US Defense Secretary to Meet Iraqi Leaders

By Margaret Besheer Irbil, Iraq 20 April 2007

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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Baghdad Friday for meetings with top Iraqi leaders. From northern Iraq, VOA's Margaret Besheer reports he will be delivering a message that that they must move faster on reconciliation legislation because American patience is limited.

Robert Gates arrives at Camp Falluja, 19 Apr 2007

The U.S. defense secretary arrived in Iraq Thursday, after visiting several other countries in the region. It is his third trip to Iraq since he took up his post four months ago.

His visit is intended to urge Iraqi leaders to press ahead with efforts to reconcile the country's bitterly divided Shiite and Sunni communities and to push through legislation on the sharing of oil revenues among Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds.

Gates told reporters Thursday that he knows it will be difficult, but they must make every effort to pass the legislation quickly.

"I am sympathetic with some of the challenges that they face, but by the same token, to pick up General Petraeus' theme, the clock is ticking," he said.

Woman walks past scene of yesterday's car bombing in Baghdad's al-Sadriyah neighborhood, 19 Apr 2007

On Thursday, Gates met top U.S. commanders at a military base near the western city of Fallujah, in the volatile al-Anbar province, and discussed the recent high-profile bomb attacks in Baghdad that have killed more than 200 people since Wednesday.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said the Wednesday bombings were a setback that came just as he thought the new Baghdad Security Plan was starting to take hold.

"A day like that can have a real psychological impact," the general said. "And it came at a time where, frankly, (Lieutenant) General (Ray) Odierno (his deputy) and I, and a lot of the other leaders in Baghdad and throughout Iraq, have felt that we were getting a bit of traction. You know it's very, it's almost imperceptible at times, but that there was slow progress with the Baghdad security plan and in some other parts of the country as well."

U.S. military officials point to the overall decrease in sectarian executions as one sign of progress, but concede that high-profile bombings continue to pose a challenge.

Some in Nigerian Opposition to Boycott Presidential Poll

By Nico Colombant Zaria, Nigeria 20 April 2007

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Opposition supporters want state re-vote, rather than presidential poll

Even as the main opposition presidential candidates in Nigeria say they will take part in Saturday's elections, other opposition leaders and their supporters remain unconvinced about the usefulness of participating. They say they are outraged over reports of massive fraud that took place during last week's state elections and the security crackdown that ensued. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Zaria, in northern Nigeria.

Runner-up Kaduna State gubernatorial candidate Sani Muhammad Shaaban is holding court with journalists and supporters at his plush residence in Zaria.

Losing opposition gubernatorial candidate in Kaduna is angry

Shaaban denounces massive fraud in last week's election, including reports that tens of thousands of votes were cast for the ruling party candidate in areas where voting barely even started. He says he was detained several times by uniformed men because, he says, authorities were afraid he would cause unrest.

He also laments the extra army roadblocks, patrols and curfews in many northern areas. "Who are the military supposed to deal with, innocent civilians? The arms-less Nigerians? We are not at war. Has it passed the strength of Nigerian police that we need the military?," he said.

At Shaaban's headquarters in nearby Kaduna, his supporters defy a ban on political rallies, chanting their candidate's slogans.

Speaking through a translator, a market woman says because of what is happening, she is in no mood to vote anymore.

"She says that people are not happy with the situation. The results of the last gubernatorial election have made people stay far away from the coming election. Nobody is excited any longer. Nobody is even going out to vote for the presidency because everyone is discouraged in the way and manner the poll was conducted."

Ruling party supporters are OK with clampdown

But at a stand for motorcycle taxis nearby, all the drivers say they are ruling party supporters and they are not complaining. Gombo Kiforo, a father of seven, says it is important for people to vote, and after that for the new government to govern. "We want to practice democracy. If they cancel today, they are going backwards," he said.

He says he also supports the security clampdown. "It is OK, because the opposition, they cause chaos. They will cause problems. That is why they banned the whole rallies, because of the opposition they are fearing," he said.

Former military ruler General Muhammadu Buhari, who is running as the main opposition candidate, is popular in the north. The ruling party candidate is another northerner, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.

Voters will also pick a new parliament. The outgoing parliament squashed efforts by supporters of President Olusegun Obasanjo to change the constitution so he could seek a third elected term.

Lawmakers Urge Bush to Reconsider Broadcasting Cuts

By Dan Robinson Capitol Hill 19 April 2007

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U.S. lawmakers are urging the Bush administration to reconsider proposed budgetary reductions that would end most radio broadcasting in the English language by government-funded Voice of America. VOA's Dan Robinson reports on a hearing on Capitol Hill examining broadcasting and public diplomacy efforts.

VOA logo

Reductions proposed by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the nine-member panel that oversees U.S. government-supported non-military international broadcasting, would end all English language radio programming by the Voice of America, except for programs transmitted to Africa.

Other cuts would affect radio broadcasts in Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Uzbek, and a number of Balkan languages, along with Tibetan, Thai, Cantonese, Hindi, and Portuguese to Africa.

The reductions come amid ongoing expansions in government-funded radio and television programming for the Middle East, Iran and Afghanistan, for which Congress has provided increased funds since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Appearing before the committee, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes faced tough questioning from lawmakers who view the cuts as short-sighted and likely to undermine the ability of the U.S. to communicate abroad.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey chairs the House appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations.

"These cuts, while small in the grand scheme of things, loom large when looking at their effect on country programming, and will dampen our public diplomacy efforts," said Nita Lowey.

Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes (Mar 2007 photo)

Hughes says the decision to slash VOA English, proposed as part of a $668-million budget request for broadcasting, was made in a difficult budget environment. She says it was based on what she calls sound audience research.

"None of us wanted to have to make these decisions, and the Broadcasting Board of Governors, it was a very, very difficult decision because we all believe in broadcasting," said Karen Hughes. "We believe in communicating with the world, we want to provide the Voice of America to the world. We tried to make difficult decisions as best we could, based on research."

However Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum said broadcasting to the world in English is a comparatively inexpensive way for the U.S. to communicate, She accused the broadcasting board of trying to, in effect, silence the "global brand" of the United States.

"The audiences in fact are not dwindling," said Betty McCollum. "They are just being cut off. If you turn off a transmitter and then do a survey in a country of how many people are listening to VOA, it is going to go down, because they can't listen to Voice of America."

Republican Congressman Mark Kirk echoed the concerns, saying the broadcasting board should reassess its approach.

"One point six billion people on the planet speak English," said Congressman Kirk. "It is the main language of 71 countries. Al-Jazeera just committed $1 billion a year in English for 24/7 broadcasting. So I am wondering if we can take a second look working with you on that."

Kirk also questioned reductions in one of three dialects of Tibetan broadcasted by the VOA and Radio Free Asia, as well as the elimination of Cantonese. Hughes had this response.

"[For] both RFA and VOA, the audiences [in Cantonese] were not measurable," she said. "VOA was less than one tenth of a percent, and we could not measure an audience for RFA broadcasts. So, again we based the decisions as best we could on research."

Hughes says eliminating broadcasts in one of three Tibetan dialects does not diminish the U.S. commitment to support human rights and liberties in Tibet.

Hughes also faced questions about a key element of the broadcasting structure, al-Hurra television for the Middle East.

The station was sharply criticized for airing remarks of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, as well as a Palestinian radical who made anti-Israel and anti-American comments.

Critics, including pro-Israel groups, say the interviews amounted to the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars to support terrorists and undermine U.S. policy.

Hughes had this exchange with Democrat Steve Rothman.

ROTHMAN: "Why on God's Earth would we want to sponsor a live interview with Nasrallah?"

HUGHES: "Well we don't and that was a violation of our policy, that was a mistake that was a violation of our policy, I should have said that if I didn't say that earlier."

ROTHMAN: "I am glad to hear you say that."

HUGHES: "That was a mistake, it was a violation of our policy."

Hughes points to what she calls "comprehensive information" supporting programming reductions, saying the goal is to affect the fewest number of people based on audience research, while expanding transmissions to strategically-important countries like Iran, North Korea, and Somalia.

But Congresswoman McCollum, while challenging the statistics used to justify the cuts, said she wants the board to turn over to Congress the minutes of its meetings, which have been closed to the public on national security grounds.

She also urged that all radio and television stations under the board's responsibility be formally brought under the charter of VOA. The charter states that the long-term interests of the U.S. are served by communicating directly to the world by radio.

In her testimony on what she calls successful efforts to improve public diplomacy programs, Undersecretary Hughes told lawmakers she is committed to ensuring that the United States has a platform to broadcast credible news and information to counteract what she calls hate-filled and anti-American propaganda.

US Attorney General Faces Renewed Calls To Resign Over Prosecutor Controversy

By Deborah Tate Capitol Hill 19 April 2007

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Embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Thursday faced renewed calls to resign over his handling of the firing of federal prosecutors. The nation's top law enforcement official spent a full day defending the decision to dismiss the eight prosecutors before skeptical lawmakers in a controversy that has created a political firestorm. More from VOA's Deborah Tate on Capitol Hill.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the controversial dismissal of eight US attorneys 19 Apr 2007

Attorney General Gonzales denied critics' allegations that the federal prosecutors were fired to influence the prosecution of corruption cases with the aim of helping Republicans.

While acknowledging that "reasonable people might disagree" with the decision to fire the prosecutors, Gonzales defended the move, saying nothing improper was done.

"My decision to ask for the resignations of these U.S. attorneys was justified and should stand," said Alberto Gonzales.

The attorney general acknowledged that some of his past statements about the prosecutor dismissals have been imprecise, but he said he never sought to mislead or deceive Congress or the American people.

But after a full day of often tense questioning, lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle remained skeptical, with some stepping up calls for his resignation.

Among them was Gonzales' fellow Republican conservative, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma:

"I believe the best way to put this behind us is your resignation," said Tom Coburn.

Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, echoed the call:

"I urge you to reexamine your performance, and for the good of the department, and the good of the country, step down," said Senator Schumer.

Gonzales disagreed that his resignation would put the controversy to rest. Earlier, he said he had done nothing to warrant his stepping down.

Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the top Republican on the committee, said he would not ask for Gonzales' resignation, saying that was a matter for the attorney general or the president. But he told Gonzales he was not satisfied by his testimony:

"I urged you to put on the record the details as to all the U.S. attorneys asked to resign so that we could evaluate," said Arlen Specter. "You have not done that."

Other lawmakers said that while the dismissals may have been justified - noting that prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the president - the attorney general's handling of the matter undermined confidence in the Justice Department.

Senator Patrick Leahy, 19 Apr 2007

Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont is chairman of the panel:

"I am afraid that from the testimony today and the evidence that we have uncovered during this investigation shows that politics have entered the Department of Justice to an unprecedented extent," said Senator Leahy. "If left unchecked, it [the department] would become a political arm of the White House.

