| 1 | Suspected Islamist rebels have fired mortar shells at the palace used by Somalia 's interim President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad . [p00d0030] |
| 2 | It was not immediately clear if the president was in the palace in Mogadishu when the attack occurred or if anyone was hurt . [p00d0030] |
| 3 | Local news reports said at least five mortar shells hit the palace compound and other mortars were fired elsewhere in Mogadishu Wednesday . [p00d0030] |
| 4 | The attacks occurred after the government said it will go ahead with a reconciliation conference to which more than 1,300 Somali elders , warlords and politicians are invited . [p00d0030] |
| 5 | Pakistani officials say unidentified gunmen have killed three people , including a former government minister , in a semi - autonomous tribal region bordering Afghanistan . [p00d0060] |
| 6 | The officials say prominent tribal leader Malik Faridullah Khan was traveling in South Waziristan Sunday when his vehicle was ambushed in the Kani Wam area . [p00d0060] |
| 7 | His driver and a tribal elder were also killed . [p00d0060] |
| 8 | No one has claimed responsibility for the killings . [p00d0060] |
| 9 | The ambush came a day after a commander of Pakistani troops said the army has almost completely eliminated militants in South Waziristan . [p00d0060] |
| 10 | The area became a refuge for many al - Qaida and Taleban fighters after the Taleban government was ousted in Afghanistan in 2001 . [p00d0060] |
| 11 | U.S. Army officials said Wednesday that they will not renew a controversial multi - billion dollar contract with the Halliburton company to provide logistical support to U.S. troops in Iraq and elsewhere . [p00d0086] |
| 12 | Halliburton has been providing a long list of services , from meals to communication , for the military for several years . [p00d0086] |
| 13 | Critics of Halliburton include auditors and congressional Democrats . [p00d0086] |
| 14 | They say the company has produced some shoddy work and charges too much money . [p00d0086] |
| 15 | The company strongly denies the allegations . [p00d0086] |
| 16 | When the huge contract is put out for re - bidding , several companies will get a chance to compete for portions of the work . [p00d0086] |
| 17 | Indonesian police have arrested three men in connection with the October 1 Bali bombings that left 23 people dead . [p00d0100] |
| 18 | Indonesian police said Wednesday the men were flown to Bali from neighboring Java island for questioning at Bali police headquarters . [p00d0100] |
| 19 | Australian and French news agencies say at least one of the men arrested ( Cholily ) was captured during a series of counter - terrorism raids last week in Indonesia . [p00d0100] |
| 20 | The raids ended with the death of alleged extremist bombmaker Azahari bin Husin . [p00d0100] |
| 21 | Indonesian authorities blame Azahari bin Husin for orchestrating last month 's attacks in Bali as well as the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people . [p00d0100] |
| 22 | The American Diabetes Association reports the disease is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults . [p00d0184] |
| 23 | It is the leading cause of kidney failure . [p00d0184] |
| 24 | The rate of amputation is 10 times higher among those who suffer from the disease . [p00d0184] |
| 25 | Experts say those who learn how to manage the disease early , can live healthier and more normal lives . [p00d0184] |
| 26 | VOA 's June Soh found camps that provide children with this chronic disease a positive approach to living with diabetes while letting them just be kids . [p00d0184] |
| 27 | Amy Katz Narrates . [p00d0184] |
| 28 | U.S. automaker Chrysler has opened a 570 million engine plant in northern Mexico . [p00d0190] |
| 29 | During the ceremonial startup of the Saltillo plant Friday , Mexican President Felipe Calderon said Chrysler 's sixth plant in Mexico will create 700 jobs . [p00d0190] |
| 30 | Mr. Calderon said Mexico has become a worldwide leader in the auto industry . [p00d0190] |
