Petraeus to review Afghan war rules

Petraeus to review Afghan war rules


Petraeus to review Afghan war rules

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:56 PM PDT

General tells senators that restrictions designed to protect civilians could be changed.


Turkey Asks Iran to Return to Table

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:33 PM PDT

Turkey called for Iran to negotiate with world powers as soon as possible over a nuclear-fuel swap deal, a show of frustration from one of Tehran's few allies in recent international sparring over how to address Iran's nuclear ambitions.


South Korea Relaxes Browser Curbs

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:58 AM PDT

South Korea's government is wiping out rules for Web browsing that trapped the country's Internet users with 1990s-era security technology and created a de facto monopoly for Microsoft's Internet Explorer here.


Afghan Says U.S. Ambassador Pushed for Prosecutions

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:22 PM PDT

Afghanistan's attorney general, Mohammed Ishaq Alako, alleged that Karl W. Eikenberry had pressured him to bring particular cases against some of the country's elite.


Iraq's main rivals meet on government to end impasse

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:38 PM PDT

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The two main contenders in Iraq's March election met on Tuesday for only the second time since the inconclusive vote as concerns mounted at the lack of progress in negotiations to form a government.


Kagan pressed on military views

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:23 PM PDT

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan's decision to ban military recruiters at Harvard prompts heated words in confirmation hearings.


Chinese Tourists Flock to Japan

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:45 AM PDT

Chinese tourists are to Japan today what the Japanese were to Manhattan and Honolulu during the late eighties: the single fastest-growing group of overseas travelers and the highest spenders.


Maoists ambush Indian police, kill 26

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:00 PM PDT

(CNN) -- At least 26 armed police were killed in a Maoist ambush in eastern India on Tuesday, authorities said.


S.E.C. Settles With Former Staff Lawyer

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:47 AM PDT

The agency agreed to settle a wrongful termination suit filed by a former staff lawyer who was abruptly fired during an investigation into possible insider trading.


Upstart Tibet Monk More Placid After Chinese Reeducation

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:22 PM PDT

In a heavily supervised interview, the 29-year-old Buddhist devotee publicly recanted a previous outburst against the Chinese inside Lhasa's holiest shrine.


Philippines to Set Up 'Truth' Panel on Graft and Rights Abuse

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:34 AM PDT

President-elect Benigno S. Aquino III said Tuesday the group will look into allegations of corruption and fraud during the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.


Egypt shoots Israel-bound Eritrean

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:55 AM PDT

An African migrant is shot and killed by Egyptian police as she tries to cross illegally into Israel.


Storm delays oil clean-up efforts

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:56 AM PDT

Oil clean-up activities like skimming by boats are being delayed by the arrival of Tropical Storm Alex in the Gulf of Mexico.


Putin Criticizes U.S. Arrests of Spy Suspects

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:07 PM PDT

Russia's Putin criticized the arrests of suspects in an alleged Russian spy ring, saying U.S. law enforcement authorities "went out of control." He voiced hope the scandal would not harm relations between the two countries.


More Banks Face EU Stress Tests

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:51 AM PDT

European governments are vastly widening the net of banks being subjected to stress tests in an effort to settle anxieties about the health of the region's banking systems.


Beijing Rebuffs Obama on North Korea

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 10:45 AM PDT

China brushed aside criticism by U.S. President Barack Obama over its refusal to blame its close ally North Korea for the sinking of a South Korean warship, as tensions between China and the U.S. over the incident escalated.


Bank Tax Sets Back Financial Regulatory Bill

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 11:55 AM PDT

Negotiations will have to be reopened after Senator Scott Brown disclosed his opposition if a bank tax is included.


Albany Has No Plan on Budget Gap, Paterson Says

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 09:50 AM PDT

The governor said lawmakers did not plan to address a $1 billion shortfall, and he threatened to call a session during the fall campaign season.


Google to Stop Directing China Users to Hong Kong

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:29 PM PDT

The move is an effort to appease Beijing as Google seeks to renew its license to operate in mainland China.


Spain v Portugal as it happens

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:18 AM PDT

Neighbours Spain and Portugal play in Cape Town in the final last 16 knockout tie of the 2010 World Cup.


Curfew widened in Kashmir after civilian deaths

Curfew widened in Kashmir after civilian deaths


Curfew widened in Kashmir after civilian deaths

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:52 AM PDT

SRINAGAR, Tuesday 29 June 2010 (AFP) - Authorities in Indian-ruled Kashmir placed more towns under curfew on Tuesday as protests over the killing of eight residents spread through the insurgency-hit region.

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New Australia PM confident of ending mining tax row

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:49 AM PDT

SYDNEY, Tuesday 29 June 2010 (AFP) - New Australian leader Julia Gillard voiced confidence Tuesday that she will resolve a mining tax row that brought down her predecessor, hoping to cement her party's re-election chances.

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China and Taiwan sign historic trade pact

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:48 AM PDT

CHONGQING, Tuesday 29 June 2010 (AFP) - Taiwan and China signed a historic trade pact Tuesday in the boldest step yet towards reconciliation between the former archfoes, 60 years after the civil war that drove them apart.

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15% more sugar supply from Thursday

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:42 AM PDT

The government will add 15% more sugar supply to wholesalers and retailers nationwide from this Thursday until September, said Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

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100 foreign troops die in Afghan war in June

Posted: 28 Jun 2010 09:53 PM PDT

KABUL -A total of 100 foreign soldiers fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan have died in June, the deadliest month for NATO in nine years of conflict, intensifying concerns about the conduct of the war.

