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


Saturday


  • July-04-2009 -- Aid workers kidnapped in Darfur
    Gunmen have abducted two female humanitarian aid workers in Darfur, according to peacekeepers in the western region of Sudan.
    A Sudanese guard was also taken but later released. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- AU Summit Compromise Leaves Continental Authority in Limbo
    SIRTE, Libya (AFP) — Africa's conflicts took a back seat Tuesday to a surprise visit by Iran's hardline president and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's drive to create an "African government" ahead of a continental summit.
    Kanyegirire said the African Union frowns upon coups d'etat, adding that the age of military takeovers are going out of style. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- Pakistan Army Helicopter Crash Kills 26
    The helicopter crashed because of a technical fault about 20 km (12 miles) from the city of Peshawar on the mountainous border of the Orakzai and Khyber ethnic Pashtun tribal regions, the official said.
    Locals told Press TV correspondent that the copter came under fire by militants on ground. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- Six killed in tower block blaze
    A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said 10 people had been taken to hospital, three in a serious condition.
    One-hundred firefighters using 18 engines battled the blaze in the heavily populated Camberwell area of London, fire officials said. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- No sign Iran seeks nuclear arms: new IAEA head
    VIENNA (Reuters) - The incoming head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday he did not see any hard evidence Iran was trying to gain the ability to develop nuclear arms.
    NAM strongly believes that all safeguards and verification issues, including those of Iran, should be resolved within the IAEA framework, and be based on technical and legal grounds. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- 'Catastrophy for Sri Lanka to take triumphant position'
    "The diaspora is very concerned that the one body that protected the Tamils against oppression by the Sri Lankan government is now very much weakened." (Watch a video about civilians displaced by the war.)
    According to a statement issued by the Department of Government Information, the president told the inaugural session of the Presidential Committee on Development and Reconciliation that it was time to expedite the humanitarian mission of people after the government won the war against the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). More...

  • July-04-2009 -- L'Aquila earthquake victims despair of returning to their ...
    When Gordon Brown goes to the Italy for the G8 summit on Wednesday, he will be consoled that his host is in even more trouble at home than he is.
    Graziella Tomei, who runs a hotel near the summit venue, said Mr Berlusconi's decision to move the summit from Sardinia to L'Aquila after the earthquake was a "stroke of genius". More...

  • July-04-2009 -- Croatia Facing Turmoil as Prime Minister Suddenly Resigns
    ZAGREB (AFP) — Croatia's Prime Minister Ivo Sanader resigned and quit politics on Wednesday, hinting at frustration with his country's delayed EU membership bid as a reason for the shock announcement.
    Opposition parties insist that elections must be called, arguing that Sanader's ruling Croatian Democratic Union has now lost credibility. More...

Friday


  • July-03-2009 -- US drone attack kills at least seven in Pakistan
    Earlier Friday, Pakistani intelligence officials said a suspected U.S. drone fired missiles on a militant training center in the South Waziristan tribal region, killing at least 10 people.
    When one is violently oppressed, like the Kashmiris or the Afghans under ths Soviets, one has the right to fight. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Sri Lanka travel advisory revised
    "The diaspora is very concerned that the one body that protected the Tamils against oppression by the Sri Lankan government is now very much weakened." (Watch a video about civilians displaced by the war.)
    COLOMBO, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan police has extended the period of amnesty granted to armed groups in the Eastern Province to hand over weapons, a local radio station quoted police sources as saying on Thursday. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Iran's Ahmadinejad faces diplomatic isolation
    What is certain is that Iran will never be the same again.
    The Western media has uniformly denounced the Iranian elections, with no real evidence, as fraudulent, much as it denounced the many elections that Chavez had to undergo in the face of US-inspired strikes and even a military coup before the opposition (and its U.S. backers) relented. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- G8 summit: Gordon Brown to be advised how to survive earthquake in ...
    While no one expects the summit to produce magic solutions to the world's troubles, John Kirton, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, argues that "crises tend to bring the best out of G8s".
    Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has given assurances that G8 facilities that will host heads of state for the July 8-10 summit can withstand a major earthquake. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Indonesia's Megawati defends VP pick on rights issue
    JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesia's main opposition leader, Megawati Sukarnoputri, called for free and fair presidential elections on July 8 as she held her last campaign rally in Jakarta on Tuesday.
    Timika, the site of the attack, is in the remote province of Papua, where U.S. mining giant Freeport McMoRan (FCX) operates a concession. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Nazi guard suspect 'fit for trial'
    MUNICH (AP) — Doctors have determined that John Demjanjuk is fit to stand trial on charges that he was an accessory to murder at a Nazi death camp, prosecutors said Friday.
    Mr Demjanjuk, 89, is accused of helping to kill 29,000 Jews in 1943 the Treblinka camp. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- From T-Rex to Waltzing Matilda - three new dinosaurs found Down Under
    "Banjo ( carnivorous theropod ) and Matilda and Clancy (giant plant-eating sauropods) were found in a vast geological deposit near Winton that dates from 98-95 million years ago."
    The president of the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, David Elliott, said more than 30 fossil sites had been identified in the region and the team had "hardly scratched the surface" with the hundred of bones excavated so far. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Poll Gives Netanyahu Positive Marks Despite Rift with US
    President Barack Obama'''s decision to choose a demand for a total Israeli settlement freeze - as called for in the 2003 Roadmap for Middle East peace - as the entry point for his changed approach to peacemaking between Israel and the Palestinians has been criticized not only by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet, and not only by hopeless neocons in the U.S. like Elliot Abrams, but also by officials who served in the Bush administration, such as Aaron Miller, who were critical of the Bush administration'''s tolerance of the settlements.
    Netanyahu could have said, we accepted the Roadmap based on an agreement made at the time which was described by Sharon at the Herzelia Conference. More...

Friday


  • July-03-2009 -- Japan's Amano wins race to head IAEA
    Yukiya Amano emerges the winner in a months-long competition against a South African rival to head the International Atomic Energy Agency.
    Amano, supported largely by industrialized nations, defeated South Africa's Abdul Samad Minty in a sixth round of balloting after five inconclusive votes. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Suicide bomber attacks bus in Rawalpindi
    Five of the injured are in a critical condition," said police officer Nasir Durrani.
    Nasir Khan Durrani, Rawalpindi's police chief, initially said at least five people had been killed, but later revised that figure to one on the basis of new information from the hospital. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Biden takes surprise trip to war zone
    BAGHDAD, July 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit to Iraq, U.S. sources said to the media.
    Biden was in Erie earlier in the day to talk about a $4.7 billion loan and grant program to develop the infrastructure needed to deliver high speed Internet access to areas that don't have access. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Tamil refugees may end up in permanent camps, say aid workers
    "The diaspora is very concerned that the one body that protected the Tamils against oppression by the Sri Lankan government is now very much weakened." (Watch a video about civilians displaced by the war.)
    The personnel and vehicle checks would carry on as normal at Medawachchiya, a north central provincial town about 230km north of Colombo. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Croatia Facing Turmoil as Prime Minister Suddenly Resigns
    ZAGREB (AFP) — Croatia's Prime Minister Ivo Sanader resigned and quit politics on Wednesday, hinting at frustration with his country's delayed EU membership bid as a reason for the shock announcement.
    According to some Croatian political analysts, Ivo Sanader returning to Croatia's politics is inevitable, perhaps even as a presidential candidate, which could in the end show that the former Croatian prime minister has really found a much better way to flee the crisis painlessly, contrary to some other, internationally more pronounced statesmen. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Pakistan desperately short of money to resettle Swat residents
    UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Mogwanja said at a news conference that the strategy was aimed at ensuring safe and sustainable return of displaced families once security situation improves and public services were restored in the affected areas.
    "But we will also need possibly additional resources. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Opposition movement in Iran not over, experts say
    Simplifying the events in Iran as yet another attempt at a U.S. financed "color revolution" is shortsighted, to say the least.
    As well as the effects around the world, Mr Shahidi argued, Mr Bush's policies helped marginalise and demonise loyal Americans from the Muslim faith and wider Middle East region. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- INDONESIA ELECTION EYE - Election body slammed over voter lists
    JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla is running against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and former President Megawati Sukarnoputri in the presidential election on July 8.
    Kalla also promised to boost Indonesia's production of coal, an environmentally damaging resource, to support power plants. More...

