U.S. envoy in Cuba met with officials, citizens

U.S. envoy in Cuba met with officials, citizens


U.S. envoy in Cuba met with officials, citizens

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:56 PM PDT

HAVANA (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat who participated in recent talks in Havana about resuming bilateral mail service with Cuba stayed around to meet with Cuban officials and other Cubans in the latest sign of thawing U.S.-Cuba relations.


TIMELINE - Sixty years of the People's Republic of China

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:56 PM PDT

The 60 years since the end of the civil war, in which Communists and Nationalists, or Kuomintang (KMT), fought to control the territories vacated by the invading Japanese, have been nearly as tumultuous as those that came before.


Tsunami hits South Pacific islands

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 07:50 PM PDT

A number of islands in the South Pacific have been hit by several tsunamis created by a powerful earthquake deep in the ocean.


EU reports on Russia Georgia conflict

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:41 PM PDT

A European Union report into the causes of last year's war between Russia and Georgia will be published on Wednesday.


UN boss sees Afgan poll results next week (AFP)

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:34 PM PDT

Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah (R) speaks to the media in Kabul on September 27. The final tally in Afghanistan's contested presidential election is expected to come as soon as next week, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday.(AFP/Shah Marai)AFP - The final tally in Afghanistan's contested presidential election is expected to come as soon as next week, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday.



Tsunami hits South Pacific islands

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 07:50 PM PDT

A number of islands in the South Pacific have been hit by several tsunamis created by a powerful earthquake deep in the ocean.


Saving the Lakes of Udaipur in the "Venice of the East" (Time.com)

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:55 PM PDT

Time.com - Rampant development has left one of the world's first water management systems polluted and drying up. But who's going to do anything about it?


EU nations to hammer out financial oversight (AP)

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:11 PM PDT

AP - European Union finance ministers will hammer out a new financial oversight framework for Europe during a two-day meeting a week after the world's rich and developing nations pledged that they would not allow a return to banking as usual.


Brazil: A New Counterweight to the United States (Time.com)

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:55 PM PDT

Time.com - The South American giant has ambitions that may make its diplomacy less behind-the-scenes in the near future. But right now, there's the sticky problem of Honduras


Beijing locked down ahead of national day parade

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:00 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese capital Beijing is under lockdown on the eve of a massive military parade to mark six decades of Communist Party rule, with gun-toting police manning street corners to ensure nothing spoils the event.


Samoa tsunami toll may exceed 100, hundreds injured

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:25 PM PDT

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A series of tsunamis smashed into the Pacific island nations of American and Western Samoa killing possibly more than 100 people, destroying villages and injuring hundreds, officials said on Wednesday.


EXCLUSIVE - China to cut army by 700,000 troops-sources

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:25 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China plans to cut its army by 700,000 troops over two to three years as part of its drive to modernise the world's biggest military into a leaner high-tech force, two sources with People's Liberation Army (PLA) ties said.


FACTBOX - China's growing military clout

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:25 PM PDT

Following is a brief overview of China's defence forces:


Kadeer plans to sue Taiwan over terrorism claims: group (AFP)

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:05 PM PDT

Taiwanese officials last week banned exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer (pictured on September 30) from visiting the island, saying her World Uighur Congress has close links to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.(AFP/File/Michal Cizek)AFP - Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer plans to sue Taiwan's government for linking her organisation to terrorism, a Taiwanese group advocating independence from China said.



Climate change cuts world food outlook - IFPRI

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:58 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Global warming will cut into world grain yields and result in less food being available in the developing world in 2050, a think tank said on Tuesday, calling for aggressive action to boost food output.


Typhoon kills nearly 50 in Vietnam, Cambodia (AFP)

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:21 PM PDT

Residents travel by boat along a flooded alley in a village near the city of Hue as Typhoon Ketsana passes through central Vietnam. Typhoon Ketsana left a trail of destruction across Southeast Asia Wednesday, killing at least 49 people in Vietnam and Cambodia and churning towards Laos, officials said.(AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam)AFP - Typhoon Ketsana left a trail of destruction across Southeast Asia Wednesday, killing at least 49 people in Vietnam and Cambodia and churning towards Laos, officials said.



Hamas expects unity pact with Fatah in mid-October

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:25 PM PDT

GAZA (Reuters) - The Islamist group Hamas will meet its rival Palestinian Fatah party in mid-October and expects to ratify an Egyptian-mediated reconciliation pact, Hamas's leader in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Tuesday.


