Bangladesh's Military-Backed Administration Completes Six Months in Power

By Anjana Pasricha New Delhi 15 July 2007

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Bangladesh's army-backed interim administration has completed six months in power. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the government's widely hailed crackdown on corruption has earned it public support, but there are concerns about the postponement of elections until the end of 2008.

Police escort General Secretary of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League Party Abdul Jalil, front left, to a court in Dhaka (File Photo)

When high-profile politicians were jailed in Dhaka for alleged corruption after an interim government took power in January, there was widespread incredulity in a country where political leaders were never seen as accountable.

Six months on, many people acknowledge that the army-backed administration is determined to root out corruption. More than 170 political leaders are behind bars.

They include cabinet ministers, city mayors and the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The government has promised to widen the net even as special courts begin to hear cases.

The crackdown has earned accolades among ordinary people who are disillusioned with politicians. Many of them have been accused of amassing personal wealth and ignoring the country's development needs.

However the indefinite suspension of democracy is causing mounting concern.

Independent political analyst Ataus Samad says there is skepticism about the administration's desire to hand power to an elected government by end of next year, as promised.

"We hear not only politicians, but also the common people asking questions whether elections will be held within the stated time frame, which is December 2008," said Samad. "Some people believe it, some people don't believe it."

Some analysts think the emergency administration will only hold elections when it has achieved its other major goal, reforming the country's two main political parties.

They are headed by powerful women, former Prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. The government wants both to quit.

But analyst Samad says it has not easy to loosen their iron grip on their parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, and the Awami League.

"Up to now there are not very many signs that they have been able to do it," he added. "Only some people, you can count them on your fingers, they are saying they want these reforms, the main objective of which is to keep these two ladies and their supporters out of elections."

In May, the government abandoned plans to exile Mrs. Zia and Mrs. Hasina after encountering opposition. Both leaders accuse the administration of treating them unfairly, and want it to lift a ban on political activity.

Despite the delay in elections, many people remain optimistic that the interim government can lead the country out of the crisis it faced in January. Then, differences between the two main political parties on how to hold elections triggered bloody street battles.

Former Major General Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, a defense analyst, is among those who remain upbeat.

"The sincerity of the caretaker government, the organizational ability of the military behind the government and coupled with it the desire of the people, these three factors will ultimately culminate in holding the elections in time," said Ibrahim.

In recent days, government officials have said they will continue their fight against corruption, and they will stick to plans for elections next year. And they have made clear they see no future rule in politics for Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.

VOASE0715_This Is America

15 July 2007

A High School Reunion in Chicago Brings a Meeting of the Minds
Members of the Class of 1957 at the University of Chicago Laboratory High School get together and remember the good times.

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. This week on our program, come along to a high school reunion in Illinois.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

A warm sun shines on Scammon Garden on the South Side of Chicago. Under the shelter of a tent, a crowd is gathered for a jazz brunch. The men and women enjoy the food, the music and the memories as they talk about old school days. Some of them have not seen each other in fifty years.

Former students at University of Chicago Laboratory High School

The event is part of a reunion of the University of Chicago Laboratory High School. People call it U-High or Lab. This lab was created for experiments with education.

VOICE TWO:

The University of Chicago recently invited alumni to a special weekend where several U-High classes held reunions. These included the class of nineteen fifty-seven. About forty of the one hundred or so graduates attended the reunion. Some came with their husbands and wives.

The former classmates are now in their upper sixties. Some are retired. Others are still working. There are lawyers, professors, writers, social workers, scientists, economists and business people. But on this bright afternoon, their thoughts return to a time when so much of their lives was still ahead.

Ginger Spiegel Lane says there is feeling in the air of being teenagers again. The feeling is so strong, she can almost touch it. Yet something is different. She notices that her former classmates now talk much more openly than they would have as young people.

VOICE ONE:

Some in the class of fifty-seven grew up together. They knew each other as children when they attended other University of Chicago laboratory schools. Some also went on to attend the university.

There are four laboratory schools. These are independent college preparatory schools operated by the University of Chicago.

John Dewey established the first laboratory schools at Chicago in eighteen ninety-six. He was a leading educational theorist. He imagined a place where future teachers could work with young students and test progressive ways of teaching.

Dewey knew that educators traditionally placed the most importance on memorizing and repeating information. In his laboratory schools, Dewey thought that the child should be the most important thing.

VOICE TWO:

In terms of being socially progressive, the Chicago laboratory schools have brought together students from different racial and ethnic groups. In nineteen forty-three a political activist launched a successful campaign to get the laboratory schools to admit black students.

Her name was Marian Alschuler Despres. Several years earlier she had received a doctorate from the University of Chicago.

Marian Alschuler Despres died in January of this year at the age of ninety-seven. She was married to Leon Despres, a well-known politician in Chicago who served for many years on the City Council.

The University of Chicago Magazine, in reporting on her death, noted her efforts to get African-American students into the laboratory schools. Today their population of minority and international students is about forty percent -- still not enough to satisfy some critics, though.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Some members of the U-High class of nineteen fifty-seven still live in the Chicago area. Others have moved away but came for the fiftieth anniversary reunion, including Robert Despres, the son of Marian and Leon.

A number of members from the class of fifty-seven attended a special event honoring a member of the class of nineteen eighty-two. Arne Duncan is chief executive officer of the Chicago public schools, the third largest school system in the United States.

Many graduates of the University of Chicago Laboratory High School are in public service. A nineteen seventy-nine graduate, Leslie Hairston, is on the Chicago City Council. A member of the class of nineteen thirty-seven is on the United States Supreme Court. John Paul Stevens is often called the most liberal justice on the court.

VOICE TWO:

One area where members of the class of nineteen fifty-seven have done well is education. Paul Schultz is a nationally known economist at Yale University and the son of a Nobel Prize winner.

