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Friday - December 22, 2006 - BEIJING, China - The renewed six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program ended Friday without any agreement on getting the communist nation to move toward disarmament, and negotiators weren't even able to schedule a date for more meetings. The talks had resumed Thursday looking to resolve the broader issue of persuading the North to renounce its nuclear efforts.Wednesday, the chief U.S. negotiator, Christopher Hill, had given no indication there had been any progress yet. Thursday, Hill said several draft proposals were circulating among delegates but he refused to give any details. The six-nation talks resumed Monday in Beijing for the first time in more than a year. Head Chinese delegate Wu Dawei formally declared the talks open at a Chinese state guesthouse in Beijing, calling on envoys to discuss implementation of a September 2005 agreement in which North Korea pledged to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for security guarantees and aid. North Korea agreed to return to the six-nation negotiations just weeks after its October 9 nuclear test, saying it wanted to discuss financial restrictions by the U.S. against a Macau bank where the regime held accounts. That issue was addressed in separate U.S.-North Korean meetings, on Tuesday. The United States has sought to line up support in the discussions against North Korea's nuclear ambitions through its neighbors, including China, Japan, Russia and South Korea. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill is the U.S. nuclear envoy. Hill said on Monday he hoped to return to Washington by the end of the week. On Wednesday, Hill called on delegates to start hashing out the substantive details of North Korean nuclear disarmament if they hoped to make any progress this week. A news report Wednesday said the Americans had outlined a process whereby Pyongyang would first freeze its nuclear program, followed by inspections and eventual dismantlement. Washington would be willing to give the North a written security guarantee, including a pledge that it wouldn't seek to topple the regime by force, as soon as it allows the return of international nuclear inspectors.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006 - TRIPOLI, Libya - A Libyan court of first instance in Tripoli delivered a second death sentence verdict today in the retrial of six foreign medics accused of knowingly infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV. Prosecutors sought the death penalty for the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor. The defendants all deny charges, with defense lawyers saying the children already had the virus before the nurses arrived to start work in the city of Benghazi. They argue the medics are simply scapegoats for unhygienic practices at the hospital. Prosecutors say the medics deliberately injected the children with contaminated blood as part of an experiment to find an Aids cure. The medics have been in detention since 1999, during which time 52 of the 426 infected children have died of Aids. The first trial, which resulted in a guilty verdict in 2004, lasted almost six years. The nurses and doctor were previously sentenced to death, but the Libyan Supreme Court overturned the ruling and ordered the case to be returned to a lower court. It is expected that a second appeal will now follow. The sentences have drawn international criticism, while academic bodies have argued that the guilty verdicts run counter to scientific evidence. But Libya's foreign minister said it was now up to Libya's Supreme Court. Libya has demanded 10m euros ($13.1m US) for each infected child's family. Under Islamic law victims' relatives can withdraw death sentences in return for reparations. Bulgaria and its supporters have rejected the idea, saying any pay-out would be an admission of guilt. See also Libya legal system.

Wednesday - December 20, 2006 - IPSWICH, England - Inquests into the deaths of another four of the five prostitutes murdered by a feared serial killer in Ipswich were set to be opened as police continue questioning two suspects. The inquests into the deaths of Tania Nicol, 19, 24-year-olds Anneli Alderton and Paula Clennell, and 29-year-old Annette Nicholls will be formally opened and adjourned on Wednesday by a coroner at Ipswich Crown Court as police investigations continue. The inquest into the death of 25-year-old Gemma Adams was opened last week. The five corpses were found within 10 days of each other earlier this month after being dumped naked in the countryside around Ipswich. The first suspect, Tom Stephens, 37, was arrested on Monday. Detectives arrested a second man, identified locally as Steve Wright, on Tuesday. The 48-year-old man, described by the press as a forklift driver, has not yet been officially identified by police. He was arrested in a pre-dawn raid on the edge of the red light district of Ipswich, less than 24 hours after the first suspect Stephens, a local supermarket worker, was arrested in a nearby village. Suffolk Police said on Wednesday that officers had been given more time to question Wright. Magistrates had already granted police an extra 36 hours on Tuesday to continue questioning Stephens. Detectives can hold him for up to 96 hours, that is up to Friday. Neither suspect has been formally charged with any offense.

Tuesday - December 19, 2006 - GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Another fierce gunbattle erupted early Tuesday within the compound of Shifa hospital in Gaza City between the security personnel of Hamas and Fatah. One member of the Hamas executive force was killed in the exchange and 11 were wounded, one seriously. The gunbattle came after a number of shooting incidents overnight between Hamas and Fatah gunmen in the area of Abbas' presidential home in Gaza and also in the area around the Palestinian national security compound. Around dawn Monday, Palestinian gunmen had waged a street battle outside President Mahmoud Abbas' residence, ending an hours-old truce trying to bring quiet to the Gaza Strip. Rival factions Hamas and Fatah are fighting for control over the Palestinian government. The volatile coastal territory was rocked by violence all day Sunday, when three Palestinians were killed in fighting.

Thursday - December 14, 2006 - HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam has pledged to strengthen institutional reforms and fight against corruption on the first day of its annual meeting with donor countries and development aid agencies. World Bank Country Director Klaus Rohland spoke as Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung listened during the opening of the consultative meeting of aid donnor countries in Hanoi. Rohland praised Vietnam's economic successes in the last 20 years, asking for further acceptance of the market economy principles. Friday, aid donors are expected to pledge their annual aid envelop that reached a total of 3.7 billion dollars in 2006. Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc said the country needs 140 billion dollars of investment capital for the 2006-2010 period. It expects a rate of foreign aid disbursement of around 11 billion.