Thursday


  • July-02-2009 -- Plea for Sri Lanka Tamil refugees
    "The diaspora is very concerned that the one body that protected the Tamils against oppression by the Sri Lankan government is now very much weakened." (Watch a video about civilians displaced by the war.)
    The threats against Uthayan came from a group called the Tamil Alliance to Protect the Country. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- UN agencies, Pakistan working on IDPs return
    Pakistanis roundly reject the U.S. military campaign in the region.
    European and Arab nations aren't providing much help, though the Saudis and other Gulf states are happy to funnel funds for Islamist madrassas. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Africa: 13th African Union Summit Underway in Sirte, Libya
    Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is among several African leaders and Heads of Government attending the 13th Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, taking place in the Libyan town of Sirte.
    The establishment of the AU to replace the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which was founded in 1963, was envisaged at an African summit in September 1999 in Libya's Sirte, with a view to further African cooperation, development and integration. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Sarkozy ignores debt warnings with new French loan
    RABAT (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's north African wing threatened revenge against France for launching a "war" against Muslim women who wear full burqas that cover them from head to toe, according to a Web statement posted in the group's name.
    Politicians like Sarkozy who claim to stand up for women's rights must look beyond what women wear. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Georgia to decide on Russian deserter's refugee status by fall
    Western nations demand that the EUMM be granted access to the entire conflict zone in order to assess the human rights situation there.
    Question: The OSCE mission was the only international mission functioning in the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia providing the Georgian side with important information. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- EU President Sweden to lead by example on climate change
    SWEDISH PRIME minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has pledged to use his country's presidency of the EU to push for a global climate change deal this year.
    Sweden's tasks will be complicated by the institutional interregnum currently holding sway in the EU. Barroso himself, although nominated for a second term by EU leaders last month, faces a confirmation vote in the European Parliament on July 15 whose result remains unpredictable. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- First bombing in Baghdad since US handover kills nine
    Thursday's bombings were the first deadly attacks recorded in Baghdad after the Iraqis officially assumed responsibility for securing the cities and most of the 130,000 American troops in Iraq pulled back from urban areas to large bases on the outskirts.
    Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalif said no Iraqis had died in violence on Wednesday throughout the country. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Japanese PM condemns Pyongyang's latest missile test-firings
    TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso appointed a relatively young ruling party lawmaker as economy minister, adding a fresh face to his cabinet ahead of general elections that must be held by October.
    ROK President Lee Myung-bak spent the day in Tokyo for meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso - a month after Pyongyang's underground nuclear test ratcheted up tensions in the region. More...

Thursday


  • July-02-2009 -- Taliban Swat Chief Wounded as Pakistani Army Targets Leadership
    Our correspondent says that it is impossible to get independent verification of Mr Malik's claims.
    Thirteen Pakistani troops and 18 Taliban militants have died on June 28 in clashes and air bombardments in the tribal belt as violence spiked in the northwest region. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Croatian prime minister announces sudden resignation
    Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader Wednesday said he resigned all his political posts including president of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ. Sanader, 56, told a news conference in Zagreb his deputy Jadranka Kosor will lead the government and the HDZ party.
    According to Article 8 of the Law on Croatian government, when the prime minister resigns, it is considered that all cabinet members have resigned as well. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- SCENARIOS-Weak Japan PM in pinch as ponders election timing
    TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso appointed a relatively young ruling party lawmaker as economy minister, adding a fresh face to his cabinet ahead of general elections that must be held by October.
    "We need to demonstrate that North Korea (DPRK) has nothing to gain by conducting nuclear tests and missile launches," said Lee. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Sweden kicks off EU presidency in institutional fog
    SWEDISH PRIME minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has pledged to use his country's presidency of the EU to push for a global climate change deal this year.
    Sweden will hold the rotating EU presidency in the next six months starting today. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Georgia and Russia say Caucasus talks constructive
    Western nations demand that the EUMM be granted access to the entire conflict zone in order to assess the human rights situation there.
    Russia is deploying 8,500 men, 200 battle tanks, 450 armoured vehicles and some 250 artillery pieces in the week-long manoeuvres near the Georgian border. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- French parliament sets up burqa commission
    RABAT (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's north African wing threatened revenge against France for launching a "war" against Muslim women who wear full burqas that cover them from head to toe, according to a Web statement posted in the group's name.
    However no Muslim woman should be forced to wear it because a fundamental teaching of Islam is that "there shall be no compulsion in religion." More...

  • July-02-2009 -- The Best Job in the World
    REEF caretaker Ben Southall now officially the man with the Best Job in the World checked out his $4 million pad on Hamilton Island yesterday.
    Ben Southall's first day comprised a blitz of media interviews followed by getting the keys to a multi-million dollar villa and taking in the sights of the Great Barrier Reef. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- US has got nothing from Arabs, says source in Jerusalem
    In September 1978 at Camp David, prime minister Menachem Begin agreed to a total freeze on all construction in the settlements for a period of three months, in order to give a chance to the negotiations to establish autonomy in Judea and Samaria.
    We are still waiting for the pledged donations we were promised," said Fayyad. More...

Wednesday


  • July-01-2009 -- France's Sarkozy laments 'totally inhuman' job
    The movement to ban the burqa and the niqab is described by a spokesperson for the French Council for the Muslim Religion as a way of stigmatizing Islam and the Muslims of France.
    There are approximately 5 million Muslims currently living in France today. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- African summit opens in Libya without Iran leader
    SIRTE, Libya (AFP) — Africa's conflicts took a back seat Tuesday to a surprise visit by Iran's hardline president and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's drive to create an "African government" ahead of a continental summit.
    The 11th summit was held in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh from June 30 to July 1, 2008, with African leaders discussing the impact of soaring food prices, the situation in Zimbabwe, and how to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.'' More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Russian gambling halls shut down in most cities
    WASHINGTON, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Roughly one week before Barack Obama is to depart for his first trip to Russia as President of the United States, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia James Collins admits his expectations for the Obama-Medvedev summit are "measured".
    "A job in the gambling industry has always been seen as completely crisis-proof," Menshikov says, "even in the big crisis of 1998, when the ruble and the Russian economy collapsed, salaries were still being paid in casinos." More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Animated film tells of Gaza woman's cancer battle
    NICOSIA (Reuters) - Activists sailing to Gaza with humanitarian aid said they had been intercepted by an Israeli gunboat on Tuesday, but the Israeli military said it was just monitoring the aid ship while it was in international waters.
    Israel is not a party to the International Criminal Court and has refused to co-operate with the UN mission -- led by a South African judge, Richard Goldstone -- making it unlikely that the charges will be brought to trial. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Barroso:Confident Lisbon Treaty To Be Ratified By Fall
    A lot of that is rather reminiscent of the Irish 'guarantees' approved by the June EU summit.
    Gauweiler: Particularly in the area of criminal law. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- North Korean 'weapons to Burma' ship tracked by US
    SEOUL (Reuters) - A North Korean ship tracked by the U.S. Navy on suspicion of carrying a banned arms cargo may be returning home, a U.S. official said, as Washington cracks down on companies helping Pyongyang export missile systems.
    The ship was being followed shortly after departing North Korea on June 17. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Cleric: Muslims should visit Jerusalem
    The prime minister, a politically independent technocrat, appointed Abdel-Qader and several other members of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement to a reshaped government in May, responding to pressure from Fatah for more say in government.
    Yesterday a house on the Mount of Olives has been demolished. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Tsvangirai ally to be tried Oct. 13 for terrorism
    Ms. Khupe said MDC leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai should have chaired the meeting in President Robert Mugabe's absence.
    The positions of the central bank governor and the attorney-general remain contentious. More...

Wednesday


  • July-01-2009 -- Russians crack down on gambling
    WASHINGTON, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Roughly one week before Barack Obama is to depart for his first trip to Russia as President of the United States, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia James Collins admits his expectations for the Obama-Medvedev summit are "measured".
    Obama visits Russia July 6-8. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Sweden pushes EU climate action
    Perhaps has resolved that the Presidency motto should be '''Keep Calm And Carry On.'''
    'The Czech Republic took up the European Presidency at a time when the global financial crisis brought economic troubles to many countries in the Union. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Zimbabwe Says China Is Giving It Loans
    "The amount of assistance that was raised on my visit to Europe and the United States does not reflect the enormous support we will be able to utilise if we are to fulfil all our political obligations," he said.
    I think it is more constructive to support the current government than to support any opposition now. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Top German court suspends ratification of Lisbon Treaty
    A lot of that is rather reminiscent of the Irish 'guarantees' approved by the June EU summit.
    European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed the German ruling. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Panel set up after President Sarkozy says burqa not welcome in France
    The movement to ban the burqa and the niqab is described by a spokesperson for the French Council for the Muslim Religion as a way of stigmatizing Islam and the Muslims of France.
    I read it standing in the shop. At first, I was taken aback that the president of France should have spoken about the burqa and in an address to the parliament at that. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Afghan group slams Karzai's 'warlord' vote ticket
    The guards had been trained by U.S. soldiers, said Karzai, a brother of President Hamid Karzai.
    A U.S. military spokesman said no American military forces from any branch, including special operations forces, were present or involved in the incident. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Iran proves Obama is clueless
    Inspiring words, especially when delivered by an outsider, rarely empower people to risk life and limb in resisting oppression.
    Only Obama is speaking of UNIVERSAL rights, not U.S. presidents of the last 50 years. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Aso Mulls Cabinet Reshuffle to Boost Chances in Japan Election
    Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and visiting South Korean President Lee Myung-bak met in Tokyo on Sunday, seeking closer cooperation on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirming closer bilateral ties.
    Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso came to power last September with dismal approval ratings for his Liberal Democratic Party. More...

