Saturday, August 7, 2010
What's Happening Today - Sunday 8 August
China: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris begins official visit (-15), [NB Beijing was major financer of Sri Lankan government in civil war]
China: Mudslides devestate a town in northwest China and have killed at least 65 people. Following up as rescue teams search for hundreds of missing and prepare explosives to dislodge a blockage of mud, debris and water in a valley.
South Korea: Country's biggest-ever anti-submarine exercises continue in Yellow Sea, involving some 4,500 personnel; they aim to improve defence capabilities following March sinking of Cheonan warship; Pyongyang has threatened direct action in response (-9)
Thailand: About 200 red-shirted protesters gather near Bangkok's Victory monument to remind passers-by of the recent bloody protests.
Thailand: Hundreds of Myanmar activists in Thailand hold a peaceful rally near Thai-Myanmar border to remember a massacre of August 8, 1988, when pro-democracy activists rose up against military rule in Myanmar.
Russia: Moscow has said it is dissatisfied with the U.S.’s fulfillment of its START 1 obligations regarding the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and noted concerns regarding the unsanctioned re-equipping of five ICBM launch facilities for international ballistic missiles at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, the re-equipping of U.S. heavy bombers and violations against other terms of the treaty, including those related to chemical and biological weapons.
Bangladesh: India has agreed to loan Bangladesh $1 billion, the largest sum India has ever loaned another country, to upgrade communication networks between the two countries, improve railway networks, construct roads and bridges, and build power plants.
Indian Kashmir: Rescuers struggle to find survivors after devastating floods caused by freak rains killed at least 120 people in a remote part of Indian Kashmir.
Pakistan: Following reports that two dams on the River Indus might break in Sindh Province
Uzbekistan: Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada meets President Islam Karimov and then Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi tomorrow
Iraq: The United States has handed over control of all combat duties to Iraqi security forces [NB Washington is reducing the number of troops in Iraq to 50,000 by Sept. 1 from just less than 65,000 currently]
Iraq: Following up after three bombs went off in unison in central Basra province leaving an unidentified number of casualties, ripping through an outdoor market near the Abdullah bin Ali Tomb in central Basra, leaving a number of people killed and wounded.
Kyrgyzstan: The UN has expressed concern that Kyrgyz plans for redeveloping the ruined city of Osh may further alienate the Uzbek minority. Thousands of homes, the large majority of them owned by ethnic Uzbeks, were destroyed in inter-ethnic violence in June.
UAE: Human Rights Watch has written a letter to UAE's Interior Minister asking for hundreds of Lebanese citizens and Palestinians from Gaza be given a chance to appeal their expulsions from the Gulf nation. It claims 120 Lebanese families - all of them Shia - have been deported in the past year without explanation and given only days to pack things.
Yemen: Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-Itri continues visit to meet counterpart Ali Muhammad Mujawar, other senior officials for talks on economy, development, culture
Gaza: The main power plant in Gaza has stopped after running out of fuel.
Rwanda: Final day of campaigning for 9 August presidential elections
UK: President Asif Ali Zardari concludes visit to Britain
Guantanamo: Sentencing of Sudanese national Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi just days ahead of U.S. v Omar Khadr. He has pled guilty at a July 7 commission hearing for conspiracy to commit murder and providing material support to terrorism. This is the first commission to reach a verdict under the Obama administration.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
My Press Review - Thursday 5 August
Treasury unit grants license for al-Awlaki lawyers
The government issued a license Wednesday enabling private lawyers to challenge the constitutionality of the CIA's targeting of alleged terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen hiding in Yemen....
Rain brings Pakistan more misery
Poor weather forces more evacuations as Pakistan endures its worst floods in 80 years, with yet more heavy rain forecast.
Ukraine crop shrinks
Grain harvesters moved into Russia's rain-starved regions as the UN's food agency cut its 2010 global wheat forecast and warned world supplies may shrink next year if Russia's worst drought in over 100 years continues.
India 'regrets' Kashmir killings
India says that it deeply regrets loss of life in the Kashmir Valley where at least 28 people have been killed in the past week.
New York Mosque plans face lawsuit
A planned mosque and Muslim cultural centre near the site of the September 11 attacks faces a new hurdle as a lawsuit has been filed aiming to block the controversial project.
British Muslim MP charged with bigamy
The leader of the Conservative party on Slough Borough Council has been charged with bigamy.
