International News Topics Overviews

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

Monday

Mar-15-2009 -- Widespread power blackout hits Chile
SANTIAGO, March 15 (Reuters) - About 80 percent of Chile had power restored just after midnight on Monday, as electricity supplies returned to normal after a blackout hit much of the country, Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter told reporters.
Presidency Minister Cristian Larroulet said power could return in the coming hours. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Pro-Uribe parties dominate Colombia's Senate vote
Uribe's U Party and Conservative Party won most votes in the Senate and House of Representatives, according to partial tallies.
Speakers reflected on the more than 7000 political prisoners, the 4 million internally displaced people and the assassination of more than 2000 trade union leaders in the last 12 years, all carried out by Colombian state security services and paramilitary forces with connections to the government. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Henry Kissinger Hospitalized
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was discharged from a Seoul hospital Sunday after recovering from abrupt stomach pains, a hospital official said, according to Yonhap news agency.
Kissinger, 86, is recovering and is not considered in serious condition, Choi Kingdegar, a spokesman at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Seoul, told the financial Web site Bloomberg. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- United Russia party leading in Russian regional elections
One gets the impression that certain opposition parties have taken the president's call for greater democratization and electoral development as an excuse to break the law," Timchenko said in the statement.
Critics say the March 14 vote was marred in advance by the barring of candidates from the liberal and pro-Western Yabloko party from two regional polls after officials ruled several thousand voter signatures required to get the party on the ballot were invalid. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Talks start in Australia on Pacific trade deal
CANBERRA -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. decision to participate in talks on a Trans- Pacific Partnership, starting in Melbourne on Monday, is an "important signal" of the Obama administration's commitment to the Asia Pacific region, according to Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean.
The TPP will build on the previously negotiated P4 trade agreement between New Zealand, Brunei, Chile, and Singapore with the first round of talks to expand the agreement with the inclusion of the U.S., Australia, Peru and Vietnam. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- US sees improved relations with Pakistan
Obama for sure will be unseated whose graph is already nose diving.
For instance, in late February, The New York Times reported that the C.I.A. and its Pakistani counterpart, the ISI, have been working hand-in-hand, carrying out dozens of raids throughout the past year. According to multiple sources, the C.I.A. was also reportedly involved in the capture of Mullah Baradar. More...

Sunday (Update 1)

Mar-14-2009 -- Russian regional vote is mid-term test for Medvedev
"The heads of state have, by an already established tradition, held a regular exchange of views on the situation in the final stages of preparation of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)," the Kremlin press service said in a statement on Saturday.
Officials in Moscow and Washington said U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had a "good conversation" reviewing negotiations. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- In Mexico, 13 killed in Acapulco area, 11 others elsewhere in Guerrero
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Thirteen people were killed in and around the Mexican beach resort of Acapulco early on Saturday in apparent drug-related violence, with four victims found beheaded, security officials said.
The bodies of eight civilians were discovered in different parts of Acapulco. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- 3 people associated with US consulate killed in Mexico
The official spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
Mexico is battling a drug war that has killed some 18,000 people since 2006. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Sweden, Turkey jointly denounce genocide vote
Going against the government's advice, the Swedish parliament voted by a narrow margin to recognize the "genocide of Armenians" during the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, further infuriating Ankara by mentioning also other Christian communities as victims of "genocide" in Ottoman hands.
The Knights of Vartan is doing, with utmost professionalism, that which the political parties were unable to do. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Pakistan Gets Tough On The Taliban
Obama for sure will be unseated whose graph is already nose diving.
Mr. Obama and his team praised Afghan and international forces' military achievements in Marja, a major city in the Taliban stronghold of Helmand province. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Two Arrested for Allegedly Planning Attack on Mumbai
Incriminating material including maps were seized from the accused.
Additional Director General of Police K P Raghuvanshi, who heads the ATS, told reporters that the case is being investigated in detail. More...

Sunday

Mar-14-2009 -- Karzai accepts foreigners on election panel
Afghan president Hamid Karzai has agreed to let two foreigners sit on a commission monitoring his country's elections.
The U.S. and other countries are concerned that election abuse and government corruption are undermining Karzai's leadership at a time NATO forces are weakening the Taliban. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Whaling opponents urge Australia to take on Japan
Japan's coast guard arrested an anti-whaling activist, Peter Bethune, from New Zealand on Friday for illegally boarding a Japanese whaling ship last month, an official said.
Protestors outside the Japanese Embassy in Canberra, protesting about whaling and the release of NZ activist Peter Bethune. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Sri Lanka Tamil party drops statehood demand
Sri Lanka's main ethnic Tamil party has dropped its demand for an independent state and said it is ready to accept regional self-rule, following the defeat of separatist Tamil Tigers in a 25-year civil war.
'''The UNHCR needs to conduct a thorough assessment and engage in consultations with Tamils across the island before potentially making a decision that could result in the torture or death of tens of thousands of refugees.''' More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Irish police free fourth suspect in cartoonist plot probe
Seven people — three Algerians, a Libyan, a Palestinian and a Croatian and the American woman, who is married to one of the Algerians — were arrested Tuesday in Ireland hours before U.S. authorities unveiled a terror indictment against a 46-year-old Philadelphia woman, Colleen LaRose.
The U.S. Justice Department has declined to say if LaRose was connected to the alleged plot to kill Vilks. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Two new British polls point to indecisive result
The Conservatives would have been returned to power within a year.
In Switzerland the system of individual taxation has an upper limit of 60% and until last year wealthy foreigners could pay a flat rate of tax but the people of Switzerland voted to remove that allowance in 2009 and in future all foreigners will be taxed at the same rate as ordinary citizens of Switzerland. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- White House Weighs Talks With Taliban After Afghan Successes
KABUL, Afghanistan ''' A decade ago, when the Taliban controlled the Afghan government, their militiamen ''' barely motivated, untrained conscripts ''' tried for five years to seize control of the entire country from more moderate forces but didn't succeed, even with the help of Osama bin Laden's Arab and other foreign volunteers.
Mr. Obama and his team praised Afghan and international forces' military achievements in Marja, a major city in the Taliban stronghold of Helmand province. More...

Saturday (Update 1)

Mar-13-2009 -- 11 Siberian tigers die in Chinese zoo 'after surviving on chicken bones'
Yin Hong, deputy director of the state forestry administration, has said the slide in the population of wild tigers is not related to farm breeding.
A total of 13 rare Amur tigers have died of hunger in the past three months in a northeastern Chinese zoo, Xinhua said on Friday. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Bosnian President Says Serbia's Extradition Request Damaging Relationship
"Bosnia-Hercegovina looks more and more like a private state.
Ganic's son Emir and daughter Emina embraced in court as the judge granted bail and ordered the former president to appear in a London magistrates' court on April 13. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- White House Weighs Talks With Taliban After Afghan Successes
At the same time India appears to be wanting to rebuild the alliance with Iran, Russia and the Central Asian Republics that opposed the Taliban in the 1990s and supported the non-Pashtun Northern Alliance.
Afghanistan has a tradition of compulsory military service, a "people's army" of lowly paid but highly motivated soldiers from ever area of the nation.'' More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
If the Canada emerges victorious, President Obama will purchase a case of Molson Canadian for Prime Minister Harper.
Then Canada beat America at hockey, in the Olympics, and so Gibbs had to wear a Canadian hockey uniform. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Sri Lanka Tamil party drops statehood demand
A spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor told AAP the "vast majority" of asylum seekers arriving in Australia in recent months had come from Afghanistan, while there were about 700 Sri Lankan men in detention on Christmas Island.
The United Nations has reported that more than 7,000 civilians were killed in the final fighting against the Tamil Tigers last year as government forces closed in and crushed the rebellion. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie denies giving critical interview
Any article which seeks to convey the disappointment felt by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at the actions of her former husband, South Africa's first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela, must at its outset define her role in the struggle against apartheid and the hurt she must have invariably felt at having stood by him for all of those years only to land up divorced shortly after his release.
Mandela, 91, South Africa's most revered public figure, has largely retired from public life. More...

