VOA Africa News Summary

Here are today's top stories from VOA Africa. To listen or watch one of our programs or to read more visit our website at www.voaafrica.com.

Tides Leave Hundreds Homeless on Liberia Coast Some say mining beach sand may be causing coastal changes, which led to this disaster Sierra Leone Heading for Possible Presidential Runoff Vote Main opposition candidate Ernest Bai Koroma maintaining lead in last week's voting, but if no candidate wins 55 percent of vote, run-off election will be held West Africa Struggles to Contain Bird Flu Virus Togo recently announced more infections, making it seventh West African country to report deadly H5N1 virus Eritrean Minister Rejects US Terrorism Accusation UN report says Eritrea shipped large quantities of weapons to Islamist insurgents fighting Ethiopian-backed Somali government SADC to Support More Mediation in Zimbabwe Crisis Regional heads of state expected to encourage Thabo Mbeki to continue efforts to facilitate negotiations between ZANU-PF and MDC Bread Shortages Worsen As Zimbabwe State Wheat Stocks Dwindle Zimbabwe's 2007 winter wheat crop is expected to be the worst in decades due to a shortage of inputs and frequent power cuts that limited irrigation US to Close Eritrean Consulate Amid Diplomatic Dispute Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer says consulate closure to take effect in November and is reciprocal for Eritrean behavior in Somalia East African Nations Creating Regional Peacekeeping Force Defense ministers say force will be ready by 2010 Deadly Marburg Fever Contained in Northern Uganda Health officials say they will continue monitoring situation to make sure disease does not reappear VOA's 'Studio 7' for Zimbabwe Expands Programming To Weekends New broadcasts begin Saturday, 18 August, at 1700 UTC (1:00 pm EDT)

Your daily e-mail from the BBC

	Saturday, 18 August, 2007, 18:00 GMT 03:00 +09:00:Asia/Seoul

Good Deedes Warm tributes to a Fleet Street legend and former minister		Newquay blaze Your photos of the fire which destroyed a hotel in Cornwall

TOP STORIES
	Demolition begins at blaze hotel Demolition is under way at a Cornwall hotel after a fire which has left a man dead and four people missing.
	Grim quake toll from Peru church Rescuers pull 127 bodies from a church destroyed by Peru's quake, amid reports of looting and fighting for food.
	Hurricane churns up the Caribbean Haiti and the Dominican Republic fear flooding as Hurricane Dean roars by after lashing islands to the east.
	Turkish hijacking ends peacefully Two men who tried to hijack a Turkish plane surrender after all passengers and crew escaped unharmed.
	German woman kidnapped in Kabul A German woman is seized at gunpoint from a restaurant in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul.

WORLD
	Grim quake toll from Peru church Rescuers pull 127 bodies from a church destroyed by Peru's quake, amid reports of looting and fighting for food.
	Hurricane churns up the Caribbean Haiti and the Dominican Republic fear flooding as Hurricane Dean roars by after lashing islands to the east.
	German woman kidnapped in Kabul A German woman is seized at gunpoint from a restaurant in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul.

AFRICA
	Ethiopia opposition members freed At least 31 members of the Ethiopian opposition charged with post-election violence in 2005 are pardoned.
	No pressure on Mugabe from summit Southern African leaders put no public pressure on President Mugabe to solve Zimbabwe's problems.
	Rwanda's former king eyes return King Kigeli Ndahindurwa V, who ruled Rwanda until his overthrow in 1959, says he wants to return home.

AMERICAS
	Grim quake toll from Peru church Rescuers pull 127 bodies from a church destroyed by Peru's quake, amid reports of looting and fighting for food.
	Hurricane churns up the Caribbean Haiti and the Dominican Republic fear flooding as Hurricane Dean roars by after lashing islands to the east.
	Snow to leave White House early White House press secretary Tony Snow announces that he will leave the job before President Bush's end of term.

ASIA-PACIFIC
	Scores trapped in China coal mine Rescue teams are battling to reach 172 workers trapped after a Chinese coal mine is flooded.
	Korea summit delayed over floods North Korea asks for a much anticipated summit with the South to be postponed because of severe flooding.
	Kazakhs elect changed parliament Kazakhs have voted in a poll which promises reform but may also cement their leader's grip on power.

EUROPE
	Turkish hijacking ends peacefully Two men who tried to hijack a Turkish plane surrender after all passengers and crew escaped unharmed.
	German woman kidnapped in Kabul A German woman is seized at gunpoint from a restaurant in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul.
	Sarkozy reveals US holiday hosts France's Nicolas Sarkozy reveals he was the guest of two wealthy families on his holiday in the US.

MIDDLE EAST
	Israel allows Gaza fuel delivery The Israeli military says it will open a border crossing to allow fuel deliveries to the blackout-hit Gaza Strip.
	Egypt wedding boat sinks in Nile An Egyptian boat carrying hundreds of wedding guests sinks, but police say they think all are safe.
	Warrant out for Saddam daughter Interpol circulates an arrest warrant for Raghad Saddam Hussein, the eldest daughter of the former Iraqi leader.

SOUTH ASIA
	German woman kidnapped in Kabul A German woman is seized at gunpoint from a restaurant in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul.
	Suicide attack on Afghan US firm At least 15 people die in a suicide attack on a US security firm in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province.
	Fresh rain worsens S Asia floods Fresh rains in north India hit new areas and worsen regions already struck by some of the worst floods in 30 years.