Another graduate, Sydney Spiesel, is an expert in children's medicine, also at Yale. Doctor Spiesel also writes for the Internet magazine Slate.

VOICE ONE:

Bert Cohler from the class of fifty-seven is still in the U-High neighborhood. He s a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Chicago.

Mary Deems Howland teaches English literature at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

And Allan Metcalf at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, is an English language expert. His latest book is "Presidential Voices: Speaking Styles from George Washington to George W. Bush." He is now working on a book about the word OK.

Another member of the class of fifty-seven, Tappan Wilder, has become a strong voice for the literature of Thornton Wilder. Thornton was his father's brother. He was a playwright, novelist and short-story writer who won three Pulitzer Prizes. He wrote the classic play "Our Town." Tappan Wilder is responsible for the republication of some of his uncle's work.

VOICE TWO:

A visitor at the reunion commented that the U-High class of nineteen fifty-seven had enough mental energy to light a city.

Many high school reunions are centered on a dance. But the members of the class of fifty-seven made a different choice. They met for a discussion in one of their former classroom buildings.

They talked about good memories of high school. But one man urged them not to glamorize the past too much. He said time often makes days long ago seem happier than they really were.

VOICE ONE:

So the former students also talked about how they sometimes formed social groups that excluded others. Yet one of those who took part in the discussion, Elizabeth Hughes Schneewind, says they still found something good to say. They agreed that at least these cliques did not form along religious, racial or ethnic lines, the way they sometimes do in schools.

Ginger Spiegel Lane says the former students also remembered the many aptitude tests they were given. Graduate students in education administered them. The tests were designed to see what the students might do with their lives. She says that for a number of people the results proved correct.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Gathering classmates from fifty years ago is a big job. But class members Mary Morony of Chicago and John Keohane [koh-HANE] of Austin, Texas, worked hard. Mister Keohane is a mathematics teacher but one of the people he found called him an excellent detective.

VOICE ONE:

Mary Deems Howland, for example, had moved several times. She had also changed her name when she got married. But John Keohane remembered reading the name of her sister's husband in a University of Chicago publication. He followed that clue and found the brother-in-law, and that led him to his former classmate.

She could not attend the reunion. But she renewed several school friendships because of it. She and classmate Mary Morony held their own reunion -- on the telephone. They talked for an hour.

VOICE TWO:

Allan Metcalf says he came to know classmates he had not really known when they were in school fifty years ago. And he says e-mails and calls are continuing after the reunion.

A former classmate from the University of Chicago Laboratory High School told one woman she looked young for her age. The woman smiled and explained why: the reunion, she said, had taken away fifty years.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver. To learn more about American life, and to download transcripts and audio archives of our programs, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

VOASE0715_Development Report

15 July 2007

Progress Mixed Halfway to Development Goals for 2015
The UN says aid shortages could threaten efforts to fight extreme poverty. Still, an official says some of the poorest nations are making the greatest gains.

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This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

Indian child begs for money in New Delhi

In September of two thousand, world leaders set eight goals for bringing millions of people out of poverty. These became known as the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Among them: cut in half the number of people living on less than one dollar a day and halt the spread of AIDS and malaria.

The goals also include improving survival rates for pregnant women and young children, and educating all children. Working for equality between women and men and dealing with environmental needs like safe water are also included.

The target date for reaching the goals is two thousand fifteen. We are now halfway to that date and a United Nations progress report says results have been mixed.

For example, it says the share of people in extreme poverty has fallen from nearly one-third to less than one-fifth. That was between nineteen ninety and two thousand four. If this progress continues, the U.N. estimates that the poverty reduction goal will be met for the world as a whole and many areas.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also noted progress in schooling and efforts to save children from diseases like measles, tuberculosis and malaria. However, some goals may be more of a struggle to reach -- for example, stopping the continued spread of H.I.V./AIDS.

U.N. official Salil Shetty heads the Millennium Campaign; it works with local groups to remind governments of their promises. He says progress toward the eight goals should be judged nation-by-nation. He says some of the poorest nations are making the greatest gains.

Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, is not expected to reach any of the goals. But Salil Shetty says several countries are on the path toward reaching some of them. These include Tanzania, Mozambique and Rwanda.

The U.N. progress report warns that aid shortages could threaten the efforts even of well-governed countries to meet the goals. It says only five donor countries have met a longtime U.N. target for development aid. They are Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The target is seven-tenths of one percent of gross national income.

The Wall Street Journal, though, noted that when private aid is added to official assistance, the United States is giving just under one percent. A commentary based on a recent Hudson Institute report said that is more than other countries including France, Germany and Japan.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. I’m Shep O'Neal.

Bush Defends Iraq War Strategy

By Scott Stearns White House 14 July 2007

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President Bush talks to reporters during press conference, 12 Jul 2007

President Bush says it is too soon to judge the success of his decision to send more troops to Iraq. VOA White House correspondent Scott Stearns reports, opposition Democrats say it is time to start bringing those troops home.

President Bush used his weekly radio address to defend the recent administration report on mixed progress in Iraq, saying his strategy for success is built on the premise that greater security will pave the way for political reconciliation.

"This report shows that conditions can change, progress can be made, and the fight in Iraq can be won," he said.

The president says 30,000 additional U.S. troops deserve the chance to show that they can help restore security and aid Iraq's government in protecting its own people.

When he launched this new strategy in January, President Bush said it would be different from earlier efforts because more Iraqi troops would join the fight and the government there would stop interfering in how those troops are used.

But the interim report to Congress says since January, fewer Iraqi units can operate independently of U.S. troops. It also gives the Baghdad government unsatisfactory marks for failing to prepare for local elections that could reconcile Iraq's Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish factions.

Two senior senators from Mr. Bush's own Republican Party are pressing the president to begin planning for the redeployment of U.S. troops. Their proposal is a further sign of falling support for the war among Republicans, but is less than opposition Democrats are demanding. They are seeking a timetable for withdrawal that would have all U.S. combat forces out of Iraq by next April.

