UN Observes Fourth Anniversary of Baghdad Headquarters Bombing

By Suzanne Presto New York 17 August 2007

Download

The United Nations held a ceremony Friday to mark the fourth anniversary of the deadly bombing of U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. Twenty two people were killed in the August 19 attack, and more than 150 others were wounded, leading the U.N. to substantially reduce its mission in Iraq. VOA's Suzanne Presto reports from the United Nations bureau in New York.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (l) and staff in New York, 17 Aug 2007, commemorate the fourth anniversary of the bombing of the headquarters in Baghdad

Behind the U.N. singers at the organization's headquarters, sunlight filtered through the Peace Window, a brilliant blue stained-glass work by the late Marc Chagall.

U.N. officials, staffers, loved ones of the victims and survivors gathered before a memorial plaque honoring those killed in the 2003 attack.

Nearby, the torn U.N. flag that once flew over the organization's Baghdad office is mounted on the wall.

Survivors laid a wreath of violet and yellow flowers before the plaque after victims' names were read out loud.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the August 19 attack was one of the U.N.'s "darkest days."

"Four years on, our hearts remain heavy," said the U.N. chief. "We have lost colleagues before in the line of duty. But this was the first time the United Nations was deliberately targeted on such a massive scale."

Mr. Ban says the attack shattered any illusion that U.N. ideals and impartiality would permit the body to escape violence in Iraq.

Still, he said, the U.N.'s commitment to peace remains unchanged.

"Today, those very ideals, the same resolve, guide our work for peace whether in Darfur or in Delhi, or in Beirut or in Baghdad," siad Mr. Ban.

Mr. Ban says such a commitment is evident in the U.N. plan to expand its role in Iraq through the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, or UNAMI. He says such work honors those who were killed in the terrorist attack, including top U.N. envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.

"The Security Council's recent decision to renew and strengthen UNAMI's mandate is an opportunity to carry forward the work of Sergio Vieira de Mello and his colleagues," he said. "Yet I understand the fears and concerns some staff may have about any expansion. That is why I affirm to you today that any such measure remains strictly subject to conditions on the ground. Your safety is and always will be a a paramount concern."

Depending on the security situation, the U.N. Mission in Iraq is expected to increase from 55 to 95 international employees. The organization will play a larger role in brokering political dialogue inside Iraq and winning support from Iraq's neighbors for the country's security.

A U.N. spokeswoman Friday said an investigation into the August 2003 bombing is complete. She says the report identifies the attackers and explains how the bombing was carried out. She adds that findings will be made public after the victims' families are informed.

Yazidi, Muslim Leaders in Kurdistan Condemn Recent Bombing

By Brian Padden Irbil, Iraq 17 August 2007

Download

The death toll from a series of suicide attacks on Iraq's Yazidi sect on Tuesday continues to rise. Officials now estimate at least 400 people were killed and hundreds more wounded when four truck bombs exploded in this normally peaceful part of northern Iraq. U.S. and Kurdish officials say the attack is most likely an attempt to incite violence between the minority Yazidi sect and local Muslims. VOA's Brian Padden reports from the Kurdish city of Irbil.

Iraqi soldier videotapes the ruins of a coordinated suicide attack in the town of Qahataniya, 15 Aug 2007

The truck bombs flattened hundreds of homes, trapping hundreds of people in the rubble.

The director of operations for the senior military staff in Washington, Lieutenant General Carter Ham, told a Pentagon news conference U.S. forces are helping with search and recovery efforts in the wake of the attacks, and are providing medical treatment and supplies.

He says they are also working with Iraqi authorities to determine who is responsible.

"We don't yet know who did it, but certainly has the markings of an al-Qaida in Iraq type of attack," he said. "They've made it known that they wish to attack non-Muslims, so that may be a part of this. It may be in part [that] it is just their nature to attack [the] innocent and vulnerable as an effort, I suppose, to convey that there isn't security across the country."

Ido Babasheikh, Iraq's presidential advisor for Yazidien affairs, says this bombing is another example of Islamic extremists trying to incite violence among religious groups in Iraq.

"We think that this crime is not against the Yazidiens, just the Yazidiens, it's against all the communities of the Iraqi society and the Iraqi community and against all humanity in this region," he said.

Hadi Ali, with the Kurdistan Islamic Union, says this attack fits the Sunni militant pattern of trying to spark fighting among different groups.

Ali says just look at how they work. They set off many explosions in Baghdad and Kirkuk, and other places. He says they always find an excuse to attack.

