| Total of results: 4321 | |||||||||
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| # | Title | Dateline | Author | Category | Country | Posted | Transcript | Keywords | |
| 4287 | PYONGYANG | Historic Korean Summit | Anna Fifield | News | Korea, North | 02 October 2007 10:35 Tue | South Korean President Roh Moo-yhun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il are meeting for 3 days of talks. The historic summit is the second such occurrence in over 50 years, since the Korean War. President Roh is saying that the goal was for a “peace settlement together with economic development.” | ||
| 4288 | MOSCOW | Putin To Run For Prime Minister | Kevin O'Flynn | News | Russia | 02 October 2007 10:37 Tue | Russian President Vladimir Putin is saying it is “entirely realistic” that after stepping down as president he will go on to become prime minister. Putin’s last two terms as president don’t allow him to run for a third consecutive term. The announcement occurred during the congress of United Russia, the dominant political party. | ||
| 4289 | KABUL | Dealy Suicide Bomb in Kabul | Rachel Reid | News | Afghanistan | 02 October 2007 10:38 Tue | At least 11 people died today after a suicide bomber detonated himself on a bus carrying police, women and children. According to Afghan police, an estimated 15 people have died and many people have been severely wounded. This is the second largest suicide bombing in the Afghan capital within the last four days. | ||
| 4291 | SEOUL | Korean Leaders Hold Historic Talks | Anna Fifield | News | Korea | 03 October 2007 12:11 Wed | The leaders of the two Koreas are holding formal talks in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang on the second day of an historic summit. It is unclear what South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il are to discuss, but Kim Jong-il has proposed that the three-day summit be extended till Friday. The leaders could touch on some contentious military issues, including the location of the sea boundary between their two countries. Roh Moo-hyun is also expected to announce considerable financial support to the North. However, North Korea's nuclear programme is noit likely to be discussed and will be left for the ongoing six-party talks. | ||
| 4292 | KHARTOUM | Sudan Promises $300 To Darfur | Andrew Heavens | News | Sudan | 03 October 2007 12:13 Wed | the Sudanese government has promised $300m to "help rebuild and repair" Darfur, tripling a previous pledge, says ex-US President Jimmy Carter. Jimmy Carter, who is Sudan as part of an "elders" mission to try to find solutions to the conflict, also said President Omar al-Bashir was also willing to have international observers at planned elections in 2009. Meanwhile, Nigeria says the country will continue to support the African Union's mission in Darfur, despite last weekend's attack by rebels in which 10 troops were killed. | ||
| 4293 | BUENOS AIRES | Argentine Teenagers Put In Quarantine | Uki Goni | News | Argentina | 03 October 2007 12:14 Wed | The leaders of an indigenous community in north-east Argentina have put their teenagers under quarantine for 60 days. The head of Fort Mborore, Silvino Moreyra says the adoption of typical modern white man's customs had caused what he termed a spiritual disorientation of the village's youth. Alcohol is not allowed in and youngsters under the age of 20 are not allowed out of Fort Mborore. This comes after two youngsters killed themselves and a third attempted suicide in the space of a week. A team of 70 volunteers will patrol the village perimeter to ensure residents stick to the rules. | ||
| 4294 | SYDNEY | Australia Bans African Refugees | Roger Maynard | News | Australia | 03 October 2007 12:16 Wed | The Australian government has today announced a freeze on the settlement of refugees from Africa - including those from Sudan's Darfur region. Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said the refugees had trouble integrating and other parts of the world such as Iraq and Burma were greater priorities. Critics say this is a pre-election move to appeal to xenophobic voters. Two years ago African refugees made up 70% of Australia's total refugee intake. This has now dropped to 30%. The freeze will last until mid-2008, and there are no guarantees that Africans will be admitted after then. | ||