Saturday

Mar-13-2009 -- Ivory and bluefin tuna top agenda at UN wildlife summit
We want to congratulate all 27 countries in the European Union for their unanimous backing of the proposed international trade ban on the dangerously overfished Atlantic bluefin tuna.
The EU will next week be taking a stance in favour of a conditional listing of bluefin tuna in Annex I of the convention for the protection of endangered species (Cites). More...

Mar-13-2009 -- 11 Siberian tigers die in Chinese zoo 'after surviving on chicken bones'
Yin Hong, deputy director of the state forestry administration, has said the slide in the population of wild tigers is not related to farm breeding.
Wildlife experts esitmate only some 450 Siberian tigers still exist in the wild, reports the Telegraph. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- China urges US to stop interference by using annual human rights report
WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - China and Iran have stepped up their abuses of human rights, targeting both anti-government activists and the free flow of information over the Internet, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday.
"The detention and harassment of human rights activists increased, and public interest lawyers and law firms that took on cases deemed sensitive by the government faced harassment, disbarment and closure," the report said. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Ukraine opposition challenges Yanukovych in court
The new parliamentary coalition nominated Mykola Azarov -- a dour former finance minister who was born in Russia and is seen as a steadfast Yanukovych ally -- as prime minister.
After Yanukovych assumed the presidency, Azarov took over the leadership of the Party of Regions. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Bosnian President Says Serbia's Extradition Request Damaging Relationship
"Bosnia-Hercegovina looks more and more like a private state.
Mrs Jenkins, 36, is from a Bosnian Muslim family and grew up in a small flat in Sarajevo. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie denies giving critical interview
The African National Congress have confirmed that they are still awaiting Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's take on the interview that she conducted with the London Evening Standard earlier this week before responding.
The picture concerned being the one that was used with the article in question. More...

Friday (Update 1)

Mar-12-2009 -- Cuban hunger striker in hospital after passing out
Moratinos began by saying that Spain's Socialist government never viewed easing the EU relationship with Cuba as a 'priority' for Madrid's turn as the bloc's president, but rather it desired to open a debate on the subject.
The stance was similar among all the groups represented in the European Parliament, with the exception of the Unitary Left coalition, for whom Spaniard Willy Meyer spoke. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- How helping hands could hurt Haiti
An estimated 25 million cubic yards of rubble to be cleared, much of it from the narrow, congested streets of Port-au-Prince.
Although MSF would not speak about the kidnappers, Haitian police and foreign security contractors have spoken of the danger posed by thousands of criminals who escaped the main prison in the capital during the earthquake. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Ex-Bosnian leader 'owed apology by British government'
In Bosnia, which is still ethnically partitioned, each of the three major ethnic groups - Serbs, Muslims and Croats - can block any movement on contentious issues.
LONDON -- A court in London has released Ejup Gani', previously arrested in the UK on a Serbian war crimes warrant, on bail today. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Nigeria: Jos - Women Call For Army Chief's Sack
JOS'''THE police said, yesterday, that 49 people are to be charged with murder after communal violence left scores of villagers dead.
The New Year was heralded with the killings of innocent people on January17th. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Eleven rare Siberian tigers die at Chinese zoo
At least 11 Siberian tigers starved to death in a zoo in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province after the zoo owners ran out of money and fed the wild cats just one or two sets of chicken bones a day in the past three months.
After the hungry animals attacked a zoo worker, who was taken to hospital with serious injuries, the local administration allocated additional money to help the starving tigers. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Child abuse scandals faced by Roman Catholic Church
Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, who once said "celibacy is not a dogma," is in charge of the project as head the congregation of the clergy, according to the report.
Celibacy remains important for the clergy, the Vatican has reaffirmed, after Austria's Archbishop Christoph Schoenborn reportedly suggested a link between celibacy and abuse and urged for an "unflinching examination" of the possible reasons for paedophilia. More...

Friday

Mar-12-2009 -- Cuba Hunger Strikes Stir Ire
Moratinos began by saying that Spain's Socialist government never viewed easing the EU relationship with Cuba as a 'priority' for Madrid's turn as the bloc's president, but rather it desired to open a debate on the subject.
Orlando Zapata and Guillermo Fari''as accept money from a United States Empire hoping to colonize Cuba. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- PASSINGS: Sheik Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, Roger Newman, Andree Peel
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama) -- The Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) has conveyed its condolences over the death of Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, Egypt's foremost Muslim cleric, today during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
Tantawi, whose moderate views have always rankled hard-liners, has been blasted by critics several times. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- MPs in the dock: from kings of the castle to a glass cage
Three Labour MPs and Conservative peer expected to deny false accounting charges.
Mr Knowles said that the MPs had been on unconditional bail and it was a matter for the court's discretion. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Anguish for family of Pakistan kidnap boy Sahil Saeed
The father of the five-year-old British boy kidnapped at gunpoint in Pakistan has returned home to the UK against the wishes of Pakistani police.
Mr Saeed has appealed for Gordon Brown to order the British government to help. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Baby elephant shuffles along path to recovery
FROM agony, to hope, to ecstasy: these pictures tell it all for Cobbitty veterinarian Larry Vogelnest, after he helped an Asian elephant give birth to her male calf at Taronga Zoo Wednesday.
Anyone staying in accommodation in Sydney this week may want to head down to the city's zoo to see the latest addition to the elephant enclosure. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Catholic bishops maintain celibacy not linked to pedophilia
VIENNA - The Roman Catholic Church should take a look at priest celibacy when considering the possible causes behind the current sex abuse scandal, Vienna's archbishop said Wednesday.
At the same time, Fr Federico also argued that "all objective and well-informed people know that the question is much broader, and concentrating accusations against the Church alone gives a false perspective". More...

Thursday (Update 1)

Mar-11-2009 -- Six killed in attack on World Vision office in Pakistan
People examine the damaged office of World Vision, an international humanitarian group, after an attack by suspected militants in Ogi, a small town in the Pakistani district of Mansehra, Wednesday,. (AP) Christian aid agency World Vision has suspended its operations in Pakistan after suspected militants Wednesday attacked its office, killing six of its employees and wounding several others.
World Vision's website describes the group as "a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation" founded by a U.S. reverend. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- 'Miracle' baby elephant growing stronger
SYDNEY — A baby elephant believed to have died during a nine-day labour was born alive at an Australian zoo on Wednesday, amazing its keepers and defying expert opinion that such an outcome would take a "miracle".
Porntip continues to be monitored 24 hours a day. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Turks and Armenians The cost of reconstruction
Two years ago, then Sen. Barack Obama urged Congress to pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution and pledged that, if elected president, he would recognize the genocide.
Already anonymous sources at Turkish Foreign Ministry are accusing the Jewish lobby that it '''did not raise a finger''' to defend Turkey. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, Top Cleric, Dies at 81
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama) -- The Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) has conveyed its condolences over the death of Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, Egypt's foremost Muslim cleric, today during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
Although appointed by the Government, Tantawi was regarded as the spiritual leader of about one billion Sunni Muslims worldwide. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Pakistan kidnap boy not released, says Foreign Office
The father of a five-year-old British boy kidnapped in Pakistan has defied police wishes and returned to Britain.
Early Thursday Sky News television, citing several Pakistani officials, said the boy had been found. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Police, military crackdown in Tibet on anniversary
Gyaltsen Norbu, who is also 20, is emerging as Beijing's choice to supplant the Dalai Lama as the public face of Tibetan Buddhism and has taken on an increasingly political role in recent years.
Earlier Wednesday, a group of supporters gathered at Berkeley City Hall for the raising of the Tibetan national flag, which is banned by the Chinese government, according to Tenzin Shakya, spokeswoman for the San Francisco regional chapter of the Tibetan Youth Congress. More...

