| 1 | Suspected Islamist rebels have fired mortar shells at the palace used by Somalia 's interim President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad . It was not immediately clear if the president was in the palace in Mogadishu when the attack occurred or if anyone was hurt . Local news reports said at_least five mortar shells hit the palace compound and other mortars were fired elsewhere in Mogadishu Wednesday . 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 . |
| 2 | Pakistani officials say unidentified gunmen have killed three people , including a former government minister , in a semi_-_autonomous tribal region bordering Afghanistan . 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 . His driver and a tribal elder were also killed . No one has claimed responsibility for the killings . The ambush came a day after a commander of Pakistani troops said the army has almost_completely eliminated militants in South Waziristan . The area became a refuge for many al_-_Qaida and Taleban fighters after the Taleban government was ousted in Afghanistan in 2001 . |
| 3 | 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 . Halliburton has been providing a long list of services , from meals to communication , for the military for several years . Critics of Halliburton include auditors and congressional Democrats . They say the company has produced some shoddy work and charges too much money . The company strongly denies the allegations . When the huge contract is put out for re_-_bidding , several companies will get a chance to compete for portions of the work . |
| 4 | Indonesian police have arrested three men in_connection_with the October 1 Bali bombings that left 23 people dead . Indonesian police said Wednesday the men were flown to Bali from neighboring Java island for questioning at Bali police headquarters . 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 . The raids ended with the death of alleged extremist bombmaker Azahari bin Husin . 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 . |
| 5 | The American Diabetes Association reports the disease is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults . It is the leading cause of kidney failure . The rate of amputation is 10 times higher among those who suffer from the disease . Experts say those who learn how to manage the disease early , can live healthier and more normal lives . 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 . Amy Katz Narrates . |
| 6 | U.S. automaker Chrysler has opened a 570 million engine plant in northern Mexico . During the ceremonial startup of the Saltillo plant Friday , Mexican President Felipe Calderon said Chrysler 's sixth plant in Mexico will create 700 jobs . Mr. Calderon said Mexico has become a worldwide leader in the auto industry . Chrysler plans to build its new fuel_-_efficient Pentastar V_-_6 engine for Chrysler , Dodge , Jeep and Ram vehicles . Mexican officials say the new plant will have the capacity to build 440,000 engines per year . |
| 7 | 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 . The U.N. 's Food and Agricultural Organization ( FAO ) said the tsunami destroyed or damaged more than 111,000 fishing vessels in the region . It said the loss was significant in a region where fishing provides a vital source of food . The FAO 's estimate includes damage to fishing industries in Indonesia , Maldives , Somalia , Sri Lanka and Thailand . 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 . |
| 8 | China 's giant pandas have been on endangered species lists for nearly 30 years . There are only about 1,600 pandas still living in the wild in China . One of the 2008 Olympic mascots is modeled on a panda called Jing Jing . Conservationists hope she will help draw attention to the threats facing the giant panda — one of China 's national symbols . Sam Beattie reports from Jing Jing 's home in Sichuan province . |
| 9 | British defense officials say 14 British military personnel have been killed in a crash of a NATO aircraft in southern Afghanistan . A NATO spokesman says the aircraft went off the radar and crashed in an open area near Kandahar Saturday . 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 . The crash comes as NATO forces launched an offensive to drive Taleban remnants out_of Kandahar . Officials say “ Operation Medusa ” is aimed at removing the Taleban threat so_that stability , reconstruction and development can be achieved in the area . |
| 10 | 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 . 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 . 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 . Mr. Sivaram , who was also brutally attacked in 2001 , was found near a lake gagged with gunshot wounds to the head . No one claimed responsibility for the killing . |
| 11 | Japan and North Korea say they are considering a resumption of bilateral talks as part of efforts to normalize relations . Japanese media reported Monday that the two countries hope to arrange to hold the talks in Beijing in early November . The talks could come before six_-_party talks on North Korea 's nuclear ambitions resume . Japan and North Korea have not had formal bilateral talks for about a year . 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 . |