Tuesday


  • June-30-2009 -- US travel advice upsets Sri Lanka
    "The crime committed by Bandara is not making predictions favourable to the Government," the party said in a statement.
    Jaffna is still ridden with violence. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Obama's Obsolete Iran Policy
    Iran's hardliners hailed on Tuesday the confirmation of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election win despite massive opposition protests over what many branded a rigged poll.
    Opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has said Mr Ahmadinejad stole re-election through fraud and demanded a new election. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Zimbabwe Obtains $950 Million Credit Line From China
    Harare(ZimEye)Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party has threatened to break away from''a 4 month old unity government formation with ZANU PF's Robert Mugabe in a move likely to see a major shift in the country's 10 year-old conflict.
    Cabinet ministers in Zimbabwe'''s inclusive Government are sworn in in February 2009 in Harare, the capital. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- UN monitors leave Georgia, OSCE mission shuts
    Before last year's war between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia, OSCE monitors patrolled in the disputed area and the organisation helped co-ordinate efforts which brought an end to the fighting.
    A week ahead of a summit meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin is refusing to allow international monitors into the conflict area and has begun major military exercises north of the Georgian border. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- EU Treaty Ratification Temporarily Delayed by German High Court
    Germany's highest court ruled on Tuesday that the European Union's Lisbon reform treaty was compatible with German basic law but demanded changes to domestic legislation before the treaty can be formally ratified.
    The German president, Horst Koehler, has waited for the court decision before signing the bill ratifying the treaty. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Israeli peace activist faces jail over homes demolition protest
    JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has approved construction of 50 new housing units in a West Bank settlement to absorb settlers who are to be evicted from a nearby unauthorized outpost, according to a court document obtained by The Associated Press on Monday.
    According to an Israeli government document, it has approved construction of 50 new apartments in the settlement of Adam to house squatters living in the nearby Migron outpost. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- British royal bailout looms as queen's bills grow
    The total cost of keeping the monarchy increased by ''1.5m to ''41.5m during the 2008-09 financial year.
    The 69p figure is a sham peddled by the Royal sycophants and the well-oiled, Buckingham Palace PR machine. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- 'Truth' and poverty: Pope to teach on an ethical economy
    Archbishop George J. Lucas of Omaha, Neb., said it felt like a dream to be able to celebrate the June 29 feast of Sts.
    Archbishop Dolan was one of 34 bishops from 20 countries who received the white, narrow circular band called a pallium during a special Mass in St. Peter's Basilica June 29. More...

Tuesday


  • June-30-2009 -- Germany's Merkel:Econ To Probably Hit Rock Bottom Soon
    The Christian Democrats (CDU) have pledged tax cuts amounting to 15 billion euros (21 billion dollars) over the next four years, if the party remained in government after the September 27 election.
    The CDU and the CSU campaign as a single conservative bloc, and have a commanding lead over other parties in the polls before the Sept. 27 elections. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Sri Lanka targets north and east for tourist expansion
    The only available starting point is modest and realistic reform, namely the implementation of the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution, because it represents the broadest available consensus between the Sri Lankan state and a section on non-Tiger Tamils as well as the Sri Lankan and Indian states.
    Sri Lanka declared victory over the separatist Tamil Tigers on May 18, but remains under Western pressure over the deaths of civilians in the waning months of the conflict. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Pope: Bones Found in Rome Tomb Belong to Apostle Paul
    Pope Benedict XVI announced that scientific analysis done on bones found in the on a tomb in the Basilica of St Paul in Rome seem to confirmed the belief that they do indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint.
    If we want to receive the crown of justice, we must continue to fight the good fight and keep the faith." More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Ban Ki Moon to visit Burma
    UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari is in Burma ahead of a possible visit by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
    Author Alan Clements travelled to Rangoon in December 1995 to meet secretly with Daw Suu Kyi and recorded a series of dialogues with the leader of the NLD. Clements' involvement with Burma goes back 30 years. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Brown Outlines Programs to Soften the U.K. Recession
    Lord Mandelson's intervention today came after weeks of rowing between Labour and the Tories about the need for spending cuts after the next election.
    We now have''confirmation - not that we needed it - that Gordon Brown''intends to put party before country''in an attempt to save his political skin. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- World Briefing | Africa Zimbabwe: Political Partnership Shows ...
    Harare(ZimEye)Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party has threatened to break away from''a 4 month old unity government formation with ZANU PF's Robert Mugabe in a move likely to see a major shift in the country's 10 year-old conflict.
    The Minister of Media, Information and Publicity, Cde Webster Shamu, says the decision by the MDC-T party to boycott a cabinet meeting today is disrespectful and contradicts the spirit of exclusivity and the remarkable progress made so far under the inclusive government launched in February. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Putin tells banks to lend more as bad loans rise
    MOSCOW, June 29 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told state banks on Monday to boost the economy with up to $16 billion of fresh loans, as the country's second biggest lender complained of a three-fold rise in bad debts.
    Gazprom, the world's largest gas producer, would be little affected by the potential increase in the gas tax, VTB Capital said Monday. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Iraq launches historic oil and gas auction
    Just last week, Dr al Shahristani was hauled before parliament for two days of questioning on the bidding round.
    Iraq hopes the foreign participation will boost production to about 4 million barrels per day, up from the current levels of about 2.4 million barrels per day. More...

Monday


  • June-29-2009 -- Gazprom in Azerbaijan gas deal
    Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev is likely to come to Baku today.
    State Oil Company of Azerbaijan'''s president Rovnag Abdullayev has made an inspection trip to offshore field Neft Dashlari in Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Brown unveils policy 'for growth'
    Lord Mandelson's intervention today came after weeks of rowing between Labour and the Tories about the need for spending cuts after the next election.
    The Centre for Economics and Business Research has warned that public spending is set to rise to 50 per cent of GDP by the end of the next financial year. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Relatives burn tires after Lebanon sectarian clash
    Saad Hariri has been asked to form a new Lebanese government after garnering the support of 86 members of the 128-seat body, officials say.
    According to information obtained by An Nahar, armed groups opened fire and stormed Aisha Bakkar neighborhood of Beirut around 8 pm Sunday. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Pope signs new globalization encyclical
    The first native-son Catholic archbishop in New Orleans history knelt before Pope Benedict XVI and received an important symbol of pastoral duty today in Rome, according to a letter released by the Archdiocese.
    In a letter dated June 12, the day the former Bishop of Austin was presented to local residents, Aymond wrote, "The people of God in the Diocese of Austin and the Archdiocese of New Orleans will remain in my prayers and heart as I kneel before the Holy Father." More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Burma Court Rejects Aung San Suu Kyi Witness Appeal
    UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari is in Burma ahead of a possible visit by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
    Mr Gambari is now expected to brief Mr Ban before a possible visit in July. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Argentine Bonds Rally After Kirchner Loses in Midterm Election
    Buenos Aires - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner suffered a blow to her political project Sunday night, with her Peronist Party losing power in both houses of Congress.
    There is speculation that Cobos and Carrió are already at odds to clinch the endorsement of the Radical party for the presidential elections of 2011. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Task Force to visit Lalgarh tomorrow
    Lalgarh (West Bengal), June 29 (IANS) Specialised anti-Maoist commandos were on the prowl in the jungles for the elusive guerrillas after security forces Monday reclaimed the rebel den of Kantapahari and entered the headquarters of protesting tribals around this area of West Bengal.
    The main battle between the security forces and Maoists took place in Kadasole village in Ramgarh. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Putin tells banks to lend more as bad loans rise
    MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's RIA news agency says Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has invited Royal Dutch Shell PLS to participate in developing two oil fields on Sakhalin island.
    Last year, our company invested 0 million in the Russian economy. More...

