Afghan President Safe After Fleeing Taliban Attack

AFGHANISTAN : Afghan President Hamid Karzai has survived a Taliban attack on a ceremony in Kabul, along with other senior government leaders and foreign dignitaries. A Defense Ministry spokesman (General Mohammad Zahir Azimi) says Mr. Karzai as well as scores of Cabinet members and foreign diplomats were evacuated today (Sunday) after automatic gunfire broke out. Government officials said one person was killed in the attack and at least nine wounded, including two lawmakers. The gunfire erupted after Mr. Karzai and other dignitaries had taken the stage following an inspection of troops at a high-profile military parade.

OLYMPIC TORCH: The Olympic Torch has completed the South Korean leg of its global relay, as thousands of demonstrators and large numbers of police lined its route.. The torch began its 24-kilometer journey at Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul today (Sunday), accompanied by dozens of track-suited police. Local television showed thousands of Chinese students waving red Chinese flags, facing off with hundreds of protesters angered by China's actions in Tibet and at its forced repatriation of North Korean refugees.

MOROCCO FIRE: Morocco's official news agency says 55 people were killed and at least 12 others were injured Saturday in a fire at a mattress factory in Casablanca. The MAP news agency says 100 employees were inside the (Rosamor Mattress) factory when the fire broke out in an industrial area of Casablanca, Morocco's largest city and leading port. The flames spread very quickly because of the highly flammable chemicals inside the factory.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS: The exiled Hamas chief, Khaled Meshaal, has warned there will be an "explosion of violence" in the Gaza Strip if Israel rejects a proposed truce with Hamas. Meshaal said Saturday he is still waiting for an official decision from Israel. But Meshaal has also signaled that the cease-fire is not a long-term solution, calling the truce a "tactic" in the larger struggle being fought between Israel and Hamas.

BURMA REFERENDUM: Burmese activists in Thailand and Singapore demonstrated today (Sunday) against next month's constitutional referendum. In Thailand, about 100 activists demonstrated outside Burma's Embassy in Bangkok. The demonstrators (organized by the Joint Action Committee for Democracy in Burma,) chanted slogans against the May 10th referendum. Protest organizers called the vote a ploy to help Burma's ruling generals keep their grip on power.

Audio in Lao.