Archive of Latest Articles

Time.com / Postcard from Tehran: Rock Me, Ahmadinejad! The 300-person auditorium in Tehran's Artists' House is so completely pack ed that at least 40 people are crowded around its entrance in the adjacent hallway. Inside, the heat is on-both literally and figuratively. An audience of mostly twentysomething men and women is here to see Moh-sen Namjoo, the new local sensation whose music combines classical Persian music and poetry with such Western imports as rock and blues.    9.6. 2008 BBC / Zimbabwe aid ban puts many in peril In the week in which world leaders met in Rome to discuss an ongoing global food crisis, will Zimbabwe's own food crisis be exacerbated by the announcement that aid groups and non-governmental organisations should stop operations at once and re-apply for their permits? Put together the facts - a recurring poor harvest of basic cereals like maize and wheat; persistent droughts.        7.6. 2008 NYT / Oil Prices Skyrocket, Taking Biggest Jump Ever Oil prices had their biggest gains ever on Friday, jumping nearly $11 to a new record above $138 a barrel, after a senior Israeli politician raised the specter of an attack on Iran and the dollar fell sharply against the euro.The unprecedented gains on Friday capped a second day of strong gains on energy markets, and fueled suspicions that commodities might be caught in a speculative bubble.    7.6. 2008 Pravda / Dmitry Medvedev opens his heart to the West Russian President Dmitry Medvedev delivered an extensive speech to German politicians and businessman during his visit to Germany. It became Medvedev’s first landmark public appearance of international significance. The speech clearly showed which problems the new Russian president considered as vital.       6.6. 2008 CSM / Aid efforts begin to gather momentum in Burma As relief workers fly to Rangoon (Yangon) with a ray of hope after three weeks of frustrated efforts to get into Burma (Myanmar), aid efforts are gathering momentum in the cyclone-damaged Irrawaddy Delta. Yet many workers are voicing fresh complaints about bureaucratic restrictions and government efforts to move people out of shelters and back to their devastated villages.        1.6. 2008 MET / Headlines from the Arab press Western diplomatic sources close to the International Atomic Energy Agency are not ruling out Iran's ability to manufacture a nuclear bomb any time between 2010 and 2015, if international pressure fails to stop Tehran's nuclear activities. The sources said that the danger does not lie in posses sing nuclear weapons, but in having the technical capability, especially with Iran's continued uranium enrichment.        30. 5. 2008 Breitbart.com / Bush pays tribute to troops on Memorial Day "On this Memorial Day, I stand before you as the commander in chief and try to tell you how proud I am," Bush told an audience of military figures, veterans and their families at Arlington National Cemetery. Of the men and women buried in the hallowed cemetery, he said, "They're an awesome bunch of people and the United States is blessed to have such citizens." 26. 5. 2008 Der Spiegel / What Would It Cost to Save Nature? How much is the Earth worth to us? At a global conference in Bonn, Germany, representatives of 191 nations are discussing a revolution in conservation. By making a highly profitable business out of saving forests, whales and coral reefs, environmentalists hope to put a stop to a dramatic wave of extinctions. 25. 5. 2008 VOA / UN Chief Tours Burma's Cyclone Disaster Zone Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has left Burma's main city of Rangoon to visit the Irrawaddy Delta, getting his first glimpse of areas ravaged by Cyclone Nargis.Mr. Ban flew to the region by helicopter Thursday after meeting with Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein. The two men met at a Rangoon hotel, but details of the talks were not released.   22. 5. 2008 Breitbart / UN sends top envoy to plead with Myanmar over aid A top U.N envoy headed for Myanmar on Sunday to plead with the junta to accept more international aid for its cyclone survivors, amid mounting fears of starvation deaths, especially among children. John Holmes, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, was scheduled to arrive late Sunday and hoped to meet with junta leaders, said Amanda Pitt, a United Nations spokeswoman in Bangkok, Thailand.     18. 5. 2008 NYT / Gay Couples Celebrate California Court Ruling Gay and lesbian couples in San Francisco rejoiced Thursday over a California Supreme Court decision affirming their right to marry even as political leaders on both sides of the issue girded for an extended fight in the courts and at the ballot box. “It’s just amazing to feel like I am a full citizen — I am not a second-class citizen,” said Christmas Laubrile, a nurse, who was with her partner, Alice Heimsoth.     15. 5. 2008 The Australian / ASEAN 'shamed by Burma aid crisis' ASEAN has again been shamed by its failure to bring member state Burma into line, this time over demands it open its doors to a full-scale cyclone relief effort, critics said today.The aid crisis, which is imperilling the lives of 1.5 million desperate survivors of the disaster, makes a mockery of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' efforts to exert more influence on members, they said.      12. 5. 2008 Reuters / "Unimaginable tragedy" if Myanmar delays aid Desperate survivors of Cyclone Nargis poured out of Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta on Sunday in search of food, water and medicine but aid workers said thousands of them would die if emergency supplies do not get through soon.Buddhist temples and schools in towns on the outskirts of the storm's trail of destruction are now makeshift refugee centers for women, children and the elderly.       11. 5. 2008 CNN / Bush to Myanmar: 'Let us help' President Bush joined a chorus of international leaders urging Myanmar's reclusive military government to allow the flow of aid after a disastrous weekend cyclone killed tens of thousands of people."Let the United States come and help you," Bush exhorted the junta on Tuesday.The death toll has risen to more than 22,000, Myanmar state radio and opposition sources said Tuesday.     