expel staff from both the Kaesong and Kumgang zones.Spokesman Kim quotes a North Korean official who says it is up to South Korea whether Kumgang's operations resume.North Korea's public disposition toward the South has markably worsened since the January inauguration of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. His election ended ten years of liberal presidencies that were criticized for policies toward North Korea that were overly generous and one-sided.North Korea has repeatedly referred to Mr. Lee as a "traitor" and threatened to turn South Korea into "debris" unless he continues on his predecessors' policies.The next major freeze in North-South relations may come on December 1 - when North Korea has vowed to seal off the inter-Korean border completely. Analysts say that would effectively put an end to the Kaesong industrial park.
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Chavez Allies Win Majority in Venezuela Local Elections
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Opposition makes important gains
Hugo ChavezVenezuela election officials say President Hugo Chavez's allies won a majority in Sunday's election, while the opposition made important gains. The electoral agency says that voter turnout was 65 percent for the fiercely contested election. Mr. Chavez's socialist party won control of 17 of the country's 22 states. Authorities say the opposition won the other five, including the country's two most populous -- Miranda and oil-rich Zulia. Election officials say the Caracas mayor's office shifted from a supporter of the president to the opposition. Mr. Chavez's brother, Adan, won a tight race to succeed their father as governor in the president's home state of Barinas. Twenty-two governorships and more than 300 mayoral posts were at stake in the vote. Turnout was heavy Sunday. Lines snaked around some polling place hours after closing time. In the last regional vote four years ago, Mr. Chavez's allies won all but two of the 22 states. But analysts had predicted a smaller win this year as voters' main concerns are high crime rates, inflation and government corruption.Last year, Mr. Chavez lost a referendum that would have allowed him to seek re-election indefinitely. As he campaigned for his fellow party members, he said Sunday's vote could decide the future of socialism as well as the future of Hugo Chavez.President Chavez has been in office since 1999.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Revising TV Ads To Relay Anti-Smoking Message
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Study shows how viewers react to ads
In November, the American Cancer Society sets aside a day it calls "The Great American Smokeout". The smokeout is designed to encourage smokers to quit for one day. In addition to the smokeout, researchers have been trying to find a more effective way of discouraging people from using tobacco products. In this report, Carol Pearson looks at the effect of anti-tobacco ads.
Some of the ads use disturbing images to play on young people's fears of contracting a tobacco-related diseaseAnti-tobacco commercials have been around on television for decades. Their purpose is simple: to encourage people to quit smoking or not ever start.
Some of these ads, directed at young people, use disturbing images or play on their fears of contracting a tobacco-related disease. Researchers at the University of Missouri looked at how viewers of these ads absorb the message. Paul Bolls and fellow researcher Glenn Leshner at the University of Missouri studied the effects of repulsive images in the ads watched by young people.By attaching electrodes to their facial muscles and monitoring their heart rates, they measured their responses."The combination of telling individuals that tobacco kills you and trying to intensify that fear with disgust-evoking images backfires," Bolls said.The study took place at the university laboratory which evaluates the effect that information portrayed in the media has on people.
By attaching electrodes to their facial muscles and monitoring their heart rates, the researchers measured their responses"What happens in this case I think is that emotional response is increased so much that people actually withdraw from the message, so anything really that occurs after the point at which they withdraw is not going to be remembered."The researchers found that the viewer's attention and recollection increased when the ad was limited to either a repulsive image or something that evoked fear. Ads that had a combination of both were overwhelming.
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Putting Leftovers to Work for The Homeless
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DC Central Kitchen recycles food to combat hunger and create jobs
Robert Egger used to manage a night club. But 20 years ago, he created a kitchen in Washington DC that feeds the hungry. DC Central Kitchen collects food that otherwise would go to waste and turns it into nutritious meals for the homeless. VOA's June Soh takes you there and reports on how founder Robert Egger also creates opportunities for the underprivileged.Robert Egger founded D.C. Central Kitchen 20 years ago.In a bustling kitchen in Washington, D.C., two tons of surplus or leftover food are reprocessed every day. About 4,500 meals are prepared and distributed to homeless shelters, drug treatment and senior citizen centers in the DC area.Robert Egger founded D.C. Central Kitchen 20 years ago. He was a night club manager when the idea for the kitchen came to him. He had volunteered one night to deliver food to the homeless. "I went out and asked simply where did food come from," Egger said. "And I found that was purchased. And I kept thinking, I was working in restaurants all my life. We throw away a lot of food. That is good food. If they go get that food, they would probably feed more people better food."Soon after, D.C. Central Kitchen was born. The kitchen retrieves unused meats, vegetables and other ingredients and makes complete meals from them.
