[00:00.00] News No. 10
[00:08.44]At eight hours universal time. Here is the news on the Voice of America.
[00:21.19]I'm Francis Alanzo in Washington.
[00:24.97]10.1 President Suharto of Indonesia has announced he will call new general elections amid mounting calls for him to step down after three decades in power.
[00:34.46]But in the address to the nation Tuesday,Asia's longest serving,or rather,longer serving leader stopped short of resigning outright,
[00:43.10]saying his leadership is needed to continue to guide Indonesia through its economic and political crisis.
[00:49.01]From Jakarta,VOA's Nicks Nion has details.
[00:53.08]President Suharto says he wants new elections for a new parliament and says he will not accept another term as president.
[00:58.44]In the meantime,his government, which appears to be losing support by the day,
[01:02.04]will be reshuffled and will work through the constitution in parliament put in place for transition to new leadership.
[01:08.00]President Suharto ruled out the immediate resignation,something thousands of students and others across his country have been demanding.
[01:14.76]He says that would not be wise,adding that he feels there is still much he can do to serve the interests of the people.
[01:20.09]The news initially caused the nation's currency,the rupiah,to shoot up against the dollar.
[01:24.87]But much uncertainty still hangs over this nation.
[01:27.80]Wednesday could be a pivotal day when nationwide demonstrations against the Suharto government are expected.
[01:32.94]Nicks Nion,VOA news in Jakarta.
[01:35.16]Meanwhile thousands of students have converged on the national parliament building in Jakarta today to demand Mr.Suharto's ouster.
[01:43.84]10.2 US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's latest round of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders has failed to break their 14-month negotiating deadlock.
[01:53.71]Ms Albright met on Monday in London with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
[01:58.26]A US spokesman said there was no breakthrough.
[02:00.97]Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies reports he secretly agreed to withdraw from 13% more of the West Bank.
[02:09.25]Mr.Netanyahu said however new ideas were advanced.
[02:13.38]"We had a serious discussion.
[02:15.34]We have some new ideas that were discussed now in Washington that were not discussed before.
[02:23.65]It's too early to say whether this will provide a breakthrough.
[02:26.94]We are in constant touch with the United States."
[02:29.58]Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
[02:31.61]The presidents of Egypt and France have called for a new Mideast peace conference to give new hope and energy to the peace process.
[02:38.72]10.3 Russia and Iran have brushed aside US and Israeli criticism and say they will step up co-operation in non-military nuclear technology.
[02:46.53]Russian Atomic Energy Minister Yeugemi Alomov says work to complete Iran's 850-million-dollar nuclear power plant will not be Russia's only project there.
[02:56.54]10.4 Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says Islamabad is showing restraint in not testing a nuclear device.
[03:06.49]But he says,however,pressure is mounting by the hour to respond the India's five nuclear tests.
[03:12.57]VOA Islamabad correspondent Meredith Buel reports.
[03:16.86]Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif speaking to reporters in Islamabad says Pakistan continued to show restraint in not testing a nuclear device.
[03:23.86]"I think we want to show to the world that Pakistan is a responsible country.
[03:27.60]It can exercise restraint on itself. If India is doing out of sheer madness,
[03:33.39]we don't have to blindly follow suit.
[03:35.80]But,of course,whatever we do we will be dictated by our security concern.
[03:41.57]We will be dictated by our national interest."
[03:43.90]Mr.Sharif says Pakistan is disappointed at what he called the lukewarm response of the international community to India's nuclear tests.
[03:50.14]The Prime Minister says the pressure is mounting by the hour for Pakistan to test a nuclear device although he did not say when the final decision will be made.
[03:57.61]Meredith Buel,VOA news,Islamabad.
[04:00.17]10.5 British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook is scheduled to begin a visit to Ankara today in an effort to improve strained relations between Turkey and the European Union.
[04:10.20]Mr.Cook is to meet with his Turkish counterpart Ismiotten and Prime Minister Misuyama.
[04:16.24]Turkey says it wants to start negotiations to join the European Union.
[04:20.81]10.6 Russian President Boris Yeltsin plans to summon leaders of parliament to the Kremlin this week to urge speedy ratification of the Star II nuclear disarmament treaty.
[04:31.78]In announcing the meeting Monday,A Kremlin spokesman said the ratification of the treaty is too important a question to be led up to political ambition.
[04:40.14]The Communist-controlled Russian Lower House,the Duma,has delayed the ratification citing security concerns and the cost of demolishing missiles.