Officials are concerned about increased tensions between Yazidi and Muslims in northern Iraq. The military presence in these areas has been increased and a curfew set in place.

US Iraq Commanders Plan Troop Drawdown Next April

By Al Pessin Pentagon 17 August 2007

Download

A senior U.S. commander in Iraq says he believes there will be a drawdown of U.S. troops starting next April, as long as the security situation continues to improve. Meanwhile, the officer says, coalition and Iraqi forces are focused on eliminating pockets of Sunni insurgent activity in the countryside, having already made it difficult for them to operate in the cities. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

General Ray Odierno

Speaking via satellite from Baghdad, Lieutenant General Ray Odierno said forces sent to Iraq as part of the surge will end their tours of duty starting in April, and the current plan is not to replace them.

"The decision is, if we decide to backfill those units," he explained. "Right now, our plan is not to backfill those units. But General Petraeus, as we continue to make assessments, will make that decision."

About one of the additional combat brigades will reach the end of its tour each month, which, along with support troops, would bring the U.S. troop total in Iraq down from the current level of 162,000 to about 132,000 by next August.

"The surge, we know, as it is today, goes through April of '08," he said. "We believe at some time around that time we will begin to reduce our forces down to pre-surge levels. And we are building our plans accordingly."

That will likely not be a fast enough withdrawal to satisfy critics of the war in the U.S. Congress, and among candidates running for president. But General Odierno says it is important to take a "deliberate" approach to any drawdown to ensure Iraqi forces can maintain order. And he stressed that the drawdown plan will not be final at least until later this year.

Meanwhile, General Odierno says the focus of coalition and Iraqi operations is a new effort to make a series of quick strikes against what he called "sanctuaries and staging areas" used by al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgent forces in rural areas around the country.

"We have been able to liberate the major population centers, provide more security," the general said. "And what we will do is conduct quick operational strikes all around the country to go after these remaining small pockets that are still remaining out there of al-Qaida, and also Shia extremists."

General Odierno says over time the coalition will be turning more toward fighting Shi'ite extremist groups, but for now al-Qaida in Iraq remains the main threat, and the main target of his forces.

"We also believe we've had some effect on them, and if we can we want to finish them off," he said. "And so we're not going to let them up, we want to stay after them. We want to make life as tough as possible here for them."

General Odierno says it is already difficult for the insurgents to operate in Iraq's cities, and he says that is one reason for the devastating attacks in two remote northern villages this week. Nationwide, he reports the overall number of attacks is down to the level of this time last year, attacks on civilians are at a six-month low and sectarian murders in Baghdad are down more than 50 percent since January.

But he acknowledges there is much more to do to solidify the gains, and he expressed concern that insurgents might try to increase their attacks during the coming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts in mid-September.

Negotiations Under Way for Peacekeeper Deployment, East Chad, CAR

By Phuong Tran Dakar 17 August 2007

Download

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging the U.N. Security Council to approve a new peacekeeping force for the volatile border region between Chad and Central African Republic. The newly revised proposal would address the concerns of Chadian President Idriss Deby, who opposed Mr. Ban's original proposal for deployment of a U.N. military force. Phuong Tran brings us this report from VOA's West African Bureau in Dakar.

Under the new proposal, a unit of Chad's police force would maintain law and order in refugee camps, key towns and areas that have large numbers of displaced civilians in eastern Chad.

U.N. staff would mostly offer support from the capital, N'Djamena, rather than be posted on the ground in eastern Chad.

The European Union would provide military forces, most likely to come from France, to serve with Chad forces on the border, for a period of at least one year.

Chad originally had rejected having U.N. peacekeepers on the border, saying it preferred to have its own security forces watch over the camps. But last month, President Idriss Deby agreed to an EU peacekeeping force.

Mr. Ban said the main cause of insecurity is not clashes between government troops and rebel forces, which have occurred only sporadically in recent months, but "widespread criminality and banditry and an associated breakdown in law and order."

The U.N.'s top official in Chad, Kingsley Amaning, says while leaders negotiate, the security of about 400,000 refugees and displaced persons living in Chad's poorly guarded camps suffer.

"What is important for us is that at least there is restoration of state protection," he said. "The state has becoming increasingly weak because of its military operations. Its focus has been diverted from state to regime protection. It is important for the international community to strengthen the capacity of the state to protect its citizens."

Humanitarian workers in eastern Chad report on-going inter-ethnic violence, even during heavy rains that usually halt fighting.

