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[ 此贴被hxf666在2007-03-11 10:17重新编辑 ]

From the VOA News Center in Washington, I'm Frances Alonzo.

A strong earthquake has rocked Indonesia's Sumatra island, flattening buildings and killing at least 70 people. Officials say that hundreds were injured, overwhelming hospitals and other medical facilities. The US Geological Survey says the magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck early today, 50 kilometers from western Sumatra's provincial capital Padang. Two hours later, an aftershock of magnitude 6.1 struck the area again.

Iraqi security officials say insurgent attacks on Shiite pilgrims heading to Karbala today have killed at least 30 people and wounded many more. In the latest incident, two suicide bomb blasts targeted Shiite pilgrims in Hilla, south of Baghdad, killing at least ten. Earlier, assailants opened fire and detonated bombs as pilgrims walked toward Karbala, south of Baghdad, ahead of a Shiite religious observance later this week. At least 20 people were killed in that blast.

NATO forces in Afghanistan have launched their largest offensive yet in the battle against the five-year-old Taleban insurgency. From Islamabad VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports.

NATO and Afghan forces launched Operation Achilles Tuesday morning in the north part of Helmand province, deep inside the Taleban's traditional stronghold in the south of the country. NATO's regional Commander Major General Ton Van Loon says the offensive will eventually include more than 5,500 NATO and Afghan troops. He stressed the joint force will take special care to avoid civilian casualties in the affected areas.

“As Operation Achilles brings more troops into your region, let there be no doubt that we are only going after the extremists.”

The general's comments come after two separate incidents this week where civilians were killed in gunfights between international security forces and insurgents. The operation is NATO's largest military offensives since taking over Afghanistan's security operations last year. But it is by no means the first major campaign in an area where the Taleban insurgency is reportedly gaining ground. Benjamin Sand, VOA News, Islamabad.

The head of the New York-based group Human Rights Watch says detention-without-trial and other practices in the war on terrorism have undermined US credibility on human rights issues. Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth spoke to VOA in connection with Tuesday's release of the State Department's annual report on human rights conditions worldwide. VOA's David Gollust has this report from the State Department.

The Human Rights Watch chief says while the United States has never been active enough in working to end rights abuses cited in the State Department reports, the problem has now been compounded by US rights practices that undermined American credibility on the issue. In a VOA interview, Human Rights Watch chief Kenneth Roth said there is still value in the annual reports as a resource in identifying human-rights problems.

He said the United States, as a vigorous democracy, can legitimately challenge such things as abuses in Darfur and infringements on press freedom and civil liberties abroad. But Roth said the problem of hypocrisy emerges on other rights issues, with the United States holding terror suspects without trial at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and perhaps elsewhere, and tolerating coercive interrogation techniques. David Gollust. VOA News, the State Department.

Mortar shells hit the airport in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, today, shortly after two cargo planes delivered the first group of African Union peacekeepers. Witnesses say unknown gunmen fired at least seven mortars, causing people to scatter at the airport. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. The attack occurred a few hours after the arrival about 350 troops from Uganda.

People across Ghana today are celebrating the nation's 50th anniversary of its independence from Britain. Ghana's independence sparked the wave of liberation struggles across the continent. Leaders and well-known figures are pouring into the capital of Accra for the celebration.

Major European stock markets are surging a modest rebound today after a week of heavy losses as investors take their lead from big gains in the Asia Pacific indices. At mid-day markets in London, Frankfurt and Paris were trading up by nearly 1%. US stock futures are also up about 1%, pointing to a stronger opening on Wall Street after Monday's modest decline. Asia Pacific stock markets rallied today with 2% gains in Mumbai, Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai.

More details at voanews.com. I'm Frances Alonzo, VOA News.