6. 5. 2008 Dalai Lama's Envoys to Hold Talks Sunday with chinese Officials Representatives of the Dalai Lama are to meet with Chinese officials this weekend for the first talks on Tibet since violent unrest broke out in March. But, as Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing, the talks are not expected to yield any breakthroughs.Two envoys of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader were scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong Saturday ahead of informal talks with Chinese officials in neighboring Shenzhen.       4. 5. 2008 BBC / UN meeting to address food crisis Key United Nations development agencies are meeting in Switzerland to try to develop solutions to ease the escalating global food crisis. Led by secretary general Ban Ki-Moon, officials want to mitigate the impact of the steep rise in staple food prices and prevent food shortages worsening. The World Food Programme (WFP) says an extra 100 million people cannot afford enough food because of higher prices.       28. 4. 2008 NYT / Chinese Clash With Protesters at Seoul Torch Rally Thousands of young Chinese assembled to defend their country’s troubled Olympic torch relay pushed through police lines on Sunday, some of them hurling rocks, bottled water and plastic and steel pipes at protesters demanding better treatment for North Korean refugees in China. Two North Korean defectors living in South Korea poured paint thinner on and tried to set themselves on fire in an attempt to protest  themselves.  27. 4. 2008 VOA / Indicating N. Korean Nuclear Cooperation With Syria State Department officials say the intelligence briefings were requested by congressional leaders, and acknowledge they come at a sensitive point in negotiations aimed at getting Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program. News reports say legislators are being shown a video obtained by Israel and said to show North Koreans helping build a nuclear reactor in northern Syria.    24. April 2008 TWT / Darfur casualty estimate rises to 300,000 The senior U.N. humanitarian official yesterday raised by half the estimated casualties in Darfur, saying that as many as 300,000 had been killed by warfare, disease and hunger.John Holmes, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council that the situation had worsened in the past four years, as the numbers of casualties and the displaced rose and as assaults on aid workers increased.     23. April 2008 MET / Headlines from the Arab press Al-Quds (East Jerusalem): Deal between Hamas and Carter: Gaza calm in return for ending blockade, opening crossings and exchanging prisoners – Informed sources said Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal presented a response to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's proposals regarding major issues concerning calm in Gaza, exchanging prisoners with Israel and the movement's vision.        21. April 2008 BBC / Pope to offer Ground Zero prayer Pope Benedict XVI is set to wrap up his six-day trip to the United States with a visit to Ground Zero and a baseball stadium in New York on Sunday. The Pope will tour the site of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the twin towers with survivors and relatives of the 2,749 people who died there.    20. April 2008 THT / N.KOREAN REFUGEES: Where has all the courage gone? Few countries today can claim as staggering a list of human rights violations as North Korea.For starters, there's a resurgent famine driven by gross government mismanagement that threatens millions of lives, hundreds of thousands of political prisoners languish in concentration camps, and an estimated half-million refugees remain in hiding from forced repatriation that often results in torture and execution.     17. April 2008 PopeBe respectful as you build a more humane and free society As Pope Benedict XVI met with President Bush today, he encouraged the American people to "pursue reasoned, responsible and respectful dialogue in the effort to build a more humane and free society."The Pope, who turned 81 today, earned a warm embrace from the nation this morning, receiving two renditions of "Happy Birthday" from a jubilant and inspired crowd of about 13,500 well-wishers.    16. April 2008 BBC / Gandhi daughter visits assassin Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, says she has met a woman serving a jail term for her father's assassination. Ms Gandhi said she met Nalini Sriharan last month in a prison in Vellore in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomb in May 1991 while he addressed an election rally.     15. April 2008 Yahoo News / Nepal's Maoists extend strong election lead Nepal's Maoists on Sunday extended a stunning early lead in historic polls on the country's political future, election officials said as vote counting continued.The trend has put the former rebels on track to become the single biggest bloc in a body that will rewrite Nepal's constitution, and positioned to boot out the impoverished country's unpopular King Gyanendra and abolish the monarchy.      13. April 2008 CNN / Olympic torch protests begin in San Francisco Thousands of demonstrators descended on San Francisco on Wednesday, the day of the Olympic Torch run, with one side waving Tibetan flags to protest the Beijing Olympics and the other brandishing Chinese flags in support.The city has been gearing up for the protests, trying to head off the kind of chaos that greeted the Olympic torch relay in Paris and London. 9. April 2008 Sky News / Paris Olympic Torch Relay Is Cut Short The Olympic torch relay in Paris has been cut short after chaotic protests by anti-China demonstrators.The flame had already been extinguished four times by security forces after repeated clashes with pro-Tibet and human rights campaigners.The demonstrations also saw the city's mayor cancel a ceremony to mark the torch's passing. 