| 4295 | JERUSALEM | Olmert And Abbas Meet | Annette Young | News | Israel | 03 October 2007 12:18 Wed | Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are due to meet in Jerusalem today in a meeting which is being seen as crucial to the success of next month's US-sponsored Middle East conference. The Palestinians want a detailed framework established for the conference on settling outstanding issues such as borders, the status of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees. The Israelis prefer a broad statement on principles without committing to a timetable for final-status talks. The Americans are hoping the conference, which will be held in the US, will bring together the region's key players to work towards an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement. | ||
| 4316 | CARLETONVILLE | Rescue Continues At South African Mine | Bill Corcoran | News | South Africa | 04 October 2007 10:30 Thu | Rescue operations are underway today in a South African gold mine near Johannesburg where more than 1000 miners are still trapped. Over 2000 miners have been freed so far by being hauled out through a small shaft which only 75 men can go through at a time, leading to approximately 300 being rescued every hour. The accident at the mine, owned by Harmony Gold Mining, occurred after electrical cords connecting the lifts were severed when a pipe column fell down the mine shaft. | ||
| 4317 | PYONGYANG | North And South Korea Peace Agreement | Anna Fifield | News | Korea, North | 04 October 2007 10:32 Thu | North Korea’s Kim Jong-il and South Korea’s President Roh Moo-hyun signed a declaration today calling for permanent peace between their two countries. This comes just one day after the North agreed to end its nuclear plans. The pact calls for the North and South Korean leaders to meet often and contains an agreement to allow the exchange of video letters between families separated by the border. | ||
| 4318 | KHARTOUM | Elder Statesmen Urge Inclusive Darfur Meeting | Andrew Heavens | News | Sudan | 04 October 2007 10:35 Thu | A group of elder statesmen say that the peace talks to be held in Libya concerning Darfur need to be more inclusive to represent the thousands of displaced people staying in refugee camps. The international elder statesmen are urging the United Nations to speed up the deployment of 26,000 UN and African Union peacekeepers due to declining security. One of the ‘elders’, former US President Jimmy Carter, is saying that there is a lack of provision to make sure that those who are not at war are going to be represented. | ||
| 4319 | ISLAMABAD | Pakistan Election Setback | Graham Usher, Declan Walsh | News | Pakistan | 05 October 2007 11:58 Fri | The high court in Pakistan ruled that elections in the country can go ahead as planned; however the announcement of results will have to wait until a ruling is reached regarding the eligibility of current President Pervez Musharraf to be elected. Musharraf’s eligibility has been contested by a rival candidate who petitioned the court, arguing that General Musharraf should be prevented from being President and Commander-in-Chief of the Army at the same time. | ||
| 4320 | RANGOON | Burma Update From the Border And At The UN | Nick Meo and Steve Schiffman | News | Burma | 05 October 2007 12:03 Fri | A senior US diplomat in Burma will hold talks with the country's leaders. The diplomat, Shari Villarosa, was invited to meet unspecified officials. In the meeting he intends to raise his concerns over the military's crackdown on recent protests, US officials said. Later in the day, UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari will brief the Security Council on his talks with top Burmese generals earlier this week. | ||
| 4321 | JEDDAH | Judicial Reform in Saudi Arabia | Rasheed Abou-Alsamh | News | Saudi Arabia | 05 October 2007 12:05 Fri | Saudi Arabia has announced a complete reform of its judicial system, including the allocation of 2 billion dollars for training judges and building new courts. The reforms, by royal decree, will lead to the creation of a supreme court, an appeals court and new general courts to replace the Supreme Judicial Council. | ||
| 4322 | KATHMANDU | Elections Postponed, Fear Of Riots | Liam Cochrane | News | Nepal | 05 October 2007 12:08 Fri | The Cabinet is expected to announce later today its decision to postpone the elections for the Constituent Assembly election which were planned for November 22nd. Public protest are expected to follow the announcement. Today was the deadline for Nepal's seven major political parties to nominate their candidates for the elections. However, the two major forces - The Nepali Congress and the Maoist Party - were locked in a stand off over the election system, due to the Maoist objection to the mixed system that has been agreed upon by all other parties. The Maoists agreed to the mixed system before, but have now changed their minds. | ||