Despite senators' skepticism about Gonzales' testimony, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush was pleased with the way Gonzales handled the questioning. In a written statement, she said the president continues to have full confidence in his attorney general.

VOASE0419_Economics Report

19 April 2007

US Brings Two Trade Cases Against China
American officials say the Chinese are not protecting intellectual property. China expresses ''great regret'' at the actions.

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Last week, the United States asked the World Trade Organization to help settle two trade disputes with China.

Pirated materials from China, including movies and books

One of these involves the issue of intellectual property.

Books, magazines, movies, computer software -- intellectual property is all around us. Any property that can be legally protected against copying without permission can be considered intellectual property.

Copyright protects things like written materials and images and music. Forms of intellectual property like ideas, plans and designs can be protected by patents.

American officials say China is not doing enough to punish those who illegally copy American movies, music and software. United States Trade Representative Susan Schwab said "piracy and counterfeiting levels remain unacceptably high." She says this costs American companies and workers billions of dollars.

The motion picture industry estimates that movie piracy in China cost more than two and one-half billion dollars in lost sales in two thousand five alone.

The second dispute deals with barriers to trade in American books, music and movies in China. The United States says China limits imports of these products by requiring that they pass through state-owned or state-approved companies.

The Chinese government expressed what it called "great regret" at the American decision to go to the World Trade Organization. It says the action could harm trade relations between the two countries.

The first step now is a sixty-day period of negotiations to try to reach a settlement.

The United States has growing trade deficits with China. Last year the deficit reached a record two hundred thirty-three billion dollars.

But China says its monthly trade surplus with the world fell in March by more than seventy percent, to less than seven billion dollars. Experts, though, say the big drop may have been the result of one-time events.

Many American businesses say China fails to enforce laws against illegal copying of intellectual property. But not all businesses are expected to support the United States action at the World Trade Organization.

Groups representing the drug and software industries, for example, have entered into their own negotiations with Chinese officials. These groups are concerned that the cases now before the W.T.O. could interfere with their efforts.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Transcripts and archives of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

Nigerian Security Forces Battle 'Foreign Extremists' in North

By Nico Colombant Kano, Nigeria 18 April 2007

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Authorities say elections should go on in Kano and elsewhere

A police official in northern Nigeria says security forces have chased away foreign religious radicals outside the main city of Kano, restoring order ahead of Saturday's presidential election. The clashes between security forces and suspected Islamic militants follow the killing of an influential Muslim cleric last week. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Kano.

Police commissioner Atiku Kafur tells VOA army reinforcements helped chase away the several hundred insurgents who were lightly armed, spoke only Arabic and had holed up in a suburb of Kano. "The military started shelling their strongholds, they succeeded in killing some of them, and arresting some of them; so as I speak now, I can say the area is quiet. They have been seen running away," he said.

On Tuesday, police reported the assailants killed 12 policemen and one civilian.

Acts of violence have disrupted election process throughout Nigeria (VOA photo - N. Colombant)

Kafur, who took the job of police commissioner only several weeks ago, says he was completely surprised by the attacks. "It is quite a surprise, that is why we are even getting to find out when did they come, have they been here for a long time, or have they just arrived? That is what we are investigating right now," he said.

Kafur says he has strong evidence there is a link between the attack and the murder of Sheik Jaafar Adam, an influential Sunni cleric, last week. He says one of his top priorities is to find the killers. "We are spreading our tentacles to various angles, including political, legal, whatever. We will not leave any stone unturned. We will make sure that we get those who killed that Sheikh," he said.

Kano is predominantly Muslim

Kano is one of 12 predominantly Muslim states in the north of Nigeria. The south is mostly Christian and animist.

Waddah Mohammed, a Kano businessman, says the local residents blame outsiders for trying to disrupt the region ahead of the presidential ballot. "Whenever you ask, the people did not associate with them, with any of the Islamic sects in Kano. And they did not call anybody's name here in Kano. And they say they have only come to face the law enforcement agents so this is what confuses people," he said.

To cut down on violence, police have imposed a nighttime curfew.

In a quiet part of Kano, one motorbike taxi driver, waiting at a repair shop, says he is grateful for the curfew and the extra security. "If people are coming out, they will be fighting with police or some other people, and that this is why they are doing anything around. From 5:30, they are going back to their house and nothing is happening with (because of) the curfew," he said.

Opposition parties have called for protests and a boycott of Saturday's presidential elections unless last week's gubernatorial ballot that they claim was riddled with fraud is annulled.

But the election commission says the opposition leaders should address their grievances in the courts, and says the presidential elections will take place as scheduled.

UN Report Says Sudan Flying Weapons to Darfur

By Peter Heinlein United Nations 18 April 2007

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A United Nations report is accusing Sudan of flying weapons and heavy military equipment into Darfur in violation of Security Council resolutions. Correspondent Peter Heinlein at the U.N. tells us further sanctions against Khartoum are being considered.

Emyr Jones-Parry

Britain's U.N. ambassador, Emyr Jones-Parry, says a resolution is in the works that would push Sudan to halt the violence in its western Darfur region.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in London that talks on the resolution would begin Thursday.

Ambassador Jones-Parry, the Security Council president for April, says no decision has been made about whether the measure would include penalties against the Sudanese government.

