Business  Sci/Tech  U.S.  World  Entertainment  Sports   Health








Automatically compiled digests of WORLD news stories
(originally aggregated by the Google News)


Friday


  • Sep-03-2009 -- Brandeis study disputes perception that US Jews are disenchanted with Israel
    "West Jerusalem and 12 Jewish neighborhoods that are home to 200,000 residents will be ours.
    Partitioning Jerusalem would lead to continuous bloodshed between segregated enclaves, like in Belfast some years ago. More...

  • Sep-03-2009 -- Ozawa Would Accept Judicial Panel Decision on Indictment, Kyodo Reports
    Economic and fiscal management will form the axis of confrontation in the DPJ presidential election, it emerged during the joint news conference held Wednesday by Prime Minister Naoto Kan and former Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa.
    Ozawa attacked Kan for relying on bureaucrats in running the government, citing the compilation of the fiscal 2011 budget as an example. More...

  • Sep-03-2009 -- Militant al-Shabab Fighters Bear Down on Somali Capital Mogadishu
    The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the attack on the Presidential Palace in Mogadishu on 30 August, which resulted in the death of four African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers.
    Al-Shabaab strongly opposes the policies of the government in Somalia, claimed responsibility for an attack in Uganda's capital on July 11 that killed at least 74 people. More...

  • Sep-03-2009 -- When did UN know of Congo gang rapes?
    The mass rape of women and children by rebels from the Mai Mai militia and Rwandan Hutu FDLR has sparked international outrage and forced the UN to take a stand.
    The UN mission in DR Congo, known as Monusco - until recently the worlds largest peacekeeping mission - says it has stepped up patrols in the area "to reassure the local population", reports the AFP news agency. More...

  • Sep-03-2009 -- Fuel tanker runs aground in Arctic; no leak
    The Canadian Coast Guard has said that a fuel tanker has run aground in Canada's far north, carrying nine million litres of diesel fuel that risk spilling into the Arctic waters.
    Sea ice has been receding for the last few decades and 2007, 2008 and 2009 where the record years for the smallest polar ice cap making the channels wider and the number of icebergs fewer. More...

  • Sep-03-2009 -- Indonesian volcano erupts again
    JAKARTA, Indonesia (MCT) - A volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra erupted Sunday for the first time in 400 years, shooting black smoke and ash up into the air and prompting the evacuation of thousands of residents.
    A pair of blasts in the 1800's were particularly devastating. More...

Thursday


  • Sep-02-2009 -- Pakistani Taliban designated a terrorist group by US
    The United States has offered rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the location of top two leaders of Pakistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali Ur Rehman.
    For that reason, we urge anyone with information on the whereabouts of Mr. Mehsud or Mr. Rehman to contact the Rewards for Justice Program, a U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate or a U.S. military commander immediately. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- Medvedev visits Azerbaijan for cooperation, Karabakh talks
    RFE/RL -- Reacting to the signing of a new Russian-Armenian defense agreement, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev'''s chief foreign policy aide has claimed that both Russia and the West support Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
    The Armenian Foreign Ministry warned last week that the pro-Azerbaijani measure would cause "serious damage" to international efforts to end the Karabakh dispute. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- Afghanistan Official Tries to Ease Depositors' Worries About Troubled Bank
    WASHINGTON — Authorities in Afghanistan have taken over the nation's top bank, which is partly owned by President Hamid Karzai's brother and has been beset by graft claims, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
    Kabul Bank's two most senior executives, chairman Sherkhan Farnood and chief executive Khalilullah Fruzi, resigned on Monday, with Masoud Ghazi, a former senior Central Bank official, taking over the latter role. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- In pictures
    It was Janmashtami and the temple was abuzz with eager devotees involving themselves in various forms of worship associated with Lord Krishna.
    Country is geared up to celebrate the Krishna Janmashtami festival celebration September 2, 2010. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- Migrants kidnapped in north Mexico
    The eyewitness, who is being kept in a secure location and whose identity is not being released, "has already had contact with his country's authorities," the Attorney General's Office and the Foreign Relations Secretariat said in a statement.
    When the families refuse to pay, the migrants are killed, according to survivors. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- Japanese Yields Climb
    WASHINGTON (Kyodo) --,U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg held talks Wednesday with China's top envoy on the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs as Beijing seeks an early resumption of the long-stalled denuclearization framework, the State Department said.
    When the North Korean repatriation program began in 1959, about 600,000 people from the Korean Peninsula were living in Japan. More...

Thursday


  • Sep-02-2009 -- South Africa: Strike Set to Drag on as Labour Federation Digs in its Heels
    HOPES THAT South Africa's crippling public sector strike over low wages could soon be over were raised yesterday after the government revealed it tabled a new improved offer on Monday night for union officials to consider.
    A number of other unions are downing tools in solidarity with the about 1,3-million workers employed by government. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- Civilians die in Pakistani air raid targeting militants
    A Muhammad Peshawar, Aug 31 (PTI) Pakistani security forces today claimed to have killed 45 pro-Taliban militants, including potential suicide bombers, in airstrikes during a massive operation in the volatile northwestern Khyber tribal region.The airstrikes were carried out in Nari Baba, Nakai, Takhta Kai and Qilla areas of Tirah valley, sources said.Official sources said among the militants were those who were preparing to carry out suicide attacks before the Eid-ul-Fitr festival next month.The sources said the militants were planning to carry out massive suicide attacks in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.The operation was launched against members of the banned Lashkar-e-Islam and local Taliban in parts of the remote Tirah valley located close to the Afghan border.Troops claimed to have destroyed scores of training centres and hideouts, several illegal FM radio stations and eight vehicles prepared for suicide attacks.
    "Many civilians, including women and children, have been killed in air strikes," the official told AFP, asking not to be named. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- Burger King going private? Whopper is safe, but...
    In statements ahead of the new school year, Sa'''ar has promised to double the number of students who visit Jerusalem ''' including the City of David ''' within the framework of school-sponsored field trips.
    We have to fight our enemies. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- Ex-Islamists walk free from Libyan jail
    Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has urged the European Union to pay Libya "at least 5bn (4.1bn) a year" for Tripoli to stop the waves of clandestine African migrants who sail from the country's Mediterranean shores in smugglers' boats toward Western Europe.
    Why does Italy 'owe' Libya anything? There were many other countries that were colonized through millenia & that's a fact of past history. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- Near Kandahar, the Prize Is an Empty Town
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Amid an alarming increase in the number of Afghan civilians caught in the crossfire of a long-running war, international forces have been trying to secure next month's parliamentary elections by carrying out very specific, targeted operations against Taliban commanders.
    The attacks on civilians come amid a particularly bloody stretch for the international coalition in Afghanistan, with 19 U.S. service members killed in only four days — most in the south. More...

  • Sep-02-2009 -- Rioters taken to WA detention centre
    The United States has offered rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the location of top two leaders of Pakistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali Ur Rehman.
    Known as Hakeemullah Mehsud, he was born in the Kotkai region of South Waziristan and is believed to be in his early 30s.Wali Ur Rehman is reportedly Mehsud's one-time rival and current second-in-command. More...

Wednesday (Update 1)


  • Sep-01-2009 -- Italy, Libya Celebrate Second Anniversary of 'Friendship Treaty'
    Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has urged the European Union to pay Libya "at least 5bn (4.1bn) a year" for Tripoli to stop the waves of clandestine African migrants who sail from the country's Mediterranean shores in smugglers' boats toward Western Europe.
    Italians have reacted with indignation after Muammar Gaddafi lectured 200 young actresses and models on the superiority of Islam, a day after saying that Europeans should all become Muslim. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- Several killed in Karabakh clash
    RFE/RL -- Reacting to the signing of a new Russian-Armenian defense agreement, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev'''s chief foreign policy aide has claimed that both Russia and the West support Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
    Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov on Saturday said that Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are at a strategic level and that ties between the two neighboring countries are increasingly growing. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- Moscow Detains Demonstrators
    Opposition activists in Kyiv will surround the Russian embassy on Aug. 31 to protest against restrictions on freedom of assembly in Russia and Ukraine.
    Moscow police told the Interfax news agency that more than 60 people were detained. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- Pakistan military abandons US trips after being 'mistaken for terrorists'
    WASHINGTON ' A delegation of Pakistani military officers, travelling to the United States Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, decided not to take the flight at Dulles International Airport outside Washington in protest against 'inappropriate behaviour' of security men and airline staff.
    Pakistans military has said it cancelled talks with American defence chiefs after a delegation sent to the U.S. met "unwarranted" airport checks. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- Castro admits to marginalising gays
    HAVANA — Fidel Castro has given new details of just how sick he was when he was forced to give up power four years ago, saying in a rare interview that he was weak, dangerously thin and thought at times he could not go on.
    Lira Saade notes that homosexuality has not been a crime in Cuba since the 1990s, although some police harassment persists. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- US battles Iran on the court, BYU changes conferences
    Mexican drug lord Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez was arrested this past week in a police raid near Mexico City with six other men on charges related to violence and drug trafficking.
    Valdez is alleged to have built a network linking the U.S., Mexico and Colombia. More...

Wednesday


  • Sep-01-2009 -- Ex-Islamists walk free from Libyan jail
    Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has urged the European Union to pay Libya "at least 5bn (4.1bn) a year" for Tripoli to stop the waves of clandestine African migrants who sail from the country's Mediterranean shores in smugglers' boats toward Western Europe.
    Colonel Gadhafi and his entourage are also scheduled to meet with Italian business leaders in Rome. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- Fidel Castro takes blame for persecution of Cuban gays
    HAVANA — Fidel Castro has given new details of just how sick he was when he was forced to give up power four years ago, saying in a rare interview that he was weak, dangerously thin and thought at times he could not go on.
    Why do other South American leaders look up to the likes of Castro and Chavez? Venezuela should be the richest country in the region but is going downhill day after day. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- Japanese Bonds Decline Before 10-Year Debt Sale, Ozawa's Challenge of Kan
    TOKYO Aug 31 (Reuters) - Japanese powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa will meet Prime Minister Naoto Kan at 5 p.m (0800 GMT) on Tuesday, Jiji news agency reported, as the ruling party seeks to avert a clash in a leadership race that threatens a policy vacuum as Japan struggles with a strong yen.
    Mr. Kan agreed to the concept of '''party unity,''' characterized by the leadership of the '''troika''''''themselves plus Mr. Hatoyama. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- British FM Hague pressures Serbia over Kosovo
    On Aug. 30, the German government rated as positive Serbia's readiness for talks on Kosovo with the European Union.
    The EU has expressed readiness for cooperation to some extent and the first reactions of official Belgrade suggest the readiness of the Serbian diplomacy to, by September 9, the day of a UN SC debate on the Serbian resolution, consider a type of compromise with the EU, putting it clear, though, that the compromise cannot include the issue of the status of Kosovo. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- UN: Perpetrators of DRC Gang Rapes Must Be Brought to Justice
    The United Nations said on August 23 that at least 179 women in Nord Kivu province, in eastern DR Congo, were the victims of mass rape between July 30 and August 3.
    Wallstrom reminded the FDLR and Mai-Mai that former Congolese vice-president and militia leader Jean-Pierre Bemba is now on trial at the court in The Hague, Netherlands, for "command responsibility" for similar alleged acts of rape and pillage as a militia leader in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003. More...