Amaning says the European Union is expected to send a delegation next week to Chad to decide whether it will deploy, how many troops, and which countries would participate.

He says the United Nations cannot move forward without this EU decision.

The U.N. and African Union are hoping to get all the rebel groups in Darfur and the Sudanese government to the peace table in September to try to end the four-year conflict that has claimed over 200,000 lives and uprooted 2.5 million people.

UN Says Massive Flooding Devastates Parts of North Korea

By Lisa Schlein Geneva 17 August 2007

Download

The United Nations reports massive flooding in North Korea has devastated the southern provinces, including the capital city and key agricultural regions. The U.N. reports that Pyongyang, in a departure from normal practice, has asked for international assistance to meet the emergency needs of the country's population. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

A building flooded with water from the Taedong River in Pyongyang, 14 Aug 2007

North Korean officials call these the worst rains to have hit the country in 40 years. And they see no let up as more rain is forecast in the coming days.

Official reports say more than 220 people have died and the homes of over 350,000 people have been destroyed or damaged, and tens of thousands of hectares of farmland have been flooded. Officials say there has been huge damage to roads, bridges, public buildings and other structures.

A U.N. team that did an initial assessment earlier this week has confirmed the serious situation being reported by the government. The World Food Program says it sent a rapid assessment team on Friday, with the permission of the government, to survey sites in eight flood-stricken areas.

On the basis of what already is known, WFP spokesman Simon Pluess says it appears there has been widespread flooding of arable land in the southern half of the country.

"It is important to know that the southern half of the country is the main food producing area," said Pluess. "The area inundated is part of what is called the rice bowl. So, it is very fertile and important for the food security of North Korea. As you know, North Korea is a food deficit country and our fear is really that this year's floods will exacerbate the already food insecure situation in the country."

Pluess says the agency has 4,000 tons of food available in the country, which can be rapidly distributed to flood victims. He says this is enough to begin immediately feeding some 350,000 people.

The World Health Organization says it does not know whether there have been any outbreaks of disease in the flood areas. But WHO Spokeswoman, Fadela Chaib, says it is likely that outbreaks will occur and it is important to be prepared.

"When we are facing floods in any country … the main problem will be water and sanitation because these problems will, without doubt, mean that we will have water and food-borne diseases like diarrhea, cholera and dysentery, etc," said Chaib.

Chaib says WHO has set up temporary clinics to help the sick. The U.N. Children's Fund reports it has pre-positioned supplies in government warehouses. Those supplies include kits of essential medicines and water.

Peru Working to Deliver Relief Aid to Quake Areas

By Brian Wagner Miami 17 August 2007

Download

Peru's government has appealed for calm as relief workers try to deliver aid to survivors of a massive earthquake that killed at least 500 people. In Miami, VOA's Brian Wagner reports that immigrant groups in the United States are gathering donations and other supplies to send to the region.

Alan Garcia (file photo)

Peru's President Alan Garcia promised residents that relief aid is coming to towns along the nation's central coast that were hit by Wednesday's quake. The Peruvian leader began a tour of the disaster zone Thursday, where the 8.0 magnitude quake toppled buildings and mud-brick homes.

Some survivors have complained that relief supplies have been slow in arriving. Damage to highways, roads and power systems has impeded their delivery.

Rescue efforts have also been hampered by a series of strong aftershocks in the region, including a 5.9 magnitude quake early Friday. Officials said they were continuing to search for survivors in the rubble, but that time was running out to find people alive.

In Miami, Latin American community groups began appealing for donations of canned food, medicine, warm clothing and blankets for survivors. Carlos Pereira, head of the Immigration Orientation Center, which provides assistance to immigrants, said his group plans to send supplies on a chartered flight to central Peru on Tuesday. He added that Peruvian immigrants in Miami have been calling his group asking for information about family members in Peru.

Pereira says it is important to remain calm and patient in this situation and find ways to help.

In Washington, the United States has released $150,000 for emergency supplies, and is providing two medical teams. The Pentagon said one of the teams was on the ground in Peru when the disaster occurred and has begun working with Peruvian officials to assist survivors.

VOASE0817_In the News

17 August 2007

As Karl Rove Resigns, Democrats Wonder Where He Might Resurface
President's closest adviser says he wants to spend more time with his family.

Download
Download

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

The news that Karl Rove will leave his job at the end of the month has the political world debating why and what effect it will have.

President Bush and his closest political adviser announced the resignation on Monday (pictured). The president called his deputy chief of staff a "dear friend" and thanked him for his service to the country.