| 31 | Chrysler plans to build its new fuel - efficient Pentastar V - 6 engine for Chrysler , Dodge , Jeep and Ram vehicles . [p00d0190] |
| 32 | Mexican officials say the new plant will have the capacity to build 440,000 engines per year . [p00d0190] |
| 33 | The United Nations says December 's Indian Ocean tsunami caused around 520 million in damage to fishing industries in seven of the worst hit countries . [p00d0215] |
| 34 | The U.N. 's Food and Agricultural Organization ( FAO ) said the tsunami destroyed or damaged more than 111,000 fishing vessels in the region . [p00d0215] |
| 35 | It said the loss was significant in a region where fishing provides a vital source of food . [p00d0215] |
| 36 | The FAO 's estimate includes damage to fishing industries in Indonesia , Maldives , Somalia , Sri Lanka and Thailand . [p00d0215] |
| 37 | The agency says it has sent experts to help rebuild fishing industry infrastructure lost in the disaster and is developing strategies for long - term recovery in the region . [p00d0215] |
| 38 | China 's giant pandas have been on endangered species lists for nearly 30 years . [p00d0252] |
| 39 | There are only about 1,600 pandas still living in the wild in China . [p00d0252] |
| 40 | One of the 2008 Olympic mascots is modeled on a panda called Jing Jing . [p00d0252] |
| 41 | Conservationists hope she will help draw attention to the threats facing the giant panda — one of China 's national symbols . [p00d0252] |
| 42 | Sam Beattie reports from Jing Jing 's home in Sichuan province . [p00d0252] |
| 43 | British defense officials say 14 British military personnel have been killed in a crash of a NATO aircraft in southern Afghanistan . [p00d0255] |
| 44 | A NATO spokesman says the aircraft went off the radar and crashed in an open area near Kandahar Saturday . [p00d0255] |
| 45 | Officials say the aircraft was supporting a NATO mission in the country 's south , but there is no indication of enemy action causing the crash . [p00d0255] |
| 46 | The crash comes as NATO forces launched an offensive to drive Taleban remnants out of Kandahar . [p00d0255] |
| 47 | Officials say “ Operation Medusa ” is aimed at removing the Taleban threat so that stability , reconstruction and development can be achieved in the area . [p00d0255] |
| 48 | Sri Lankan authorities say a prominent Tamil journalist was found shot dead Friday in Colombo , hours after he was abducted by several attackers as he left a restaurant . [p00d0256] |
| 49 | Dharmeratnam Sivaram was a board member of the pro - rebel TamilNet Web site and a columnist for Sri Lanka 's english newspaper , the Daily Mirror . [p00d0256] |
| 50 | Mr. Sivaram 's Web site became popular for ongoing reports on the Sri Lankan civil war and was a prominent supporter of the Tamil Tiger rebel movement . [p00d0256] |
| 51 | Mr. Sivaram , who was also brutally attacked in 2001 , was found near a lake gagged with gunshot wounds to the head . [p00d0256] |
| 52 | No one claimed responsibility for the killing . [p00d0256] |
| 53 | Japan and North Korea say they are considering a resumption of bilateral talks as part of efforts to normalize relations . [p00d0262] |
| 54 | Japanese media reported Monday that the two countries hope to arrange to hold the talks in Beijing in early November . [p00d0262] |
| 55 | The talks could come before six - party talks on North Korea 's nuclear ambitions resume . [p00d0262] |
| 56 | Japan and North Korea have not had formal bilateral talks for about a year . [p00d0262] |
| 57 | Tokyo and Pyongyang are at odds over North Korea 's nuclear weapons program and the North 's kidnapping of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s . [p00d0262] |
| 58 | Egypt 's government and the World Health Organization say three Egyptian children have been hospitalized with the deadly form of avian flu . [p00d0269] |
| 59 | The children come from different parts of the country . [p00d0269] |
| 60 | WHO says they are receiving treatment and are in stable condition . [p00d0269] |
| 61 | The organization says the children had a history of contact with dead birds . [p00d0269] |