Monday


  • June-29-2009 -- Banking on security in Baghdad
    Just last week, Dr al Shahristani was hauled before parliament for two days of questioning on the bidding round.
    'International oil companies are short of reserves and opportunities, and countries control almost 88 per cent of oil reserves. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- West skeptical on Russian security plan for Europe
    CORFU, Greece (AFP) — NATO and Russia agreed Saturday to resume political and military cooperation, ending a 10-month freeze, but failed to resolve all their differences over the war in Georgia.
    The 29 Foreign Ministers of the North-Atlantic Alliance and Russia, who are holding a meeting for the first time since the war in Georgia last August, are willing to commit themselves to an agenda on issues pertaining to security within Europe. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Czech floods widen, death toll rises to 13
    Flooding in the eastern Czech Republic has killed at least ten people, Prime Minister Jan Fischer said.
    At least 10 people have died in floods that have wreaked havoc in the eastern Czech Republic. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Somali pirates free Belgian ship
    About 10 pirates on board abandoned the ship early Sunday.
    The crew of the dredger Pompei, which was seized ten weeks ago, were in good health and were sailing the ship to an unidentified harbour where it will arrive in a few days, the government said. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Merkel Shifts Nuclear Stance, Backs Electric Cars to Win Votes
    German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives embarked yesterday on the battle to win her a second term in elections in September in the midst of a severe recession.
    Germany's grand coalition government has reportedly agreed to a scaled-down draft law on carbon dioxide storage after conservatives objected to some of the measures. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Sri Lanka's expanding peacetime army
    Time and again, as early as 1987, the LTTE rejected the many offers just short of independence that were made.
    Mr Bopage, people like you and your leader have lead to the death of many sri lankans, just like VP did. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Low turnout in Guinea-Bissau vote
    The country, which has been rocked by a series of civil conflicts, coups d''tat and uprisings in recent decades, has witnessed a string of political killings in recent months.
    Saturday is an official "Day of Reflection" before Sunday's ballot, where 600,000 voters are registered to choose a new president. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Locals to get priority on council houses, Gordon Brown to announce
    Local people with strong ties to their community are to queue-jump council house waiting lists as part of Gordon Brown's relaunch plans today.
    Yesterday Yvette Cooper, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told the BBC that ministers wanted to improve accountability in the public services. More...

Sunday


  • June-28-2009 -- Hamas: No truth in media storm over Shalit deal
    Five previous rounds of talks have faltered over the details of the conduct of elections, control of Palestinian security forces, and each group's arrest of members of the other.
    Egypt and Israel sealed Gaza's borders two years ago, after the Islamic militant Hamas seized control of the territory. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Arms witness hails loyalist move
    BELFAST (AFP) — The main loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland announced Saturday they were decommissioning their weapons, a new milestone on the road to peace after decades of unrest.
    PUP representative Billy Hutchinson confirmed the UVF move. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Obama, Brown speak on climate change, economy
    Gordon Brown, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, has recently proposed the creation of a £60-billion help fund, money that is to be distributed among Third-World nations.
    Mr Brown went further, saying: "I believe we should explore other potential means of raising finance. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Israel fears Hezbollah in coalition government
    Saad Hariri has been asked to form a new Lebanese government after garnering the support of 86 members of the 128-seat body, officials say.
    Hariri's party is (relatively) pro-Western, pro-peace, pro-human rights, and pro-freedom. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Quest for Mideast peace drives camp in 17th season
    Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians could resume soon, Blair said, but the process was at a delicate stage as foreign powers stepped up calls on Jerusalem to ensure a Palestinian state would not be undermined by settlements.
    The quartet's declaration also called for "an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism," calling on the Palestinian Authority to "continue to make every effort to improve law and order and to fight violent extremism." More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Zimbabwe PM rules out reviving worthless local currency
    As Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai concluded his Western tour Friday in France, President Robert Mugabe criticized Mr. Tsvangirai and his Western interlocutors for refusing to lift sanctions him and many senior officials of his long-ruling ZANU-PF party.
    Unfortunately there's nothing in the Global Political Agreement (for power-sharing) that says you have to have that election in 18 months to two years. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Somali pirates free Belgian ship, crew
    About 10 pirates on board abandoned the ship early Sunday.
    The pirates had asked for $8 million to release the ship that had held two Belgians, three Filipinos and four Croatians prisoner since April 18. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Angola-Russia cooperation reaches a new high historical level
    ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Russia's president said Wednesday his nation's investment in Nigeria could stretch into the billions of dollars, as the two nations signed deals on nuclear energy, gas and oil exploration in Africa largest oil producer.
    Medvedev and his delegation of officials and businessmen landed in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Wednesday evening for the first-ever visit there by a Russian president. More...

Sunday


  • June-28-2009 -- Israel Rejects Fresh International Demands for Settlement Freeze
    ROME, June 27 (Xinhua) -- On the sidelines of the Group of Eight foreign ministers' summit, the Middle East Quartet on Saturday asked Israel to freeze all its settlement activity and expressed hope for the early resumption of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
    JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel deflected growing international demands for a settlement freeze Saturday, saying the issue should be dealt with in future peace talks with the Palestinians. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Zimbabwe PM rules out reviving worthless local currency
    As Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai concluded his Western tour Friday in France, President Robert Mugabe criticized Mr. Tsvangirai and his Western interlocutors for refusing to lift sanctions him and many senior officials of his long-ruling ZANU-PF party.
    Zimbabwe has started hearings on a new constitution that many hope will strengthen the role of parliament, whittle down the president's powers and guarantee civil liberties and political and media reforms. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Obama, Brown speak on climate change, economy
    Gordon Brown, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, has recently proposed the creation of a £60-billion help fund, money that is to be distributed among Third-World nations.
    At the same time we must ensure that international standards of financial management and accounting are met. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Karzai Urges Taliban to Cast Votes
    De Kruif said violence would likely continue to rise as additional troops move into new areas, where no NATO troops have been present before.
    A total of 17,000 U.S. troops and 4,000 military trainers have been pledged for Afghanistan as part of Obama's new strategy to defeat the Islamist Taliban, who have been gaining in strength over the past few years. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- NSA to NSA: India is more than AfPak
    Correspondents say that the general's visit comes amid growing regional concern over the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as India's strained relations with Islamabad following November's attacks in Mumbai.
    The country is in a state of turmoil. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Wearing Faith on Your Sleeve
    Mr Sarkozy's statement came less than a month after U.S. President Barack Obama's opposite take on the subject.
    I would like to see all Muslim dress banned in public. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- A Non-Ban on Whaling
    At the last summit in the Chilean capital Santiago, the IWC set up a small working party charged with drawing up an interim deal on the most urgent disputes - including the definition of scientific, or "lethal research" purposes.
    Marine Statesman An ambassador of the seas, Cousteau criticized whaling as research. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- China intellectuals call for release of dissident
    The recent arrest of Liu Xiaobo , a mild-mannered and witty writer in Beijing, shows that the government still lacks the confidence to tolerate political criticism.
    Liu, a prominent writer and pro-reform activist, was formally arrested Wednesday after being held incommunicado by police for more than six months in an unknown location on charges of suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power." More...





Saturday


  • June-27-2009 -- Wearing Faith on Your Sleeve
    I don't think outlawing religious clothing is the way to solve the problem.
    The Roman government did not forbid Christian women to wear a head-covering in public, but the general Christian practice was to do so "when worshiping," when in church (1 Corinthians 11:7-16, ending with "women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women"; Galatians 3:28 is specific about gender equality "in Christ Jesus," i.e. in church). / I agree with Sarkozy. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- NSA to NSA: India is more than afpak
    Correspondents say that the general's visit comes amid growing regional concern over the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as India's strained relations with Islamabad following November's attacks in Mumbai.
    India raised the importance of Friday'''s attack in Muzaffarabad by a suicide bomber against the Pakistan army. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Karzai calls on Taliban to vote
    De Kruif said violence would likely continue to rise as additional troops move into new areas, where no NATO troops have been present before.
    KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban and their allies on Saturday to vote in August's elections rather than attempt to disrupt the nation's second presidential poll. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- India to play triangular tournament in Sri Lanka
    ''The answers given By Gregg Sullivan denote the overt and covert agenda of the State Department (a) the unfettered access to the Northern Region is a pre-requisite for monetary assistance from the U.S. and U.S. support for the IMF loan (b) the unfettered international access to the Northern Region will help the West to investigate and determine if there were any war crimes and genocide committed by the Government of Sri Lanka (c) U.S. and the West are well aware that it is the GSL and not the LTTE which is the signatory to UN and international covenants and that no top operatives or leaders of the LTTE are among the living to face genocide and war crime charges.
    UNITED NATIONS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka on Thursday called on the international community to correct the defects of the existing world financial system in order to support sustainable economic development and international market stability. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Zimbabwe PM says Western tour a success
    President Robert Mugabe has lashed out at the USA and Europe for refusing the request by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to lift the illegal sanctions, stating that Western countries are not happy that their efforts to use the Prime minister to effect a regime change in Zimbabwe have totally failed.
    Britain said aid would be distributed by charities. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Israel deflects calls for settlement freeze
    In today's meeting, the Quartet discussed moving towards Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and supporting the Palestinian Authority and economic growth.
    Nathan Guttman says, '''There is also a consensus there needs to be a solution that includes large Jewish settlement blocs as part of the state of Israel with some kind of land swap.''' More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Russia Meets Resistance to Plea for European Security Revamp
    CORFU, Greece (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers met their Russian counterpart on Saturday in their highest level contact since the Georgia war, aiming to kick off a new era of cooperation on issues like Afghanistan and counter-terrorism.
    The meeting between the foreign ministers of the Russia-NATO Council has kicked off on the Greek island of Corfu following the crisis last August in the Caucasus, ITAR-TASS informs. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- World Briefing | Asia China: Europe Asks for Software Delay
    The recent arrest of Liu Xiaobo , a mild-mannered and witty writer in Beijing, shows that the government still lacks the confidence to tolerate political criticism.
    Liu was charged with spreading rumors, defaming the government and inciting subversion. More...

