UN: Arms still flowing across Syrian borderAgenciesUnited Nations: Arms are still flowing across the Syrian border to Palestinian groups and others in Lebanon, although the Beirut government is trying to crack down and assert its authority, a new UN report said yesterday.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan cited a variety of recent reports saying there was "an increasing influx of weaponry and personnel from Syria to some of these groups". ...
Gulfnews
Il Romanaccio at 5:20 AM
Malaysia to Promote Modern View of IslamBy JASBANT SINGH- Ap WriterKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The United States' new public relations chief wrapped up a tour Monday of Southeast Asia after securing a pledge from Malaysia to spread its progressive version of Islam to help fight terrorism and foster peace in Iraq.
Karen Hughes met with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak and discussed international efforts to combat terrorism and how Malaysia - as chairman of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference - could use its influence to promote a tolerant Islam that rejects religious extremism. ...
Guardian UnlimitedWorld Peace Report
Il Romanaccio at 2:47 AM
US seeking world domination: KhameneiIran’s Supreme Leader accused the United States yesterday of seeking global domination and vowed that his country would not give into demands to abandon its disputed nuclear programme.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also alleged that Washington was stirring Sunni-Shia violence in Iraq, and criticised Muslim countries who commit the “bad deed” of recognising Israel. ...
Bahrain TribuneWorld Ethnicity
Il Romanaccio at 2:07 AM
Beijing denies fudging arms cost
Catherine Armitage, China correspondentCHINA'S defence chief accused the US yesterday of exaggerating China's annual military budget by about $US60 billion ($80 billion).Rejecting US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's criticism of a "secretive" Chinese military build-up, Beijing's Defence Minister, Cao Gangchuan, said it was impossible for China to spend as much on defence as the Pentagon has estimated. ...
The Australian Espionage News
Il Romanaccio at 7:35 AM
China defends its "socialist democracy"By Mark MagnierLos Angeles TimesBEIJING — China yesterday released a white paper arguing that it does practice democracy, even if not in a form understood elsewhere in the world.
The Communist regime's first white paper on the topic comes on the heels of a high-visibility speech by Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick last month that criticized China as a state that has made little progress toward democratic ideals. ...
The Seattle TimesWorld Equality
Il Romanaccio at 7:26 AM
Saddam Trial: Few Knew About 1982 MassacreBy SALAH NASRAWI
Associated Press WriterCAIRO, Egypt (AP) - At the time, it went nearly unnoticed. The 1982 massacre in Dujail - the subject of Saddam Hussein's trial that begins Wednesday - happened when few foreign journalists were based in Iraq, and the world's interest was focused more on the threat from Iran.
Even inside Iraq, little was known about the assassination attempt on Saddam that led to the executions of nearly 150 people from Dujail. Critics have long contended more attention should have been paid - to all of his atrocities. ...
Guardian Unlimited
Il Romanaccio at 3:33 AM
US offers 'Libya deal' to SyriansCorrespondents in BeirutTHE Bush administration has offered Syria's beleaguered President a "Gaddafi deal" to end his regime's isolation if Damascus agrees to a long list of painful concessions.
According to senior US and Arab officials, an offer has been relayed to President Bashar Assad that could enable him to avoid the looming threat of international sanctions against his country. ...
TheAustralian
Il Romanaccio at 5:57 AM
Constitution's victory likelyIraq's Sunnis unable to muster needed veto votes
By John Ward Anderson and K.I. Ibrahim- The Washington PostBaghdad, Iraq - Iraq's war-battered voters apparently approved a new constitution, preliminary and unofficial results showed Sunday.
But the electoral approval comes despite angry Sunni Arabs who proved surprisingly formidable in their first run at post-Saddam Hussein politics: They mustered a strong vote against the U.S.-backed charter. ...
DenverPost
Il Romanaccio at 5:41 AM
UN: Security Council Should Take Up Burma’s Human Rights CrisisHUMAN RIGHTS WATCHChina, Russia, Philippines, Others Must Not Block Discussion
The United Nations Security Council should urgently consider the human rights and political situation in Burma in order to address widespread and systematic abuse of human rights by the military government, Human Rights Watch said today. Human rights groups have long urged the Security Council to take up Burma as a critical international problem. The possibility of putting Burma on the Security Council agenda has been boosted by a recent report, “Threat to Peace - A Call to the UN Security Council to Act in Burma.” The report was commissioned by Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. It calls for “an urgent, new and multilateral diplomatic initiative” on Burma and for Security Council action. ...
Human Rights News
Il Romanaccio at 4:52 AM
Israel has long spied on the United StatesIsrael has a long rich history of espionage activities against the United States.
In 1997 media reports revealed that the U.S. intelligence had intercepted a conversation in which two Israeli officials had planned getting a confidential letter, written by the then-Secretary of State Warren Christopher to the Palestinian leader Yaser Arafat, for an Israeli agent within the U.S. government...
Tehran Timeswww.warcrimes.info
Il Romanaccio at 3:28 AM
Police Charged After Violent Arrest TapedBy MARY FOSTER-Associated Press Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Two New Orleans police officers repeatedly punched a 64-year-old man accused of public intoxication, and another city officer assaulted an Associated Press Television News producer as a cameraman taped the confrontations...
The Guardian
Il Romanaccio at 2:50 AM
Nobel Peace Prize seen rewarding anti-nuclear workBy Alister DoyleOSLO (Reuters) - Japanese survivors of the 1945 atomic bombs, U.S. campaigners to dismantle Soviet-era atomic weapons and the United Nations nuclear watchdog were touted as front-runners for the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
SwissInfo
Il Romanaccio at 4:01 AM
Why Not Look at Europe From Turkey’s View?Maureen Freely, The IndependentIs Turkey ready to join the EU? As the debate rages on, there is only one constant — the appalling pan-European ignorance about the country and its history. Begin with the constant references to Turkey as a moderate Muslim state. It has, in fact, been a secular state for more than 80 years...
ArabNews
Il Romanaccio at 4:09 AM
Al-Qa'ida recruits on the internetRichard KerbajTHE al-Qa'ida terror network has launched an internet advertising campaign to recruit agents, calling for applicants who are fluent in English, are willing to pursue jihad against the West and have "video production" skills...
TheAustralian
Il Romanaccio at 4:08 AM
Sudan govt, Darfur rebels talk in Nigeria(AP)Sudan's government and rebels from Darfur met Tuesday for a second day of talks in Nigeria, with the visiting Dutch prime minister urging all parties to reach a power-sharing deal by the end of the year, AP reported...
ChinaDaily
Il Romanaccio at 4:05 AM
