KUALA LUMPUR: Zimbabwe's controversial President Robert Mugabe is among African and Southeast Asian leaders meeting in Malaysia this week aiming to draw up a plan to fight poverty and bolster economic ties.
July 29, 2007 - August 4, 2007 Archives
August 4, 2007
Disagreements cloud Hong Kong's blue skies
HONG KONG: As Hong Kong basks in one of its finest summers for nearly a decade, the government and environmentalists are at loggerheads over the reason for the clear blue skies residents of this usually smog-ridden city are enjoying.
120 killed in Bangladesh floods
DHAKA: At least 120 people have been killed and more than eight million displaced or marooned as floods in Bangladesh continued to inundate more areas in the South Asian country, officials said Sunday.
China to offer 50,000 tons of fuel to North Korea: report
SEOUL: China will offer 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil to North Korea this month under the second phase of an aid-for-disarmament nuclear agreement on the communist state, a report said Sunday.
Japan looks to ease radiation leak concerns with IAEA visit
TOKYO: UN inspectors will Monday start examining damage to the world's largest nuclear power plant in Japan, which is hoping to ease concerns at home and abroad over a radiation leak after an earthquake.
Lab leak fears over Britain's foot and mouth outbreak
LONDON (AFP) - The foot and mouth outbreak on a British farm was linked to a nearby laboratory Saturday, sparking fears of a leak at the animal research facility.
Iraq summit to focus on powersharing
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A planned summit of Iraq's political leaders will be "the moment of truth" for chances of a powersharing deal between Iraq's bitterly divided sects, a Western diplomat said on Saturday.
Hostage pleads for help as Afghanistan rules out prisoner swap
GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AFP) - A purported South Korean hostage made an emotional plea for help in a telephone call with AFP on Saturday as a negotiator again ruled out freeing Taliban prisoners in exchange for the 21 captives.
Darfur's fractious rebels in landmark reconciliation talks
ARUSHA, Tanzania (AFP) - Darfur's myriad rebel groups sat at the same table for the first time in more than a year Saturday at a meeting in Tanzania, aiming to present a united front in future peace talks with Khartoum.
Head of Brazil airport authority fired after crash
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The head of Brazil's airports authority will be replaced next week, a government source said on Saturday, the second official to be fired after the worst plane crash in Brazil's history.
Olmert and Abbas to discuss Palestinian state
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expects to discuss key issues for creating a Palestinian state with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at a meeting in the West Bank on Monday, Abbas's top aides said on Saturday.
Taliban and Afghans seek venue for hostage talks
GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The Afghan government and Taliban kidnappers on Saturday sought a venue for negotiations to try to free 21 South Korean Christian hostages held for more than two weeks, the provincial police chief said.
South Asia floods displace 25 million and kill 1,400
NEW DELHI (AFP) - Nearly 25 million people have been displaced by flooding and 1,400 killed in South Asia as the worst monsoon rains to hit the region in decades continued to wreak havoc on Saturday.
August 3, 2007
22 killed in guerrilla raid and suicide attack in Pakistan
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least 22 people were killed on Saturday in spiraling violence in northwestern Pakistan as international concern grew over the deteriorating security situation and al Qaeda threat along the Afghan border.
US shares pounded as investors brace for another volatile week
NEW YORK (AFP) - US stock markets took another pounding Friday as nervous investors braced for fresh volatility next week amid increased fears about the vast US mortgage market and a growing credit crunch.
China tightens control of Tibetans
BEIJING (Reuters) - Reincarnations of "living Buddhas" in Tibet which fail to get Chinese government approval are illegal and invalid, China has announced as it tightens control of a region still deemed loyal to the Dalai Lama.
Floods hit 20 million and claim dozens more lives in South Asia
NEW DELHI (AFP) - The death toll climbed Friday as dozens more people perished in torrents of monsoon rains that have marooned some 20 million in northern India, Bangladesh and Nepal, officials said.
South Korea tells Taliban it has limited influence
SEOUL (Reuters) - The South Korean government has told Taliban insurgents holding 21 Koreans there is a limit to what it can do to resolve the hostage standoff that has stretched into a third week, an official said on Friday.
August 2, 2007
U.N. says thousands flee Mogadishu
GENEVA (Reuters) - Somali children are at risk from unexploded ordnance around the capital Mogadishu, where daily fighting has forced 27,000 people to flee since June, U.N. agencies said on Friday.
Russia seeks navy presence in Mediterranean
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's navy should have a permanent presence in the Mediterranean Sea, navy chief Admiral Vladimir Masorin said on Friday, RIA news agency reported.