7. April 2008 CNN / Olympic: Angry protests as torch reaches London In a statement, the two men, Martin Wyness and Ashley Darby, said the relay was a propaganda campaign to cover China's "appalling human rights record," PA reported."Our protest is not directed at the Chinese people whatsoever but instead at the brutal Chinese regime that rules them," they said. 6. April 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. deserves to be honored, then followed It was in this environment that Dr. King lived, preached and worked. It is easy to bask in his glow four decades after his death. It took incredible bravery at the time to walk with him in support of his cause. And it wasn't only his cause. It was an American cause. He challenged this country to live up to its ideals and what he knew was its better nature. 5. April 2008 MET / Divided Cyprus opens key Nicosia crossing A major crossing point at the heart of the divided capital city of Nicosia was opened on Thursday in great fanfare underscoring renewed optimism and drive to reunify the island after decades of division.The key thoroughfare of Ledra Street in the commercial hub of the Venetian-walled old city was sealed after deadly intercommunal violence erupted in 1963. 5. April 2008 TWT / Commentary / FORUM: Leave China's Olympics alone I can't stand China.It is a despicable dictatorship in every regard and it is certainly our rival, if not our enemy. I have cursed it all of my adult life, and am not about to stop.But we need to be clear about the Olympics. The Olympics are not about politics, they are not about making a point, they are not about thumbing your nose at a country you do not like. 3. April 2008 VOA / China Warns of Tibetan Suicide Attacks China's Public Security Ministry gave reporters an update on the official investigation into riots in Lhasa in mid-March. The Chinese government says 18 innocent people and one policeman died. Tibetans say the numbers are much higher, and include Tibetans killed by Chinese security forces. 1. April 2008 Independent / Tibet: Secret report from the roof of the world Eleven years ago, Tash, above, risked his life to flee Tibet. Now he has risked it again, by returning with a hidden camera to film the stories of torture, murder and forced sterilisation that China does not want the world to hear.       30.3. 2008 Middle East Times / Summit exposes Arab world rift The Arab world was virtually split in two on Friday after more countries reduced their level of participation at the weekend Arab summit in the Syrian capital, where officials and heads of state began arriving to struggle with a slew of critical problems plaguing their region.In a last-minute announcement, Yemen and Jordan said they were downgrading their levelof representation at the 20th annual summit.      29.3. 2008 Reuters / North Korea raises tensions with missile launch North Korea test-fired a battery of short-range missiles on Friday in what analysts saw as a show of the reclusive state's anger at Washington and th new conservative government in Seoul.The launch comes a day after the North expelled South Korean officials from a joint industrial complex north of the border, after Seoul told its destitute neighbour to clean up its human rights and stop dragging its feet in nuclear disarmament talks.  28.3.08 Washington Times / Tibet Monks Disrupt Tour by Journalists A group of monks shouting there was no religious freedom disrupted a carefully orchestrated visit by foreign reporters to Tibet's capital Thursday, an embarrassment for China as it tried to show Lhasa was calm after recent deadly anti-government riots.Officials arranged the trip for the reporters after the violence in Lhasa and a subsequent government crackdown shattered China's plans for a peaceful run-up.      27.3. 2008 Spy Chief Warns of Al-Qaida's Growing Strength in N.Africa The fight against Islamist terrorism is becoming increasingly globalized as intelligence agencies around the world cooperate and share information. One of the major nodes in that network is Germany's foreign intelligence agency, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), which is based in Pullach in Bavaria.    26. March 2008 BBC / www.: How the open net closed its doors Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering challenges the long-standing assumption that the internet is an unfettered space where citizens from around the world can freely communicate and mobilise. In fact, the book makes it clear that the scope, scale and sophistication of net censorship are growing.      25. March 2008 VOA / Protesters Breach Olympic Security Three members of the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders unfurled a flag at the ceremony and demanded a boycott of the Beijing Games. Their protest disrupted a speech given by China's Olympic organizing committee chief, Liu Qi.Television coverage in Greece and China was suddenly switched to scenic shots of the landscape.The demonstration shook up the crowd of spectators and Olympic officials.      24. March 2008 NYT / China Accuses Dalai Lama Of Taking Olympics "Hostage" China has accused the Dalai Lama of plotting "terror" in Tibet and colluding with Uighur separatists in Xinjiang as it escalates a security and propa- ganda drive to stifle anti-Chinese unrest ahead of the Olympics.Anti-government protests by Buddhist monks erupted in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, from March 10 and five days later anti-Chinese rioting shook the city,killing a policeman and 18 innocent civilians.     23. March 2008 The Washington Times / Commentary: Peace-loving? We all should give some serious thought to some of the ideas in an article circulating the blogsphere titled "Why a peaceful majority is irrelevant." So often our political leaders, "experts" and talking heads tell us Islam is a peaceful religion and most Muslims are not out to destroy the West. We're told only 1 percent, out of 1.2 billion Muslims, are fanatical jihadists who believe America is the Great Satan, cause of all evil...     22. March 2008 IHT / Pope reflects on persecuted Catholics Pope Benedict reflected on the persecution of Catholics across the world during a Good Friday procession around Rome's Colosseum that threw the spotlight on suffering among China's faithful.The Pope, who has made improving relations with China one of the goals of his pontificate, presided over the traditional Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession commemorating Christ's crucifixion and death.       