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Israel Says It Will Target Hamas Leaders

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F014:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0 Israel has been
targeting Hamas leaders for years; one of the most prominent leaders
assassinated by Israel is Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on March 22, 2004 Israel
confirms that it is targeting the leaders of the Islamic militant
group Hamas, hours after a deadly attack on the home of one of its
lawmakers in the Gaza Strip. At least 12 Palestinians have been killed
in Israeli air strikes during the past 24 hours. As Robert Berger
reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, Hamas is threatening harsh
retaliation.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (2nd L), Hamas leader Khalil
al-Haya(C),Hamas MP Ahmed Bahar(L) attend mass funeral for nine
victims of al-Haya family killed in Israeli air strikeIsrael says both
the political and military leaders of Hamas will be targeted because
militants in Gaza fired more than 130 rockets across the border since
Wednesday.

Cabinet Minister Gideon Ezra told Israel Radio that Hamas political
leaders are inciting the Palestinian public and giving the orders to
attack the Jewish state. Therefore, he said, they are legitimate
targets.

Ezra made the comments hours after an Israeli aircraft fired a missile
that hit the home of a Hamas lawmaker. He was not there, but
Palestinians say eight people were killed, including several of his
relatives and two militants. The army said it was targeting a group of
five Hamas gunmen near the house.

Hamas was outraged by the air strike and promised revenge. The Hamas
military wing called for a renewal of suicide bombings in Israeli
cities.

A Hamas leader in Gaza, Nizar Iyan, said the group will fight until
the last Jew is expelled from Israel.

Iyan told Hamas Television that Israel must be wiped off the map and
replaced with a Palestinian state.

So the threats and the fighting continue. In another air strike,
Israel targeted a car carrying Islamic Jihad militants, killing four
of them. And more rockets have been falling on the Israeli side of the
border.

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Gunmen Kill 7 in Attack on Minibus in Iraq

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F016:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0 Officials say the
attack took place near the town of Baquba, underscoring the violence
that is plaguing the province of Diyala

A wounded Iraqi woman is wheeled into a hospital in Baquba, capital of
the violent province of Diyala, 21 May 2007Iraqi officials say gunmen
have attacked a minibus north of Baghdad, killing seven people,
including a child.

The officials say the attack took place Monday near the town of
Baquba, underscoring the violence that is plaguing the province of
Diyala.

A roadside bombing also killed three Iraqi soldiers in western
Baghdad.

In other news, U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq say they have rescued
five Iraqis held captive and tortured by terrorists.

A coalition statement says the captives were freed during a raid on a
building Monday northeast of Karmah "during operations to disrupt the
al-Qaida network operating in the area."

The statement says the Iraqi hostages indicated their captors were
foreign fighters who spoke with different accents.

U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver said the
coalition will continue to hunt foreign fighters who bring violence
into Iraq.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi troops continue to search for three American
soldiers kidnapped a week ago in Iraq. Military officials say they
believe at least two of the soldiers are still alive.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP .

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Beckett Calls For Universal Suffrage in Hong Kong 'As Soon As
Possible'

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F012:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0 British Foreign
Secretary Margaret Beckett, visiting Hong Kong ten years after it was
handed from British to Chinese rule, said she thought the process for
Hong Kong was 'so far, so good'

Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, left, attends a press
conference at a hotel in Hong Kong Monday, 21 May 2007 after her trip
to mainland ChinaBritish Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has ended
her weeklong trip to China by calling for the soonest implementation
of universal suffrage in Hong Kong. VOA's Heda Bayron reports from
Hong Kong.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, visiting Hong Kong ten
years after it was handed from British to Chinese rule, said she
thought the process for Hong Kong was "so far, so good."

She credited the Chinese government for the relative success of the
"one country, two systems" formula that allowed Hong Kong to retain
its capitalist economic system and a high level of autonomy after the
handover.

But Beckett also pressed for the introduction of universal suffrage in
Hong Kong "as soon as possible". She told business and political
leaders that democracy should be the foundation of a thriving and
stable Hong Kong.

British participation in the 10th anniversary celebrations has been
low key, prompting Beckett to brush aside reports that Britain has
been snubbed from participating in the affair.