[04:48.76]10.7 Yugoslavia has been plunged into political crisis with the ouster of Prime Minister Radoya Contige.
[04:57.53]He was dismissed in the no-confidence vote Monday in the Federal Assembly in Belgrade.
[05:02.81]Yugoslav President Slohodan Milosevic is calling political party leaders together later today to find a replacement for Mr.Contige.
[05:11.12]At the same time,Montenegro President Mealogeuconich has called his republic's parliament into an emergency session to formulate a response to developments in Belgrade.
[05:22.61]He denounced the dismissal of Prime Minister as part of a plan to undermine his republic's reformminded administration.
[05:30.00]10.8 US share prices closed lower today amid worries of the government anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft.
[05:36.74]The price of gold in New York sold at 299 dollars 60 cents an ounce.
[05:41.39]This is VOA news.
[05:44.32]10.9 The Bahamas has repatriated 65 Cuban rafters after holding them in Nassau Detention Center for a month.
[05:54.90]The boat people left Nassau aboard a chartered flight Monday.
[05:58.77]Bahamian officials say 196 others in detention will be sent back to Cuba as soon as possible.
[06:05.90]Immigration officials say the refugees did not meet conditions that would have allowed them to qualify for political asylum.
[06:13.08]The deportees included three baseball players and a coach.
[06:17.00]10.10 The United States says it has completed the largest most comprehensive drug money laundering case in the history of US law enforcement.
[06:25.65]At a joint Washington news conference,Treasury Secretary Robert Gruven and US Attorney General Janet Reno said Mexican bankers
[06:33.74]and drug dealers were among those swept up in the investigation.
[06:37.48]VOA's William Hoffman reports.
[06:40.33]Mr. Reno says the arrest of more than 100 people
[06:42.94]and the seizure of 35 million dollars is a major step forward in the fight against international drug cartels and the money laundering that fuels it.
[06:50.83]Today is a very bad day for drug dealers in this hemisphere,but we are not going to let up.
[06:57.18]We are going to keep the heat on drug suppliers and money managers who are working to poison our children and bring us this misery.
[07:04.80]More than 20 Mexican banking officials with alleged links to drug cartels in Juarez,Mexico and Cali,
[07:11.36]Colombia are among those named to the indictments to be prosecuted in Los Angeles.
[07:15.20]Mr.Robin's Treasury Department led the investigation that involves several other US agencies and many state and local police departments.
[07:21.68]He says the department has been in touch with Mexican authorities and looks forward to working with them as investigation proceeds.
[07:28.52]William Hoffman,VOA news,Washington.
[07:31.16]10.11 The US Justice Department and 20 states have filed separate lawsuits against computer giant Microsoft,
[07:38.45]accusing it of anti-competitive practices in the software industry.
[07:43.12]The anti-trust lawsuits follow the collapse of negotiations Saturday.
[07:47.30]Microsoft is accused of using its dominance with its Window software to illegally stifle competition and other parts of the computer industry,
[07:56.29]especially the market for internet browsers.
[07:58.80]Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates vowed to fight back insisting the government is stifling innovation.
[08:05.07]"We believe an anti-trust lawsuit is counterproductive,costly to the taxpayers and ultimately will be unsuccessful in the courts.
[08:14.05]I'm very disappointed we couldn't reach an agreement with the government."
[08:17.97]Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.
[08:19.85]
[08:26.91]but lied about it in a videotape testimony for a 1996 trial.
[08:31.09]The Washington Post reports the allegation is made in the memoirs of the late
[08:35.53]Janis McDougal,who along with his wife Susan was a partner in the White Water land deal.
[08:40.54]McDougal recently died in prison while serving time for bank fraud.
[08:44.20]President Clinton's lawyer said the accusation is absolutely false.
[08:47.91]10.13 The US Senate has begun debate on legislation to increase government regulation of the tobacco industry and raise the price of cigarettes by more than a dollar a pack.
[08:57.34]The sponsor, Republican Senator Jone Micane,accused the industry of marketing cigarettes to children and urged his fellow lawmakers to end the practice.
[09:05.65]10.14 These are the hour's news headlines.
[09:07.94]Indonesian President Suharto refuses widespread calls for him to step down immediately,saying he will do so only after new elections are held.
[09:15.42]US Secretary of States Albright's latest talks with the Israeli and Palestinian leader fails to break their negotiating deadlock.