Thursday - December 14, 2006 - BEIJING, China - USTR Susan C. Schwab joined Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and other top officials in Beijing on Thursday and Friday for the launch of top-level Sino-US economic talks and a new "strategic economic dialogue." China is in a critical period of transformation from being underdeveloped toward becoming a global economic superpower. This rapid growth is accentuated by the attending social and political problems. Earlier this week, an annual report released Monday by the US Trade Representative's office warned that the United States stands ready to sue China at the World Trade Organization to protect its interests, if bilateral consultations fail to make headway. The report highlighted numerous complaints including "rampant" piracy of US goods. Read or Download the USTR Report [PDF]

Tuesday - December 12, 2006 - GAZA CITY - The killing of three children in the Gaza Strip yesterday has intensified the violence and complicating ongoing efforts for a Palestinian national unity government. The apparent target of a drive-by shooting in Gaza City was Baha Balousheh, a top Palestinian security officer and Fatah loyalist. He blamed the rival Hamas, although the Islamic movement denied responsibility and denounced the killings. Balousheh's three children, Salam (3), Ahmed (6), and Osama (9), were in the family car on their way to school when gunmen opened fire from two vehicles. The three innocent children were instantly killed along with their driver. Doctors said one of the boys was hit by 10 bullets to the head.

Friday - December 8, 2006 - SUVA, Fiji - Fijians are planning peaceful protests against this week's coup and could force military commander Voreqe Bainimarama to back down within weeks, deposed prime minister Laisenia Qarase said. Fiji's interim prime minister, military medic Dr. Jona Senilagakali, said Thursday it could be two years before elections restore democracy to the South Pacific island. Senilagakali was reluctantly installed by the military coup headed up by Commander Frank Bainimarama. Senilagakali also said he thought the coup was illegal.

Wednesday - December 6, 2006 - WASHINGTON - Robert Gates was overwhelmingly confirmed as defense secretary by a full Senate vote (95-2).

Tuesday - December 5, 2006 - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and denied any parallel between North Korea and his own country, an atomic power that has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Tuesday - December 5, 2006 - SUVA, Fiji - Fiji's elected leader, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, said on Tuesday that a military takeover was under way in the South Pacific country as armed troops surrounded his house and other government buildings in a lockdown of the capital. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he refused a request from Qarase Tuesday for "military intervention" to end the coup. New Zealand called the coup an outrage, and said it will cut military ties with Fiji.

Monday - December 4, 2006 - AMSTERDAM - Naga separatists and Indian negotiators are in Amsterdam to begin talks aimed at bringing peace to India's insurgency-wracked northeast. According to the Rebel group, the agenda for the talks will revolve around their main demand for a special federal relationship between India and Greater Nagaland that allows self-governance. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) is led by self-exiled guerrilla leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, and has struggled for six decades to create a "Greater Nagaland" to expand the mountainous Nagaland state in India's remote northeast.

Monday - December 4, 2006 - MANILA, Philippines - U.S. Marine, Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith, 21, from St. Louis, was convicted Monday of raping a Filipino woman and sentenced to 40 years in prison. The emotional trial strained U.S.-Philippine ties and tested a joint military pact. Smith was in the Philippines for joint training, and did not deny having sex but said it was consensual. About 100 protesters gathered outside the courthouse, demanding the government scrap the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement that allows U.S troops to train with Philippine troops.

Thursday - November 30, 2006 - AMMAN, Jordan - President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will have breakfast and a single meeting followed by a news conference on Thursday morning. President Bush's scheduled high-profile two days of talks with Nouri al-Maliki were canceled on Wednesday with a turn of events blamed on U.S. doubts over the Iraqi leader's capabilities and a political boycott in Baghdad protesting his attendance.

Thursday - November 30, 2006 - JERICHO, West Bank - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on both Israelis and Palestinians to take action toward a long-stalled peace deal. At a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Rice said neither side should take actions that would prejudge a final accord.

November 8, 2006 - WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigned today after heavy Republican election losses which were blamed on voter disatisfaction with Iraq policies. President Bush nominated former CIA director Robert Gates to replace Rumsfeld.

Wednesday - November 8, 2006 - UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to urge the United States to end its 45-year-old trade embargo against Cuba after defeating an amendment calling on Fidel Castro's government to free political prisoners and respect human rights.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - HAVANA, Cuba - Cuban state television aired the first video of Fidel Castro yesterday since he stepped down as president to recover from surgery. The video showed a bedridden Cuban leader joking with his brother and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Cuba's vice president and Venezuela's leader gave early optimistic assessments last week of Fidel Castro's health, saying the Cuban president was recovering quickly from intestinal surgery and could be expected back at work within a few weeks. Castro turned over the reigns temporarily to his brother Raul on Monday, July 31, 2006.

Tuesday - August 15, 2006 - BEIRUT, Lebanon - The ceasefire in Lebanon remains fragile as thousands of Lebanese return back to devastated homes in the south. Hezbollah claimed it had emerged victorious, while President Bush said Hezbollah had been defeated by Israel.