Bombing justice done, India awaits riots reckoning
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India ended an epic trial this week which saw nearly 100 people, mostly Muslims, convicted for bombing Mumbai, but the Muslim victims of the communal riots which triggered the attacks say they have yet to receive justice.
NKorean workers at SKorean-funded industrial complex win pay raise
SEOUL: North Korean workers at a South Korean-funded industrial complex have won their first pay rise in three years, bringing the basic monthly wage to 60 US dollars, officials said Friday.
Rough river stymies recovery in US bridge collapse
MINNEAPOLIS, United States (AFP) - The murky, swirling waters of the Mississippi river hampered the search for victims of a disastrous bridge collapse, amid warnings about the decrepit state of America's infrastructure.
Libya close to arms deals with France
PARIS (Reuters) - Libya is set to buy anti-tank missiles and radio systems from European aerospace and defense group EADS, days after a visit to Tripoli by President Nicolas Sarkozy, the French government said on Friday.
Canada rejects Arctic flag-planting as 'just a show by Russia'
OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada dismissed Russia's flag-planting at the North Pole on Thursday as a "15th century" stunt that does not bolster its disputed claim to the resource-rich Arctic.
Darfur rebel factions gather for talks
ARUSHA, Tanzania (Reuters) - Darfur rebel factions began arriving in Tanzania on Friday for African Union-United Nations sponsored negotiations aimed at reconciling their differences ahead of peace talks with the Sudanese government.
India says no quid pro quo over U.S. nuclear pact
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will not be pressurized into supporting the United States on issues like Iran in return for a nuclear pact with Washington, New Delhi's envoy said in an interview with a local magazine.
Russia plants flag at North Pole to claim Arctic seabed riches
MOSCOW (AFP) - A Russian expedition planted the country's flag on the seabed under the North Pole on Thursday, capping a mission to claim the mineral riches of the Arctic and drawing ridicule from abroad.
Hitch over Darfur talks but Africa pledges troops
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Commanders from a large Darfur rebel faction have threatened to boycott a crucial unity meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, on Friday unless the Sudanese government allows a senior rebel figure to attend.
Approval of boosted U.N. role in Iraq looks likely
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia signaled its assent on Thursday to a U.S.-British draft resolution that would expand the political role of the United Nations in Iraq, making its approval by the Security Council almost certain.
Sierra Leone warcrimes court convicts govt militia chiefs
FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's U.N.-backed Special Court convicted two former leaders of a pro-government militia on Thursday of war crimes including murder but acquitted them of crimes against humanity.
Rwanda "shocked" as French free genocide suspects
KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwanda is shocked by a French appeals court ruling that freed two Rwandans indicted by Kigali and an international court over the country's 1994 genocide, and its foreign minister called the decision absurd on Thursday.
August 1, 2007
Taliban agree to meet South Koreans over hostages
GHAZNI, Afghanistan: A face-to-face meeting between a South Korean delegation and the Taliban is being planned in a new bid to end a deadlock over 21 hostages, an Afghan official and the rebels said Thursday.
Aborigines want apology over stolen children
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's Aborigines renewed calls for official recognition of past injustices on Thursday after a court awarded an Aboriginal man A$525,000 ($446,000) for being taken from his family 50 years ago. In Wednesday's landmark ruling, a court in the state of South Australia awarded Bruce Trevorrow the money in compensation and damages for being taken from his mother as a baby and given to a white foster parent without their consent.
Rice meets Abbas for first time since Gaza seizure
JERUSALEM (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Thursday on the final leg of a regional tour seeking to rally support for a Middle East peace conference later this year.
I'm no Hillary Clinton: Argentine front-runner
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Argentina's first lady and front-runner in the October presidential election rejected on Wednesday comparisons with U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton despite both women's hopes to follow their husbands into office.
Iran, Nicaragua deepen links despite U.S. concerns
MANAGUA (Reuters) - Iranian government officials met leftist President Daniel Ortega on Wednesday for the third time this year as Nicaragua seeks help for its energy crisis in a deepening of ties with Tehran that worries the United States.
Canada urged to review legality of polygamy ban
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - A special prosecutor has recommended Canadian courts be asked to rule on the constitutionality of the country's long-standing laws against polygamy, officials said on Wednesday.
Bombs rock Baghdad as unity government crumbles
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Thunderous car bombings echoed around Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 70 people, as Iraq's national unity coalition collapsed under the weight of sectarian tensions.
Zimbabwe opposition leader says price freeze failing
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's main opposition leader said on Wednesday a government price freeze was unsustainable and had left inflation-battered consumers worse off.