Alcohol gangs peddle dangerous brews at labour camps
The workers, most of whom cannot afford to buy legal alcohol, risk blindness or death when they drink spirits mixed with lethal ingredients.
Peacekeepers ‘lost contact with Israeli general’
Analysis The Israeli general responsible for liaison with UN peacekeepers did not pick up his phone, three UN officials reveal.
State demolishes Beduin homes again
A week after the unrecognized Beduin settlement was leveled in an operation secured by over 1,300 police officers, bulldozers returned on Wednesday to Kafr al-Arakib to demolish structures that residents had rebuilt.
Wyclef to run for Haiti president
Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean is to announce plans to stand for president of the earthquake-hit Caribbean country.
First Sledgehammer suspect placed behind bars
Retired Col. Ahmet Şentürk was arrested on Wednesday by an İstanbul court as part of an ongoing probe into an alleged coup plan, making him the first person to be imprisoned due to suspected links to the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot.
China's trade with Iran 'legal'
Chinese investment in Iran isn't violating any UN resolution, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, refuting a US arms control official's remarks on Monday that China is "taking advantage of the responsible restraint of other countries."
Aboriginal children 'starving'
Aboriginal children are starving in some remote Northern Territory areas, welfare workers tell the Australian government.
Airships: a second age
They were once the future of travel. Now, more than 70 years after the Hindenburg crash, engineers are designing a new fleet of airships
Getting away with torture
Eight years ago, two Justice Department lawyers -- John Yoo and Jay Bybee -- put the finishing touches on a secret memo to White House counsel Alberto Gonzales with the anodyne title “Standards of Conduct for Interrogation under 18 USC.
Nothing speaks of home quite like language
Living in Beijing, I don't usually come into contact with the Cantonese language, except when a Hong Kong magazine is thrown in my lap at the nail salon or Canto-pop drifts into my open window from a karaoke-equipped restaurant downstairs. But recently, Cantonese has been all over the mainstream headlines.
Time Magazine Cover of Disfigured Afghan Stokes Debate
Time Magazine’s cover of an 18-year-old Afghan whose nose was severed for fleeing a marriage has sparked debate on the fate of women if American troops leave.
What Darwin Got Wrong - review
Neo-Darwinism is, very roughly, the claim that natural selection is by far the most important explanation of biological form, the particular characteristics of particular kinds of organism. It usually includes a commitment to gradualism (the idea that evolution occurs in small steps), and often involves attributing central importance to genes as the units that natural selection selects, or at any rate as the objective measure of evolutionary change.
Fidel Castro to address Cuba's National Assembly for first time in four years
Fidel Castro, the former Cuban leader, is expected to address the communist country's National Assembly for the first time in four years on Saturday.
Chinese want more flood protection: Poll
More than 80 percent of people in a survey blamed the flood disasters in recent months on a destroyed natural ecosystem.
Dumped prime minister enters Australian election campaign
Kevin Rudd, the Australian prime minister dumped by his own party, has vowed to campaign for the woman who replaced him, in a rare show of unity for a government that appears bitterly divided ahead of elections later this month.
Primaries in Missouri, Kansas and Michigan
Early reports on Tuesday primaries in Missouri, Kansas and Michigan all had essentially the same theme: Where is everyone?
Naftogaz owes $780 million for July gas
Ukrainian utility company Naftogaz owes Russian gas monopoly Gazprom nearly $800 million for July gas purchases, an official in Kyiv said. Naftogaz Chief Executive Officer Yevgeny Bakulin said his company owed Gazprom around $780 million for July gas
Jordan reduces budget deficit by 70% , holds $ 4.831 billion reserves
Jordan's budget deficit has shrunk by 70 percent in the first six months of the current year, official data showed.
Radical learning?
Muslim women 'targeted by extremists' on campuses
Cross-dressers flogged in Sudan
A group of men are flogged in Sudan after a court rules they broke strict moral codes by dressing and dancing in a "womanly" way.
Italy minister says snap polls possible in autumn
Snap Italian elections could be held as early as the autumn as a result of a break-up between Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a key ex-ally, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said on Wednesday.
Why men can shirk housework
Men should be allowed to shirk housework because the idea that women are overburdened by professional and domestic duties is a myth, a study has claimed.