  • Sep-01-2009 -- Asylum seeker unrest in Australia
    Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, France's first lady has been bombarded by Iran's state-controlled media Kayhan Daily with insulting words after she sympathize with Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman who was just sentenced to be stoned to death after committing adultery.
    Ashtiani, 43, was sentenced to death by stoning for conducting so-called "illicit relationships" after the death of husband. More...

Tuesday


  • Aug-31-2009 -- Armed militias: a quandary for Lebanon, US
    UNITED NATIONS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A U.N. investigation into a deadly skirmish on the Israeli-Lebanese border has determined that Lebanon's army caused the clash in violation of a 2006 peace deal, an Israeli diplomat said on Monday.
    BEIRUT - Future bloc member, MP Riad Rahhal, highlighted on Tuesday the urgent need for having the Lebanese State interfere in the matter of private property and religious sites' protection. More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- New photos show Fidel Castro with US journalist
    HAVANA (Reuters) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro told an interviewer there were times during his long illness when he was at death's door but now he is mostly recovered and trying to avert nuclear war.
    In an interview to Mexican newspaper " La Jornada", Cuban leader Fidel Castro discussed the world's politics and told about how he fought with a severe illness for four years. More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- South African Strikers to Consider New Government Offer
    JOHANNESBURG -- The divisions that have time and again beset South Africa's tripartite alliance -- consisting of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) -- have returned to haunt the union and further threaten its existence.
    Vavi is the one man who has the power to really bring South Africa to a halt. More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- Russia: Putin Defends Crackdowns
    Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, second from left, flanked by Deputy Premier Sergei Ivanov, left, and head of the state-owned construction agency Nikolai Abroskin, second from right, visit the site where a new launch facility, the Cosmodrome Vostochny, will be constructed outside Uglegorsk, some 3,600 miles (5800 kilometers) east of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.
    Today our main deliveries are to European partners, who get around 120-130 million tonnes of our oil," Mr. Putin said in televised remarks, adding that the ESPO pipeline created "noticeable competition to the European route." More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- Teenage girl throws puppies into a river in online video
    In what has to be one of the most disturbing videos to hit the internet in some time, a video was posted on LiveLeak last evening.
    Calls to identify the teenage girl were led by - an internet forum which claims to have been the first to identify Miss Bale. More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- Boy, 11, shot dead in Kashmir
    Zafar Akbar Butt in a statement issued from Kot Bhalwal jail, Jammu, said that Indian police and troops had martyred more than 60 innocent Kashmiris and injured thousands since June 11 through indiscriminate firing and teargas shelling on peaceful protesters in the occupied valley.
    Police imposed a curfew in Srinagar Tuesday morning but residents defied restrictions and held noisy demonstrations. More...

Tuesday


  • Aug-31-2009 -- Ten die and 27 injured in clashes in Mogadishu
    MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Four Ugandan peacekeepers were killed in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Monday when al Shabaab Islamist rebels fired mortars at the presidential palace, an African Union spokesman said.
    The rebel militias control most of southern Somalia and Mogadishu where government soldiers run a few block in the capital. More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- UN says Lebanon caused deadly border clash - Israel
    An early 2007 American University of Beirut study documented 6,672 Israeli terrorist acts against Lebanon and Palestine alone from 1967 - 2007 (plus thousands more since then), unrewarded by inclusion on America's FTO list, Israeli influence getting others on it, including Hezbollah and Hamas, Palestine's legitimate government.
    You can expose israeli racism all you like but you can't ignore hezbollah racism either. More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- Raising awareness of Pakistan's flood victims
    A Pakistani regional officer said here Monday that children are the most vulnerable among flood victims who are in urgent need of tents and food now.
    As you have pointed out, the floods immediately spawned new fears of terrorist expansion in Pakistan. More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- Nine dead in Russian nursing home blaze
    MOSCOW — Nine elderly people died and one was injured Monday when flames swept through a retirement home in the Tver region northwest of Moscow, a local official of the emergencies ministry said, quoted by Russian news agencies.
    Tver regional officials say the homes fire safety regulations had been properly observed and the fire alarm had sounded. More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- South Africa: President Orders Parties to Settle Public Worker Strike
    THE SOUTH African president has ordered ministers to return to the negotiation table with striking unions to find a way to end the public sector's ongoing industrial action, which will enter its third week tomorrow.
    Adding to the pressure is the threat by the powerful 320,000-member National Union of Mineworkers to hold a one-day strike in the mining, construction and energy industries on Thursday in sympathy with the public service. More...

  • Aug-31-2009 -- Gadhafi Upsets Some Italians by Urging Conversion to Islam
    Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has arrived in Italy for a two-day visit that has aroused a controversy over Tripoli's growing influence on the Italian economy.
    Colonel Gadhafi and his entourage are also scheduled to meet with Italian business leaders in Rome. More...

Monday


  • Aug-30-2009 -- Tokyo-Beijing Forum held to boost ties, strengthen feelings
    Bilateral trade has recovered rapidly and has exceeded levels from before the financial crisis," Wang said in opening the annual China-Japan economic dialogue.
    Former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda is scheduled to make a keynote speech. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- French government divided over Gypsy expulsions
    Besson has invited Ministers from Germany, Spain, Greece, Italy, and the UK from Europe as well as Canada, the U.S. and the Belgian Presidency of the European Council.
    Political parties: Union for a Popular Movement (UMP--a synthesis of center-right Gaullist/nationalist and free-market parties); Socialist Party; New Center (former UDF centrists now affiliated with the UMP); Democratic Movement (former UDF centrists loyal to MoDem President Francois Bayrou); Communist Party; extreme right National Front; Greens; various minor parties. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- Tony Abbott enters into late night talks on forming government
    New independent MP Andrew Wilkie says foreign troops, including Australians, should get out of Afghanistan even though that means more people will die.
    Australia's opposition leader entered late night talks with independent MPs on forming a minority government after seizing a critical advantage in both parliamentary seats and share of the vote. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- Syria leader: "Hizbullah, Syria to cooperate on conflict with Israel."
    The provision of humanitarian, infrastructural, capacity-building and vocational training support through the activities of troop-contributing countries and projects funded from the UNIFIL budget reinforced the strong relations between UNIFIL and the local population.
    Bullet casings are seen on the street a day after clashes erupted between Hezbollah supporters and al-Ahbash forces in Bourj Abu Haidar, downtown Beirut, on August 25, 2010. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- Russia gains ground on wildfires
    MOSCOW — Nine elderly people died and one was injured Monday when flames swept through a retirement home in the Tver region northwest of Moscow, a local official of the emergencies ministry said, quoted by Russian news agencies.
    An 86-year-old man died from burns after apparently dousing himself in petrol and setting light to himself, the Russian prosecutors office said. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- Lawyer asks Thai PM to stop Bout's extradition to US
    Bout, a 43-year-old former Soviet air force officer who is reputed to have been one of the world's most prolific arms dealers, was arrested in March 2008 in Bangkok as part of a sting operation led by U.S. agents.
    Bout was in prison in Bangkok when Thailand was shaken by another incident involving Russian arms traders. More...

Monday


  • Aug-30-2009 -- China to stage 4-day naval drill in September
    BEIJING The Chinese navy will hold a live-ammunition exercise in the Yellow Sea, where Washington and Seoul announced their own plan for a military exercise that has riled Beijing, China's Ministry of Defense said on Sunday.
    The exercises will be held in the fleet's routine training sea area off the southeast coast of Qingdao city, where the Fleet is headquartered, said the ministry in a statement. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- Does the French Government Really Believe its own Economic Forecasts?
    Besson has invited Ministers from Germany, Spain, Greece, Italy, and the UK from Europe as well as Canada, the U.S. and the Belgian Presidency of the European Council.
    The internet forums have also, perhaps unsurprisingly, attracted the attention of more extreme elements of French society, with queues of people denouncing the Roma community for every crime under the Mediterranean sun. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- Iran calls Carla Bruni a 'prostitute'
    Human rights groups in Europe have now called on the European Union to threaten new sanctions.
    Bernard Kouchner, France's foreign minister, wrote to the EU's foreign policy chief, Lady Ashton, calling for a joint warning to Iran by all 27 member states not to carry out the sentence. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- Korean Peninsula Marks 100th Anniversary of Annexation by Japan
    By comparison, transaction prices of heavy plates for construction of oil tanks or offshore platforms are stable at a high level of USD 1,000 per tonne FOB or beyond in the absence of China's export offensive.
    The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) accused Japan's ruling class of continuing to harbour sinister designs for the peninsula. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- Germany's Merkel Says E.ON, RWE Face Triple Charges for Nuclear Extension
    German utilities E.ON AG and RWE AG, two of the worst performing members of the benchmark DAX index, face a triple whammy of costs tied to a reprieve for nuclear power of as little as 10 years, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
    Until recently, it had been thought that any legal change would need to be approved by the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house of parliament, which represents the country's 16 states. More...

  • Aug-30-2009 -- Daredevil completes high-wire stunt
    Now, imagine doing it 260 feet in the air on a trapeze wire with no safety net below.
    Nik'''s performance was a welcomed delight to the thousands of Atlantis, Paradise Island guests who got a first hand view of history in the making. More...