Saturday


  • June-27-2009 -- India, Pakistan ministers discuss anti-terrorism fight
    Correspondents say that the general's visit comes amid growing regional concern over the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as India's strained relations with Islamabad following November's attacks in Mumbai.
    ISLAMABAD, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan seriously believes that composite dialogue is in the interest of both India and Pakistan, said the Foreign Office spokesman here on Thursday. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- World Briefing | Asia China: Europe Asks for Software Delay
    'Liu has been engaged in agitation activities, such as spreading of rumours and defaming of the government, aimed at subversion of the state and overthrowing the socialism system in recent years,' the official Xinhua news agency quoted a police statement as saying.
    Earlier in the day, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Richard Buangan, said Washington is "deeply disturbed" by reports of Liu's arrest. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Medvedev wraps up Africa trip with focus on energy
    The Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Russian Federation yesterday signed six agreements bothering on nuclear energy, transfer of prisoners, investment promotion, cooperation on legal matters, Memora-ndum of Understanding in the field of exploration of outer space and Memorandum and Articles of Association and the signing of MOU on joint venture between Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Gazprom.
    As exciting as the rush to Russia may appear in exploiting our gas resources, we should pause to ask how well Nigeria fared in past deals with Russian connection: Ajaokuta steel, ALSCON now RUSAL, and the recently launched 'Nigerian' satellite (alleged missing?). More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Nigerian Militants Agree To Disarm By 4 August
    President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's amnesty offer to militants in the troubled Niger Delta region may have started getting the desired result.
    Nigerian troops had launched a "punitive expedition" against the village of Abeti, in Delta state on Thursday evening, just hours after the president's amnesty offer, said a MEND statement. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Veiled threats: row over Islamic dress opens bitter divisions in ...
    I don't think outlawing religious clothing is the way to solve the problem.
    Mr. Kay - Are you aware that in high density Muslim areas in Europe, and the UK, women who aren't wearing a burka are frequently beaten, gang raped, and sometimes murdered? It is felt that they deserve this treatment, because they are whores for showing their bodies. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Zimbabwe's Mugabe Faults PM Tsvangirai On Results of Western Tour
    As Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai concluded his Western tour Friday in France, President Robert Mugabe criticized Mr. Tsvangirai and his Western interlocutors for refusing to lift sanctions him and many senior officials of his long-ruling ZANU-PF party.
    Zimbabwe has started hearings on a new constitution that many hope will strengthen the role of parliament, whittle down the president's powers and guarantee civil liberties and political and media reforms. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Fate of whales depends on Obama - conservationists
    At the last summit in the Chilean capital Santiago, the IWC set up a small working party charged with drawing up an interim deal on the most urgent disputes - including the definition of scientific, or "lethal research" purposes.
    Almost all great whale species are protected under international treaties but just 17 per cent of dolphin and porpoises. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Is the Barrel Half Full -- Or Empty -- in Iraq?
    Iraq's oil minister has defended his plan to award long-term service contracts to foreign firms for the fields that pump most of the country's crude, saying Iraq urgently needs to boost output.
    "If all goes according to plan in the first round, foreign oil companies will move in to help Iraq revive production at six developed fields that have suffered from years of war and neglect," the newspaper writes. More...

Friday


  • June-26-2009 -- Sri Lanka arrests astrologer for gloomy predictions
    Colombo, June 26: Sri Lankan authorities have arrested a popular astrologer after he made "serious" political and economic predictions in a pro-opposition weekly that were unfavourable to government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, police said on Friday.
    In Sri Lanka, media groups have asked the government to scrap moves to re-establish a media panel which could jail journalists. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Top Obama security aide meets Indian PM
    U.S. National Security Adviser James L. Jones arrived here on a two-day visit Thursday evening after a crucial trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan that aimed at revamping the U.S. strategy for restoring stability to the volatile Af-Pak region.
    Shri M.K. Narayanan conveyed the desire of the Government of India to build a wide-ranging and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States, based on the successes of the past, our shared values and converging interests. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- African Voices: Morgan Tsvangirai
    Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's tour of Western powers has yielded scant funds and put him under mounting pressure to persuade unity government partner Robert Mugabe to agree to reforms to secure foreign aid.
    Tsvangirai opposes farm invasions, calling for the rule of law to be respected. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Report: Torture and Forced Labor at Zimbabwe Diamond Fields
    RAPAPORT. Human Rights Watch published a report claiming that Zimbabwe's police and army used brutal force to control access to the Marange diamond area.
    The new government could generate substantial amounts of revenue from the diamonds to fund a significant portion of Zimbabwe's economic recovery program if the diamond industry were legally regulated and operated with greater transparency and accountability. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Ban the burqa? Or ban such bans?
    A burka covers a woman from head to toe and only leaves the eyes visible.
    '''There are no laws stating what clothes or attire are acceptable and so whether one chooses to wear a veil or burka, a mini-skirt or goth outfit is entirely at the individual'''s discretion. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Serbia charges Kosovo ex-rebels for war crimes
    Police said Agim Ceku, the prime minister between 2006 and 2008, was taken into custody at the Gyueshevo border checkpoint while entering Bulgaria from Macedonia on Tuesday night.
    Ceku was the top commander of the Kosovo Albanian insurgent army which fought against Serbia in 1999. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Kurdistan prime minister rejects Iraq oil auctions
    The companies must also shoulder the costs of creating a national oil and gas joint-venture.
    Nippon Oil Corp jumped over 4 percent after a newspaper reported that it and other Japanese companies are in the final stage of talks with Iraq to win the development contract for Iraq's huge Nassiriya oilfield. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Iran responds to FIFA, says no national soccer players punished
    The World Game reports that FIFA have sent a 'please explain' letter to the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) following reports that some of the national team's players were punished after flying the political flag in their last World Cup qualifier.
    Authorities in Iran have been dealing with street demonstrations after the apparent defeat of the opposition candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi in the election on June 12. More...

Friday


  • June-26-2009 -- 'Seeds of Terror'
    KABUL, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Afghan troops during operation against Taliban militants eliminated nearly two dozen insurgents in Uruzgan province, south of Afghanistan, a senior military commander in the region said Wednesday.
    NATO and Afghan forces raided Taliban compounds used for making roadside bombs near the Belandi area, the statement said. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Honduran leader defies top court
    The unicameral Congress said it disapproved of Zelaya's decision, and also ordered that General Romeo Vasquez Velasquez remain in office.
    The new bill prevents the holding of referendums or plebiscites 180 days before or after general elections. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Politkovskaya case to be retried
    The three suspects, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, Dzarbrail and Ibragim Makhmudov are at large.
    The trial will open a new chapter in a politically freighted mystery that has painted a chilling picture of bungled police work, a faltering judicial system and public indifference. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Oil Rises a Second Day on Shell Pipeline Attack, Equity Gains
    In an earlier email, the major militant group in the Niger Delta stated that '''at about 0230 Hrs, the hurricane pounded the Shell major pipeline located at Adamakiri before moving on to another major Shell pipeline in Kula at 0300 Hrs.'''
    Earlier in the week, MEND claimed to have destroyed Royal Dutch Shell 's main trunk line in Bayelsa state and a Chevron oil station in the delta region . More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Chavez: 'Media outlet' concession likely to end
    Venezuela and the United States have decided to exchange ambassadors, ending a diplomatic spat that led to a tit-for-tat expulsion of the envoys.
    Full diplomatic relations between the United States and Bolivia have not been restored. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Scientists warn of emerging form of unregulated whaling in Asia
    At the last summit in the Chilean capital Santiago, the IWC set up a small working party charged with drawing up an interim deal on the most urgent disputes - including the definition of scientific, or "lethal research" purposes.
    Almost all great whale species are protected under international treaties but just 17 per cent of dolphin and porpoises. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Top US Military Officer Arrives in Moscow for Talks
    President Medvedev spoke Saturday in Amsterdam after meeting with the prime minister of the Netherlands.
    Productivity in Russia is one-fourth the level in the United States and the output of innovative industries accounts for about 5 percent of the total economic output. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Sri Lanka's forgotten displaced Muslims
    The Sri Lankan delegation who met the external Affairs Minister included Basil Rajapaksa, the senior adviser to the Sri Lankan president, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse and Lalith Weertunga, secretary to the president.
    The memorial service in St Mary's cathedral in the northern city was held on June 20, one month after the final battle between government forces and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in which the government claimed victory. More...

