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I’m John Dryden from the VOA News Center in Washington.

The US-led coalition in Afghanistan says its forces have breached a suspected terrorist cell killing six people. The coalition had received information that cell was planning car-bombings. They say four of the victims were Taliban militants and the other two were female civilians. After the raid, hundreds of angry villages blocked a main road to protest the attack.

Pakistani police and intelligent officials are working to identify a suicide bomber who killed at least 28 people and wounded 47 others including the Interior Minister. Police say the bomber feared to be in his 30s and that his complexions suggest he is Afghan or from Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The bomber blew himself up Saturday moments after Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao spoke at the rally. The minister escaped with minor injuries but at least one of his aides and several of his security personnel were killed.

A series of loud explosions shook southern Baghdad on Sunday. The French news agency reports that an Iraqi general says the explosions were part of a joint operation. US and Iraqi forces have been working together for the past few months to bring security to the capital.

Voters in the West African nation of Mali go to the poll on Sunday to elect the president. But as Carey Barbara reports from Mali's capital quite a few residents may choose not to vote.

In the past, vote turned out for political and local elections has typically been around 20%. An advisor to the government W. of Germany says the current of administration has made efforts to encourage political participation and he is optimistic the turnout of this election will be larger. “I hope and I expect the participation above 50% which is really nearly /.” Of the seven opposition candidates the head of the National Assembly Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is considered President Amadou Toumani Toure’s most serious rival. Though Mr. Toure is expected to win a second five-year-term if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, a second round schadule for May 13th. Carey Barbara for VOA news, Bamako.

Somalia’s President Abdullah Yusuf says government soldiers and their Ethiopian allies have achieved an important victory over Islamic forces in the capital. The president is urging people who have fled Mogadishu to return home following nine days of fighting that killed at least 400 people. Soldiers patrolled the streets and search vehicles for weapons around the capital Saturday on the second day of calms since the fighting stopped. Human rights group say about 400,000 people have abandoned their homes in Mogadishu since heavy fighting erupted in February.

Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers have bombed two oil storage facilities in the area near the capital Colombo. The military says one of the facilities suffered minor damage. Authorities cut electricity to the capital and temporarily shut down the International Airport as security measures during the raid. The disruption upset cricket fans who stayed up late to watch the World Cup final between Sri Lanka and Australia.

President Bush has called on Congress to make new efforts at immigration reform. VOA's Brian Wagner reports that Mr. Bush made the call in a speech to college graduates in Miami.

President Bush congratulated graduates and their families during the commencement ceremony at Miami Dave College. Mr. Bush urged graduates to strive to achieve their dreams and he asked them to speak out on issues that matter to them. He said residents in the mostly Hispanic community have a special responsibility to raise their voices on the issue of immigration reform. President Bush has been pressing lawmakers in Congress to propose reforms that will address concerns about the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States. President Bush says he backs improving border security as part of wider reform efforts, but he said any comprehensive deal must include a guest-worker program and measures to resolve the status of some 12 million illegal immigrants living in the country. Brian Wagner, VOA news, Miami.

The US Interior Department is preparing to unveil a new five-year-plan to expand oil and natural gas drilling offshore. The plan is expected to include drilling in Bristol Bay located of the coast of Alaska. Congress banned offshore drilling in that region in 1990 after a massive environmental damage caused by the Axon B oil tanker spill. President Bush lifted the ban on oil and gas drilling in Alaska waters in January.

I'm John Dryden, VOA news. More news on the internet at voanews.com.