At last, Murdoch wins Dow Jones and its Journal
NEW YORK (AFP) - Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch won his battle for Dow Jones & Co. and its prized The Wall Street Journal, the companies said Wednesday, a 5.6-billion-dollar deal that redraws the US media landscape.
U.N. says Mogadishu violence scaring returnees
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Unceasing violence in Mogadishu is stopping thousands of people who fled fighting in Somalia's capital earlier this year from venturing home, a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday.
Jeddah graffiti: the writing's on the wall
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Using spray paint cans, they defaced public property, insulted the police and complained that youths didn't have a voice in Saudi Arabia.
BA fined record 121.5 million pounds over price fixing
LONDON (AFP) - British Airways has been fined a record 121.5 million pounds (180 million euros, 246 million dollars) after admitting collusion over fuel surcharges on tickets, a financial watchdog said Wednesday.
Rice in Israel to lay groundwork for peace conference
JERUSALEM (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Israel on Wednesday on the latest leg of a regional tour to lay the groundwork for an international Middle East peace conference later this year.
July 31, 2007
Saudi to send mission to Baghdad, rebuffs US criticism
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) - Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it will send a diplomatic mission to Baghdad to explore reopening its embassy but rejected as "astounding" US criticism it was not doing enough to help stabilise Iraq.
Pol Pot death camp inmate wants truth, not revenge
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - For Chum Manh, one of only a handful of Cambodians to have survived the Khmer Rouge's most notorious interrogation camp, seeing his former tormentor caged on charges of crimes against humanity is not enough.
U.N. approves up to 26,000 troops, police for Darfur
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council authorized on Tuesday up to 26,000 troops and police for Darfur and approved the use of force to protect civilians in Sudan's arid western region.
Asia opens annual security summit in Manila
MANILA : Asia's annual security summit got under way on Wednesday with a flurry of talks on everything from North Korea and Darfur to bird flu, child sex tourism and the threat of global warming.
China welcomes UN peacekeeping force in Sudan
MANILA : China on Wednesday welcomed the UN Security Council's decision to create a new peacekeeping force in war-torn Darfur and called on the international community to help resolve the conflict.
Amnesty urges Mexico to probe suspected abuses
OAXACA, Mexico (Reuters) - Amnesty International urged the Mexican government on Tuesday to investigate suspected torture and abductions by state officials during months of protests in the city of Oaxaca last year.
Murdoch's News Corp. wins control of Dow Jones: WSJ
NEW YORK (AFP) - Rubert Murdoch's News Corp. has won its campaign to takeover Dow Jones & Co. and The Wall Street Journal, America's top business newspaper, in a five billion dollar deal, the Journal reported Tuesday.
Raul Castro lifts economic hopes in Cuba
HAVANA (Reuters) - One year after taking over from his ailing brother as Cuba's leader, Raul Castro is raising hopes of reforms to relieve economic inefficiencies and food shortages but he is not offering political change.
July 30, 2007
Army stands down in N.Ireland but scars run deep
CROSSMAGLEN (Reuters) - The army watchtowers have gone and British soldiers no longer search homes looking for wanted men but for many in Northern Ireland's border towns the trauma of conflict still burns.
U.N. resolution on Darfur troops nears vote
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council reached broad agreement on a draft resolution to authorize up to 26,000 troops and police for Sudan's Darfur region, with a vote anticipated this week.
"Life in Hell" for South Korean hostages' families
BUNDANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Sleeping feels like a sin for an exhausted Ryu Haeng-sik who looks after his two young daughters in suburban Seoul, waiting for word on his wife held by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.
UN nuclear inspectors say North Korea is cooperating
BEIJING (AFP) - North Korea has cooperated fully with UN inspectors after shutting down its main nuclear reactor site, the head of the monitoring team said Tuesday after their first two-week mission ended.
Rice, Gates in Egypt to seek Arab front against Iran
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AFP) - US President George W. Bush's defense chief and top diplomat were due in Egypt Tuesday, to start a brief tour aimed at uniting Arab allies against the influence of Iran and other US foes.
Nanjing massacre anniversary marked in new film
BEIJING (Reuters) - Film producers from China, the United States and Britain have begun shooting a movie about the Rape of Nanjing, adding to a series of films marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre, Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.
Khmer Rouge's jailer charged with atrocities
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Chief Khmer Rouge inquisitor Duch was charged with crimes against humanity on Tuesday, the first of Pol Pot's henchmen to be formally accused over the deaths of 1.7 million people in Cambodia's "Killing Fields".
China floods put Three Gorges Dam to the test
BEIJING (Reuters) - Flood waters are putting China's massive Three Gorges Dam to the test and raising water levels on its longest river, the Yangtze, after weeks of floods nationwide killed about 700 people, state media said on Tuesday.
