Monday, June 30, 2008

'Iran Preparing Graves for Its Enemies'

A senior Iranian commander on Sunday said his country would prepare 320,000 graves to accommodate its slain enemies in the event of an attack on the country. The remark was a veiled warning amid increasing tensions over Tehran's controversial nuclear activities. Read

Friday, June 27, 2008

Japan Mulls US Decision to Strike North Korea From Terror List

Plans to remove North Korea from a U.S. list of terror-sponsors as the latest step in a denuclearization process are reverberating in Japan, where many feel the move is premature. Read

Views Differ Over US Shift on North Korea

The Bush administration's decision to ease trade sanctions on North Korea and start a 45-day process of removing Pyongyang from a list of terror-sponsors has drawn fire from conservatives and praise from quarters usually critical of the president's foreign policies. Read

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Zimbabwe Election Will be Illegitimate, African Neighbors Say

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai gave President Robert Mugabe a final offer to negotiate on Thursday, one day before a widely condemned runoff election. The offer comes amid mounting international pressure and with former allies deserting the autocratic Mugabe. Read

Bishops Plan to Shun Key Conference

A growing number of Anglican bishops -- one-third by some accounts -- are planning to stay away from the denomination's once-in-a-decade Lambeth Conference, reflecting the depth of division over biblical teaching on homosexuality. Read

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

EU Reversal on Cuba Sanctions Spotlights US Position

The European Union's decision to lift diplomatic sanctions against the Castro regime may increase pressure on the United States, and draw fresh attention to the U.S. presidential candidates' positions on Cuba. Read

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

UN Faces Clash Over Iran's Security Council Bid

Two weeks before Americans go to the polls in the fall, an election at the United Nations will pose a challenge to the outgoing Bush administration and possibly to its successor as well. Read

Monday, June 23, 2008

Islamic Bloc Passes Up Criticism of Sudan, Again

The world's Islamic nations have ended a conference without condemning the Sudanese government's actions in Darfur despite growing calls from Arab human rights groups for the Islamic bloc to "end its silence" over a conflict affecting millions of Muslims. Read

Islamic Nations Eye UN Security Council Seats

Islamic nations should be represented in an expanded U.N. Security Council "in proportion to their membership of the United Nations," according to foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Read

Friday, June 20, 2008

Islamic Nations Want Divisive Issues on the Agenda at UN Racism Conference

Despite the controversy surrounding a United Nations conference on racism being planned for next year, Islamic governments are reaffirming their intention to press for the inclusion of such divisive issues as "foreign occupation" and criticism of Islam. Read

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Anglican Unity Strained As Conservatives Prepare for Key Conference

Conservative Anglican leaders from around the world are preparing for a gathering to discuss the way ahead amid a deepening rift over homosexuality, just days after news broke about the "wedding" of two male Anglican priests in Britain. Read

Monday, June 16, 2008

Pakistan Rejects Karzai Threats to Hit Back Across Border

Amid deteriorating relations between putative war-on-terror allies Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islamabad on Monday summoned its neighbor's ambassador to protest a weekend threat by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to strike back at terrorists who mount cross-border attacks from Pakistani soil. Read

McCain Raises Hopes of Security Council Aspirants

Uphill bids by Brazil and India to win permanent seats on an enlarged United Nations Security Council may get a boost if Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) becomes the next American president. Read

Friday, June 13, 2008

Pashtun Paramilitaries' Role in Border Security Spotlighted

Amid continuing political fallout from a deadly clash along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border this week, questions about the role and reliability of Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps is drawing fresh attention. Read

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Exiled Leader Urges Calm During Tibet Leg of Olympic Torch Relay

The Dalai Lama urged Tibetans Thursday not to disrupt the Olympic torch relay when it traverses their Chinese-ruled homeland in the coming days. Read

Wanted Iranians End Visit to Saudi Arabia

Two top Iranian politicians wanted by Argentina in connection with that country's deadliest terror attack have ended a visit to Saudi Arabia, and their hosts made no attempt to detain them. Read

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

North Korea Pushes for Removal from Terror List

The United States and South Korea have welcomed a North Korean statement pledging to oppose terrorism and nuclear proliferation. Read

More Scientists Consider Embryo-Free Stem Cells

Some of Australia's leading bio-scientists are taking a closer look at a new, ethically acceptable stem cell research route that avoids the use of human embryos in the search for possible cures for degenerative diseases. Read

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Bush Trip Highlights Transatlantic Ties as Crucial EU Vote Looms

As President Bush pays his last state visit to Europe, Irish voters are preparing for a crucial referendum on a new European Union treaty that some critics warn could harm the transatlantic relationship. Read

Monday, June 09, 2008

Iranian Terror Suspects Travel Freely to Saudi Arabia

Seven months after Interpol placed a former head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on its most-wanted list, the fugitive suspected of state-sponsored terrorism last week traveled freely to Saudi Arabia, where he attended a religious conference hosted by King Abdullah. Read

Friday, June 06, 2008

UN Human Rights Council Under Fire From Newspaper Body

A campaign by Islamic states to use the U.N. Human Rights Council as a tool to limit free expression when Islam is criticized is drawing fresh condemnation. Read

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Ahmadinejad Invites Japan to Prepare for a World Without the US

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been making headlines during his first visit to Western Europe as Iran's president by attacking the United States and Israel, but he also is trying to use the opportunity to show that he's not as isolated as his opponents would wish. Read

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Australia May Lift Restrictions on Abortion-Related Aid

The Australian government is considering lifting abortion-related restrictions on overseas development aid, drawing warnings of a possible backlash by churches. Read

US Navy Ships Prepare to Withdraw After Burma Aid Offers Spurned

The U.S. Navy will withdraw four ships that have been standing by off the coast of Burma, after waiting for three weeks for permission from the ruling junta to deliver aid to the parts of the country that were hardest hit by the cyclone. Read

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Pakistan Gov't Wants to Move All Embassies into Enclave

Pakistan's government is considering moving all embassies in Islamabad into a heavily secured diplomatic enclave, following Monday's deadly bombing at the Danish Embassy. Read

Monday, June 02, 2008

Chinese Mourn Lost Children

China on Sunday marked Children's Day, a painful reminder of the thousands of children killed in the recent earthquake, including an estimated 7,000 who were the only children in their families because of Beijing's population control policies. Read

Australia Ends Combat Role in Iraq

Australia has ended its combat role in Iraq, in line with an election pledge made by the now governing center-left Labor Party to end the country's commitment there. Read