The kitchen retrieves unused meats, vegetables and other ingredients and makes complete meals from them"Every single day we have refrigerated trucks go out to restaurants, hotels, hospitals, universities and safely pick up the food that they have left over," said Egger.The kitchen also runs cooking classes, on site. Egger said that the classes are for "unemployed men and women, men and women out of prison, older people who need new work. We offer a chance during a course of 12 week job training program to learn basic skills." Many of the students used to receive free food. Now, while they learn to cook, they work in the kitchen, contributing to the community. Michael Robb was a drug dealer. He is also the father of two young daughters. He completed the culinary program two years ago. "I learned how to make an honest living," Robb said. "It means a whole bunch to me. This education is my family." The kitchen also uses volunteers. Each year, about 8,000 people help out.
Each year, about 8,000 volunteers help out the kitchenCourtney Raneri is a student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. She and other Gettysburg students came during school break." It is a great experience," Raneri said. " I am part of this because I think it is a great cause and a great organization." Twenty years later, DC Central Kitchen is prominent. Egger often receives visitors from across the country and overseas: Today, it's from India."They are interested in something a little bit different from charity," Egger said. Egger's childhood dream was to own a great night club. He says the kitchen is like a club. It helps people with food instead of music. "It is a really exciting place," Egger added. "I don't think I could ever work anywhere else."
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Australian Volunteers Rescue 11 Beached Whales, But Many More Die
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Fifty three of the large marine mammals died when they were caught unexpectedly in shallow water and pushed towards the shores of Tasmania
Australian scientists are using satellite technology to track 11 whales that survived a mass stranding in the southern state of Tasmania over the weekend. The long-finned pilot whales were the only survivors of a pod of 64 found beached near the small town of Stanley. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.A veterinarian from Taronga Zoo, left, prepares a syringe and sedative for the abandoned and lost baby humpback whale front, at the Pittwater in Sydney, Australia (File) Volunteers spent the weekend tending to the stranded whales, which had beached themselves near Stanley on Tasmania's north-west coast. Fifty-three of the large marine mammals died but rescuers did manage to save 11 others.They were taken back into deeper water. Tracking devices the size of a matchbox were attached to the dorsal fin of five long-finned pilot whales.The devices show the whales have been swimming freely in open seas in Bass Strait, the large body of water that separates Tasmania from the Australian mainland.Scientist Rosemary Gales hopes the global positioning technology will last."That is a little bit of an unknown because we haven't done this before. It partly depends on how often the fin, the dorsal fin is out of the water because it can only transmit out of the water and then that in turn has an effect on its battery life. But we are hoping several weeks at this point," said Gales.Volunteers spent hours in the cold sea water helping the whales before the survivors were transported by road to another beach and released.The rescue was co-ordinated by national park ranger Chris Arthur, who says it was a fantastic effort by people who were eager to help."They gave up a weekend. People got sunburnt. People got engaged with these animals and it is new technology and it is a new experience to actually know that the effort that people have put in is successful and we will just monitor it and see where we go," said Arthur.Tasmania is a notorious whale trap. Eighty percent of Australia's whale strandings happen there. Researchers are baffled as to why the whales swim ashore. Scientists believe the latest case near the town of Stanley was simply an accident and that the whales were caught unexpectedly in shallow water and were pushed towards the shore by the tide.Pilot whales are among the smaller whales, growing up to about five meters in length.Early examinations of the dead animals have shown no sign of disease. Further tests will be carried out and the whales will be buried on Tuesday at the beach where they washed ashore.
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