"There is no suggestion of the UK being excluded from something, in
fact we are planning a series of events during the year as part of the
Hong Kong government's program," Beckett said.

The right to directly elect Hong Kong's leaders is set in the Basic
Law but China has so far refused to set a timetable for that to
happen.

Beckett came to Hong Kong after spending six days in Beijing, where
she discussed bilateral issues and climate change.

On Monday she told reporters that climate change threatens the
country's economic prosperity.

"China has made substantial strides in reducing the intensity of
energy usage but of course they want to, and we all need them to make
still more progress," Beckett says.

China's rapid economic growth makes it hungry for energy, and it
relies heavily on polluting coal-fired plants. Experts say China will
soon overtake the United States as the world's top emitter of
greenhouse gases.

Beckett called on Hong Kong investors in the mainland - one of the
biggest group of investors there - to do their part in fighting
climate change by making investments in low carbon and energy
efficient technologies.

Hong Kong has been battling worsening air pollution in recent years,
largely coming from power plant emissions from the southern China
region.

 

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Some US Unions End Boycott ff China's State-Run Labor Federation

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F011:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0 US delegation to
meet with Communist Party officials, give seminar on collective
bargaining Some U.S. labor union leaders are visiting China to end a
long boycott on dealing with the country's state-controlled labor
federation. The delegation will meet with Communist Party officials
and give a seminar on collective bargaining. Daniel Schearf reports
from Beijing.

Manager holds staff meeting with employees of Wal-Mart outlet in
Beijing (Aug 2007 file photo)Delegates from the Teamsters union and
other members of the "Change to Win" federation are in China to meet
with Chinese officials and the official All China Federation of Trade
Unions.

The visit marks a change for U.S. unions, which previously shunned
contact with China's government-run labor organization.

Critics say the Chinese federation, the ACFTU, represents the
interests of management and government and seeks to prevent disputes
rather than represent the interests of workers.

During their two weeks in China, the U.S. labor delegates will visit
factories and ports, meet with academics, activists, and company
representatives, and discuss collective bargaining at a seminar in
Beijing.

Anita Chan is a research fellow at Australian National University's
Contemporary China Center and an expert on labor issues in China. She
says China's unions could learn from their American counterparts.

"You have very powerful pro-business interests. And, trade unions
always have a problem with counteracting this," she explained. " And,
with the help of foreign trade unions hopefully it will be able to
strengthen itself and be able to help workers better to negotiate
better terms."

China's Communist Party government does not allow unions independent
of government control, and labor activists are often harassed and
imprisoned.

Chan says China's labor union federation is slowly improving, but is
still constrained by its socialist structure.

"In terms of grassroots activities it still needs to learn a lot,"
Chan said. "It does not have the capacity even if it has the political
power (to do so). And, there are constraints from the government and
other bureaucracy that the ACFTU does not do more than necessary."

Change to Win was formed two years ago after the Teamsters and a major
service workers union broke away from the main U.S. labor group - the
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.

The union officials visiting China say members in the United States
work for the same multi-national companies that now employ Chinese
workers in the service, transportation, and industrial sectors.

The U.S. labor group says its visit is designed to be a
"solidarity-building mission" between American and Chinese workers to
"help create good jobs in the global economy."

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Vietnamese Voters Choose From a Narrow Range of Options

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F010:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0 Although voters
had a slightly wider choice than in previous elections, all candidates
were vetted by the ruling Communist Party Vote counting is underway
after millions of Vietnamese went to the polls Sunday to elect a new
National Assembly. Although voters had a slightly wider choice than in
previous elections, all candidates were vetted by the ruling Communist
Party. Matt Steinglass reports from Hanoi.

Residents leave a voting station in Hanoi, 20 May 2007Vietnamese
officials said on Monday that turnout was an astonishing 99 percent.

Ngo Gia An is the elections inspector in the Hanoi neighborhood of
Nghi Tam. An says every single one of Nghi Tam's 1,662 voters
exercised their right to vote.

That does not necessarily mean they were excited about the choices.
Proof of having voted is sometimes required in Vietnam for certain
certificates, and local party officials compete to produce high voter
turnouts.