Saturday - August 12, 2006 - LONDON, England - The investigation into a plot to blow up jetliners over the Atlantic focused on two brothers arrested in Pakistan and Britain, Rashid and Tayib Rauf. Rashid is named as a key al-Qaida suspect who left the family's home in England years ago. Tayib was described by his great-uncle as as gentle and polite. Airlines around the world have tightened up security with the alleged plot involving smuggling liquid explosives onto aircraft in drink bottles and in hand luggage to detonate them in mid-flight.

Saturday - August 12, 2006 - BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora announced that Lebanon's Cabinet accepted the U.N. cease-fire plan to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah fighters, moving the deal a step closer to implementation. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced that a cease-fire would take effect at 8 a.m. Beirut time Monday. A senior Israeli government official said Israel will halt its war in Lebanon at 7 a.m. Monday (midnight EDT Sunday night). Israel's Cabinet was expected to endorse the U.N. cease-fire resolution later Sunday. Nearly 70 Israeli soldiers were wounded, 19 soldiers killed, and five more were missing in heavy fighting in Lebanon on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Israeli government also confirmed that Hezbollah guerrillas had shot down an Israeli military plane.

Monday - August 7, 2006 - BEIRUT, Lebanon - After another weekend of rocket attacks in the continuing Israeli-Lebanese conflict, Israeli warplanes intensified airstrikes and launched a new commando raid in south Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 23 people in one of the heaviest tolls in days. Israel hit back early Friday with airstrikes in southern Beirut, after a massive wave of Hezbollah rockets pounded northern Israel in a matter of minutes Thursday. The rockets killed eight people just hours before Hezbollah's leader offered to stop the attacks if Israel ends its airstrikes. Israel rejected the offer before more strikes on Friday. Hezbollah facilities and a Hamas office in the southern Beirut Shiite neighborhood of Danieh were the targets of the latest attacks.

Tuesday - July 11, 2006 - BEIJING, China - Christopher R. Hill, a senior U.S. envoy, arrived back at Beijing on Tuesday. Beijing was his first stop in Asia last week to push Washington's case that a dangerous Pyongyang must be brought to heel. Hill had rushed to northeast Asia late last week, visiting Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo in an effort to forge a unified response to North Korea's multiple missile launches. North Korea's councilor at the U.N. mission in Geneva, Choe Myong-nam, insisted on Friday that North Korean missile launches were not an attack on anyone. The United States had responded firmly to the test-firings of seven missiles, including a long-range missile designed to reach U.S. soil, which began as America celebrated the Fourth of July. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last Wednesday the United States still believes six-party talks with North Korea offer the best opportunity for resolving the nuclear impasse. "It is in our interests that we send a clear message to the leaders of North Korea," President Bush told a news conference on Thursday.

Thursday - June 1, 2006 - BERLIN, Germany - The German Federal Court of Justice cleared the way for Internet service provider T-Online International AG's absorption by majority owner Deutsche Telekom AG, dismissing appeals against the deal. T-Online is Europe's largest ISP and has more than 13.5 million subscribers. Deutsche Telekom had retained a 74 percent stake after spinning T-Online off. In October 2004, Deutsche Telekom decided to buy out the remaining stake for nearly 3 billion euros from minority shareholders, but was sued by more than 20 of the minority shareholders who said they were treated unfairly and demanded a higher buyout offer.

Thursday - April 27, 2006 - LONDON, England - It appears likely that actors, theatres, film and television crews will escape a smoking ban due to come into force in England next year. The Department of Health says the exemption from the ban on smoking in enclosed public places has resulted from fears about actors' ability to portray smokers, including historical well-known smokers like Britain's cigar-loving World War II leader Winston Churchill. The theory is that Churchill would be tough to portray if actors were not allowed to light up on stage. Public health minister Caroline Flint is writing to industry leaders about the ban with a view to exempting actors if lighting up is crucial to their performance.

Wednesday - April 26, 2006 - HONIARA, Solomon Islands - Solomon Islands Prime Minister Snyder Rini resigned a week after his election sparked two days of rioting. Cheering and waving crowds gathered in Honiara (the capital of the impoverished South Pacific archipelago) just minutes after Rini made his announcement in parliament. It became clear he would lose a motion of no confidence amid the defection of five government members. A week earlier, crowds burned and looted Chinese businesses in reaction to Rini's election by members of parliament. Protesters and opposition members of parliament accused Rini of corrupt links to prominent local business leaders, and of accepting cash from Taiwan. The United Kingdom established a protectorate over Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence was granted on July 7, 1978. Current issues include corruption, land relations, government deficits, deforestation, and malaria control.

Monday - April 24, 2006 - KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepal's capital began its fifth consecutive day under curfew Monday, as opposition parties planned a massive rally to demand an end to King Gyanendra's rule and a new constitution.

Friday - April 14, 2006 - BEIJING, China - China said Friday it will sharply increase the amount of foreign currency that companies and individuals can take abroad. The move could reduce exchange-rate tensions with Washington ahead of the visit by President Hu Jintao to the United States. The move is also the latest incremental step toward making the yuan a freely convertible currency.

Tuesday - April 11, 2006 - ROME, Italy - Challenger Romano Prodi's center-left coalition won a narrow victory in the Italian parliamentary election, official results showed Tuesday, but Conservative Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi refused to concede defeat.