Japan regrets US "comfort women" demand
TOKYO: Japan on Tuesday expressed regret over a US congressional resolution demanding an "unambiguous apology" for the army's use of sex slaves in World War II, saying it hoped to look to the future instead.
Colombia admits high-level military corruption
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Cocaine smugglers and leftist rebels have infiltrated senior levels of the Colombian army, impeding efforts at defeating the guerrillas and fighting drugs, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said on Monday.
US arms pacts to counter Iran, Syria: Rice
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States Monday announced new military pacts worth 13 billion dollars for Egypt, 30 billion for Israel and billions more for Saudi Arabia and Gulf states, in a bid to counter Iran.
Gaddafi's son says Libya-U.S. ties warming
NICE, France (Reuters) - Libya's ties with America are improving but some issues still block full normalization despite the release of six foreign medics in a move long sought by the West, Muammar Gaddafi's influential son said on Monday.
US and Britain agree to step up pressure on Darfur
CAMP DAVID, United States (AFP) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Monday after talks here that he and US President George W. Bush will "step up" pressure to end violence in Sudan's Darfur province.
Violence against women "beyond rape" in Congo: U.N
GENEVA (Reuters) - Extreme sexual violence against women is pervasive in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and local authorities do little to stop it or prosecute those responsible, a U.N. investigator said on Monday.
More Cubans leaving by sea again, many to Mexico
HAVANA (Reuters) - After a lull following Fidel Castro's illness last year, Cubans once again are taking to homemade boats or powerful speedboats manned by smugglers on a trip to the United States that often includes a detour through Mexico.
Violence masking humanitarian crisis in Iraq: Oxfam
AMMAN (AFP) - Oxfam warned in a report Monday that unabated violence in Iraq is masking a humanitarian crisis that has worsened since the US-led invasion in 2003, putting at risk almost eight million Iraqis.
July 29, 2007
Legendary film-maker Bergman dies aged 89
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Ingmar Bergman, one of the most influential film directors of the 20th century, died Monday at his home on the Swedish island of Faaro, his family announced. He was 89.
Bhutto puts Pakistan's Musharraf in fix over army
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - President Pervez Musharraf's secret rendezvous with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Abu Dhabi last week has left Pakistan guessing what kind of an alliance is being hatched with elections months away.
Ivory Coast's leader makes landmark visit to ex-rebel HQ
BOAUKE, Ivory Coast (AFP) - Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo on Monday visited the former rebel-held north for the first time since a 2002 uprising against his rule divided the country.
Global warming doubles number of hurricanes, study finds
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Global warming's effect on wind patterns and sea temperatures have nearly doubled the number of hurricanes a year in the Atlantic Ocean over the past century, says a new study by US scientists.
You've nothing to fear from us, China's army says
PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY UNIT 196, China (Reuters) - China let in a crack of light on its military modernisation on Monday, opening a camp to foreign reporters to put out the message: we have nothing to hide and you have nothing to fear.
Myanmar withdraws objections to SE Asia rights body
MANILA (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers agreed in principle on Monday to set up a human rights body after military-ruled Myanmar dropped objections to the plan, but diplomats said key differences remained.
Australia refuses to apologise to terror suspect doctor
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister John Howard Monday dismissed calls for an inquiry into the bungled case of an Indian doctor suspected of terrorism, and said the Muslim medic should not expect an apology.
North Korea reports near 100% turnout in local polls
SEOUL: Communist North Korea Monday reported a 99.8 per cent turnout for nationwide local elections, with 100 per cent of the electors choosing the candidates on offer.
Iraqis greet Asian Cup triumph with joyful gunfire
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq erupted in joy and celebratory gunfire on Sunday when the country's national football squad won the Asian Cup and united its bitterly divided communities in a rare moment of celebration.
Thousands rally at Brazil crash site, slam government
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Several thousand Brazilians, including relatives of 199 people killed in Brazil's worst air crash earlier this month, staged a rally on Sunday to honor the victims and criticize the government for being unable to end a long-running air traffic crisis.
Kouchner brings together rival Lebanese leaders
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Some rival Lebanese leaders met face-to-face for the first time in months during a lunch at the French embassy in Beirut on Sunday, the only tangible result of a 3-day mediation visit by France's foreign minister.
Mbeki says Zimbabwe vote must be "free and fair"
PRETORIA (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki warned on Sunday that elections in neighboring Zimbabwe next year must be "free and fair" and produce a government legitimate in the eyes of the people of the devastated nation.
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