More candidates were competing this year, with 875 candidates
competing for 500 seats. In Nghi Tam, voters had to choose three out
of five candidates, including a woman, Nguyen Thi Nguyet Huong, who is
not a Communist Party member.

The 62-year-old tea seller Pham Van Hung said he voted for her. Hung
says he looked at candidates' resumes posted at polling stations.
Little information is available about the candidates' policy
positions.

Despite the limits, elections of the National Assembly help move
Vietnam towards a system of government less dominated by the Communist
Party, says Carl Thayer, a Vietnam expert at the Australian National
Defense University.

"The Party has tried to create a situation where they give strategic
direction to the country, and end their constant interference with
day-to-day management and administration," he said. "How do you
implement it? And that's what the National Assembly has done."

In recent years, the National Assembly has dramatically increased the
amount of legislation it passes. Delegates have shown independence by
altering proposed laws, and sharply questioning ministers accused of
corruption.

But overall control still rests with the Communist Party. Only 30 out
of 238 independents were allowed onto the ballot after screening, and
non-communist political parties are banned.

As Thayer explains, the Party and the mass organizations shape the
makeup of the Assembly by deciding which candidates to put forward.

"You know, the Party leaders determine what they call the structure
and composition, and it's so many ethnic minorities, and women, and
military, etc," he said. "And they come close to getting it."

Whatever the results of the vote counting, the government will point
to the elections as evidence of overwhelming popular support.

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Leadership Changes Prompt New Calls for a World Bank Overhaul

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F00F:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0 Longtime
Critics Seek Review of Institution Policies toward Developing
Countries The imminent departure of World Bank President Paul
Wolfowitz on June 30, leaves open many questions about the
institution’s operating effectiveness.  Many groups are calling for a
thorough reassessment of the 63-year-old bank.  Last week, the bank
and Mr. Wolfowitz parted ways over an ethics violation for which both
parties assumed partial responsibility, but neither acknowledged
fault.  Longtime critics, such as the US Network for Global Economic
Justice, are renewing their challenges of bank structural health and
its staff morale.  Njoke Njehu is the Executive Director of the US
Network’s “50 Years is Enough” movement.  She says that the selection
process for a successor to Paul Wolfowitz should signal a change in
overall bank policy and attitudes toward developing countries.

“They can find the best president of the World Bank.  I don’t know who
that person is.  But there needs to be a change of policy.  There
needs to be a change of the attitude of the institution in terms of
their know-it-all kind of attitude, where they give governments and
countries time to shape their own future.  There needs to be a change,
and it can’t be done by one person,” she says.

Njehu says she does not believe the ouster of Mr. Wolfowitz represents
an attack on US interests, even though Washington has traditionally
been the power entrusted with naming the president of the bank.

“It’s not an international attitude towards the United States.  I
think there was a lot of agreement, even in the United States, about
how poorly qualified Mr. Wolfowitz was, and I think that whoever is
the next president of the World Bank, there’s a lot of talk about this
being the moment to break the tradition and get someone from the
global south.  I think they should be under a great deal of scrutiny,
to make sure that they’re both qualified to do the job, but also that
they would do the job that needs to be done,” she said.

Bank critics have charged that former Deputy Defense Secretary
Wolfowitz was too closely identified with US government policy to play
an objective role in relations at the World Bank.  But Njehu of “50
Years is Enough” says his departure was caused most likely by the
perception of corruption at the international institution.

“I think he was done in by his own corruption.  He did represent the
relationship with the Bush Administration.  He was a failed assistant
defense secretary, and they rewarded him.  It’s a really messed up
system where when you screw up in one position, you are rewarded by
being given a bigger job and a bigger profile,” she said.

The US Network for Global Economic Justice is a coalition of more than
200 US grassroots, women's, solidarity, faith-based, policy, social-
and economic-justice, youth, labor and development organizations
dedicated to transforming the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).  Executive Director Njehu says an addition of new
blood at the helm of the lending institution could help reverse a bank
tradition of prosperous societies marshaling resources and dictating
terms to help relieve the poverty of disadvantaged, developing
nations.