Thursday


  • June-25-2009 -- Somali rebels amputate limbs, US sends weapons
    Somali parliament speaker Sheikh Adam Madobe on Saturday appealed for neighboring states' troops be sent to Somalia to help Somali government fight Islamist rebels.
    Attacks on the fragile security apparatus resulting in the death of Minister Omar Hashi Aden, has created panic among officials in the TFG and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Reflections on Iran: John Kemp (part two)
    Throughout Iran's modern history civil disturbances have achieved the most when the government leadership was perceived as fragile or uncertain.
    I simply want to make a few preliminary remarks. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- US calls for release of prominent China dissident
    'Liu has been engaged in agitation activities, such as spreading of rumours and defaming of the government, aimed at subversion of the state and overthrowing the socialism system in recent years,' the official Xinhua news agency quoted a police statement as saying.
    Beijing - Rights groups and activists Thursday condemned China's decision to charge leading dissident Liu Xiaobo with subversion, with two prominent supporters saying the government had "lost all reason." More...

  • June-25-2009 -- UN special envoy Gambari to visit Myanmar on Friday
    Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi shared rice and chocolate cake with her prison guards to celebrate her 64th birthday Friday, as global condemnation of her trial galvanized rallies in capitals around the world.
    The special court set up in Insein Prison delayed the hearing indefinitely as it awaits a decision by the Myanmar Supreme Court on whether it will allow more defence witnesses, Nyan Win, a member of Suu Kyi's defence team, said. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Whaling body skirts divisive Greenland request
    At the last summit in the Chilean capital Santiago, the IWC set up a small working party charged with drawing up an interim deal on the most urgent disputes - including the definition of scientific, or "lethal research" purposes.
    "When we opened the history books of the city, we learned that whale was very much part of it," Tai said, adding that whale meat sold in the local black market in the lean post-World War II years was a precious source of protein. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- US troops will break Afghan stalemate: UK generals
    In the first week of June, there were 400 attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan, the highest number since 2001.
    We killed 23 enemy fighters," Zazai said. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Zimbabwe's premier calls foreign tour'successful'
    Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's tour of Western powers has yielded scant funds and put him under mounting pressure to persuade unity government partner Robert Mugabe to agree to reforms to secure foreign aid.
    The conference is focusing on investment opportunities in Zimbabwe. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Top US military commander to visit Russia on June 25-28
    President Medvedev spoke Saturday in Amsterdam after meeting with the prime minister of the Netherlands.
    Russia's president is in Africa to boost his country's standing on the continent. More...

Thursday


  • June-25-2009 -- Cocaine, opiate markets'shrink'
    Global use of cocaine, heroin and cannabis fell last year while production of stimulants rose, according to the United Nations' annual report on drugs.
    The report said a crackdown on traffickers had pushed cocaine prices up and led to dealers diluting the drug even more. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Obama must shore up Medvedev vs Putin: opposition
    President Medvedev spoke Saturday in Amsterdam after meeting with the prime minister of the Netherlands.
    "We've made no final decisions regarding basing missile defense in Europe, which will be based on an assessment of the threat to the United States and its allies," Kelly said. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Russia's Medvedev in Nigeria to sign energy deals
    Indeed according to the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria the two leaders are also expected to sign agreements on transfer of imprisoned persons and co-operation on peaceful use of nuclear power.
    Gazprom says no grounds to review Ukraine gas deals 13:12 '' 24/06/2009 '' Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Wednesday there were no grounds for reviewing natural gas supply and transit contracts with Ukraine. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Obama to meet pope on July 10
    Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama is now scheduled to have his first meeting with Pope Benedict XVI next month.
    The Vatican spokesman also announced that during the G8 summit the pope will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, the first Catholic to hold that post in Japan, on July 7 and Australia's leader Kevin Rudd on July 9. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Japanese Exports Decline Sharply to 40.9% in May
    There was some good news in the figures, Japan's trade surplus grew to to 299.8billion yen, the highest level in a year.
    Tokyo - Japan exported 40.9 per cent less in May 2009 than it did in the same month last year, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday, as the country's economy was slow to emerge from its worst recession since the end of World War II. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Our View: Iranian regime can't hide its brutal tactics
    The United States yesterday withdrew invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend Independence Day celebrations on July 4th, a symbolic step to protest the Iranian government's crackdown on demonstrators.
    "I had insisted and will insist on implementing the law on the election issue Neither the establishment nor the nation will yield to pressure at any cost," Khamenei said. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Sri Lanka Ends Travel Alerts After Defeating Tamil Tiger Rebels
    The Sri Lankan delegation who met the external Affairs Minister included Basil Rajapaksa, the senior adviser to the Sri Lankan president, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse and Lalith Weertunga, secretary to the president.
    With regard to sexual abuse, the incidents relate to problems amongst IDPs, which have been brought to our attention, along with suggestions for preventive action which has been taken. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- US Sends Weapons to Help Somali Government
    Somali parliament speaker Sheikh Adam Madobe on Saturday appealed for neighboring states' troops be sent to Somalia to help Somali government fight Islamist rebels.
    Since 7 May, an alliance of militant Islamist hardliners, which controls much of southern Somalia and parts of the capital Mogadishu, has been locked in ferocious battles with pro-government forces. More...

Wednesday


  • June-24-2009 -- Obama, Rudd swap notes on North Korea
    We have a fundamental problem.
    For some 10 years the top bureaucracy tolerated cooperation with the South because the monetary rewards were handsome and political risks manageable. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- US, Russia resume nuclear arms reduction talks
    Mubarak praised Russia's influence in the Middle East and the world, adding that Cairo and Moscow were keen to boost cooperation in energy, trade and investments.
    The presidents will have plenty to discuss, particularly economic ties that comprised just 0.3 percent of Russia's overall foreign trade in the first four months of 2009. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- India Maoist official in custody
    KOLKATA: The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act under which the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has been deemed a banned outfit is applicable across the country "and West Bengal is no exception" though "how far the States will go, whom to arrest, how to arrest and when is our business; that we will decide," West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here on Tuesday.
    'We have told the CM that we are totally against any ban. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Kim Jong Il Close to Ceding Power, South Korea Says
    The Korean War ended in a truce in 1953, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula in state of war.
    Of course, if there is anything left of North Korea after the United States rises from the ashes. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- China, US Hold Defense Talks, Plan More
    BEIJING (AP) — (AP) — Top U.S. and Chinese military officials said Wednesday the countries will work together to avoid confrontations at sea that have sparked worries of a crisis in overall relations.
    Part of the U.S. military has always regarded China as a potential enemy and made strategies correspondingly. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Zimbabwe PM defends government's record
    Much as other Western leaders have done, Mr. Brown insisted that Britain needed to see Zimbabwe taking "further rapid steps forward" in implementing political and economic reforms before it would significantly expand support of the Harare government.
    Four badly beaten WOZA women were arrested and detained overnight, while three journalists were also arrested for documenting the police brutality. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Pope's Delayed Message on Greed
    The Vatican press office has issued a statement denying that the beatification of Pope Pius XII is being delayed because of pressure from Jewish groups, in response to controversial statements by a Jesuit priest involved in the cause of the wartime Pontiff.
    In language signalling that Benedict was keen on meeting the new U.S. president, Lombardi said the pontiff's schedule was "open to receive the American president on the afternoon of the 10th of July." More...

  • June-24-2009 -- US Scrambles for Information on Iran
    Twitter multiplies and magnifies the rumour mill at warp speed.
    Artists, authors and intellectuals disappeared and were found '''mysteriously''' murdered. More...