"To the extent now that a sanctions resolution would help us and would encourage and penalize those people who should be penalized for what they've been doing is one of the questions that's being debated," he said.

"But what the U.K. is working on with the United States and France is the content of a resolution, and we're finalizing the resolution," he added.

Talk of possible sanctions comes a day before the expected publication of a report by a panel of U.N. experts accusing Sudan of flying arms and heavy military equipment into Darfur in violation of previous Council resolutions.

The report, including photographs, alleges that Sudan is painting its military planes white to make them look like United Nations or African Union aircraft.

The Khartoum government has denied the charges.

A leaked copy of the report is already available on the Web site of the New York Times newspaper, which published excerpts and pictures in its Wednesday edition.

U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas Wednesday said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is deeply concerned about the report's findings, and is asking Khartoum for an explanation.

"He is especially troubled by reports that private or national aircraft have been illegally provided with U.N. markings [for] military purposes," she said. "If further substantiated, such efforts would be in clear violation of international law and in contravention of the U.N's international status."

President Bush also warned Sudan Wednesday it must halt the violence in Darfur or face sanctions. But several powerful Security Council members say they would oppose further penalties at this time.

Vitaly Churkin

Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, noted that only this week the Khartoum government had agreed to allow a contingent of U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur.

"We don't think it's the right time," he said. "It would be very strange. After a long while we have this positive development in the dialogue between the U.N. and Khartoum and all of a sudden to come back with some sanctions would not be good."

China's deputy U.N. envoy Liu Zhenmin made a similar comment, saying it would be better not to move in the direction of sanctions.

South African envoy Dumisani Kumalo argued that penalties against Khartoum would be counterproductive.

"Now what is this, coming with sanctions now, I don't know, to achieve what," he said.

Fighting in Darfur began more than four years ago when rebels in the remote western region launched an uprising against the Khartoum government. Monitors say the violence has killed at least 200,000 people and displaced more than two million others.

Virginia Tech Gunman Sends Chilling Video, Photos to US Network During Massacre

By David Dyar Washington 18 April 2007

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The gunman who killed 32 people at a U.S. university Monday, before killing himself, mailed a chilling video to a U.S. TV network during the massacre. The package was received by the NBC TV network from Virginia Tech student Cho Seung-Hui. VOA's David Dyar reports the package contained a rambling video in which the gunman engaged in an angry tirade about hedonism and rich kids along with several pictures of him holding guns.

NBC played excerpts from the video on its evening newscast. The gunman is seen talking angrily in the video in what the network described as an incoherent manifesto.

Image received by NBC news of Cho Seung-Hui

"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today, but you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option, the decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off," he said.

Some of the pictures released by NBC showed Cho brandishing guns. One picture showed him holding two guns, one in each hand in a firing pose. In another picture, Cho points the barrel of the gun directly at the camera.

NBC said it received the package Wednesday, but it contained a stamp indicating it was mailed about an hour and 45 minutes after he first opened fire on the university campus, killing two students.

Many of Cho's comments were laced with profanity and were spoken in an angry monotone voice.

"I didn't have to do it. I could have left. I could have fled," he was heard saying. "But now I am no longer running. If not for me, for my children and my brothers and sisters that you (expletive). I did it for them," The pictures and video are the latest in a series of disclosures about the gunman that have sufaced since the killing."

It was reported that he had two stalking complaints filed against him in 2005 and later a magistrate signed an order after an initial evaluation that found probable cause that Cho was a danger to himself or others as a result of mental illness.

NBC said it turned over the package to the FBI. The network released excerpts from the package just before the FBI released a statement about it.

Police said it was not clear when the recordings were made.

VOASE0418_The Making of a Nation

18 April 2007

Civil Rights Movement: In the 1960s, a Struggle for Equality Spreads in the US
Heroes of that effort included Martin Luther King Jr., James Meredith and Rosa Parks.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Richard Rael.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Rich Kleinfeldt with THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

(MUSIC)

Today, we tell about the movement for civil rights for black Americans.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

August 28, 1963: March on Washington

The day is August twenty-eighth, nineteen sixty-three. More than two hundred fifty-thousand people are gathered in Washington. Black and white, young and old, they demand equal treatment for black Americans. The nation's most famous civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, is speaking.

MARTIN LUTHER KING: "I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of our nation. "

VOICE TWO:

Early in its history, black Africans were brought to America as slaves. They were bought and sold, like animals. By the time of America's Civil War in the eighteen sixties, many had been freed by their owners. Many, however, still worked as slaves on the big farms of the South. By the end of the war, slavery had been declared unconstitutional. But that was only the first step in the struggle for equality.

VOICE ONE:

Most people of color could not get good jobs. They could not get good housing. They had far less chance of a good education than white Americans. For about one hundred years, blacks made slow gains. Widespread activism for civil rights did not really begin until after World War Two. During the war, black Americans earned respect as members of the armed forces. When they came home, many demanded that their civil rights be respected, too. An organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, led the way.

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen fifty-one, the organization sent its lawyers to help a man in the city of Topeka, Kansas. The man, Oliver Brown, and twelve others had brought legal action against the city. They wanted to end racial separation in their children's schools. At that time, two of every five public schools in America had all white students or all black students. The law said all public schools must be equal, but they were not. Schools for white children were almost always better than schools for black children. The situation was worst in Southern states.

