Obama Decided To Speak Out On Race And The Zimmerman Verdict

 

President Obama decided Thursday that he would more fully and publicly address the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a White House aide told TPM.

“The president had been talking to friends and family about the verdict and their observations,” the aide said. “And late afternoon or early evening yesterday, he told a handful of his advisers that he’d like to speak publicly about it. He thought the timing was right.”

Obama had been following reactions to the verdict all around the country since it was handed down, “especially in African-American communities,” the aide said.

When he surprised reporters by showing up at the podium Friday at the top of spokesman Jay Carney’s press briefing, he brought with him only a couple of hand-written notes on an index card, the aide said.

“He wanted to speak extemporaneously and from the heart about his views on the case and what he thought we can do moving forward. He didn’t want to read off a teleprompter or do anything scripted, and he didn’t want to shoehorn his thoughts into a segment with a television reporter.”

The president’s extraordinary and deeply personal remarks included references to his own experience as a black man in America. 

“Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago,” Obama said before the cameras. “There are very few African American in this country who haven’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me.”

Obama didn’t take any questions.

Watch his remarks below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anti-Putin activist Navalny ‘to run for Moscow mayor’

20 Jul 2013

 

Russia’s anti-Putin activist Alexei Navalny on Saturday returned to Moscowand vowed to run for mayor, just one day after a court in the town of Kirov ordered his temporary release from custody pending an appeal in his trial for embezzlement. By News Wires (text) Top opposition leader Alexei Navalny triumphantly returned home to Russia’s… 
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, center, arrives from Kirov at a railway station in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, July 20, 2013. Navalny returned to Moscow on Saturday after his surprise release from jail and vowed he will push forward in his campaign to become mayor of the Russian capital.

Tsarnaev, Herostratus and Politics of Rolling Stone(s)

19 Jul 2013

 

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling It took 120 years to build the beautiful and exquisite temple to the goddess Artemis in Ephesus, one of the greatest wonders of the world. But in a single night in the year 356 BCE, it was reduced to rubble and ashes. No one knows who built the temple. The name of its destroyer though, its assassin,… 
Jennifer Michio, left, and Duke La Touf, right, of Las Vegas, stand in support of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev outside the federal courthouse prior to his arraignment Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Boston.

Indian Kashmir shuts down over killing of protesters

Indian Paramilitary troops patrol on deserted street during curfew in Srinagar on Friday 19, July 2013. At least Six people were killed and about two dozen injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district yesterday when security forces opened fire on protesters. Meanwhile separtists have asked people to observe strike for Three day against the incident.

Write body Indian Kashmir shuts down over killing of protesters Agence France-Presse Indian Kashmir largely shut down amid heavy security on Friday after troops shot dead four people during a protest over a paramilitary raid on anIslamic school….
photo: WN / Imran Nissar

Milan Court Convicts 3 Berlusconi Ex-Aides

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi smiles before casting his ballot in a polling station, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 28, 2010

MILAN — A Milan court has convicted three of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi‘s former aides of procuring prostitutes for the media mogul’s infamous “bunga bunga” parties. The court on Friday also gave stiff sentences to Emilio Fede, a longtime executive…
photo: AP / Luca Bruno

Spokesman: Briton kidnapped near Nigeria’s Lagos airport

Murtala Mohammed airport is seen from a bridge in Lagos, Nigeria Saturday Dec. 26, 2009.

LAGOS, Nigeria — A British Consulate spokesman says a Briton has been kidnapped near the airport of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. Wale Adebayo says diplomats are working with Nigerian authorities on this week’s kidnapping….
photo: AP / Sunday Alamba

No U.S. troops in Afghanistan post-2014 without security agreement, official says

No U.S. troops in Afghanistan post-2014 without security agreement, official says

The Rack: “Afghanistan after 2014: Why zero is not an option” (Economist)Signature needed Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, toldU.S. senators on Thursday that there would be no American troops in Afghanistan…
photo: US Army / Sven Jenson

UN: Unexploded ordnance killing Afghan civilians as U.S.-led coalition abandons bases

UN: Unexploded ordnance killing Afghan civilians as U.S.-led coalition abandons bases

KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S.-led coalition is failing to clear unexploded munitions from the Afghan bases it’s demolishing as it withdraws its combat forces, leaving a deadly legacy that has killed and maimed a growing number of…
photo: US Army / Sven Jenson

Where sunseekers should go next …

Where sunseekers should go next ...

23c First of all, let’s get a sense of perspective. For many, it’s been stifling for the past week – so what about an Alpine break in Austria? August means a good chance of decent weather in Saalbach in the Glemm Valley. Inghams (01483 791114;…
photo: WN / Marzena J.

Egypt braced for renewed protests as Muslim Brotherhood stays on streets

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi shout slogans as they hold his posters in a park in front of Cairo University, where protesters have installed their camp in Giza, southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, July 18, 2013.

Both Brotherhood and its pro-government opponents plan large afternoon demonstrations amid fears of further state killings Members of the Muslim Brotherhood use sandbags to fortify their camp at Rabaa Adawiya square, Cairo.Photograph: Amr Abdallah…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil

Gazan suffering treated as side show to Egyptian ?main stage act?

19 Jul 2013

 

It unfortunately has become a truism that when Egypt sneezes, Gazacatches a cold. Fearful of the “terrorist elements” automatically associated with Hamas, the governing party in Gaza, neighbouring Egypt is quick to shut what amounts to “prison gates” at the first sign of turmoil either inside or outside the densely populated strip. Israel keeps… 
Egyptian army soldiers stand guard on the border with Egypt in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on July 5, 2013. Egyptian official said the country's border crossing with Gaza Strip in northern Sinai has been closed indefinitely, citing security concerns. The decision comes hours after suspected Islamic militants attacked four sites in northern Sinai and Egyptian soldier was killed early today, targeting two military checkpoints, a police station and el-Arish airport, where military aircraft are stationed. Photo by Ahmed Deeb / WN

Wikileaks accused Bradley Manning loses challenge to most serious charge

18 Jul 2013

 

A military judge has refused to dismiss the most serious charge facing a US soldier accused of leaking thousands of secret documents. Lawyers for PteBradley Manning, 25, had argued the US has not proved… 
Army Pfc. Bradley Manning is escorted to a waiting security vehicle outside of a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., Monday, July 15, 2013, after appearing for a hearing at his court martial.

Egypt braced for renewed protests as Muslim Brotherhood stays on streets

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi shout slogans as they hold his posters in a park in front of Cairo University, where protesters have installed their camp in Giza, southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, July 18, 2013.

Both Brotherhood and its pro-government opponents plan large afternoon demonstrations amid fears of further state killings Members of the Muslim Brotherhood use sandbags to fortify their camp at Rabaa Adawiya square, Cairo.Photograph: Amr Abdallah…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil

Russian opposition leader Navalny released

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, speaks to the media as he was released in a courtroom in Kirov, Russia Friday, July 19, 2013.

KIROV, Russia — A Russian court on Friday released opposition leader Alexei Navalny from custody less than 24 hours after he was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison. The release came after a surprise request by…
photo: AP / Dmitry Lovetsky

Kerry meets Palestinian negotiator about talks

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to reporters as Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, right, looks on during a visit at the Zaatari refugee camp in Mafraq, Jordan, Thursday, July 18, 2013.

AMMAN, Jordan — After Palestinian leaders demanded further guarantees before restarting talks with Israel, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed his ideas with the chief Palestinian negotiator in Amman on Friday. A stormy, high-level meeting…
photo: AP / Mandel Ngan, Pool

H7N9 survivor gives birth – report

Passengers wearing protective masks as a precaution against swine flu walk through the gate after arriving in Shanghai on a flight from Japan, at the arrival terminal of Shanghai Pudong International Airport Friday, May 1, 2009 in Shanghai China.

Beijing – A Chinese woman who spent five weeks in intensive care with H7N9 bird flu has given birth to a girl in what was described as a “miracle” first, state media said on Friday. Qiu Yan, 25, was five months pregnant when she was…
photo: AP / Eugene Hoshiko

Australia announces Papua New Guinea asylum deal

In this photo taken on April 14, 2013, a fishing boat carrying Vietnamese asylum seekers nears the shore of Australia's Christmas Island.

People arriving by boat to seek asylum will no longer be resettled in Australia but will go to Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has…
photo: AP

Four killed in protest in Kashmir

Four killed in protest in Kashmir

Srinagar, India – Indian paramilitary soldiers fired at protesters in the Kashmir region on Thursday, killing four and wounding 40 members of a crowd demonstrating against what they said was the desecration of the Qur’an by Indian…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar

Kerry prolongs Mideast trip amid signs of progress

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a joint press conference with Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Jordanian capital, Amman. U.S.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has prolonged his Middle East visit, an official said Thursday, amid signs of progress in his efforts to kickstart direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians. “Secretary Kerry will remain in Amman on Thursday…
photo: AP / Mandel Ngan

 

 

 

 

Indian principal on the run after 22 students die from school lunches

By Harmeet Shah Singh. Sumnima Udas and Holly Yan, CNN
July 18, 2013 

 

Watch this video

Heartbreak in Bihar

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Police are searching for the headmistress and her husband for questioning
  • The cook denies claims that she had raised concerns about the cooking oil
  • At least 75 men attack a different kitchen used to prepare school meals
  • Authorities believe the poison is a sarin-like nerve gas used in agriculture
 

Bihar, India (CNN) — The headmistress of the Indian school where poisoned lunches killed 22 students is on the run.

Local police chief Sujit Kumar said authorities are looking for the principal, who was not named, and her husband for questioning.

The students started vomiting soon after their first bite of rice and potatoes Tuesday at the school in the northern state of Bihar. Some fainted.

On Thursday, 25 people remained hospitalized — including 24 students and the school’s cook, whose accounts of the incident are under 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treviño’s Los Zetas known for ‘complete absence of scruples,’ expert says

By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN
July 17, 2013 —
Watch this video

Top Mexican drug lord arrested

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Arrest could mean death knell for Los Zetas, ex-intelligence executive says
  • Los Zetas-Gulf Cartel split unleashed “violence all over Northeast Mexico”
  • Death of U.S. agent, casino fire brought added U.S., Mexican focus on group
  • Los Zetas include gun and human smuggling, kidnapping on criminal resume
 

(CNN) — If you want to scare them away from drugs, this is the cartel you tell your children about.

Los Zetas revolutionized Mexican drug trafficking with their brutality, and that unprecedented level of savagery could mean the end of the cartel’s nightmarish reign.

“This is probably the beginning of the end of the Zetas as a coherent, cohesive organization,” said Alejandro Hope, a former executive for Mexico’s civilian intelligence agency who now serves as security policy director for the Mexico Competitiveness Institute, a Mexico City think tank.

Take the group’s leader, Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, aka “El 40” or “Z-40,” who was taken into custody this week during a Marine operation south of his hometown of Nuevo Laredo. Treviño had a reputation for punishing his foes with “guisos,” Spanish for “cookouts” and the term used for burning someone alive.

With the Zetas, it isn’t about murder or torture. It’s about making a statement. That statement resounds so effectively that non-Zetas, members of other cartels, dress like the group and claim to be them simply to instill fear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

US ties outweigh intelligence ‘squabbles’ – Putin

17 Jul 2013

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said bilateral relations with the US are more important than “squabbles between special services”. In his latest comments on fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, Mr Putin said he had been warned against any “activity that harms Russian-American relations“. On Tuesday Mr Snowden… 
Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the final phase of large-scale military exercises involving Eastern and Central Military District forces, 17 July, 2013.

 

Brotherhood holds protest day as Egypt cabinet starts work

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi chant supporting slogans they hold his poster during a rally in a park in front of Cairo University, where protesters have installed their camp in Giza, southwest of Cairo, Egypt, late Tuesday, July 16, 2013.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi called on Wednesday for more mass demonstrations, declaring a “day of steadfastness” to protest against the formation of a new interim cabinet, which began its first day on the…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil

Syria’s refugee crisis is the worst since the Rowanda Genocide

Syrian refugees wait at a UNHCR distribution centre in Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, 25 January, 2013.

The Syrian refugee crisis is the worst since the 1994 Rowanda Genocide, UN officials said on Tuesday. An estimated 5,000 Syrians are dying every month in the country’s civil war and refugees are fleeing at a rate not witnessed since the Rowanda…
photo: UN / J. Tanner

Bangladesh: Opposition leader gets death penalty

Bangladeshi activists shout slogans demanding death penalty for Jamaat-e-Islami party’s former chief Ghulam Azam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, July 16, 2013.

JULHAS ALAM Associated Press= DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) â?? A special tribunal sentenced a senior leader of an Islamic party to death on Wednesday for his role in the kidnapping and killing of people involving Bangladesh’s independence war against…
photo: AP / A.M. Ahad

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika returns home

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is seen at the presidential palace in Algiers, Tuesday, July 16, 2013.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria has flown home after nearly three months of medical treatment at a hospital in Paris. The 76-year-old arrived at a military airport in Algeria after a two-hour flight, officials say. Mr Bouteflika, who has…
photo: AP

Algeria: Ailing Leader Returns

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika addresses supporters at a rally in the capital, Algiers, Thursday Feb. 12, 2009. Bouteflika said he will run for a third term in April elections. Bouteflika had been widely expected to run again despite persistent concerns about his health in recent years.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika returned home on Tuesday after 80 days of treatment in France for a stroke, a stay that delayed many government decisions and raised questions about his ability to lead. Algerian television showed a photograph of a…
photo: AP / Alfred de Montesquiou

Nighttime Attack in Egypt’s Sinai Wounds 7

Egyptian soldiers keep guard as heavy equipment destroy smuggling tunnels beneath the Egyptian-Gaza border in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on February 19, 2013. Egypt will not tolerate a two-way flow of smuggled arms with the Gaza Strip that is destabilising its Sinai peninsula, a senior aide to its Islamist president said, explaining why Egyptian forces flooded sub-border tunnels last week.Photo by Ahmed Deeb / WN

EL-ARISH, Egypt — Egyptian intelligence officials say a civilian and six soldiers were wounded in an attack on a military outpost in the Sinai Peninsula near Egypt’s border with the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip. Officials say unidentified militants…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb

The President of Venezuela Weds His ‘First Combatant’

Venezuela's newly elected President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Attorney General Cilia Flores celebrate after the official results of the presidential elections were announced, at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, April 14, 2013.

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro refuses to refer to his longtime companion, Cilia Flores, as Venezuela’s first lady, preferring to call her by the more ideologically resonant title “first combatant.” Now he can also call her something…
photo: AP / Ramon Espinosa

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 16, 2013

Miguel Angel Treviño Morales has been captured

Watch this video

Mexican drug cartel leader arrested

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Miguel Angel Treviño Morales has been captured
  • Mexican official: The Zetas leader had $2 million and two other people with him
  • Known as Z-40, he headed the ruthless Zetas cartel
  • Senior U.S. State Department official: “It is a very big get”

 

(CNN) — A Mexican military helicopter hovered south of the border in the early morning darkness.

Below it, one of the country’s most wanted drug lords was riding in a pickup truck.

Mexican authorities say they’d been tracking Zetas cartel boss Miguel Angel Treviño Morales for months. Early Monday morning, their moment came to swoop him into captivity…

 

Greeks go on strike against public sector cuts

Protesting civil servants hold banners during a rally in central Syntagma Square outside the Greek Parliament in Athens, Monday, July 15, 2013.

A day-long general strike has begun in Greece, called by trade unions, in protest against government plans to cut thousands of public sector jobs. The governmentneeds to pass a bill this week in order to start receiving 6.8bn euros (£5.8bn) of fresh…
photo: AP / Petros Giannakouris

Egypt: After a week of calm further clashes between police and pro-Morsi supporters leave 22 injured

Supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi throw stones against the opponents of Morsi and security forces during clashes in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Monday, July 15, 2013.

Egyptian police and protesters clashed in central Cairo early this morning after fights broke out between supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and locals angered when they tried to block major thoroughfares crossing theRiver Nile….
photo: AP / Hussein Malla

Bangladesh violence erupts over Ghulam Azam war crimes verdict

Bangladesh's Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami former chief Ghulam Azam, center on wheelchair, is escorted by security people to a court in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, July 15, 2013

Police have clashed with thousands of protesters in Bangladesh a day after the conviction of an Islamist party leader for war crimes, officials say. Ghulam Azam, leader of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, was jailed for crimes committed during…
photo: AP

Israeli PM Netanyahu says Iran ‘closer to bomb’ red line

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, attends a weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office in Israel Sunday, July 14, 2013.

Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Iran is getting ‘closer and closer to the bomb’, adding that he would not wait for too long in deciding whether to wage an attack on the nation aggressively…
photo: AP / Abir Sultan

Wave of bombings, shootings kill 38 in Iraq

Security forces inspect the scene of a car bomb attack in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 14, 2013.

BAGHDAD, IRAQ — A wave of coordinated blasts that tore through overwhelminglyShiite cities shortly before the breaking of the Ramadan fast and other attacks killed at least 38 in Iraq on Sunday, the latest in a surge of violence that is…
photo: AP / Nabil al-Jurani

Fans mourn ‘Glee’ star

Cory Monteith, a cast member in the television series "Glee," poses before a screening and Q&A for the show, at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, Tuesday, May 1, 2012.