| 4323 | SANTIAGO | Pinochet Family Arrested | Jorge Garreton | News | Chile | 05 October 2007 12:10 Fri | The widow and five children of Chile's former military dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, have been arrested. They are accused of illegally transferring 27 million dollars to foreign bank accounts during Pinochet’s time in power between 1973 and 1990. A judge ordered 17 other suspects to be held, including aides to Pinochet. Pinochet died in December 2006 before he could stand trial on charges of corruption and human rights abuses. Pablo Rodriguez, the Pinochet family lawyer, said he was "astonished" by the decision, which he called "illegal and abusive". Jorge Fernando Garreton in Santiago is following this story. |
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| 4325 | BAGHDAD | Iraq Demands Blackwater Are Prosecuted | Said Rifai and Ed O'Keefe | News | Iraq | 08 October 2007 12:10 Mon | Iraq's government is urging the US to prosecute employees of the security firm Blackwater for the “deliberate crime” of shooting 17 civilians in Baghdad last month. An official Iraqi inquiry revealed that, contrary to the claim after the incident, the guards had not been attacked. The US embassy in Iraq is currently conducting its own investigation. The official Iraqi government investigation came to the conclusion that the shooting killed seventeen people, and not 11 as has been initially reported. The three-member panel led by Defence Minister Abdul Qader al-Obeidi has also recommended that Blackwater pay compensation to the victims. The company is yet to respond to the latest allegations, but has denied previous accusations that its people were the first to open fire during the incident. | ||
| 4326 | BRUSSELS | International Hunt For Child Molester | Paul Lashmar | News | United Kingdom | 08 October 2007 12:17 Mon | Interpol has launched an unprecedented global public appeal in an attempt to capture a man who posted photos on the internet in which he is seen sexually abusing children. The man appears in about 200 images depicting the abuse of twelve boys. Police says the photos were taken in Vietnam and Cambodia, possibly in 2002 and 2003. The pictures had been digitally altered but police computer specialists have produced identifiable images. Interpol says the man is a danger to children while he remains at large. Paul Lashmar, GRN’s crime expert in London is covering the story. | ||
| 4327 | PARIS | Diana Inquest Jury Visits Paris | Hugh Schofield | News | France | 08 October 2007 12:27 Mon | The jury hearing the inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and her Dodi Al Fayed will spend the day in Paris - where the couple died on 31 August, 1997. The jurors will visit Pont de l'Alma tunnel where the car in which the couple were travelling in crashed. The 11 jurors are to visit other relevant spots in Paris during the two-day trip, such as the Ritz Hotel, where the couple dined before setting out on the fatal journey, and the hospital where the dying princess was taken after the crash. | ||
| 4328 | DARFUR | Government Controlled Town Burned To The Ground | Andrew Heavens | News | Sudan | 08 October 2007 12:32 Mon | The United Nation says a Sudanese government-controlled town in Darfur has been burned down and looted. The town of Haskanita is the home of the African Union peacekeeping base that was attacked by rebel forces last week. The UN observer mission has not said which forces destroyed Haskanita. The Sudanese government hasn't commented either. | ||
| 4329 | CAIRO | Newspaper Strike in Egypt | Jonathan Spollen | News | Egypt | 08 October 2007 12:46 Mon | Over 20 newspapers in Egypt didn't get published on Sunday as a protest against limitations on freedom of the press in the country. Opposition and independent newspapers editors and opposition party leaders called for the one-day strike after an Egyptian court last month sentenced the editors of four outspoken tabloids to a year in prison for defaming President Hosni Mubarak and his ruling party after they criticized senior government officials. One of the editors also faces charges in a separate lawsuit of spreading rumors that the 79-year-old Mubarak was in poor health. Another opposition newspaper editor and two journalists were also sentenced recently to two years in prison for allegedly publishing false news about the country's judiciary. | ||
