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It is twenty-three hours thirty Universal Time and here is the news in Special English.
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American and Pakistani officials say a secret joint operation captured Afghanistan's top Taliban military commander several days ago in Karachi. Officials say Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is the most important Taliban member detained since the Afghan war began in two thousand one. They said that he is second in influence only to the man who created the Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar. Pakistan's interior minister neither confirmed nor denied the capture of Mullah Baradar. The Taliban in Afghanistan deny he has been detained, but Pakistani and American intelligence agents have said they are questioning the Taliban commander. He was said to lead the Taliban's daily military operations and its governing political council.

Bombs and rebel gunmen are slowing Afghan and NATO troops as they seek to clear a Taliban position in southern Afghanistan. Afghan officials say the rebels are fleeing from Marjah in Helmand province. NATO said Tuesday that one of its soldiers was killed in a bombing related to the operation. Officials also reported that at least thirty-five militants died in the first two days of fighting. The joint offensive began February thirteenth. Afghan civilians also are being killed. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has reported fifteen civilian deaths. This includes twelve civilians killed Sunday when NATO rockets hit a home in Marjah.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States is considering restrictions against Iran's Revolutionary Guard corps. The United States is concerned that the group has become too involved in security, political and economic decisions. Secretary Clinton told VOA Tuesday that Iran is becoming more aggressive and repressive as the Revolutionary Guard increases its influence. She says the change in power from religious and political leaders to the Revolutionary Guard may be the result of the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki criticized Secretary Clinton for saying Monday that Iran has become a military dictatorship. He said the United States is like a military dictatorship through its actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iranian President Ahmadinejad says Iran will take steps against any new restrictions against his country. The President warned that any country that orders actions against Iran will regret the move. He also said that Iran's answer to new restrictions will be different from what it has been in the past. Mr. Ahmadinejad said Iran is still considering whether to accept an exchange agreement negotiated by the United Nations. The plan calls for Iran to ship its low enriched uranium to foreign countries. In return, Iran would receive nuclear fuel. Some nations believe the plan could limit Iranian ability to develop a nuclear weapon.
You are listening to the news in VOA Special English.

United Nations officials say gunmen have fired on Pakistani peacekeepers in the Darfur area of Sudan. Seven peacekeepers were injured. Officials say unidentified attackers opened fire on a group of peacekeepers near Nyala in South Darfur state. Earlier Tuesday, peacekeepers in Darfur said new fighting has killed many people over the past few days. The joint United Nations-African Union delegation in Darfur or UNAMID said the conflict has caused more than fourteen thousand people to flee their homes. The clashes are taking place in the Jebel Marra area of South Darfur and at Jebel Moon in West Darfur. UNAMID did not say who was involved in the clashes. Rebel groups report being attacked by Sudanese government forces.

In Ukraine, defeated presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko has taken legal action in her effort to cancel the results of the recent elections. Ms. Tymoshenko arrived at the Supreme [High] Administrative Court in Kiev Tuesday. She bought boxes of evidence that she said show the election won by Viktor Yanukovych was dishonest. She claims cheating robbed her of one million votes. Final election results showed her losing by almost eight hundred eighty-eight thousand votes. An election observation team from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has said the vote was free and fair.

President Obama has announced an eight billion dollar government loan for the building of two nuclear reactors. They are to be built near the city of Atlanta, Georgia. They would be America's first new reactors in thirty years. The President said the loan is just the beginning of efforts to end dependence on foreign energy. Mr. Obama also said that America must do more to create clean energy. He spoke to workers and officials at a job training center near Washington, D.C. Mr. Obama warned that other countries, including China, are already investing heavily in nuclear energy. He said that the United States is in danger of falling behind.

A new study by Egyptian scientists says the ancient ruler King Tutankhamun most likely died of malaria and bone problems. The research team was led by the Supreme Council of Antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass. The researchers used X-ray and genetic testing to study the bodies of eleven ancient rulers, including King Tut. King Tutankhamun died over three thousand years ago at the age of nineteen. He is historically important because of the many beautiful objects discovered in his burial place in nineteen twenty-two. The study was published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Briefly, here again is the major news.

American and Pakistani officials say a secret joint operation captured Afghanistan's top Taliban military commander several days ago in Karachi. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States is considering restrictions against Iran's Revolutionary Guard corpse. And, the U.N. says gunmen have fired on Pakistani peacekeepers in the Darfur area of Sudan. Seven peacekeepers were injured.

That's the news in VOA Special English from Washington.