Thursday

Mar-11-2009 -- Libyan envoy:Swiss row won't hit Italy investments
The statement also reiterated Libya's desire to develop bilateral relations with the United States in all fields.
"I regret that my comments have become an obstacle to further progress in our bilateral relationship." More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Nigeria: Yar'Adua Goes into Extra Time - The Reappearance of the President Has ...
The gang-up by state governors and some sections of the political class against Information and Communications Minister, Prof Dora Akunyili, over President Umaru Yar'''Adua'''s state of health is unconscionable and contrary to the public interest.
We all know that certain locations are off limit. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- "Dead" baby elephant alive in Sydney
SYDNEY — A baby elephant believed to have died during a nine-day labour was born alive at an Australian zoo on Wednesday, amazing its keepers and defying expert opinion that such an outcome would take a "miracle".
The inverted position made the birth impossible, Dr Thomas Hildebrandt, a renowned expert on elephant births from the Berlin Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Health, told reporters in Sydney on Monday. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Chile's new leader Sebastian Pinera to be sworn in
ALBION are supporting the earthquake aid effort in Gonzalo Jara's native Chile.
Some 500 are still reported missing. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- 2 Australians charged in vicious attack on tourist
Police have charged two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, with armed robbery and attempt to cause bodily harm.
Two boys, aged 15 and 16, have been charged with robbery and assault offences. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Law bars Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi from elections
Softly spoken yet indomitable after spending most of the past two decades in detention, Aung San Suu Kyi remains the biggest threat to Myanmar's junta ahead of this year's elections.
For Marco B''nte, an expert from the German Institute of Global and Area studies, says there is some way to go. More...

Wednesday (Update 1)

Mar-10-2009 -- Gordon Brown on plans to bring the UK back to recovery
Gordon Brown will settle today on March 24 as the day for the pre-election Budget as the campaign accelerates towards a May 6 showdown.
The statement will play a major role in Labour's election strategy, but, as The Daily Telegraph reported last week, Mr Brown and his Chancellor are at odds over the key decisions in the Budget. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Thailand's upcoming mass rally sees no winner
BANGKOK: Australians have been warned about travelling to Bangkok this weekend, as fears grow that huge anti-government protests will turn violent.
After 17 paragraphs of government sided reporting, in the very last paragraph the Post produces the following balancing quote, "Puea Thai Party Chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday questioned the use of the internal security law, saying it would be an overreaction". More...

Mar-10-2009 -- HR252: Armenians, Don't Hold Your Breath
Two years ago, then Sen. Barack Obama urged Congress to pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution and pledged that, if elected president, he would recognize the genocide.
Kampeas noted that "in the past, the pro-Israel community has lobbied hard against previous attempts to pass similar resolutions, citing warnings from Turkish officials that it could harm the alliance not only with the United States but with Israel." More...

Mar-10-2009 -- AIPAC calls for swift action to block US companies supporting Iran
The federal government has awarded more than $107 billion in contract payments, grants and loans over the last decade to foreign and multinational U.S. companies while they were doing business in Iran, despite Washington's efforts to discourage investment there, records show.
The Times compiled the figures from an analysis of government and business records. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Rumours fly over Sarkozy and Bruni
T he Elysee Palace refused to comment today on rumours swirling in Paris that the marriage of President Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni is on the rocks, with both of them having affairs.
Several "tweets" suggested that Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy had become closely involved with an award-winning singer, Benjamin Biolay. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Artist fined for insulting Turkish PM Erdogan
Israel on Tuesday rejected a reported announcement by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the Jewish state has agreed to let Turkey continue mediating peace talks with Syria, according to local daily The Jerusalem Post.
The Turkish Court has sentenced a British artist Michael Dickinson to 425 days in prison for a caricature, superimposing the head of Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan on the body of a dog. More...

Wednesday

Mar-10-2009 -- Gates Tours Market in Former Taliban Town
Fresh off a recent success, so far, in Helmand Province, American military planners are thinking ahead to the next phase of challenging the Taliban in southern Afghanistan: Kandahar.
The defense secretary spoke to the U.S. troops Tuesday at an outpost about 50 kilometers north of Kandahar city. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- 'Israel accepts Ankara as mediator'
A Turkish official speaking on condition of anonymity said efforts to resume the Turkish-mediated talks were to gain momentum in the coming days, without elaborating.
Talks between Israel and Syria, technically still at war, resumed in 2008 under Turkish mediation, yet no breakthrough had been achieved before the process broke down once again when the Jewish state launched a destructive military operation against the Gaza Strip at the end of that year. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Dubai issues 16 more int'l warrants for Hamas murder suspects
The sources -- an official familiar with the investigation and a police source -- did not say which nation issued the passport used by the 27th suspect.
If Great Britain could have stopped the London subway attack by misusing passports, would M6 have allowed the terrorism to go forward in the name of preserving passport integrity? Of course not. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Israel, Syria pursue nuclear-powered Mideast
Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau plans to announce Israel's interest in developing nuclear power at an international nuclear energy conference in Paris, the ministry's spokesman Chen Lulu said on Monday.
"We would like to have it in the next decade," Landau told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview on the sidelines of a nuclear conference here, adding: "we have to start now." More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Terrorists plan to set up base in Aceh: Governor
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Anti-terror police hunting a mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings killed three suspects near Jakarta on Tuesday, police said.
The police are also examining a blog called alufuq.wordpress.com which publishes a statement from a group who call themselves Tandzim Al Qoidah Indonesia Serambi Makkah on jihad in Aceh. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Tokyo confirms Cold War-era pacts on nuclear warships with US
Among the secret pacts the panel acknowledged was a tacit agreement that allowed U.S. nuclear-armed warships into Japanese ports in violation of Japanese postwar principles not to make, own or allow the entry of nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama released a statement on Tuesday saying that Tokyo will continue to uphold the country's three non-nuclear policies despite the finding of a secret US-Japan pact on nuclear arms. More...

Tuesday (Update 1)

Mar-09-2009 -- Turkey not ready to return envoy to Washington: PM
LA TIMES: Making Sense of Genocide Turkey needs to come to grips with its bloody past so it can move forward in its relations with Armenia and the U.S. March 8, 2010 An estimated 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were massacred in the final throes of the Ottoman Empire.
Lynn Woosley is precisely right when she says "To deny this resolution would be to deny the lives of those who perished." More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Corpse of dead Cyprus President recovered from bodysnatchers
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus' justice minister has ruled out a political motive for the bodysnatching of the island nation's former president Tassos Papadopoulos, saying that a ransom demand had been made — but a spokesman for the family denies that any family member had received such a demand.
Cypriot police have discovered the body of former president Thassos Papadopoulos, international media reported on March 9 2010. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Beijing Misses Its Chance for Peace in Tibet
Gyaltsen Norbu, who is also 20, is emerging as Beijing's choice to supplant the Dalai Lama as the public face of Tibetan Buddhism and has taken on an increasingly political role in recent years.
KATHMANDU: Nepal police on Sunday arrested Thinley Gyatso, the representative of the Dalai Lama in Nepal, in a bid to prevent anti-China demonstrations in Nepal on March 10, observed by Tibetans worldwide as Tibetan Uprising Day. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Afghan President to visit Pakistan for seeking help to hold talks with Taliban
Over the past year, Pakistan has mounted several major military operations in the tribal areas against militants, with some success, and recently it claimed to have killed top Taliban commanders including Moulvi Faqir Mohammad and Qari Ziaur Rahman.
Brown promised the 200 patrol vehicles today during an unannounced trip to a base in Helmand province. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Iran's Ahmadinejad plans Afghan visit on Wednesday
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks a "big lie" used by the U.S. as an excuse for the war on terror, state media reported.
Iranian media reported last week that a parliamentary committee had questioned the government's calculation of $40 billion savings through subsidy cuts, saying $20 billion was more realistic. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- N.Korea says ready for both dialogue and war with US
The announcement, carried by the official KCNA news agency, came from a spokesman for the North's army mission at the inter-Korean border on the eve of the US-South Korean exercises, titled Key Resolve/Foal Eagle.
The South Koreans are more than capable of defending themselves from the North Koreans. More...

