It is twenty-three hours thirty Universal Time. I'm Fritzi Bodenheimer in Washington. ▼ President Obama says international plans to put new restrictions on Iran are moving fairly quickly. Mr. Obama told reporters in Washington Tuesday that Iran seems to have ignored his offer to discuss the issue. He said that Iran has clearly not accepted a United Nations plan to send uranium outside the country for enrichment. Mr. Obama said this action shows that Iran plans to use the uranium for military reasons. Earlier Tuesday, Iran said that it had started processing uranium to a higher level. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed at fueling a medical nuclear reactor. Mr. Obama did not set a time limit for the new restrictions. He said that there was still time for diplomacy with Iran.
Assistants to Ukrainian presidential candidate, Yulia Tymoshenko, say she plans to appeal the results of the country's presidential election. They say she will not admit defeat until rulings have been made on her appeals and ballot recounts have taken place. Ukrainian election officials say opposition leader, Viktor Yanukovych, won the election. Nearly all votes have been counted. International observers have praised the election as being free and fair. The United States also praised the vote. The American embassy in Kiev said Tuesday the election was another step in the building of Ukraine's democracy. The top general in Russia says American missile defense plans for Europe are directed at his country. General Staff Chief Nikolai Makarov spoke on Russian television Tuesday. He said America's plans threaten Russia's security and are delaying a new arms control treaty. The United States has proposed a system of sea and land based missile interceptors in northern and southern Europe. American officials say the anti-missile system is aimed at protesting European and American interests from attacks by Iran, rather protecting. The officials have said the system will also provide protection for Russia. [The speaker noticed she said, “protesting European and American interests” but she should have said, “protecting European and ...”] A spokesman for the Obama administration has rejected the claim that the missile defense plans are delaying a new arms treaty.
Nigerian Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has taken office as the country's leader while President Umaru Yar'Adua receives medical treatments. Mr. Jonathan made the announcement on television late Tuesday after Parliament approved the move. Mr. Jonathan urged Nigerians to pray for Mr. Yar'Adua's recovery and his return to Nigeria. Mr. Yar'Adua has been out of Nigeria since November twenty-third. That is when he went to Saudi Arabia for medical treatments.
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Afghan officials say they believe at least sixty-four people have died because of a series of landslides in the northern part of the country. Afghanistan's Interior Minister says rescuers have already recovered twenty-four bodies from the Salang Pass, but he fears that more than forty others who are still missing have already died. Local officials say days of heavy snow caused landslides that have blocked parts of the Salang Pass. The road is the main link between Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has dismissed his country's parliament. The dismissal clears the way for parliamentary elections two months earlier than planned. The presidential announcement comes a day after the arrest of former army chief Sarath Fonseka. He was also the main opposition candidate for president. On Tuesday, the Sri Lankan government said it is planning to try the former army chief for subversion and plotting against President Rajapaksa.
Military officials in Burma have deployed riot police and fire engines to control about two thousand workers who are striking in Rangoon. Witnesses say at least thirty trucks carrying riot police were sent to an industrial area where workers from a clothing factory began striking Monday. News reports say workers from other factories have joined the strike. Reports say government officials arrived Tuesday to help negotiations between employers and workers. The Irrawaddy news magazine says Burmese clothing workers want their work hours reduced. They also want higher pay and better working conditions.
The United States is urging Cambodia and Thailand to find a peaceful answer to their nineteen-month-old border dispute. American State Department official, Scot Marciel, expressed concern over the dispute during a visit to Cambodia Tuesday. He told reporters in Phnom Penh that the United States has friendly relations with both countries and hopes their leaders will work to reduce border tensions. Both Thailand and Cambodia claim ownership of an ancient Hindu religious building near their shared border. Their dispute intensified in July of two thousand eight when the United Nations gave special protection to the temple under Cambodian ownership.
American officials say they are looking into reports of mechanical problems in Toyota's popular Corolla model. No decision has been made on whether the problem requires investigation or other action. This is the latest issue to trouble the world's largest automaker. Toyota recently recalled millions of vehicles to repair a device that controls the speed of the car. Earlier Tuesday, Toyota officials recalled more than four hundred thousand hybrid vehicles because of a problem with the brakes. The recall includes the popular Prius model, the Lexus HS250h sedan and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan. The other cars were sold in Europe and the United States. Toyota says it will replace computer software in the affected models. ▲ Briefly, here again is the major news of the hour.
President Obama says international plans to put new restrictions on Iran are moving fairly quickly. Assistants to Ukrainian presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko say she plans to appeal the results of the country's presidential election. And, Nigerian Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has taken office as the country's temporary leader. That's the news in VOA Special English. Source: VOA Special English February 9, 2010 2330UTC