Sunday


  • Aug-29-2009 -- 10 Venezuelan Soldiers Killed In Helicopter Crash
    Luis Motta said in a telephone interview on VTV state television that the accident occurred when the National Guard helicopter 'was undertaking a search for a gang of drug traffickers' in Apure state, the military chief said.
    The cause of the accident, which occurred in the state of Apure, near the border with Colombia, was still unknown. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- Thai PM may say decisive word in Bout's case - paper
    Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that his government was not interfering in the extradition process of suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the United States.
    In a recent move, the Thai prime minister announced that Thailand is only a third party in the case of alleged arms baron Victor Bout. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- Rwanda threatens UN over DR Congo 'genocide' report
    United Nations, Aug 28 (PTI) Rwandan troops committed widespread atrocities against the Hutus tribe in Democratic Republic of Congo, in what could be viewed as genocide, a leaked draft of a UN report suggests, prompting the government of Rwanda to label it "dangerous and irresponsible".
    The UN report will prove deeply embarrassing reading for Mr Kagame and his Western allies as it alleges that far from merely finding and killing genocidaires, Mr Kagame'''s army and allied militias knowingly committed wholesale killings of Hutus, often '''mostly children, women, old and ill people'''. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- Korean Peninsula Marks 100th Anniversary of Annexation by Japan
    By comparison, transaction prices of heavy plates for construction of oil tanks or offshore platforms are stable at a high level of USD 1,000 per tonne FOB or beyond in the absence of China's export offensive.
    In 60 years, from 1950 to 2010, the people of the Republic of Korea have gone from the extreme depths of devastating war to gradual but steady national recovery, export-oriented industrialization, accession to membership in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, then G20 status as one of the world's major economic powers. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- Chinese navy to hold drills in Yellow Sea
    BEIJING The Chinese navy will hold a live-ammunition exercise in the Yellow Sea, where Washington and Seoul announced their own plan for a military exercise that has riled Beijing, China's Ministry of Defense said on Sunday.
    The exercises will be held in the fleet's routine training sea area off the southeast coast of Qingdao city, where the Fleet is headquartered, said the ministry in a statement. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- Man nabbed with fake $1 million bills in Abu Dhabi
    BANGKOK, Aug 28 -- Emphasising that he did not know details of the discussion between his close aide and imprisoned alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva reiterated Saturday the extradition of the suspect to face charges in the U.S. would depend upon the Thai judicial process.
    Washington filed the second case to extradite Bout, according to Thani Thongpakdi, a deputy spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, possibly as a hedge if the first ruling went against it. More...

Sunday


  • Aug-29-2009 -- Thousands flee Indonesia volcano
    A volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra erupted on Sunday for the first time in 400 years, shooting black smoke and ash up to 1,500 metres into the air and prompting the evacuation of thousands of residents.
    The volcano had been pumping out smoke all day Saturday, but alert levels had not been raised, and local media reported that villagers had been taken by surprise. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- Rwanda threatens UN over DR Congo 'genocide' report
    United Nations, Aug 28 (PTI) Rwandan troops committed widespread atrocities against the Hutus tribe in Democratic Republic of Congo, in what could be viewed as genocide, a leaked draft of a UN report suggests, prompting the government of Rwanda to label it "dangerous and irresponsible".
    DAKAR (Reuters) - Crimes committed by Rwanda's army and Congolese rebels in Congo during the 1990s could be classified as genocide, a leaked draft U.N. report says, a charge that will stir tensions between Kigali and the U.N. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- Serbia ready for Kosovo compromise, up to a point: Tadic
    Germany will support Kosovo in building its state structures, legal system and economy, German Foreign Minister Guido Westervelle has said.
    Serbia says it is open to international dialog on its UN draft resolution against Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- 7 Yemeni soldiers killed in al-Qaida attack in Abyan
    A former bodyguard of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has warned of an escalation in fighting between Al-Qaeda and Yemeni security forces.
    SAN'A, Yemen — A security official says gunmen have attacked a Yemeni army patrol, killing eight soldiers and wounding one more in the country's south. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- Nails removed from 'abused' maid
    One of Ariyawathi's surgeons told the media today that inserting nails into someone is more than just torture; it can also lead to life-threatening complications.
    It is shame on the saudis and the saudi government. More...

  • Aug-29-2009 -- Death of Nicole John, Ambassador's Daughter, an Accident
    One of Ariyawathi's surgeons told the media today that inserting nails into someone is more than just torture; it can also lead to life-threatening complications.
    Just like nearly a million and a half other Sri Lankans, L T Ariyawartha travelled to the Middle East to find work last year. More...





Saturday


  • Aug-28-2009 -- 22-Story Fall in Manhattan Kills Daughter of US Envoy
    The hard-drinking teen daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Thailand fell to her death yesterday from a 25th-floor window after partying with an older man at a trendy Meatpacking District nightclub, cops said.
    "Losing a member of the community is extremely difficult for students, faculty and staff just as we begin a new semester," the school said in a statement. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- Pakistan forces end hostage drama
    There is the U.S. consulate and army offices and buildings in that area," said Karim Khan, a senior police official.
    Pakistan officials, however, believe that militants have shifted from Waziristan and the Orakzai Agency to the Kurram Agency after starting military operations last year. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- Little tiger found trapped in suitcase
    Authorities at Bangkok's international airport found a tiger cub that had been drugged and hidden alongside a stuffed toy tiger in the suitcase of a woman flying from Thailand to Iran, an official and a wildlife protection group said.
    DNA samples from the cub - which has been sent to a wildlife rescue centre in Ratchaburi province - are being tested to discover whether it was born in captivity or seized from the wild. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- UN Congo Report Offers New View on Genocide
    The report, which seeks to shed light on war crimes committed between 1993 and 2003 in the the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), suggests that the Rwandan army (RPA) and Congolese AFDL rebels carried out attacks against Hutus in the DRC which '''could be classified as crimes of genocide.'''
    "I saw a pattern in the Congo that I'd seen in Rwanda," Cote told AFP in an interview, referring to the genocide in which Rwandan Hutu extremists butchered an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- Defence exchanges not suspended, says China
    New Delhi, India (AHN) - A day after a top Indian army general was denied a visa by the Chinese embassy, the External Affairs Ministry hit back, summoning the Chinese envoy Friday and refusing to grant visas to three high-ranking Chinese military officials.
    "While we value our exchanges with China, there must be sensitivity to each others' concerns. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- Nails removed from 'abused' maid
    ''L.T. Ariyawathi was employed in Saudi Arabia for five months during which 24 heated.
    A harsher punishment is hard to imagine. More...

Saturday


  • Aug-28-2009 -- Japanese Officials Reveal Execution Chambers
    The Tokyo Detention Center in the capital's Katsushika Ward, where death sentence hangings are carried out and which had heretofore been visited only by some lawmakers, was shown to the media for the first time on Aug. 27.
    The chamber rooms are exactly like what we see in Nagisa Oshimas 1968 film Death by Hanging. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- Iraq put on high alert ahead of expected bombing campaign
    Violence expected to continue as U.S. troops withdraw and as long as political stalemate remains unresolved.
    At least 64 people were killed and 219 others injured in a dozen attacks and bombings in Iraq, of which four were against police stations in eight different provinces. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- Visa row: India reads out riot act to Chinese envoy
    As per the established norms of the past few years, the Indian defense establishment in June began preparations for a regular high-level exchange visit to China, scheduled for last month, led by the head of Indian Army's northern command, Lt. -Gen. B. S. Jaswal.
    "We do not issue stapled visas to the people of Tibet," said an official, referring to the visit of an army officer from Tibet Autonomous Region to India four months back. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- Nails removed from 'abused' maid
    One of Ariyawathi's surgeons told the media today that inserting nails into someone is more than just torture; it can also lead to life-threatening complications.
    Batagoda said, the Bureau informed the Sri Lankan Emabassy in Riyadh and the Saudi Arabian embassy in the country about the incident. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- German FM disagrees with Serbian draft-resolution for Kosovo in UN
    Germany will support Kosovo in building its state structures, legal system and economy, German Foreign Minister Guido Westervelle has said.
    The other states that have recognized Kosovo's independence are expected to join them, thus diminishing the possibility that Serbia's membership application will be considered at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers in September, the daily reads. More...

  • Aug-28-2009 -- 45 injured in fresh clashes in Kashmir; curfew lifted
    As per the established norms of the past few years, the Indian defense establishment in June began preparations for a regular high-level exchange visit to China, scheduled for last month, led by the head of Indian Army's northern command, Lt. -Gen. B. S. Jaswal.
    India summoned the Chinese ambassador on Friday to protest against Beijing's refusal of a visa to a general in the Indian Army. More...

Friday


  • Aug-27-2009 -- Three suspects arrested in Canadian home-grown terror cell
    Mohammad Alizadeh, a 30-year-old Ottawa resident, Misbahuddin Ahmed, a 26-year-old also from Ottawa, and Khurram Syed Sher, a 28-year-old London, Ontario resident, were charged with facilitating a terrorist activity, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendant Serge Therriault told reporters in Ottawa.
    Three Ontario residents have been charged in what police allege was an internationally-linked terror ring that planned to build homemade bombs on Canadian soil. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- A Walk Through Japan's Execution Chambers
    The Tokyo Detention Center in the capital's Katsushika Ward, where death sentence hangings are carried out and which had heretofore been visited only by some lawmakers, was shown to the media for the first time on Aug. 27.
    Pictures from inside the Detention House shows the carpeted floor of the chamber and the hooks on the wall indicate where the inmate is chained. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- Nails removed from 'abused' maid
    Nailed Sri Lankan maid undergoes surgery to remove nails Fri, Aug 27, 2010, 08:36 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
    Saudi couple nails maid with hammer, about 23 foreign objects have been removed. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- Japanese Bond Slide, Yields Rise Most in 19 Months, on Policy Speculation
    TOKYO, Aug. 23, 2010 (Kyodo News International) -- Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Monday tried to drum up support for his reelection as leader of the Democratic Party of Japan next month, but there is a growing possibility that a rival candidate will be fielded by lawmakers from the ruling party dissatisfied with his leadership.
    "I think Ozawa has a 40 percent chance of winning," said Tomoaki Iwai, a political science professor at Nihon University. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- CIA paying numerous Afghan officials, report says
    Afghan and U.S. officials tell Dexter Filkins and Mark Mazzetti that Mohammed Zia Salehi, the chief of administration for the National Security Council, who is "at the center of a politically sensitive corruption investigation," "appears to have been on the payroll for many years."
    "Our message to Karzai has been consistent:Don't do anything that might give the impression you're soft on corruption." the official said. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- Landslides kill 11 in northeast Turkey
    "In a class, one of the students apparently opened fire on the two Civil Guard policemen and the interpreter, who was also Spanish, and killed all three," Spain's Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said on radio.
    The surge in violence has led to increased military deaths. More...