Friday - April 7, 2006 - ROME, Italy - In Italy's first general election since 2001, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will hold his final campaign rally ahead of a weekend general election set to focus on the economy. Berlusconi and centre-left opposition leader Romano Prodi were scheduled to make their final appeals to voters on the last day of official campaigning. Prodi will hold a rally with centre-left allies in Rome's Piazza del Popolo, while Berlusconi will make a last-minute push for votes in the southern port city of Naples. The two-day vote will continue through Monday.

Friday - April 7, 2006 - PARIS, France - France's Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin is due to wrap up talks with unions and student groups over a divisive youth jobs reform, with unions threatening more mass protests unless the reform is dropped by the end of next week. The law was intended to stimulate job growth and arrest the 23% youth unemployment rate by allowing employers to fire employees aged under 26 within the first two years of their employment for any or no reason. Critics argue that it discriminates unnecessarily against the young and decreases job security. Protests continued to block road and rail traffic on Thursday, as well as access to factories, a port and an airport as student and union leaders threatened to step up demonstrations already ongoing for two months. More than 3,500 people have been arrested and hundreds of riot police injured in the sometimes violent protests. De Villepin, a career diplomat, rose through the ranks of the French right as a Jacques Chirac protégé. He came under the international spotlight with his opposition as Foreign Minister to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. On May 31, 2005, Villepin was appointed as Prime Minister. Union for a Popular Movement

Thursday - April 6, 2006 - DAKAR, Senegal - Liberia's justice system needs urgent reform and donor aid if the country's new government is to eradicate corruption in the West African state, a report from the International Crisis Group said on Thursday. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s inauguration as president on January 16, 2006 completes a credible election process. However, few courts function, low salaries promote corruption while prisoners can wait for years before their cases are heard. Crisis Group published its first report on Liberia in April 2002, followed by initial reports on Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea in 2003. Their regional office is now located in Dakar, Senegal.

Thursday - April 6, 2006 - BEIJING, China - The Chinese foreign ministry said Thursday it had no plans yet to receive Palestinian foreign minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, but signaled its willingness to carry on friendly ties with the Palestinians. The announcement came two days after the Hamas politician announced he would visit China, following a meeting with the Chinese envoy to the Palestinian territories, Yang Weiguo.

Wednesday - April 5, 2006 - BANGKOK, Thailand - Somkid Jatusripitak, a businessman and Thailand's commerce minister has emerged as one of the top contenders to succeed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin announced late Tuesday that he would step down after two months of street protests and an election boycott. He has mentioned Somkid as a possible successor. On Wednesday Somkid reassured Thais that two months of political crisis would end soon.

Wednesday - April 5, 2006 - SEOUL, South Korea - Four more finance company officials have been arrested as part of an investigation into bribery allegations involving South Korea's largest auto company, Hyundai Motor. Lee Ju-Eun, chief executive of Glovis, a Hyundai logistics unit, was arrested on March 26. Hyundai Motor is ranked seventh in the world in car sales, and is South Korea's second largest conglomerate. The arrests came after investigators raided offices of five corporate financing firms. Although not Hyundai affiliates directly, the firms were involved in helping the auto group acquire other companies.

Monday - April 3, 2006 - CANBERRA, Australia - Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing signed a nuclear safeguards deal on Monday that set the stage for uranium exports to Beijing for its growing power industry. Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Australian Prime Minister John Howard were also at the signing. China is expected to build 40 to 50 nuclear power plants over the next 20 years. Its own uranium stocks are dwindling, not very rich and difficult to extract, so China needs a steady supply of imported uranium. Australia has about 40 percent of the world's known uranium reserves. Australia has three operating uranium mines, owned by BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and General Atomics of the United States, with large uranium exports to China likely to begin in 2010.

Monday - April 3, 2006 - BAGHDAD, Iraq - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Monday that while it is up to the Iraqi people to chose their own leaders, their international backers have a right to expect that it will happen quickly. U.S. officials have allowed it to become an open secret that Washington wants Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari gone. The nominee of the Shiite bloc, al-Jaafari, has been widely criticized by Sunni and Kurdish politicians whom the Shiites need as partners to govern.

Sunday - April 2, 2006 - BAGHDAD, Iraq - American reporter Jill Carroll returned home on Sunday, after her three-month hostage ordeal ended last Thursday when she was left on a Baghdad street in front of a Sunni political party office.

Friday - March 31, 2006 - CANCUN, Mexico - Facing a battle at home to push immigration reform through the U.S. Congress, President Bush looks to win support from President Vicente Fox in talks on Mexico's Caribbean coast. Bush is pushing for a guest worker program that would let foreigners in low-paying jobs stay temporarily, which Fox says is a good first step toward some form of legal status for all Mexican illegal immigrants. Fox offered tighter border security and incentives to help bring illegal Mexican immigrants back home. The U.S. Senate began debating immigration reform on Wednesday and Republicans are split over whether to support an effort backed by Bush to create a guest worker program for millions of immigrants. Bush visited the Mayan archeological site of Chichen Itza on Thursday morning before seeing Fox.

Thursday - March 30, 2006 - BERLIN, Germany - Six world powers gathered in Berlin on Thursday to discuss the next steps in dealing with Iran's nuclear program. The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Britain and the United States met with European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana. In discussions with U.S. and EU diplomats, Russia and China looked for assurances that there are no plans to use force against Tehran.