A public opinion poll by Newsweek magazine last week says 68 percent of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling the war.

In the Democratic radio address, former infantryman Brandon Friedman says nearly 600 Americans have been killed since the president announced his new strategy in January, yet there has been little improvement in the situation there.

"It is past time for the transition to diplomatic efforts in Iraq that Democrats have long demanded," said Friedman. "The fact is, the Iraq war has kept us from devoting assets we need to fight terrorists worldwide, as evidenced by the fact that Osama bin Laden is still on the loose and al-Qaida has been able to rebuild. We need an effective, offensive strategy that takes the fight to our real enemies abroad, and the best way to do that is to get our troops out of the civil war in Iraq."

President Bush says he wants to get U.S. troops out of Iraq as well, but only when conditions on the ground are right.

"To begin to bring troops home before our commanders tell us we are ready would be dangerous for our country," he said. "It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al-Qaida, risking a humanitarian catastrophe, and allowing the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraq and gain control of vast oil resources they could use to fund new attacks on America."

Mr. Bush continues to link the war in Iraq with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He says he will veto any legislation that seeks to bring U.S. troops home before commanders say they have won.

UNICEF: Pakistan Flood Victims Need Emergency Help

By Lisa Schlein Geneva 14 July 2007

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The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is urgently appealing for $5 million to provide emergency assistance to tens of thousands of flood victims in Pakistan. UNICEF estimates more than 1.5 million people are affected by the floods in the southern provinces of Baluchistan and Sindh. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Pakistani rangers rescue stranded villagers from fllood-hit areas in Kahirpur Nathan Shah near Hyderabad, Pakistan, 13 July 2007

The floods were provoked by four days of heavy rains following a devastating cyclone, which hit Baluchistan and Sindh on June 23. Official figures put the number of homeless people at more than 100,000. About 300 people are reported dead, with many more still missing.

The U.N. Children's Fund says three out of four people affected by the floods are children and women. It says at least 300,000 of the affected children are under the age of five. It says some of these children have lost their homes and they are exposed to extremely high temperatures.

UNICEF spokeswoman, Veronique Taveau, says the children have limited access to clean water. This, she says, puts them at particular risk of infectious diseases, epidemics and of becoming malnourished.

"That is why at the moment, UNICEF is pre-positioning, organizing all the distribution of the kits that we need for that not to happen," she said. "And, we are closely monitoring the situation together with WHO, together with WFP in order to work in one way and to organize ourselves so that all what the population needs will be there when it is needed."

Taveau says the U.N. agencies are presently conducting an assessment mission to evaluate the needs. Baluchistan and Sindh are among the poorest provinces in Pakistan. This makes children and women there particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.

UNICEF says one out of 10 infants dies before his or her first year of age. It reports 40 percent of children under the age of five are underweight and maternal mortality is twice the country's average.

Taveau says UNICEF is worried that children will suffer from lack of food, safe water and medicine. Another big problem, she says, is that of separated or unaccompanied children.

"We do not know exactly how many orphans we have and how many children are still looking for their parents, because the situation is still quite chaotic," she added. "And, it is quite difficult to reach those two regions. We can only go there by helicopter. The roads are closed because of the floods. So, the situation there is not very easy at the moment."

Taveau says children who have no one to protect them are at increased risk of trafficking, exploitation and abuse. She says girls and children of female-headed households also suffer from discrimination. They experience more difficulties in getting basic humanitarian services.

UNICEF says money from the appeal will be used to improve water, sanitation and hygiene. It says it will provide special nutritional feeding to try to prevent children from becoming malnourished. Two other priority areas include education and child protection.

Russia Suspends Participation in European Arms Treaty

By Bill Gasperini Moscow 14 July 2007

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Russia has suspended its participation in a European arms control treaty, because of what the Kremlin has described as "extraordinary circumstances." From Moscow, Bill Gasperini has more for VOA on what is being viewed as another sign of the strained relations between and the west.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

President Putin signed a decree Saturday suspending Russia's participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. In a statement, the Kremlin said it was taking that step because of "extraordinary circumstances that affect the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures."

The suspension was not unexpected, as Mr. Putin has previously said he might freeze compliance with the document due to what the Kremlin views as NATO intransigence on key aspects of the agreement.

The CFE treaty regulates the deployment of troops and military equipment on the continent, and was originally signed by Russia and NATO members in 1990. It was amended in 1999 to reflect changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union, such as requiring Moscow to withdraw all of its forces from former Soviet republics including Moldova and Georgia.

Russia has ratified the later version of the CFE and has pulled some of its forces out of those states. However, NATO members have refused to ratify the amended version until Moscow fully withdraws all its forces.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia can no longer tolerate a situation where it is complying with the treaty while its partners were not.

Russia also accuses the United States and NATO of "undermining stability" in Europe with plans to deploy a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech republic.

As a result of its suspension, the Russian Foreign Ministry says Moscow will halt all inspections of military sites by NATO countries and will not limit the number of its conventional weapons, such as tanks, artillery and combat vehicles in Europe.

However, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sergei Kislyak left open the door to a negotiated solution to the impasse.

Kislyak says that Russia is not against dialogue aimed at resolving the problem, and that Moscow invites its Western partners to engage in dialogue to find a way out of the situation.

In Brussels, NATO spokesman James Appathurai condemned the Russian move, saying the alliance "regrets this decision as a step in the wrong direction."

Some military analysts say the suspension is aimed mostly at the missile defense shield standoff, and is not likely to result in a build-up of Russian military forces near its borders.

VOASE0714_People In America

14 July 2007

Bob Hope, 1903-2003: He Entertained People for More Than 70 Years
The comedian performed in movies, on television and for American troops around the world.