Friday


  • Aug-27-2009 -- German Foreign Minister Visits Serbia
    'Blic' high source said that the meeting with Serbia President Boris Tadic and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle with no presence of any other individual, was marked by two thesis: promise by Westerwelle that Germany shall not set a condition that Serbia has to recognize Kosovo and a conclusion that 'Serbia and the EU are ready to find a way that a dialog between Belgrade and Pristina for finding solutions is opened through a resolution at the UN'.
    I think Tadic has the potential to do it. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- 'Tortured' maid to have surgery
    Doctors are treating a Sri Lankan maid who had more than 20 nails hammered into her body in a grisly act of torture allegedly perpetrated by her employer in Saudi Arabia, Sri Lankan Embassy sources told Arab News.
    Mrs Ariyawathie is not considered to have any injuries that are immediately life threatening so surgeons will attempt to remove the foreign objects on Friday. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- Iran wants role, after all, as nuclear fuel maker for Bushehr reactor
    "The most important priority, after the Bushehr nuclear power plant, is the exploration and discovery of uranium throughout the country," the official IRNA news agency quoted nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi as saying.
    "The Bushehr nuclear plant meets high level safety standards and there is no concern for the environment. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- Swedes pencil in session for Assange questioning
    The website's founder is to be questioned by the Swedish authorities over allegations of molestation.
    The boring truth is that Assange didn't come up against a CIA conspiracy, but the rather broad Swedish conception of what constitutes a sexual crime. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- CIA making secret payments to members of Karzai administration
    Afghan and American officials have revealed that an aide to Afghan president Hamid Karzai has been on the payroll of the CIA for many years.
    Late last week Karzai directly intervened to win the quick release of senior aide Mohammad Zia Salehi who had been arrested on corruption charges, even after the detention had been personally approved by the country's attorney general. More...

  • Aug-27-2009 -- Tiger cub 'found in stuffed toys'
    UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon says he is outraged over the mass rape of more than 150 Congolese women and babies.
    The outgoing Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, also deplored the attack. More...

Thursday


  • Aug-26-2009 -- Japanese who only likes 'River Kwai Brits' to stand in leadership vote
    TOKYO, Aug. 23, 2010 (Kyodo News International) -- Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Monday tried to drum up support for his reelection as leader of the Democratic Party of Japan next month, but there is a growing possibility that a rival candidate will be fielded by lawmakers from the ruling party dissatisfied with his leadership.
    Tagged with Ichiro Ozawa , japan , Naoto Kan , yen . More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- MI6 worker an 'exceptional' pupil
    LONDON (Aug. 25) -- Police searching for a missing British spy announced today they had launched a murder investigation after a body matching the man's description was found stuffed inside a sports bag in his London apartment.
    A man's body has been discovered by police in a flat in Pimlico belonging to an MI6 employee who had been missing from work for some time. More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- Terrorism suspect faces explosives charge
    More arrests are anticipated," the RCMP said in a release.
    TORONTO — Police arrested two Ottawa residents on terror-related charges Wednesday and expected to arrest more, a Canadian government official said. More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- 'Former UN nuclear chief calls Iran program a threat'
    "The most important priority, after the Bushehr nuclear power plant, is the exploration and discovery of uranium throughout the country," the official IRNA news agency quoted nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi as saying.
    The nation is planning additional atomic energy sites, the Associated Press reported. More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- The Iraq Attacks: U.S. Mission Still Not Accomplished
    WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will meet with troops from a Texas military installation next week and address the nation about ongoing operations in Iraq and Tuesday's deadline to withdraw troops from that war-torn country, a White House official said Wednesday.
    The speech is set for 8:00 pm Eastern time, according to an administration official. More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- China vows to promote trade facilitation under ASEAN Plus Three mechanism
    DANANG, Vietnam (Kyodo) -- Economic ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began their annual meeting on Wednesday, focusing on achieving their goal of creating a single market and production base in the region by 2015 while planning for wider East Asia economic integration.
    Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other senior officials have also visited the region. More...

Thursday


  • Aug-26-2009 -- South Africa wants to join so-called BRIC nations
    South African President Jacob Zuma has once again declared that his country is "open for business in a big way", while further confirming that "China is indeed a key strategic partner for South Africa".
    President Zuma is going to visit Moscow and Beijing in August. More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- ASEAN economic ministers determined to form single market by 2015
    DANANG, Vietnam, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Economic ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convened here Wednesday for their 42nd annual meeting and the 4th ASEAN Economic Community Council's meeting, expressing their will and determination to reach the goal of establishing a single market in the region by 2015.
    AEGC was established by ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting in 2007 to promote competition policies and laws in all ASEAN countries. More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- US still hopes for soonest extradition of alleged Russian arms dealer
    On August 20th, the Thai Appeals Court granted the extradition of Viktor Bout to the United States on charges of illegal weapon supplies to the hotspots of armed conflicts.
    After the court order, extradition must take place within 90 days. More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- Ukraine Puts Off Decision on Quotas for Grain Exports
    Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said on Tuesday he would continue to implement democratic reform.
    Yanukovich has also managed to build a rapport with Washington. More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- Gaza will be the ghost at Mideast talks banquet
    DAMASCUS // The resumption of Middle East peace talks has been dismissed by the Hamas leader, Khalid Meshaal, as nothing more than a public relations exercise, designed to help the U.S. president in the run-up to mid-term elections and polish Israel's tarnished image after its assault on an aid flotilla.
    TORONTO (JTA) -- The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has joined a coalition of Muslim, Arab and human rights groups that plans on taking a boat to Gaza this autumn. More...

  • Aug-26-2009 -- UN Knew of Rebels in Area of Congo Rapes
    The Council of Europe's Commission against Racism and Intolerance said Tuesday the treatment of Roma migrants in France was a "most negative development."
    The commission's Europe 2020 initiative sets specific targets for raising school completion rates and employment levels for all EU citizens. More...

Wednesday


  • Aug-25-2009 -- Thai PM: Extradition of Bout can't be rushed
    On August 20th, the Thai Appeals Court granted the extradition of Viktor Bout to the United States on charges of illegal weapon supplies to the hotspots of armed conflicts.
    Bout's extradition was originally scheduled to take place on August 25, but Thai officials announced that would be delayed because all the necessary legal procedures had not been completed. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- Officer plays down Taliban warning
    ARLINGTON, Va. -- U.S. Marines will be fighting in the southern Afghan provinces of Helmand and Kandahar for years beyond the White House's July 2011 target date to start withdrawing American troops and transitioning power to local forces across the country, according to the Marine Corps commandant.
    "I honestly think it will be a few years before conditions on the ground are such that turnover will be possible for us," said Gen Conway, referring to marines deployed in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- Camerons reveal daughter's name
    Any parent will recognise the joy David Cameron was radiating as he described watching the birth of his fourth child.
    Annabel was closely followed in the betting by Eleanor and Elizabeth at 6/1, with Margaret - presumably a popular name amongst the Tory grassroots - at 12/1. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- Iran Willing to Give Military Aid to Lebanese Army, Defense Minister Says
    Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah proposed the Lebanese government seek military aid from Iran.
    The army said that the Israeli aircraft flew over the Lebanese border city of Naqoura and also entered the airspace of the capital Beirut before leaving at 2:50 p.m. Lebanon has long been complaining about the violation of its airspace by Israeli surveillance planes. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- EU's "Big Five" immigration meeting is not anti-Roma, France says
    Speaking in French on Sunday in an apparent swipe at Sarkozy's policies, which include threatening to strip French nationality from some foreign-born criminals, Benedict urged that people "know how to accept legitimate differences among humans."
    "Today, because of speech on security, a disenchantment has been instilled" among French Catholics, said Christine Boutin, leader of the Christian Democratic Party, whose members have long been allied with the president's Union for a Popular Movement. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- South Africa-China trade ties: President Zuma bids to shore up 'Gateway to ...
    Suspected Somali militant group, Al-Shabaab stormed a hotel close to the presidential palace and killed several lawmakers on the second day of an Islamist offensive.
    If foriegn troops leave our somali country will be stable but Western and other christain groups invaede somalia since sacred government collapsed by Militia clans. More...

Wednesday


  • Aug-25-2009 -- Jimmy Carter to arrive in DPRK later Wednesday
    North Korea state media said in July that Gomes tried to commit suicide and was being treated in hospital.
    Carter building houses is fine with me. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- Cat bin woman Mary Bale: What's all the fuss? It's just a cat
    The video attracted more than 20,000 views.
    The woman was offered police protection because the Coventry residents are extremely angry. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- Camerons' baby heralds move to No 11 Downing Street ''' when it's ready
    LONDON - PRIME Minister David Cameron's wife Samantha gave birth to a baby girl on Tuesday, a spokesman said, making the child only the second born to a serving British premier in more than 160 years.
    The Camerons' two other children are Nancy, 6, and Arthur Elwen, 4. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- Lebanese army deploys in Beirut after clashes
    Two Lebanese men, including a senior member of Hizbollah, were killed in Beirut on Tuesday in clashes between supporters of the Shi'''ite militant group and a Sunni faction, security sources said.
    Sources in Lebanon said the clashes began after a fight between a supporter of Hizbullah and a supporter from al-Ahbash faction in a mixed neighborhood of Beirut. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- 11 killed in suicide bomb attack on Iraqi police station
    BAGHDAD, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- "I guess we are 70 percent ready to defend our country, it will be better after the U.S. troops leave," said a Iraqi army official, who, as usual, patrols at a checkpoint in central Baghdad in a summer, just days ahead of the full withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq.
    Police say three people were killed and 20 others were hurt. More...

  • Aug-25-2009 -- Iran seeks import cuts in response to sanctions
    The Beijing-Tibet expressway slowed to a crawl on August 14 due to a spike in traffic by cargo-bearing heavy trucks heading to the capital, and compounded by road maintenance work that began five days later, the Global Times said.
    The number of vehicles in the city exceeded four million as of November last year, and getting around can be hell. More...