Celebrities and fans alike all over the world were rocked by the sudden death of “Glee” star Cory Mon­teith, whose body was found in a Vancouver hotel room Saturday. “Speechless. And for the worst reason,” Taylor Swift…
photo: AP / Chris Pizzello

Calm on streets as Egypt assembles a cabinet

In this photo released by the Egyptian Presidency, pro-democracy leader Mohamed ElBaradei, a leader of the National Salvation Front, center left, shakes hands with interim President Adly Mansour after being sworn in as vice president in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt‘s interim prime minister was assembling his cabinet on Sunday to lead the country under an army-backed “road map” to restore civil rule, with peace having returned to the streets after the military removed PresidentMohamed…
photo: AP / Egyptian Presidency

 

 

 

Obama calls for calm after Zimmerman acquittal; thousands protest across US

15 Jul 2013

 

Sanford, Florida: U.S. President Barack Obama called for calm on Sunday after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, as thousands of civil rights demonstrators turned out at rallies to condemn racial profiling. Zimmerman, cleared late on Saturday by a Florida jury of six women, still… 
Demonstrators march through the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York, Sunday, July 14, 2013, holding a cut-out of Trayvon Martin during a protest against the acquittal of neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman in the killing of the 17-year-old in Florida.

 

 

 

Israeli PM Netanyahu says Iran ‘closer to bomb’ red line

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, attends a weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office in Israel Sunday, July 14, 2013.

Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Iran is getting ‘closer and closer to the bomb’, adding that he would not wait for too long in deciding whether to wage an attack on the nation aggressively…
photo: AP / Abir Sultan

Wave of bombings, shootings kill 38 in Iraq

Security forces inspect the scene of a car bomb attack in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 14, 2013.

BAGHDAD, IRAQ — A wave of coordinated blasts that tore through overwhelminglyShiite cities shortly before the breaking of the Ramadan fast and other attacks killed at least 38 in Iraq on Sunday, the latest in a surge of violence that is…
photo: AP / Nabil al-Jurani

Fans mourn ‘Glee’ star

Cory Monteith, a cast member in the television series "Glee," poses before a screening and Q&A for the show, at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, Tuesday, May 1, 2012.

Celebrities and fans alike all over the world were rocked by the sudden death of “Glee” star Cory Mon­teith, whose body was found in a Vancouver hotel room Saturday. “Speechless. And for the worst reason,” Taylor Swift…
photo: AP / Chris Pizzello

Calm on streets as Egypt assembles a cabinet

In this photo released by the Egyptian Presidency, pro-democracy leader Mohamed ElBaradei, a leader of the National Salvation Front, center left, shakes hands with interim President Adly Mansour after being sworn in as vice president in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt‘s interim prime minister was assembling his cabinet on Sunday to lead the country under an army-backed “road map” to restore civil rule, with peace having returned to the streets after the military removed PresidentMohamed…
photo: AP / Egyptian Presidency

In Syria, rival rebel factions fight each other

FILE -- In this Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 file photo, a rebel fighter stands guard at a check point flying an Islamic banner near the frontline in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood of Aleppo,

Syrian rebels head to the town of Bsankol in the northwestern province of Idlib to join those fighting regime forces for control of a highway Saturday. (Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty) BEIRUT — Western-backed opposition fighters and a faction of…
photo: AP / Narciso Contreras

Soldier suicide figures revealed

U.S. and British Army Soldiers take a tactical pause during a combat patrol in the Sangin District area of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, April 10, 2007

More British soldiers and veterans committed suicide last year than were killed in battle, according to reports. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that in 2012, seven serving soldiers were confirmed to have killed themselves, while a further 14 died…
photo: US Army/Spc. Daniel Love

France marks Bastille Day amid train crash aftermath

Railways workers are seen at the site where a train derailed Friday, at a station in Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, Saturday, July 13, 2013.

France is preparing to mark Bastille Day as investigations continue into the country’s worst rail disaster for 25 years. Six people were killed when a train derailed at Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, at 17:14 (15:14 GMT) on Friday. The…
photo: AP / Jacques Brinon

 

 

 

UK soldier and veteran suicides ‘outstrip Afghan deaths’

14 Jul 2013

 

More British soldiers and veterans took their own lives in 2012 than died fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan over the same period. The BBC‘s Panoramaprogramme has learned 21 serving soldiers killed themselves last year, along with 29 veterans. The Afghanistan death toll was 44, of whom 40 died in action. Some of the soldiers’ families… 
A British soldier with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) stands guard, as an Afghan youth sits on the ground near a place where a meeting with the ISAF forces with elders of a village in Nad Ali district of Helmand province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010.

 

 

 

Calm on streets as Egypt assembles a cabinet

In this photo released by the Egyptian Presidency, pro-democracy leader Mohamed ElBaradei, a leader of the National Salvation Front, center left, shakes hands with interim President Adly Mansour after being sworn in as vice president in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency)

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt‘s interim prime minister was assembling his cabinet on Sunday to lead the country under an army-backed “road map” to restore civil rule, with peace having returned to the streets after the military removed PresidentMohamed…
photo: AP / Egyptian Presidency

In Syria, rival rebel factions fight each other

FILE -- In this Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 file photo, a rebel fighter stands guard at a check point flying an Islamic banner near the frontline in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood of Aleppo,

Syrian rebels head to the town of Bsankol in the northwestern province of Idlib to join those fighting regime forces for control of a highway Saturday. (Daniel Leal-Olivas, AFP/Getty) BEIRUT — Western-backed opposition fighters and a faction of…
photo: AP / Narciso Contreras

Soldier suicide figures revealed

U.S. and British Army Soldiers take a tactical pause during a combat patrol in the Sangin District area of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, April 10, 2007

More British soldiers and veterans committed suicide last year than were killed in battle, according to reports. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that in 2012, seven serving soldiers were confirmed to have killed themselves, while a further 14 died…
photo: US Army/Spc. Daniel Love

France marks Bastille Day amid train crash aftermath

Railways workers are seen at the site where a train derailed Friday, at a station in Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, Saturday, July 13, 2013.

France is preparing to mark Bastille Day as investigations continue into the country’s worst rail disaster for 25 years. Six people were killed when a train derailed at Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, at 17:14 (15:14 GMT) on Friday. The…
photo: AP / Jacques Brinon

Belfast violence: Police attacked in second night of trouble

Loyalist rioters attack police in the Woodvale area of North Belfast, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 13, 2013.

14 July 2013 Last updated at 01:32 BST Police have been attacked with petrol bombs in north Belfast in a second night of violence in the city. Petrol bombs, stones, bottles and fireworks are among the missiles thrown at officers in theWoodvale area….
photo: AP / Peter Morrison

US urges Egypt’s army to free Morsi, supporters defiant

A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi holds a supporting banner during a rally near Cairo University, where protesters have installed their camp in Giza, southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Friday, July 12, 2013.

CAIRO: The United States on Friday called on Egypt‘s military to free deposed president Mohamed Morsi, as tens of thousands of his supporters vowed to keep fighting for his reinstatement. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil

 

 

 

 

Paris, French official says

By CNN Staff
July 13, 2013 —
Rescuers work on the site of a train accident in the railway station of Bretigny-sur-Orge, on Friday, July 12 near Paris. The train was passing through the station but was not scheduled to stop there, according to Guillaume Pepy, president of the French national railway company, SNCF.
Rescuers work on the site of a train accident in the railway station of Bretigny-sur-Orge, on Friday, July 12 near Paris. The train was passing through the station but was not scheduled to stop there, according to Guillaume Pepy, president of the French national railway company, SNCF.
 

 

 

 

Microsoft, NSA collaborated closely on spying, report says

12 Jul 2013

 

WASHINGTON — Microsoft has collaborated with the National Security Agency more extensively than it previously acknowledged, providing the spy agency with up-to-date access to its customer data whenever the company changes its encryption and related software technology, according to a new report based on disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward… 
A banner supporting Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, is displayed at Central, Hong Kong's business district, Wednesday, June 19, 2013.
photo: AP / Kin Cheung

 

 

 

Thousands strike in Brazil for better working conditions

Striking workers march in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, July 11, 2013.

Tens of thousands of workers across Brazil walked off their jobs on Thursday in a mostly peaceful nationwide strike demanding better working conditions and improved public services in Latin America‘s biggest nation. Metalworkers, transportation and…
photo: AP / Andre Penner

Fire breaks out in another office complex in Srinagar

Fire breaks out in another office complex in Srinagar

A major fire broke out at Zamzam Complex, housing about a dozen of the State Government offices, in Rambagh area of uptown Srinagar, on Thursday evening.SSP Srinagar Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari told The Hindu that fire tenders rushed for firefighting…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar

Amid prayer and penance, Ramadan begins in Kashmir

Amid prayer and penance, Ramadan begins in Kashmir

Srinagar: The holy month of Ramadan started here on Thursday as Muslims thronged mosques for morning prayers after beginning their day-long fast. According to Muslim faith, Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, represents the 30-day…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar

18th Anniversary of Srebrenica Genocide

A woman mourns beside the coffin of her relative at the Potocari memorial complex near Srebrenica, some 160 kilometers east of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wednesday, July 11, 2012.

Thursday, 11 July 2013, 3:35 pm Press Release: US State Department 18thAnniversary of Srebrenica Genocide Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of StateWashington, DC July 10, 2013 On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I join the…
photo: AP / Marko Drobnjakovic

Morsi being held in safe place – Egypt foreign ministry

Supporters of the ousted Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi, hold his portrait during a demonstration after the Iftar prayer, evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan, in Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday July 10, 2013.

Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is being held in a “safe place”, a foreign ministry spokesman says. Badr Abdul Atti told reporters on Wednesday he did not know where the 61-year-old Islamist was, but he was being treated in a…
photo: AP / Hussein Malla

In Syria, no letup in fighting as Ramadan begins

This Tuesday, July 9, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian rebels running during heavy clashes with Syrian soldiers loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, in the Salah al-Din neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria.

As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began Wednesday in Syria, civilians in parts of Aleppo, Homs and the Damascus suburbs remained cut off from food and aid supplies as government and rebel forces tried to besiege each other into submission. Ahmad…
photo: AP / Aleppo Media Center AMC

Pakistan president’s security chief killed in bombing

Pakistani security officials and media persons gather around a damaged vehicle at the site of suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, July 10, 2013.

Deadly blast: Security chief’s death raises fears for safety of public figures. Photo: AP President Asif Ali Zardari‘s chief security officer was killed in a bombing inPakistan’s port city of Karachi on Wednesday, raising concerns about the…
photo: AP / Fareed Khan

 

 

 

 

Death toll rises in Canada train disaster, engineer blamed

11 Jul 2013

 

At least 20 people have been killed and 30 more are likely dead after an unmanned train derailed and exploded in Quebec, officials have said. The railway owner has said the accident was the fault of a lone engineer. Quebec police inspector Michel Forget told reporters on Wednesday that the death toll in the train explosion had risen to 20 and that… 
Smoke rises from railway cars that were carrying crude oil after derailing in downtown Lac Megantic, Quebec, Canada, Saturday, July 6, 2013.

 

 

 

 

Israel bolsters defences at Syrian border after regime forces take Golan

An Israeli soldier walks atop a tank near the Quneitra crossing to Syria, Thursday, June 6, 2013.

The Israeli army has significantly increased its manpower on the Syrian border close to the only border crossing between the two countries, which became the scene of a battle between Syrian government and opposition fighters yesterday. The reserve…
photo: AP / Sebastian

France, Japan join forces for larger share of nuclear market

French President Francois Hollande, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, prior to their summit meeting at Abe's official residence in Tokyo Friday, June 7, 2013.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan and France on Friday agreed to boost nuclear cooperation to secure a larger share of global atomic energy markets as Tokyo‘s pro-nuclear government looks to restart reactors despite public unease in the wake of the Fukushima…
photo: AP / Toru Yamanaka

Charity warns: Half of Britons living in 2020 will get cancer

People gather at Tower Bridge over the river Thames in central London, to watch a 1,000-boat flotilla part of the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne, Sunday, June 3, 2012.

Almost half of the UK population in 2020 will get cancer in their lifetime – but four in every 10 will survive the disease, the country’s leading cancer charity has said. The startling prediction from Macmillan Cancer Support came with a warning…
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis

Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ‘honest’ about desire to become the country’s president

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attends a meeting of the Committee and Commission founded by Myanmar's Lower House, the Myanmar Bank Association, and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Revenue, at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in Yangon, Myanmar.

Burma‘s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has underlined her desire to become the country’s president, saying to pretend otherwise would be dishonest. She also said that if everyone in the country benefited from democratic reforms it would be harder…
photo: AP / Khin Maung Win

North And South Korea Agree To First Dialogue In Years Koreas agree to hold first …

A North Korean soldier looks at the southern side through a pair of binoculars at the border village of the Panmunjom (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

SEOUL, South Korea — North and South Korea agreed Thursday to hold their first government dialogue in years, an abrupt change after tensions over the North‘s nuclear program this year escalated into one of the divided peninsula’s worst…
photo: AP / Lee Jin-man

Putins Announce Their Divorce

THE GRAND KREMLIN PALACE, MOSCOW. President Putin with Lyudmila Putin at a party after the inauguration ceremony.

MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin pulled off one of his most audacious pieces of stagecraft, attending a ballet with his rarely seen wife and then announcing their marriage is over. But how will it play to his audience of 143 million Russians? Connect With Us…
photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office

Chess Grand Master Garry Kasparov Is Latest Russian to Flee

Garry Kasparov of Russia (dn1)

Share 0 Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov has fled his country because he says he fears political persecution if he stays. “I kept traveling back and forth until late February, where it became clear that I might be part of this ongoing…
photo: AP-Stanislav Peska-CTK

 

 

 

Egypt prosecutor orders arrest of Brotherhood leaders

10 Jul 2013

 

Egypt’s prosecutor ordered the arrest on Wednesday of the leaders of oustedPresident Mohammed Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood, charging them with inciting violence that saw 55 of their members shot dead. A week after the army toppled Egypt’s first democratically elected leader, the bloodshed on Monday has opened fissures in the Arab world’s most… 
The Muslim Brotherhood's General Guide Mohammed Badie speaks onstage as military helicopters fly overhead before tens of thousands of supporters in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, July 5, 2013, his first in public speech since president Mohammed Morsi's ouster.

 

 

 

Boston Bombings Suspect To Appear, Survivors To Be In Court

Boston Explosions

On the court’s website, it says his arraignment is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. We’ll watch for news from the proceeding and update. Authorities say that Tsarnaev and his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan, who died of injuries…
photo: Creative Commons

Tibetan political leader Dr Sangay wishes the Dalai Lama a happy birthday

His Holiness the 14th Dalai lama of Tibet speaking to the newly elected Tibetan prime minister, Dr Lobsang Sangay during the 3-day conference of all India Tibet Support groups being held in Dharamshala, India from June 9 2012.

Article by Yeshe Choesang, WN Correspondent Dharamshala. Dharamshala: – Marking the auspicious occasion of the birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, the Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay has offered a statement – highlighting the…
photo: WN / Yeshe Choesang

Mudslide in China buries dozens

An earthquake survivor stands next to the rubble of his collapsed house in Yinghua town of southwest China's Sichuan province, Friday, May 16, 2008. A strong aftershock sparked landslides Friday near the epicenter of this week's powerful earthquake, again cutting off ravaged areas of central Ch

Flooding in western China has triggered a landslide that buried up to 40 people and destroyed a high-profile memorial to a devastating 2008 earthquake. There was no immediate word on the chances of…
photo: AP / Oded Balilty

Czech president swears in cabinet in showdown with parliament

Czech Republic's President Milos Zeman, right, appoints new Minister of Finance, Jan Fischer, left, at the Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, July 10, 2013.

PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech President Milos Zeman swore in a cabinet led by a longtime ally on Wednesday that faces almost certain rejection by parties in parliament, raising the prospect of prolonged political uncertainty in the centralEuropean…
photo: AP / Petr David Josek

Tsvangirai wants voter registration period extended

File - Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai attends a memorial service at a local church held to remember those killed during Zimbabwe's election violence, in Harare, Wednesday, April, 6, 2011.

Related articles Zimbabwe election fever grows Poll preparation nightmare for cash-strapped Zimbabwe Tsvangirai joins forces with Makoni in bid to defeatMugabe In this article People: Robert Mugabe HARARE — Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)…
photo: AP / Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

Sea Water Contamination Feared at Fukushima Plant

In this undated but recent photo released by Tokyo Electric Power Co., the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant reactors stand in line intact in Okumamachi in Fukushima Prefecture (state), northeastern Japan. Reactors encased in square boxes, from left, are: Unit 4, Unit 3, Unit 2, Unit 1, Unit 5 and Unit 6.

TOKYO — Japan‘s nuclear watchdog says the crippled Fukushima plant is likely leaking contaminated water into sea, a problem long suspected by experts.Watchdog commissioners instructed operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Wednesday to find where the…
photo: AP / Tokyo Electric Power Co.

Fukushima Nuclear Boss Dies Of Cancer

A radiation detection device sits as new evacuees arrive for screening at an evacuee center for leaked radiation from the damaged Fukushima nuclear facilities, Monday, March 21, 2011, in Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Despite living in such proximity to the Fukushima nuclear facility, evacuees at the shelter had never had an emergency drill to prepare them for a nuclear disaster.

The nuclear power plant chief who led the life-risking battle to stabilise the crippled Fukushima reactors in Japan two years ago has died of oesophageal cancer.Masao Yoshida, 58, died on Tuesday in a Tokyo hospital, a spokesman for the nuclear…
photo: AP / Wally Santana

 

 

 

 

 

Brazil: No Police Investigation Yet in US Spying

 Jul 2013

 

BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil’s federal police say they have not yet been asked to investigate a newspaper report that the U.S. collected billions of telephone and email conversations in the Latin American country, possibly by getting some of the information from Brazilian companies. Brazilian leaders weighed opening an investigation into whether… 
A Brazilian worker organizes secret documents gathered during Brazil´s military dictatorship, in the headquarters of the National Library Archive in Brasilia, Brazil, on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005. The government said Wednesday it was opening the cla

 

 

 

 

 

Bin Laden report reveals Pakistani ‘incompetence’

09 Jul 2013

 

Pakistan’s intelligence services showed gross incompetence and “culpable negligence” in failing to detect the presence of Osama bin Laden for years, according to an official report leaked Monday, which also reveals tidbits about his personal life. By News Wires (text) Osama bin Laden lived in plain sight for almost a decade and was once even… 
Osama bin Laden is seen in this image broadcast Wednesday, April, 17, 2002, by the London-based Middle East Broacasting Corp.