22. March 2008 CNN / U.S. House speaker critical of China over Tibet U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday criticized China for its crackdown on anti-government protesters in Tibet and called on "freedom-loving people" worldwide to denounce China."As a freedom-loving people, if we don't speak out about the Chinese oppression, then we have lost our right to speak on human rights," Pelosi told reporters.   21. March 2008 apnews / Bush Defiantly Defends War in Iraqs President Bush defiantly defended the Iraq war Wednesday as U.S. troops began a sixth year of combat in the long and costly conflict that has domin- ated his presidency. Bush conceded the war has been harder and more expensive than anticipated but insisted it has all been necessary to keep Americans safe.Protesters marked the anniversary of the U.S. invasion with demonstrations near the White House and in other cities.     20.3.2008 NYT / Dalai Lama Says He’ll Resign if Violence Escalates The Dalai Lama on Tuesday invited international observers, including Chinese officials, to scour his offices here and investigate whether he had any role in inciting the latest anti-Chinese violence in Tibet. He also threatened to resign as leader of Tibet’s government-in-exile in the event of spiraling bloodshed in his homeland. 19. March 2008 CNN / Historic agreement for Israel, Germany Israel and Germany strengthened their ties on Monday in one of the highlights of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's three-day visit to mark the 60th anniversary of Israel's creation.Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert chaired a joint session of members of the two countries' Cabinets, at which both governments signed off on a range of projects. 17. March 2008 VOA / US Vice President in Baghdad Hails Progress in Iraq U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney paid a visit to Baghdad just before the five-year anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The vice president hailed progress in Iraq and promised continued support from Washington. Meanwhile, a female suicide bomber has killed 40 people and wounded more than 70 near a Shi'ite shrine in Karbala. 17. March 2008 Washington Times / Tibet Protests Spread to Other Provinces Violence in Tibet spilled over into neighboring provinces Sunday where Tibetan protesters defied a Chinese government crackdown. The Dalai Lama warned Tibet faced "cultural genocide" and appealed to the world for help.Protests against Chinese rule of Tibet were reported in neighboring Sichuan and Qinghai provinces and also in western Gansu province.    16. March 2008 China View / Dalai-backed violence scars Lhasa Rioters began gathering around 2 p.m. around the Ramogia Monastery, and set fire to shops along two main streets in the capital, and around Jokhang Temple, Ramogia Monastery and Chomsigkang Market. At least five blazing spots were reported and dense smoke was seen blanketing the area. A number of shops, banks and hotels were burnt, causing blackouts and interruption of communications in some areas.     15. March 2008 BBC / Deaths reported in Tibet protests Clashes between protesters and security forces in Tibet's main city, Lhasa, have left at least two people dead, according to reports.An emergency official said that many people had been hurt and an unspecified number had died. The US-based Radio Free Asia quoted witnesses who said they had seen at least two bodies on Lhasa's streets. Tibet's government would "deal harshly" with the protesters..  15. March 2008 The Economist / Iran's election: The limits of reform D is among the 2,000-odd parliamentary candidates whose electoral bid was nipped in the bud by the Guardians’ Council, the 12-man, unelected body of senior clerics which takes upon itself the duty of vetting candidates for public office. D is particularly upset because he had taken special care to avoid being branded a reformist, and therefore automatically suspect in the eyes of the conservative Guardians.       11. March 2008 IHT / Asians who died building Burma-Thailand rail in WWII The flocks of foreign tourists who visit this storied Thai city usually beat a path to the bridge on the River Kwai and the meticulously maintained cemeteries containing the remains of thousands of British and other Allied prisoners of war who died building the railway during World War II.     10. March 2008 The Washington Times / Taiwan's straits of reality In fact, in 2005 China's National People's Congress passed an "anti-secession law" that said: "Both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China. China's sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division." This anti-secession law explicitly authorizes the Chinese government to "employ nonpeaceful means and other necessary measures" if Taiwan unilaterally declares its independence.     9. March 2008 BBC / Burma's Suu Kyi meeting UN envoy Burma's opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has left her house for a meeting with a visiting UN envoy, reports say. Ms Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest, was seen leaving in an official convoy for the state guest house where the envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, is staying.      8. March 2008 Middle East Times / The world's dirtiest cities Unless you're in the oil business, there's little reason to brave the choking pollution of Baku, Azerbaijan. Fetid water, oil ponds and life-threatening levels of air pollution emitted from drilling and shipping land the former Soviet manufacturing center at the bottom of this year's list as the world's dirtiest city.    6. March 2008 Washingtonpost.com / China to Increase Military Spending China announced Tuesday that it will again sharply increase its military spending this year, budgeting a 17.6 percent rise that is roughly equal to last year's increase.Disclosure of plans for a $59 billion outlay in 2008 followed a U.S. report Monday that raised questions about China's rapidly increasing military budget, and less than three weeks before a presidential election in Taiwan.      