Tuesday


  • Aug-24-2009 -- New Research Shows That Hitler Had Jewish Roots
    Adolf Hitler is likely to have been descended from both Jews and Africans, according to DNA tests.
    LONDON: Nazi leader Adolf Hitler possibly had Jewish as well as African ancestors - communities whom he had pledged to exterminate, new DNA tests have revealed. More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- Claudy bombing report: Your reaction
    The findings of the investigation into the 1972 Claudy bombings - in which nine people were killed - are likely to be highly critical of both the Catholic Church and the police.
    Chesney, who died in 1980 aged 46, was moved to Ireland in late 1973. More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- Plane with 96 passengers crashes in NE China-Xinhua
    LONDON Aug 24 (Reuters) - A passenger plane with 96 people on board crashed in Yichun City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Tuesday night, Xinhua news agency quoted government and airline company sources as saying.
    The plane was operated by Henan Airlines, a carrier based in the northern province of the same name, and crashed near an airport in the city of Yichun in Heilongjiang province, the brief dispatch said. More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- Pretoria backs China's African presence
    Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System Date: 24 Aug 2010 Title: SA open for business-Zuma tells Chinese Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has declared to Chinese's business executives that South Africa is open for business.
    Zuma's companies now have the rights to Blocks 1 and 2 in the Lake Albert Basin, licences originally awarded by President Joseph Kabila's government to Ireland's Tullow and South Africa's Divine Inspiration Group in 2006. More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- Jimmy Carter Will Visit North Korea to Help Secure Release of American
    SEOUL (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will travel to North Korea very soon on a humanitarian mission to win the release of an American jailed for illegally entering the isolated country, a news report said.
    His mission is to free Aijalon Gomes, who was arrested in January and sentenced in April to eight years of hard labor for entering North Korea illegally and for an unspecified "hostile act." More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- Woman seen on camera dumping cat in trash in UK
    ASTONISHING footage has been revealed showing a woman dumping a cat in a Coventry wheelie bin.
    Considering to press charges, ha ha. More...

Tuesday


  • Aug-24-2009 -- The Netherlands: Storm Topples Anne Frank Tree
    A spokesperson for the Anne Frank House said "there was a fierce gust of wind, we heard a noise and when we went to look it was lying on the ground."
    Otto Frank, Anne's father, the only family member who survived the Holocaust, was surprised to read how important the tree was to his daughter when he first read her diary after the war. More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- Facebook Deletes Purported North Korean Account for Violating Terms of Use
    South Korea has "blocked direct access to the North's Twitter account," but the Facebook profile and page are still visible.
    It'''s obvious why the official government website (USA.gov) has links to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; so does the White House website (WhiteHouse.gov). More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- 'Iran will stand beside any country threatened in region'
    '''We regard the Persian Gulf countries as brothers and friends.
    While the majority of the world does not approve of Iran'''s nuclear ambitions, time will tell whether or not the nuclear power will only be used for peaceful reasons, or if nuclear weapon construction is in the Middle Eastern state'''s future. More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- UN rights body begins questioning Turkish Gaza flotilla witnesses
    Already strained relations between the former allies hit the lowest point over the Gaza flotilla incident, where Israeli naval commandos shot to death eight Turkish and one Turkish-American activists during a raid on an international aid flotilla trying to break the blockade of Gaza on May 31.
    A delegation of experts dispatched by the UN Human Rights Council is now visiting Turkey and Jordan to interview witnesses and government officials about the May 31 flotilla clash. More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- Analysis: Russians hear rocker's quiet protest
    The concert, to protest the destruction of the centuries-old Khimki forest to clear space for a toll highway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, drew over 1,000 people to downtown Moscow's Pushkinskaya Square on Sunday.
    Although the damaged areas account for only a small part of the vast forest surface in Russia, the fires could have devastating consequences for populations of migratory bats. More...

  • Aug-24-2009 -- Official: Seoul not considering food aid to NKorea
    '''We regard the Persian Gulf countries as brothers and friends.
    Iran made news again Saturday morning when it announced it began to fuel nuclear plants for civilian energy. More...

Monday


  • Aug-23-2009 -- 2 French troops killed in Afghanistan
    Interior Minister Roberto Maroni told daily newspaper Corriere della Sera on Saturday (21 August) that French president Nicolas Sarkozy - whose recent actions include closing down Roma camps and deporting around 200 Roma to date - is "right."
    The French interior minister said Monday that he would meet the senior Catholic cardinal in France, after the Vatican criticised France's crackdown on its Roma communities. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- Sri Lanka flies doctors, flood relief to Pakistan
    OTTAWA — The Canadian government, which last week announced 32 million dollars for victims of Pakistan's historic floods, said Sunday it would give more aid by matching the amount donated by its citizens.
    OTTAWA, Aug. 22, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- For the second time this month, the Canadian government has increased its aid commitment to areas of Pakistan that have been devastated by monsoon floods, federal cabinet minister John Baird announced Sunday. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- China moves to reduce number of crimes punishable by death
    BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- A draft amendment to China's Criminal Law has proposed reducing the number of crimes subject to the death penalty to better protect human rights.
    Convicted criminals over the age of 75 would be spared execution under the new rules. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- Gig protesting proposed highway turns into political rally
    "The most important thing is that people really want to defend the forest.
    MOSCOW — Some 2,000 people Sunday crammed into a Moscow square amid a heavy police presence for a banned rock concert to protest plans to build a motorway through a forest outside the Russian capital. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- Wyclef Jean Vows To Fight Exclusion From Haitian Presidential Election
    Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean announced on Sunday that he will appeal a decision by Haiti's electoral council that prevents him from running in the Nov. 28 presidential election.
    Although, it appears Wyclef won't go out without a fight, posting on Twitter yesterday, 'Tomorrow our lawyers are appealing the decision of the CEP. We have met all the requirements set by the laws. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- S.Africa state workers defy court order, arrests made
    Islamabad - A suicide bombing at a mosque killed at least 17 people, including a pro-government religious scholar and former member of the national parliament, on Monday in Pakistan's tribal region near the Afghan border, a government official said.
    In another incident, eight persons were killed and 10 more injured when a bomb ripped through a jirga or tribal council in the restive Kurram tribal region. More...

Monday


  • Aug-23-2009 -- Gunmen Invade a Hotel in Rio de Janeiro
    RIO DE JANEIRO - Gunmen engaged in a shootout with police took 30 people hostage Saturday at a luxury hotel popular with foreign tourists but within hours freed the captives and surrendered to police.
    The beachside neighborhood where the Intercontinental Hotel is located was transformed into a virtual war zone as the 10 suspects battled police in a shootout that killed a bystander as she was getting out of a taxi. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- Proposed Restrictions on the News Media Cause Alarm in South Africa
    The African National Congress is outraged and condemns in the strongest terms the continuing forceful attempts by the striking workers in the public sector to close private schools and force all non-striking workers in hospitals to join the strike.
    Our law enforcement authorities should deal mercilessly with all incidences of hooliganism, criminality and lawlessness emanating from the striking workers. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- Yemen forces kill 7 militants after Qaeda attacks
    Yemeni security forces have killed five al-Qaeda members in the restive coastal province of Abyan after a spate of attacks on security personnel in south Yemen.
    T welve Yemeni soldiers have died in two days of clashes with gunmen suspected of being al Qaeda militants, a local official said, the latest in a string of attacks on security personnel in south Yemen since June. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- China premier: Political reforms needed for growth
    AFTER A week in which he has been described as an actor without any genuine political feeling, China's premier Wen Jiabao has emerged in local media saying that his country must pursue political reform to safeguard its economic health.
    Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has called for adherence to the reform and opening-up policy and rejection of regression and stagnation while making a study tour in Shenzhen, the country's first special economic zone (SEZ), on Friday and Saturday. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- Whale burial was 'bloody emotional'
    A fresh attempt to save the 15 beached sea mammals — which weigh up to 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) each — will be made early Saturday, using machinery including a crane and transporter, said Department of Conservation acting area manager Mike Davies.
    New Zealand has one of the world's highest rates of whale strandings, according to the Department of Conservation. More...

  • Aug-23-2009 -- Iraqi Confirms Prison Escape Of Hassan Killer
    Foreign humanitarian efforts have been slammed as woefully inadequate, with the UK'''s deputy prime minister Nick Clegg calling the international response "lamentable ''' absolutely pitiful". Oxfam has also slammed the sluggish response from international governments to the crisis, reporting that the amount pledged totals to just $3.20 per affected person.
    Pakistan Flood Relief Dubai member Kabul Wazir asked people to donate more. More...

Sunday


  • Aug-22-2009 -- Gunmen seize hostages in Rio de Janeiro hotel
    RIO DE JANEIRO - Gunmen engaged in a shootout with police took 30 people hostage Saturday at a luxury hotel popular with foreign tourists but within hours freed the captives and surrendered to police.
    Police surrounded the hotel, located in the southern part of the city in front of Sao Conrado beach, and police helicopters hovered above searching for missing gang members. More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- Gaza war planner wins top Israeli army post
    Knesset members reacted to Defense Minister Ehud Barak 's recommendation of OC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant as the next IDF chief of staff with a mixture of support for the future army head and criticism for the timing of the decision.
    The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is to meet Sunday morning in emergency session on the police probe into the Galant document affair. More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- Karzai Says Corrupt Private Security Firms Are Undermining Afghanistan War
    When the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan begins its drawdown, ostensibly next year, the legacy of the longest war in America's history will be entrusted to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
    The timing of the decree, just weeks before the Sept. 17 Afghan parliamentary elections, has raised questions over whether Karzai was firing off another populist salvo before what looks like another severely compromised Afghan electoral. More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- Your pictures
    A fresh attempt to save the 15 beached sea mammals — which weigh up to 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) each — will be made early Saturday, using machinery including a crane and transporter, said Department of Conservation acting area manager Mike Davies.
    Carolyn announced that more than 60 whales were found dead on the Beach Kaitaia in New Zealand. More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- Dagestan rewards security officers who killed Moscow metro bomb mastermind
    MOSCOW: The security officers who Saturday killed the mastermind behind the Moscow Metro suicide bombings in March will be rewarded, a top Russian official said on Sunday.
    Vagabov organised the explosions in the Moscow metro with the participation of female terrorist bombers, victims of which were tens of people. More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- Saudi judge considers punishment by paralysis
    Netanyahu said a future Palestinian state would have to be demilitarized, recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and respect Israel's vital security interests.
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a peace agreement may be reached soon if Palestinian negotiators are serious about direct Middle East peace talks, due to be launched on Sept. 2. More...