Wednesday


  • June-24-2009 -- Silvio Berlusconi denies claim that he paid women for sex in his home
    Mr Tarantini has been at the centre of new allegations concerning Mr Berlusconi's purported fondness for younger women.
    Berlusconi's office has dismissed the claims. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- China's top dissident arrested for subversion
    BEIJING (AP) — Prominent dissident Liu Xiaobo, who co-authored a manifesto calling for sweeping reforms to China's rigid political system, has been arrested for activities allegedly aimed at overthrowing the country's socialist system, state media said Wednesday.
    Agitating to subvert is a less serious charge than subversion and can be punished with five years in prison or less, or a period of deprivation of political rights, Mo said. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Maoists considered India's biggest internal security threat
    KOLKATA: The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act under which the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has been deemed a banned outfit is applicable across the country "and West Bengal is no exception" though "how far the States will go, whom to arrest, how to arrest and when is our business; that we will decide," West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here on Tuesday.
    When asked about the ban on the CPI(Maoists), Central Committee member Nilotpal Basu said: 'The important issue is to have a consensus against the campaign of violence by the Maoists which is directed against democracy, development and the rule of law. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- World Briefing | Europe Russia: Ingushetia Leader Is Still in ...
    MOSCOW ''' No matter how many times the Kremlin declares victory and attempts to move on , the escalating violence spreading from Chechnya around Russia's seething North Caucasus region just won't go away.
    Mr. Yevkurov, the President of the Republic of Ingushetia bordering the restive Chechnya, was gravely wounded while four of his bodyguards and driver were killed when the suicide bomber triggered the explosive laden car parked on the roadside as the presidential motorcade passed by it in the capital on Monday, Vesti FM radio said. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- President Medvedev arrives in Egypt for tour to revive relations
    Mubarak praised Russia's influence in the Middle East and the world, adding that Cairo and Moscow were keen to boost cooperation in energy, trade and investments.
    Medvedev signed the 10-year agreement with President Hosni Mubarak, whose country has had historic political and military ties with Moscow and is Russia's largest trading partner in Africa. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Mumbai warrants seek 22 suspects
    Non-bailable warrants issued against Hafeez Saeed, Lakhvi Mumbai (PTI): A special court on Tuesday issued non-bailable warrants against 22 Pakistani nationals, including chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa Hafeez Mohammed Sayeed and operational chief of Lashkar-e-toiba Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, in 26/11 terror attack case after the prosecution said they had trained captured gunman Mohammed Kasab and nine others.
    Among the absconders are LeT commander Abu Zarrar Shah, Pakistani Army's Col R Sadatullah, who reportedly trained the terrorists, and others. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- One in six people go hungry due to economic crisis: UN
    The global economic crisis and high food prices are major reasons why 1.02 billion people (one-sixth of the world's population) don't have enough to eat, says a United Nations' agency report released Friday.
    Diouf says a "dangerous mix" of the global economic slowdown and very high food prices pushed another 100 million people into the hungry category over the past year. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- US envoy says world must push for peace in Sudan
    On June 19 the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. State Department said "We continue to characterize the circumstances in Darfur as genocide'''.
    We also recognize that we are facing some very important milestones in the near future, which will determine the path of the future. More...

Tuesday


  • June-23-2009 -- Israeli premier praises courage of Iran protesters
    Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Iran's nuclear programme constitutes the biggest threat to Israel since the Jewish state's founding in 1948.
    "What we have seen in Iran is a powerful desire on the part of the Iranian people to be free." More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Iran says it expelled 2 British diplomats
    LONDON (AFP) — Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Tuesday that the government has expelled two Iranian diplomats in a tit-for-tat action after Tehran ordered two British diplomats to leave.
    LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Britain does not want Iran to be isolated but has a duty to speak out over repression and censorship, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Tuesday. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- India's West Bengal State Agrees to Ban Maoists
    The ban came two days after West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee met Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in the backdrop of violent incidents in Lalgarh and the ongoing operation by the police and the security forces to reclaim the area.
    As Bhattacharjee suggests, socio-economic conditions need improving in vulnerable areas. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- FACTBOX-Five facts on Ingush President Yevkurov
    MOSCOW ''' No matter how many times the Kremlin declares victory and attempts to move on , the escalating violence spreading from Chechnya around Russia's seething North Caucasus region just won't go away.
    All the security forces in the region have been put on high alert, news agencies said. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Karzai named 'most trusted' in Afghan poll
    Commanders say such deaths damage their mission as they turn average Afghans against the U.S. and British forces.
    The Afghan battlefield may become a more difficult terrain for U.S. soldiers with new rules of engagement coming into force. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Afghanistan: Coalition troops launch massive assault on Taliban
    In one of the biggest air operations of modern times 350 Black Watch soldiers were dropped into Babaji.
    Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said the find demonstrated the link between the insurgency and opium production "which brings so much misery to the streets of the UK". More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Whaling peace talks 'to continue'
    At the last summit in the Chilean capital Santiago, the IWC set up a small working party charged with drawing up an interim deal on the most urgent disputes - including the definition of scientific, or "lethal research" purposes.
    The hunting pushed many species to the brink of extinction, and a growing environmental movement lead to the IWC introducing a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Medvedev seeks economic ties to Africa
    Mubarak praised Russia's influence in the Middle East and the world, adding that Cairo and Moscow were keen to boost cooperation in energy, trade and investments.
    While international affairs, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the disputed Iranian elections, could come up in Egypt, Medvedev's trip appears focused on helping Russian companies gain additional access to the continent's natural resources wealth. More...

Tuesday


  • June-23-2009 -- Pakistan Prepares Anti-Taliban Operation in Afghan Border Zone
    The civilians are headed for communities already stretched to the limit with about two million people who have fled fighting in the volatile Swat Valley in the northwestern region since late April when the military first began an offensive against Taliban insurgents.
    Pressed at a media briefing whether any of the top militant leaders have been captured or killed, Abbas said the military has reports that some leaders may have been wounded, or killed and quickly buried. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Academic women fight back against'sexist' Silvio Berlusconi
    Mr Tarantini has been at the centre of new allegations concerning Mr Berlusconi's purported fondness for younger women.
    The two-day elections end Monday at 1300 GMT and by 7:00 pm (1700 GMT) turnout was running at 32.9 percent as against 39.8 percent in the first round, according to interior ministry figures. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Australia politicial row focuses on fake e-mail
    Police yesterday raided Treasury official Godwin Grech's home, uncovered the email and declared it a fake.
    Despite the setback Mr Turnbull is still pursuing the Treasurer over the OzCar affair, saying Mr Swan did give special treatment to Mr Grant and that is plain from the emails tendered to the Senate. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- India Declares Maoists as Terrorists
    KOLKATA: The Left Front government in West Bengal is yet to decide on whether it will follow the Centre and impose a ban on the activities of the CPI- Maoist against whom the paramilitary forces and the state police personnel are running joint combing operations at Lalgarh in West Midnapore for the past five days.
    KOLKATA: The ban on CPI(Maoist) has left Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee with little room for manoeuvre. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Kenya rejects call for military help in Somalia
    Somali parliament speaker Sheikh Adam Madobe on Saturday appealed for neighboring states' troops be sent to Somalia to help Somali government fight Islamist rebels.
    In Hoxha'''s Albania, owning a private car was seen as a bourgeoisie luxury and listening to the BBC was an act of imperialistic sedition. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Qantas Jet Plunges 800 Feet in Turbulence Scare
    In a statement, Qantas confirmed flight QF68 encountered'severe turbulence' over Borneo, north of Darwin, approximately four hours after leaving Hong Kong.
    Mr Whitehead said passengers were told the radar was not functioning "so the plane didn't see (the air pocket) and went straight into it". More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Rwanda: UN-Backed Tribunal Gives Ex-Minister Found Guilty of ...
    April 1994 saw the beginning of a slaughter in the tiny East African country in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and Hutu moderates died, mostly by machete, during a period of less than 100 days.
    ARUSHA, Tanzania (AP) — A U.N. court trying alleged masterminds of Rwanda's genocide sentenced a former interior minister to 30 years in prison Monday for tricking thousands of people to hide on a hill, only to watch them get slaughtered by militias. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Whaling summit seeks compromise
    At the last summit in the Chilean capital Santiago, the IWC set up a small working party charged with drawing up an interim deal on the most urgent disputes - including the definition of scientific, or "lethal research" purposes.
    "When we opened the history books of the city, we learned that whale was very much part of it," Tai said, adding that whale meat sold in the local black market in the lean post-World War II years was a precious source of protein. More...