Wednesday - March 29, 2006 - MANILA, Philippines - Deposed Philippine president Joseph Estrada took the stand at his graft trial for the second time to deny allegations of massive corruption in his former regime.

Wednesday - March 29, 2006 - JERUSALEM - Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared victory for his centrist Kadima party in Israel's elections on Tuesday. Ohmert has promised to act on his own if necessary to draw Israel's final borders and will reluctantly uproot Jewish settlers if negotiations with Palestine are not possible. Olmert will have to work to draw together a coalition, after a low election turnout. However, the consensus of the electorate is directed toward ending the occupation of Palestine with a propensity toward concessions at a level proposed in the Clinton era. GAZA CITY - As Israel held its election on Tuesday, the Palestinian parliament approved a new Cabinet led by the Hamas militant group. Incoming Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said that he opposed Olmert's plan. The militant factions in Palestine were relatively calm with only one rocket launch and no injuries. It is likely that outside conciliation will be drawn into the peace process, with the Palestinians drawing on support from other Arab countries. Restraints in violence during the election period are likely a sign that Palestine has a lot to gain from a centrist Israeli government if the Palestinians are able to moderate their own factions.

Saturday - March 18, 2006 - SYDNEY, Australia - The United States, Australia and Japan concluded security talks on Saturday in Sydney. The parties made overtures to China's engagement in the Asia-Pacific, and an agreement to seek greater cooperation within Asia. United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso were hosted by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for talks in Sydney that focussed on the war in Iraq, Iran's nuclear crisis and China's rising power. Secretary of State Rice said Friday that the United States has not ruled out talks with Iran about Iraq, but any discussions would not cover Tehran's disputed nuclear program. Iran offered on Thursday to begin talks with the United States aimed at stabilizing Iraq.

Thursday - March 16, 2006 - SYDNEY, Australia - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer boarded the USS Port Royal in Sydney on Thursday. Rice met with Downer ahead of a new trilateral security dialogue with Japan on Saturday, at which China's growing power is top of the agenda. Rice said the United States is concerned about China's military build-up and Beijing should make its intentions clear.

Friday - March 10, 2006 - PARIS, France - French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Friday in an interview on French radio, that France is looking for a political solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions rather than a punitive one. It is expected that the 15-national UN Security Council will initially issue a statement urging Iran to comply with resolutions by the International Atomic Energy Agency's board (IAEA) that it halt all uranium enrichment activities.

Friday - March 10, 2006 - JERUSALEM - Acting prime minister Ehud Olmert said on Friday that Israel will determine its border with the West Bank in the absence of negotiations with the Palestinians, and then build a wall and move all settlers to the Israeli side. Olmert, who is facing elections on March 28, 2006, said the current barrier, still under construction after more than three years, is a "security fence". On Thursday, Olmert reported that Israel will draw its final borders by 2010, setting a deadline for what is expected to be a unilateral large-scale West Bank pullback. Olmert also has joined Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz in threats against incoming Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. The upcoming Israeli elections will confirm the direction of Israeli policy.

Thursday - March 9, 2006 - MOSCOW - Russia's Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an appeal over the route of a controversial Siberian oil pipeline that will go past Lake Baikal, the world's largest freshwater lake.

Wednesday - March 8, 2006 - NEW YORK - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, to discuss issues including the IEAA and Iran nuclear issue. Annan sees the ideal solution to the Iran issue as a negotiated solution.

Monday - March 6, 2006 - TRIPOLI, Libya - Libyan state television reported on Sunday that Libya has named a new prime minister, Baghdadi Mahmudi. In a major cabinet reshuffle Mahmudi replaces former premier Shukri Ghanem, who had held the post since 2003. Ghanem will head the state-owned Libya National Oil Company.

Thursday - March 2, 2006 - KARACHI, Pakistan - Ahead of the President's trip a car bombing near the U.S. Consulate in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, killed at least four people, including a U.S. diplomat, around 9 a.m. on Thursday. The car bombing ripped through a parking lot at a Marriott Hotel, within 20 yards of the consulate gate. The blasts shattered windows at the consulate and on all 10 floors of the hotel. The bombing left a crater 8 feet wide and more than two feet deep. The explosion propelled cars into the air and damaged nearby buildings, including a naval hospital, leaving the street strewn with mangled car parts. The bombing follows an attack by Pakistani soldiers and helicopter gunships of a suspected al-Qaida camp on Wednesday near the Afghan border, that killed more than 45 militants and angered residents who call for a holy war. The offensive days before a visit by President Bush was in North Waziristan, Pakistan. This is a region controlled by fiercely independent and well-armed tribes believed to be sheltering al-Qaida fugitives and Taliban remnants. The militants often cross the porous Afghan-Pakistan border.

Wednesday - March 1, 2006 - CANBERRA, Australia - Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his country and Indonesia are considering staging joint naval patrols to help stamp out illegal fishing in the waters between the two countries. Downer reported a dramatic increase in the problem, with Australian authorities spotting 607 illegal fishing vessels last year, compared to 289 in 2004, with most boats being Indonesian. Downer said there were discussions with his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda in Jakarta this week about joint naval patrols.