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VOICE ONE:

I’m Phoebe Zimmermann.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Dick Rael with the VOA Special English program PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Today, we tell the story of Bob Hope. He was one of the world’s most famous comedians. His life in show business lasted for more than seventy years.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Bob Hope was born in Eltham, England in nineteen-oh-three. His parents named him

Bob Hope

Leslie Townes Hope. Many years later, he began calling himself Bob.

Leslie was the fifth of seven sons. He and his family moved to the United States in nineteen-oh-seven. They settled in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Leslie’s mother taught him how to sing. As a child, he had a good singing voice. Later in life, Bob Hope often said he never wanted to be anything but a funnyman.

Leslie attended Cleveland public schools. He sold newspapers and worked for a meat market and a shoe store. After high school, he learned how to dance. He also showed an interest in the sport of boxing.

VOICE TWO:

When Bob Hope was eighteen years old, he asked his girlfriend to become his dance partner. They began appearing at local vaudeville theaters. Vaudeville was the most popular form of entertainment in the United States in the early nineteen hundreds. Vaudeville shows presented short plays, singers, dancers, comedians telling jokes and other acts.

Bob Hope’s dance act with his girlfriend did not last long. A short time later, he heard that a Cleveland theater needed performers for a show with the famous actor Fatty Arbuckle. Hope developed a dance act with another friend, and they were chosen for the show. The team performed briefly as part of Arbuckle’s traveling vaudeville show.

VOICE ONE:

Later, Hope formed a song and dance team with George Byrne. They performed at theaters across the United States. The two men were offered work in a show on Broadway in New York City. But they did not stay very long. They left New York to change their act and start over again.

They performed at a small theater in Pennsylvania. On opening night, Hope was asked to tell the crowd about future shows at the theater. The people liked the way he sounded. So did the supervisor of the theater. Hope then expanded his announcement to five minutes.

Bob Hope started to perform by himself. He became skilled at standing in front of crowds and telling jokes, often very quickly. He collected jokes and told them during his performances. Hope did not wear special clothing or use tricks when performing. But he made funny expressions with his face to make people laugh.

VOICE TWO:

Bob Hope returned to Broadway in the nineteen thirties. Theater critics and the public liked his performance in the musical “Roberta.” The show changed his life in more than one way. One day, another performer took Hope to meet a young singer who was also working in New York. Her name was Dolores Reade. She and Hope married in nineteen thirty-four. They would stay together as husband and wife for the next sixty-nine years.

After the musical “Roberta,” Bob Hope performed in a number of other Broadway shows. They included “Ziegfield Follies” and “Red, Hot and Blue.” Hope’s acting success led to his first major film, “The Big Broadcast of Nineteen-Thirty-Eight.” In the film, he and Shirley Ross sang a song called “Thanks for the Memory.” Many people think of Bob Hope when they hear this song.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen thirty-seven, Bob Hope agreed to do a series of radio programs called the “Woodbury Soap Show.” The next year, he agreed to do a radio show for another company that made Pepsodent toothpaste. His Tuesday night radio show soon became popular. Hope continued doing radio shows for almost twenty years.

His success in radio led to a long-term relationship with a major film company, Paramount Pictures. The actors who worked in Hope’s films also made appearances on his radio shows.

In all, Hope was the lead actor in more than fifty films. He also had small parts in fifteen others. Bob Hope never won an Academy Award for his acting. However, the American film industry did honor him five times. His series of films with actress Dorothy Lamour and singer Bing Crosby became world famous. Hope and Crosby were close friends. Here they sing a song from the movie “The Road to Morocco.”

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Bob Hope began performing on television in nineteen fifty. He made a special program for NBC television. His show included a famous personality, a singer and a beautiful, young woman. Hope used this successful combination again and again. He decided to avoid all the work involved with a weekly television show. However, he continued making television specials every year until nineteen ninety-five.

VOICE ONE:

For more than fifty years, Bob Hope traveled around the world, giving shows for members of America’s armed forces. It started in nineteen forty-one when he and several other performers went to an air base in California. Later that year, the United States entered World War Two after Japanese forces attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Hope attempted to join the armed forces. He was told he could better serve his country as a performer, building support for the war effort. So he took a team of performers to bases around the country to perform his radio show.

VOICE TWO:

Hope and his team performed for millions of soldiers during World War Two. He performed almost all of his shows at bases across the United States, Europe and the South Pacific. Listen now to part of a show broadcast to soldiers after the war had ended.

(SOUND:“The Bob Hope Radio Show” )

Hope began what was to become a Christmas tradition in nineteen forty-eight. That is

Bob Hope performing in Vietnam

when he and his wife went to Germany to perform for troops involved in the Berlin Airlift. Later, he performed for American soldiers serving in South Korea, Vietnam and Lebanon. In nineteen ninety, Hope and his wife performed for troops in Saudi Arabia. At the time, he was eighty-seven years old.

VOICE ONE:

Bob Hope was a friend to many American Presidents. He played golf with Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George Bush. Several presidents also honored the famous comedian. President John Kennedy gave Hope the Congressional Gold Medal. President Lyndon Johnson presented him with the Medal of Freedom.

United States Congress honored Hope four times. In nineteen ninety-seven, Congress made him an honorary veteran of the armed forces. He was the first individual so honored in American history. The following year, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth made Hope an honorary knight. She recognized his work in films and his service to allied forces during World War Two.

VOICE TWO:

People in many countries celebrated Bob Hope’s birthday on May twenty-ninth, two thousand three. He was one hundred years old. The celebrations included the naming of a famous area in Hollywood, California as Bob Hope Square.

Sadly, Hope was too weak to attend. Two months later, he became sick and developed pneumonia. Bob Hope died at his California home on July twenty-seventh, two thousand three.

(MUSIC: “Thanks for the Memory”)

VOICE ONE:

This Special English program was written by George Grow. It was produced by Lawan Davis. I’m Phoebe Zimmermann.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Dick Rael. Join us again next week for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.