4. March 2008 VOA / US Airstrike in Somalia Targets al-Qaida Suspect In Somalia, several dozen residents of Dobley town, near the Kenyan border, are reportedly trying to cross into Kenya following a U.S. military air strike that was aimed at terror suspects in the area. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has details from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi. Eyewitness Abdi Mohamed Ali tells VOA that the residents of Dobley, about six kilometers from the Kenyan border.      3. March 2008 Breitbart.com / Putin's Chosen Successor Ahead in Vote Russia's voters had been expected to endorse Vladimir Medvedev, allowing the outgoing president to retain significant power in a nation whose wealth and global influence have grown even as democratic freedoms diminished. Some voters complained of pressure to cast ballots for Medvedev, and critics called the election a cynical stage show to ensure unbroken rule by Putin.    2. March 2008 The Independent / A model for international mediation We come to praise a former leader who, having stepped down from high office, lent his charm and negotiating experience to the task of mediating in one of the world's most intractable disputes. No, not Tony Blair, currently trying to bring Palestinians and Israelis to a two-state settlement. We mean to pay tribute to Kofi Annan, who stood down as general secretary of the United Nations a year ago.    1. March 2008 Breitbart.com / Iran 'number one world power': Ahmadinejad President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared on Thursday that Iran was the world's "number one" power, as he launched a bitter new assault on domestic critics he accused of siding with the enemy. "Everybody has understood that Iran is the number one power in the world," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to families who lost loved ones in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.    29. Feb. 2008 The Washington Times / Editorial: Europe's time to choose In the second half of the 20th century, France and Germany each realized that on their own their importance on a European and global level was going to decline. Hence, they became the motors of the so-called European unification process. Many — especially in Britain, but also in smaller coun- tries such as Denmark and the Netherlands — perceive the European Union to be a joint Franco-German effort at dominating Europe.   Jerusalem P./N. Korea, Iran cooperating on long-range missiles During a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Olmert said that Iran stood at the head of the axis of evil. Olmert presented to Ishiba intelligence information on North Korea's involvement with the Islamic Republic, specifically its distribution of its nuclear know-how and its expertise in the production of long-range missiles. 27. Feb. 2008 NYT / North Korea Welcomes New York Philharmonic The Philharmonic will play in the East Pyongyang Grand Theater, where music of Gershwin, Dvorak and Wagner, not to mention the American and North Korean national anthems, was to be broadcast live on state radio and television. That will be a novelty for a populace screened by rigid govern- ment censorship from the rest of the world. 26. Feb. 2008 NYT / Letters: Trying to Understand Midlife Suicide As we try to understand the increase of suicide in this age group, one of the most descriptive phrases in the article is “inexplicable gloom.” As a rabbi in one congregation for 25 years and as a professor of a course on death for the last 30 years, I have observed this gloom (or sadness, ennui, feeling of emptiness) in this age group.    24. Feb. 2008 BBC / Aids, oil and Africom on Bush tour For a president whose foreign policy has been dominated by Iraq, this visit was a chance for George W Bush to show the world what he calls his mission of mercy - trying to rid Africa of HIV/Aids and Malaria.There were strategic considerations too - showing China it is not the only power that can sign investment deals with African nations, and cementing friendly relations with West African countries.      21. Feb. 2008 IHT / WIRELESS: Cellphones are bringing Pakistanis together For nearly seven years, Osama bin Laden, the world's most-wanted terrorist, has eluded the best intelligence officers, military spy drones and orbiting satellites in a hideout believed to be in the northern part of the autonomous tribal region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.But now, a far more mundane technology - mobile phone service - is rolling out across Pakistan and the surrounding region.     20. Feb. 2008 Pravda (Russia) / Thank you, Comrade Fidel! After almost 50 years of heroic leadership, Fidel Castro Ruz steps down as President of Cuba, having survived countless assassination attempts by the CIA, having stood up to decades of an inhuman and inhumane blockade, having seen his economic and social model survive and having built a valid example of an alternative socio-economic model for the future, while providing substantial humanitarian aid programmes abroad.   The Christian Science Monitor / Kosovo: Mind the gap The last of the pieces that once made up Yugoslavia has broken off. On Feb. 17, Kosovo – the tiny province with the giant geopolitical footprint – declared independence from Serbia. It may mark the end of the Balkan subdivisions, but will that building style spread to other regions? Russia warns that the Kosovo example will encourage restless populations in volatile regions such as the Caucasus.       