World briefs 4/3/07

White House singling out her Syria trip, Pelosi says

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday shrugged off White House criticism of her impending visit to Damascus, saying she had "great hope" for reviving U.S. relations with Syria and changing its behavior. Speaking hours after arriving in Lebanon, Pelosi indicated the Bush administration was singling out her trip to Syria while ignoring recent visits by GOP members of Congress, referring to the Sunday meeting of Reps. Frank Wolf, Joe Pitts and Robert Aderholt with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus. In Washington, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino stressed Monday that the Bush administration objected to all visits to Syria.

About 150 people killed by avalanches in Asia

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Avalanches and floods triggered by heavy rains and spring snow melt have killed about 150 people in recent days in the mountains of central Asia, officials said Monday. In Afghanistan, the death toll reached 88 Monday and officials said more than half of the country's provinces had flooded, said the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. Meanwhile, flooding and avalanches have killed more than 50 people in the past 10 days in northwestern Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.

South Korea, U.S. reach free trade agreement

SEOUL, South Korea -- The United States reached its biggest free trade agreement since NAFTA on Monday, clinching a last-minute deal with South Korea that it hopes will bolster bilateral ties and provide added spark to the Doha Round of global trade talks. The deal, which requires approval by lawmakers in both countries, is expected to lead to more than 90 percent of U.S. exports to South Korea being duty free within three years.

-- From wire reports