Sunday


  • Aug-22-2009 -- 14-Year-Old Sets Sail to Circle the Globe
    PORTIMAO, Portugal — A 14-year-old Dutch sailor departed from Portugal Saturday on her quest to become the youngest person to sail around the world solo, according to her manager.
    This time it'''s 14-year-old Laura of the Netherlands, who set sail early this morning from Portugal, according to her manager because she wanted to avoid the media,. More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- China-DPRK border flood still severe as new rainstorms loom
    SEOUL — North Korea has launched military rescue operations to evacuate thousands of people hit by floods that wreaked "severe damage" in the border areas near China, state media said Sunday.
    North Korean official news agency KCNA reported heavy damage in the city of Sinuiju, across the river from Dandong.'''' More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- Emotional whale burial begins in NZ
    A fresh attempt to save the 15 beached sea mammals — which weigh up to 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) each — will be made early Saturday, using machinery including a crane and transporter, said Department of Conservation acting area manager Mike Davies.
    The Department of Conservation attempted to refloat 15 surviving whales at high tide yesterday, but heavy rain made it impossible. More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- North Korea says consensus with China on nuclear talks
    North Korea strenuously denies attacking the ship, citing an American plot, but South Korea insists on an apology for the sinking of the Cheonan before it can even consider a resumption of talks.
    Lee and his parents entered Pyongyang last week with a letter for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, proposing the creation of a "children's peace forest" in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) dividing the peninsula. More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- Somalia rebels looking increasingly like Taliban
    MOGADISHU, Somalia — An explosion overnight at a house used by insurgents in the Somali capital killed at least 10 al-Shabab militants, including seven foreign fighters, the Somali Information Ministry said Saturday.
    MOGADISHU - The officials of the African Union troops AMISOM have Friday called for the Islamist rebels to halt the fighting during the holy Ramadan month, spokesman said in an interview on Friday. More...

  • Aug-22-2009 -- 'Greenslide': minor party makes history
    The other independent, Steve Fielding, was swept from power as expected but will serve in the Senate until next June.
    New Greens lower house MP Adam Bandt says he will not help Opposition Leader Tony Abbot form Government if the Greens hold the balance of power. More...





Saturday


  • Aug-21-2009 -- Who cares about Pakistan?
    UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon says the rains that continue to swamp Pakistan are a "slow-motion tsunami".
    The U.S. and its allies have been annoyed by the slow response from Pakistan's regional allies, with ambassador Richard Holbrooke taking a swipe at China. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- North Korea says consensus with China on nuclear talks
    Pyongyang's official media said on Thursday that the two sides held in-depth discussions on regional and bilateral issues "including the resumption of the six-party talks and the denuclearisation of the whole Korean Peninsula."
    In 2007, 2,962 individuals traveled to North Korea 65 times with''the Korean Sharing Movement to provide humanitarian aid. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- Nigeria: Is Goodluck Jonathan running for president or what?
    ABUJA''' A REPORT published by an international news agency, Reuters, quoting a Presidency source as having declared that President Goodluck Jonathan was considering not contesting the presidential elections due next January may have unsettled the Presidency, yesterday, as the government immediately reacted saying President Jonathan was yet to make a commitment.
    '''I wish you a very happy sixty-nine birthday anniversary. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- Barak seeks foreign help in stopping Gaza flotilla
    BEIRUT: Transport and Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi said Friday that the government would not respond to a call from Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to prevent a Gaza-bound aid ship from sailing.
    BEIRUT Aug 19 (Reuters) - A Gaza-bound ship carrying women activists and aid for the blockaded Palestinian territory will leave Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli for Cyprus on Sunday, an organiser said on Thursday. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- Scores of stranded whales die amid refloating efforts
    A fresh attempt to save the 15 beached sea mammals — which weigh up to 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) each — will be made early Saturday, using machinery including a crane and transporter, said Department of Conservation acting area manager Mike Davies.
    Whales, may be stranded on the beach at night. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- IRGC warns against attacking Iran
    After clearing and securing the area, the security force detained the suspected insurgent.
    NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a separate statement that a civilian woman and two children were "accidentally killed" on Friday in an operation in western Farah province, another insurgency hotspot. More...

Saturday


  • Aug-21-2009 -- Nigeria: Election pressure mounts for quiet leader
    ABUJA''' A REPORT published by an international news agency, Reuters, quoting a Presidency source as having declared that President Goodluck Jonathan was considering not contesting the presidential elections due next January may have unsettled the Presidency, yesterday, as the government immediately reacted saying President Jonathan was yet to make a commitment.
    The debate is even been spear headed more by none PDP members. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- About 60 Whales found dead on New Zealand beach
    The mass stranding of a pod of 73 whales was discovered mid-morning and Carolyn Smith from the Department of Conservation said the whales probably beached overnight, which was why so many died before a rescue operation was launched.
    Hopefully no more will die. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- Iraq: Insurgent Group Says It Bombed Recruiting Station
    The political uncertainty and ongoing violence could deter foreign investment, desperately needed in a country ravaged by decades of war, sanctions and neglect.
    Baghdad - Many Iraqis are growing increasingly anxious about their country's uncertain future, as they watch United States troops withdraw from Iraq amid daily violence, a political deadlock and insufficient basic services. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- Iran test-fires new missile
    TEHRAN — Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi announced on Friday that Iran has test fired a surface-to-surface missile, Qiam, a day before it is due to launch its Russian-built first nuclear power plant.
    Iranian defense minister added that the Qiyam 1 missile system is a land to land, intelligent guided missile. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- CM visits relief camp at Razzakabad
    Appearing alongside Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Kerry was the first top American policymaker to visit since the devastating floods hit the country.
    Zardari pledged to rebuild the areas devastated by floods so that "negative forces" cannot exploit the situation. More...

  • Aug-21-2009 -- Israel to UN: Lebanon Gaza-bound ship is unnecessary provocation
    TEHRAN — Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi announced on Friday that Iran has test fired a surface-to-surface missile, Qiam, a day before it is due to launch its Russian-built first nuclear power plant.
    Iranian defense minister added that the Qiyam 1 missile system is a land to land, intelligent guided missile. More...

Friday


  • Aug-20-2009 -- Two killed in Kashmir Valley, curfew in eight towns
    SRINAGAR, India — Twenty people were hurt Thursday in fresh clashes with police after the death of a nine-year old boy injured during a weekend protest in Indian Kashmir, police said.
    'Ahmad died after being hit by rubber bullets in Bijbehara town in Anantnag district, about 45 kilometres south of Jammu and Kashmir state capital Srinagar, police said. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- Dozens of whales die after 58 are stranded on New Zealand beach
    The mass stranding of a pod of 73 whales was discovered mid-morning and Carolyn Smith from the Department of Conservation said the whales probably beached overnight, which was why so many died before a rescue operation was launched.
    "The focus for everyone right now was to try to refloat the survivors," Smith said. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- Bull jumps from ring into crowded stands during bullfight in northern Spain
    Most of the injuries were cuts and bruises, but one man was gored in the back, another suffered crushed vertebrae and a 10-year-old boy remained in intensive care on Thursday at a hospital in the regional capital of Pamplona, the Spanish newspaper El Pa??s reported .
    The unnamed man had to flee for his life as the beast managed to climb over the perimeter fence and break into the spectators' section of the bull ring in Tafalla. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- Al-Qaida in Iraq claims army recruit bombing
    The political uncertainty and ongoing violence could deter foreign investment, desperately needed in a country ravaged by decades of war, sanctions and neglect.
    Last week, Iraq'''s top military commander, Lt. Gen. Babaker Zerbari, called for U.S. troops to stay in the country until at least 2020. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- Mudslide death toll in northwestern China rises to 1407
    Downpours in Yunnan triggered the landslide that swept through the village of Litoudi at 1 a.m. yesterday, the People'''s Daily newspaper reported today.
    The downpour in nearby Yingxiu town on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning forced more than 1,000 medical workers, journalists, soldiers and local residents to be evacuated from prefab housing and tents to a tunnel in the Dujiangyan-Yingxiu expressway, Ren told China Daily. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- No plans to up ante on Pakistan flood relief, Cannon says
    Appearing alongside Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Kerry was the first top American policymaker to visit since the devastating floods hit the country.
    Of course, it did not help that Mr Zardari decided to embark on a long tour of Britain and France after the floods first struck northern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in late July. More...

Friday


  • Aug-20-2009 -- Iraqis still fear for security after US combat troop pullout
    The political uncertainty and ongoing violence could deter foreign investment, desperately needed in a country ravaged by decades of war, sanctions and neglect.
    A communications ministry official was shot dead in Harithiyah, a western district of the capital, an interior ministry official said. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- Russia's Lavrov awarded Armenian state decoration
    Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accompanied by his wife, Svetlana Medvedeva, arrived in Yerevan on Thursday on a state visit that is expected to cement the Russo-Armenian military alliance with a new defense agreement.
    For more than a decade now, the Conference of the Islamic Countries has condemned Armenia year after year and sided with Azerbaijan on the issue of Nagorno-Karabagh. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- Burqa decision ripples across world
    The full Islamic veil covers the whole body except the eyes and hands.
    The case in which Tasneem is expected to testify involves the director of a company that ran a college for Muslim women in Perth. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- Frustration festers in Gaza over blockade
    Lebanese Samar al-Hajj, one of the organizers of Mariam ship that plans to sail to Gaza Strip, speaks during a press conference outside the seaport of Tripoli after Lebanese official refused her to deliver a press conference on the ship's board, in the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon, on Thursday Aug. 19, 2010.
    The flotilla boat has been trying to get off the ground since June, with organizers planning the event since Turkish terrorists clashed with Israel Navy commandos aboard the Mavi Marmara flotilla vessel at the end of May. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- Need to Guard a Marijuana Crop? Use Bears.
    Ross Hyzer is a regular contributor of humor writing to the Huffington Post and a frequent performer in New York'''s alt comedy scene (details on upcoming shows can be found at rosshyzer.com).
    Officers were initially worried the bears might be dangerous, but quickly realized the animals were actually very docile and content just to sit around as the marijuana was seized, police said in a news release. More...

  • Aug-20-2009 -- Colombia says court ruling won't affect drug fight
    The full Islamic veil covers the whole body except the eyes and hands.
    The case in which Tasneem is expected to testify involves the director of a company that ran a college for Muslim women in Perth. More...