US judge rejects gay marriage ban
A US federal judge overturns California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages, saying it is unconstitutional.
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What's Happening Today - Thursday 5 August
Japan: Remaining Japanese survivors of the world's first dropping of an atomic bomb on a civilian target remember the horrors of the day 65 years ago tomorrow.
Koreas: South Korea holds anti-submarine naval drills at West Sea where its warship was allegedly torpedoed by North Korea. Underwater firing drills will take place near Baengnyeong Island, South Korea's northernmost and closest island to North Korea in the Yellow Sea.
China: Following up after knife attack at the Boshan District Experimental Kindergarten in Shandong Province may have left several dead, including children.
Russia: South African President Jacob Zuma visits (-6 Aug); meets counterpart Dmitriy Medvedev in southern resort city of Sochi today
India: Following up after 70 police personnel went missing in the Chhattisgarh forests following a gunfight between heavily-armed Maoists and police in Dantewada area, India
Bangladesh: Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) rallies in Dhaka in protest against "derogatory" remarks about its chairperson Khaleda Zia by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Pakistan: The latest on the worst flooding in Pakistan in 80 years.
Kyrgyzstan: Relatives of those killed in the April ethnic unrest rally in Bishkek; rally organized by supporters of controversial businessman Urmat Baryktabasov; he has been wanted on charges of plotting a coup after he fled Kyrgyzstan after his supporters briefly seized government building in 2005
Iran: Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad holds a trilateral meeting with counterparts Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon. The Tajik foreign minister, minister of transport and communications, minister of energy and industry, and other high-ranking officials will accompany Rahmon to Iran for the two-day summit. Karzai's office has confirmed that Karzai will attend the meeting.
South Ossetia: Colonel Valeriy Yakhnovets has been named defense minister of Georgian breakaway state South Ossetia, Itar-Tass reported. South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity has signed the decree for the appointment. (NB Yakhnovets holds the title of Hero of Russia)
Turkey: The Turkish military excluded 11 senior officers indicted over an alleged 2003 coup plot from a list of promotions submitted to the government
Turkey: Three towing boats will arrive in Israel's ports of Haifa and Ashdod to tow three Turkish vessels - including the Mavi Marmara - that were seized by Israel Defense Forces on May 31, NTV reported. The Turkish vessels are expected to leave for Turkey's southern port of Iskenderun later today and arrive there in two days.
West Bank: Palestinian National Council (also known as parliament) meets in Ramallah to discuss possible direct negotiations with Israel, decide position on US-mediated indirect talks; council incorporates Fatah Revolutionary Council, PLO Executive Committee, PLO Central Council
Oman: Iran signed an agreement to exchange defense delegations, facilitate agreements reached by bilateral military committees and hold joint military war games, Fars News Agency reported. The agreement was signed by Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib al-Busaidi, at a meeting in Muscat.
Kenya: Follow up after Kenyans voted in a referendum for a new constitution, after a previous attempt in 2005 failed. So far, 65.8 percent (2,680,672 people) voted "yes" in the referendum, while 34.2 percent (1,393,487 people) voted "no." About 12 million Kenyans are registered to vote in the referendum.
Uganda: Equipment seized from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – an armed group opposed to the Ugandan government - by Ugandan forces indicates ties between the ADF and Somalia’s al Shabaab, Puntlandpost reported
Poland: Appeal hearing against decision by Warsaw court on 7 July to approve extradition of alleged Israeli security agency Mossad agent Uri Brodsky; he is wanted by Germany over killing of Palestinian Hamas operative in Dubai in January
Belarus: The Belarusian Military-Industrial Committee has denied that it held negotiations with or sold to Iran S-300 missiles and spare parts, Interfax news agency reported
Bulgaria: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit
Holland: Naomi Campbell to testify in a case against former Liberian President Charles Taylor after reports that the diamond he presented to Ms. Campbell at Nelson Mandela's home in South Africa was a "blood diamond" - a charge that Campbell has vehemently denied.
UK: Pakistani President Zardari continues his visit to Britain, meets UK MPs of Pakistani origin today
Cuba: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro is expected to address Cuba's National Assembly on Aug.ust7 for the first time in four years
US: Takeru Kobayashi, competitive eater from Japan, appears in court after being arrested at Coney Island hot dog eating competion.