Tuesday

Mar-09-2009 -- Myanmar unveils election law
The secretary-general was asked about official Myanmar news reports that the southeast Asia country had finally adopted a long-awaited election law.
Aung San Suu Kyi was married to a British professor who died from cancer; many believe that the military regime designed the foreign marriage clause specifically to prevent the Nobel Peace prize winner from running for office. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Talk to Hamas now
EU FOREIGN policy chief Catherine Ashton will try to enter the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip when she visits the Middle East next week, escalating pressure on Israel in the run-up to US-brokered "proximity" talks with the Palestinians.
Ireland's foreign minister on Friday called the Israeli blockade of Palestinian-ruled Gaza inhumane and unacceptable and he urged the European Union and other countries to increase pressure on Israel to end it. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Berlin poker raid captured on film
As always, the tension was high, although you could not see it: racing hearts and frazzled nerves were concealed behind mirrored sunglasses, hooded tops and 500 poker faces.
The former computer student is second in chips behind Kevin MacPhee and returns today vying for the '''1 million first prize. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- US lawmakers push for tougher Iran sanctions
The federal government has awarded more than $107 billion in contract payments, grants and loans over the last decade to foreign and multinational U.S. companies while they were doing business in Iran, despite Washington's efforts to discourage investment there, records show.
Dresser-Rand, a Texas-based oil and gas equipment supplier, said in multiple filings with the SEC, including as recently as last month, that "from time to time, certain of our foreign subsidiaries operate in countries that are or have previously been subject to sanctions and embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, including in Iran, Sudan and Syria." More...

Mar-09-2009 -- US lifts web sanctions on Cuba, Iran and Sudan
The United States will permit export Internet services to Cuba, Sudan, and Iran to boost the free flow of information in those countries.
The department's statement made no mention of Syria. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Haitian-born Jean shocked by destruction
MONTREAL — Haitian-born governor general Michaelle Jean will mark International Women's Day on Monday in Haiti, as the impoverished nation struggles to rebuild two months after a crippling earthquake.
In the wake of the 7.0 temblor that leveled much of Port-au-Prince and other communities in Haiti, a massive influx of emergency medical aid arrived to tend to the thousands of people injured. More...

Monday (Update 1)

Mar-08-2009 -- Swiss voters reject lawyers for animals in referendum
According to the country's only animal lawyer, Antoine F Goetschel, public prosecutors are often unsure about animal rights and shy away from pursuing cases even if there is clear evidence of abuse.
You know it makes sense! I feel sorry for the Swiss. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Japan, Denmark agree to cooperate toward COP16, other global issues
Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda met with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Monday and vowed to improve the company's standards and restore the public's faith in the world's largest automaker stricken by recent global recalls.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama sugggested at the weekend that a failure to resolve a dispute over plans to relocate a U.S. military base on Okinawa island could prompt him to resign. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Thailand to Impose Security Law For Rally
BANGKOK — Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra on Saturday used his Twitter page to call on his supporters to join a mass anti-government rally, after a court seized most of his fortune.
Thailand been cursed, every prime minister after thaksin will get blood on their hands. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Gender Equality And Millennium Development Goals
South Asia also had the highest prevalence of malnutrition in the world, with more than 41.1 per cent of children under the age of 5 affected, compared to 27 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and 12.8 per cent in East Asia and the Pacific.
Rini Widiastuti, a UNDP representative in Indonesia, said women'''s representation in the current House had risen from 11.8 percent in the previous elections, held in 2004, to 18 percent in the 2009 elections. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Chinese leaders underlines scientific development, stability
The two countries have tussled recently over trade, Chinese internet controls, U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan, and President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader.
The EU has always been a very important part on the international stage and will play an "increasingly important role," Yang made the remarks on the sidelines of the annual parliament session. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Gurshan's parents thank police, Victorians for response to their tragedy
Mr Dhillon appeared in an out-of-sessions court hearing last night charged with manslaughter by criminal negligence.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian police on Sunday charged a man with manslaughter over the mysterious death of an Indian toddler whose body was found dumped by the side of a road. More...

Monday

Mar-08-2009 -- American troops withdrawing en masse from Haiti
MONTREAL — Haitian-born governor general Michaelle Jean will mark International Women's Day on Monday in Haiti, as the impoverished nation struggles to rebuild two months after a crippling earthquake.
A 10-day visit to earthquake-shattered Haiti will do that to you -- leave you awash in images so grim and intense and otherworldly that it takes weeks to process it all. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- SKorea, US start drills despite NKorea's threat
North Korea blasted South Korea and the United States on Sunday for their regular joint military exercise, saying its denuclearization process and all military dialogue with the South will be suspended as long as the drill lasts, according to Yonhap News.
U.S. military spokesman Kim Yong-kyu says that the exercises began Monday and will continue until next week across South Korea. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Why we still need to mark International Women's Day
Annualy on March 8, thousands of events are held worldwide to mark International Women's Day (IWD).
Women'''s Day was created during the rapid industrialization of the early 20th century, which caused the rise of the labor movement. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- New Kurdish party to challenge polls
With the Iraqi parliamentary elections set for Sunday, various Iraqi political groups are preparing for a reorganization of the national politics due to unprecedented openness and increased expected participation.
Gorran List itself also has never promised to be able to add Kirkuk to Kurdistan; it has just blamed the KDP and the PUK for all the problems the KRG has with Baghdad. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- China says missing Panchen Lama Gendun Choekyi Nyima is living in Tibet
Padma Choling, Tibet's China-appointed governor, speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing, China, Sunday, March 7, 2010.
"The selection of the 11th Panchen Lama was approved by the central government through lot-drawing in 1995 in strict accordance with religious rituals and historical conventions in Tibetan Buddhism," Padma Choling said. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Southern Australia braces for more heavy storms
Andrew Gissing from the SES says more storms are expected to hit Melbourne tonight.
MELBOURNE, Australia — A severe thunderstorm dumped hail and rain on the eastern Australian city of Melbourne on Saturday, delaying sporting events, shutting down transportation and forcing the evacuation of a train station when the storm tore a hole in its roof. More...

Sunday (Update 1)

Mar-07-2009 -- Heavy security is the new normal in China's Tibet
Padma Choling, Tibet's China-appointed governor, speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing, China, Sunday, March 7, 2010.
BEIJING (Reuters) - The new Chinese-appointed governor of Tibet said on Sunday that only socialism can "save" the remote region and guarantee its development, and blamed the Dalai Lama for Tibet's problems. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- BBC aid claim sparks Geldof fury
MILLIONS of dollars raised through Bob Geldofs worldwide Live Aid project were siphoned from the mouths of Africas starving into the arms of guerillas fighting the then Ethiopian government, according to a former senior Ethiopian rebel leader who has admitted taking part in the scam.
John Kennedy, a founding member of the Band Aid Trust, said: '''The trust is writing to the BBC and Ofcom to complain about the broadcast.''' More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Clashes kill more than 100 in central Nigeria
JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) - Clashes between Islamic pastoralists and Christian villagers killed more than 100 people near the central Nigerian city of Jos Sunday, where sectarian violence left hundreds dead in January, witnesses said.
Yemi Kosoko, a reporter with the independent Nigerian news network Channels, told The Associated Press on Sunday that most of the bodies appeared to be women and children killed by blows from machetes. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Iranian president: 9/11 was 'big lie'
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks a "big lie" used by the U.S. as an excuse for the war on terror, state media reported.
We're just missing a few million Jewish people is all. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Zimbabwe 'needs peacekeeping force' for election:
Key blocked steps include a land audit, appointment of MDC governors, an end of arbitrary detentions and arrests, regular functioning of the National Security Council in place of the infamous Joint Operations Command, public consultations on a new constitution and preparation for elections.
On Monday PM Tsvangirai for the first time spoke out against sanctions. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- India needs to change its Pak policies: Qureshi
Addressing a press conference at the local airport, Qureshi said India was facing internal differences over the issue of resumption of dialogue, adding some elements in New Delhi were opposing it with reference to the Mumbai attacks, while the rest of the people in the country were in the favour of dialogue.
Not talking to Islamabad would not isolate it as the rest of the world was talking with it. More...