VOICE ONE:

The case against the city of Topeka -- Brown versus the Board of Education -- was finally settled by the nation's highest court. In nineteen fifty-four, the Supreme Court ruled that separate schools for black children were not equal to schools for white children. The next year, it said public schools must accept children of all races as quickly as possible.

VOICE TWO:

In September nineteen fifty-seven, a black girl tried to enter an all-white school in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas. An angry crowd screamed at her. State guards blocked her way. The guards had been sent by the state governor, Orville Faubus. After three weeks, a federal court ordered Governor Faubus to remove the guards. The girl, Elizabeth Eckford, and seven other black students were able to enter the school. After one day, however, riots forced the black students to leave.

VOICE ONE:

President Dwight Eisenhower ordered federal troops to Little Rock. They helped black students get into the white school safely. However, angry white citizens closed all the city's public schools. The schools stayed closed for two years.

In nineteen sixty-two, a black student named James Meredith tried to attend the University of Mississippi. School officials refused. John Kennedy, the president at that time, sent federal law officers to help him. James Meredith became the first black person to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

VOICE TWO:

Rosa Parks is fingerprinted after her arrest in Montgomery, Alabama

In addition to fighting for equal treatment in education, black Americans fought for equal treatment in housing and transportation. In many cities of the South, blacks were forced to sit in the back of buses. In nineteen fifty-five, a black woman named Rosa Parks got on a bus in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. She sat in the back. The bus became crowded. There were no more seats for white people. So, the bus driver ordered Missus Parks to stand and give her seat to a white person. She refused. Her feet were tired after a long day at work. Rosa Parks was arrested.

VOICE ONE:

Martin Luther King Jr.

The Reverend Martin Luther King organized the black citizens of Montgomery. They were the major users of the bus system. They agreed to stop using the buses. The boycott lasted a little more than a year. It seriously affected the earnings of the bus company. In the end, racial separation on the buses in Montgomery was declared illegal. Rosa Parks's tired feet had helped win black Americans another victory in their struggle for equal rights. And, the victory had been won without violence.

VOICE TWO:

The Reverend King was following the teachings of Indian spiritual leader, Mohandas Gandhi. Gandhi urged his followers to reach their political goals without violence. One of the major tools of nonviolence in the civil rights struggle in America was the "sit-in". In a sit-in, protesters entered a store or public eating place. They quietly asked to be served. Sometimes, they were arrested. Sometimes, they remained until the business closed. But they were not served. Some went hours without food or water.

VOICE ONE:

Another kind of protest was the "freedom ride." This involved buses that traveled through states from the North to the South. On freedom rides, blacks and whites sat together to make it difficult for officials to enforce racial separation laws on the buses. Many freedom rides -- and much violence -- took place in the summer of nineteen sixty-four. Sometimes, the freedom riders were arrested. Sometimes, angry crowds of whites beat the freedom riders.

VOICE TWO:

Perhaps the most dangerous part of the civil rights movement was the campaign to win voting rights for black Americans. The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution said a citizen could not be denied the right to vote because of race or color. Several Southern states, however, passed laws to try to deny voting rights to blacks for other reasons.

VOICE ONE:

Martin Luther King and his supporters demonstrated to demand new legislation to guarantee the right to vote. They held protests in the state of Alabama. In the city of Birmingham, the chief law officer ordered his men to fight the protesters with high-pressure water hoses and fierce dogs. People throughout the country watched the demonstration on television. The sight of children being beaten by policemen and bitten by dogs awakened many citizens to the civil rights struggle. Federal negotiators reached a compromise. The compromise was, in fact, a victory for the protesters. They promised to stop their demonstrations. In exchange, they would be permitted to vote.

VOICE TWO:

President Johnson signed a major civil rights bill in nineteen sixty-four. Yet violence continued in some places. Three civil rights workers were murdered in Mississippi. One was murdered in Alabama. Martin Luther King kept working toward the goal of equal rights. He died working. On April fourth, nineteen sixty-eight, he was shot to death in Memphis, Tennessee. He had gone there to support a strike by waste collection workers. A white man, James Earl Ray, was tried and found guilty of the crime.

VOICE ONE:

A wave of unrest followed the murder of Martin Luther King. Blacks in more than one hundred cities in America rioted. In some cities, areas affected by the riots were not rebuilt for many years. The movement for civil rights for black Americans continued. But it became increasingly violent. The struggle produced angry, bitter memories. Yet it also produced some of the greatest words spoken in American history.

MARTIN LUTHER KING: "When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children -- black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics -- will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!'"

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jeri Watson and produced by Paul Thompson. This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Richard Rael. Join us again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

VOASE0418_Education Report

18 April 2007

The Formula for Becoming a Pharmacist
A look at pharmacy education in the US, and the requirements for foreign-trained pharmacists. Part 33 of our Foreign Student Series.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Two listeners, Youngmin Kim in South Korea and Nestor Gastelo in Peru, would like us to talk about pharmacy education in the United States. This will be the subject today in our Foreign Student Series.

"Pharmacists are health professionals who assist individuals in making the best use of medications." That description comes from the Code of Ethics of the American Pharmacists Association.

The job may include filling doctors' orders and helping people choose medicines that can be sold without a prescription. A pharmacist might also answer questions from patients and work with medical devices and other technologies.

Community pharmacists work in drug stores. Pharmacists are also employed by hospitals and drug companies.

Pharmacists in the United States must meet the professional requirements of the state where they want to work.

Many universities have a college of pharmacy. Since two thousand four, these offer only a doctor of pharmacy degree. The program takes four years.

