THE NEWS IN SPECIAL ENGLISH, MARCH 11, 2008
It is twenty-three hours thirty Universal Time. I'm Jim Tetter in Washington.
Several suicide bomb attacks are reported in Iraq. The most recent took place in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah. At least, two people were killed and thirty others were wounded. Earlier, a bomber in Baghdad killed himself and five American soldiers. Three other American soldiers and an Iraqi language assistant were wounded. Northeast of the capital in Muqdadiya, a suicide bomber killed two people and wounded more than twenty others. And in Diyala province, a suicide bomber attacked the home of a tribal leader. The tribal leader and three other people were killed in the attack in Kanaan.
An unofficial truce is in effect in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Palestinian militants have stopped rocket attacks against Israel. Israeli army radio says Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert halted Israeli air attacks on Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Israel and Hamas have agreed generally to the cease-fire. But, Mr. Olmert denies any negotiations have taken place. A Hamas spokesman says rocket attacks could be stopped forever if Israel would reopen border crossings between Gaza and Israel and Gaza and Egypt. At least, one hundred twenty Palestinians were killed in a recent Israeli military offensive in the area. Israel says the action was aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks.
The Indian government has moved to stop a march by Tibetan exiles to their homeland. The march was part of protests organized before the Olympic games in Beijing. It was also the forty-ninth anniversary of an uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. Police stopped more than one hundred men and women marchers fifteen kilometers from Dharmsala in northern India. The town is home to the Tibetan government in exile and the Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. The marchers had begun a six-month trip to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. A local police chief said the march violates an agreement between India's government and the Tibetan government in exile. They had agreed to permit no anti-China political activities in India. Neither the Dalai Lama nor the Tibetan government in exile has supported the march.
Oil prices have increased to a record high of more than one hundred seven dollars a barrel. Bloomberg News Agency reports that oil prices have increased seventy-seven percent in the past year. The price per barrel has moved higher several times in the past two weeks. Oil is priced internationally in dollars and [but] gains as the dollar falls in value. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced last week it will hold oil production as it is instead of increasing it as requested by the United States.
You are listening to the news in VOA Special English.
President Bush says the United States will help make the Polish military more modern. In return, the United States will be able to put parts of a new missile defense system in Poland. Mr. Bush announced the plan after talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Washington. He said experts will study Poland's needs and develop a plan before his term is over next year. Poland says its military needs to improve because Russia has threatened to aim nuclear weapons at Poland if the American anti-missile system is deployed.
Health workers in the western Afghan city of Herat are refusing to work as a way to demand better security and an end to kidnappings. A spokesman for the striking workers said hospital doctors are treating only emergencies and stores will be closed this week as part of the strike. Doctor Abdul Zahir Miyazi said the striking workers are protesting a series of kidnappings across the city. He said in the past few days nine people have been kidnapped in Herat including the sons of doctors, judges and jewelry sellers. It is not clear who is responsible for the kidnappings.
Serbia's government has officially asked the president to dismiss parliament and call for early elections, probably to be held in May. President Boris Tadic is expected to announce the action within days. The cabinet announced its agreement after a short meeting Monday. Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said Saturday the government could not continue to operate because of deep divisions following Kosovo's declaration of independence in February.
United States Senator Barack Obama has dismissed the idea of being the Democratic party candidate for vice-president. Mr. Obama is competing against Senator Hillary Clinton for their party's presidential nomination. He said during a campaign stop in the Southern state of Mississippi that he is not interested in being second. The Illinois Senator said he has won more votes and delegates than Ms. Clinton. He said he does not know how someone in second place is offering the vice-presidency to someone in first place. Mississippi's primary election is Tuesday.
New York state Governor Eliot Spitzer has publicly apologized after a New York Times newspaper story linked him to women who perform sexual acts for money. He admitted violating responsibilities to his family and any sense of right and wrong. The newspaper said on its website that federal officials recorded Governor Spitzer making plans to meet a woman at a hotel in Washington, D.C. The newspaper said the recording was made last month during an investigation of a prostitution operation. Earlier, Mr. Spitzer had served as New York state attorney general. He was known as “Mr. Clean” for his efforts against corruption in the state, including at least two prostitution groups.
And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour.
Several suicide bomb attacks are reported in Iraq, killing at least thirteen people. An unofficial cease-fire is in effect in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The Indian government has moved to stop a march by Tibetan exiles to their homeland. And, oil prices have increased to a record high of more than one hundred seven dollars a barrel.
And, that's the news in VOA Special English. From Washington, this is Jim Tetter reporting.