Monday - February 27, 2006 - LAGOS, Nigeria - Royal Dutch Shell announced Friday that it was notified of the Federal High Court - Port Harcourt, Nigeria, 1.5 billion dollar judgment in a case between the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited operated joint venture ("SPDC"), of which Shell owns 30%, and a group called "Ijaw Aborigines of Bayelsa State". Shell has been locked in a bitter legal battle over environmental damage in Nigeria's oil-rich southern Delta, and will be appealing a hefty 1.5-billion-dollar (1.2-billion-euro) fine for pollution. The federal high court levied the fine for environmental pollution on Shell in the Ijaw community lawsuit. The Ijaw group claimed Shell had ignored an order from the Nigerian senate in 2004 to pay the money to the impoverished local community for environmental damages arising from SPDC's operations.

Friday - February 24, 2006 - MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency on Friday, saying she had quashed a coup plot code-named "Operation Hackle". President Arroyo reported that the Philippines still faced a "clear threat" from treasonous forces. About 5,000 protesters defied a ban on rallying and went to the EDSA Shrine, the site of the first People Power movement twenty years earlier that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Since February 23, the Malacañang Palace was heavily guarded after a bomb exploded outside. The clashes erupted as riot police used water cannons to disperse at the shrine.

Thursday - February 23, 2006 - TOKYO, Japan - Fusako Shigenobu founder of the Japanese Red Army was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a 1974 seige of the French embassy in The Netherlands. In that incident, three Red Army members took 11 people hostage and forced the government of France to release one of their members. Shigenobu was a former soy-sauce company worker who turned militant as a supporter of the Palestinian cause in the 1970s. Her goal was to establish bases around the world and to start a revolution in Japan. She had lived in the Middle East for around 30 years before resurfacing in Japan with her 2000 arrest.

Wednesday - February 22, 2006 - NEW YORK - Beijing-based Internet search engine Baidu.com Inc. on Tuesday posted a jump in fourth-quarter profit, topping Wall Street expectations and sending shares up sharply in after-hours electronic trading on Tuesday evening.

Friday - February 17, 2006 - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - A team of top Tamil Tiger rebel leaders headed to Geneva on Friday for their first direct talks with the Sri Lankan government in nearly three years. The Geneva talks, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, come amid escalating violence that has strained a Norwegian-brokered cease-fire between the government and the rebels who demand an independent state in the Northern and Eastern portions of the island nation.

Thursday - February 16, 2006 - BAGHDAD, Iraq - On Thursday, Maj. Gen. Hussein Kamal, Iraq's deputy interior minister in charge of domestic intelligence said Iraq's Interior Ministry had launched an investigation into claims that a police death squad has been operating in Iraq. The bodies of Sunni Arabs, bound and gagged and shot in the head, have been turning up in Baghdad for months, which Sunni Arab leaders say often are sectarian killings carried out by Shiites in army or police uniforms.

Wednesday - February 15, 2006 - WASHINGTON - Representatives from Microsoft, Yahoo, Cisco Systems, and Google defended themselves at a House International Relations subcommittee hearing, over reports that these US companies had willingly helped China suppress dissent in return for access to a booming Internet market.

Tuesday - February 14, 2006 - CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The reports and criticisms continue on the over the weekend shooting by Vice President Dick Cheney. The vice presedent accidentally shot and wounded his companion Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, Texas. The accident occurred during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, with the vice-president spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets. Whittington was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a Corpus Christi hospital on Sunday. He was last in the news on Friday, January 27, 2006, when he racked up a third victory in a long eminent domain battle against the City of Austin. The Texas Supreme Court denied the city's request to hear an appeal, which basically re-affirmed a prior ruling in Whittington's favor. On Monday the Vice President was given a warning citation for breaking Texas hunting law by failing to buy a $7 stamp allowing him to shoot upland game birds. The warning citation came from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department after it investigated.

Saturday - February 11, 2006 - BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, facing growing calls for his resignation, agreed Saturday to hold a national referendum on amending Thailand's constitution.

Friday - February 10, 2006 - NEW DELHI, India - On Friday India's Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath criticized the European governments of France, Luxembourg and Spain for opposing Mittal Steel's bid for rival steel maker Arcelor. Last month, Mittal Steel Co. — the world's largest steel maker run by Indian-born Lakshmi N. Mittal — made an unsolicited bid to buy out European steel maker Arcelor SA, sparking the sharp reaction from European officials. Nath warned that their stance could derail continuing global trade talks.

Wednesday - February 8, 2006 - SEOUL, South Korea - Shares in Samsung Electronics and other Asian memory chip makers fell on Wednesday after Apple's music player price cut, for the iPod Shuffle, fanned fears of a steeper price decline in chips used in the products.

Thursday - February 2, 2006 - SEOUL, South Korea - The United States and South Korea agreed Thursday to launch talks for a free trade agreement (FTA), which President George W. Bush said would expand America's engagement in Asia. - TOKYO, Japan - Matsushita Electric Industrial Company said Thursday it will sell its entire 7.66 percent stake in Universal Studios Holdings to Vivendi Universal for an undisclosed price. The Japanese company said its 15-year alliance was no longer needed with the arrival of online distribution of video which requires partnerships with all studios. The deal means that Universal Studios will become a 100 percent unit of Vivendi.

Wednesday - February 1, 2006 - TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Wednesday that his country will resist Western pressures to constrain its nuclear program. His announcement comes just a day before a key vote by the International Atomic Energy Agency likely to put Iran before the UN Security Council.