19. Feb. 2008 Reuters / Attacks in Baghdad fall 80 percent: Iraq military Attacks by insurgents and rival sectarian militias have fallen up to 80 percent in Baghdad and concrete blast walls that divide the capital could soon be removed, a senior Iraqi military official said on Saturday. Lieutenant-General Abboud Qanbar said the success of a year-long clampdown named "Operation Imposing Law" had reined in the savage violence between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs. 18. Feb. 2008 Time Magazin / China: The Short March My wife, a Shanghai native, and I had moved back to China from New York City in the spring of 2004, and 21/2 years later we had decided to take the plunge. We bought a three-story, five-bedroom townhouse way out in the suburbs, in a town called New Songjiang, a place that was then — and remains now — very much a work in progress.   17. Feb. 2008 UPI Asia Online / Food aid to North Korea going to the army Nuclear-armed North Korea has been accused of diverting food and economic aid from South Korea for military use, sparking strong calls for stringent monitoring of aid deliveries in the reclusive communist country. According to Seoul government officials on Friday, the South's humani- tarian rice aid has been spotted going to the country's powerful military.    16. Feb. 2008 BBC / HIV vaccine research hits impasse Scientists are no further forward in developing a vaccine against HIV after more than 20 years of research, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist has said. Professor David Baltimore, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), said there was little hope among scientists. 15. Feb. 2008 The Washington Times / Plot over cartoons foiled Danish authorities yesterday arrested three persons suspected of plotting a cartoonist's assassination for his depiction of the prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban that enraged Muslims two years ago. Three of Denmark's largest newspapers said they would reprint the cartoon today to show they would not be intimidated by fanatics. 13. Feb. 2008 BBC / Kenya's children scarred by violence Van is 13-years-old and comes from the town of Eldoret - one of the flashpoints of Kenya's recent ethnic violence. As he talks about the events that befell his family a fortnight ago, his voice drops to a whisper. "My mother was attacked by men with machetes. I didn't see it - when I arrived, there was only blood on the floor."       4. Feb. 2008 TWT / Commentary: Derailing democracy If the majority in the U.S. Congress is concerned with an increasingly anti-American, left-leaning Latin America, they have a funny way of showing it. The seeming reluctance of congressional Democrats to consider a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for Colombia, and the hostile reception of Colom bian President Alvaro Uribe in Washington last year by Democratic leadership calls into question whether they at all support.     2. Feb. 2008 BBC / The lasting legacy of Suharto He kept himself aloof from foreigners and Indonesians alike, almost never granting interviews, only addressing the public sparingly in set- piece speeches which he delivered in a monotone mumble with all the charisma of a junior civil servant. He left no statues of himself, no parks or roads were named after him, and only on special occasions did you see his face up on billboards.   28. Jan. 2008 Reuters / Anti-whaling protest ship running out of fuel Environmental group Greenpeace said on Saturday its anti-whaling ship, which has been harassing Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean, had saved an estimated 100 whales but was running low on fuel and would return to port."In a dramatic 4,300-nautical mile chase, the Esperanza spent 14 days chasing the whaling fleet's factory ship, the Nisshin Maru," Greenpeace said in a statement.  26. Jan. 2008 BBC / Teenager 'confesses' Bhutto plot Pakistani police say they have arrested a teenage boy who has confessed to being part of a team instructed to kill opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. It was the first arrest in connection with last month's assassination.Security officials say the boy told them he was part of a backup squad trained to attack, if the initial attempt on her life had failed.   20. Jan. 2008   IHT / Gaza: Women gain a place Since mid-August, 60 women have been accepted into the force. Unlike policemen, the women have not played any role resisting the latest Israeli incursions, instead working mostly on gender-sensitive cases of drugs and prostitution and helping out at police headquarters and the central jail.   18. Jan. 2008   Telegraph / What drives children to suicide? More than 4,000 under-14s tried to kill themselves in the UK last year. As Victoria Lambert finds, bullying and not fitting in aren't the whole story. The loss of any young life can quite rightly be marked down as a tragedy in the truest sense of the word. But when that life is apparently lost to suicide - the most unnecessary death, words cannot describe the sense of sadness, shock, disbelief and sheer incomprehension most of us feel.   CNN / 2 big races down, nothing settled The Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries are history, but both presidential races are still wide open. Despite pre-election polls giving Barack Obama the lead, Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire Democratic primary. John McCain topped the Republicans. With 96 percent of the precincts counted, Clinton beat Obama 39 percent to 37 percent.     9. January  2008   The Washington Post / A Candidacy's Prose and Cons There is a certain melancholy in watching Clinton do battle. Obviously aware that the bottom is falling out from under her, she choked up Monday during her last day of campaigning here. By way of proving her tenacity and the depth of her policy knowledge, she has subjected herself to unremitting rounds of questions from voters about every issue from health care to global warming.     8. January  2008   BBC / Stories China's media could not write When journalists at China's national broadcaster CCTV log on, one of the first things that pops up on screen is a notice about what not to report. These notices are often short and seldom say who has authorised them, but they all contain strict instructions about how to report a story. 