Sunday

Mar-07-2009 -- Bloc Takes On Entrenched Kurdish Parties in Iraq
With the Iraqi parliamentary elections set for Sunday, various Iraqi political groups are preparing for a reorganization of the national politics due to unprecedented openness and increased expected participation.
Again in the rest of Iraq increased violence is expected after the elections, especially if the establishment of a new government takes a long time. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Sierra Leone Participates in Mass Polio Immunization
GENEVA (Reuters) - Nigeria, seen as the key to wiping out polio in Africa, has made impressive gains against the disease in the year since religious leaders backed vaccination, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.
Health workers take the vaccine to homes as part of the campaign to eradicate polio. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Police: S. Korean baby starved to death, parents playing internet game
SEOUL — A South Korean couple left their baby daughter to starve to death at home while playing an Internet game which simulated child-rearing, police said Friday.
Police said the couple "indulged themselves online" to escape reality. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Indian group offers help after toddler's death
In light of a spate of racist attacks on Indian nationals in Australia, a 3-year-old Indian boy's body was found, believed murdered, in a street hours after he went missing.
The family's friend and housemate, Sim Kuar, 24, said Gurshan's parents had been unhappy in Melbourne and had booked flights home to India. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- EU force tracking hijacked Norwegian tanker
The Marshall Island-flagged chemical tanker, the UBT Ocean, had been travelling from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates to the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.
OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian ship owner says a vessel with 21 crew members has been hijacked by Somali pirates near Madagascar. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Iraqis vote as mortars and bombs rock Baghdad
On Saturday night, U.S. special envoy George Mitchell arrived in Israel for a two-day visit, amid hopes that after 15 months of deadlock, the peace process might finally be inching forward.
A Palestinian Fatah spokesman casts doubt on the benefits of resuming peace talks with Israel after reports that the US-mediated "proximity talks" could start on Sunday. More...

Saturday (Update 1)

Mar-06-2009 -- Distraught parents visit Indian toddler's body
In light of a spate of racist attacks on Indian nationals in Australia, a 3-year-old Indian boy's body was found, believed murdered, in a street hours after he went missing.
The couple were accompanied by the Indian Consul General. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Singapore boosts security over threat to oil tankers
The Singapore Shipping Association said in an advisory to members seen by AFP it had been alerted by the Singapore Navy about "an indication that a terrorist group is planning attacks on oil tankers in the Malacca Strait."
SINGAPORE — Singapore raised its security alert and bolstered its defenses Friday after receiving information of a terrorist plot to attack vessels off the coast of the city-state in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, a Cabinet minister said. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Australian police search anti-whaling ships
MELBOURNE: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has reiterated his Government's stance of prosecuting Japanese whalers in an international court if they continue their annual cull, after Australian Federal Police boarded the anti-whaling ship the Steve Irwin yesterday.
"The spineless (Kevin) Rudd government has laid charges, including throwing of rancid butter, but the Shonan Maru (No.) 2's'sinking' of the whale-protection boat Ady Gil, threatening the lives of six crew members, is not mentioned," Brown said. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Geert Wilders: showing my film was victory for freedom of speech
LONDON — Anti-fascist demonstrators scuffled with police Friday in a protest against Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who brought his film denouncing Islam and the Quran to Britain's august House of Lords.
"People want change," Wilders said. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- West softens stance on Iran nuclear sanctions
The United States circulated elements for a possible new U.N. sanctions resolution to other veto-wielding U.N. Security Council members — Russia, China, Britain and France — and Germany in January.
Beyond some tough-sounding rhetoric about the need for more severe and targeted steps, nothing very serious is actually on the international agenda - certainly not the so-called crippling sanctions. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- NATO Outlines New Afghan Night Raids Policy
NATO's commander in Afghanistan says foreign troops can no longer conduct nighttime military operations unless Afghan security forces are present.
NATO officers, meanwhile, are planning a new US-led military command in southern Afghanistan to prepare for a major offensive against the Taliban bastion of Kandahar, officials said Thursday. More...

Saturday

Mar-06-2009 -- Pakistan: Suicide Bombing Kills 12 Civilians
HANGU: Twelve people, including four women, were killed and 35 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a passengers' convoy being escorted by security forces to violence-hit Kurram Agency from Thall on Friday, official sources and eyewitnesses said.
Pakistan's northwest has been plagued for years by Islamist extremist violence fueled by anger over the war in Afghanistan and Islamabad's alliance with Washington. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- China plans to slow expansion of defense spending in 2010
China yesterday announced a sharp slowdown in the growth of its official defence budget, a move bolstering Beijing's argument that fears about the country being a military threat are overstated.
Luo said that '''this year's 7.5 percent increase signaled that China's defense development has entered a more mature, healthy and stable stage." More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Dutch MP Geert Wilders' anti-Islam film sparks protests
Mr. Wilders is on a roll.
I can never quite understand why the media labels those that speak up for indigenous Europeans (yes we do exist) as far right, it's such total nonsense, speaking up for our rights is democracy and has nothing to do with far right. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Girl starved to death while parents raised virtual child in online game
SEOUL — A South Korean couple left their baby daughter to starve to death at home while playing an Internet game which simulated child-rearing, police said Friday.
There have been sporadic reports of deaths related to Internet game addiction in South Korea. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Zimbabwe: Sanctions an Indictment of Unity Government
Key blocked steps include a land audit, appointment of MDC governors, an end of arbitrary detentions and arrests, regular functioning of the National Security Council in place of the infamous Joint Operations Command, public consultations on a new constitution and preparation for elections.
Of all the clumsy attempts to block change, the promulgation of the regulations surrounding the Indigenisation and Empowerment Act are the most egregious. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Irish FM urges EU to pressure Israel to end Gaza blockade
Ramallah ' Ma'an ' The UN's top humanitarian relief coordinator and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad jointly urged an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza during a meeting on Thursday with high-level UN officials in Ramallah.
Yesterday's announcement comes amid a Hamas campaign to impose Islamic customs on Gaza's 1.5 million people. More...

Friday (Update 1)

Mar-05-2009 -- Irish FM urges EU to pressure Israel to end Gaza blockade
Mubarak also called on Israel to stop settlement activities in the West Bank that has been occupied since 1967 including Jerusalem.
As for the visit of U.S. Middle east peace envoy, George Mitchell, Dahlan stated that the United States is just granting Israel more time and is aiding Netanyahu in pretending that peace talks are ongoing. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- NATO details its Afghan night raids policy
OTTAWA, March 4 (Reuters) - U.S. General David Petraeus said on Thursday he has expanded the authority of his top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, giving him operational control over virtually all American forces in the country.
Tensions have risen over civilian deaths and injuries caused during NATO operations as additional coalition troops have poured into Afghanistan as part of a bid to try and turn the tide against the resurgent Taliban. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Suicide Bomb Kills 12 in Pakistan
A suicide bomber on foot killed at least five people, including three women, in Pakistan's northwest, a senior police officer said Friday.
Hangu district has seen a series of sectarian attacks in the past but the area had been calm in recent months. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- EU observer fears over Togo poll
March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Togo's opposition Union of Forces for Change party said its leader, Jean-Pierre Fabre, won presidential elections held in the West African country yesterday.
If the opposition leader wins the poll, it would mark a breakthrough for democracy in Togo, which could prove difficult to accept for the Togolese armed forces, recruited in President Gnassingb''s northern strongholds. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- China Says Economy Still Needs Support
More than 5,000 political representatives from every corner of China descended on Beijing this week for the start of the country's most important annual political exercise the meetings of its two most powerful political bodies.
Li, who was speaking at a news conference on the eve of the opening of the annual session of China's legislature, said the growth rate is based on the country's actual defense spending in 2009. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Toddler's screams followed by sudden silence
Victorian Premier John Brumby has urged people not to jump to conclusions over the murder of a three-year-old Indian boy.
Melbourne's Indian community has been supporting the boy's family. More...