“I am a very strong believer in that if Africa is going to get out of
poverty, it is because they are doing it themselves.  It’s not because
of how world administrators and policy makers make decisions because
for the most part, people living in London, or in Washington, or in
Tokyo for that matter have no idea of what the reality for poor people
in Africa is.    I believe that Africa’s future and Africa’s coming
out of poverty and impoverishment will be done by Africans
themselves.  If it could be done by outsiders, for goodness sake, it
would have happened by now,” she says.

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US Lawmakers to Debate Immigration

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F013:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0 Compromise plan
would grant special visas to estimated 12 million illegal immigrants
in US who meet stiff legal requirements The debate over a compromise
immigration reform plan negotiated by President Bush and senators from
both parties is expected to heat up this week, as the Senate takes up
the issue Monday. VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.

Michael Chertoff (r) and Carlos Gutierrez, 18 May 2007Homeland
Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos
Gutierrez took to the television airwaves Sunday to defend an
immigration plan unveiled last week by the White House and a
bipartisan group of senators.

The compromise plan would grant special visas to the estimated 12
million illegal immigrants in the United States who meet stiff legal
requirements. It also calls for greater border security and punitive
measures for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

In response to critics who say the program amounts to amnesty or a
short-cut to legal status for illegal immigrants, Chertoff told CNN's
Late Edition program no one gets to "jump the line," as he put it, in
an effort to get a U.S. green card.

"Everybody who has been on line, waiting patiently, gets ahead of them
[illegal immigrants]," said Michael Chertoff. "They have to pay a
penalty, similar to what you pay if you commit a misdemeanor, which is
what this is under the existing state of the law."

On the same television show, Gutierrez added that illegal immigrants
will be forced to pay a penalty and will undergo a criminal background
check.

"So, it is not amnesty," said Carlos Gutierrez. "We have said it is
not amnesty. We have the impression, I have the impression, that
perhaps for some people, the only thing that would not be amnesty is
mass deportation. We do not think that is practical, we do not think
that is logical, we do not think that is humane. And that would hurt
our economy."

Labor unions fear the deal will drive down wages.

The more than 300-page bill is expected to face especially heated
debate in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Brian
Bilbray, chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, compares the
current proposal to legislation in 1986 that, in his words, rewarded
people for immigrating to the United States illegally. He also spoke
on CNN Late Edition.

"By announcing this, you are going to have the next big wave," said
Brian Bilbray. "We had the largest influx of illegal immigration since
the last amnesty. What makes them think that if you do the same thing,
you are not going to get the same results?"

On ABC's This Week program, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, expressed
concern about specific plan aspects, such as a system that would award
points to immigrants based on their skills and length of time in the
United States.

But she expressed confidence that a bipartisan solution could be
worked out.

"I am not president of United States," said Nancy Pelosi. "I cannot
sign the bill. But we can get it to the president's desk, and we
will."

Speaking from the Senate, Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell
acknowledged to ABC that the bill is not perfect. But he said it is an
improvement over the status quo, and urged lawmakers to move forward
with it.

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Students Foster Religious Harmony at Atlanta University

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F00E:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0
Muslim, Jewish and Christian students hold regular interfaith meetings
to help each other understand their religions

Oglethorpe University was founded in 1835Mention Muslim and Jew in the
same breath and many Americans immediately think of the Middle East
and irreconcilable differences. But at a small liberal arts school in
Atlanta, Georgia, students and faculty are using religion to bring
people together. In fact, Oglethorpe University's Muslim Student
Alliance asked Larry Schall, the school's Jewish president, to become
its faculty advisor.

The idea came up during a lunch conversation between Mustafa Abdullah
and some of his friends. "We were talking about ideas," he recalls,
"throwing things out there, and one of them said, 'Hey there's
President Schall. Why don't you go talk to him about being our
advisor?'" Abdullah thinks the student who made the suggestion did so
as a joke, but Schall took the idea seriously and accepted.

After two years at Oglethorpe, Schall says he felt that getting the
university community more involved in religion was important. "When I
came to Oglethorpe, there was very little sign of religious life.
While our students, I would say, are fairly religious, they were
religious alone."