Thursday


  • Aug-19-2009 -- China: Mechanical failures to blame for North Korean plane crash
    The plane crashed on Tuesday in Lagun Village, Fushun County, Liaoning Province, about 124 miles from North Korea's Sinuiju air base.
    South Korean and Chinese news agencies suggested on Wednesday that the plane, which came down in Liaoning province, could have been a fighter jet flown by a pilot attempting to defect. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- UN: Risks Increasing For Humanitarian Aid Workers
    Paying the ultimate price On 19 August 2003, a brutal attack destroyed the UN headquarters in Iraq killing 22 people from the UN and the humanitarian community and injuring hundreds of others.
    According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 102 relief workers were killed in 2009, up from 30 a decade earlier. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- China struggles to cope with deadly summer storms
    Downpours in Yunnan triggered the landslide that swept through the village of Litoudi at 1 a.m. yesterday, the People'''s Daily newspaper reported today.
    Most of the missing people are employees of the Yujin Iron Mine and villagers in the Puladi Township in Gongshan, where the mudslides struck at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- Google Doubling Period for Germans to Seek Street View Opt-Out for Homes
    The move is part of an effort to calm a virulent debate over privacy concerns with the service, which allows users to view online panoramic still photos taken at street level using specially equipped vehicles in cities around the world.
    A judge in Spain has reportedly opened an investigation into whether internet search services provider Google illegally collected data from unsecured wireless networks while gathering photographs for Google's photo-mapping service Street View. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- Russia's chief doctor calls for alcohol advertising ban
    A previous ban had prevented the sale of spirits between 11pm and 8am in Moscow.
    As of September, sales of drinks with an ABV of more than 15% will be illegal between 11pm and 10am in the Russian capital. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- Armenia Says Russia to Extend Military Presence Until 2044
    JOHANNESBURG — South African civil servants announced an indefinite strike Tuesday, saying they will not return to work until the government meets their demands for an 8.6 percent wage increase.
    The unions want an increase of 8.6%, a R1000 housing allowance, and equalisation of medical aid, backdated to April 1. More...

Thursday


  • Aug-19-2009 -- South Africa strike: 1.3 million government workers push for wage hike
    Union members have unanimously rejected the latest government wage offer of a 7 percent increase and a housing allowance of R700 and opted to go for a total shutdown of service delivery today.
    "We have nothing to lose but the chains that bind us," said Norman Mampane, national spokesman for the POPCRU police and prison guards' union, which is one of the groups in the labour coalition representing about 1.3 million state workers. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- German gov't considers 'Street View' concerns
    The Interior Ministry said that draft legislation on the government's role in regulating the Internet would first be presented in the fall, and that, at some point during the current government's term in office, Germany's privacy and data protection laws would also be updated to meet the needs of the information age.
    The Google representative has been summoned to explain what data was collected, how it was obtained and the number of people affected. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- School collapse in India kills 17
    As many as 18 children were killed and eight others suffered injuries when the roof of a primary school building collapsed after heavy rains in Sumgad village of the Kapkot area of Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand today.
    "So far we have brought out the bodies of 17 children and a search is on for more, as there is speculation that there might have been more people, teachers and others in the school," Piyush Rautela, the head of Uttarakhand's disaster management agency, said. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- The Chinese Military Challenge
    The Pentagon on Monday said China's military buildup was "a major factor in changing East Asian military balances and could provide China with a force capable of conducting a range of military operations in Asia well beyond Taiwan".
    "The Pentagon is fully aware that there's a huge gap between the two countries' military power. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- U.S., Philippine Militaries Discussed China's `Assertiveness' at Meeting
    Clinton's tour produced the clearest signals yet that America is unwilling to accept China's push for regional hegemony.
    "Main battleships, submarines and combat aircraft from the PLAN's three fleets took part in the drill, believed to be the largest naval maneuver since 1950 when the PLAN was formally formed. More...

  • Aug-19-2009 -- NZ to investigate ship sinking
    A search is currently underway, involving seven ships and an RNZAF Orion, for three missing crew members, including the vessels Captain.
    The Maritime Union of New Zealand said the 38-year-old Oyang 70 was one of the oldest fishing vessels in New Zealand waters, but was understood to have undergone a full Maritime New Zealand safety inspection last month. More...

Wednesday


  • Aug-18-2009 -- China firmly opposes US military report on China
    China's military totals 1.25 million people, with an additional 500,000 in reserves, the Pentagon said.
    "The Pentagon is fully aware that there's a huge gap between the two countries' military power. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- Bus Crash In Philippines Kills 41; 9 Survive
    Forty-one people died while eight others are now in critical condition in a Baguio hospital after a packed La Union-bound passenger bus lost its brakes and fell into a 70-meter deep rocky ravine while negotiating the downhill zigzag Naguilian Road in Sitio Ambacwag, Barangay Banangan, Sablan, Benguet, on Wedne day morning.
    "The area where the bus fell is a sharp curve and the ravine was so deep," said Senior Superintendent Wilben Mayor, Benguet Police Provincial Office, who went to the area to supervise and assist in the rescue and retrieval operations. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- Haitian Electoral Commission Postpones Decision on Candidates
    He's in not even officially a candidate yet, yet Wyclef Jean's campaign to become president of Haiti is already proving to be a struggle.
    In the streets of Port-au-Prince, the singer's supporters have covered walls with slogans appealing to the country's youth to support Jean's candidacy. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- DNA results settle Bobby Fischer paternity case
    LONDON DNA tests have shown that chess genius Bobby Fischer was not the father of a 9-year-old girl from the Philippines, bringing a paternity claim against his estate to a close, lawyers said Tuesday.
    Fischer was born in Chicago and raised in Brooklyn, New York. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- German gov't considers 'Street View' concerns
    The judge is acting on a complaint filed in June by a private Internet watchdog and technology consultancy called APEDANICA. In an order released Monday, the judge said she is probing whether Google committed a "computer crime," according to APEDANICA attorney Valentin Playa.
    Reuters also reported that the UK, Korea, Canada, the U.S. and Germany are all either investigating privacy complaints, or monitoring the service. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- Lebanese colonel charged as Israeli spy
    He's in not even officially a candidate yet, yet Wyclef Jean's campaign to become president of Haiti is already proving to be a struggle.
    In the streets of Port-au-Prince, the singer's supporters have covered walls with slogans appealing to the country's youth to support Jean's candidacy. More...

Wednesday


  • Aug-18-2009 -- Harper vows to toughen laws as Tamils zip through hearings
    Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has called the ship "part of a broader criminal enterprise" that could be linked to the Tamil Tigers, which Ottawa has banned as a terrorist organization.
    " Let's not jump to conclusions without facts. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- Fear son's surfing was too dangerous
    RESCUERS worked desperately to save a surfer whose leg had been mauled by a shark in Western Australia's south-west yesterday, but their efforts proved futile.
    It's believed witnesses on the shore saw Mr Edwards come off his board and helped him to the beach before calling emergency services. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- Romania expels Russian diplomat
    The expulsion comes a day after the Russian Foreign Ministry branded an equivalent-stature Romanian diplomat "persona non grata" and ordered the Romanian to leave Russia within 48 hours.
    The FSB said Grecu was a professional intelligence officer working for the Romanian External Information Service. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- Lebanon: Hezbollah Dossier to Tribunal
    The evidence that allegedly implicates Israel in Lebanon's former PM Rafik Hariri's assassination is enough to allow the investigation to take a new course, Qaouq said during the Iftar.
    The Syrian-Saudi initiative also seals a striking turn-around from five years ago when Riyadh joined the United States and France in an international outcry over Hariri's killing that forced Assad to withdraw Syrian troops from Lebanon. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- Taiwan-China trade deal passed by Taipei legislators
    Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou called Tuesday for an institutionalized mechanism to boost trade between Taiwan and Japan, basing his optimism on what he called a beneficial triangular scenario after the signing of a landmark trade deal with China.
    The mainland's Association for Relations Across Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) signed the ECFA on June 29 in Chongqing, China' s wartime capital during the Second World War, agreeing to establish a systematic mechanism for enhancing cross-Strait economic cooperation. More...

  • Aug-18-2009 -- Southern African Leaders Urge Zimbabwe Power-Sharing Parties to Resolve ...
    Southern African Development Community heads of state and government meeting in Windhoek, Namibia, called on the three principals in Zimbabwe's national unity government to resolve all the outstanding issues troubling their power-sharing arrangement and fully implement the Global Political Agreement of 2008.
    Chamisa said the MDC expects the SADC to resolve all the three deadlocked issues once and for all. More...

Tuesday


  • Aug-17-2009 -- France to expel hundreds of Roma on Thursday
    Sixteen were briefly arrested and then ordered to leave French territory.
    The French interior minister says Roma from Eastern Europe will be deported on "specially chartered flights". More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- Sri Lanka defends military's rights record
    Almost 500 migrants from Sri Lanka arrived in Canada's Pacific coast province of British Columbia last Friday aboard the Thai-flagged MV Sun Sea.
    "We are not terrorists we would like to ask the Canadian people and the Canadian government to have faith in us to believe that we are innocent civilians who have been affected by the conflict." More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- Abbas: halting settlement "preface" for direct negotiations
    "Consultations are ongoing between Israel and the U.S. to get past disagreement on which side to issue a statement on direct negotiations," the source said.
    Senator Mitchell and the Obama Administration will be there to help, but the agreement must be reached between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- Fireworks Factory Explosion in China Kills Over a Dozen
    A MASSIVE explosion ripped through a fireworks factory in northeast China early yesterday, killing at least 13 people, damaging nearby buildings and causing secondary blasts.
    A total of 153 people were injured by the blast, which could be felt up to 2 miles away and smashed windows in the local government offices and other buildings, Xinhua said. More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- Karzai issues decree disbanding private security firms
    Afghanistan'''s president is issuing an ultimatum to thousands of private security contractors he says are undermining his nation'''s army and police force: Cease operations in four months.
    "The government of Afghanistan has decided that the security companies have to go," Mr Karzai's spokesman Waheed Omar said on Monday night. More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- Hezbollah gives Lebanon data on Hariri murder
    Afghanistan'''s president is issuing an ultimatum to thousands of private security contractors he says are undermining his nation'''s army and police force: Cease operations in four months.
    "The government of Afghanistan has decided that the security companies have to go," Mr Karzai's spokesman Waheed Omar said on Monday night. More...