UK
	Demolition begins at blaze hotel Demolition is under way at a Cornwall hotel after a fire which has left a man dead and four people missing.
	Britons in Jamaica travel warning The Foreign Office advises tourists not to travel to Jamaica as it lies in the path of Hurricane Dean.
	Tributes paid to reporter Deedes Key figures from politics and journalism remember veteran reporter Lord "Bill" Deedes, who has died at 94.

ENGLAND
	Demolition begins at blaze hotel Demolition is under way at a Cornwall hotel after a fire which has left a man dead and four people missing.
	Boy, 16, dies following stabbing A 16-year-old boy dies and another is in a serious condition following a stabbing in Greater Manchester.
	March against flood-plain housing Residents of one of the towns hit in last month's flooding protest against plans to build on flood plains.

NORTHERN IRELAND
	Pair to face house arson charges Two men are to appear in court charged in connection with an arson attack in Londonderry.
	Hired planes cover pilots' strike Aer Lingus is to hire planes from Ryanair to provide cover for a 48-hour strike planned by pilots next week.
	US lifts curbs on NI livestock The US lifts restrictions on NI livestock following a foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey earlier this month.

SCOTLAND
	E.coli case numbers remain stable The number of confirmed cases of E.coli O157 related to the outbreak in Paisley remains at nine, say health officials.
	Weather dampens climb broadcast BBC Scotland's ambitious outside broadcast featuring the world's best climbers undertaking extreme challenges in the Highlands is postponed.
	Man dies after street disturbance A 23-year-old man has died following a disturbance in a North Ayrshire town.

WALES
	Girl's mother traps sex offender A mother tells how she helped police capture a man trying to groom her young daughter via the web.
	Man's body discovered in river Firefighters discover a man's body in the river behind Pembrokeshire Council's HQ.
	Wales 27-20 Argentina Wales hang on for a morale-boosting win over Argentina to get their World Cup preparations back on track.

POLITICS
	Tories 'will consider tax cuts' The Conservatives promise to look "very closely" at plans for wide-ranging tax cuts, including abolishing inheritance tax.
	Hips extended to three-bed homes The government says it will extend its Hips scheme to cover three-bedroom homes from 10 September 2007.
	Tributes paid to reporter Deedes Key figures from politics and journalism remember veteran reporter Lord "Bill" Deedes, who has died at 94.

BUSINESS
	US rate cut boosts global markets US and European markets rise after the Federal Reserve cuts the interest rate at which it lends money to banks.
	Hips extended to three-bed homes The government says it will extend its Hips scheme to cover three-bedroom homes from 10 September 2007.
	Axe inheritance tax, Tories urged Inheritance tax should be abolished because it penalises too many families, a Tory policy group recommends.

ENTERTAINMENT
	Bergman buried in quiet ceremony Legendary film-maker Ingmar Bergman is laid to rest in a private ceremony on his home island of Faro in the Baltic Sea.
	Lohan's parents end divorce row Actress Lindsay Lohan's parents reach an amicable agreement in their long-running divorce and custody battle.
	'Elvis' crowned as tributes end The first official Elvis tribute artist is chosen as 30th anniversary celebrations of Presley's death draw to a close.

SCIENCE/NATURE
	EU biofuel policy is a 'mistake' The EU target of ensuring 10% of fuel comes from biofuels by 2020 is "mistaken", a study says.
	Missing DR Congo gorillas 'dead' A female gorilla and its infant, part of a group attacked by gunmen, are dead, say conservationists in DR Congo.
	Atlantic yields climate secrets For the first time, scientists plot the course of climate-crucial Atlantic circulation over a year's variation.

TECHNOLOGY
	Engineers work to reconnect Peru Technicians and engineers from Telecoms Sans Frontieres arrive in Peru to help the earthquake recovery effort.
	Compact disc hits 25th birthday Exactly 25 years ago the world's first compact disc was produced at a Philips factory in Germany.
	Guitar game takes design prizes A game revolving around a magical guitar has won a respected prize for student game makers.

HEALTH
	E-care records safety fear raised More proof is needed that electronic personal health records are safe and effective, some doctors say.
	Nerve cell stretchiness uncovered US scientists may have discovered why long nerve cells do not break when you move or stretch your limbs.
	Exercise 'must be tough to work' To be healthy, you really do need to break into a sweat when you exercise, say sports scientists.

EDUCATION
	Schools enjoy jobs 'golden age' Secondary schools are facing a golden age of teacher recruitment where they can pick and choose staff, research shows.
	Concerns over S2 pupils' progress A survey suggests less than half of second year pupils are reaching expected reading and numeracy levels.
	Record numbers get student places More than 300,000 A-level students are allocated university places on results day alone.

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES
	1992: Serbian prison camps condemned Conditions in two Serbian detention camps are condemned as "hell on earth" by the man leading a delegation to inspect them.
	1964: South Africa banned from Olympics South Africa are barred from taking part in the 18th Olympic Games in Tokyo over its refusal to condemn apartheid.
	1989: Man U sold in record takeover deal Manchester United Football Club is sold for £20m in the biggest takeover deal in the history of British football.

SPECIAL COVERAGE

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