Monday


  • June-22-2009 -- Attack on Russian regional leader
    Yunusbek Yevkurov is the fourth official to be wounded or killed in Daghestan and Ingushetia during a bloody three-week span in an incident that bears signs of an assassination attempt by the North Caucasus resistance.
    Yevkurov, a former paratrooper, was appointed by President Dmitry Medvedev last October. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Somali President Declares State of Emergency
    Mogadishu -- ONLF guerrilla has called for the Somali people to be alert on new international plans that is needed to be colonized the Somali people, official told Shabelle radio on Wednesday.
    Fierce battles between the insurgents and government troops since Friday have left at least 10 people dead in the capital of Mogadishu. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Foreign office recalls embassy families from Iran
    LONDON (AFP) — Britain is withdrawing families of its embassy staff in Iran as a result of ongoing violence during post-election protests, the Foreign Office said on Monday.
    Families of British embassy staff are being evacuated from Iran amid escalating clashes between security forces and demonstrators protesting over this month's disputed presidential election. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Quantas Jet Plunges 800 Feet in Turbulence Scare
    In a statement, Qantas confirmed flight QF68 encountered'severe turbulence' over Borneo, north of Darwin, approximately four hours after leaving Hong Kong.
    In October a Qantas Airbus flying from Singapore to Perth made an emergency landing at a military base in Western Australia after a nose dive injured 70 people. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Silvio Berlusconi: the parties, the trinkets, the cash
    ROME - The sex scandal surrounding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is now threatening his job, as more claims emerge of young women being paid to attend private parties at his homes in Rome and Sardinia, the Times of London reported.
    PHOTOS! Here are pictures of escort who claims a sex scandal video of Silvio Berlusconi'''s in Silvio's Palazzo Grazioli bedroom. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Iran turmoil likely to benefit Israel
    If we have Mousavi we have a serpent with a nice image."
    "The prime minister will again say that Israel will not create new settlements, will not confiscate new lands and will insist on the fact that residents of settlements must be allowed to lead normal lives," the official said. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Rwandan guilty of genocide jailed for 30 years
    Former Rwandan interior minister Callixte Kalimanzira was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday after he was found guilty of tricking thousands of people to hide on a hill before they were killed in the 1994 genocide.
    Following the 1994 assassination of then-Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, extremist militias made up of ethnic Hutus slaughtered ethnic Tutsis across Rwanda , beginning in April. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Palestinian FM calls on world to oblige Israel to implement Roadmap
    Speaking in Cairo after talks with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, Mr Barak said intense efforts would be made in coming weeks to get the peace process back on track, but said additional measures were also required.
    After 16 years during which the United States ignored the explosion of construction in the settlements, a right-wing government is bargaining over "natural growth." More...

Monday


  • June-22-2009 -- Oil pipelines in Nigeria attacked
    The fighters reached the pipeline after overpowering a Nigerian military gunboat, Gbomo said.
    Several state governors and the vice president have visited Camp Five over the past two years -- to the dismay of some in Nigeria who are against contacting the militants. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Berlusconi: the parties, the trinkets, the cash
    ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, fresh from a controversy over his friendship with an 18 year-old woman, is now defending himself from allegations that female escorts were paid to attend parties at his homes.
    Tarantini has been at the center of new allegations concerning Berlusconi's purported fondness for younger women. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Israel's top leaders voice support for Iran demonstrators
    "I have no doubt everybody in the world is sympathetic to the Iranians' desire for freedom," Netanyahu said when asked about the street demonstrations that have erupted in Iran since the disputed June 12 election.
    One newspaper said eight Palestinians with Jordanian passports were Hamas activists trained by Iranians and Hezbollah in Lebanon. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- A rare attack on Bagram Air Field
    KABUL (AFP) — Two soldiers from the NATO-led coalition have been killed and six others wounded in an attack on the main military base for US-led forces in Afghanistan, the force has said.
    ISAF said in a statement that the civilians were caught in the crossfire 'of an unprovoked insurgent attack' on an Afghan National Army outpost. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Boss held after deadly China blast: state media
    Rescuers inspect a blast site at the workshops of Jingxin Mining Ltd. Co. in Fengyang County, Anhui province June 21, 2009.
    Beijing - A factory blast which killed 16 and injured 43 others on Sunday in central China's Anhui province, was caused by illegally-stored explosives, Chinese work authorities and state media reported. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Thailand should strengthen ASEAN pressure on Burma: professor
    The Nobel Laureate has been under detention and house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years since the junta refused to recognize her National League for Democracy's (NLD) landslide victory in the elections in 1990.
    I hope you'll celebrate your birthday in freedom next year," said Park. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Qantas defends fleet despite Airbus mishap
    QF68 was flying over Borneo in Malaysia, about four hours after leaving Hong Kong, when it "encountered severe turbulence", Qantas said in a statement.
    Mr Epstein said the plane carrying more than 200 passengers and 13 crew was operating normally. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Fondly, Greenland Loosens Danish Rule
    Greenland, a former province of Denmark, has increased its autonomy with the introduction of self-rule.
    A self-ruling government means that Kalaallisut, the native tongue, becomes the official language and that the government controls policing and the justice system. More...

Sunday


  • June-21-2009 -- Israel's Barak sees chance for peace progress
    About 500,000 Jews live in more than 200 settlements and outposts set up across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories which were captured from Jordan in 1967.
    Netanyahu's gestures fell short of the expectations of the Obama administration, which has repeatedly urged Israel to totally freeze settlement activity and is taking efforts to mend the strained U.S. -Muslim ties. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Taliban rocket kills two US soldiers
    KABUL (AFP) — Two soldiers from the NATO-led coalition have been killed and six others wounded in an attack on the main military base for US-led forces in Afghanistan, the force has said.
    The servicemen were killed by mortars which landed inside the perimeter of the sprawling base. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- EU Leaders to Create Financial Regulatory Body
    As he outlined the main achievement of the Brussels summit to reporters, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown said cross-border financial supervision was critical and the deal had not undermined national interests.
    Mr Brown also agreed to the creation of another body, the European Systemic Risks Council, which will act as an early warning mechanism for potential bank failure. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- US Destroyer Shadows N. Korean Ship
    The Kang Nam is the first North Korean ship to be monitored under the new United Nation Security Council resolution, which authorizes UN member states to intercept and inspect the North's sea, air and land cargos.
    Washington is also getting itself ready for a possible military threat from North Korea ''' U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates Thursday ordered the military to deploy missile interceptors and radars to Hawaii. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Images From The #iranelection
    As the unfolding events in Iran show, the most important tool for those who want to fight for their freedom is access to the Internet.
    A lot of the information on social sites was coming not directly from inside Iran but from Iranians in the diaspora. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Zimbabwe PM defends Mugabe unity
    Khan's comments highlighted worries about the unity government as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader, was in Brussels to drum up support from the European Union.
    Tsvangirai's government has said it needs $10 billion to rebuild the country of 12 million people which has been devastated by acute poverty and chronic unemployment of more than 90 percent. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Man apologizes to Berlusconi for party scandal
    ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, fresh from a controversy over his friendship with an 18 year-old woman, is now defending himself from allegations that female escorts were paid to attend parties at his homes.
    Avvenire, an influential Roman Catholic daily, urged Mr Berlusconi to explain himself 'as quickly as possible' in a strongly-worded editorial. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- World hunger 'hits one billion'
    The global economic crisis and high food prices are major reasons why 1.02 billion people (one-sixth of the world's population) don't have enough to eat, says a United Nations' agency report released Friday.
    Depending on the relative age and gender ratios of a given country, the cutoff varies between 1,600 and 2,000 calories a day. More...

Sunday


  • June-21-2009 -- EU Leaders to Create Financial Regulatory Body
    As he outlined the main achievement of the Brussels summit to reporters, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown said cross-border financial supervision was critical and the deal had not undermined national interests.
    EU leaders were considering sweeping European Commission proposals for a new supervisory system in the wake of the economic crisis. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- 'Poll proves Obama must change stance'
    About 500,000 Jews live in more than 200 settlements and outposts set up across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories which were captured from Jordan in 1967.
    Clinton said there were "no informal or oral enforceable agreements" on the issue, which "has been verified by the official record of the Bush administration and personnel in positions of responsibility," countering Israel's insistence that tacit agreement with the U.S. under the previous administration were reached on settlement growth. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Thousands march for Tamil rights
    The LTTE declaration was met with an outright sneer by the Sri Lankan government, which viewed the move as a mere hallucination and unattainable in reality.
    The notorious regulations and the law have been and will be used against all Sri Lankans who politically disagree with the government, not just the Tamils. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- North Korean ship likely headed for Myanmar - TV
    USS John McCain North Korean Ship Interception - The USS John McCain which is a navy destroyer is set to intercept a North Korean ship called the Kang Nam as soon as it leaves the vicinity off the coast of China.The Korean ship is suspected of proliferating weapons material in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution 1874, which puts sanctions in place against Pyongyang.
    The United Nations resolution calls on member states to inspect ships if there are "reasonable grounds" that a vessel may be carrying illicit cargo. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Media Stayed Silent on Kidnapping
    WASHINGTON (AFP) — A New York Times reporter kidnapped last November by the Taliban and held in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan has escaped to freedom, the newspaper reported Saturday on its website.
    "In Iraq alone, we've counted 139 journalists who have been killed." More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Hostages' families 'clinging to hope'
    FIVE families of British hostages were waiting desperately last night for confirmation of which of their loved ones had died at the hands of Iraqi terrorists.
    Two British hostages kidnapped in Baghdad just over two years ago were feared dead last night after Iraqi authorities handed over the remains of two bodies to UK forces in the capital. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Zimbabwe PM jeered by UK exiles
    Khan's comments highlighted worries about the unity government as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader, was in Brussels to drum up support from the European Union.
    On the same day, the council'''s president and CEO, Stephen Hayes, who was visiting Zimbabwe at the invitation of the U.S., advised the Zimbabwean business community not to expect any significant new American private-sector investments in the near-term until reforms are made. More...








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