Students generally enter pharmacy school after two years of general courses. Pharmacy students must be skilled in mathematics and the sciences. They must also take the Pharmacy College Admission Test.

After they earn their degree, they must complete a residency training program in a hospital or other setting. One year is required, but a second year can be added in a specialty area like cancer care or infectious diseases.

After their residency, pharmacists must pass the licensing examination given by their state.

Foreign students who plan to train in the United States and return home should make sure their degree will be recognized there. In the same way, foreign-trained pharmacists who want to work in the United States must be sure that their degree will be recognized here.

Even so, they will have to complete a residency in the United States. For more information, check with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, at ashp.org.

Foreign-trained pharmacists must also pass a certification process. More information about that is available from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, on the Web at nabp.net.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. We will have links to these two sites at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also get the full details from VOA News about the killings Monday at Virginia Tech. I'm Bob Doughty.

European Parliament Members Defend Criticisms of Rendition

By Dan Robinson Capitol Hill 18 April 2007

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Members of the European Parliament have gone before US Congress to defend the findings of a report criticizing the practice of extraordinary rendition, in which terrorist suspects have been transferred by U.S. authorities to other countries for interrogation. VOA's Dan Robinson has a report from Capitol Hill.

Since revelations emerged in U.S. media of the increased use of rendition after the 2001 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration has faced intense criticism from human rights groups, European governments and politicians.

The transport of suspects by the CIA to countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Morocco and Uzbekistan has come in for particular criticism, along with the use of formerly secret detention facilities in east European countries and use of European airspace by CIA aircraft.

Critics allege prisoners are deliberately sent to places where they would be subject to torture, outside of the confines of the U.S. judicial system.

Bush administration and CIA officials have said the United States does not conduct or condone torture, and that interrogation measures are conducted lawfully, adding that the U.S. seeks assurances from foreign governments that torture will not be used.

But witnesses appearing before the House human rights subcommittee defended a European Parliament report, which found among other things that rendition involved such things as incommunicado detention and torture.

Jonathan Evans, chairman of the European Parliament delegation for relations with the United States, asserts that rendition is viewed in the United States as well as Europe as a violation of due process.

"Let's never forget, we are allies who share common values, of freedom, democracy and the rule of law," said Jonathan Evans. "In promoting these values elsewhere in the world, we must ensure the maintenance of those values in our own countries."

In its report released earlier this year, the European Parliament said many European states tolerated what were called illegal actions by the CIA, and criticized several European governments for an unwillingness to cooperate with investigations.

Baroness Sarah Ludford (2006 photo)

European Parliament member Baroness Sarah Ludford:

"We did undertake a sound and thorough inquiry, and our conclusion, our core conclusion, that systematic breaches of human rights, took place in Europe and affecting European citizens and legal residents, with the collusion of European governments, is well-founded," said Baroness Ludford.

Congressional critics say rendition, first used during the Clinton administration as a tool against extremists, has been abused under President Bush.

Democratic Congressman William Delahunt chairs the House panel, and says the practice undermines the ability of the U.S. to speak credibly about respect for democracy and the rule of law.

"The people across the globe have admired our historical commitment to freedom and the rule of law," said William Delahunt. "But they are appalled at our hypocrisy when we betray our values."

Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher calls rendition a perfectly-acceptable method that must be used to protect citizens of all countries in a new kind of war.

He describes as anti-American vitriol a portion of the European Parliament report that mentions the trial in June of 26 U.S. citizens, including the CIA chief in Italy and other CIA agents and nine Italians, in connection with the 2003 rendition to Egypt of a radical Islamist cleric:

"When people who are defending us, who put their lives in jeopardy, but then to put them in jeopardy of being paraded through a foreign court and tossed in jail for doing what our government has asked them to do, and what our government asked them to do in cooperation with those very same European governments, this is a travesty, we should be supporting these people rather than trying to make their job more difficult," said Congressman Rohrabacher. "Is is truly a disappointment."

Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIA special unit on Osama Bin Laden, defends rendition, saying the program was strengthened for the better by President Bush, and had this harsh assessment criticisms of Europe where he said, terrorists have safe haven:

"Indeed, it is strange that European leaders are here today to complain about a very successful and security-enhancing U.S. government counter-terrorist operation, when their European Union presides over the earth's single largest terrorist safe-haven [in Europe] and has done so for a quarter century," said Scheuer.

Tuesday's hearing coincided with a report in The Washington Post saying CIA Director Michael Hayden complained last month to European diplomats about criticisms by officials in their countries of the U.S. rendition program.

Quoting un-named diplomats and officials, the newspaper said Hayden asserted that fewer than 100 people had been held in secret detention facilities since 2002, and that fewer than half had been subjected to what President Bush described as "alternative procedures" during interrogations.

Virginia Tech Students Gather for a Candlelight Vigil

By Paula Wolfson Washington 17 April 2007

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Virginia Tech is mourning its dead as the university and the nation learn more about the 23-year-old student behind the worst mass shooting rampage in modern U.S. history. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports Cho Seung-Hui, a South Korean native, killed 32 people Monday before taking his own life.

Students attending memorial service at Virginia Tech

One day after the massacre, members of the Virginia Tech community came together to remember and to grieve.

They held onto each other for comfort and strength. Zenobia Hikes, a university official, spoke for them all. "With the help and support of each other, and our brothers and sisters all over the world, we will eventually recover. But we will never, ever forget," she said.