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Britain, France, Germany use torture intel: HRW

Posted: 28 Jun 2010 08:38 PM PDT

LONDON -Britain, France and Germany use foreign intelligence obtained through torture in the fight against terrorism, a new report from Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

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China struggles to save 107 buried in landslide

Posted: 28 Jun 2010 08:20 PM PDT

BEIJING -Hundreds of rescuers in southwest China struggled in treacherous conditions Tuesday to pull out 107 people buried in a landslide, but said there was only a "slim" chance of finding survivors.

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N.Korean leader's son working as lawmaker: reports

Posted: 28 Jun 2010 08:19 PM PDT

SEOUL - The youngest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il was secretly elected to parliament last year in preparation for his eventual succession, news reports said Tuesday.

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China defends N.Korea policy after Obama comment

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:32 AM PDT

BEIJING, Tuesday 29 June 2010 (AFP) - China on Tuesday defended its policy on North Korea after US President Barack Obama suggested Beijing had turned a blind eye to Pyongyang's actions following the sinking of a South Korean warship.

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Disabled athlete seeking breakthrough

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:31 AM PDT

He was born without a left calf. Nevertheless he never gives in to his ill fortune. Instead, he has taken part in a number of marathon races, and is planning to challenge the Great Wall of China, the Sahara Desert, a marathon in Boston, US, as well as the Penang Bridge open tournament, with the hope of achieving his target of 350km for this year.

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Strong yuan will benefit all economies, say economists

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:26 AM PDT

SINGAPORE, Tuesday 29 June 2010 (AFP) - A stronger Chinese yuan would be beneficial to the global economy as well as China, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) consultant and other economists said Tuesday.

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More travel misery from Greek general strike

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:24 AM PDT

ATHENS, Tuesday 29 June 2010 (AFP) - Travellers in Greece on Tuesday ran a labour gauntlet for the second time in a week as a general strike against pensions reform shut down services and disrupted departures from the capital.

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N.Korean leader's son working as lawmaker: reports

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:22 AM PDT

SEOUL, Tuesday 29 June 2010 (AFP) - The youngest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il was secretly elected to parliament last year in preparation for his eventual succession, news reports said Tuesday.

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Foxconn to move China Apple production as costs rise: media

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:21 AM PDT

BEIJING, Tuesday 29 June 2010 (AFP) - Taiwan high-tech giant Foxconn plans to shift part of its production of Apple gadgets to other parts of the country as it faces rising labour costs, reports said Tuesday.

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Tiger attacks toddler in Indonesian zoo

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:20 AM PDT

JAKARTA, Tuesday 29 June 2010 (AFP) - A young Bengal tiger mauled a three-year-old girl after breaking free from its handlers at an Indonesian zoo, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, leaving the toddler with head injuries that required surgery.

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Fiji's neighbours slam media crackdown

Posted: 28 Jun 2010 04:31 PM PDT

By David Brooks

WELLINGTON: Fiji's neighbours today condemned a decision by the military regime that would force Rupert Murdoch's News Corp to sell or close the Pacific nation's largest and oldest newspaper.

The regime issued a media decree yesterday that introduces stiff fines and possible prison sentences for journalists, editors and media companies that produce reports deemed to be against the public or national interest.

New rules requiring media companies to be at least 90% locally owned will force Murdoch's Australian arm, News Limited, to sell or close the Fiji Times within three months.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key described the decree as "very heavy-handed" and reiterated his call for a speedy return to democracy in Fiji.

"When you start banning media and telling organisations to sell their newspapers, to me it sounds like a step too far," Key told reporters in Wellington.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said imposing the local ownership rules on media would hurt Fiji's economy, which has struggled since military chief Voreqe Bainimarama toppled the elected government in a 2006 coup.

"We worry very much that this arbitrary move sends a very bad signal as far as future investment in Fiji is concerned, let alone the very bad signal it sends in terms of freedom of expression, freedom of speech and democratic rights," Smith told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Closure inevitable

But any link between foreign investment and the media decree was denied by Fiji's Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who announced the move yesterday.

"The people who know Fiji... know the issue of the media is separate from the private sector investment that takes place in other sectors," Sayed-Khaiyum told Sky News today.

News Limited chairman and chief executive John Hartigan wrote in The Australian newspaper today that closure of the newspaper now seemed inevitable.

"There will not be too many potential publishers wanting to purchase a newspaper with these draconian restrictions hanging over their head -- even at a fire-sale price."

Hartigan also criticised the Australian government for not putting enough pressure on the regime to call elections, which Bainimarama has promised by September 2014.

Smith said he was surprised by Hartigan's assertion, saying his government had been at the forefront of Fiji's suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum regional grouping and the Commonwealth.

Canberra had also banned regime figures from visiting or travelling through Australia.

Amnesty International said the decree would further restrict media freedom and violated the right to freedom of expression.

"Amnesty International fears that the decree's vaguely worded provisions will be used to punish peaceful critics of the government," said Amnesty International New Zealand chief executive Patrick Holmes.

- AFP

 


Russia says US spying allegations contradictory

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:21 AM PDT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is studying U.S. spying allegations and finds the information contradictory, Interfax news agency quoted Russia's foreign ministry as saying on Tuesday.


Taiwan, China sign historic trade pact

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 12:21 AM PDT

CHONGQING, China (Reuters) - China and Taiwan signed a historic deal on Tuesday to boost $100 billion in two-way trade after decades of hostility, easing political ties while putting the export-reliant island closer to its biggest market.


Sweet protest

Posted: 28 Jun 2010 11:36 PM PDT

Protesters belonging to a group of artists calling themselves "The Good Crude Britannia," throw a substance believed to be molasses on the floor outside the Tate Britain in London, as they urge the Tate to cut its ties with BP.

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Driving home the safety message

Posted: 28 Jun 2010 11:34 PM PDT

A road safety campaign is being launched to inculcate the safety culture among Malaysians on the significance of road safety apart from the need to settle outstanding traffic summonses.

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