Friday

Mar-05-2009 -- Togo opposition claims 'irregularities' in poll
If the people want me, I will win," the 43-year-old said.
Several civilian and military observers have been deployed to Togo for the election, in which the international community is keenly interested. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- 50 ships stuck in Baltic thick ice
STOCKHOLM — Nearly 1,100 people were trapped Thursday on two passenger ferries and two cargo ships that got stuck in ice Thursday in the Baltic Sea off Sweden's east coast, and rescuers were on standby to evacuate them if needed, officials said.
Most of the passengers are Swedes who travel to the island of Aland on Finnish territory to buy cheaper alcohol but above all to make duty-free and bargain purchases on the ferries. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- France Seeks to Boost Manufacturing
According to a report by national statistics office Insee, the unemployment rate in all of France, including overseas territories, rose sharply to a level not seen since 1999.
'The unemployment rate has climbed sharply and is now at the level of 1999,' said the Insee state statistical agency. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Tibetans fear China's hand in Dalai Lama succession
China considers the aging Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, a dangerous separatist.
The Obama administration has had a tough time dealing with the Chinese side, especially after the U.S. plan to sell arms worth $6.4 billion to Taiwan and China's rebuff of President Obama's call to strengthen the Chinese currency. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Jon Venables' secret life: James Bulger's killer's nights out in Liverpool and ...
Gordon Brown said on Thursday it was right not to divulge why one of the killers of toddler James Bulger was put back behind bars.
All quoted Bulger's parents as saying the reasons for Venables' return to prison should be made public. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- International Rights Groups Protest Rise in Persecution of Zimbabwe Unionists
Key blocked steps include a land audit, appointment of MDC governors, an end of arbitrary detentions and arrests, regular functioning of the National Security Council in place of the infamous Joint Operations Command, public consultations on a new constitution and preparation for elections.
What do we do, where do we go, what is to be done? Unfortunately it is not looking like two steps forward, one step back, but the opposite - one step forward, two back. More...

Thursday (Update 1)

Mar-04-2009 -- Libya warns US energy firms over diplomatic row
GENEVA — Neutral Switzerland has dented its reputation as a global mediator as weaknesses in its foreign policy are exposed in its escalating row with Libya, analysts said.
Hasni Abidi, the director of the Geneva-based Study and Research Centre for the Arab and Mediterranean World, said the ongoing tussle with Libya was "bad publicity for the Swiss in the Arab and Muslim world," where Switzerland had traditionally played a role in mediation. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Togo hopes for more peaceful presidential election
The atmosphere on Tuesday, the last campaign day for the presidential election in Togo, looked like a carnival in the streets of the capital, Lom'', as thousands of supporters of the two main parties, the opposition Union of Force s for Change (UFC) led by Gilchrist Olympio and the ruling Rally of the Togolese People, led by President Faure Gnassingbe held their final rallies.
The first woman candidate for office in Togo, Adjamagbo-Johnson represents the Democratic Convention of African People (CDPA) party. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Mother pleads for return of boy kidnapped in Pakistan
London, England (CNN) -- A British boy has been abducted in Pakistan, authorities confirmed Thursday.
Mr Saeed had been due to fly home later today with Sahil - who speaks no Punjabi. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- First GM potato to be grown commercially in Europe
The Amflora potato designed by Germany´s chemical giant BASF, carries a controversial antibiotic resistant gene which it cannot be guaranteed will not enter the food chain, the activist group claimed.
All five authorisations were subjected to the highest scrutiny, ensuring all concerns regarding the presence of an antibiotic resistance marker gene are fully addressed, the European Commission said. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- German Islamic fanatics jailed for planning'second September 11'
DUESSELDORF, Germany — A court has convicted four men over a foiled 2007 plot to attack U.S. targets in Germany and given them prison sentences of up to 12 years.
Even more alarming was the realization that terrorist threats were not necessarily coming from abroad. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Pakistan workers shot dead in Afghanistan
Commanders gave journalists a guided tour of the bastion, which one general said numbered 156 caves developed over five to seven years, and carved into sheer rock within clear view of the snow-capped peaks in eastern Afghanistan.
Taliban insurgents dominate much of southern Afghanistan and often attack aid projects launched by the government and NATO forces. More...

Thursday

Mar-04-2009 -- US failure to neutralize Shiite militia in Iraq threatens to snarl pullout
Al-Maliki's government has portrayed the Americans and Iranians as fighting a proxy war on Iraqi territory.
Mr Alusi, who was the intelligence spokesman until eight days ago, said 8000 guns were ordered from a Serbian supplier at the end of 2008 for use by intelligence officers. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Nigerian president's health remains a mystery
State Governors in Nigeria have pledged their support for the new Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.
'In the letter, the acting president conveyed the profound appreciation and deep gratitude of the government and the entire people of Nigeria to the king, for the kindness, hospitality, fraternal care and excellent facilities extended to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- New Zealand woman believes she saw Madeleine McCann
This dramatic CCTV footage of a girl looking remarkably like Madeleine McCann is part of a secret dossier of leads ignored by Portuguese police.
However it doesn't seem relevant to Madeleine's case. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Turkey, on Edge, Watches US Vote on Armenia
Murat Mercan (C), who is having talks with U.S. officials ahead of a vote in the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, and lawmaker ''''kr'' Elekda'' (L) spoke at the Turkish Embassy in Washington on Monday.
ANKARA, Turkey — The state-run news agency is quoting Turkey's foreign minister as expressing hope that President Barack Obama's administration will prevent a congressional panel from recognizing the World War I killings of Armenians as genocide. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- EU Approves First Modified Crop for Planting in 12 Years
The Amflora potato designed by Germany´s chemical giant BASF, carries a controversial antibiotic resistant gene which it cannot be guaranteed will not enter the food chain, the activist group claimed.
The decision signals more EU readiness to dismantle obstacles that companies ranging from Germany's BASF to U.S. -based Monsanto Co. have faced in seeking to expand the $10.5 billion global biotech crop market through growth in Europe. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Chile military delivers aid, but 1st helps its own
The 26 suspects traveled on British, Irish, Australian, French and German passports, and the five countries have summoned Israeli ambassadors to ask how the documents were misused.
An Australian police team arrived in Israel on Wednesday to look into the misuse of three dual citizens''' identities in connection with the January assassination of a Hamas official in Dubai. More...