| 62 | Thirty two Egyptians have contracted the H5N1 form of avian flu . [p00d0269] |
| 63 | Thirteen of them have died . [p00d0269] |
| 64 | Egypt has had the largest number of human bird flu cases outside of Asia . [p00d0269] |
| 65 | Kyrgyzstan 's Justice Ministry says four people , including parliament member Tynychbek Akmatbayev , have been killed at a prison near Bishkek after inmates took them hostage . [p00d0283] |
| 66 | Interior Minister Murat Sutalinov is at the prison to head negotiations with the inmates . [p00d0283] |
| 67 | The ministry gave no other details . [p00d0283] |
| 68 | It is not clear if the hostage - takers made any demands . [p00d0283] |
| 69 | Mr. Akmatbayev was involved in negotiations on Wednesday at another Kyrgyz prison where a riot over poor living conditions forced the staff to evacuate earlier this week . [p00d0283] |
| 70 | That prison , also near Bishkek , remained surrounded by security forces on Thursday . [p00d0283] |
| 71 | A new government report shows U.S. businesses added a moderate 111,000 new jobs in January . [p00d0287] |
| 72 | The Labor Department Friday issued a report that also showed the U.S. unemployment rate increased for the first time in three months - to 4.6 percent . [p00d0287] |
| 73 | According to the report , American workers earned an average of 17.09 an hour in January - [p00d0287] |
| 74 | a slight increase from the previous month . [p00d0287] |
| 75 | Analysts say the Department of Labor report will help ease worries that a tight labor market will significantly inflate wages and costs . [p00d0287] |
| 76 | Earlier this week , the U.S. central bank decided to maintain a key interest rate , despite the risk of inflation . [p00d0287] |
| 77 | The European Space Agency says it has received the first images and scientific readings from the surface of Saturn 's moon Titan . [p00d0309] |
| 78 | Officials at agency headquarters in Germany Friday say information taken from the Huygens space probe show what looks like drainage channels on the moon . [p00d0309] |
| 79 | They say the surface has canyons that were most likely caused by some type of liquid . [p00d0309] |
| 80 | The space probe began transmitting data to the Cassini spacecraft while landing on Saturn 's largest moon earlier Friday . [p00d0309] |
| 81 | Scientists say the information from Huygens - operated jointly by the American , European and Italian space agencies - may provide clues about how primitive Earth evolved into a life - bearing planet . [p00d0309] |
| 82 | Indonesian officials say they have signed an initial agreement with Russia to build a space launch center on the remote island of Biak off the coast of Papua New Guinea . [p00d0356] |
| 83 | An Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman says senior officials from both countries reached the preliminary agreement last week . [p00d0356] |
| 84 | They say the island is well - suited for the project because of its proximity to the equator , which makes it easier to launch satellites into some Earth orbits . [p00d0356] |
| 85 | The spokesman says a formal agreement on the project will be signed in June when Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to visit Moscow . [p00d0356] |
| 86 | Police in Japan say a teacher stabbed to death a 12 - year - old girl Saturday in the country 's third killing of a school girl in less than three weeks . [p00d0402] |
| 87 | Yu Hagino , 23 , was arrested at the murder scene , a school in the western city of Uji . [p00d0402] |
| 88 | Police say the suspect confessed to stabbing the girl with a knife after arguing with her . [p00d0402] |
| 89 | The killing follows the recent murders of two school girls in the space of just over a week . [p00d0402] |
| 90 | The two were killed in separate incidents as they walked home alone from elementary school along deserted roads . [p00d0402] |
| 91 | The British Embassy in Sudan 's capital has re - opened to the public , four days after it was closed because of a possible terrorist threat . [p00d0443] |
| 92 | The embassy said in a statement Thursday that “ additional security ” has allowed it to resume normal consular and visa services . [p00d0443] |