 

 

 

Egypt unrest: Brotherhood rejects Mansour poll decree

A national flag waves on the barbed wire as army soldiers guard at the Republican Guard building in Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, July 9, 2013.

Senior officials in Egypt‘s Muslim Brotherhood have rejected a timetable for new elections laid out by interim president Adly Mansour. Leading Brotherhood figure Essam al-Erian says the plan for constitutional changes and a vote next year…
photo: AP / Khalil Hamra

Trial of Costa Concordia captain set to begin

The cruise ship Costa Concordia leans on its side, after it ran aground off the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012.

The trial of Francesco Schettino, the captain of the shipwrecked Costa Concordiacruise liner, is set to begin. He faces several charges, including multiple manslaughter, for the January 2012 crash that killed 32 people. CaptainFrancesco Schettino…
photo: AP / Gregorio Borgia

UN Chief Urges Syria Truce for Ramadan

Secretary-General Addresses Assembly on 2013 UN Challenges and Priorities Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefs the General Assembly on what the UN and Member States have achieved together over the past year and “where concerted action today can yield great gains tomorrow.” Among the challenges he cited were the situations in Syria, Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as progress on sustainable development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on Syrian forces and rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad to halt their fighting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins Tuesday. Mr. Ban says he is not looking for a negotiated…
photo: UN / Rick Bajornas

U.N. chief Ban appeals for Ramadan truce across Syria

This Tuesday, May 14, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows the mother of a Syrian rebel cleaning a rifle, in Aleppo, Syria.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed on Monday for forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebel fighters inSyria to put down their weapons during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In a statement, Ban…
photo: AP / Aleppo Media Center AMC

Musharraf may face death penalty in Pakistan

Musharraf May Remain as Pakistan´s Military Chief

Pakistan’s fallen former military dictator Pervez Musharraf has been ordered to face court in Islamabad on Tuesday, his…
photo: WN

News Summary: Stocks Up Ahead of Company Earnings

Trader Steve Grasso, left, and specialist Robert Tuccillo confer on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010

COMPANY EARNINGS: Cautious optimism about corporate earnings sent the stock market higher on Monday. U.S. companies start reporting their second-quarter results this week. RUSSELL RECORD: The Russell 2000, an index of small companies closed at a…
photo: AP / Richard Drew

Explain espionage, Brazil tells US

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota greet United States President Barack Obama and his family on their arrival at the Pálacio do Alvorada in Brasilia on 19 March 2011.

Tweet Brasilia, July 8 (IANS) Brazil has asked the US to explain espionage conducted against Brazilian citizens and institutions as part of its global surveillance programme, a minister said. “The Brazilian government asked, through Brazil’s…
photo: Public Domain / Pete Souza

 

 

 

 

Egypt unrest: Morsi supporters ‘shot dead’ in Cairo

08 Jul 2013
At least seven people have been killed after the army raided a sit-in staged by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo, reports say. One eyewitness from the Muslim Brotherhood told the…
Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi wave Egyptian flags and hold his picture during a rally near Cairo University in Giza, Egypt, Sunday, July 7, 2013.

 

 

 

 

Egypt: Gunfire at military building leaves 40 dead

Egyptian soldiers on armored personnel carriers stand guard on a street to Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, July 8, 2013.

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian soldiers and police opened fire on supporters of the ousted president early Monday in violence that left at least 40 people killed, including one officer, outside a military building in Cairo where demonstrators had been…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil

16 Egypt coup protesters shot dead in Cairo: Islamists

Egyptian army soldiers take their positions on top of their armored vehicle to guard the entrances of Tahrir square, in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, July 8, 2013.

Published July 08, 2013AFP Egyptian supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood rally on July 7, 2013 in support of deposed president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo. Egyptian security forces shot dead 16 Islamist activists early Monday during a protest in Cairo,…
photo: AP / Hassan Ammar

Wimbledon: Andy Murray celebrates win into night

Day 6 - Andy Murray (GBR) v Feliciano Lopez (ESP) - US Open 2012 USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center New York City, USA - September 1, 2012

8 July 2013 Last updated at 06:54 BST Celebrations continued late into the night after Andy Murray made tennis history in winning Wimbledon on Sunday. He joined friends and family as guest of honour at the traditional Champion‘s dinner after beating…
photo: WN / Aaron Gilbert

Raul Castro rages against Cubans’ sloppy habits and decaying morals

Cuba's President Raul Castro delivers his speech at the closing of the second day of a twice-annual legislative sessions, at the National Assembly in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, July 7, 2013

The 82-year-old Cuban president denounces petty ‘social indiscipline’ such as drinking and swearing in the street Raul Castro delivers his speech to the national assembly in Havana. Photograph: Ismael Francisco/AP Raul Castro spent the lion’s share…
photo: AP / Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate

Morgan Tsvangirai launches campaign with ‘heavy heart’

Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) President Morgan Tsvangirai greets the crowd at the launch of the party's election campaign in Marondera, east of Harare, Sunday, July, 7, 2013.

8 July 2013 Last updated at 04:05 BST Zimbabwe‘s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has launched his third campaign to unseat the veteran PresidentRobert Mugabe. The country is due to vote at the end of July but critics say crucial reforms have not…
photo: AP / Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

Brazilian Referee Decapitated by Fans After He Stabs And Kills Player

Police officers stand guard the entrance to Argentina's Tigre's dressing room after a fight among teams' members at the end of the first half of the Copa Sudamericana final soccer match against Brazil's Sao Paulo FC in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012.

When they’re not shouting G-O-O-O-O-A-L!!!! in Brazil, they’re decapitating their murderous referees. An amateur soccer game in Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil, on June 30 turned deadly after a young referee gave a player the red card. 20-year-old Otavio…
photo: AP / Andre Penner

Ultra-Orthodox Jews To Serve In Israeli Military; Law Approved By Israeli Cabinet

An Ultra-orthodox Jewish man holds his ID card as he waitS to vote in Bnei Brak, Israel, during legislative elections, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013.

By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM, July 7 (Reuters) – Israel‘s cabinet approved a draft law on Sunday to abolish wholesale exemptions from military duty granted toJewish seminary students, stoking ultra-Orthodox anger over the break with tradition. Many…
photo: AP / Oded Balilty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two die, 200 sent to hospitals after jet crashes in San Francisco

07 Jul 2013

 

SAN FRANCISCO – The weather was crystal clear. The 5,600-mile flight was moments from touching down on Runway 28 at San Francisco International Airport. And then the passengers heard the loud bang. Within moments of the 11:27 a.m. crash landing, Asiana Airways Flight 214 skidded, lost its tail and caught fire, burning two huge holes in the top… 
This aerial photo shows the wreckage of the Asiana Flight 214 airplane after it crashed at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egypt puts on hold PM’s appointment as Salafists reject ElBaradei

This image released by the office of the Egyptian Presidency on Saturday, July 6, 2013 shows newly-appointed interim Prime Minister Mohamed Elbaradei, left, meeting with interim president Adly Mansour, right, at the presidential palace.

The choice of Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei as Egypt‘s interim premier hit opposition within the coalition that backed Mohamed Morsi’s overthrow, as supporters and opponents of the deposed Islamist president planned rival rallies Sunday. The…
photo: AP / Egyptian Presidency

Egypt’s new regime born in chaos as violence spreads

A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi stands guard at a barricade near Cairo University, where protesters have installed their camp in Giza, southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 7, 2013.

There was confusion last night after Mohamed ElBaradei was authoritatively reported to have been appointed as Egypt’s interim prime minister by the acting president, Adly Mansour. He was expected take the country along a military-imposed political…
photo: AP / Manu Brabo

 

 

 

Nicaragua, Venezuela offer asylum to Snowden

06 Jul 2013

 

MANAGUA, NICARAGUA — ? The presidents of Nicaragua and Venezuelaoffered Friday to grant asylum to National Security Agency leaker EdwardSnowden, one day after leftist South American leaders gathered to denounce the rerouting of Bolivian President Evo Morales? plane over Europe amid reports that the American was aboard. Daniel Ortega of… 
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro offered Friday to grant asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden

 

Syrian troops advance in rebel-held parts of Homs

A Syrian tank is seen in Idlib, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012.

BEIRUT — Syrian troops have advanced into rebel-held areas of the city of Homs, occupying buildings after pummeling the area with artillery that drove out opposition fighters, an activist said Saturday. The push into Khaldiyeh district was the…
photo: AP

Djokovic stands in way of Murray and history

Serbia's Novak Djokovic, right, returns a shot to Britain's Andy Murray during the championship match at the 2012 US Open tennis tournament, Monday, Sept. 10, 2012, in New York.

Tweet London, July 6 (IANS) Andy Murray will have another shot at becoming the first British man to win the Wimbledon crown in 77 years when he takes on World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the final here Sunday. Both Murray and Djokovic had tough semifinal…
photo: AP / Kathy Willens

Britain to deport radical cleric Abu Qatada on Sunday -papers

File - Abu Qatada is driven away after being refused bail at a hearing at London's Special Immigration Appeals Commission, which handles deportation and security cases, in London, Tuesday, April 17, 2012.

Reuters July 6, 2013 – 10:51 LONDON (Reuters) – Radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada will be deported by Britain to Jordan on Sunday, ending eight years of government efforts to send him home for trial, British papers reported on Saturday. Abu…
photo: AP / Matt Dunham

Iraq Bombings Leave 22 Dead North Of Baghdad

Relatives of slain worshippers sit outside the Hussienieh Ali Basha mosque as they wait for the funerals at Baghdad's Kiraiyat neighborhood, Iraq, Saturday, July 6, 2013.

Bombings in Iraq on Friday left 22 dead and several more injured north ofBaghdad. The attacks appeared to target Shiites with a car bomb and other attacks. The bombings were the latest in an increasing wave of violence across the country, which is…
photo: AP / Khalid Mohammed

US, UN condemn violence in Egypt

Egyptian protesters set a government building on fire during clashes with police, unseen, in Port Said, Egypt, Monday, March 4, 2013.

WASHINGTON: The US and the United Nations have condemned the violence that has erupted in Egypt following the ouster of Mohammed Morsi, and askedEgyptians to resolve their differences peacefully. “We condemn the violence that has taken place today…
photo: AP / Ahmed Ramadan

Egypt on edge after clashes and Islamist pushback

Opponents of ousted Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi hurl stones against Muslim Brotherhood supporters near Tahrir Square, Cairo Friday, July 5, 2013.

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptians were on edge Saturday morning after supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohammed Morsi fought overnight street battles that left at least 30 dead across the increasingly divided country. Cairo‘s emblematic Tahrir…
photo: AP / Manu Brabo

Japan PM’s ruling bloc headed for big election win: surveys

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waves during a upper house election campaign rally in Tokyo, Thursday, July 4, 2013.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe‘s ruling bloc is headed for a big victory in this month’s upper house election, media surveys show, a win that would end a parliamentary deadlock and set the stage for Japan‘s first stable government since…
photo: AP / Koji Sasahara

 

 

 

 

France ‘operates massive spy network’ like Prism

05 Jul 2013

 

A leading French newspaper says France’s intelligence services have put in place a giant electronic information gathering network. Citing no sources, theLe Monde daily says France’s Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure, the country’s foreign intelligence agency, systematically collects information about all electronic data… 
KLps1 - May 07 - Cellular - Cell Phone - Mobile Phone - Technology - Talking - Calling.(ps1)

 

 

Afghan suicide bomber kills 12 in attack on police

Afghans carry the body of a suicide attack victim at the hospital in Maymana, Faryab province north west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) â?? Authorities say a suicide bomber sneaked into a police dining hall in central Afghanistan at lunchtime and blew himself up, killing 12 other people. Uruzgan provincial government spokesman Abdullah Himmat says authorities…
photo: AP / Talash Suroosh

Syrian opposition bloc urges world to protect Homs

This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian rebels preparing to repel a coordinated attack by government forces, in Qusair, Homs province, Syria, Sunday, May 19, 2013.

BEIRUT (AP) â?? Syria‘s main opposition bloc is urging the international community to take action to protect civilians in the cities of Homs and Daraa, targeted by the military. The Syrian National Coalition is appealing to the United Nations and…
photo: AP / Qusair Lens

Violent clashes in Peru over new public sector law

Men carry a concrete block in an attempt to make a barricade during a protest against the new civil service law that will require government employees to undergo work evaluations, in Lima, Peru, Thursday, July 4, 2013.

5 July 2013 Last updated at 07:47 BST Police and protesters have clashed in thePeruvian capital Lima at demonstrations against a new law for workers in the public sector. The law introduces annual performance assessments for civil servants and…
photo: AP / Rodrigo Abd

Egypt’s Brotherhood calls for protests Friday

Supporters of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans during a rally, in Nasser City, Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, July 4, 2013.

SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press= CAIRO (AP) â?? Egypt‘s Muslim Brotherhoodcalled for a wave of protests Friday, furious over the military’s ouster of its president and arrest of its revered leader and other top figures, underlining the touchy issue…
photo: AP

U.S. officials approach tumult in Egypt with caution

President Barack Obama walks to board his helicopter as he leaves the White House en route to Guadalajara, Mexico, for meetings with Prime Minister Harper of Canada and President Calderon of Mexico, in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and his national security team have tread delicately in the aftermath of the ouster of Egyptian President MohammedMorsi, urging the restive nation to quickly return authority to a democratically elected…
photo: AP / J. Scott Applewhite

Nelson Mandela not in vegetative state: South African govt

In this image taken from video, South African President Jacob Zuma, centre left, sits with the ailing anti-apartheid icon Nelson Madela, centre right, is filmed Monday April 29, 2013, with unidentified members of his family and his medical team as they pose together more than three weeks after Mandela was released from hospital. Mandela was treated in hospital for a recurring lung infection.

Johannesburg: The South African government has dismissed media reports that said anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela was in a permanent vegetative state with a life support machine keeping him alive in hospital. “The Presidency has noted media reports…
photo: AP / SABC TV

Evo Morales threatens to close Bolivia’s US embassy as leaders lend support

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, left, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, right, and Bolivia's President Evo Morales acknowledge supporters during a welcome ceremony for presidents attending an extraordinary meeting in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Thursday , July 4, 2013.

Anger at US and EU from Bolivia‘s left-leaning South American allies at meeting to discuss rerouting of Morales’ plane Left to right: Bolivia’s vice-president, Alvaro Garcia Linera; presidents Nicolas Maduro (Venezuela); Evo Morales (Bolivia); and…
photo: AP / Juan Karita

 

 

 

 

 

 

West calls for swift return to democracy in Egypt

04 Jul 2013

 

PARIS – Western powers called for restraint and a swift return to democracy in Egypt after the army on Wednesday toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, detaining him and his top aides. The military said it had responded to mass demonstrations calling on Morsi to go, but the West expressed unease that Egypt’s first democratically elected leader… 
An Egyptian opposition protester holds a chair and knife during a clash between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi in downtown Damietta, Egypt, Wednesday, July 3, 2013.

 

 

Inventor of Computer Mouse, Doug Engelbart dies at the age of 88

Douglas Engelbart

Tweet Computer mouse is or has been used by every individual that can sit on computer. It gave way to touchpad for laptops but is still used in more number than its counterpart. The man who invented the Computer mouse, Doug Engelbart died today at…
photo: Flickr

Seoul proposes new talks on Kaesong

South Korean worker takes a rest in front of signboard showing the names of two stations, North Korea's Kaesong, a joint industrial park, and South Korea's Imjingak, in the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, at Dorasan Station in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 24, 2006. North Korea on Wednesday abruptly canceled groundbreaking test runs of trains across its highly guarded border with South Korea, citing an atmosphere of confrontation and war.

Seoul – South Korea offered to hold talks with North Korea aimed at re-opening a jointly run factory park near the armed border between the two countries just three weeks after their last attempt at dialogue faltered amid bickering over protocol. The…
photo: AP / Lee Jin-man

Obama treads cautiously on Egypt leader’s ouster

President Barack Obama talks on the phone

JOSH LEDERMAN Associated Press= WASHINGTON (AP) â?? The Obama administration is treading carefully after Egypt‘s military overthrew its president, wary of taking sides in a conflict that pits a democratically elected leader against a people’s…
photo: Public Domain / Pete Souza

Egypt crisis: Interim president to be sworn in after Morsi ousted

Opponents of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi flash victory signs and wave national flags in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, July 3, 2013.

The top judge of Egypt‘s constitutional court, Adli Mansour, is to be sworn in as interim leader, hours after the army ousted President Mohammed Morsi. Armychief Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi announced the move in a TV address on Wednesday evening,…
photo: AP / Hassan Ammar

Belgium’s King Albert II announces abdication

Belgian King Albert II addresses the nation, during a television speech at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Wednesday, July 3, 2013. Belgian King Albert has unexpectedly announced that he will step down in favor of his son, Crown Prince Philippe. on July 21, 2013.