The two men have known each other since the nineteen seventies. George W. Bush was elected governor of Texas in nineteen ninety-four and later re-elected by a bigger majority. Karl Rove led both campaigns.

He was influential in bringing widespread change in Texas politics. The state went from traditionally Democratic to governed by Republicans.

Karl Rove and George Bush went national with the presidential election of two thousand. Mister Bush campaigned as a "compassionate conservative" on issues like education, crime and family values. He won after the Supreme Court stopped a recount of disputed votes in Florida. The election was one of the closest in American history.

After that, Karl Rove worked state by state and issue by issue to expand the president's base of support. He worked with groups that traditionally vote Democratic such as Hispanics, women, and Catholics. He especially sought to build the conservative Christian base.

President Bush went on to re-election victory in two thousand four. In his acceptance speech he thanked Karl Rove and gave him a new nickname, "the Architect." Some call him "Bush's Brain."

From raising money to shaping political debate in America, and attacking opponents, Karl Rove made his mark. His hopes included a Republican majority in Congress that would last a generation.

Yet he leaves a weakened administration with less than a year and a half in office. Last November, Democrats retook both houses of Congress. Now, the continuing Iraq war raises their hopes to win the White House next year.

The war has brought down the president's approval ratings. But, as Karl Rove pointed out Monday, ratings for the Democratic-controlled Congress are even lower. And, he said, they got there a lot quicker.

Mister Rove says he is leaving to spend more time with his family. He also says he will write a book as the president has urged him to do.

Many Democratic leaders are happy to see Karl Rove go. But others worry that he could hurt their party more from outside the White House than inside.

Democrats in Congress could still call him to give evidence in their investigation into the dismissal of several federal prosecutors. Accusations of political misuse of federal agencies could also follow him.

Karl Rove says he expects the Democrats to keep coming after him. He compared it to Herman Melville's novel about the endless hunt by a sea captain for the great white whale that bit off his leg. Karl Rove says he is Moby-Dick and a few members of Congress are trying to act like Captain Ahab.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Caty Weaver. I’m Steve Ember.

VOASE0816_Economics Report

16 August 2007

Economics Not Such a Dismal Science for US High School Students
A newly released study finds that 79 percent of 12th-graders have at least a basic understanding.

Download
Download

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

How much do American high school students know about economics? A new

report shows that seventy-nine percent of twelfth-graders have at least a basic level of understanding.

The results come from testing eleven thousand five hundred students last year in public and private schools.

In fact, students did better in economics than in history or science.

Only forty-seven percent of those tested reached the basic level in history. And fifty-four percent performed at or above the basic level in science.

This is the first time the federal government has measured economic understanding among high school students. The study was done as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, called the Nation's Report Card.

Only one-third of the fifty states require it, but most students these days study some economics in high school. In nineteen eighty-two, forty-nine percent of high school graduates had taken an economics class. By two thousand five it was sixty-six percent.

The study rated understanding at three levels: basic, proficient and advanced. Forty-two percent of students reached the proficient level. Three percent tested at the highest achievement level.

Students received a score with a point value between zero and three hundred. The report says male students scored an average of four points higher than female students. And students from schools in large cities did not do as well as those from other places.

Students answered questions in three major areas: market economy and national and international economy.

Seventy-two percent could describe the risks and possible rewards of leaving a job for more education. Fifty-two percent knew what happens to money deposited in banks. But only eleven percent understood how changes in the unemployment rate affect pay, spending and production.

The next economics testing will take place in two thousand twelve.

So what does happen to most of the money deposited in checking accounts at a commercial bank? A) It is used to pay the bank's expenses. B) It is loaned to other bank customers. C) It is kept in the bank's vault until depositors withdraw the funds. Or, D) It is paid to owners of the bank as return on their investment.

The correct answer: B) It is loaned to other bank customers.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. For a link to the full report, including other sample questions, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Mario Ritter.

VOASE0816_American Mosaic

16 August 2007

The Pierces: Two Sisters Who Put Their Imaginations Into Their Music
A question from Turkey about solutions to America’s traffic problems. And a look at the popularity of Ferris wheels.

Download
Download

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Barbara Klein. On our show this week:

We listen to music from the Pierces …

Answer a question about America's traffic problems …

And report about an old time amusement park ride that's become new again.

Ferris Wheels

HOST:

An amusement park ride invented more than one hundred years ago is becoming popular again. Cities all over the world are building new kinds of Ferris wheels. Steve Ember tells us more about the invention that has become much more than just a popular American amusement park ride.