Pentagon Chief Says Al-Qaida Expanding in N. Africa

By Al Pessin Pentagon 13 July 2007

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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the al-Qaida terrorist network is expanding in North Africa, through a loose network of groups that share its ideology. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

Robert Gates

Secretary Gates says U.S. intelligence reports indicate that North Africa's Maghreb, which includes Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, is the latest area where al-Qaida is working to establish or affiliate with terrorist groups.

"There has basically been a merger, or whatever you want to call it, of several terrorist groups there, under the rubric of al-Qaida, in the Maghreb," he said. "I think that's probably the newest area where it has emerged as a reasonably coherent organization."

Secretary Gates says the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan destroyed al-Qaida's ability to directly control terrorist activities around the world. But he says the remnants of the network, including its senior leaders, continue to influence global terrorism from safe havens in Pakistan.

"We, I think, have pretty good evidence that, for example, al-Qaida in Iraq takes strategic guidance and inspiration from the al-Qaida in the western part of Pakistan, Osama bin Laden's organization, Zawahiri and company," he said. "They get advice. They clearly are connected. But they also have, I think, probably substantial autonomy."

Secretary Gates described al-Qaida today as a 'franchise' organization, a term also used Friday by White House spokesman Tony Snow.

Tony Snow (June, 2007 photo)

"What happens now is that you have a decentralized al-Qaida, where you have franchised operations around the globe that communicate using the Internet, using video, using very sophisticated techniques," he said. "They share finances. They share tactics. They share recruiting strategies. And they share communications."

The two officials spoke the day after a U.S. government intelligence report said al-Qaida has rebuilt much of its organization in recent years, although the report says the group is still weaker than it was before 2002.

Algeria's radical Islamic group, previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, recently changed its name to the al-Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb. It has claimed responsibility for two recent suicide bombings that killed more than 40 people.

A year and a half ago, Secretary Gates' predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, visited Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, largely to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation. During that trip, Rumsfeld praised the three countries for fighting terrorism, and said there was "an extremely low possibility" that terrorists would be able to gain a foothold in the region.

President Bush said Thursday al-Qaida is weaker than it would have been if not for U.S. military actions in recent years, but he said it is still a threat.

VOASE0713_In the News

13 July 2007

Bush Firm on War Policy Until September Report on Progress by Iraqis
For now, US rates efforts "satisfactory" in eight areas and "unsatisfactory" in eight others in meeting goals set by Congress.

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This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

On Thursday, the Bush administration reported mixed results in Iraq since the recent

U.S. and Iraqi soldiers in Baqouba, Iraq

addition of thirty thousand American troops. The report is based on eighteen goals known as benchmarks. Congress established them two months ago to measure the progress of the Iraqi government in political, security and economic areas.

The report says the Iraqis are making satisfactory progress in eight areas and unsatisfactory progress in eight others. Ratings in two areas are mixed.

One of the areas rated satisfactory was forming a committee to examine the Iraqi constitution. Another was providing about ten thousand Iraqi troops to help bring security to Baghdad.

But the report says there has been little progress on important political issues such as sharing oil resources and political compromise.

President Bush is urging Americans to give his war policy more time. He told a White House news conference: "I believe we can succeed in Iraq." He said he believes that security progress is being made that will enable the political process to succeed, as well.

He ordered the surge deployment in January. He noted that the final troops arrived a little less than a month ago.

President Bush during a news conference at the White House, Thursday, July 12, 2007

Mister Bush says he will wait for a full report in September to see if his policy needs to be changed. The top American general in Iraq and the ambassador to Baghdad will return to Washington to give that report.

But Thursday's progress report immediately incited more debate over the war. The Democrats who control the House of Representatives acted quickly. Thursday night, the House approved a measure that calls for the withdrawal of most American combat forces by April of next year.

Four Republicans supported the bill and ten Democrats opposed it.

President Bush says he will veto any attempt by Congress to direct the war. In May he vetoed a spending bill passed by the House and Senate that linked continued money for the war to a withdrawal plan. He later signed a compromise bill. The money came with a condition to demonstrate by July fifteenth, and again in September, that the Iraqis are making progress on the benchmarks.

Iraqi officials are calling on American lawmakers to avoid withdrawing troops too soon. A government spokesman told VOA that would be, in his words, a great gift to the terrorists. But he said Iraqi security forces should be built up enough in two thousand eight that "good numbers" of American troops could be withdrawn.

A new public opinion study found that more than seventy percent of Americans support removing almost all American troops from Iraq by April. Mister Bush's approval rating reached a new low, twenty-nine percent, in that USA Today/Gallup Poll. His rating held at thirty-three percent in the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll. But public approval of Congress fell to twenty-four percent.

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

US House Votes for April 2008 Iraq Withdrawal Target

By Dan Robinson Capitol Hill 12 July 2007

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The House of Representatives has approved a resolution calling for the withdrawal of most U.S. combat forces from Iraq by April of 2008. VOA's Dan Robinson reports, action by the Democratic-controlled House by a vote of 223 to 201 came as the Senate continues debate on Iraq-related amendments.

The measure demands that most U.S. combat forces leave Iraq by April 1 of next year, with the withdrawal process to begin within 120 days.

President Bush would have to report to Congress on any U.S. forces remaining for what are called limited purposes such as protection of diplomats and training Iraqi troops.

Congressman Ike Skelton (file photo)

Referring to what he called "strategic mistakes" in Iraq, Democratic Congressman Ike Skelton said Congress cannot wait until September, when it is due to receive the next report on Iraq.

"We haven't got time for the waiting game, that is where we are now," said Ike Skelton. "The purpose of this is a matter of readiness, it is a matter of national security, it is a matter that we must face now or else the strain and stretch on our ground forces, particularly our Army and of course the Marines will be beyond repair."