4 July 2013 Last updated at 06:53 BST The King of the Belgians, Albert II, has announced his abdication. In a national televised address, the 79-year-old monarch said he would step down in favour of his son Crown Prince Philippe, 53, on 21 July,…
photo: AP / Eric Lalmand

Obama urges return to civilian rule in Egypt

President Barack Obama talks about health care reform as he announces his nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, not pictured, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 13, 2009

Tweet Washington, July 4 (IANS) US President Barack Obama Wednesday expressed “deep concern” over the Egyptian military‘s decision to removePresident Mohamed Morsi from power and…
photo: AP / Charles Dharapak

Sexy Russian spy proposes marriage to NSA whistleblower on Twitter

This undated image taken from the Russian social networking website "Odnoklassniki", or Classmates, shows a woman journalists have identified as Anna Chapman, who appeared at a hearing Monday, June 28, 2010 in New York federal court. Chapman, along with 10 others, was arrested on charges of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the U.S. attorney general. The caption on Odnoklassniki reads "Russia, Moscow. Left 4 dead???"

Tweet Washington, July 4 (ANI): Ex-Russian spy Anna Chapman has reportedly proposed marriage to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on microblogging site Twitter. According to the New York Daily Times, Chapman posted a tweet which read, ‘Snowden will…

 

 

Biggest protest in Egypt’s history’: LIVE UPDATES

Edited time: July 03, 2013 18:09

An aerial view shows protesters against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in Tahrir Square in Cairo July 3, 2013. (Reuters/Suhaib Salem)An aerial view shows protesters against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in Tahrir Square in Cairo July 3, 2013. (Reuters/Suhaib Salem)

 MORSI UNDER TRAVEL BAN…..TANKS DEPLOYED IN CITIES……CLASHES ONGOING……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP / Getty Images
BY JEFFREY FLEISHMAN
The clock in Egypt is ticking toward the ‘final hours’ that will determine whether the army will seize control and end President Morsi’s rule.

 

 

 

 

 

Taliban attack NATO supply base in Kabul, 11 killed

 Jul 2013

 

Kabul: At least 11 people were killed Tuesday morning when the Taliban launched an attack on a NATO supply base in the eastern part of the Afghancapital, the seventh massive attack in Kabul within two months, police said. Two civilian drivers, four Nepalese guards, one Afghan guard and four militants were killed, reported Xinhua. “A truck bomb was… 
Soldiers with the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) arrive at the scene of a militant attack in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010.
photo: AP / Musadeq Sadeq

 

 

 

 

 

Obama honours 1998 Tanzania bombing dead

Obama honours 1998 Tanzania bombing dead

US President Barack Obama has laid a wreath for the victims of the 1998 US embassy bombing in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam. Eleven Americans were killed in the al-Qaeda…
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster

Syria, Snowden top topics for Kerry-Lavrov meeting

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Berlin on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei—The Syrian crisis and National Security Agencyleaker Edward Snowden were hot-button topics Tuesday at U.S. Secretary of StateJohn Kerry‘s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of an…
photo: AP / dpa,Maurizio Gambarini

Egypt on edge after army’s ultimatum to president

Opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans during a protest outside the presidential palace, in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, July 1, 2013.

HAMZA HENDAWI Associated Press= CAIRO (AP) â?? Egypt was on edge Tuesday following a “last-chance” ultimatum the military issued to Mohammed Morsi, giving the president and the opposition 48 hours to resolve the crisis in the country or have the army…
photo: AP / Hassan Ammar

11 killed as Taliban attack NATO supply base in Kabul

Afghan men assist an injured man after a suicide bombing at the gate to a NATO compound in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, July 2, 2013.

KABUL, July 2 (Xinhua) — At least 11 people were killed early Tuesday morningwhen Taliban launched an attack on a NATO supply base in the eastern part of theAfghan capital, the seventh massive attack in Kabul within two months, said police. The…
photo: AP / Rahmat Gul

Egypt’s Massive Anti-Morsi Protests Head Into Day Two

Egyptian protesters hold a banner in Tahrir Square during a demonstration against Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo, Sunday, June 30, 2013.

CAIRO (AP) — Protesters seeking to force Egypt‘s president from office were gearing up Monday for a second day of demonstrations, a day after millions poured into the streets of Cairo and cities around the country in a massive display of anger…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil

Kerry shifts focus from Mideast to Asia

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, waves upon his arrival at the US-ASEAN ministerial meeting in the International Conference Center in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, Monday, July 1, 2013.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerryswapped his Mideast peace portfolio for issues in emerging Southeast Asia and road bumps in U.S. relations with Russia and China when he landed Monday in Brunei for a regional…
photo: AP / Jacquelyn Martin

Former Chadian dictator Habre detained in Senegal

Former Chad dictator Hissene Habre, center, waves to reporters as he is led into a car to be taken back to jail following a preliminary court hearing in Dakar, Senegal on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005. Senegalese authorities on Tuesday arrested Habre, who is wa

Related articles Senegal to try former Chadian president Chad‘s Habre ‘willing’ to answer to charges DAKAR — Senegalese authorities on Sunday detained former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, the first step towards a trial on charges of crimes against…
photo: AP/Rebecca Blackwell

 

 

Snowden leaks: Fresh US bugging claims as EU seeks answers

01 Jul 2013

 

France, Greece and Italy have been the “targets” of US spying operations, according to the latest files leaked to Britain’s Guardian newspaper. Citing a document by the National Security Agency, it says America‘s non-European allies were also targeted. The claim follows a report by Germany‘s Der Spiegelmagazine saying EU… 
In this picture, taken Saturday June 29, 2013, a demonstrator protests with a poster against NSA in Hanover, Germany.

 

 

 

Egypt’s Massive Anti-Morsi Protests Head Into Day Two

Egyptian protesters hold a banner in Tahrir Square during a demonstration against Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo, Sunday, June 30, 2013.

CAIRO (AP) — Protesters seeking to force Egypt‘s president from office were gearing up Monday for a second day of demonstrations, a day after millions poured into the streets of Cairo and cities around the country in a massive display of anger…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil

Kerry shifts focus from Mideast to Asia

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, waves upon his arrival at the US-ASEAN ministerial meeting in the International Conference Center in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, Monday, July 1, 2013.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerryswapped his Mideast peace portfolio for issues in emerging Southeast Asia and road bumps in U.S. relations with Russia and China when he landed Monday in Brunei for a regional…
photo: AP / Jacquelyn Martin

Former Chadian dictator Habre detained in Senegal

Former Chad dictator Hissene Habre, center, waves to reporters as he is led into a car to be taken back to jail following a preliminary court hearing in Dakar, Senegal on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005. Senegalese authorities on Tuesday arrested Habre, who is wa

Related articles Senegal to try former Chadian president Chad‘s Habre ‘willing’ to answer to charges DAKAR — Senegalese authorities on Sunday detained former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, the first step towards a trial on charges of crimes against…
photo: AP/Rebecca Blackwell

Efforts on to evacuate 900 people in Uttarakhand, extricate bodies

Uttarakhand state policemen and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel perform mass cremation of the bodies of pilgrims who died in a flood fury in Kedarnath, one of the holiest worship places of Hindus dedicated to Lord Shiva, India, Sunday, June 30, 2013.

DEHRADUN: Last ditch efforts were on Monday on to evacuate about 900 people from Badrinath amid overcast conditions at some places in Uttarakhand where authorities were grappling with the task of extricating bodies from under tonnes of debris lying…
photo: AP

Hong Kong set for 1 July democracy march

Police officers surround protesters near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre where a flag raising ceremony is taking place to mark the 16th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China in Hong Kong Monday, July 1, 2013.

Huge crowds are expected to join an annual pro-democracy march in Hong Kong, as it marks the 16th anniversary of the handover to China. Participants are demanding democratic reform and protesting against the leadership of the current chief executive,…
photo: AP / Kin Cheung

Kedarnathji temple in Kedarnath, Uttarkhand, India

Nearly 3,000 people are still missing following floods and landslides which hitIndia‘s Uttarakhand state a fortnight ago, the chief minister of the state has said. More than 800 people are reported to have been killed so far but Vijay Bahuguna…
photo: Creative Commons / Atarax42

Brazil Tops Spain 3-0: Neymar, Fred Lift Hosts In Confederations Cup Final (VIDEO/PHOTOS)

Brazil's Fred, left, and Neymar celebrate after Fred scored the opening goal during the soccer Confederations Cup final

Fred of Brazil celebrates with his team-mates after scoring his team’s third goal to make the score 3-0 during the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Final match between Brazil and Spain at Maracana on June 30, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.RIO DE…
photo: AP / Victor R. Caivano

 

Sending Missiles to Syrian Rebels, Qatar Muscles In

30 Jun 2013

 

WASHINGTON — As an intermittent supply of arms to the Syrian opposition gathered momentum last year, the Obama administration repeatedly implored its Arab allies to keep one type of powerful weapon out of the rebels’ hands: heat-seeking shoulder-fired missiles. Multimedia Video Feature WatchingSyria’s War Battling Flames After Shells Land in City… 
From left to right, Saudi Crown Prince Salam bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,Qatar's Crown Prince Sheik Tameem Al Thani, Kuwait's Emir Sheik Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, walk to attend Gulf Cooperation Council GCC summit

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bombing in Peshawar kills 17, injures 20

Pakistani medics and volunteers cover the lifeless bodies of a bomb blast victims, at a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013.

Peshawar: At least 17 people, including three children, were killed and 20 others injured when a remote-controlled bomb on Sunday targeted a convoy of security forces at a crowded market here in northwest Pakistan. The blast, believed…
photo: AP / Arshad Butt

Croatia set to become 28th European Union member

The Croatian and EU flags are seen at the parliament building at St. Mark square in Zagreb, Croatia, Monday, May 24, 2010.

Croatia is gearing up to become the 28th member of the European Union, with celebrations planned in Zagreb. The milestone will occur at midnight, capping an extraordinary journey for the republic from the Balkan wars of the 1990s. But after years in…
photo: AP / Darko Bandic

Šibenik harbor and town center (Croatian pronunciation: [?îbe?ni?k]) is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea.

ZAGREB, Croatia — Croatia’s ravishing coast of more than 1,000 islands is a favorite destination for Europeans and travelers from further away. Croatia draws much of its income from tourism and hopes to earn more once the country formally enters the…
photo: Creative Commons / Macic7

Pakistani President, British PM support Afghan-led peace process

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, right, talks with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari as they meet at Chequers near Princes Risborough in England, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010.

Cameron arrived in Islamabad Saturday evening after his two-day visit toAfghanistan where he met British soldiers and held talks with Afghan PresidentHamid Karzai on the peace process. Spokesperson for the President SenatorFarhatullah Babar while…
photo: AP / Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool

Philippines rebukes China for ‘militarization’ in South China Sea

070605-N-7058E-005 SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 5, 2007) - U.S. and Philippine Marines guide their assault boat to sea after departing from the stern ramp of dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) during an amphibious assault exercise near Pilas Island, Philippines.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) – The Philippines hit out at China on Sunday over the “increasing militarization” of the South China Sea as tensions between the neighbors flared amid slow-moving regional efforts to forge a compromise over one of Asia‘s…
photo: U.S. Navy / Lt. Ed Early

Syrian army, backed by jets, launches assault on Homs

This citizen journalism image provided by Lens Young Homsi, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a destroyed Syrian tank seen at al-Qossur neighborhood in Homs province, Syria, Monday, May 13, 2013.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad‘s forces launched a major offensive on Saturday against rebels in Homs, a centre of the two-year-old uprising, in their latest drive to secure an axis connecting Damascus to theMediterranean….
photo: AP / Lens Young Homsi

Kerry squeezes in more talks at end of Mideast mission

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas inside Muqataa, the Palestinian Presidential compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah, on Sunday, June 30, 2013.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry squeezed in final meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday as he wrapped up a fifth peace-brokering visit to the region with little sign of progress. After six hours of overnight…
photo: AP / Jacquelyn Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

US warns against Egypt travel after deadly clashes

29 Jun 2013

 

The US has warned Americans not to travel to Egypt and has told non-emergency diplomatic staff to leave, as clashes continued in the country. The state department also urged US nationals in Egypt “to remain alert”. The warning came as at least three people – including a US citizen – died in clashes between supporters and opponents of… 
Opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi protest outside the ministry of defense in Cairo, Friday, June 28, 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

Obama paying tribute to Mandela in S Africa

U.S. President Barack Obama flanked by First Lady Michelle Obama, left, waves with South African President Jacob Zuma, second right, and his wife Tobeka Madiba Zuma, right, on the steps of Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday June 29, 2013.

President Barack Obama is meeting with South Africa’s leader at the start of a weekend visit that will pay tribute to the legacy of critically ill former PresidentNelson Mandela. As Obama harkens back to Mandela‘s leadership against apartheid, he’ll…
photo: AP / Jerome Delay

Egypt prepares for worst ahead of Sunday protest

Opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi protest outside the defense ministry, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 28, 2013.

BRIAN ROHAN Associated Press= CAIRO (AP) â?? As the streets once again fill with protesters eager to oust the president and Islamists determined to keep him in power, Egyptians are preparing for the worst: days or weeks of urban chaos that could turn…
photo: AP / Hassan Ammar

Violence hits China’s west ahead of anniversary

Chinese paramilitary police officers take a rest on a closed road heading to the People's Square in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, Friday, Sept. 4, 2009.

Violent attacks have spread this week in a tense minority region of western China, state media reported on Saturday, just days before the anniversary of a bloody clash between minority Uighurs and the ethnic Han majority that left almost 200 dead and…
photo: AP / Andy Wong

Lebanese troops disperse Sunni protesters

Lebanese protesters hold a poster of hard-line Sunni cleric Sheik Ahmad al-Assir with the Arabic reading, "There are men in Sidon. Anytime you call us we will respond," and chant slogans against Hezbollah after the Friday prayer in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Friday, June 28, 2013.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese troops fired in the air Friday to disperse dozens ofSunni Muslims demonstrating in support of a hardline cleric who has been on the run since the military crushed his fighters earlier this week. Lebanon is grappling with…
photo: AP / Mohammed Zaatari)

Texas: Ricin Suspect Is Indicted

President Barack Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

A Texas woman was indicted Friday on charges that she sent threatening ricin-laced letters to President Obama and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York in an effort to frame her estranged husband. The federal indictment chargesShannon Richardson,…
photo: Flickr

Gay marriages resume in California as appeals court lifts stay

**FILE** In this file photo from June 17, 2008, John Lewis, left, puts a wedding ring on the hand of Stuart Gaffney as they exchange marriage vows at City Hall in San Francisco. On Tuesday, California voters will be given the chance to turn back the clock on gay marriage. Given California's size and influence, the vote on Proposition 8 is being anxiously watched as a popular referendum on sexual orientation and civil rights.

As the rather exciting cap to a monumental week in equal rights, a federal appeals court allowed the state of California to immediately begin issuing marriage licenses to…
photo: AP / Darryl Bush, file)

Clashes as Egypt leader’s backers, foes rally

Opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans as fire rages at the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Alexandria, Friday, June 28, 2013.

Photos CAIRO – (AP) — Tens of thousands of backers and opponents of Egypt‘s Islamist president held competing rallies in the capital Friday and new clashes erupted between the two sides in the country’s second largest city, Alexandria, in a prelude…
photo: AP / Heba Khamis

 

 

 

Obama Makes Moving Visit to Site of African Slave Trade

 Jun 2013

 

VOA News U.S. President Barack Obama says his visit to a departure pointof African slaves to North America gives him more motivation to protect human rights. Obama stopped on Goree Island, off the coast of Senegal, Thursday. Historians say thousands of African men and women in chains were held there. They passed through the so-called…
U.S. President Barack Obama stands facing out to see, at the 'Door of No Return,' at the slave house on Goree Island, in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, June 27, 2013.

 

 

Egypt braces for bloody rival clashes

Egyptians chant slogans as others carry the coffin of Abd Alhaleem Mohanna, 23, who was killed on March 5, 2013 during clashes with riot police, during his funeral in Port Said, Egypt, Friday, March 8, 2013.

Fears mounted of a bloody showdown between supporters and opponents ofEgypt‘s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on Friday after one activist was killed in the latest violence to cloud the Arab world‘s most populous democracy. Islamist groups called…
photo: AP / Khalil Hamra

Australian PM Kevin Rudd ‘has learnt lessons from past’

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speaks during question time at Parliament for what is likely to be its last day before elections, in Canberra, Australia, Thursday, June 27, 2013.

Newly returned Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he has learnt from his last experience as premier and will strive to consult with colleagues during his new tenure. Mr Rudd had previously been criticised for failing to consult on…
photo: AP / Rick Rycroft

India floods: Thousands still stranded in Uttarakhand

Indian army soldiers rescue a woman at Pindari Glacier, in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, Thursday, June 27, 2013.

Nearly 3,000 people are still stranded in India‘s Uttarakhand state where more than 800 people have died in floods and landslides, the army chief says. GenBikram Singh, who is visiting the state to assess conditions, said most were in the…
photo: AP

Brazil: In the throes of reform

Dilma Rousseff with Brazil's Roberto Azevedo ex-ambassador newly named World Trade Organization ( WTO ) director arrives in Malabo ( Guinea Equatorial )

Protests, pacts, plebiscites: The Brazilian government has reacted to mass demonstrations with landmark promises of reform. But not all of the proposals are actually new. All of a sudden, Brazilian parliamentarians are brushing the dust off of policy…
photo: Flickr / PR / Roberto Stuckert Filho

Oumou Gadio, a local farmer, shows U.S. President Barack Obama an old technique for rice milling during a food security expo tour on Friday, June 28, 2013, in Dakar, Senegal.