Venezuela: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be travelling to Caracas to meet with Hugo Chavez before traveling to Bogota on August 7 to attend the inauguration of Colombian President-elect Juan Manuel Santos - an opportunity to promote dialogue between Venezuela and Colombia, as well as demonstrate that Brazil can be a channel for dialogue.
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010
What's Happening Today - Wednesday 4 August
Solomon Islands: General election; record number of parties registered to contest 50 seats in single-chamber parliament
Japan: Toyota announces its first quarter financial results.
North Korea: North Korea is ready to resume the six-party talks that took place in 2005, North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun said in a meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa in Jakarta
China: Monitoring regions in northwest, central and southern China suffering further flooding and landslides after heavy rain.
China: Iranian Oil Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi travels to China to seek new investments in Iran's energy sector, including funding for new refineries. (NB US just warned China not to exploit Iran sanctions to its financial advantage)
Indonesia: North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun visits to attend Asia-Pacific conference on regional development; meets counterpart Marty Natalegawa on sidelines; second and final day
Thailand / Myanmar: Re-opening of Mae Sot-Myawaddy border crossing, closed by Burma on 8 July to protest against Thailand's construction of dyke along Moei River; several meetings were previously held to negotiate reopening and restoration of trade affected
India: The Indian government decided to deploy more paramilitary troops in India-administered Kashmir, Geo TV reported, about 2,000 central paramilitary force personnel will be deployed in the state, as requested by Indian Kashmir's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Russia: South African President Jacob Zuma begins visit (- 6); meets counterpart Dmitriy Medvedev in southern resort city of Sochi tomorrow
Russia: The Russian Defense Ministry said it has sent 5,000 army personnel to fight fires and is ready to deploy up to 40,000 people, Zvezda TV reported
Pakistan: Flood waters still high in Pakistan as water spreads south.
Afghanistan: Afghan President Hamid Karzai will attend a tripartite summit in Iran, Afghan presidential spokesman Waheed Omar said. Tajikistan will be the third party.
Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyz interim President Roza Otunbayeva has signed an order that will allow the Interior Ministry to double the number of its Internal Troops, Kyrgyz Radio reported
Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan's Agency for Economic and Corruption Crimes has frozen the accounts of Kazakhaltyn, a KazakhGold production subsidiary, and has begun an investigation into its Russian parent company - Polyus Gold and KazakhGold's Board of Directors - Evgeny Ivanov, German Pikhoya and Alexei Teksle
Turkey: The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Israeli Ambassador Gaby Levy after Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called Ankara's new spy chief a supporter of Iran
Oman: Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi visits to discuss bilateral, regional, international issues with counterpart Bin-Sa'ud Bin-Harib al-Busa'idi; second and final day
Kuwait: A Kuwaiti court charged six men, including a Kuwaiti soldier, and one woman with spying for Iran, Middle East Online reported, but their attorney said their confessions were extracted through torture. Of the defendants, there are three Iranians, one Kuwaiti, one Syrian and two of unknown nationality.
Saudi Arabia: Mahmoud Abbas arrives in Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with King Abdullah.
Gaza: A Palestinian was killed and another wounded in Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip near the town of Khan Younis, Reuters reported, without mentioning the victims names or why Israel opened fire.
Egypt: Egyptian satellite Nilesat 201, built by French company Thales Alenia Space, launched by Arianespace from Kourou space centre in French Guiana; it will provide broadcast and internet services from September
Egypt: A Libyan aid convoy bound for Gaza has arrived at the Egyptian port city of El Arish, comprised 16 trucks carrying medical aid and food supplies, and is accompanied by 65 people, including 11 doctors and 12 media personnel.
Libya: Sudanese President Umar al Bashir travel to Libya for a two-day visit
Somalia: Somali pirates and the owners of the Saudi ship al-Nisr have agreed on a ransom of about $2-3 million, Reuters reported. The ship has been held by the pirates since March, as have the 14 crewmembers on board.
Kenya: Kenyans vote in a referendum for a new constitution, after a previous attempt in 2005 failed. The new constitution proposes a presidential system but with greater checks and balances on executive power, a fundamental shift seen as essential to remove the tribal winner-takes-all approach to past elections that exploded in violence after the disputed 2007 presidential election.
South Africa: Possible strike by nearly a million public servants which could affect public services. Unions are demanding 8.6 percent increase and 1,000 rand housing allowance, the government is offering a 6.5 percent increase. A strike is expected to start from August 4.