Climate change to cause more child hunger: report

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:25 PM PDT

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Up to 25 million more children will be malnourished in the next 40 years due to climate change, with sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia the worst affected, according to a new report issued on Wednesday.


Global food security plans too narrow - analyst

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:25 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Global plans to reduce hunger by boosting food production are too narrowly focused on farming without considering how to slow population growth or halt climate change, long-time environmental analyst Lester Brown said on Tuesday.


Eight more countries join battle to stop child soldiers

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 06:09 PM PDT

UNITED NATIONS -Eight more UN member states have agreed to sign on to the 2007 Paris Commitments aiming to protect children from being recruited by armed forces or armed groups.

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Ambulance offers hope in war-torn Somalia

Ambulance offers hope in war-torn Somalia


Ambulance offers hope in war-torn Somalia

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:51 PM PDT

Chaos and death on the streets of Mogadishu: unfortunately, it's nothing new in the Somali capital.


U.N. Secretary General: Iran Violating Resolutions on Nuclear Activities

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:01 PM PDT

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 -- U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that Iran's construction of the Qom nuclear enrichment facility violates U.N. resolutions requiring greater candor about its atomic activities, adding that Tehran must prove to the world that it has no intention of develo...


Powerful quake generates tsunami in Pacific off American Samoa

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:21 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake in the Pacific off American Samoa generated a tsunami, U.S. government agencies said on Tuesday.


Iran Insists on Its ‘Rights’ to Nuclear Program

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:37 AM PDT

Iran said that it would soon offer a timetable for inspectors to visit a hitherto secret facility, but was not prepared to debate its "rights" to operate the plant.


Nato 'to see out Afghan mission'

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:22 PM PDT

Head of military alliance says forces will work with US troops until war is over.


Tsunami 'seen' after Pacific quake

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:24 PM PDT

People in Samoa flee to higher ground after earthquake causes tsunami, officials say.


Cricket: NZ beat England to win group

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:48 AM PDT

New Zealand reach the Champions Trophy semi-finals as Group B winners after beating England by four wickets.


Cricket: Aussies suffer Clarke blow

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 02:46 AM PDT

Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke is sent home from the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa with a back injury.


Guinea Deaths Put Pressure on Regime

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:19 PM PDT

The bloody attack on pro-democracy supporters in the Guinean capital, Conakry on Monday that killed an estimated 157 people has increased international pressure on the military regime.


Samoan Islands quake causes 10-foot tsunami

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:47 PM PDT

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck in the Samoan Islands region Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.


Murdered wife's lovers in court

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:14 AM PDT

A court hears from the lovers of woman who had allegedly been murdered by her City banker husband.


Cancer jab suspension 'rejected'

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:23 PM PDT

The government insists a national cervical cancer immunisation programme should continue despite the death of a 14-year-old soon after receiving the jab.


Senate Panel Rejects a ‘Public Option’ in Health Plan

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:39 PM PDT

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday rejected a proposal to add a government-run health insurance plan to the health care proposal.


Immigration Crackdown With Firings, Not Raids

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:44 AM PDT

The Obama administration wants to reduce illegal immigration by forcing employers to fire unauthorized workers. American Apparel fired 1,800 workers.


Hamas expects unity pact with Fatah in mid-October

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:42 AM PDT

GAZA (Reuters) - The Islamist group Hamas will meet its rival Palestinian Fatah party in mid-October and expects to ratify an Egyptian-mediated reconciliation pact, Hamas's leader in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Tuesday.


Kiwis defeat England to win group

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:48 AM PDT

New Zealand reach the Champions Trophy semi-finals as Group B winners after beating England by four wickets.


Afghan war 'not just US battle'

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:42 AM PDT

US President Barack Obama stresses the joint fight with Nato, as he meets its leader for talks on Afghanistan.


Iran allows visit to US detainees

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:57 AM PDT

Swiss diplomats have visited three US hikers detained in Iran after straying across the border from Iraq, officials say.


UK court quashes Barak arrest bid

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:23 AM PDT

Judge rules Israeli defence minister is immune from prosecution while in Britain.


Afghan denies US bomb-plot charge

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:46 PM PDT

Man pleads not guilty to allegations that he plotted to attack targets in New York.