| 12 | Egypt 's government and the World Health Organization say three Egyptian children have been hospitalized with the deadly form of avian flu . The children come from different parts of the country . WHO says they are receiving treatment and are in stable condition . The organization says the children had a history of contact with dead birds . Thirty two Egyptians have contracted the H5N1 form of avian flu . Thirteen of them have died . Egypt has had the largest number of human bird flu cases outside_of Asia . |
| 13 | 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 . Interior Minister Murat Sutalinov is at the prison to head negotiations with the inmates . The ministry gave no other details . It is not clear if the hostage_-_takers made any demands . 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 . That prison , also near Bishkek , remained surrounded by security forces on Thursday . |
| 14 | A new government report shows U.S. businesses added a moderate 111,000 new jobs in January . 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 . According_to the report , American workers earned an average of 17.09 an hour in January - a slight increase from the previous month . Analysts say the Department of Labor report will help ease worries that a tight labor market will significantly inflate wages and costs . Earlier this week , the U.S. central bank decided to maintain a key interest rate , despite the risk of inflation . |
| 15 | The European Space Agency says it has received the first images and scientific readings from the surface of Saturn 's moon Titan . Officials at agency headquarters in Germany Friday say information taken from the Huygens space probe show what looks like drainage channels on the moon . They say the surface has canyons that were most_likely caused by some type of liquid . The space probe began transmitting data to the Cassini spacecraft while landing on Saturn 's largest moon earlier Friday . 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 . |
| 16 | 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 . An Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman says senior officials from both countries reached the preliminary agreement last week . 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 . 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 . |
| 17 | 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 . Yu Hagino , 23 , was arrested at the murder scene , a school in the western city of Uji . Police say the suspect confessed to stabbing the girl with a knife after arguing with her . The killing follows the recent murders of two school girls in the space of just over a week . The two were killed in separate incidents as they walked home alone from elementary school along deserted roads . |
| 18 | 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 . The embassy said in a statement Thursday that “ additional security ” has allowed it to resume normal consular and visa services . The statement also thanked the Sudanese government for its cooperation . Earlier this week , the government said it had broken up a plot to attack several Western diplomatic missions in the capital , Khartoum . The state news agency reported that police had arrested eight Sudanese men and confiscated arms and explosives . The British Embassy has advised British citizens to avoid travel to Khartoum . |
| 19 | 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 . 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 . Seven miners managed to reach the surface , but the others were trapped . The Xinhua news agency says police have detained the owner and managers of the mine , but provided no other details . Chinese mines are among the most dangerous in the world . Thousands of people are killed every year in explosions , cave_-_ins and floods , despite government crackdowns on safety violations . |
| 20 | Latvia 's President Vaira Vike_-_Freiberga Latvia 's parliament has extended the stay of the country 's troops serving in Iraq until the end of the year . Sixty seven of the 100 lawmakers Thursday in Riga voted in favor of extending the mission by six months . Latvia , which joined NATO last year , has more than 100 troops in Iraq supporting the U.S efforts there . Latvia has also contributed troops to multinational forces in Afghanistan and the Balkans . |
| 21 | A landmine blast in southern Afghanistan has killed nine Afghan soldiers . The Taleban later claimed responsibility for the blast in Kandahar province . An Afghan Army spokesman said the troops were traveling towards the nearby Pakistani border when their vehicle hit the mine . 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 . |
| 22 | The U.S. military says the Iraqi army has captured three suspected al_-_Qaida in Iraq leaders involved in roadside bomb attacks . Statements Wednesday say the suspects were detained in separate operations north of Baghdad in Kirkuk province , and in the towns of Tarmiyah and Judaidah . The military says U.S. Special Forces advised the Iraqi army in all three operations . 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 . 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 . |
| 23 | A U.S. immigration judge has denied bail for Luis Posada Carriles , an asylum_-_seeking former CIA operative from Cuba . U.S. authorities arrested the 77 - year - old Posada Carriles in May after he illegally entered the country through Mexico . Posada Carriles is wanted in Venezuela for his alleged role in a 1976 Cuban airliner bombing that killed 73 people . Some 20 years ago , a Venezuelan court acquitted him of a role in the bombing . He later escaped from prison while awaiting a new trial . 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 . |