Niger: General Salou Djibo has approved an oil deal signed by ousted President Mamadou Tandja in 2008, Reuters reported. The deal is a $5 billion production-sharing agreement with Chinese state-owned oil company CNPC to develop the Agadem oil block.
Moldova: Deputy Prime Minister Victor Osipov called Transdniestria's request for U.N. recognition of independence "illogical," Infotag news agency reported. Officials in the secessionist region used the recent International Court of Justice ruling on Kosovo to publicize their claims, Osipov said.
Moldova: Constitutional Court ruled that former President Vladimir Voronin may not seek a third term in office during the November presidential election
Belarus: President Aleksandr Lukashenka promised to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said
Italy: Berlusconi faces his first test of strength since breaking with a key ally last week, when the lower house of parliament votes on the fate of a junior minister. Vote is expected approx 1700G
Italy: Berlusconi meets with UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
Holland: Dutch 14-year old sails off to become the youngest round the world solo sailor. However, she now sails off with her father onboard to Portugal, where she will start here solo circumnavigation in September.
Argentina: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner signed a declaration at the Common Market of the South summit to strengthen nuclear energy cooperation, which could result in the integration of the two nations' nuclear energy sectors.
US: Senate plans to hold a procedural vote to test whether there is enough support to pass legislation clamping down on offshore oil drilling procedures and expanding alternative energy.
Mexico: Jose Rosas Aispuro, a gubernatorial candidate for Mexico's Durango state, claimed that Durango state district legislator-elect Alfonso Pena Pena was kidnapped by state investigative police agents on July 26, El Universal reported
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Monday, August 2, 2010
My Press Review - Tuesday 3 August
Who murdered the Arabic language?
In Beirut, Lebanon, mock 'murder scenes' raise awareness that Arabic is ceasing to be a working language here. An Arabic-language festival wants to help change that.
Disease threatens survivors
Lack of drinking water for Pakistan flood victims is spreading disease
US and Iraq battle over casualty figures
Baghdad says Washington’s tally of 222 Iraqis killed in July is impossible and an attempt to save face.
Surge in wheat prices continues in August
Wheat prices opened August with another big jump, hitting a 2-year high Monday as worsening weather conditions ravaged the Russia's grain crops.
Shock at French eviction video
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been accused of pandering to the far-right in an attempt to boost his popularity, as video emergence of a police eviction of African immigrants.
Somali pirates capture cargo ship
Somali pirates hijack the Panama-flagged MV Suez cargo ship sailing in a recommended shipping lane in the Gulf of Aden, the European Union naval force says.
Fish prices double as waters heat up
The price of fish has doubled over the past two months as demand rises during the annual migration of stock to cooler waters.
New wave of evictions threatens gypsies
Human rights campaigners have condemned a wave of evictions and court actions against Gypsies and Irish Travellers which they say are threatening to extinguish a whole way of life
Turkish Military Council debates promotions of coup suspects
A routine meeting of Turkey’s top-ranking officers is turning into a power struggle between the military and the government.
Villages evacuated in Greek island fire
Fire Service officials in Greece say several villages have been evacuated on the island of Samos as a wildfire swept across forest land on the western part of the island.
India offers Maoist rebels cash for weapons
Two state governments reveal details of a weapons-buyback and job-training program that will attempt to tackle Maoist violence.
Ruling expected on 'Ground Zero' mosque
New York commission to rule on whether site can be rebuilt as mosque.
Israel fears Turks could pass its secrets to Iran
Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak has voiced concern that once-stalwart ally Turkey could share Israeli intelligence secrets with Iran, revealing a deep distrust as Ankara's regional interests shift.
Nasa scientists braced for 'solar tsunami' to hit earth
The earth could be hit by a wave of violent space weather on Tuesday.
'After studying medicine they go into sales'
Wang Chunchun, 23, has decided to quit traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) after she completes her internship at a Beijing hospital.
Medvedev undecided about second term
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday he had not yet decided whether to stand for re-election in 2012, but confirmed he would not run if his mentor Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was also on the ballot.
Sustainable agriculture - UAE setting up 40 organic farms by 2011
The UAE has 13 organic farms at present and is planning to have 23 more by June 2011, raising to 40 the total number of organic farms in the country.