Wednesday (Update 1)

Mar-03-2009 -- Nigerian Army Chief Rejects Coup Rumors
State Governors in Nigeria have pledged their support for the new Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.
ABUJA'''CLEAR indications that the leadership and governors elected under the umbrella of the Peoples''' Democratic Party, PDP, have given up on the Yar'''Adua Presidency, emerged yesterday as the leadership of the party announced that the North would produce the next president of the country in 2011. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Rwanda Official Says Grenade Attacks Masterminds Will be Punished
Just hours after her arrest in France, Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana, widow of former president Juv''nal Habyarimana was released on bail.
Ingabire, in contrast, famously espouses the opinion that the events of 1994 represented not just genocide against Tutsis, but a double genocide that also targeted Hutus. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- German court orders stored telecoms data deletion
The highest court in Germany yesterday ruled that a central plank of anti-terrorist security legislation in the European Union, requiring the storage of at least six months' worth of telephone and internet data, was contrary to the country's fundamental law.
A future data retention law will have to have the bar set far higher, in view of citizen's rights. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Merkel to offer no aid to Greece at Friday meeting
Berlin - George Papandreou, the Greek Prime Minister, is likely to face an "Alice in Wonderland"'moment when he visits German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday.
The comments are the clearest signal yet that Merkel sees the additional austerity measures announced by Papandreou's government as sufficient to regain the confidence of markets without resorting to financial aid. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Britain at centre of extradition row over ex-Bosnian leader Ejup Ganic
LONDON — British police arrested a former senior Bosnian leader in London Monday on a Serbian warrant alleging he committed war crimes, to the outrage of Bosnian leaders who said the move undermined Bosnian sovereignty.
Bosnian prosecutors on Tuesday said that Sarajevo will issue an extradition warrant for Ganic to British authorities. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Isolated China will need payback for Iran sanctions
The 26 suspects traveled on British, Irish, Australian, French and German passports, and the five countries have summoned Israeli ambassadors to ask how the documents were misused.
Dubai police have published details of 26 suspects together with passport photographs, and claim to have DNA evidence of the identity of at least one of the killers. More...

Wednesday

Mar-03-2009 -- Turkey PM's Attack on Media Could Quell Progress on EU Membership
A great deal of the credit for Turkey'''s political stability goes to Mr Erdogan.
Somehow I find myself with the larger Turkish public nervously wringing my hands, a mere bystander in what seems to be a power struggle between the military and what the Economist calls "a rising class of overtly pious Anatolians symbolized by the A.K. government." More...

Mar-03-2009 -- More Afghan Taliban Members Arrested by Pakistan
The Riyadh Declaration signed by Singh and the Saudi king showed the success of the efforts of India and Afghanistan with Saudi Arabia coming out with an endorsement of the Afghan constitution that Pakistan-backed Taliban has refused to recognise as well as continued Indian presence in Afghanistan -- a sore point with Pakistan.
The seed of hate between Pakistan and Afghanistan was sown by India from the very inception of the former. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- German court orders stored telecoms data deletion
In a split decision, the judges ruled that the existing regulations marked "a severe intrusion" into the private sphere of citizens "of a quality heretofore unknown in the legal system".
The law had ordered that all data — except content — from phone calls and e-mail exchanges be retained for six months for possible use by criminal authorities, who could probe who contacted whom, from where and for how long. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Concern over fresh Darfur fighting
KHARTOUM, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Saturday rejected demands by some political parties to postpone the general elections, scheduled for April this year.
Kigali -- Rwanda's efforts to restore peace in the conflict-torn region of Darfur have been highly commended by Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the Joint Special Representative of the African Union - United Nations Peace keeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID). More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Nigeria: Maduekwe to Discuss Niger With AU Chairman
The CSRD seized power on February 18, ousting Tandja, who had changed the constitution to stay in office beyond two terms.
"The CSRD has promised to involve all components of the nation in the process, and should not let itself be carried away by a wave of political settling of scores," said Abdoulaye Boubacar, a supporter of Tandja's government. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Afghanistan bans live coverage of Taliban attacks
The Riyadh Declaration signed by Singh and the Saudi king showed the success of the efforts of India and Afghanistan with Saudi Arabia coming out with an endorsement of the Afghan constitution that Pakistan-backed Taliban has refused to recognise as well as continued Indian presence in Afghanistan -- a sore point with Pakistan.
Up to nine Indians were among 17 people killed in the attack. More...

Tuesday (Update 1)

Mar-02-2009 -- Venezuela plotted to kill Colombia president, Spain judge says
Madrid - Allegations by a Spanish judge that Venezuela was helping an alliance of the militant Basque separatist group ETA with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) created diplomatic tensions Tuesday.
One of the other men arrested on Sunday in a joint French and Spanish police operation was named as Beinat Aguinalde Ugartemendia, 26. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Ugandan landslide kills scores, many missing-minister
A hundred schoolchildren are among the 300 people killed when landslides caused by heavy rain hit Eastern Uganda last night.
Officials in the region said food was very short as gardens and plantations were swept away by the mud, while drinking water was not available and sanitation facilities destroyed. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- US Deputy Secretary of State Arrives in Beijing for Talks
Qin repeated at the regular news briefing that the responsibility of the setback of the Sino-U.S. relations lay with the U.S. administration.
"We have different perceptions of our national interest, you know, when you talk about dialogue with the Dalai Lama, for example, or you talk about regional security issues, perhaps involving Taiwan," Crowley said, adding that he expects that the U.S. Deputy Secretary will talk about the full range of these issues. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- German court orders stored telecoms data deletion
A law ordering data on calls and e-mail exchanges be retained for six months for possible use by criminal authorities violated Germans' constitutional right to private correspondence and must be revised, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled.
Importantly, the court did not forbid the storage of data altogether but rather criticised the specific legislation. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Nigerian Minister Fears Instability Over President's Ill-Health
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Nigeria's acting head of state has urged citizens to maintain peace and stability while the nation's ailing president recuperates after more than three months at a Saudi Arabia hospital.
The vice president, who became acting president through an extraconstitutional vote of the National Assembly, has taken few public actions since taking power. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Abbas 'to consult Arabs over indirect Israel talks'
Now it is a crowded Arab neighbourhood in a part of the city occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move not recognised internationally.
The New Zionist movement said that the petitions against the constitutionality of the amendment threaten the country's existence as the Jewish homeland, and that doing away with the law will increase the Arab population by 200,000 "persons hostile to the Zionist enterprise." More...

Tuesday

Mar-02-2009 -- Petition against Anti-Gay Bill Delivered to Ugandan Parliament
'''In the interests of safer, healthier, more peaceful, and more prosperous lives for all Ugandans; we as Aids Service Providers, pastors and spiritual mentors of all Ugandans are calling for the withdrawal of this Bill from Parliament,''' the petition read in part.
An Anglican priest and an activist for HIV/AIDS patient rights delivered the petition to Uganda's parliament speaker Monday on behalf of ordinary citizens and 500,000 people around the world, who signed the petition in support. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Quake-torn Haiti hit by floods
To assist U.S. government and international response efforts, the AMA site is providing doctors with the latest medical news on emerging health issues and the need for medical volunteers in the area in and around Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, which was near the epicenter of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake.
The government is reversing course on a more immediate plan to house tens of thousands of people who remain homeless since the Jan. 12 quake. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Nigeria: How Yar'Adua Whiles Away Time
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Nigeria's acting head of state has urged citizens to maintain peace and stability while the nation's ailing president recuperates after more than three months at a Saudi Arabia hospital.
From all indications the President is gravely ill. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Vital Route in Caucasus Is Reopened, Just Barely
From March 1 to Nov. 1, the Verkhny Lars (Russia) - Kazbegi (Georgia) border crossing, the only one on the Georgian-Russian border, will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Alexander Solod, a spokesman for the Federal Security Service border department for North Ossetia, told reporters.
Tensions between the two sides reached a flashpoint in August 2008, when Russian forces poured into Georgia to repel a Georgian military attempt to retake South Ossetia, which had received extensive backing from Moscow for years. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Turkey warns US against "genocide" bill in Congress
By saying "not be diverted in any way," Clinton was apparently referring to Turkey's position that any U.S. congressional endorsement of the "genocide" bill would effectively kill the Washington-backed normalization process with Armenia.
The House Foreign Relations Committee is set to vote Thursday the Armenian draft resolution on the incidents of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- US slams new Jerusalem settlements as 'counter-productive'
In order to dispel any notion of dividing or sharing the city with the Palestinians as wished by Barack Obama, the U.S. president, the Israeli government took additional provocative steps in and around the holy sites that ended in confrontation around the al-Aqsa mosque over the last couple of days.
On Feb. 21, Israel added the two shrines to the list of national-heritage sites, which are slated for millions of dollars of renovation work. More...