US President Barack Obama’s trip to the westernmost corner of the African continent won’t be the first time the US has sent high-level delegations to Senegal. In 1961, then Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson visited the country when Leopold Sedar…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Downloaded Bomb Making Instructions From Al-Qaida Site, Indictment Says

Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev learned how to make the bomb he left at the Boston Marathonby downloading instructions from an al-Qaida website, a federal indictment released Thursday says. The indictment says the bombing suspect had read up on Islamic jihad…
photo: AP / Charles Krupa

China Xinjiang riots toll ‘rises to 35’

In this July 13, 2009 file photo, Uighur men, foreground, watch as a formation of paramilitary police officers patrol Urumqi in western China's Xinjiang region.

The death toll after riots in China‘s far western region of Xinjiang has risen from 27 to 35, state media say. The rioters had attacked police stations with knives and set fire to police cars on Wednesday, killing 24 people, reports said. The…
photo: AP / Eugene Hoshiko

 

 

 

 

Morsi warns political divisions could ‘paralyse’ Egypt

27 Jun 2013
June 26: Islamist President Mohamed Morsi warned that political divisions inEgypt “threaten to paralyse” the country, as at least one person was killed and scores were hurt in clashes between his supporters and opponents. In a televised speech yesterday to mark his turbulent first year in power, Morsi promised reforms and called for national…
Mohamed Morsi at the EC

 

 

Kerry resumes Israeli-Palestinian peace bid

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry walks with French President Francois Hollande after their meeting at Elysee Palace in Paris on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013.

AMMAN (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry begins a new push on Thursday to revive peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but there are few
signs he will make a breakthrough on his fifth visit to the region. Over the next…
photo: AP / Jacquelyn Martin

Morsi asks for more time to solve Egypt’s problems

President Mohammed Morsi waves to supporters after Friday prayers in the Farouk mosque in suburban Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 3, 2013.

CAIRO — Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi pleaded Wednesday night with his countrymen to give him more time to solve his country’s many ills, arguing in what many believe was the most important speech of his political life that Egypt cannot change…
photo: AP / Ahmed Abd El Latef, El Shorouk Newspaper

Chilean protesters in street battles with police

Students demonstrate during a protest in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011.

More than 100,000 join demonstrations as students seize 30 polling stations to be used for presidential vote on Sunday Protesters run from teargas during demonstrations in Santiago, Chile. Photograph: Ariel Marinkovic/EPA Hooded protesters have…
photo: AP / Luis Hidalgo

New Aussie PM Hopes for ‘Kinder, Gentler’ Politics

Australia's Prime Minster Kevin Rudd gestures during the final session of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, Sunday Nov. 29, 2009. Australia will host the meeting in 2011.

CANBERRA, Australia — Kevin Rudd has wrenched back the job of Australian prime minister from the woman who had maneuvered him out three years ago, possibly just in time to soften a crushing defeat that his party likely faces in upcoming elections….
photo: AP / Fernando Llano

Mongolian President Wins Re-Election in Preliminary Tally

In this April 16, 2009 photo, a poster of Elbegdorj Tsakhia is seen outside the Democratic Party headquarters in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. A politically divided Mongolia votes for a new president on May 24, 2009 after being battered by the economic downturn and worries that a too-close result will renew the rioting that marred an election last year.

Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj defeated a wrestling champion and a pediatrician to win re-election without the need for a run-off vote. Democratic Partycandidate Elbegdorj won 50.23 percent of the vote with all counting completed, Choinzon…
photo: AP / Batsukh

Republicans shift strategy on climate change

Republicans shift strategy on climate change

Posted on June 26, 2013 at 3:44 pm by Jennifer A. Dlouhy in General Comments() | E-mail | Print (Photo: JBrazito/Flickr.com via a Creative Commons license)Climate change science might just have become the new third rail in American politics. One day…
photo: WN / Marzena J.

Post-DOMA: Gay Troops’ Spouses Can Be Buried at Arlington

Post-DOMA: Gay Troops' Spouses Can Be Buried at Arlington

Pentagon still studying cost, extent of federal benefits to same-sex spousesComment () Tweet “We will move very swiftly, expeditiously, on implementing the law,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said. The spouses of gay and lesbian service members will…
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

 

Obama, Karzai support Taliban talks in Qatar

26 Jun 2013

 

US President Barack Obama and Afghan leader Hamid Karzai support the idea of holding talks with the Taliban in its Qatar office, the White House said Tuesday, reviving hopes for a peace process. The announcement came despite a brazen Taliban assault on the Afghan presidential palace in the heart of Kabul Tuesday, in which three security guards and… 
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, center, greets the guards of honor as he arrives to the Presidential Palace for his inauguration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

Global rise in new ‘legal highs’ – UN World Drug Report

Highest number of injecting drug users mars Brighton´s sunny image, UK

Governments everywhere are struggling to cope with an increase in the number of new drugs known as “legal highs”, according to a UN report. The United NationsOffice on…
photo: WN

China Completes Longest Manned Space Mission

The launch of Shenzhou 7 at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 25, 2008.

China has completed its longest manned space mission yet, marking an important step toward the goal of building its own space station. The return capsule of the…
photo: Creative Commons / Gang Lee

Army win in Lebanon’s Sidon has set sectarian “trap”, Sunnis say

Lebanese army soldiers on alert take cover behind barricades at the entrance to the Palestinian Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Monday, May 19, 2003. Heavy fighting erupted Monday between guerrilla

SIDON, Lebanon (Reuters) – Soldiers strutted confidently down the battle-scarred streets of the Lebanese port of Sidon on Tuesday after routing a radical Sunni Muslim sheikh and his militant supporters in a two-day battle. Lebanese armysoldiers…
photo: AP Photo

Presidential palace comes under attack in Kabul

Afghan security forces investigate near the entrance gate of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan Tuesday, June 25, 2013 following an attack.

June 25, 2013 — Updated 0912 GMT (1712 HKT) Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — A group of attackers stormed the entrance to the presidential palace in Kabul early Tuesday — but they were quickly repelled, Afghan police said. Three guards died in the…
photo: AP / Rahmat Gul

McCain urges tougher US stance with Russia, China

Senate Armed Services Committee member, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington in Washington, Tuesday, May 14, 2013, as he heads to the committee's briefing on Syria.

Ryan: Immigration law likely with border security 11 minutes ago McCain urges tougher US stance with Russia, China 11 minutes ago Obama discusses Turkeyprotests with Erdogan 38 minutes ago Study: US education spending…
photo: AP / Cliff Owen

In Taiwan, activist Chen urges democracy for China

Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng gestures as he speaks to lawmakers and human rights supporters at the legislature in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, June 25, 2013.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — An activist who fled house arrest in China before moving toAmerica last year got his first taste of Taiwan’s democracy Tuesday when raucous lawmakers occupied the legislative floor while he delivered a speech in an adjacent…
photo: AP / Wally Santana

Qatar emir hands power to son in rare peaceful transition

A man prepares to take a picture with his mobile photo of a televised address by Qatar's Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in Doha, Qatar,Tuesday, June 25, 2013.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani ruled since overthrowing his father in 1995 and played key role in arming Syrian rebels Qatar‘s Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani has been handed power. Photograph: Fadi Al-Assaad/Reuters The emir of Qatar, the world’s…
photo: AP / Osama Faisal)

 

 

 

Russia rejects US demand for Edward Snowden’s extradition

25 Jun 2013

 

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia‘s foreign minister on Tuesday bluntly rejected U.S.demands to extradite National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, who has apparently stopped in Moscow while trying to evade U.S. justice, saying that Snowden hasn’t crossed the Russian border. Sergey Lavrov insisted that Russia has nothing to do with him or his travel… 
A supporter holds a picture of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret information about U.S. surveillance programs, outside the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong Thursday, June 13, 2013.

In Taiwan, activist Chen urges democracy for China

Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng gestures as he speaks to lawmakers and human rights supporters at the legislature in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, June 25, 2013.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — An activist who fled house arrest in China before moving toAmerica last year got his first taste of Taiwan’s democracy Tuesday when raucous lawmakers occupied the legislative floor while he delivered a speech in an adjacent…
photo: AP / Wally Santana

Qatar emir hands power to son in rare peaceful transition

A man prepares to take a picture with his mobile photo of a televised address by Qatar's Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in Doha, Qatar,Tuesday, June 25, 2013.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani ruled since overthrowing his father in 1995 and played key role in arming Syrian rebels Qatar‘s Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani has been handed power. Photograph: Fadi Al-Assaad/Reuters The emir of Qatar, the world’s…
photo: AP / Osama Faisal)

Kerry heads to Saudi over support for Syria rebels

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, third left, says goodbye as he leaves New Delhi, India on Tuesday, June 25, 2013,

US Secretary of State John Kerry headed Tuesday to Saudi Arabia in hopes of coordinating support for Syria‘s rebels amid fears that a prolonged civil war will embolden extremists. Kerry will spend several hours in the western city ofJeddah…
photo: AP / Jacquelyn Martin

Brazil President Dilma Rousseff plays hand over protests

People march toward the Cinelandia square during a protest in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, June 24, 2013.

Having been caught out by the speed and breadth of the protests sweeping her country, President Dilma Rousseff seems to have accepted that words would not be enough to regain the initiative. With her own popularity slipping and a presidential…
photo: AP / Felipe Dana

Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono apologises for haze

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, center, tries on the rucksack of a marine who is a member of the task force that will be deployed to help battling forest fires on Sumatra island, at Halim Perdanakusumah airbase in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 25, 2013.

Indonesia‘s president has apologised to neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore for the thick haze caused by fires in Sumatra. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said firefighters were working hard to extinguish the blazes. The smog caused record levels of…
photo: AP / Dita Alangkara

Brazil President Proposes Reforms to Quell Protests

Supporters of Brazil's President-elect Dilma Rousseff wave flags of the Workers Party, in front of a campaign banner that shows her with current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during the victory rally in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday Oct. 31, 2010.

After more than a week of nationwide protests, Brazil&aposs President DilmaRousseff said Monday her government will hold a referendum to embark on sweeping political reform. She also…
photo: AP / Jorge Saenz

Silvio Berlusconi hosted orgies at mansion

File - Former Italian Premier and PDL, People for Freedom, party president Silvio Berlusconi looks on during a press conference, in Rome, Friday, May 25, 2012.

The charges against billionaire media mogul Silvio Berlusconi stem from the ‘bunga bunga’ parties in 2010 at his mansion near Milan, where he wined and dined beautiful young women while he was premier. Related Articles Berlusconisaid the dinner…
photo: AP / Andrew Medichini

Ecuador says Snowden seeking asylum there

24 Jun 2013

 

Hanoi, Vietnam • Ecuador’s foreign minister said Monday his country will act not on its interests but on its principles as it considers an asylum request from National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, wanted for revealing classified U.S. secrets. Speaking to reporters through a translator at a hotel in Hanoi, Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino… 
A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013.
photo: AP / Vincent Yu

 

 

12 troops killed in Lebanon clashes

Medics transport an injured Lebanese soldier, after clashes between followers of a radical Sunni cleric Sheik Ahmad al-Assir and Shiite gunmen, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Sunday, June 23, 2013.

Published June 24, 2013AFP A youth walks past burning tyres in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on June 23, 2013 during protests in support of Sunni clericSheikh Ahmad al-Assir. At least 12 soldiers have been killed in less than 24 hoursof…
photo: AP / Mohammed Zaatari

Floods leave Calgary in the dark

Flooding of Southern Alberta in 2013

Calgary, Alberta – Power outages in the Canadian oil capital of Calgary could last for weeks or even months, city authorities said on Sunday, as record-breaking flood waters moved downstream to threaten smaller communities in south-eastern Alberta….
photo: Creative Commons / Samsamcat

Berlusconi faces verdict in sensational sex-for-hire trial, prosecutors seeking 6-year term

In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi seen during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, not seen, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Berlusconi arrived on a private visit

MILAN — Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi faces a verdict in his sensational sex-for-hire trial, charges that could bring an end to his two-decade political career.Berlusconi is charged with paying an under-age Moroccan teen for sex and then…
photo: AP / Alexei Nikolsky

Haze from Indonesia continues to shroud Malaysia

A pedestrian wearing a mask waits to cross a main road in front of Petronas Twin Tower covered by haze in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, June 24, 2013.

Thick haze from forest fires in Indonesia has continued to shroud parts ofMalaysia. Visibility in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, remained poor on Monday as officials ordered schools closed in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor state. InSingapore…
photo: AP / Vincent Thian

Six Lebanon troops die in clash with Sunni radical

Lebanese Army soldiers deploy after overnight clashes between Sunni and Shiite gunmen in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012.

Beirut: Six Lebanese soldiers were killed today in clashes with supporters of a radical Sunni Muslim sheikh opposed to the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah, an army statement said. “An armed group loyal to Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir attacked, for no…
photo: AP / Hussein Malla

More Brazil street protests as public demands reform

Protesters holding a Brazilian flag block the main road leading to the Castelao stadium before the start of a soccer Confederations Cup group B match between Nigeria and Spain in Fortaleza, Brazil, Sunday, June 23, 2013.

A new wave of street protests swept Brazil on Sunday amid mounting popular support for demands for wide-ranging institutional reform and investment in crumbling public services. Many are frustrated that, after years of under-investment in Brazil’s…
photo: AP / Victor R. Caivano

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘War zone’ Brazil still hopeful of World Cup success

23 Jun 2013

 

Football supporters fleeing tear gas and rubber bullets. Angry mobs torching banks and buses. Gleaming new stadiums encircled by activists. These are images few Brazilians would have predicted they would see on the streets of their country just 10 days ago, images the organisers of the next year’s World Cup could not have imagined would blight… 
A Brazilian mounted police officer charges against protestors during a demonstration in downtown Fortaleza, Brazil, Friday, June 21, 2013.

 

 

Kerry: Syria urgently needs a political solution

This May 22, 2013 file-pool photo shows Secretary of State John Kerry speaking at a meeting with several key allies in Amman, Jordan,

DOHA, Qatar • Unless the bloodshed in Syria stops, the region could descend into a chaotic sectarian conflict, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday, as he called for an urgent political resolution to the war that has dragged on for two…
photo: AP / Jim Young

India floods death toll ‘could rise to 1,000’

Indian army soldiers evacuate a stranded pilgrim in Govindghat, India, Saturday, June 22, 2013.

The death toll in flash floods and landslides in northern India could climb to 1,000, officials have warned. More than 600 people are confirmed dead with more than 40,000 still said to be stranded in the mountains of Uttarakhand state. Survivorsare…
photo: AP / Rafiq Maqbool

Turkish police break up Taksim protest

Clashes with police during turkey taksim protests

Authorities in Istanbul have scattered thousands of protesters from Taksim Square. The flare up in anti-government sentiment followed nearly a week of relative calm. By early Sunday, Istanbul police had driven away thousands of demonstrators from…
photo: Creative Commons / Mstyslav Chernov

Singapore mulls legal action over smog from Indonesia fires

Firemen spray water at a bushfire in Pekanbaru, Riau province, Indonesia, Friday, June 21, 2013.

Officials in Singapore say they are exploring whether to charge two Singapore-based companies in connection with severe smog triggered by forest fires inIndonesia. The companies own land on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Singapore’s foreign…
photo: AP / Rony Muharrman

EU finance ministers fail to agree on rules for shutting banks

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, left, talks with his French counterpart Pierre Moscovici during a European finance ministers meeting in Luxembourg, Friday, June 21, 2013.

EU finance ministers have failed to agree on how to downsize or close banks without calling on taxpayers to bail out struggling lenders. A disagreement between France and Germany was a major stumbling block. Following at least 18 hours of…
photo: AP / Geert Vanden Wijngaert

Brazil Leader Breaks Silence Over Protests

File - Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff leads the Social and Economic Development Committee at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday July 26, 2011.

Brazil‘s President has addressed the nation after crisis talks with key ministers to discuss how to respond to two weeks of nationwide protests against alleged corruption and high prices. Speaking during a TV broadcast, Dilma Rousseff said the…
photo: AP / Eraldo Peres

In a Turnabout, Syria Rebels Get Libyan Weapons

A former rebel fighter rests at the northern gate of Bani Walid, Libya, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011.

During his more than four decades in power, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libyawas North Africa’s outrageously self-styled arms benefactor, a donor of weapons to guerrillas and terrorists around the world fighting governments he did not like. Connect…
photo: AP / Alexandre Meneghini

 

 

Syria rebels say they have ‘game-changing’ new arms

22 Jun 2013

 

DAMASCUS: Syria‘s rebels have received new types of weapons that could “change the course of the battle,” a rebel spokesman said on Friday, as troops tried to oust opposition fighters from a Damascus district. The announcement came a day before a meeting in Qatar of the “Friends of Syria” group of nations that back the uprising against President…
File - In this picture taken on Saturday April 13, 2013, citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Free Syrian Army fighters take their position during a battle with Syrian forces, in Aleppo, Syria.
photo: AP / Aleppo Media Center, AMC

 

 

Which Way Iraq?

21 Jun 2013

 

By George H. Wittman on 6.21.13 @ 6:07AM Sunnis continue to take it on the chin from the now dominant Shia. Iraq is in the middle of a civil conflict that but for the lack of international media interest would be called a war.Sunni/Shia competition has existed for generations. This blood rivalry underpinned Saddam Hussein’s dictatorial rule and… 
File - Soldiers from the Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, train an Iraqi soldier on close-quarters movement during a week of marksmanship training at an Iraqi military post near Contingency Operating Base, Speicher, Iraq, Aug. 18, 2009.

 

India floods hit thousands; more than 200 dead

A shanty town along the banks of the Yamuna River lies partially submerged in floodwater, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, June 20, 2013

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Rescuers found 40 bodies floating in the River Gangesnear a Hindu holy city on Friday, sending the death toll past 200 from flooding in northern India that has stranded tens of thousands of people, mostly Hindu pilgrims, since…
photo: AP / Tsering Topgyal

Brazil leaders to meet as protests, violence grow

Riot police move towards protesters as others hold a Brazilian flag and chant for no violence during a protest in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, June 20, 2013.