Debate took place against the background of the Bush administration's interim report on Iraq, which says the Iraqi government made satisfactory progress on just eight of 18 political, military and economic benchmarks.

Republicans sought to put a positive spin on the report, with Congressman Duncan Hunter urging lawmakers not to vote to change policy until the September report from U.S. Iraq commander General David Petraeus.

"This is an attempt once again to stampede a retreat from Iraq, and it is a gratuitous attempt to do this," said Congressman Hunter.

House Foreign Affairs chairman Tom Lantos suggested that far from demonstrating progress, the administration report on Iraq reflects setbacks.

"With every car bomb that takes civilian toll, every insurgent's bullet that finds it mark, every roadside explosive that maims or kills one of our own brave men and women in uniform, the sacrifices mount and the result is anything but satisfactory," said Tom Lantos.

Before the final vote, House Republican minority leader John Boehner made a final appeal to lawmakers to vote against the measure, asserting it would embolden al-Qaida in Iraq, and terrorists around the world.

"This bill we have before us makes our troops pawns in a partisan political battle," said Boehner. "I don't think that is what anyone wants. I think this bill undermines General Petraeus, undermines the mission he has to make Iraq and America safe."

Here is the Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

"After more than 3,600 lives have been lost to a flawed strategy, we have a responsibility to create a new direction," said Nancy Pelosi. "To those who urge that we wait until September, I say it has been four and a half years and a half trillion dollars at least. We have already waited too long."

This is the second time the House has voted for a specific withdrawal target date. President Bush vetoed legislation approved by the House and Senate earlier this year that tied war funding to a timetable.

The president has promised to veto any new such legislation reaching his desk and would likely have enough support on Capitol Hill to sustain a veto.

In his comments accompanying the release of the interim progress report, President Bush reiterated his view that the U.S. can still succeed in Iraq, urged patience and said he considers history's judgment of his actions more important than public opinion polls.

Bush's Iraq Report Generates More Controversy

By Al Pessin Pentagon 12 July 2007

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President Bush's report to Congress Thursday evaluating progress toward 18 benchmarks of success in Iraq generated immediate controversy, with supporters and opponents of the president's policy seizing on various parts of the report to justify their views. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Al Pessin has this look at the report, and at what people on both sides of the issue are saying about it.

President Bush talks to reporters during press conference, 12 Jul 2007

The president's report gives the Iraqi government a satisfactory rating on eight benchmarks, unsatisfactory on eight others, and a mixed assessment on two points. Mr. Bush says he knew from the beginning that it would provide fuel for both sides of the ongoing public and congressional debate about the new strategy and troop surge he announced in January.

"Those who believe that the battle in Iraq is lost will likely point to the unsatisfactory performance on some of the political benchmarks," said President Bush. "Those of us who believe the battle in Iraq can and must be won see the satisfactory performance on some of the security benchmarks as a cause for optimism."

An Iraqi youth reacts as a US military's Bradley fighting vehicle bursts into flames in Obeidi, in south east Baghdad, 2 Jul 2007

The president's prediction was right. Antiwar activist Moira Whelan of the National Security Network.

"Even his satisfactory benchmarks fail to demonstrate any real success in Iraq," said Moira Whelan. "The overall message here is that the surge is a complete failure."

Those "satisfactory" Iraqi government benchmarks include forming a committee to evaluate the Iraqi constitution, not allowing the creation of safe havens for violent groups, progress on a law to create semi-autonomous regions and providing three combat brigades - about 10,000 troops - to help bring security to Baghdad. But the National Security Network disputes those claims of progress. Ilan Goldenberg is a researcher who put together a what the group calls a fact-checking report on the president's document.

"They brought in three brigades, but the brigades were poorly trained and understaffed, and probably came in at roughly somewhere between 50 and 70 per cent of what they'd actually offered," said Goldenberg. "And there are a lot of news reports about how the Baghdad security operation was behind schedule because of the fact that they didn't have enough people."

Goldenberg and other antiwar activists also emphasize the areas where President Bush acknowledged the Iraqi government's performance was not satisfactory. Those include the lack of progress on key laws on sharing oil revenues and easing de-Baathification, failure to end political interference in military decisions, a lack of fairness to the various sectarian groups by law enforcement authorities and a promise to increase the number Iraqi military units capable of operating independently.

Still, supporters of the president stress the difficulty of achieving those goals in the midst of a war, and say his six-month-old new strategy and the one-month-old military offensive should be given more time. Among them is Brian Darling of the Heritage Foundation.

"The president should be given more time," he said. "We're talking about fighting a war and defeating an enemy that is resourceful and could pose a danger to the continental United States. So it's important that the president be given time to win the war."

Darling points out that U.S. generals in Iraq say they are making progress and have appealed for more time, and he believes the president is right to listen to them.

Not surprisingly, the same divergent views of the president's report were expressed on Capitol Hill Thursday. In recent weeks, President Bush has lost the support of several senators from his own Republican Party. But others are sticking with him, including Senator Lindsey Graham.

"For two, three years many of us have urged a change in strategy," said Senator Graham. "Well, now we've got one, and it's working. We have made mistakes, but the worst mistake is yet to come. The worst mistake would be to change strategy at a time when it is beginning to show dividends."

On the Democratic side, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has already said the war has been lost in Iraq, called for another strategy change now, one that would get U.S. troops out of Iraq as quickly as possible.

"It's well past time for a change of course in Iraq," said Senator Reid. "The time to do this is now, not September. We're told good progress is being made. How many times over the last four and a half years have we heard this? Too many to number. Good progress is not being made."

September is when the president's next report is due, and even senior aides acknowledge they will have to show more substantial progress in Iraq by then. If not, they may be hard pressed to prevent Congress from trying to force a withdrawal of U.S. troops - a withdrawal that the president and many military officers believe would be premature, and would lead to disaster for Iraq and possibly a regional war.