| 4330 | RANGOON | Burmese Military Offers Meeting | Amy Kazmin | News | Burma | 09 October 2007 11:09 Tue | In an apparent compromise with the United Nations, Burmese military officials have announced that a cabinet member will meet with detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. This move was suggested by a United Nations envoy that visited the area, following the Burmese military government’s bloody crackdown on anti-government protests. | ||
| 4331 | ISLAMABAD | Fierce Fighting In Pakistan | Declan Walsh | News | Pakistan | 09 October 2007 11:10 Tue | After three days of fighting, at least 45 Pakistani solders and 150 pro-Taliban militants are believed to have been killed after Pakistani troops launched an offensive in North Waziristan. According to the military, all those who died are soldiers but according to local reports at least 10 are civilians. | ||
| 4332 | SEOUL | Japan Extends Sanctions On N. Korea | Anna Fifield | News | Japan | 09 October 2007 11:12 Tue | Japan has extended economic sanctions on North Korea, saying inefficient progress has been made in the abductions of Japanese nationals during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Japanese officials are also citing North Korea’s nuclear programme, which Pyongyang has agreed to end in exchange for millions of dollars of aid. These sanctions, which ban imports from North Korea and visits by ships, have been extended for another six months. | ||
| 4333 | SYDNEY | First Casualty For Austrailian Forces | Roger Maynard and Rachel Reid | News | Australia | 09 October 2007 11:14 Tue | Australia suffered its first combat casualty in Afghanistan after an improvised explosive device detonated next to the soldier’s vehicle. One other soldier was injured but the Australian Defence Force said it is not life threatening. A close ally to the United States, Australia was one of the first nations to commit troops following the September 11th attacks. | ||
| # | Title | Dateline | Author | Category | Country | Posted | Transcript | Keywords | |
| 4334 | NAIROBI | Bus Accident In Kenya | Richard Lough | News | Kenya | 09 October 2007 01:18 Tue | A bus plunged into the River Sio today, leaving twelve people dead. According to regional police, the driver lost control when he was blinded by oncoming headlights. Four people are said to have survived and are in a stable condition. This is the third accident involving passenger vehicles in western Kenya this month, the last two killing a total of 40 people. | ||
| 4335 | BUENOS AIRES | Argentinean Priest Gets Life Term | Uki Goni | News | Argentina | 10 October 2007 10:35 Wed | Former Roman Catholic police chaplain, Christian Von Wernich, has been convicted of collaborating in murders during Argentina’s military rule. Survivors say that Von Wernich passed confessions from prisoners to police and was involved in a total of seven murders, forty two abductions and thirty one cases of torture from 1976-1983. According to observers Von Wernich showed no emotion as he was handed down a life sentence on Tuesday. | ||
| 4336 | JERUSALEM | Israeli Forces Kill Fatah Member | Annette Young | News | Israel | 10 October 2007 10:37 Wed | Undercover Israeli forces have killed a militant belonging to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group in the West Bank today. An Israeli army spokesman says that the army is looking into details surrounding the murder. Israeli forces commonly raid towns in the West Bank searching for those involved in attacks against Israelis. | ||
| 4337 | SEOUL | South Korea Protests Chinese Arrests | Anna Fifield | News | Korea | 10 October 2007 10:39 Wed | South Korea will launch a protest today with China after a group of four North Korean refugees were arrested by Chinese security officials. The four people, men and women, were seeking refugee inside a South Korean run school but were chased to the roof by Chinese personal and later arrested. North Koreans who reach South Korean-related offices in third countries are usually granted citizenship, but China typically returns them to the North, where they face imprisonment or death. | ||
| 4340 | JOHANNESBURG | Human Rights Group: Mugabe Tortures | Gretchen Wilson | News | Zimbabwe | 10 October 2007 12:07 Wed | According to the human rights group Women of Zimbabwe Arise, security forces torture and abuse women opposed to President Robert Mugabe’s government. Mugabe has been accused of widespread human rights abuses yet he denies allegations, citing a conspiracy between opposition groups and western powers. With the world’s highest inflation rate and increasing food, fuel, and foreign currency shortages, Mugabe has mounted a tough security crackdown. | ||