Friends Nathaniel Goldman (left) and Mustafa Abdullah on campusThat's
now changing. Last year, the Campus Crusade, a Christian group active
at many schools, began a chapter at Oglethorpe. Schall encouraged
Nathaniel Goldman, a freshman from Atlanta, to form the Jewish Student
Union. Goldman, in turn, got his friend, Mustafa Abdullah, to organize
the Muslim group, which he now heads.

There are only about a dozen Muslims on campus, but almost 80 students
are members of the Muslim Student Alliance. Abdullah says that's fine.
"Our premise is understanding Islam," he explains. "So regardless of
you being Muslim, or Christian, or Jewish, or Hindu, if you are
actively wanting to be a part of recruiting people to come speak, or
setting up things or what not, then you are basically a part of the
group."

Like Abdullah's group, Goldman says, the Jewish Student Union is not
just about religion. "We don't want to proselytize but just want to
let people know what Judaism is about."

To help each other understand more about their religions, the Muslim
Student Alliance, the Jewish Student Union, the Campus Crusade, and
the Catholic students group hold monthly interfaith meetings, which
seem sometimes more like parties.

Some of the Passover foods served at a recent interfaith meetingAt a
recent interfaith meeting, the Muslim students showed a documentary
movie about the life of the Prophet Mohamed. For refreshments, the
Jewish students prepared food that is typically served during a
Passover seder, and the leader of the Campus Crusade baked an Easter
cake using an old family recipe.

The student groups at Oglethorpe hold religious as well as social
gatherings, but they have shied away from political discussions about
the Middle East, Israel and Palestine. Mustafa Abdullah says he feels
such discussions would detract from the group's mission to help others
understand Islam. "Politics is a totally, totally different thing," he
insists. "We are primarily driven to understanding Islam through the
interfaith concept. And a lot of these conflicts do not have to do
with faith at the core."

Larry Schall talks with students at an interfaith meetingBut Muslim
Student Alliance advisor and Oglethorpe president, Larry Schall,
believes political discussions about Arab and Jew and the Middle East
are inevitable. "I'd be surprised if the students didn't push this
further. They're talking about bringing speakers to campus and talking
about issues. And they think about politics and they talk about
politics so I'd be surprised if we didn't go there." And perhaps, he
adds, when they do deal with those hard issues, the students will have
the tolerance and understanding to find common ground.

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Bhutan Welcomes Visitors, Just Not Too Many and Too Poor

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F015:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0 Bhutan remains one
of international tourism's best-kept secrets; It attracts less than
20,000 tourists a year

Tourists arrive at Paro AirportTo the outside world the small Buddhist
kingdom of Bhutan is regarded as a modern-day Shangri-La. Nestled
along the eastern side of the Himalayas, wedged between Tibet and
India, Bhutan sees few outsiders. And the country likes it that way as
it attempts to preserve its fragile culture and ecology. That has
prompted Bhutan to strictly regulate tourism. But as VOA's Steve
Herman reports from Thimpu, it is possible for anyone with enough
money and determination to visit.

Here people call their nation Druk Yul - land of the thunder dragon.
The sights and sounds of its deep connection to Tibetan Buddhism are
evident just about anywhere a visitor goes.

A religious musician, playing the jaling oboe, dressed in the
traditional knee-length gown and huge white cuffs worn by most
Bhutanese men is just one example of why this country the size of
Switzerland is so appealing to travelers.

Bhutan's architectural style wows visitors The country is permeated
with fortresses, known as dzongs, and monasteries. The air is crisp
and clean, the views of mountains breathtaking. What Bhutan lacks in
high-end tourist infrastructure it makes up in courtesy, safety and
cleanliness, especially compared to other major regional destinations.

Yet, Bhutan remains one of international tourism's best-kept secrets.
It attracts less than 20,000 tourists a year, not including thousands
more Indians, here on business or holiday, who do not need a visa to
visit.

Sonam Dorji, General Secretary Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators
The head of the association representing Bhutan's 290 tour operators,
Sonam Dorji, says the myth persists that the country is virtually
off-limits to visitors. Tourists have been welcomed since 1974. But
Dorji says there will be no attempt to undertake a mass-marketing
campaign, unlike Bhutan's neighbors against which it competes for
tourist revenue.