7. January  2008   Washington Times / Migrants flood through EU open borders Thousands of asylum seekers are on the move across Europe as a result of a new relaxation of internal border controls.Last month's expansion of a system intended to make it easier for European Union citizens to move among member countries has led to a dramatic rise in illegal aliens.Some politicians are demanding that the borders once again be closed. 6. January  2008   Arab News / Need to Teach Human Rights in School Stressed Recommendations from a workshop sponsored by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) regarding the introduction of human rights into the Saudi school curriculum will be sent to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for approval, the Kingdom’s unofficial human rights watch-  dog said yesterday.     6. January  2008   Reuters / Afghan clerics warn Karzai against missionaries Afghanistan's Islamic council has told President Hamid Karzai to stop foreign aid groups from converting locals to Christianity and also demanded the reintroduction of public executions. The council, an influential group but without binding authority, is made up of Islamic clergy and ulema (scholars) from various parts of Afghanistan and made the warning in a statement during a meeting with Karzai on Friday.     5. January  2008 Middle East Times / How the U.S. can win friends American Muslims have assimilated into U.S. culture far better than Muslims have in European. There is no shortage of examples of the Americanization of the Muslims. Many have been here for generations. Thousands serve in the armed forces, many of them in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even more have applied for jobs at the FBI, the CIA, the DHS, and other agencies involved in national security.     4. January  2008 The Washington Times / Iran no longer aids Iraq militants Iran's leaders are no longer supplying weapons or training to Islamic militants in Iraq, the spokesman for the top U.S. commander in Iraq told The Washington Times. Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, sees Iran as following through on assurances it made to Iraqi and U.S. officials last fall not to assist extremists in Iraq, spokesman Col. Steven Boylan said.      3. January  2008 The Australian  / Assassinated because she was a woman Nevertheless it was a reminder of what we face. Bhutto was murdered because to her enemies she was Westernised, a traitor to her culture and an American stooge. She was murdered because she had vowed to bring secularism and democracy to Pakistan. She was murdered because she was all these things, and a woman."I know I am a symbol of what the so-called jihadists, Taliban and al-Qa'ida, most fear,".      2. January  2008 ABCNews / Pakistan: Creating a Haven for Al Qaeda However, whether her tragic demise came at the hands of a terrorist group or -- as her supporters claim -- members of the Pakistan military establishment, there is a fine line that now separates terrorism and elements of the military where there is a degree of ideological sympathy with al Qaeda and affiliated groups.  31. December  2007 ´BBC / Al-Qaeda in Iraq 'reduced by 75%' Iraqi interior ministry spokesman Maj Gen Abdul Kareem Khalaf said the disruption of the al-Qaeda network was due to the weeding out of security force personnel with ties to militias. He said: "[Al-Qaeda] activity is now limited to certain places north of Baghdad. We're working on pursuing those groups, that is the coming fight."His claim that 75% of the group's hideouts in Iraq had been eliminated could not be independently verified. CSMonitor / The Benazir Bhutto I knew Growing up as the scion of one of its most powerful political families imposed enormous responsibilities on her and created perhaps unrealistic expectations of what she could deliver to save her chaotic country from disintegration. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, reportedly encouraged her as an up-and-coming politician to study the lives of history's great women leaders, from Joan of Arc to Indira Ghandi.     29. December 2007 Novosti / Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for Bhutto's murder Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the murder of Pakistan's opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a bomb explosion on Thursday, local TV channels said on Friday. Bhutto died during surgery from injuries sustained in a suicide bomb attack, which occurred when shots were fired by an assassin, who then blew himself up as Bhutto left an election rally in Rawalpindi, near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad.        28. December 2007 Washington Times / Pakistan: Benazir Bhutto assassinated Political icon Benazir Bhutto was assassinated today in a suicide bombing, apparently accompanied by gunshots, as she was leaving a political rally.Mrs. Bhutto, 54, had just finished addressing a rally of her Pakistani Peoples Party (PP) in Rawalpindi, the garrison city just 10 miles south of Islamabad.Her assassination threw the campaign for Jan. 8 parliamentary elections into chaos.      27. December 2007 VOA / Tsunami Recovery Faces Challenges After Three Years More than 160,000 people died or disappeared in northern Sumatra on December 26, 2004, when towering waves battered the coast.Tens of thousands more perished in a dozen countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.With the help of international donors and aid organizations, Indo- nesia has built more than 100,000 houses to replace those destroyed in the disaster.     26. December 2007 TWT / Mass Held at Ground Zero One Last Time The first midnight Mass at ground zero was celebrated as workers were still clearing debris from the World Trade Center and recovering bodies after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.The last was held Monday night, giving police, firefighters, recovery workers and victims' families a final chance to pray on Christmas Eve at the site, where intensifying construction is increasingly taking up open space.    