| 4341 | MOSCOW | Putin: No Evidence On Iran | Kevin O'Flynn | News | Russia | 10 October 2007 12:09 Wed | Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he has not seen any real evidence that Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon. Putin expressed his views to French leader Nick Sarkozy during a news briefing in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia. Putin added that while he shares the concern of other nations, "We do not have data that says Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons.” | ||
| 4342 | KABUL | Taleban Free German Hostage | Tom Coghlan | News | Afghanistan | 10 October 2007 02:22 Wed | A German engineer hostage, Rudolf Blechschmidt has been freed in Afghanistan today after being held hostage for more than two months according to the German government. | ||
| 4343 | BANGKOK | Burmese Activist Dies In Detention | Amy Kazmin | News | Thailand | 11 October 2007 10:48 Thu | Fresh concerns have been raised for the hundreds of protesters detained in Burma after a Burmese pro-democracy activist arrested during anti-government protests last month died in custody, a rights group says. The National League for Democracy (NLD) member, Win Shwe, was arrested on 26 September near Mandalay and died during questioning, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). Ten people died and about 1,000 are still being held after the government used force to end days of anti-government protests in the main city, Rangoon, and other towns and cities around the country. | ||
| 4344 | ISLAMABAD | Musharraf Asks Bhutto To Delay Return | Graham Usher, Declan Walsh | News | Pakistan | 11 October 2007 10:50 Thu | Pakistan's President has asked ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to delay her return to the country until the Supreme Court rules on the legality of his re-election. General Pervez Musharraf won last Saturday's presidential poll with a landslide. However, he cannot be sworn in until the court decides petitions challenging his decision to contest the poll whilst serving as army chief. Ms Bhutto plans to return from her self-imposed exile on 18 October, a day after the court begins sitting. | ||
| 4345 | ROME | Muslim Scholars Write To Pope | Susan Hodges | News | Italy | 11 October 2007 10:52 Thu | Over 130 Muslim scholars have written to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders urging greater understanding between the two faiths. The letter, the text of which will be released in Washington on Thursday, highlights similarities in both religions such as the requirements to accept only one god - which it insists is the same god for Muslims and Christians - and live in peace with one's neighbours. This comes on the anniversary of an open letter from 38 top Muslim clerics presented to the Pope last year following a controversial speech he made on Islam. | ||
| 4346 | ISTANBUL | Turkey Warns Deterioating Relations With US | Matt Mossman, David OBryne | News | Turkey | 11 October 2007 10:54 Thu | Turkey has today warned that its relations with the United States would be harmed by a vote by a US congressional committee recognising the 1915-17 mass killings of Armenian by Ottoman Turks as genocide. "The committee's approval of this resolution was an irresponsible move, which at a greatly sensitive time will make relations with a friend and ally, and a strategic partnership nurtured over generations, more difficult," the centre-right government said in a statement. Turkey, which is a regional operational hub for the US military, has warned of damage to bilateral ties and military cooperation if Congress passes the measure. Turkey has always denied any genocide took place. | ||
| 4347 | BAGHDAD | US Kills 13 Insurgents | Said Rifai; Tina Susman | News | Iraq | 11 October 2007 10:55 Thu | Thirteen suspected insurgents, including three members of Al Qaeda in Iraq responsible for the assassination of a Sunni Arab preacher, have been killed in a US air strike, the US military reports today. The strike on Wednesday west of Baghdad came hours after the imam, Abu Bilal, who had been preaching against Sunni Islamist al Qaeda, was killed. Al Qaeda has vowed to increase attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends at the weekend. | ||