"By not marketing we still remain exclusive and a very mysterious
country," he said. "We don't have any limits of arrivals. As long as
they pay $180 per night, they are welcome."

That may sound like a steep price, but it includes accommodations,
meals, guides and transportation.

Most visitors come for the trekking, bird watching or just to absorb
the unique culture of this deeply religious and agrarian society. Many
typical tourist pursuits, however, are off-limits, such as mountain
climbing or recreational fishing. Local people consider their
mountains sacred and inhabited by deities. Fishing for sport also
violates religious sensibilities.

Dorji, head of the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators, says
religious values cannot be compromised in the name of increasing
tourism.

An old monk chants prayers on a street corner in Paro "Buddhist
religion overall is just like to protect even the environment, the
sentient beings, all living beings. And we believe that even a tree
has a soul. So that's the part which has influenced the tourism
policy," added Dorji.

There is a fierce determination here to protect the environment. After
all, it is natural resources which provide Bhutan with its primary
source of revenue - sales of hydro-electric power to its energy-hungry
neighbor, India. Tourism is the top source of hard currency.

Although tourism officials say Bhutan can absorb tens of thousands
more visitors per year, if they come during the off-season, there is a
fear that making it less costly for outsiders to visit could easily
swamp this country of less than 700,000 people.

Amb. Lhatu Wangchuk, Director General Bhutan Department of Tourism 
"Being small, you cannot be careless. We cannot promote and develop
normal type of tourism here because we simply do not have the carrying
capacity. We have, yes, rich culture, living culture, ancient culture,
but they're still very fragile," said former ambassador Lhatu
Wangchuk, the director general of Bhutan's department of tourism.

Those who do visit are warmly welcomed. Wangchuk believes that is
because experience with well-healed visitors, who tend to be older and
highly educated, has had a "very positive" impact on Bhutanese people
and their culture.

"It is the tourists who have been educating the Bhutanese. We get
tourists who are well traveled, tourists who are very sensitive to
other countries' culture, their way of life. And therefore we've been
made more aware of the value of our own culture," continued Wangchuk.

But there is a bit of trouble in paradise. There are complaints that
the modest number of trekkers are damaging Bhutan's environment,
leaving behind litter and eroding habitat in a country where
three-quarters of the land is unspoiled forest.

Archery is Bhutans national sport and one of the countrys attractions
for tourists In the few cities, such as the capital of Thimpu, and
Paro, where the main airport is located, packs of stray dogs wander
the streets barking loudly at night and garbage disposal is an
increasing problem.

But most Bhutanese, such as this elderly monk chanting Tibetan prayers
on the sidewalk, remain unfazed by the modest number of outsiders and
the potential benefits or problems they bring.

As Bhutanese are apt to exclaim, drawing on centuries of Buddhist
wisdom, the only thing that is constant is change. They believe that
their values and the wisdom of their enlightened leaders in a country
now shifting from absolute monarchy to parliamentary democracy will
prevail and allow their way of life to be preserved.

 

 

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'Shrek The Third' Tops US Box Office Sales

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=178F00D:0CD412E1D281094AC56079D748FF7A529574F7DCC14957C0
Feature made best ever debut for animated film, grossing $122 million
in its first weekend, according to studio estimates

Princess Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz) with Shrek (voiced by Mike
Myers)A green ogre reigns atop the latest U.S. box office list. Shrek
The Third  took in $122 million in its first weekend - the best-ever
debut for an animated film, according to studio estimates. The
DreamWorks production bested the $108 million opening of its
predecessor, 2004's Shrek 2.

It was also the third-largest debut in movie history, trailing the
$151.1 million tally for this month's Spider-Man 3, and the $135.6
million take for last summer's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's
Chest.

Shrek The Third also took in $13.3 million in four overseas markets:
Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and the Philippines.

The film's international rollout continues between mid-June and early
July.

Slipping to second on the U.S. box office list was Spider-Man 3,
taking in $28.5 million. Its worldwide total now stands at $747
million.

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