Police and protesters fought in the streets into the early hours Friday as an estimated 1 million Brazilians swarmed through more than 80 Brazilian cities in the biggest demonstrations yet against a government viewed as corrupt at all levels and…
photo: AP / Felipe Dana

UN calls Syria ‘worst humanitarian disaster’ since Cold War

Syrian refugees walk past UNHCR tents, on the World Refugee Day, at Zaatari refugee camp, in Mafraq, Jordan, Thursday, June 20, 2013.

Tweet Washington, June 21 (ANI): Syrian civil war is more brutal and destructive than the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and has turned into the worst humanitarian disaster since the end of the cold war, the United Nations has said. The statementwas…
photo: AP / Mohammad Hannon

Miami Heat win NBA championship

The Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88

LeBron James leads Miami Heat to a second consecutive NBA title with a 95-88Game Seven victory over the San Antonio Spurs Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade holds the Championship trophy and LeBron James holds the MVP trophy after combining for 60 points and…
photo: AP / Lynne Sladky

Spain Crushes Tahiti in Confederations Cup

The ball hops in the net of the Tahiti goal during the soccer Confederations Cup

Spain, the World Cup winner, routed Tahiti, 10-0, on Thursday in theConfederations Cup in Rio de Janeiro. The previous record margin in the event was six by Brazil, which beat Saudi Arabia, 8-2, in 1999 and Australia, 6-0, in 1997.League…
photo: AP / Victor R. Caivano

Singapore haze at worst yet, Malaysia schools shut

The port of Singapore is blanketed by haze on Thursday, June 20, 2013.

SINGAPORE — Singapore urged people to remain indoors amid unprecedented levels of air pollution Thursday as a smoky haze wrought by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia worsened dramatically. Nearby Malaysia closed 200 schools and banned open…
photo: AP / Joseph Nair

Militants storm United Nations compound in Somalia; 20 killed

African Union peacekeepers and unidentified foreigners stand outside the main U.N. compound, following an attack on it in Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, June 19, 2013.

Somali soldiers walk through rubble after insurgents blasted into the U.N.compound in Mogadishu. (Mohamed Abdiwahab, AFP/Getty Images) MOGADISHU, somalia — Seven al-Qaeda-linked militants on a suicide mission attacked the U.N. compound…
photo: AP / Farah Abdi Warsameh

 

 

 

Scenarios for Snowden: Escape, arrest, asylum

Full Article CNN
20 Jun 2013
June 20, 2013 — Updated 0638 GMT (1438 HKT) Hong Kong (CNN) — A narrow window of time is closing quickly for Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency contractor who has infuriated the U.S. government by leaking details of surveillance programs after fleeing the country. As FBI agents gather evidence against him, the 29 year old is racing to…
A TV screen shows the news of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Monday, June 17, 2013.

 

 

 

Singapore haze at worst yet, Malaysia schools shut

The port of Singapore is blanketed by haze on Thursday, June 20, 2013.

The Wichita Eagle
SINGAPORE — Singapore urged people to remain indoors amid unprecedented levels of air pollution Thursday as a smoky haze wrought by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia worsened dramatically. Nearby Malaysia closed 200 schools and banned open…
photo: AP / Joseph Nair

Militants storm United Nations compound in Somalia; 20 killed

African Union peacekeepers and unidentified foreigners stand outside the main U.N. compound, following an attack on it in Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, June 19, 2013.

Denver Post
Somali soldiers walk through rubble after insurgents blasted into the U.N. compound in Mogadishu. (Mohamed Abdiwahab, AFP/Getty Images) MOGADISHU, somalia — Seven al-Qaeda-linked militants on a suicide mission attacked the U.N. compound…
photo: AP / Farah Abdi Warsameh


Russia could stand in way of Obama’s nuke cuts

File - President Barack Obama delivers remarks during a memorial service at the CIA in Langley, Va., Feb. 5, 2010.

The Guardian
ROBERT BURNS AP National Security Writer= WASHINGTON (AP) â?? By saying he intends to bargain with Russia over new reductions in nuclear weapons, rather than make cuts on his own, President Barack Obama is asking for cooperation from a former Cold…
photo: White House / Pete Souza


Pentagon opening front-line combat roles to women by 2016

Pentagon opening front-line combat roles to women by 2016

Newstrack India
Tweet Washington, ANI 19 (ANI): The Pentagon has revealed plans for fully integrating women into front-line and special combat roles by 2016. The Pentagon also said women will also be included in the elite forces…
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

One man killed in Lebanon town shooting spree

Gunmen and followers of hardline Sunni cleric Sheik Ahmad al-Assir pass in front of Lebanese army soldiers in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 18, 2013.

Middle East Online
BEIRUT – A shooting spree by gunmen loyal to a controversial Salafist sheikh in the southern Lebanese town of Sidon left one man dead and several wounded, the army and a security source said. Tuesday’s shooting by armed men loyal to Sheikh Ahmed…
photo: AP / Mohammed Zaatari

Brazil troops to be deployed in cities to quell protest

Protestors burn a Sao Paulo state flag in front of City Hall, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, June 18, 2013.

Zeenews
Zee Media Bureau Sao Paulo: Brazilian Army soldiers are reportedly being deployed to suppress the wave of protests demanding better public services that has led to the unrest in the country over the past week. Brazilian soldiers are being dispatched…
photo: AP / Nelson Antoine


Fukushima nuclear plant: Toxic isotope found in groundwater

A radiation monitor indicates 131.00 mSv per hour near Unit 3 and 4 reactor buildings at Tokyo Electric Power Co.,'s tsunami-crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012.

BBC News
High levels of a toxic radioactive isotope have been found in groundwater at Japan‘s Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator says. Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said tests showed strontium-90 was present…
photo: AP / Kimimasa Mayama

 

 

 

 

WikiLeaks’ Assange fears US, says will stay in embassy

Full Article The Star
19 Jun 2013
LONDON (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he will not leave the sanctuary of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London even if Sweden stops pursuing sexual assault claims against him because he fears arrest on the order of the United States. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange waves from a window with Ecuador‘s Foreign Affairs Minister Ricardo…
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, left, appears with Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Sunday, June 16, 2013.

 

 


One man killed in Lebanon town shooting spree

Gunmen and followers of hardline Sunni cleric Sheik Ahmad al-Assir pass in front of Lebanese army soldiers in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 18, 2013.

Middle East Online
BEIRUT – A shooting spree by gunmen loyal to a controversial Salafist sheikh in the southern Lebanese town of Sidon left one man dead and several wounded, the army and a security source said. Tuesday’s shooting by armed men loyal to Sheikh Ahmed…
photo: AP / Mohammed Zaatari


Brazil troops to be deployed in cities to quell protest

Protestors burn a Sao Paulo state flag in front of City Hall, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, June 18, 2013.

Zeenews
Zee Media Bureau Sao Paulo: Brazilian Army soldiers are reportedly being deployed to suppress the wave of protests demanding better public services that has led to the unrest in the country over the past week. Brazilian soldiers are being dispatched…
photo: AP / Nelson Antoine

Fukushima nuclear plant: Toxic isotope found in groundwater

A radiation monitor indicates 131.00 mSv per hour near Unit 3 and 4 reactor buildings at Tokyo Electric Power Co.,'s tsunami-crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012.

BBC News
High levels of a toxic radioactive isotope have been found in groundwater at Japan‘s Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator says. Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said tests showed strontium-90 was present…
photo: AP / Kimimasa Mayama


Dozens held in Turkey, silent protester goes viral

Turkish protesters chat in Kugulu Park in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, June 18, 2013.

Reuters
ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) – A lone, silent vigil by a man in Istanbul inspired copycat protests on Tuesday, as police detained dozens of people across Turkey in an operation linked to three weeks of often violent demonstrations against Prime Minister…
photo: AP / Burhan Ozbilici

Fears of violence as Egypt nears June 30 protests

In this Jan. 26, 2011 file photo, Egyptian riot police clash with anti-government activists in Cairo, Egypt. A government inquiry into the deaths of nearly 900 protesters during Egypt’s uprising has concluded police were behind nearly all the killings.

Khaleej Times
Massive nationwide protests that Egypt’s opposition plans for June 30 are taking on a dangerous edge. Opponents of President Mohammed Morsi are convinced that this is the best and perhaps the last opportunity to drive him from power. They say they…
photo: AP / Ben Curtis


Brazil protests continue as authorities scramble to respond

People protesting in the streets of Rio de Janeiro

The Guardian
President warned against being ‘on wrong side of history’ amid demonstrations about high costs, poor services and World Cup Brazilians gather at the city hall in São Paulo as part of widespread protests about high costs, poor services and spending on…
photo: ABr / Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil

4 Coalition Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan

U.S. Air Force Capt. Matthew Polus conducts preflight checks on a U.S. Navy EA-6B Prowler aircraft before taking off from Bagram Airfield

The New York Times
KABUL, Afghanistan — Four coalition soldiers were killed in an attack Tuesday night, the American military said in a statement. While United States officials did not give any details or the nationality of the victims, a spokesman for the Taliban,…
photo: US Navy / Senior Airman Brian Ferguson

 

 

 

Police arrest dozens in raids across Turkey following protests

Full Article The Irish Times
18 Jun 2013
Police raided multiple addresses in several cities across Turkey today, detaining dozens of people following more than two weeks of anti-government protests, local media reported. State media TRT said 25 people had been detained in the capital Ankara, 13 in Eskisehir…
People shout anti-government slogans during a rally by the labor unions in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 17, 2013.

 

 

Singapore pressures Indonesia to identify firms behind haze

Tourists visit a look-out point while the Singapore city skyline is seen partially covered in haze in the background, Tuesday, June 18, 2013 in Singapore.

The Star

 

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore‘s worst air pollution in 16 years sparked diplomatic tension on Tuesday, as the city-state urged Indonesia to provide satellite data to enable it to act against plantation firms that allow slash-and-burn farming. A…

 

photo: AP / Wong Maye-E

 


Flash floods leave scores dead in northern India

Bulldozer and other vehicles are drifted in a flooded river in Uttarkashi district, India, Monday, June 17, 2013.

France24
Early monsoon rains brought flash floods and landslides to the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in northern India, leaving at least 60 people dead and stranding thousands, officials said Tuesday. By News Wires (text) Torrential rains have…
photo: AP


100K protesters flood Brazilian streets in protest

Protestors march in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, June 17, 2013.

The Guardian
BRADLEY BROOKS Associated Press= SAO PAULO (AP) â?? In some of the biggest protests since the end of Brazil‘s 1964-85 dictatorship, demonstrations have spread across this continent-sized country and united people from all walks of life behind…
photo: AP / Nelson Antoine

 

Afghans to take nationwide security lead from Nato

An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier, center, listens to a villager as a U.S. Soldier, center right, assigned to the 320th Psychological Operations Company, Task Force Gladiator takes notes during an ANA-led gathering in Parwan province, Afghanistan, March 26, 2013. The event was intended to build relationships with area residents. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kelvin Lovelist/Released)

BBC News
Afghan forces are formally taking over security for the whole of the country from Nato-led troops, completing a process begun in 2011. President Hamid Karzai is attending a ceremony in which the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) hands…
photo: US Army / Kelvin Lovelist

 

Seeking a Syria consensus despite US-Russia divide

President Barack Obama meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, Monday, June 17, 2013.

STL Today
Hunting for a glimmer of common ground, the leaders of major economic powers are declaring themselves dedicated to a political solution to Syria‘s bloody civil war, even as President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin stake out…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci

 

Does a child die of hunger every 10 seconds?

INDIA STREET CHILD BEGGER NAP AT BURDWAN IN EASTERN INDIA ---- WN/BHASKAR MALLICK

BBC News
Every 15 seconds a child dies of hunger, says a campaign by charities urging G8 leaders to pledge more aid for the world’s poorest families – or every 10 seconds, according to the latest version of the slogan. But does this paint an accurate…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick

 

Global Warming and Our Inconvenient Minds

Global Warming and Our Inconvenient Minds

The New York Times

 

I spent the first 20 years of my climate reporting focused on the buildup of human-generated greenhouse gases as a biogeophysical problem. Fuels and forests burn. Gases rise. Heat flows. Ocean chemistry changes. You get the idea. In 2000, I wrote…

 

 

 

 

 

Syria set to dominate G8 summit in Northern Ireland

Full Article The Hindu
17 Jun 2013
The crisis in Syria is set to dominate the two-day G8 summit beginning in Northern Ireland on Monday, days after the United States announced plans to start arming the opposition. Disagreements are expected between Russia, one of the Syrian regime’s key allies and weapons suppliers, and the other seven powers including the United…
Free Syrian Army fighters look at a Syrian Army jet, not pictured, in Fafeen village, north of Aleppo province, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012.

 

 

Blood on your hands: Vladimir Putin’s attack on David Cameron ahead of G8 talks on …

British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, stands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a press conference at 10 Downing Street in London, Sunday June 16, 2013.

The Independent
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, rounded on Britain on Sunday, accusing David Cameron of betraying humanitarian values by supporting Syrian rebels with “blood on their hands”. In harsh and undiplomatic language, Mr Putin accused the UK and…
photo: AP / Anthony Devlin


World powers look to Iran’s ‘sheikh of hope’ Hassan Rowhani

Iranian President elect Hasan Rowhani, stands in front of a portrait of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, during visit of his shrine, just outside Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 16, 2013.

The Australian
IRAN‘S new President Hassan Rowhani has hailed his presidential election win as a victory over “extremism” as jubilant supporters took to the streets, pinning their hopes on an easing of Western sanctions. Major powers quickly offered to engage with…
photo: AP / Ebrahim Noroozi


Pakistani city of Quetta in shock after double attack

Pakistani police officers detain an alleged militant from the site of a gun battle at a hospital, in Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, June 15, 2013.

BBC News
A day of official mourning has been declared in the Pakistani city of Quetta after 25 people were killed by gunmen in twin attacks on Saturday. After a bomb on a bus killed 14 female students and injured 22, militants attacked a hospital treating…
photo: AP / Arshad Butt


Turkey protests: Istanbul erupts over Gezi Park clearance

Turkish riot police occupy Taksim Square after clashes with protesters at Gezi park, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, June 15, 2013.

BBC News
Protesters have clashed with Turkish police in Istanbul, after riot squads used tear gas and water cannon to eject demonstrators from Gezi Park. The protesters quickly fled the park, but later erected barricades across nearby streets and lit…
photo: AP / Vadim Ghirda


Iran’s next president called ‘diplomat sheik’ by supporters

Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, a former top nuclear negotiator, attends a rally in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 1, 2013. The 11th presidential election after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, will be held on June 14.

The Los Angeles Times
TEHRAN — A week ago, many observers viewed Iran‘s presidential election as a horse-race among conservative hard-liners hostile to reform. Then came an unexpected surge in support for Hassan Rowhani, a soft-spoken, bespectacled and bearded…
photo: AP / Ebrahim Noroozi

China shows resolve, action against air pollution

A masked woman looks away while crossing a street in the city center shrouded in fog, caused by air pollution, in Beijing Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. Negotiators in Copenhagen are trying to set targets for controlling emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming cases, including by the leading contributors, China and the United States.

China Daily
BEIJING – The State Council, or China’s cabinet, adopted a set of concrete measures to counter air pollution on Friday, demonstrating not only resolve but also action to cope with environmental issues. China’s leadership has repeatedly promised…
photo: AP / Andy Wong

Russia questions U.S. evidence of Syrian chemical weapons

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks to the media after his meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino, unseen, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, June 15, 2013.

Chicago Sun-Times
Updated: June 15, 2013 6:17PM MOSCOW — Russia’s foreign minister said Saturday the evidence put forth by the United States of chemical weapons use in Syria doesn’t meet stringent criteria for reliability. The Obama administration said this past week…

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Facebook Reveals How Often the Government Comes Calling for Data

Facebook revealed more detail on how frequently it gets information requests from government agencies in a public statement late Friday. In a post on the company’s press site, Facebook General Counsel Ted Ullyot said it received between 9,000-10,000 …

 

 

Why Obama is Declaring War on Syria

Full Article The People’s Voice
Jun 2013
The short answer is Iran and Hezbollah according to Congressional sources. “The Syrian army’s victory at al-Qusayr was more than the administration could accept given that town’s strategic position in the region. Its capture by the Assad forces has essentially added Syria to Iran’s list of victories starting with…
File - President Barack Obama looks out over the Rose Garden as he walks along the Colonnade of the White House, April 2, 2013.

Iran presidential election: Early vote count gives moderate conservative Hasan Rowhani wide lead

In front of a portrait of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, a former top nuclear negotiator, center, gestures to his supporters at a rally in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 1, 2013.

The Independent

 

Iran‘s reformist-backed presidential candidate surged to a wide lead in early vote counting on Saturday, a top official said, suggesting a flurry of late support could have swayed a race that once appeared solidly in the hands of Tehran‘s ruling…

 

photo: AP / Ebrahim Noroozi

 


Nicaragua’s Ortega, Wang Jing sign canal agreement

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, left, and Chinese businessman Wang Jing hold up a concession agreement for the construction of a multibillion-dollar canal at the Casa de los Pueblos in Managua, Nicaragua, Friday, June 14, 2013.

The Guardian
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) â?? President Daniel Ortega and Chinese businessman Wang Jing have signed an agreement giving his company the right to build a shipping channel across Nicaragua that would compete with the Panama Canal. The signing took place…
photo: AP / Esteban Felix


Libyan troops clash with protesters

Armed vehicles are seen driving as the sun rises over a desert road leading south out of Misrata, Libya, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011.