Monday - January 27, 2006 - BEIRUT, Lebanon - The Islamist movement is ready to form the next Palestinian government with Hamas's stunning Palestinian election victory this week (winning 76 seats in the 132-member parliament). The scale of the Hamas victory over Fatah, the secular nationalist faction founded by Yasser Arafat was unexpected. The United States warned on Friday it may cut back its $234 million aid earmarked for Palestinians this year because of the election victory and expectations that a change in the Palestine government would be anti-Israeli. Meanwhile thousands of Fatah supporters burned cars and fired shots in the air across the Gaza Strip on Friday. They demanded the resignation of corrupt Fatah party officials and insisted there be no coalition between their defeated party and the victorious Hamas.

Friday - January 27, 2006 - BEIRUT, Lebanon - The Islamist movement is ready to form the next Palestinian government with Hamas's stunning Palestinian election victory this week (winning 76 seats in the 132-member parliament). The scale of the Hamas victory over Fatah, the secular nationalist faction founded by Yasser Arafat was unexpected. The United States warned on Friday it may cut back its $234 million aid earmarked for Palestinians this year because of the election victory and expectations that a change in the Palestine government would be anti-Israeli. Meanwhile thousands of Fatah supporters burned cars and fired shots in the air across the Gaza Strip on Friday. They demanded the resignation of corrupt Fatah party officials and insisted there be no coalition between their defeated party and the victorious Hamas.

Thursday - January 26, 2006 - BAGHDAD, Iraq - Wednesday night there was still no word on the fate of Jill Carroll, the American freelance reporter kidnapped on January 7 in Baghdad. Carroll's appearance last week on a silent videotape aired on Arab TV marked the only sign of her since her abduction. However, Iraqi officials stated Wednesday that five Iraqi women will be released from U.S. custody today, apparently in response to the kidnapper demands. The United States forces in Iraq had no comment on whether a deal had been made. There has also recently been a series of kidnappings and killings targeting Sunni Arabs. The Association of Muslim Scholars, a Sunni clerical group, blamed Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry forces for a Monday raid in Baghdad's Sunni neighborhood of Toubji when three men were killed and more than 20 abducted. Muslim leaders have joined the family, friends and colleagues of Ms. Carroll in calling for her release. The detention of women offends many Iraqis, and U.S. forces seek to avoid it in most instances.

Monday - January 23, 2006 - TOKYO, Japan - The Japanese government said it had filed a criminal complaint against Yamaha Motor Company over sales to China of small helicopters. It was reported that sales were made without the required government permission, for equipment which officials said could have military uses.

Friday - January 20, 2006 - TAIPEI, Taiwan - China Airlines (Taiwan's largest airline) launched a flight to mainland China's eastern city of Shanghai on Friday to kick off charter flights between the rivals for the lunar New Year holiday. Six Taiwanese and six Chinese airlines will provide a total of 72 round-trip charter flights during a period ending February 13. The direct air links between China and Taiwan ended when the two sides split amid civil war in 1949, with travelers on commercial flights required to transfer at third point such as Hong Kong.

Thursday - January 19, 2006 - KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepal's government detained at least 52 senior politicians and activists (as well as cutting off phone and Internet services) Thursday in an attempt to foil an anti-government rally. The protest planned for Friday by a coalition of Nepal's main political parties expected to draw thousands to object against King Gyanendra's direct rule over the country and demand that he restore democracy.

Saturday - January 14, 2006 - DAMADOLA, Pakistan - Pakistani officials on Saturday angrily condemned a purported CIA airstrike meant to target al-Qaida's Ayman al-Zawahri, (Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant), saying he wasn't there and "innocent civilians" were among at least 17 men, women and children killed in a village near the Afghan border.

Friday - January 13, 2006 - TEHRAN, Iran - The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened Friday to end surprise inspections and other voluntary cooperation over its nuclear program if it is referred to the U.N. Security Council, vowing that his country would not be intimidated by sanctions. Both U.S. President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have suggested that U.N. intervention is necessary to stop the threat of nuclear weapons from Iran.

Monday - January 9, 2006 - JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon continued to show progress but the prognosis is grave. Last Friday remained in a medically induced coma, after suffering a "significant" stroke earlier in the week. He remained in danger, when earlier in the week Sharon was placed on a respirator and underwent an operation to drain excess blood from his brain. Friday morning at a press conference the hospital spokesman indicated his brain fluid was stable. However, he underwent additional surgery later in the day. Israeli powers were transferred last week to his deputy, Vice Premier Ehud Olmert, and there continues to be widespread speculation on the future succession of leadership and direction of Israeli policies.

Monday - January 2, 2006 - CAIRO, Egypt - For the first time in the history of the country, Egypt's cabinet includes a veiled woman. Aisha Abdul Hadi has been appointed labour and immigration minister in the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif that was sworn in on Saturday.

Tuesday - December 20, 2005 - KINSHASA, Congo - Information Minister Henri Mova-Sakanyi said Tuesday that Congo was reassessing its damage claim against Uganda, after Monday's ruling by the International Court of Justice. Congo had originally estimated damages from Uganda's invasion in the 1990s at $10 billion. The re-evaluation was reported to be a standard procedure before making a formal request in The Hague.

Tuesday - December 13, 2005 - ARUSHA, Tanzania - A United Nations tribunal convicted Lt. Col. Aloys Simba, a retired Rwandan army officer of genocide. Simba was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his part in the slaughter of ethnic minority Tutsi.