Interpol Chief Calls on Nations to Share Passport Data

By Gary Thomas Washington 12 July 2007

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The secretary-general of Interpol, the international police organization, says countries need to share data on lost or stolen passports. In a VOA interview, the Interpol chief says the failure of countries to pool such information makes it easier for terrorists to travel across borders. VOA correspondent Gary Thomas has this report.

Ron Noble

Speaking by telephone, Interpol Secretary-General Ron Noble told VOA the organization set up a database of lost or stolen passports in 2002 as an anti-terrorist measure. But, he says, even though it was fully automated in 2005, only a handful of the organization's 186 member governments are hooked up to the database and taking advantage of it.

"In my view, every country in the world should make it their highest priority to scan passports of visitors against Interpol's global database. But my point is, right now, as I speak to you, only 17 countries in the entire world are doing this. Seventeen," he stressed.

To underscore his concern, he says that in 2007, France made 727,000 passport checks of the Interpol database. In that same period, he says, the United States searched the Interpol passport database 500 times, and Britain 300 times. However, he adds, Britain and the United States are due to hook up to the database within the next several months to scan all visitors' passports.

Noble says governments have made great strides in anti-terrorism measures, particularly in Britain and the United States. But he says nations should also collectively follow up when a match is made on a missing passport, which now happens, he says, about 2,000 times a month.

"But the problem that the world needs to recognize is that unless there is an international, multilingual task force that is established whose principal responsibility is to follow up on all the hits of peoples' names and passports that have come across borders around the world, we're going to allow these terrorists to travel more freely when they shouldn't," he said. "So what I'm suggesting and what I'm imploring is that what countries are doing at the national level, they've got to do at the global level."

Noble says he finds it particularly alarming that Britain has not shared information about its investigation of the recent thwarted terrorist plots there with Interpol.

"To this date, the U.K. has not shared a name, a phone number, a fingerprint, or an address in connection with that terrorist investigation," he said. "And in my view, in the 21st century, in the century in which we find ourselves following the September 11th attacks, the world needs to change the way in which it fights terrorism globally by sharing information instantly and immediately with countries around the world. That's not happening, and it needs to happen."

He says passports can be quickly checked with both national and Interpol databases at the port of entry with no inconvenience to travelers at immigration control.

"It is done simultaneously so that the typical response time from the Interpol system is two to four seconds, which at times is much faster than the response time that countries get from their own national systems. So it will not lead to any longer lines," Noble said.

Interpol has no law enforcement powers. However, it acts as an international clearinghouse for countries' police forces to exchange information, and maintains other databases on stolen vehicles and art works. Noble, an American who has been Interpol secretary-general since 2000, says there is also a need for a centralized database of convicted terrorists.

Musharraf Addresses Nation in Wake of Pakistan Mosque Seige

By Benjamin Sand Islamabad 12 July 2007

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In a televised address to the nation, Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf vowed to eliminate extremism and terrorism from "every corner of the country." The president spoke a day after government forces ended their bloody siege of Islamabad's Red Mosque, where more than 100 people died in the eight-day operation. From Islamabad, VOA Correspondent Benjamin Sand reports.

Pervez Musharraf addresses the nation on radio and Pakistan State Television in Islamabad, 12 Jul 2007

In a nearly hour-long speech, the Pakistani President defended the government's action amid mounting concerns of a possible militant backlash.

He said the assault would not eliminate extremism and terrorism, but the government's resolve is unwavering in defeating the menace in every province and every corner of the country.

Pakistani commandos stormed the mosque Tuesday after a weeklong stand-off with scores of heavily armed militants who were barricaded inside.

Smoke rises from Lal Masjid during heavy gunbattle between Pakistan troops and militants in Islamabad, 10 July 2007

Lal Masjid, or the Red Mosque, was a well-known source of Islamic militancy, and its supporters repeatedly challenged the government's authority in recent months. Students from the mosque's madrassa or religious school led a violent campaign to impose strict Islamic law on the capital.

Mr. Musharraf said the government showed both "patience and tolerance" while doing everything it could to resolve the standoff peacefully. He said negotiations failed, because the mosque's leaders were demanding a complete amnesty and safe passage out of Islamabad.

Officials say at least 75 militants and 10 soldiers were killed during the assault, although independent confirmation of the final death toll remains unavailable.

Jamia Hasfa Abdul Rashid Ghazi seen in this 10 Feb. 2007 file photo taken in Islamabad

Hours before President Musharraf's speech, hundreds of mourners helped bury the mosque's firebrand cleric, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, near his ancestral village in eastern Punjab Province. Ghazi's older brother, Abdul Aziz, led the prayers, which were frequently interrupted by pro-jihad chants. Aziz remains in government custody, but the authorities allowed him to travel to the village for the funeral.

Military forces are also bracing for new anti-government violence in Pakistan's remote tribal areas, where Ghazi had significant support.

In an Internet video posted Wednesday, the deputy leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network called for Muslims to take revenge against President Musharraf.

The Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahiri said the government's raid on the mosque can only be washed away by "repentance or blood."

At least 20 people have been killed in a series of suicide bomb attacks in the area since the standoff outside the Red Mosque began.

VOASE0712_Economics Report

12 July 2007

The Value of Teaching About Money
Young people increasingly need skills in budgeting, saving and investing money.

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Personal finance is an increasingly complex world. There are more ways to invest money, more ways to save it -- and more ways to lose it. Yet many people are more strangers to this world than they might like to admit.

In the United States, there are growing calls to do more to help young people learn skills in financial literacy. Some efforts begin in high school. But more and more information is available on the Internet, not only for young people but also for adults. The goal is to teach about budgeting, saving, investing and using money.

The United States Financial Literacy and Education Commission was established in two thousand three. This government group supervises financial education efforts through nineteen federal agencies.