| 4348 | ISTANBUL | Turkey Prepared To Face World Criticism Over Iraq | Matt Mossman, David OBryne; Ed OKeefe | News | Turkey | 12 October 2007 10:32 Fri | ISTANBUL - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan says that the country is prepared to face up to international criticism if it launches an attack on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Following a sharp escalation of attacks by militants on Turkish troops, Erdogan's government has decided to seek approval from parliament next week for military incursion into mainly Kurdish northern Iraq to fight Kurdish rebels. This comes at a time when the United States influence over Turkey is expected to be weak, following Ankara's recall of its US ambassador for consultations on Thursday after a vote in a US congressional committee branded killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. | ||
| 4349 | MOSCOW | US And Russia Discuss Missile Defense System | Kevin O'Flynn | News | Russia | 12 October 2007 10:33 Fri | The US and Russia are today meeting in Russia's capital for high-level talks focusing on Washington's plans to place a missile defence system in Europe. Moscow sees US plans to base a radar in the Czech Republic and interceptors in Poland as a threat to its own security. The talks between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates and their counterparts, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, are also expected to cover Russia's threat to leave the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and the political future of Kosovo. | ||
| 4350 | LONDON | Thaksin Extradition Discussed | Chris Walker; Christopher Lee | News | United Kingdom | 12 October 2007 10:36 Fri | Thai prosecutors are heading to the UK for talks with officials on extraditing ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on corruption charges. Thai courts have issued two separate arrest warrants for the former PM and his wife, who have been in the UK since the military seized power in 2006. Thaksin denies the charges against him and says that they are politically motivated. | ||
| 4351 | BAGHDAD | 15 Women And Children Killed In Iraq | Said Rifai; Tina Susman | News | Iraq | 12 October 2007 10:37 Fri | 15 women and children have been killed in an operation north of Baghdad in what is thought to be one of the largest losses of civilian life in a single US-led operation since the war began, the US military in Iraq reports. 19 suspected insurgents also died in the air and ground assault mission aimed at senior leaders of al-Qaeda thought to be meeting in the Lake Tharthar region, 120km north of the capital. The US says it regrets Thursday's loss of innocent life, but said it acted in self-defence and blamed insurgents for putting the civilians in danger. A child was also killed today by explosives hidden in a sweets trolley. | ||
| 4352 | JAKARTA | Bali Bombing Anniversary | Michel Maas; John Aglionby | News | Indonesia | 12 October 2007 10:39 Fri | Ceremonies are taking place on the Indonesian island of Bali to mark the fifth anniversary of the bombings which killed 202 people at two nightclubs in the Kuta tourist area on 12 October 2002. Relatives of victims have attended a ceremony in Bali's capital, Denpasar, while Australia, which lost 88 people in the attacks, is also marking the day. More than 30 people have been jailed for the Bali bombings, which were blamed on the South East Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah. Last month, the Supreme Court rejected the final appeals of three Islamist militants convicted over the Bali attacks. Michel Maas in Jakarta is across this event. | ||
| 4358 | BEIJING | China President: The Communist Party Falls Short | Daniel Schearf | News | China | 15 October 2007 10:59 Mon | In a sharp keynote speech to the 17th Communist Party Congress, Chinese President Hu Jintao said that the party had fallen short of people's expectations and that its officials have been "extravagant, wasteful and corrupt". President Hu, speaking at the start of the congress, also warned Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing considers as part of China, saying "We will never allow anyone to separate Taiwan from the motherland in any name or by any means." 2,200 delegates from all around China are attending the week long conference. The gathering, at which the Chinese Communist Party's future policies are determined, takes place once every five years. | ||
| 4359 | AUCKLAND | Police Raids Maory Activists Under Terrorism Act | Nick Smith | News | New Zealand | 15 October 2007 11:05 Mon | New Zealand police have used the new Terrorism Suppression Act for the first time, arresting 17 people and seizing a number of weapons during a series of raids. More than 300 police were involved in the operation, which was reportedly aimed at Maori sovereignty and environmental activists - not foreign groups. The head of New Zealand's police, Howard Broad, says those held had been in military-style training camps. | ||
