Presidents Bush and Putin Conclude Summit in Russia

BUSH-EUROPE: U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have concluded their final summit without an agreement on U.S. missile defense plans, but with a blueprint for their successors. Speaking shortly before Mr. Bush left the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi for home, the two men said the framework agreement they signed spells out their accomplishments and looks ahead to the future. Mr. Putin said the United States has heard his country's concerns over the missile system plans, disarmament treaties and opposition to NATO expansion. Mr. Bush said the two sides pledged to find a solution, and said the framework accord backs the notion of cooperation on an anti-missile system.

SRI LANKA: Sri Lankan authorities say a suspected suicide bomb attack just outside Colombo has killed a senior minister and at least 11 other people. The attack killed Minister of Highways Jeyaraj Fernandopulle today (Sunday) as he presided over the opening of a marathon in (Weliveriya,) a town near the capital (in Sri Lanka's western district of Gampaha). A former Olympic marathoner (K.A. Karunaratne) and the national athletic coach (Lakshman de Alwis) are also reported to have been killed in the blast. Nearly 100 people were wounded.

ZIMBABWE ELECTION: Zimbabwe's opposition says demands by Robert Mugabe's party for a recount in last month's presidential election are illegal. A spokesman for the Movement for Democratic Change said today (Sunday) that the ruling ZANU-PF party's request for a recount is impractical, illegal and a sign of ballot tampering. The spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, says it is ridiculous to ask for a recount when the results of the March 29th balloting have not been announced. The state-run Sunday Mail newspaper said today (Sunday) that the ruling ZANU-PF party has found what it calls "errors and miscalculations" in the counting of the presidential vote

IRAQ: Iraqi police say gunmen kidnapped 42 university students from a bus taking them to school in the northern city of Mosul today (Sunday). Authorities say the unidentified gunmen ambushed two buses in a village south of Mosul. One of the buses fled, but the second was stopped and the students were abducted. Elsewhere, police said five people were killed and 17 wounded in overnight clashes between the U.S. military and gunmen near Baghdad's Sadr City.

BURMA POL: Burma's prime minister says a draft constitution, which will be the object of a referendum next month, was not designed to benefit the military. General Thein Sein was quoted by the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper as saying that the referendum is not for an individual, the military, one party or one association, but for is seeking approval from all the people.

Audio in Lao.