Information on financial literacy and education can be found at its Web site. The address is MyMoney.gov. It includes links to agencies that deal with banking, buying a home, investing and other areas.

The National Council on Economic Education has found that seventeen states now require high school students to take a class in economics. This number has grown from thirteen in nineteen ninety-eight.

As of three years ago, half of all states required students to take a class in personal finance. Yet that number has fallen, from twenty-five to twenty-two.

The National Council on Economic Education sells textbooks for grades four through twelve. It also offers free materials for teachers. The information is available at ncee.net.

Teachers say parents also need to play a larger part in educating their children about money. A recent study found that seventy percent of college students said they received financial advice mainly from their parents.

Investment companies also offer information. Charles Schwab, for example, has a Web site to help parents teach their kids about money and investing. The address is SchwabMoneyWise.com.

One of the first tastes of financial independence that many young people get is through summer jobs. Junior Achievement is an organization that teaches young people about finance and business. It says almost three-fourths of young people questioned said they planned to have a summer job.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. You can learn more about economics, and download transcripts and audio archives of our reports, at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0712_American Mosaic

12 July 2007

Pull of the 'Big Draw' Brings Drawing and Architecture Alive
A listener in Colombia asks about the Great Lakes. And the music of singer and songwriter Conor Oberst and his band Bright Eyes.

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Faith Lapidus. On our show this week:

We answer a question from a listener about the Great Lakes…

Play music by Bright Eyes…

And report about an event called "The Big Draw."

The Big Draw

HOST:

For more than thirty years, David Macaulay has been creating books about the way buildings are made. His clear and simple architectural drawings have explained the complex mechanics of buildings to generations of readers. Mister Macaulay recently visited the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., for an event called “The Big Draw.” Steve Ember has more.

STEVE EMBER:

David Macaulay

“The Big Draw” started in Britain as a campaign to get people of all ages across the country to draw. “The Big Draw” had its first event in the United States last month at the National Building Museum. There were many events for children and families. Children could have their faces painted or have a drawing lesson from art educators. But the main event was David Macaulay.

He drew architectural forms on a long piece of paper that was laid out on the floor. Children and adults could add their own drawings to it. This community drawing will hang in the museum for everyone to see.

David Macaulay also gave a drawing demonstration. He sat in the large hall of the museum and slowly drew the room around him. A video projected his large piece of paper on a screen so that everyone in the room could watch. Mister Macaulay said that he is a teacher above all else. He said he likes to write and draw about things he finds interesting and does not know a lot about.

His books have taught many people about drawing and architecture. David Macaulay’s first book, “Cathedral,” came out in nineteen seventy-three. He describes in simple language how people in the thirteenth century built a Christian religious building. He explains everything from the tools they used to the way they made the tall windows.

In his book “Unbuilding” he explains how the Empire State Building in New York City could be taken apart and rebuilt. In two thousand three Mister Macaulay published “Mosque.” It tells how an Islamic religious building was made in sixteenth century Turkey. The book explores the architectural details of a mosque as well as its important social role. David Macaulay’s next book will be about the human body and how it works.

The Great Lakes

HOST:

Our VOA Listener question this week comes from Colombia. Jack Ramirez asks about the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes

The five bodies of water known as the Great Lakes are on or near the border between the United States and Canada. Lake Superior holds the most water. Lake Erie holds the least. Lake Michigan is the only one located totally within the United States. The other two are Lake Huron and Lake Ontario. The five Great Lakes are the largest group of fresh water lakes on Earth. Together, they contain about twenty percent of the fresh water in the world. There are about thirty-five thousand islands in the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes control much of the weather on the land that surrounds them. In the winter, moisture picked up by winds produces large amounts of snow, especially in the states of Michigan, Ohio and New York.

The lakes also cool the air in the summer, then slowly move the heat over the area in the fall. This makes the area good for producing grapes for wine. The lakes supply drinking water to millions of people living in both the United States and Canada. In the past, industry used the Great Lakes to move products such as iron, coal, stone, grain and salt. But the amount of shipping on the lakes has decreased. Newer, larger ships are too wide for the lakes. But small boats take visitors to many of the islands for vacations.

The United States and Canada work together to improve conditions in the Great Lakes area. Officials are now working to change a treaty about ways to slow or stop the effects of climate change. They say that less ice formation over the lakes in recent years has caused lower water levels.

The areas around the lakes report environmental conditions at a conference every two years. The last one took place in November of last year. The conference report said some conditions are improving while others are worsening. For example, it reported progress in reducing air pollution, but said some poisons in the air are still a concern. It also said some native plants are decreasing while more than three hundred kinds of non-native fish continue to invade the lakes.

Bright Eyes

HOST:

Bright Eyes is a band whose main singer and songwriter is twenty-seven-year-old Conor Oberst. This musician from the state of Nebraska has been making records since he was seventeen years old. The songs on his latest album “Cassadaga” deal with religion, war and love as well as personal stories. Mario Ritter has more.

MARIO RITTER:

Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes

The album was named for Cassadaga, a community in the state of Florida. For more than one hundred years, people have lived in this place to worship together. Conor Oberst uses his music to explore his own beliefs.

Here is the song “I Must Belong Somewhere." Conor Oberst sings about how every person and thing seems to have a place in the world.

(MUSIC)

Conor Oberst may be young, but he has already made more than six records. In two thousand five alone Bright Eyes came out with two records. By two thousand six the singer was tired and cancelled his performance tour to have time to rest and think. “Cassadaga” is the product of this time off.

Critics say that the music of Bright Eyes seems to be growing up. Some have even compared Oberst’s musical skills to the famous American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan. Here is the song “Classic Cars.” It tells about a man who falls in love with an older woman.

(MUSIC)

We leave you with another love song. “Make a Plan to Love Me” tells about a man who wants the busy woman he loves to make more time for him. He notes that life is short and they should be together now.

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Faith Lapidus. I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by 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.