Students, teachers and staff filled a university arena - some still in shock over the senseless violence.

President Bush (l) and Laura Bush, second from left, Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (r) participate in a convocation to honor the victims of a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, 17 Apr 2007

Political and religious leaders sat with them and spoke to the gathering. President Bush offered condolences on behalf of the nation. "We have come to express our sympathy. And in this time of anguish, I hope you know that people all over this country are thinking about you, and asking God to provide comfort for all who have been affected," he said.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the massacre at the largest university in the eastern state of Virginia is continuing. Early Tuesday Virginia Tech police Chief Wendell Flinchum told reporters that ballistic evidence indicates Cho Seung-Hui was the gunman, responsible for both an early morning shooting at a dormitory, and a second bloodbath in a classroom building. "A nine-millimeter handgun and a 22-caliber handgun were recovered from Norris Hall. Lab results confirm that one of the two weapons seized in Norris Hall was used in both shootings," he said.

Two Virginia Tech students at the memorial convocation, 17 Apr 2007

In interviews with national newspapers and television networks, witnesses painted a chilling portrait of the gunman, who shot his victims with a serious, but calm look on his face.

Cho, a fourth-year student majoring in English literature, arrived in the United States from South Korea as a child in 1992 and was raised in a Washington, D.C. suburb. He was living in the country as a legal resident alien, retaining his South Korean citizenship.

A grieving Virginia Tech student, 17 Apr 2007

There was no mention of Cho at the gathering at the university coliseum - only words of sympathy for the victims, and determination to rise above the tragedy. Poet Nikki Giovanni - who teaches at Virginia Tech - rallied the audience with a call to come together as a family. "We are Virginia Tech. We are strong enough to stand tall tirelessly. We are brave enough to bend to cry. And sad enough to know we must laugh again. We are Virginia Tech!," said Nikki Giovanni.

As she walked away from the podium, the students erupted into a school cheer - a recognition that healing will take time, but they will heal as one.

WHO: More People With HIV/AIDS Getting Treatment

By Lisa Schlein Geneva 17 April 2007

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A new WHO/UNAIDS report shows access to HIV anti-retroviral therapy in poor countries grew significantly in 2006. The report says more than 2 million people living with HIV/AIDS are now receiving treatment. This is a 54 percent increase over the previous year. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from WHO and UNAIDS headquarters in Geneva.

A baby sleeps in her mother's arms next to the anti-AIDS drug nevirapine

The report shows countries in every region of the world are making substantial progress in increasing access to HIV treatment. It says the greatest advances have been made in sub-Saharan Africa, the region most affected by AIDS.

UNAIDS official Peter Ghys says more than 1.3 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were receiving treatment in December 2006.

"We notice that there has been a very dramatic increase in access to treatment," he said. "Where it was only two percent three years ago, the treatment coverage has increased to 28 percent by the end of 2006. And this is the most dramatic increase by region."

At the same time, the report notes the goal of providing universal access to comprehensive prevention programs, treatment, care and support is still a long way off. One of the major concerns is providing medicine to pregnant HIV/AIDS mothers to prevent their newborns from getting infected.

World Health Organization care and treatment expert Charlie Gilks says a very small percentage of HIV-positive pregnant women in poor countries are receiving the drugs they need to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

"The report notes that about less than 10 percent of women who are pregnant have received an HIV test as part of their routine antenatal care," he added. "This is one of the reasons why prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs are not moving forward as they should. And, a survey in 12 countries has noted that only 12 percent in sub-Saharan Africa, that only about 12 percent of men and unfortunately even fewer women, 10 percent of women know their HIV status."

Gilks says people who do not know their HIV status are likely not to get access to treatment and stop the infection from spreading.

The World Health Organization says the price of anti-retroviral drugs has gone down about 40 percent, making them more affordable in developing countries. The report notes injecting drug use is a major mode of HIV transmission in several regions. It is a particularly big problem in eastern European countries. However, the report warns that HIV among injecting drug users is emerging as a concern in Africa.

Experts Say Global Warming Likely to Affect Africa Most Severely

By Scott Bobb Johannesburg 17 April 2007

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Experts say global warming is likely to affect people living in Africa more than on any other continent and warn that African policymakers must begin to prepare for such an event. An international panel of experts on climate change made the projection Tuesday in its latest report. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from Johannesburg.

A child is carried by his mother as she harvests her maize crop early due to a food shortage caused by drought in Kampimphi, 68 kms north of Lilongwe, Malawi (file photo)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, says global warming could upset the livelihood of as many as 250 million Africans in the next 13 years by reducing access to water and food, degrading forests, mangroves and coral reefs and causing large migrations of people.

One of the main authors of the report, Guy Midgley, says at the same time Africa is among the regions least able to address such a crisis.

"It's a continent which is most vulnerable to climate change because of its low adaptive capacity," he said. "You have fairly weak institutional control and inputs and at the same time high levels of projected climate impact. Put those two things together and you end up with substantial vulnerability."

The IPCC was formed nearly 20 years ago to assess scientific studies on climate change. The latest report was compiled over the past six years by hundreds of authors from 130 countries. It is meant to serve as a tool for policymakers.

Midgley says that research is growing and increasingly in agreement. It shows that surface temperatures on land and sea have risen by one to two degrees in the past 34 years and are already affecting weather and ecosystems around the world.

