NPR 2008-02-18

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From NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman.

Ignoring protests from Russia and Serbia, the European Union has appointed a diplomatic envoy¹ to Kosovo, which is expected to announce its independence today. Frank Browning reports from Paris.

Pieter Feith, the Dutchman, will head the EU mission in Kosovo overseeing justice police and diplomatic relations between the European Union and Kosovo. The EU has committed some 300 million dollars to the mission. Early Saturday, the EU approved sending a 2000-person policing mission to Kosovo to function as a peacekeeping force as the decade-old UN forces retreat. Anxiety is high across Europe over how the Serbs and their Russian allies will react to the declaration of independence. Serbs' newly elected President Boris Tadic has vowed² to fight to keep Kosovo as part of Serbia, but without violence. For NPR News, I'm Frank Browning in Paris.

A suicide bomber³ in Kandahar, Afghanistan has killed at least 80 people. The bomber set off his device in a crowd of several hundred people gathered to watch a dog-fighting competition. The suspected target may have been a local tribal⁴ elder who had bodyguards⁵ at his side. Dozens of people are hurt.

Iraqi police say a female suicide bomber killed at least 3 people today. Officers in central Baghdad had stopped to question her when she ran into a nearby building and then set off her device. This is the second of two bombings today in Iraq. Police in Mosul say a car bomb went off in the northern city, killing⁶ a police officer and 2 civilians⁷.

In Pakistan, authorities have imposed a curfew in the northwest region a day after a suicide bomber there killed at least 39 people. It's the most deadly attack during the campaign for tomorrow's parliamentary elections. NPR's Jackie Northam reports from Islamabad.

Pakistani security officials say most of the victims of Saturday's attack appeared to be members of the opposition⁸ Pakistan People's Party, which was led by Benazir Bhutto before she was assassinated⁹. Supporters were gathering¹⁰ at the home of the local candidate when a suicide bomber rammed¹¹ a car loaded with explosives into the crowd. Authorities say they will decide later whether polling will take place in the town. The attack comes just two days before Pakistanis vote in parliamentary elections. Security has been increased throughout the country. Police are banning Afghan refugees from entering urban areas along the Afghanistan border and have arrested hundreds of people. In the frontier city of Peshawar, police say they discovered a cache of explosives and detonators, which they believe, were going to be used in an attack. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Islamabad.

President Bush is spending a second day in Tanzania, that's part of his visit to Africa. He signed an agreement with Tanzania to offer that government nearly 3 quarters of a billion dollars to fight AIDS and malaria¹². Part of Mr. Bush's trip to Africa is to highlight American help aid for these diseases. As he signed the pact¹³, the president urged the U.S. Congress to renew his program to fight AIDS around the world.

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British smokers¹⁴ may need to purchase a 20-dollar license¹⁵ under plans being considered by the British government. Larry Miller¹⁶ reports from London.

Britain banned smoking in public places last year, now it's looking at forcing smokers to buy a license to be shown every time they want to buy cigarettes. To be granted the license, the smokers would need to obtain a declaration from their doctor, asserting their health is not at massive risk from continued use of tobacco. The proposal was drawn¹⁷ up at the request of the government and is being considered by the Health Minister. The rationale is that a permit would help smokers break their addiction¹⁸ and help pay for the medical care they may ultimately require. However, smokers' rights groups accuse the government of bullying¹⁹. They say a license would encourage smokers to smuggle²⁰ tobacco in from other countries. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller, in London.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is urging rival Barack Obama to debate her in Wisconsin before Tuesday's primary election. Both candidates are stumping²¹ there. Republican candidate John McCain has picked up new nominating delegates. Republicans in Louisiana and Michigan divided their presidential delegates yesterday. The Associated Press estimates McCain garnered²² at least 32 Louisiana delegates and the support of the Michigan delegation²³. It's not clear how many Michigan delegates will go to this September's national convention.

Officials in DeKalb, Illinois say 7 people are still in the hospital following last week's shooting at Northern Illinois University. The DeKalb police department says officers have searched a hotel room that the gunman had recently stayed in. There, they discovered a sealed duffle bag and a laptop computer. Officials haven't rather disclosed what's inside.

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