Egypt to invest in Kurdistan region
Egypt and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region are to ink a cooperation protocol in human resources rehabilitation domain according to a report by an Egyptian investment
Khamenei condemns teaching of music
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today that music is "not compatible" with the values of the Islamic republic, and should not be practised or taught in the country.
Tycoon buys Newsweek 'for a dollar'
The struggling US current affairs magazine Newsweek has been rescued by 91-year-old audio equipment tycoon, Sidney Harman, who bought the title last night for a nominal amount reported to be just a single dollar.
National Geographic to go Arabic from October
An Arabic-language edition of The National Geographic magazine, which dates back to 1888, is to be published from October and distributed across the GCC as well as in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.
US to push for lift of BlackBerry ban
The US is to push the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to lift the proposed ban on people using BlackBerry email, messaging and web services.
A universe could exist 'inside every black hole,' claims scientist
A hidden universe could exist inside every black hole, a Polish cosmologist has claimed.
Holocaust Museum to Romania: scrap 'racist' coin
A leading Holocaust group has demanded that Romania's central bank withdraws from circulation a commemorative coin of a former church leader, claiming he held anti-Semitic views and called for Jews to leave Romania.
Wilberforce 'condoned slavery'
New research may stain the character of the British politician and evangelical philanthropist, with claims that he was himself implicated in slave trading – after the abolition of the trade.
Boy Returned to Russia Sent to Orphanage
A boy who was sent back to Russia by his American adoptive mother has been placed back in an orphanage, a Tennessee newspaper reported. The return of the 8-year-old, Artyom Savelyev, caused Russia to suspend adoptions to the United States.
Pressure mounts on two ministers to resign
Jurists have said Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül and Interior Minister Beşir Atalay should resign in the wake of their failure to ensure the capture of 102 military officers for whom an arrest warrant was issued by an İstanbul court as part of a coup probe in late July, terming this situation “unacceptable.”
Bringing a Forgotten Genocide to Justice
The impoverished country starts war crimes proceedings almost 40 years after an atrocity that may have killed as many as 3 million people
Brazilians swapped at birth now work and live together
Two years back, Dimas Aliprandi and Elton Plaster didn't know of each other's existence. Then they learned they had been accidentally switched at birth more than 20 years ago.
Jellyfish invasion closes beaches across Spain
Holidaymakers have been banned from swimming at beaches across Spain amid what is expected to be the worst jellyfish invasion for two years.
Iran's President Ahmadinejad challenges Barack Obama to TV debate
The Iranian president invites his US counterpart to debate world affairs.
Man travels around world for free using Twitter
A British man called Paul Smith has travelled around the world almost totally free using only Twitter to get journeys from fellow users.
High-End Matchmaking Agencies Report Business Is Up
Even in this economy, high-end matchmakers are reporting that business is up
Only scientist in Commons 'alarmed' at MPs' ignorance
The only scientist in the House of Commons has called for all MPs to be required to take a crash course in basic scientific techniques.
iPhone 4 jailbreak app goes live
Jailbreakme 2.0, the new software app that lets iPhone and iPod touch owners running iOS4 use unrestricted applications, is released.
Will sky-high cocoa prices lift West African farmers?
West African cocoa farmers and their families should be cheering that a 'market cartel' has emerged, pushing cocoa prices up. Capitalism, so often the instrument of their oppression, is now working dramatically in their favor.
Derham defends female newsreaders
Proms presenter and former news anchor Katie Derham says criticism of young female newsreaders is "arrant nonsense".
Spike in Android phone shipments
Shipments of Google's Android operating system for smartphones have rocketed by 886% in the last year, figures suggest.
Israel endorses UN flotilla probe
Israel announces it will co-operate with a UN panel of investigation into its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May which killed nine Turkish activists
Three-quarters of non-Muslims believe Islam negative for Britain
Muslim organisation calls for efforts to improve awareness as four-fifths of those polled admit to little knowledge of the faith
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What's Happening Today - Tuesday 3 August
Vanuatu: Pacific Islands Forum starts in Port Vila; leaders of smaller island states, leaders of Pacific members of Asia-Caribbean-Pacific grouping meet today; forum summit starts tomorrow
China: Latest on the worst floods in southern China for a decade. According to state media, 928 people have died because of the seasonal bad weather and another 477 are missing. Premier Wen Jiabao says the situation is critical.