Thursday - October 6, 2005 - JERUSALEM - The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Israel's army must stop using Palestinian civilians as "human shields" in operations against suspected Palestinian militants. Palestinian and Israeli human-rights watchdog groups had sought the ruling, giving an example of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy caught on film in 2004 tied to the hood of an army jeep during rock-throwing protests. The Israeli Supreme Court's decision that the practice is illegal under international law hardened a temporary injunction issued in 2002.

Tuesday - August 2, 2005 - RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - King Fahd was laid to rest in an unmarked desert grave Tuesday. His body, which was wrapped in a simple brown robe, was borne from a prayer service by his sons. King Fahd, of Saudi Arabia died Monday, August 1, 2005. Fahd had ruled the nation in name only since suffering a stroke in 1995. His policies moved Saudi Arabia closer to the United States. 81-year-old Crown Prince Abdullah, who has been the kingdom's effective ruler for 10 years, and half brother to Fahd, was quickly named as the newly appointed monarch. This has been the first change in the Saudi throne in 23 years. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil producer.

Wednesday - July 27, 2005 - BAGHDAD - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Wednesday and urged Iraqis to finish their draft constitution before an August 15, 2005 deadline.

Tuesday - July 26, 2005 - SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - Investigators identified an Egyptian as a possible suicide bomber in the weekend terror attacks at a Red Sea resort. Law enforcement were searching Tuesday for his suspected Islamic militant associates.

Friday - July 8, 2005 - London, England - London recovered Friday after terrorists bombings ripped through its transit system yesterday morning. The blasts were apparently intended to coincide with the G-8 Summit in Scotland. Police said today that the bodies of 49 people had already been recovered, with the number of deaths expected to rise. Several hundred people were injured in the blasts.

Tuesday - June 28, 2005 - ROME - Italian prosecutors would like to extradite 13 CIA officials who are accused of kidnapping a radical Muslim cleric. The CIA are reported to have transported the cleric to Egypt where he was tortured. Prosecutors have asked Interpol to help track down the Americans, an Italian court official said.

Monday - June 6, 2005 - PAKISTAN - Pakistan said Monday it handed over Abu Farraj al-Libbi, a senior al-Qaida suspect, to the United States.

Friday - June 3, 2005 - SANTA MARIA, California - The child molestation case against pop star Michael Jackson went to the jury Friday. Defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. told jurors that Jackson is not the "monster" that prosecutors have portrayed him as.

Thursday - June 2, 2005 - THE HAGUE, Netherlands - European leaders faced the possibility of having to scrap the proposed European Union constitution Thursday after Dutch voters rejected it by a massive margin on Wednesday.

Wednesday - June 1, 2005 - AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The Dutch voted in their first national referendum whether to accept a proposed European Union constitution. Just days after France became the first country to reject the proposed constitution, the Netherlands was the second to reject.

Friday - May 27, 2005 - BEIRUT, Lebanon - Three months after Rafik Hariri's assassination sparked political upheaval in Lebanon, his son Saad Hariri, a billionaire businessman and owner of Saudi Oger Ltd., has emerged as the leading contender to head the next government.

Thursday - May 26, 2005 - JAKARTA, Indonesia - The United States closed its embassy and all other diplomatic offices in Indonesia Thursday, citing a security threat. This was the day after President Bush had welcomed Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the White House on Wednesday.

Thursday - May 19, 2005 - SEOUL, South Korea - North and South Korea concluded their first face-to-face talks in ten months Thursday. No progress was made on the impasse over North Korea's nuclear program, however there was agreement to hold Cabinet-level talks next month. At that time the nuclear issue likely will be revisited. North Korea also indicated a willingness to return to the stalled six-nation talks on its atomic weapons program.

Wednesday - May 18, 2005 - Los Angeles, California - City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa (campaign website) won by a wide margin in the Mayor's Race yesterday, over incumbent Mayor James Hahn (campaign website). Villaraigosa challenged the city's traditional political coalitions, and reaped the benefit from those shifting voter blocs. Villaraigosa will be the first Los Angeles Hispanic mayor in 133 years, and will likely become prominent on a national basis due to his victory. More Election News

Saturday, May 14, 2005 - MEXICO CITY - Mexico's President, Vicente Fox - drew criticism on Saturday, after his comments in Puerto Vallarta Friday - "There's no doubt that the Mexican men and women — full of dignity, willpower and a capacity for work — are doing the work that not even blacks want to do in the United States." The comments and criticism are part of an ongoing border controversy between the two countries, which recently includes US vigilante organizations operating along the Arizona-Mexico border.

Thursday, May 12, 2005 - LONDON - Britain and France warned Iran that it might face harsh measures, and possible UN Security Council action, for breaches of nuclear obligations. Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, stated "The basic point that the Islamic Republic of Iran will resume part of its nuclear activities in the near future is definite."

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - JERUSALEM - Israel announced that the start of the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip will not be delayed beyond mid-August.

Monday, May 9, 2005 - IRAQ and JORDAN discuss Ahmad Chalabi, a deputy prime minister in the Iraqi government. In 1992, Chalabi was convicted in absentia by a Jordanian military court of embezzlement, fraud and breach of trust after a bank he ran collapsed with about $300 million in missing deposits.