Tuesday


  • Aug-17-2009 -- Denying the Truth on Turkey
    '''Turkey has to know that there'''s a price to pay, with Iran and with Israel, threatening to break relations and going on and on about the flotilla,''' Rep. Eliot Engel (DNew York), one of Congress'''s most outspoken critics of Turkey, told The Jerusalem Pos t.
    The audio recording, whose authenticity could not be verified, coincides with deteriorating Turkish-Israeli relations after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan condemned an Israeli offensive in Gaza in December 2008, and criticized an Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave. More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- China fireworks factory blast kills 19
    A MASSIVE explosion ripped through a fireworks factory in northeast China early yesterday, killing at least 13 people, damaging nearby buildings and causing secondary blasts.
    Authorities have put up evacuated residents at hotels and schools in the city. More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- Global solar powered car rally begins
    A member of Team TREV stepping out of an electric Australian-made vehicle and preparing to leave the United Nations (UN) offices in Geneva at the start of an 80 day round-the -world trip to raise awareness about emissions-free transport and the Cancun World climate conference in November.
    The vehicles taking part in the Zero Race include a two- seat electric scooter whose maker, Switzerland'''s OC Oerlikon Corp. AG, says will accelerate faster than a Porsche SE 911 sports car. More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- Tony Blair's donation: guilt, piety ''' or both?
    The ex-PM is donating the huge advance and royalties to injured troops.
    People have forgotten that awful Sierra Leone war with child soldiers and amputations and worse, that we are being reminded of with the Dirty Diamonds and the Taylor Tribunal, and Northern Ireland. More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- Activists Urge France to Repay 'Independence Debt' to Haiti
    An EU commission spokesman on Monday defended the blocs Pakistan aid effort, saying the EU is the biggest donor and was first to put up cash.
    France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and Haitian President Rene Preval view earthquake damage in February. More...

  • Aug-17-2009 -- Nigeria's 2011 presidential race tests North-South powersharing agreement
    Palestinian officials told the Post late Sunday night that Abbas had decided to call a meeting of the PLO Executive Committee to discuss whether to enter direct talks with Israel.
    Israelis consider it a southern neighborhood of Jerusalem, while Palestinians consider it occupied West Bank territory. More...

Monday


  • Aug-16-2009 -- Indonesia Boosts 2011 Infrastructure Spending, Yudhoyono Says
    Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Indonesia may increase capital spending by 28 percent next year as the government aims to build more bridges and roads to boost growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.
    Government spending for the fiscal year starting January 1 would reach 1,202 trillion rupiah, an increase of 6.5 per cent, leading to an expected deficit of 1.7 per cent of gross domestic product. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- South Africa's media cry foul
    ProJourn General Secretary Samantha Perry offered (August 12) that the current press complaints system should be reviewed "with a view to strengthening self-regulation" but the Media Appeals Tribunal should be "taken off the table."
    Among the speakers were several prominent journalists. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- Bomb hoax hits Lourdes pilgrims
    According to reports, following a bomb alert, up to 30,000 pilgrims, were withdrawn from the Roman Catholic holy sire in Lourdes, France.
    Some 30,000 people were evacuated from the site just before the midday Mass, and explosives experts are scouring the area. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- US Seeks Boost in Asia Presence
    Just as it appeared that long-standing spats between Beijing and Washington over such issues as trade imbalances, the valuation of China's currency, and sanctions against Iran and North Korea might be fading, a new set of squabbles arises immediately afterwards, with tensions building and mounting in recent weeks over events in the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea, and with the signs that the U.S. is trying to meddle and dominate issues involving China.
    '''In the South China Sea, the U.S. is not allowed do without help,''' said an unidentified expert of international affairs. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- Detention hearings begin for Sri Lankan migrants
    A Canadian Tamil organization say nearly all the 45 children and some women arriving in B.C. on the MV Sun Sea are traumatized after witnessing a man dying on board the ship and being buried at sea.
    Since the MV Sun Sea ''' the boat carrying 490 Tamil refugees ''' docked near Victoria on Friday, news websites and call-in radio shows have been inundated with vitriolic comments, media coverage has been sensational and there'''s even been a protest against letting the boat into Canadian waters. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- Diamond dealer in Zimbabwe threat
    Just as it appeared that long-standing spats between Beijing and Washington over such issues as trade imbalances, the valuation of China's currency, and sanctions against Iran and North Korea might be fading, a new set of squabbles arises immediately afterwards, with tensions building and mounting in recent weeks over events in the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea, and with the signs that the U.S. is trying to meddle and dominate issues involving China.
    In recent years, China has had no better friend than South Korea in the region -- a cultural admirer, with residual memories of the close political and cultural ties that existed in Ming times, and hopeful that Beijing would help stabilise the situation in the peninsula. More...

Monday


  • Aug-16-2009 -- Doctors cast fresh doubt on case for freeing Megrahi
    U.S. SENATORS will this week bypass the UK and Scottish governments to issue a public call for "whistleblowers" to come forward with fresh evidence about the Lockerbie case, a year on from the controversial release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi.
    Jones refused to comment, said The Sunday Times. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- Inside Israel's commando unit which raided Gaza flotilla
    The audio recording, whose authenticity could not be verified, coincides with deteriorating Turkish-Israeli relations after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan condemned an Israeli offensive in Gaza in December 2008, and criticized an Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave.
    The Mavi Marmara was subsequently found to be carrying no aid at all. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- SA opposition parties will merge
    Opposition parties face a tough task trying to unseat the African National Congress , which has ruled South Africa since the end of white minority rule in 1994 and won 65.9 percent of the vote in last year'''s general election.
    JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Julius Malema, the outspoken youth leader of South Africa's ruling ANC, called for a change in leadership at the party's centenary conference in 2012 to ensure speedier economic reforms, local media reported. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- Amira Hass / What the Hamas is really afraid of
    GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Sixteen members of a committee created by the UN Human Rights Council to follow up on a UN report into the Gaza war arrived in the enclave late on Saturday, the Hamas movement said.
    You're starting to see some protests in buffer zones. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- Blood diamonds and Charles Taylor: the inside story
    A human rights group in Sierra Leone has entered the fray in the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in the Hague the Netherlands.
    The supermodel gave evidence in The Hague last week at the the trial of ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor, who has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges, including the trading of so-called "blood diamonds", used to fund the civil war that raged in Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002. More...

  • Aug-16-2009 -- Wikileaks Chief to Write Monthly Column in Top Swedish Online Tabloid
    Leaders from Europe's far-right parties will visit a controversial World War II shrine in Tokyo on Saturday after gathering in the city for a conference held by Japanese nationalists.
    I'm not going to comment any more, because arguing on the internet is stupid. More...

Sunday


  • Aug-15-2009 -- Major 7.2 magnitude quake west of Guam
    WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit the Mariana Islands region, about 390 km west-southwest of the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said on Saturday.
    This event has been reviewed by a seismologist. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- Govt steps in to salvage Commonwealth Games
    New Delhi, Aug 15: On the country's 64th Independence day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greeted the nation in his speech in Red Fort in New Delhi on Aug 15.
    India'''s food inflation slowed to 9.53 percent in July, a 13-month low and down from 21 percent in November, as the country last month got more monsoon rains than forecast, aiding sowing of lentils and rice. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- Tony Abbott outscores Julia Gillard in positive Twitter comment
    Ms Gillard is still preferred prime minister over Tony Abbott in all five mainland states, with the highest support in South Australia, at 54 per cent.
    Mr Abbott will mount a ''western Sydney blitz'' today, touring five marginal seats. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- Suspected Mossad agent lands in Israel after released in Germany
    German prosecutors Friday let out on bail Mossad agent Uri Brodsky, a suspect in the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai eight months ago.
    The suspect, known as Uri Brodsky, was wanted in connection with helping arrange a false passport for a member of the hit squad that assassinated a senior Hamas leader, Mahmoud al Mabhouh. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- Fonseka to appeal court martial verdict in civilian court
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's president approved the dishonorable discharge of his former army chief and political rival Saturday, a day after a military court convicted the general of involvement in politics while in service.
    Sources pointed out that except for former Military Secretary Major General Krishantha Silva, the case against Fonseka had been built on evidence given by three persons, namely Messrs Fernando, Seneviratne and Abeyratne. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- Report: Azerbaijan releases men jailed for Israel embassy bomb plot
    New Delhi, Aug 15: On the country's 64th Independence day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greeted the nation in his speech in Red Fort in New Delhi on Aug 15.
    INDIAS Prime Minister has taken charge of Delhis chaotic Commonwealth Games preparations in an effort to prevent further embarrassment to the country. More...

Sunday


  • Aug-15-2009 -- President's speech on the eve of 64th Independence Day
    The value of freedom from tyranny and its liberating power has to be experienced for it to be cherished.
    On our national festival of India's Independence Prime Minister of India host the our national flag which is also called as Tiranga from the Red Fort Delhi. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- Gunmen Kill 16 in Southwest Pakistan
    In two separate incidents of ethnic killings, gunmen shot dead 16 people of Punjabi-origin in Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan.
    No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- S Lanka ratifies Fonseka conviction
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's president approved the dishonorable discharge of his former army chief and political rival Saturday, a day after a military court convicted the general of involvement in politics while in service.
    Fonseka (59), who became chief of defence and the country'''s first four star general in 2009, resigned in November citing differences with Rajapaksa. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- Naomi Campbell's diamond-crusted blow to bravado at Charles Taylor war-crimes ...
    A human rights group in Sierra Leone has entered the fray in the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in the Hague the Netherlands.
    Liberia cannot pay for the lives of Nigerians lost during that war, I can say so categorically because I am a living witness to the atrocities. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- Iran defends uranium enrichment
    "Russia is providing the fuel, and taking the fuel back out," spokesman Robert Gibbs said, referring to the highly sensitive Bushehr plant in southern Iran which Russian atomic agency Rosatom said would be formally launched on August 21.
    The Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, which is building the facility in Bushehr, announced that engineers will start loading the reactor with fuel on August 21, under strict control. More...

  • Aug-15-2009 -- EU tells Myanmar world is watching its elections
    WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit the Mariana Islands region, about 390 km west-southwest of the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said on Saturday.
    This event has been reviewed by a seismologist. More...





© Copyright 1998-2010, Power Text Solutions, All Rights Reserved.


Java courses