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World News
| Indian PM, Pakistani President to Hold Talks in Russia |
Officials in Russia and India say Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari are planning to meet on the sidelines of a
regional summit in Russia.
The two leaders of the rival neighbors will be
in Yekaterinburg for a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO).
The meeting between Mr. Singh and Mr. Zardari would be their first
face-to-face talks since the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last November.
India has blamed the assault on the Pakistan-based organization
Lashkar-e-Taiba. The banned militant group has denied taking part in the
attacks, which left more than 170 people dead and at least 300 others wounded.
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| UN to Vote on New North Korea Resolution Friday |
The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Friday to
vote on a draft resolution to expand sanctions against North Korea in response
to its recent underground nuclear test.
The 15-member body was to meet at 11:00 am (1500 GMT) to
discuss the draft agreed by its five veto-wielding permanent members - Britain,
China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Japan and South
Korea.
The draft condemns North
Korea\'s tests as a violation of previous U.N. resolutions and imposes additional
sanctions, including cargo inspections, a total arms embargo, and stronger
financial sanctions.
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| S. Korea Counters North\'s Nuclear Test by Joining Arms Interdiction Initiative |
South Korea is upgrading its participation in a U.S., led international campaign
to disrupt the traffic of weapons of mass destruction, a step it long avoided to
prevent angering Pyongyang. The move comes after a nuclear test by the North,
and several apparent short range missile launches.South Korea said Tuesday it will now participate fully in the U.S. - led
Proliferation Security Initiative, or PSI. More than 90 nations take part in the
program, which involves intelligence sharing and naval coordination to prevent
nuclear and other illegal weapons from being transported. Until now, South Korea
has only taken part as an observer.
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| Indian Congress Party Picks Singh for Second Term |
India\'s newly elected Congress Party lawmakers have formally selected Manmohan Singh as their leader in parliament for a second term.
In his acceptance speech Tuesday, Mr. Singh promised to work for major economic reforms and lead a more inclusive government.Mr. Singh submitted the resignation of his government to the president on Monday, a formality that clears the way for the formation of a new government led by him later this week.
The ruling Congress Party-led alliance won 261 seats in the 543-member parliament in the recent elections. The strong showing ensures the party will be free of the pressures of its former communist partners, boosting chances it will be able to push through economic reforms to spur growth.
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| Sri Lanka war zone hospital |
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Sri Lankan government forces have shelled a hospital inside
the conflict zone killing at least 49 people, Tamil Tiger rebel and hospital
sources say.The rebels said the makeshift hospital in Mullivaikal was hit early in the
morning, but a government spokesman denied knowledge of the incident.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka\'s army said it had pierced rebel defences and advanced
along a coastal strip to the south.
The claims are impossible to verify as reporters are banned from the area.
More than 400 people were killed and over 1,000 injured over the weekend in
what the UN has described as a bloodbath.
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| Pakistan: Up to 500,000 May Flee Taliban-Held Swat |
Security forces have been battling with
Taliban fighters for more than a week in the northwest Malakand division, but
troops have largely avoided entering the militant stronghold in Swat
Valley.But residents of the main city Mingora began leaving Tuesday when officials
lifted a curfew in some places to allow civilians to relocate.
One resident who left with his family told VOA that militants
completely control the town, have taken up fighting positions in large buildings
and placed landmines along key routes. He said the Taliban did not prevent
people from leaving during the suspended curfew.
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| Afghans Welcome Obama Focus on Security, Exit Strategy |
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Afghanistan\'s foreign ministry has welcomed recent statements from President
Obama indicating the United States is working on a comprehensive plan for
dealing with surging violence in Afghanistan as well as boosting the country\'s
weak central government.
The plan, expected to be announced this week, is widely reported to include more
diplomacy, more development and more U.S. troops to try to counter the growing
lawlessness.
On Sunday, in an interview with the U.S. television news program 60
Minutes, Mr. Obama said there also must be an exit strategy for
international forces.
Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad
Baheen said the government found the remarks \"very positive.\"
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| Pakistan Seeks Talks With Opposition |
Officials in President Asif Zardari\'s office said he is seeking talks with
opposition groups to end two days of anti-government demonstrations. The offer
follows a widening security crackdown that has resulted in hundreds of
arrests.
The government\'s offer for
negotiations follows several meetings with top political and military leaders as
well as consultations with American diplomats. The U.S. State Department has
said it wants to see the situation addressed lawfully, without violence or any
impediments to democratic activities.
Mr. Zardari has faced criticism from within his own party for
the crackdown on the demonstrations.
It is not yet clear who Mr. Zardari is expected to meet with,
or what concessions he may be prepared to make. The offer came after opposition
leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif asked for an end to executive rule
in Punjab, the dropping of the judicial ruling that banned he and his brother
from holding elected office and the restoration of an independent
judiciary.
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