STEVE EMBER:

The Ferris wheel at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California.

Ferris wheels are large circles that extend high into the air. People sit or stand in small boxes attached to the structure and are lifted into the air and back down to Earth. The first real Ferris wheel was built in eighteen ninety-three for the world's fair called the Colombian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France had been built for the Centennial Exposition in eighteen eighty-nine. Officials in Chicago wanted an exciting new structure that would interest large numbers of people as well.

American bridge builder and engineer George Washington Gale Ferris had the answer. He proposed a seventy-six meter high "observation wheel" for the fair. Some people said it could not be done. They said it was too big and too dangerous to lift people so high that they could be threatened by blowing wind.

Mister Ferris agreed to build the wheel with his own and other private money. His proposal was approved. His wheel operated for the first time at the fair in Chicago. It could carry more than one thousand four hundred riders. Each rider paid fifty cents to ride around the full circle two times for ten minutes. Reports said more than one million people rode that first Ferris wheel in the nineteen weeks it operated at the fair. People started calling it after the name of its inventor.

Today, Ferris wheels can be found in just about every amusement park in the United

South Korean firefighters rescue a student from a car of a Ferris wheel at the World Carnival Busan

States and in other countries. They are usually very safe. But accidents do happen. Just this week, a passenger box turned over on a Ferris wheel in South Korea. Five people were killed in the twenty-meter fall.

Next year, China is to open two new Ferris wheels. The Tianjin Eye will stand on a bridge where cars will pass around it. And the Great Beijing Wheel will be more than two hundred meters high. The wheels are to start turning in time for the two thousand eight Summer Olympic Games.

Traffic

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Turkey. Nadir Telli wants to know about possible solutions to America’s traffic problems.

Many big cities in the United States have serious traffic problems. Too many cars travel on the freeways to and from the city. This heavy traffic causes delays and lots of pollution from cars that are using their engines but not moving anywhere. Many cars going nowhere is called a "traffic jam."

Heavy traffic near Los Angeles

While many cities in the United States have traffic problems, some of the worst are in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is a big city with a large downtown area. One of the reasons there is so much traffic is that almost everyone uses a car to get around instead of using public transportation. Many people live far from the city and drive many kilometers to work and back every day.

Experts say one possible solution to the traffic problem in Los Angeles would be to make people want to use the public transportation system of buses instead of their own cars. People say the buses should be made easier, faster, less costly and more dependable than driving a car.

One suggestion is to reduce the cost of riding the bus. People who usually drive their cars could save a lot of money on gas and parking costs. Also, Los Angeles could make the buses easier for people to use. The buses could travel to more places in the city. And there could be more special lanes on the freeways that only buses could drive in. These changes would make taking the bus faster and easier than driving a car.

The city of Los Angeles controls all of the public transportation. Some experts suggest permitting private bus companies to compete for riders. The private companies would find ways to make the buses more popular.

Other experts have said that the best way to ease traffic problems is to charge people money to drive on the freeways. These charges, or tolls, would be for the most crowded roads. The tolls would be in effect during the times of day when most people drive to work and home again. These times in the morning and late afternoon are called "rush hour." People would try to avoid driving on these roads, which would decrease the amount of traffic. Also, the money collected from these tolls could be used to improve the roads and public transportation system.

The Pierces

HOST:

The Pierces are a musical band of two sisters, Allison and Catherine Pierce. These two musicians were born and raised in the southern state of Alabama, but now live in New York City. Critics are praising the imaginative songs on their latest album, "Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge." Mario Ritter has more.

(MUSIC)

MARIO RITTER:

That was the playfully serious song “Secret.” It is a good example of how the Pierces

The Pierces

mix a folk music sound with creative and funny storytelling.

Allison and Catherine Pierce's parents taught them at an early age to love music and the arts. The girls grew up listening to folk rock musicians like Joni Mitchell and Simon and Garfunkel. Their parents taught them to explore their creative sides by playing music, painting and cooking. But the girls did not start their careers in music. They both worked as professional ballet dancers before deciding to work on their music full time.

Here is the song “Boring.” The sisters jokingly sing about the things they think are uninteresting. They make fun of rich people who are not thankful for what they have.

(MUSIC)

This is the Pierces' third album. But they say it is the only record they are really happy with. Catherine and Allison have said that in the past they felt like they did not have a free voice. They were asked to make music that would make money instead of making music they loved. On this record, they made music their way. We close with the energetic song “Sticks and Stones.”

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Barbara Klein. I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by Erin Braswell, Dana Demange, and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.