Khaleej Times
Members of the special forces clashed with armed activists in…
photo: AP / Gaia Anderson


Newtown marks 6 months since school massacre

Parents leave a staging area after being reunited with their children following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of New York City, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012.

Richmond Times Dispatch
NEWTOWN, Conn. — Newtown held a moment of silence Friday for the victims of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School at a remembrance event that doubled as a call to action on gun control, with the reading of names of thousands of victims of gun…
photo: AP / Jessica Hill

 

Minn. Family Disputes Father Was Nazi

St. Mark's seen from slightly above .St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Loring Park across I-94 from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The Dakota people, the original inhabitants of the area where Minneapolis now stands, believed in the Great Spirit and were surprised that not all European settlers were religious.

The New York Times
MINNEAPOLIS — The family of a Minnesota man is disputing a report that he commanded a Nazi SS-led unit in World War II and lied about his wartime past when immigrating to the U.S. A son of Michael Karkoc (KAHR‘-kahts) read a statement late Friday…
photo: Creative Commons / Andrew Ciscel

 

Moderate Candidate has Early Lead in Iran’s Presidential Election

Hassan Rohani

Voa News
Very early results from Iran&aposs presidential election have moderate candidate Hassan Rowhani with the lead. He has the support of reformists in Iran. With fewer than 1 million votes counted several hours after the polls closed, Rowhani has about…
photo: EC

 

By arming Syria rebels, US drawn into proxy war

In this photo provided by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian security agents carry a body following a huge explosion that shook central Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013.

The Guardian

 

KARIN LAUB Associated Press= President Barack Obama‘s decision to begin arming Syria‘s rebels deepens U.S. involvement in a regional proxy war that is increasingly being fought along sectarian lines, pitting Sunni against Shiite Muslims, and…

 

photo: AP / SANA

 

Surveillance programs reveal U.S. hypocrisy

Full Article CNTV
14 Jun 2013
BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhuanet) – In the past years, the U.S. Government has been blaming other countries for threatening cyber security. However, the recent leakage of the two top-secret U.S. surveillance programs of the National Security Agency (NSA) has smashed the image of the U.S. as a cyber liberty advocate and revealed its hypocrisy. U.S. Army…
File - President Barack Obama drops by Deputy National Security Advisor Tony Blinken's meeting with Bahraini Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, June 5, 2013.

 

 

US to give Syria opposition military assistance

In this Monday, Dec. 10, 2012 file photo, Free Syrian Army fighters cover two dead bodies they found between rubble during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria.

China Daily

 

WASHINGTON/BEIRUT — The United States has concluded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad‘s forces used chemical weapons against rebel fighters and Washington will supply direct military assistance to the opposition, the White House said on…

 

photo: AP / Narciso Contreras

 


Iran votes for new president: Our enemies win if turnout is low, Supreme Leader warns Iranians

Two Iranian men walk past posters of presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei, a former Revolutionary Guard commander, a day prior to the election, in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2013.

The Independent
Iranians go to the polls tomorrow to elect a new president knowing that for the first time in eight years the country will be led by someone other than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a divisive leader who has pushed the country into isolation over its nuclear…
photo: AP / Vahid Salemi


Iran’s Polls Open in Presidential Vote

In this photo released by an official website of the Iranian supreme leader's office on Thursday, March 21, 2013, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to a crowd in northeastern Iran on the first day of the new Persian calendar year.

The New York Times
TEHRAN, Iran — In the end, Iran’s presidential election may be defined by who doesn’t vote. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors As polls opened early…
photo: AP / Office of the Supreme Leader

 

Zimbabwe in crisis as Mugabe sets election for July 31

Police officers are on parade as President Robert Mugabe inspects the guard of honour, at a police pass-out parade in Harare, Thursday, June, 13, 2013.

South China Morning Post
Zimbabwe was plunged into fresh political crisis on Thursday as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai vowed to fight a unilateral decision by President Robert Mugabe to hold elections on July 31. Mugabe used temporary presidential powers to set the date…
photo: AP / Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

Turkish PM meets Taksim protesters

Protestants marching through ?stiklal St. towards Taksim Square.

Belfast Telegraph
A meeting between Turkey‘s prime minister and representatives of anti-government protesters has ended. There was no clear resolution on how to end the occupation of a central Istanbul park that has become a flashpoint for the biggest political crisis…
photo: Creative Commons / Mstyslav Chernov
Photos   Protests   Recep Tayyip Erdogan   Turkey   Wikipedia: 2013 protests in Turkey

 

FBI: Snowden will face justice

FBI Director Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats.

Independent online (SA)
Washington – FBI Director Robert Mueller said on Thursday that authorities would move aggressively to track down Edward Snowden and hold him accountable for leaking the details of extensive and top-secret US surveillance efforts. Mueller confirmed…
photo: AP / Cliff Owen

 

World population heading to 9.6 billion in 2050: UN

Tanzanian children in Pongwe. Almost half of the local population is under 15.

Xinhua

 

UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) — The number of people in the world is hurtling to the 9.6 billion mark by 2050 from the present estimate of 7.2 billion, with most of the increase coming in developing countries, the United Nations projected on…

 

photo: Creative Commons

 

 

 

2013 World Day Against Child Labor: “No” to Child Labor

Full Article Scoop
13 Jun 2013
Thursday, 13 June 2013, 4:09 pm Press Release: US State Department 2013 World Day Against Child Labor: “No” to Child Labor in Domestic Work Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC June 12, 2013 We are proud to stand united with our partners in the international…
Indian children, working at a roadside hotel, carry a table in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012.

 

 

 

UN study indicates at least 93,000 people killed in Syria conflict

Full Article CNTV
13 Jun 2013
GENEVA, June 13 (Xinhua) — United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay announced Thursday an updated list of 92,901 documented cases of individuals killed in Syria between March 2011 and the end of April 2013. The total figure included 59,648 killings up to November 30, 2012, as published in previous report in January, plus 6,347…
In this photo taken on a government-organized tour for the media, destroyed Syrian armored vehicles and police riots gear is seen inside a damaged Syrian police headquarters compound which was attacked by an explosion, in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, on Friday Feb. 10, 2012.

 

 

 

Israel bolsters defences at Syrian border after regime forces take Golan

An Israeli soldier walks atop a tank near the Quneitra crossing to Syria, Thursday, June 6, 2013.

The Independent
The Israeli army has significantly increased its manpower on the Syrian border close to the only border crossing between the two countries, which became the scene of a battle between Syrian government and opposition fighters yesterday. The reserve…
photo: AP / Sebastian Scheiner


France, Japan join forces for larger share of nuclear market

French President Francois Hollande, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, prior to their summit meeting at Abe's official residence in Tokyo Friday, June 7, 2013.

Reuters
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan and France on Friday agreed to boost nuclear cooperation to secure a larger share of global atomic energy markets as Tokyo‘s pro-nuclear government looks to restart reactors despite public unease in the wake of the Fukushima…
photo: AP / Toru Yamanaka

Charity warns: Half of Britons living in 2020 will get cancer

People gather at Tower Bridge over the river Thames in central London, to watch a 1,000-boat flotilla part of the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne, Sunday, June 3, 2012.

The Independent
Almost half of the UK population in 2020 will get cancer in their lifetime – but four in every 10 will survive the disease, the country’s leading cancer charity has said. The startling prediction from Macmillan Cancer Support came with a warning…
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis

Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ‘honest’ about desire to become the country’s president

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attends a meeting of the Committee and Commission founded by Myanmar's Lower House, the Myanmar Bank Association, and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Revenue, at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in Yangon, Myanmar.

The Independent
Burma‘s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has underlined her desire to become the country’s president, saying to pretend otherwise would be dishonest. She also said that if everyone in the country benefited from democratic reforms it would be harder…
photo: AP / Khin Maung Win

North And South Korea Agree To First Dialogue In Years Koreas agree to hold first …

A North Korean soldier looks at the southern side through a pair of binoculars at the border village of the Panmunjom (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
SEOUL, South Korea — North and South Korea agreed Thursday to hold their first government dialogue in years, an abrupt change after tensions over the North‘s nuclear program this year escalated into one of the divided peninsula’s worst…
photo: AP / Lee Jin-man

 

 

 

Turkish Police Beat  Protestors Out Of Taksim Square

After a day and a night of violent clashes, Turkish police managed to force anti-government protestors out of Istanbul’s central Taksim Square, leaving behind only the remnants of protestors’ barricades and the lingering smell of tear gas………

 

 

 

 

 

‘Oldest man ever’ Jiroemon Kimura dies in Japan aged 116

In this photo taken Oct. 15, 2012 and released by Kyotango City, Jiroemon Kimura smiles after he was presented with the certificate of the world's oldest living man from Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday at his home in the city, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.

The Independent
The oldest known person in the world has died in Japan, aged 116. Jiroemon Kimura, born on 19 April 1897, had been recognised by the Guinness World Records as the…
photo: AP / Kyotango City


Greeks shocked as state broadcaster is shut

Journalists watch the live news broadcast in the Greek state television ERT 3 headquarters after the government's announcement that it will shut down the broadcaster in Thessaloniki, on Tuesday, June 11, 2013.

China Daily
ATHENS – Greece announced the closure of its state broadcaster out of the blue on Tuesday, one of the most drastic measures yet in its struggle to shore up its bankrupt state finances and meet the terms of an international bailout. The decision to…
photo: AP / Nikolas Giakoumidis


G8 summit protests: London police question 57

Anti-G8 demonstrators gather during a protest in central London's Piccadilly Circus, Tuesday, June 11, 2013 .

BBC News
Police in London are continuing to question 57 people held in connection with protests against the G8 summit. The arrests were made at locations across the capital on Tuesday. In Soho riot police forced their way into a building occupied by…
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis

In Kosovo, Ethnic Barriers Linger as a New Accord Is Taking Effect

Security Council Meeting: Security Council resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998), 1203 (1998), 1239 (1999) and 1244 (1999) Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (S/2012/603).

The New York Times
MITROVICA, Kosovo — A high barrier of sticks and stones blocks the main bridge over the Ibar River — put there by ethnic Serbs as a bulwark against their ethnic Albanian neighbors who live just a short walk away on the other side and, in theory at…
photo: UN / Devra Berkowitz

Obama says ‘moment is now’ for immigration legislation as Senate begins work on bill

President Barack Obama receives an update in the Oval Office from Lisa Monaco

The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — In Spanish and English, the Senate pushed contentious immigration legislation over early procedural hurdles with deceptive ease on Tuesday as President Barack Obama insisted the “moment is now” to give 11 million…
photo: White House / Pete Souza

China successfully launches fifth manned space mission

The Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou 10 capsule blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province, Tuesday, June 11, 2013.

The Hindu
China today successfully launched its fifth and longest manned space mission with three astronauts, including a woman, on board ‘Shenzhou-10’ as part of the Communist giant’s efforts to build a permanent space lab of its own by…
photo: AP / Andy Wong


Mumbai building collapse: Death toll rises to seven

Rescue workers search for trapped people after a residential building collapsed in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, June 11, 2013.

Zeenews
Mumbai: The death toll in the building collapse at Central Mumbai in the metropolis has risen to seven as more bodies have been recovered from the debris on Tuesday, civic officials…
photo: AP / Rajanish Kakade

 

 

China successfully launches fifth manned space mission

Full Article The Hindu
11 Jun 2013
China today successfully launched its fifth and longest manned space mission with three astronauts, including a woman, on board ‘Shenzhou-10’ as part of the Communist giant’s efforts to build a permanent space lab of its own by 2020. Watched by President Xi Jinping, Shenzhou-10 (Divine Craft) spaceship carrying the three…
The Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou 10 capsule blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province, Tuesday, June 11, 2013.

 

 

 

Israel bolsters defences at Syrian border after regime forces take Golan

An Israeli soldier walks atop a tank near the Quneitra crossing to Syria, Thursday, June 6, 2013.

The Independent

 

The Israeli army has significantly increased its manpower on the Syrian border close to the only border crossing between the two countries, which became the scene of a battle between Syrian government and opposition fighters yesterday. The reserve…

 

photo: AP / Sebastian Scheiner

 


 

France, Japan join forces for larger share of nuclear market

French President Francois Hollande, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, prior to their summit meeting at Abe's official residence in Tokyo Friday, June 7, 2013.

Reuters
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan and France on Friday agreed to boost nuclear cooperation to secure a larger share of global atomic energy markets as Tokyo‘s pro-nuclear government looks to restart reactors despite public unease in the wake of the Fukushima…
photo: AP / Toru Yamanaka


Charity warns: Half of Britons living in 2020 will get cancer

People gather at Tower Bridge over the river Thames in central London, to watch a 1,000-boat flotilla part of the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne, Sunday, June 3, 2012.

The Independent
Almost half of the UK population in 2020 will get cancer in their lifetime – but four in every 10 will survive the disease, the country’s leading cancer charity has said. The startling prediction from Macmillan Cancer Support came with a warning…


Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ‘honest’ about desire to become the country’s president

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attends a meeting of the Committee and Commission founded by Myanmar's Lower House, the Myanmar Bank Association, and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Revenue, at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in Yangon, Myanmar.

The Independent
Burma‘s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has underlined her desire to become the country’s president, saying to pretend otherwise would be dishonest. She also said that if everyone in the country benefited from democratic reforms it would be harder…
photo: AP / Khin Maung Win


North And South Korea Agree To First Dialogue In Years Koreas agree to hold first …

A North Korean soldier looks at the southern side through a pair of binoculars at the border village of the Panmunjom (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
SEOUL, South Korea — North and South Korea agreed Thursday to hold their first government dialogue in years, an abrupt change after tensions over the North‘s nuclear program this year escalated into one of the divided peninsula’s worst…
photo: AP / Lee Jin-man


 

Putins Announce Their Divorce

THE GRAND KREMLIN PALACE, MOSCOW. President Putin with Lyudmila Putin at a party after the inauguration ceremony.

The New York Times

 

MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin pulled off one of his most audacious pieces of stagecraft, attending a ballet with his rarely seen wife and then announcing their marriage is over. But how will it play to his audience of 143 million Russians? Connect With Us…

 

 

Taliban attack Kabul airport

Full Article The Independent
10 Jun 2013
Militants who battled security forces for hours on the perimeter of Afghanistan‘s main airport have been killed, authorities said. The hours-long stand-off came after the heavily-armed fighters tried to attack Nato‘s airport headquarters with rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and at least one large bomb, Ministry of Interior spokesman Sediq…
File - An Afghan soldier is seen through the barbed wires, standing guard on a roof of one of the gates to Kabul's airport following a shooting incident on Wednesday April 27, 2011, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

 

Global carbon emissions hit record high in 2012

Air pollution - carbon, gases emission, Pune, India

Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) – China led a rise in global carbon dioxide emissions to a record high in 2012, more than offsetting falls in the United States and Europe, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Monday. Worldwide CO2 emissions rose by 1.4…
photo: WN / Geeta

Slight fall in world’s children without schools

Indian School Girls read book last minuite outside the Exam Centre during the West Bengal Madhyamik Exam Started on 25th February 2013 at Kolkata on Monday

BBC News
The global figure for the number of children without access to schools has fallen to 57 million, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. But the improvement is unlikely to be enough to meet the millennium…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick


Malnutrition stunts growth of millions of children

INDIA-STREET-CHILDIndia Street Child on the roadside footpath in Kolkata in Eastern India City ----- WN/BHASKAR MALLICK

Sowetan Live
–> Anthony Lake, executive director of Unicef, said that the problem of malnutrition was vastly under-appreciated, largely because poor nutrition was often mistaken for a lack of food. He said, in reality, malnutrition and its irreversible health…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick


Libyan army chief resigns following clashes in Benghazi

In this Saturday, June 8, 2013 photo, Libyans are seen during fighting outside the office of the Libya Shield pro-government militia in Benghazi, Libya.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
TRIPOLI, Libya — One of Libya’s highest military officers resigned Sunday after clashes between protesters and a government-aligned militia he was in charge of left 31 people dead in the eastern city of Benghazi, the deadliest such violence in…
photo: AP


Mandela remains in hospital

Former South African President Nelson Mandela, center, with his wife Graça Machel, left, as he celebrates his birthday with family in Qunu, South Africa, Wednesday, July 18, 2012.

Independent online (SA)
Johannesburg – Nelson Mandela, the revered anti-apartheid hero, spent a third night in hospital after South Africa prayed for him on Sunday amid calls for his family and the nation to “let him go”. Government officials have given no…
photo: AP / Schalk van Zuydam

19 killed in Nigerian attack

A police officer walks past an engine block of last Friday suicide bomber's vehicle by the wall of the state police headquarters in Kano, Nigeria, on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. The radical Islamist group Boko Haram were responsible for the attack.

Newstrack India
Tweet Abuja, June 10 (IANS) At least 19 people have been killed in a renewed attack by insurgent group in Nigeria‘s Maidiguri city, local residents and military sources said Sunday. Some…
photo: AP / Sunday Alamba


Hungary defences hold as Danube level rises

A local resident paddles his kayak in the main street flooded by River Danube in Nagymaros, 52 kms (32.3 miles) north of Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, June 9, 2013.

Al Jazeera
Hungary‘s flood defences have continued to hold firm as central Europe‘s worst floods in a decade moved through the northwest of the country and into the capital Budapest. So far, however, Hungary has avoided the chaos seen elsewhere in central…
photo: AP / Laszlo Beliczay

 

 

Obama confronts Xi on cyber theft, affinity found on North Korea

Full Article The Star
09 Jun 2013
RANCHO MIRAGE, California (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama confronted Chinese President Xi Jinping over allegations of cyber theft on Saturday but they agreed at a shirtsleeves summit in the California desert on reining in North Korea. U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk the grounds at The Annenberg Retreat at…
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, walk at the Annenberg Retreat of the Sunnylands estate Saturday, June 8, 2013, in Rancho Mirage, Calif.