He says in Africa, fish populations have declined in major lakes and coastal areas. The amount of land available for agriculture is shrinking and growing seasons are shorter. The report projects that crops from rain-fed agriculture in some countries could be reduced by as much as 50 percent by 2020.

At the same time, rising sea levels could threaten coastal and island communities and affect industries such as tourism. The report says some adaptation has already begun but the cost could amount to as much as 10 percent of gross domestic products.

He says a major concern in Africa is that so many people are living at subsistence levels.

"A lot of people in Africa are not living buffered by insurance, buffered by savings, by credit availability," Midgely said. "So when resources become less available people potentially could be quite mobile. And that's always a problem for social security, for unrest, etc."

He notes that in a major irony, warming temperatures may actually boost agriculture and water supplies in temperate zones such as the northern hemisphere.

Last November, then-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke at the opening of the climate change meeting in Nairobi. He said the impact of climate change will fall disproportionately on the world's poorest countries, many of them here in Africa. He added that these people already live on the front lines of pollution, disaster and the degradation of resources and land.

Suspected Taleban Insurgents Hit UN Vehicle in Afghanistan, Killing Five

By Benjamin Sand Islamabad 17 April 2007

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The United Nations has come under attack in Afghanistan. Officials there say a roadside bomb ripped through a U.N. vehicle, killing five people. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports.

Afghan police officers check the destroyed United Nation's vehicle after it was hit by a road side bomb in the main city of Kandahar province, 17 Apr 2007

U.N. spokesman Aleem Siddique says the blast Tuesday morning was in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.

"The blast has claimed the lives of an Afghan driver and four Nepalese contractors working with the U.N. Office for Project Services," he said.

The U.N. vehicle was driving down the main road just outside Kandahar city.

The United Nations says the bomb was apparently detonated by remote control and was not a suicide attack.

The southern provinces are the Taleban's traditional stronghold and fighting there has continued unabated since U.S.-led forces ousted the Islamic militants from power in 2001.

Taleban commanders have already claimed responsibility for the explosion. U.N. officials sharply condemned the attack.

"Intentional attacks on civilians are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the United Nations will be pursuing full accountability for those who are behind this," said Siddique.

The blast was the first deadly attack on the United Nations in nearly 11 months.

Security experts say Taleban attacks on civilians in general have surged dramatically, with more than 700 non-combatants killed in the past 15 months and thousands more seriously injured.

2006 was Afghanistan's deadliest year in more than half a decade and this year shows no signs of any improvement.

The fighting eased during the recent winter months when heavy snows restricted the Taleban's movement. But Afghan officials say attacks are again on the rise and the insurgency appears to be back with a vengeance.

On Monday, a suicide bomber in the northern city of Kunduz killed at least nine policemen and injured more than 25 others.

Officials there say it was the first large attack in the relatively stable northern provinces in several months and the deadliest since 2001.

US Hopes for New Nepal Election Date Soon, Expresses Caution Toward Maoists

By Steve Herman Kathmandu 17 April 2007

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The U.S. ambassador to Nepal understands the need for a delay in elections in the Himalayan kingdom. In the meantime, he says, the United States will conditionally cooperate with government ministries now being run by Maoists - who had been labeled terrorists by the U.S. VOA's Steve Herman reports from Kathmandu.

Ambassador James Moriarty (file photo)

U.S. ambassador James Moriarty says Nepal's government "ran out of time" to hold free and fair elections on June 20. No new date has been set for polling to select a constituent assembly that is to decide the fate of the country's unpopular monarchy.

Moriarty, in a VOA interview on Tuesday, expressed his desire to see the eight parties in the interim government formed this month quickly set a new election date.

In the meantime the United States and other foreign governments are dealing with a Nepalese government in which Maoists control several ministries. The United States has designated the Maoists as a terrorist group.

Ambassador Moriarty says a pragmatic decision has been made to not immediately sever ties with those ministries.

"We have decided we will not punish the people of Nepal for the sins of the Maoists," he said. "We'll look at the ministries that are controlled by the Maoists, see what we're doing with those ministries, see whether we need to change the way we work with those ministries in order that Maoist ministers don't get the credit for what we end up doing with those ministries."

Maoist leaders watch as an officer of the Election Commission registers the party's official name of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in Kathmandu, 10 Apr 2007

Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries, sandwiched between China and India. It maintains good relations with both countries, as well as the United States.

A Maoist victory in an election certified as free and fair would put the United States in a further quandary. The ambassador tells VOA News that Washington would have to accept any outcome of such an election.

"If they achieve that through a free and fair election, we will welcome it if that's really the will of the people of Nepal," he said. "I tend to have my doubts that's really the case. You don't win peoples' hearts and minds by brutalizing them and that's been the favorite Maoist tool."

The ambassador, a former senior official of the U.S. National Security Council, says the Maoists have what he calls a frightening agenda of collectivization, mass re-education and nationalization of key industries that would be a "recipe for disaster." Such programs, if implemented, he says, would bring into question whether the United States "in good conscience" could continue to support Nepal.

Annual support to Nepal through the U.S. Agency for International Development is about $40 million.

Despite recent statements by Maoist leaders to work for the abolition of the monarchy and other goals through the democratic process, Moriarty says they continue to "use violence on a fairly massive scale every day" in Nepal to shake down merchants and intimidate political opponents.

The Maoists waged a decade-long violent campaign to topple the monarchy. The violence left 14,000 people dead. In a landmark peace deal last year the Maoists agreed to enter the political process and have sent their militias and arms into camps under United Nations supervision.