25. December 2007 Reuters / Pope makes Christmas appeal for world peace Pope Benedict on Tuesday said he hoped Christmas would bring consolation to those living in poverty, injustice and war and appealed for just solutions to conflicts in Iraq, the Holy Land, Afghanistan and Africa. In his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message, the Pope also urged people in modern societies to accept the light of Christ. 25. December 2007 TWT / Bush praises troops, thanks kin in address President Bush praised U.S. troops yesterday and gave a special thank-you to military families who have turned the grief of losing loved ones into acts of compassion.For many relatives of U.S. troops, military service means packing up their belongings and moving on short notice, living in a foreign country or missing a family member as he or she serves overseas, Mr. Bush said in his weekly radio address.     23. December 2007 BBC / Christmas under Hamas rule Earlier this year, the Islamist Hamas party took control of Gaza, home to a thriving Christian community now preparing to celebrate their first Christmas under Hamas rule. I have come to his office to ask how Christians in Gaza were faring on this, their first Christmas under the full internal control of Hamas.   23. December 2007 Washington Times / Iraq: 40,000 troops may be home by July The Pentagon expects that more than 40,000 U.S. troops will be home by July if the situation in Iraq remains stable, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday. Declining to cite exact troop numbers, Mr. Gates told reporters that five brigade combat teams are scheduled to be home by July. Defense officials said there are nearly 4,000 front-line troops for each plus about that number of support personnel.     22. December 2007 Reuters / North Korea resists Dec 31 declaration deadline The United States is still struggling to get North Korea to disclose its nuclear programs, a challenge in a society so tight-lipped that it would keep even clothing sizes secret, a U.S. official said on Thursday.North Korea has promised to make a declaration by December 31 as part of a wider deal to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for economic and diplomatic benefits from the United States and others.   Reuters / Nine hurt as Cambodian monk protest turns ugly About 40 saffron-robed monks were trying to demand Vietnam stop persecuting Buddhists. When their path was blocked, they started throwing bottles and hitting the 100 riot police positioned near the embassy compound.The riot police, who were not armed, chased the monks away with electric batons. 17. December 2007 BBC / UN summit in Bali: Climate deal sealed by US U-turn The document coming out of the meeting, the "Bali roadmap", contains text on emissions cuts, the transfer of clean technology to developing countries, halting deforestation and helping poorer nations protect their economies and societies against impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels and falling crop yields. 15. December 2007 The Washington Times / China: Cyberwarfare The fiscal 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, passed yesterday by the House, contains a provision requiring the annual Military Power of the People's Republic of China report to include a new section on Beijing's "efforts to acquire, develop and deploy cyberwarfare capabilities" in its assessments of China's "asymmetric" warfare capabilities. 14. December 2007 The Washington Times / Israeli-Palestinian talks go nowhere Instead of building on the momentum of last month's high-profile peace conference in the United States, the two sides traded barbs and accusations — and wrapped up a 90-minute session without any achievements.An Israeli official described the atmosphere as "tense," and a Palestinian official reported "not an inch" of progress.  13. December 2007 Reuters / U.N.'s Ban says patience running out with Myanmar The international community's "patience is running out" with military-ruled Myanmar and foot-dragging over its moves towards democracy, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said on Monday."I hope the Myanmar authorities will take it very seriously," Ban said during a visit to Thailand. 10. December 2007 Middle East Times / Bahrain asks for Gulf 'nuclear free zone' Ahmed al-Khalifa said the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are moving to develop that he believes will be an example to the rest of the world: "A peaceful, open and transparent nuclear program." The group of six oil-rich nations is comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.    9. December. 07 IHT / UN report finds 31 killed in Myanmar crackdown At least 31 people were killed in Myanmar during the military government's crackdown on protests this fall, and arrests and night raids on suspected demonstrators are continuing, a United Nations human rights expert who visited the country last month said Friday. In a report released in Geneva, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, a special rapporteur to the United Nations Human Rights Council, said that 500 to 1,000 people are still detained.   9. Dec. 07 Reuters / Gates says Iran still a threat He also accused Iran of actively supporting insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Islamist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, and that its missile program poses a wider threat throughout the region."Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment instability and chaos, no matter the strategic value or cost in the blood of innocents -- Christians, Jews and Muslims alike," Gates said.    8. December 2007 CNN / Bush sends letter to Kim In a rare move, U.S. President George W. Bush has reached out, by letter, to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, whom Bush has labeled a tyrant and part of what he called "the axis of evil." The letter urged North Korea to follow through on an agreement to declare and dismantle its nuclear programs, calling the moment a "critical juncture," U.S. Deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Thursday.     7. December 2007