Israel bolsters defences at Syrian border after regime forces take Golan

An Israeli soldier walks atop a tank near the Quneitra crossing to Syria, Thursday, June 6, 2013.


 

The Israeli army has significantly increased its manpower on the Syrian border close to the only border crossing between the two countries, which became the scene of a battle between Syrian government and opposition fighters yesterday. The reserve…

 


France, Japan join forces for larger share of nuclear market

French President Francois Hollande, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, prior to their summit meeting at Abe's official residence in Tokyo Friday, June 7, 2013.

Reuters
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan and France on Friday agreed to boost nuclear cooperation to secure a larger share of global atomic energy markets as Tokyo‘s pro-nuclear government looks to restart reactors despite public unease in the wake of the Fukushima…
photo: AP / Toru Yamanaka

 

Charity warns: Half of Britons living in 2020 will get cancer

People gather at Tower Bridge over the river Thames in central London, to watch a 1,000-boat flotilla part of the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne, Sunday, June 3, 2012.

The Independent
Almost half of the UK population in 2020 will get cancer in their lifetime – but four in every 10 will survive the disease, the country’s leading cancer charity has said. The startling prediction from Macmillan Cancer Support came with a warning…
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis

 

Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ‘honest’ about desire to become the country’s president

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attends a meeting of the Committee and Commission founded by Myanmar's Lower House, the Myanmar Bank Association, and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Revenue, at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in Yangon, Myanmar.

The Independent
Burma‘s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has underlined her desire to become the country’s president, saying to pretend otherwise would be dishonest. She also said that if everyone in the country benefited from democratic reforms it would be harder…
photo: AP / Khin Maung Win

 

North And South Korea Agree To First Dialogue In Years Koreas agree to hold first …

A North Korean soldier looks at the southern side through a pair of binoculars at the border village of the Panmunjom (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
SEOUL, South Korea — North and South Korea agreed Thursday to hold their first government dialogue in years, an abrupt change after tensions over the North‘s nuclear program this year escalated into one of the divided peninsula’s worst…
photo: AP / Lee Jin-man

 

Putins Announce Their Divorce

THE GRAND KREMLIN PALACE, MOSCOW. President Putin with Lyudmila Putin at a party after the inauguration ceremony.

The New York Times
MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin pulled off one of his most audacious pieces of stagecraft, attending a ballet with his rarely seen wife and then announcing their marriage is over. But how will it play to his audience of 143 million Russians? Connect With Us…
photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office

 

Chess Grand Master Garry Kasparov Is Latest Russian to Flee

Garry Kasparov of Russia (dn1)

ABC News

 

Share 0 Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov has fled his country because he says he fears political persecution if he stays. “I kept traveling back and forth until late February, where it became clear that I might be part of this ongoing…

 

photo: AP-Stanislav Peska-CTK

Obama, Xi seek to ease tensions on cyber security

Full Article The Times of India
08 Jun 2013
RANCHO MIRAGE (CALIFORNIA): US President Barack Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping agreed on Friday to work together to try to resolve disputes over cyber security, a major irritant between the world’s top two economic powers. Hosting Xi at a two-day summit in a luxurious desert estate in southern California, Obama said the United States…
President Barack Obama poses with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands as they meet for talks Friday, June 7, 2013, in Rancho Mirage, Calif.


 

Mandela in ‘serious but stable condition’

File - Nelson Mandela (left), President of South Africa, enters General Assembly Hall to address its fifty - third session. At his side is United Nations Chief of Protocol, Nadia Younes, 21 September, 1998.

Al Jazeera
Former South African president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela is in a “serious but stable” conditon in hospital with a lung infection, a statement from the presidency has said. Friday’s statement said Mandela, 94, who was…
photo: UN / Evan Schneider

 

Barack Obama and Xi Jinping meet as cyber-scandals swirl

President Barack Obama, right, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands Friday, June 7, 2013, in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

The Guardian
US and China presidents’ summit takes place amid tensions over state-sponsored intrusions and revelations about NSA harvesting data from millions of personal online accounts A woman holds up a protest sign near the Annenberg retreat at Sunnylands…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci

 

Iranian presidential candidates divided over foreign policy

In this photo released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, on Friday, June 7, 2013, presidential candidates from left, Saeed Jalili, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, parliament lawmaker, and Hasan Rowhani, former top nuclear negotiator, attend a TV debate, in a state- run TV studio, in Tehran, Iran. Eight candidates running in Iran's June 14 presidential election sharply disagreed on how they would handle nuclear talks with world powers.

Xinhua

 

TEHRAN, June 7 (Xinhua) — Iranian presidential candidates are divided over the country’s foreign policy in their third and final televised live debate on Friday. Saeed Jalili, a hardline principlist candidate, said that in international relations,…

 

photo: AP / Mehdi Dehghan

Putin, Wife Announce Marriage Is Over

Full Article Wall Street Journal
07 Jun 2013
By GREGORY L. WHITE and PAUL SONNE MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife said Thursday they are separating after nearly three decades of marriage, setting the stage for the first divorce of a Russian leader since Peter the Great and bringing an end to years of speculation about the state of the couple’s union. Enlarge Image Close “It…
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila attend a service in the Annunciation Cathedral after his inauguration in the Kremlin in Moscow, Monday, May 7, 2012.

 

Israel bolsters defences at Syrian border after regime forces take Golan

An Israeli soldier walks atop a tank near the Quneitra crossing to Syria, Thursday, June 6, 2013.

The Independent

 

The Israeli army has significantly increased its manpower on the Syrian border close to the only border crossing between the two countries, which became the scene of a battle between Syrian government and opposition fighters yesterday. The reserve…

 

photo: AP / Sebastian Scheiner

 


 

France, Japan join forces for larger share of nuclear market

French President Francois Hollande, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, prior to their summit meeting at Abe's official residence in Tokyo Friday, June 7, 2013.

Reuters
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan and France on Friday agreed to boost nuclear cooperation to secure a larger share of global atomic energy markets as Tokyo‘s pro-nuclear government looks to restart reactors despite public unease in the wake of the Fukushima…
photo: AP / Toru Yamanaka

 

Charity warns: Half of Britons living in 2020 will get cancer

People gather at Tower Bridge over the river Thames in central London, to watch a 1,000-boat flotilla part of the four-day Diamond Jubilee celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne, Sunday, June 3, 2012.

The Independent
Almost half of the UK population in 2020 will get cancer in their lifetime – but four in every 10 will survive the disease, the country’s leading cancer charity has said. The startling prediction from Macmillan Cancer Support came with a warning…
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis

 

Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ‘honest’ about desire to become the country’s president

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attends a meeting of the Committee and Commission founded by Myanmar's Lower House, the Myanmar Bank Association, and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Revenue, at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in Yangon, Myanmar.

The Independent
Burma‘s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has underlined her desire to become the country’s president, saying to pretend otherwise would be dishonest. She also said that if everyone in the country benefited from democratic reforms it would be harder…
photo: AP / Khin Maung Win

 

North And South Korea Agree To First Dialogue In Years Koreas agree to hold first …

A North Korean soldier looks at the southern side through a pair of binoculars at the border village of the Panmunjom (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
SEOUL, South Korea — North and South Korea agreed Thursday to hold their first government dialogue in years, an abrupt change after tensions over the North‘s nuclear program this year escalated into one of the divided peninsula’s worst…
photo: AP / Lee Jin-man

 

Putins Announce Their Divorce

THE GRAND KREMLIN PALACE, MOSCOW. President Putin with Lyudmila Putin at a party after the inauguration ceremony.

The New York Times
MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin pulled off one of his most audacious pieces of stagecraft, attending a ballet with his rarely seen wife and then announcing their marriage is over. But how will it play to his audience of 143 million Russians? Connect With Us…
photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office


 

Chess Grand Master Garry Kasparov Is Latest Russian to Flee

Garry Kasparov of Russia (dn1)

ABC News

 

Share 0 Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov has fled his country because he says he fears political persecution if he stays. “I kept traveling back and forth until late February, where it became clear that I might be part of this ongoing…

 

photo: AP-Stanislav Peska-CTK

 

Servers of internet firms ‘monitored’ by US

Full Article Al Jazeera
07 Jun 2013
The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading US Internet companies, The Washington Post has reported. , this has allowed investigators to examine e-mails, photos and other documents of tens of millions of Americans that can be used…
A server rack seen from the rear

 

 

 

 

 

Syrian Forces Claim Victory in Battle for Strategic Town

Full Article Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 Jun 2013
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syrian government forces and their allies in Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, seized most of the strategic crossroads town of Qusayr early on Wednesday, a painful defeat for outgunned Syria rebels and an advance for President Bashar al-Assad. If it sticks, the military gain could infuse his forces with momentum and…
This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian army troops hold up national flags in the town of Qusair, near the Lebanon border, Homs province, Syria, Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

 

 

Obama names outspoken Rice as his security adviser

US Permanent Representative Briefs Media on DPRK The Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2094 (2013), condemning the 12 February nuclear test by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and imposing new sanctions on that country. Susan Rice, Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN, speaks to journalists following the adoption of the resolution.

The Guardian
JULIE PACE AP White House Correspondent= WASHINGTON (AP) — Defying Republican critics, President Barack Obama named outspoken diplomat Susan Rice as his national security adviser Wednesday, giving her a larger voice in U.S. foreign policy despite…
photo: UN / Mark Garten

Turkey PM Erdogan set to return as protests continue

Riot police use water cannon to disperse protesters in Turkish capital, Ankara, late Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

BBC News
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to return to Turkey as mass protests against his government continue. Mr Erdogan has completed a three-day tour of North Africa as demonstrators turned out in Ankara and other cities, many calling for him to…
photo: AP

Challenges at frontline of Nigeria extremist fight

Soldiers gather at a former camp for Islamic extremists near Marti, Nigeria, on Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

Newsday
Photos MARTE, Nigeria – (AP) — Islamist extremists raised their black flag over this village in the remote plains of northeast Nigeria, setting fire to a church, shutting down the schools and bombing the police station in a violent overthrow of…
photo: AP / Jon Gambrell

US Condemns Syria Regime’s Capture of Key Town

In this citizen journalism image provided by Shaam News Network SNN, taken on Wednesday, July 11, 2012, smoke leaps the air from purported forces shelling in Homs, Syria.

The New York Times
WASHINGTON — The White House is condemning the Syrian regime’s capture of a strategic border town and says the involvement of Lebanese Hezbollah threatens Lebanon‘s stability. Syrian troops and their Hezbollah allies captured Qusair Wednesday after a…
photo: AP / Shaam News Network, SNN


US and Venezuela move to improve relations

Secretary of State John Kerry, left, and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jose Jaua shake hands as they pose for a photo during a meeting of the 43rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States, OAS, in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala, Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

Al Jazeera
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that he and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua had agreed to find new ways to forge positive relations between their two countries, long at political loggerheads. Kerry on Wednesday also welcomed as a…
photo: AP / Moises Castillo

Dow Sinks 217 Points

Traders gather at the post that handles Global Payments Inc. on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, April 2, 2012, in New York. Visa Inc. has dropped Global Payments, the card processor involved in a massive data breach, from its registry of providers that meet data security standards, but may reinstate it after a new compliance report.

Wall Street Journal
By ALEXANDRA SCAGGS Shares sold off on the heels of overseas stock-market declines and ahead of data on the jobs market due out Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 216.95 points, or 1.4%, to 14960.59. On Tuesday, the Dow fell 76 points…
photo: AP / Richard Drew

Floodwaters Rise in Germany, Central Europe

Hochwasser in der Passauer Altstadt, im Vodergrund das Wurm & Köck-Schiff Sissi.

Wall Street Journal
By LAURA STEVENS in Frankfurt, LEOS ROUSEK in Prague and VANESSA FUHRMANS in Berlin Floodwaters continued to rise in Germany and much of Central Europe on Tuesday, with rivers swelling to their highest levels in generations, causing at least 13…

Germany’s Dresden expects peak in flooding

Full Article Herald Tribune
05 Jun 2013
BERLIN – Rising river levels are still threatening vast parts of eastern and southern Germany and hundreds of people were being evacuated in Dresden. A city spokeswoman told German news agency dpa on Wednesday some 600 people needed to leave their homes and electricity was turned off in some parts of the eastern city that was flooded by the Elbe…
Rudolf (11) crosses the flooded market place of the city of Wehlen at river Elbe, Germany, Tuesday, June 4, 2013. After heavy rainfalls, swollen rivers flooded areas in Germany, Austria , Switzerland and Czech Republic.

 

Nawaz Sharif elected for unprecedented third term as Pakistan PM

A banner with the photo of Pakistan's upcoming Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is displayed near the National Assembly building, background, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

The Independent
Pakistan’s parliament elected Nawaz Sharif as prime minister today, marking a historic transfer of power in a country that has undergone three military coups. Now Sharif faces the monumental task of leading the country of 180 million people out of…
photo: AP / Anjum Naveed

Iraq marks Shiite ritual as unrest surges

Shiite pilgrims pray at the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine at Kazimiyah district of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, June 4, 2013.

New Straits/Business Times
BAGHDAD: Tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims pilgrims thronged a shrine in Baghdad today for a ritual mourning ceremony amid a surge in violence that has sparked fears of a new all-out sectarian war. Security forces effectively shut down much of…
photo: AP / Karim Kadim

Turkey rocked by new violence despite apology

Protesters stand on a barricade during a protest near Taksim square in Istanbul, early Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

The Star
ISTANBUL: Fresh clashes erupted in Turkey early Wednesday as protesters defied a government plea to end days of unrest, the biggest challenge yet to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s decade-long rule. Police used tear gas and water cannon on…
photo: AP / Kostas Tsironis

Iran’s leader urges next president to revive economy in face of Western threats

Iranian supreme leader's office, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech in a ceremony marking the anniversary of the death of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, shown in the picture in background, at his shrine just outside Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 4, 2013.

Xinhua
TEHRAN, June 4 (Xinhua) — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that the next Iranian president should focus on the country’s economy which is targeted by the West. Khamenei‘s remarks came as some presidential candidates in their…
photo: AP / Office of the Supreme Leader

Economy   Election   Iran   Photos

 

 

India City to Ban Lingerie Mannequins to Stop Rape

All India MSS Women Supporters burn the Sushil Kumar Shinde Poster to Protest against recent rape case in Delhi at Kolkata on Saturday 20 April 2013

The New York Times
MUMBAI, India — Mannequins displaying lingerie and other skimpy clothing may soon be banned in India’s cosmopolitan city of Mumbai as an anti-rape measure. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines….
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick


China Marks 24th Anniversary of Tiananmen Crackdown

Plainclothes police officers hold umbrellas while monitoring visitors as authorities tighten security in Tiananmen Square on the 24th anniversary of the deadly 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in Beijing Tuesday, June 4, 2013.

Voa News
China is marking the 24th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown, amid tight security in Beijing and stifling censorship on the web. Authorities every year work hard to prevent memorials and ban public discussion of the brutal military…
photo: AP / Andy Wong


Hong Kong keeps Tiananmen memories alive

Protesters march silently from a Hong Kong park to government headquarters on Sunday June 1, 2008 to mark the 19th anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters centered at Beijing 's Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

Al Jazeera
It has been 24 years since the Chinese government sent in the army to end a pro-democracy demonstration in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square Ever since, the government has worked to erase the events of that day from the national consciousness….
photo: AP / Vincent Yu

Missile kills 26 as key Syria battle enters third week

FILE - This Tuesday, May 21, 2013 file citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian citizens inspecting the rubble of damaged buildings that were damaged from a Syrian forces air strike in the town of Qusair, near the Lebanon border, Homs province, Syria.

The Australian
A MISSILE strike near Syria‘s biggest city Aleppo killed 26 people and government warplanes pounded Qusayr, a watchdog said yesterday, as a regime offensive to retake the town entered its third week. Regime opponents also suffered a blow when one of…


North Korea Yongbyon reactor work ‘nearing completion’

File - In this photo released by U.S. researchers who visited North Korea, a researcher videotapes stored equipment removed from the reprocessing plant at the Yongbyon Nuclear Center in North Korea Thursday Feb. 14, 2008.

BBC News
North Korea is making “important” progress on reactivating facilities at its moth-balled Yongbyon nuclear reactor, a US think-tank says. Start-up could be one to two months away, it said, but there was uncertainty over the availability of…
photo: AP / S. S. Hecker

Kerry says time running out to revive Mideast peace

This photo taken Feb. 27, 2013 shows Secretary of State John Kerry arriving at the Foreign Ministry in Paris. The U.S. is moving closer to direct involvement in Syria’s civil war with the delivery of non-lethal assistance directly to the rebels fighting President Bashar Assad’s regime. Officials say the decision to offer ready-made meals and medical supplies to the rebels may be a step toward eventual U.S. military aid, which the administration has so far resisted.

Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israel and the Palestinians on Monday to revive stalled peace talks, warning that the alternative was a “negative spiral of responses.” “We’re running out of time. If we do not succeed now,…
photo: AP / Jacquelyn Martin, Pool


2 U.S. troops, 9 children killed by bomb in Afghanistan

Afghans look at a destroyed vehicle after it was hit by a road side bomb in the Alingar district of Laghman province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, June 3, 2013.

The Dallas Morning News
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber targeting U.S. troops outside an Afghan government office killed nine children walking home from school and two of the Americans on Monday, the latest sign that this year’s fighting season could be one of the…
photo: AP / Rahmat Gul