| 4360 | NEW YORK | UN Top Experts Attacks The ME Quartet | Steve Schiffman | News | 15 October 2007 11:10 Mon | A top UN expert has said he will urge the UN to withdraw from the Quartet of Middle East mediators unless it addresses Palestinian human rights. John Dugard, the UN human rights envoy for the Palestinian Territories, told the BBC that the US, EU, UN and Russia were failing to protect the Palestinians. He said the UN "does itself little good by remaining a member of the Quartet". In his role as a UN special rapporteur, Mr Dugard has been visiting the West Bank and Gaza for the past seven years. Dugard's role is advisory and he does not decide on UN policies. | |||
| 4361 | MOSCOW | Putin To Visit Iran Despite Assasination Alerts | Kevin O'Flynn | News | Russia | 15 October 2007 11:12 Mon | Russian President Vladimir Putin is adamant he will visit Iran today despite reports of a possible plot to assassinate him during the visit. "For the moment we have no information over a change of plan for the president," spokesman Dmitry Peskov says. The Interfax news agency earlier cited unnamed Russian security service sources as saying suicide bombers were plotting to kill Mr Putin in Tehran. Iran's foreign ministry dismissed the reports as "completely baseless". | ||
| 4362 | JERUSALEM | Third Police Investigation Against Olmert | Annette Young | News | Israel | 15 October 2007 11:18 Mon | Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum are calling on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign, after the Attorney General announced on Sunday the launch of a third criminal investigation into his political activities. Attorney General Menachem Mazuz ordered the third investigation into Olmert on suspicion that he granted improper political favours whilst serving as industry and trade minister between 2003 and 2005. The other ongoing investigations concern suspicions that the prime minister tried to rig the sale of Israel's second-largest bank, Leumi, in favour of two associates during his tenure as finance minister, and that he had bought his Jerusalem home from a real estate developer at a substantial discount in return for helping the builder obtain construction permits from Jerusalem authorities. | ||
| 4411 | BEIJING | Hu Denounces Senior Chinese Officials | Daniel Schearf | News | 15 October 2007 03:00 Mon | In a sharp keynote speech to the 17th Communist Party Congress, Chinese President Hu Jintao said that the party had fallen short of people's expectations and that its officials have been "extravagant, wasteful and corrupt". President Hu, speaking at the start of the congress, also warned Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing considers as part of China, saying "We will never allow anyone to separate Taiwan from the motherland in any name or by any means." 2,200 delegates from all around China are attending the week long conference. The gathering, at which the Chinese Communist Party's future policies are determined, takes place once every five years. | |||
| 4414 | RAMALLAH | Rice Says Bush Wants Palestinian Conflict To End | Mark Klusener | News | Palestinian Authority | 15 October 2007 03:14 Mon | The US secretary of state says President George Bush has decided to concentrate his efforts on bringing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to an end. "Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state," Condoleezza Rice told reporters. Ms Rice is visiting the West Bank, where she has been trying to secure the peace conference planned for next month. The Palestinians have warned that they will not attend the conference unless a tightly-worded document is brokered in advance. The Israelis refuse to formulate an agreed text. Rice aides indicated, after her first round of talks with Israeli leaders on Sunday, that the conference might have to be postponed unless an agreement is reached regarding the statement. | ||
| 4415 | KABUL | Afghan Civilians Allegedly Killed In NATO Raid | Rachel Reid; Tom Coghlan | News | 15 October 2007 03:18 Mon | A senior police officer in Afghanistan says that three civilians were killed and seven injured when NATO planes attacked insurgents outside the capital on Sunday. The deputy chief of police of Wardak province says Nato called in air support after militants ambushed a convoy of international peacekeepers. He said the air attack killed five insurgents and three civilians, including a husband and wife. NATO denies any knowledge of the incident. | |||
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