| 93 | The statement also thanked the Sudanese government for its cooperation . [p00d0443] |
| 94 | Earlier this week , the government said it had broken up a plot to attack several Western diplomatic missions in the capital , Khartoum . [p00d0443] |
| 95 | The state news agency reported that police had arrested eight Sudanese men and confiscated arms and explosives . [p00d0443] |
| 96 | The British Embassy has advised British citizens to avoid travel to Khartoum . [p00d0443] |
| 97 | The death toll from a coal mining accident in northwestern China rose to 32 Wednesday after searchers recovered the body of the last missing miner . [p00d0457] |
| 98 | China 's state - run media say 39 people were working at the privately - owned coal mine in Shaanxi province on Saturday when a gas explosion occurred . [p00d0457] |
| 99 | Seven miners managed to reach the surface , but the others were trapped . [p00d0457] |
| 100 | The Xinhua news agency says police have detained the owner and managers of the mine , but provided no other details . [p00d0457] |
| 101 | Chinese mines are among the most dangerous in the world . [p00d0457] |
| 102 | Thousands of people are killed every year in explosions , cave - ins and floods , despite government crackdowns on safety violations . [p00d0457] |
| 103 | Latvia 's President Vaira Vike - Freiberga [p00d0498] |
| 104 | Latvia 's parliament has extended the stay of the country 's troops serving in Iraq until the end of the year . [p00d0498] |
| 105 | Sixty seven of the 100 lawmakers Thursday in Riga voted in favor of extending the mission by six months . [p00d0498] |
| 106 | Latvia , which joined NATO last year , has more than 100 troops in Iraq supporting the U.S efforts there . [p00d0498] |
| 107 | Latvia has also contributed troops to multinational forces in Afghanistan and the Balkans . [p00d0498] |
| 108 | A landmine blast in southern Afghanistan has killed nine Afghan soldiers . [p00d0606] |
| 109 | The Taleban later claimed responsibility for the blast in Kandahar province . [p00d0606] |
| 110 | An Afghan Army spokesman said the troops were traveling towards the nearby Pakistani border when their vehicle hit the mine . [p00d0606] |
| 111 | U.S. - led forces are hunting down remnants of Afghanistan 's ousted Taleban regime who frequently carry out hit and run attacks on coalition and Afghan government forces , mainly in the country 's eastern and southern regions . [p00d0606] |
| 112 | The U.S. military says the Iraqi army has captured three suspected al - Qaida in Iraq leaders involved in roadside bomb attacks . [p00d0630] |
| 113 | Statements Wednesday say the suspects were detained in separate operations north of Baghdad in Kirkuk province , and in the towns of Tarmiyah and Judaidah . [p00d0630] |
| 114 | The military says U.S. Special Forces advised the Iraqi army in all three operations . [p00d0630] |
| 115 | The U.S. military also says Iraqi special operations forces detained seven suspected criminals in and around Baghdad 's Sadr City district , a stronghold of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al - Sadr . [p00d0630] |
| 116 | U.S. and Iraqi soldiers have been fighting Shi'ite militants in Sadr City in recent weeks as part of a crackdown on illegal militias . [p00d0630] |
| 117 | A U.S. immigration judge has denied bail for Luis Posada Carriles , an asylum - seeking former CIA operative from Cuba . [p00d0653] |
| 118 | U.S. authorities arrested the 77 - year - old Posada Carriles in May after he illegally entered the country through Mexico . [p00d0653] |
| 119 | Posada Carriles is wanted in Venezuela for his alleged role in a 1976 Cuban airliner bombing that killed 73 people . [p00d0653] |
| 120 | Some 20 years ago , a Venezuelan court acquitted him of a role in the bombing . [p00d0653] |
| 121 | He later escaped from prison while awaiting a new trial . [p00d0653] |
| 122 | In May , U.S. officials rejected a Venezuelan request for his arrest , citing a lack of evidence against the Cuban exile who holds Venezuelan citizenship . [p00d0653] |