China: Watching developments as thousands of people again gathered in a Guangzhou park again in defiance of government orders not to rally as part of a campaign to defend Cantonese. About 200 people attended a parallel rally in Hong Kong at Southorn playground in Wan Chai.
Russia: Monitoring situation with the forest fires which are spreading through western, central, southern and eastern Russia
Russia: Kuwaiti Oil Minister Ahmad Abdallah al-Ahmad al-Sabah meets Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko for talks on economic cooperation; final day
Pakistan: Latest on the floods ravaging northwestern Pakistan. Rescue efforts continue after up to 2.5m people were affected by country's worst natural disaster in 80 years
Pakistan: Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki visits to attend Iran-Pakistan joint economic commission meeting; second and final day
Iran: Weekly Foreign ministry briefing for the press.
Azerbaijan: Sources in the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed Moscow’s readiness to sell two divisions of the S-300 PMU-2 to Azerbaijan, News.az reported (NB which will presumably mean that Iran will get to study the system?)
Georgia: A photograph of a Georgian economy minister, recently-appointed by President Saakashvili, said to be taken at a strip club in Vancouver during the Olympics has created a local media furore
Iraq: Watching for reaction after President Obama confirms all US combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by 31 August
Syria: Russia’s naval supply and maintenance site near Syria’s Tartus port will be updated to accommodate heavy Russian warships - such as guided-missile cruisers and aircraft carriers - after 2012, Russian navy chief Admiral. Vladimir Vysotsky said
Oman: Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi begins two-day visit to discuss bilateral, regional, international issues with counterpart Bin-Sa'ud Bin-Harib al-Busa'idi
Lebanon: Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to address a rally in Beirut held to commemorate the end of the 2006 war with Israel. (Actual anniversary is 14 August, but brought forward because of Ramadan)
Israel: Monitoring reaction after Israel says it will cooperate with UN investigation into its commando raid on Gaza flotilla in May
Israel: Jerusalem Municipality approved the construction 40 more new housing units in the illegal settlement Pisgat Ze’ev, Ynet reported. Four buildings, each containing ten apartments, will be built as part of a plan for the construction of 220 apartments.
Kenya: Kenyans prepare to vote in a referendum to change the constitution. The referendum is yet another effort for a new constitution after twenty years of failed attempts.
Tanzania: Trial Chamber to deliver judgement in the genocide case against Dominique Ntawukulilyayo, a former local leader of Gisagara, Rwanda (1030GMT).
South Africa: Sentencing of former police commissioner Jackie Selebi. Selebi, found guilty of corruption for accepting bribes from a convicted drug lord, continues at the Supreme court.
South Africa: Millions of litres of highly acidic mine water is rising up under Johannesburg and, if left unchecked, could spill into its streets in 18 months, Parliament's water affairs portfolio committee has been told
Zimbabwe: Expecting the arrival of Kimberley Process monitor Abbey Chikane, a South African, who is expected to certify the first batch of diamonds from the controversial Marange fields for export. The government says it has stockpiled some 4.5 million carats of diamonds since the beginning of the year for export.
Nigeria: ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) court in Abuja hears case brought by ousted Niger president Mamadou Tandja's family against his detention by military government
Guinea: Presidential election run-off between Dalein Diallo, Alpha Conde; first round was held on 27 June
Slovakia: Parliament holds vote of confidence in Prime Minister Iveta Radicova's government
UK: Pakistani President Zardari begins a three-day visit to Britain days after British Prime Minister David Cameron's remarks about the country's role as an "exporter of terror."
UN: Following up after ten Taliban members, 14 individuals with ties to al-Qaida and 21 entities previously linked with al-Qaida have been removed from a U.N. sanctions terror, Austria’s U.N. ambassador said. A final decision for 66 names on the list is still pending.
Canada: The Russian Federation Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will conduct a cooperative air defense exercise for the first time ever on or around Aug. 8-11 and will involve Russian, Canadian and U.S. Air Force personnel operating from command centers in Russia and the United States.
US: BP will attempt the "static kill" operation to seal its ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well.
Argentina: San Juan hosts second and final day of Mercosur (Common Market of the South) summit; Colombia-Venezuela spat tops agenda; row erupted following Colombia's allegations that Venezuela shelters left-wing guerrilla group FARC (Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said that the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) has signed a free trade agreement with Egypt)
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