Monday (Update 1)

Mar-01-2009 -- Getting naked for art at the Sydney Opera House
SYDNEY — About 5,200 naked people embraced each other on the steps of Sydney's iconic Opera House on Monday for a photo shoot by Spencer Tunick.
Tunick has been documenting the nude figure in public through photography and video since 1992 and has hosted up to 100 installations involving thousands of naked people in countries around the world including the U.S., Britain, Brazil, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, France and Holland. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Palestinian Cabinet Meets in Town at Center of Shrine Dispute
On a day when Israeli security forces and protestors clashed in the West Bank city of Hebron, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) condemned Israel's decision to include Ibrahami Mosque in Hebron and Bilal Mosque in Bethlehem to the list of Israeli national heritage sites.
At a press conference in Ramallah Wednesday, veteran PLO activist Hanan Ashrawi called Netanyahu's decision a "direct attack on Palestinian heritage and a crime against Palestinian culture." More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Russia-Georgia crossing re-opens
From March 1 to Nov. 1, the Verkhny Lars (Russia) - Kazbegi (Georgia) border crossing, the only one on the Georgian-Russian border, will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Alexander Solod, a spokesman for the Federal Security Service border department for North Ossetia, told reporters.
The crossing runs through a narrow pass in the Caucasus mountains, about 170km from Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Energy, culture on tap for Medvedev trip to France
The financial crisis, however, has caused France's economic policies to veer to the left.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili two weeks ago criticized France's plans to sell a Mistral class helicopter carrier to Russia, and the United States has also expressed concern. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Haiti in the aftermath ''' recycling a city?
Equally incredible, though, was the poverty.
Officials lay out a complicated procedure by which government workers will make a census of refugees, while engineers simultaneously determine what structures in shattered neighborhoods are safe and which must be demolished. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Silvio Berlusconi approves anti-corruption laws
Berlusconi and Mediaset officials claim no wrongdoing was committed.
Political campaigning in the southern region of Campania will be brightened up by Giovanna Del Giudice, a former television weathergirl and a hostess at Billionaire, an exclusive beachside nightclub on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda. More...

Monday

Mar-01-2009 -- Clinton adds Buenos Aires to Latin American tour
The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will depart on a five-nation Latin American tour next week in a bid to bolster ties and gauge the feasibility of Obama's vision for the region.
Clinton plans to leave Washington on Sunday evening to attend the inauguration of Uruguay's new president, ex-guerrilla Jose Mujica (MOO'-hee-kah). More...

Mar-01-2009 -- In Iraq, Americans Struggle to Relinquish Control
ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Tensions between Iraq's Kurds and Arabs may one day lead to armed conflict but, after an election in March, Arab parties will be vying with each other to court Kurdish allies expected to emerge as powerful kingmakers.
Mr. Maliki's challenges extend beyond security alone. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Universities worldwide mark 'Israeli Apartheid Week'
On a day when Israeli security forces and protestors clashed in the West Bank city of Hebron, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) condemned Israel's decision to include Ibrahami Mosque in Hebron and Bilal Mosque in Bethlehem to the list of Israeli national heritage sites.
Currently, the international community, led by the United States, is making serious efforts to relaunch the stalled Middle East peace process involving the Israelis, Palestinians and the Arabs. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Iran's Supreme Leader Criticizes International Atomic Energy Agency
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the stance of the UN towards the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza was a disgrace for the UN and added, "according to the Goldstone report, the bloodthirsty heads of the Zionist regime should be tried and punished.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution continued that Iran has advanced in nuclear technology despite all sorts of pressure and will continue till the country becomes scientifically and technologically self-sufficient. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Iran's New World Order
"I don't buy that at all.
The Obama administration's review of U.S. nuclear weapons policies has again been delayed, and likely will be delivered to Congress several weeks later than the revised release date. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Clinton adds Buenos Aires to Latin American tour
The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will depart on a five-nation Latin American tour next week in a bid to bolster ties and gauge the feasibility of Obama's vision for the region.
Clinton plans to leave Washington on Sunday evening to attend the inauguration of Uruguay's new president, ex-guerrilla Jose Mujica (MOO'-hee-kah). More...

Sunday (Update 1)

Feb-28-2009 -- Iran's Supreme Leader: UN Nuclear Agency Lacks Independence
Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei slammed on Sunday the UN nuclear watchdog for lacking independence.
The Islamic Solidarity Games, the Olympics of the Muslim world, which were to be held in Iran in April, have been called off by the Arab states because Tehran inscribed "Persian Gulf" on the tournament's official logo and medals. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Haiti Plans to Shrink Capital, Shift Settlements
Equally incredible, though, was the poverty.
Initially, the Haitian government had planned to set up huge tent cities far from the devastated areas of the capital. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- African leaders show there are many countries for old men
Addressing thousands of people gathered at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds for 21st February Movement commemorations, President Mugabe said the policy, like the land reform programme, was designed to redress the historical imbalances in the ownership of the economy.
Mugabe launches racist diatribes about whites at every rally. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Nigeria: Minister criticizes presidential 'cabal'
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Nigeria's acting head of state has urged citizens to maintain peace and stability while the nation's ailing president recuperates after more than three months at a Saudi Arabia hospital.
By now I believe it is clear now. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Cameron: British election will be close contest
MEXICO CITY, Feb 27, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Some Latin American countries sent their condolences to Chile on Saturday after a 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit the country in the early dawn and has killed 214 people so far.
Russia is prepared to help Chile hit by a powerful earthquake killing 78 people, the Kremlin press service said on Saturday. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Cameron: British election will be close contest
London: David Cameron will tell voters they face "make your mind up time" as he tries to use the Tories' shrinking poll lead to warn that Britain could sleepwalk into another five years of Gordon Brown.
Leaving UK is darn sight harder than getting in UK as well. More...

Sunday

Feb-28-2009 -- Mugabe defends sale of foreign firms to locals
Addressing thousands of people gathered at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds for 21st February Movement commemorations, President Mugabe said the policy, like the land reform programme, was designed to redress the historical imbalances in the ownership of the economy.
The southern African country last received balance of payment support in 1999 after which international financial institutions froze out Zimbabwe due to policy differences with President Robert Mugabe. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Yemen sappers enter Shi'ite rebel stronghold
SANA'A, Feb. 26 (Saba)- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul-Karim al-Arhabi headed, on top of a Yemeni delegation, on Friday to Riyadh of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to take part in meeting of the joint Yemeni-Donors work team set to be kicked off on Saturday.
The Saudi capital will host the international donors' conference on Yemen, part of which will be devoted to reviewing the progress made by the Yemeni government regarding development based on the allocations made by donors of around 5.7 billion dollars for the third development plan. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Gordon Brown on course to win election
VOTERS were last night urged to back change and deliver 'the salvation of our country' or risk a nation's ruin under Gordon Brown.
The things that concern the electorate and on which they are looking for a robust conservative lead are Immigration The European Union Political Correctness Education Law & Order Taxes. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Silvio Berlusconi 'avoiding justice', demonstrators say
THE LATEST episode in the long and tortured relationship between Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and the judiciary has triggered diametrically opposed views.
Mills' parallel trial for the same crime was thrown out by Italy's appeals court on Thursday because the statute of limitations had expired, even though judges decided the crime had taken place. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- How realistic are the chances of finding oil in Falklands waters?
Taiana called Britain's oil-drilling operation "an illegal act that goes against international law and against express U.N. resolutions asking that neither side take unilateral actions that could aggravate the situation."
If Britain were to give the islands to any group of "rightfull" owners it should be an independant nation of Inca peoples. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- British cyclist "deliberately run down" in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on the first visit by an Indian premier to the oil kingpin in 28 years with energy imports, Middle East peace and Islamic militancy on the agenda.
"Security cooperation will constitute the basis of our dialogue. More...