A gunbattle between suspected Taliban militants and police broke out Sunday after the law enforcement officials surrounded a small village in southern Afghanistan, a government spokesman said. Four police and up to eleven militants were killed. The four-hour gunbattle also left four police officers wounded, said Dawood Ahmadi, spokesman for the governor of Kandahar.He said the militants left three bodies behind and took eight with them when they fled the village in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province.Police surrounded the village after receiving a tip that Taliban militants were there, Ahmadi said.Elsewhere, two bombs exploded in northern Afghanistan near a vehicle belonging to NATO forces, injuring four policemen and five civilians, including a 9-year-old girl, officials said.... http://www.foxnews.com censor News |
Editor - 11:15:00 05-14-06 |
Court upholds Israeli spouse ban |
Israel's Supreme Court has upheld a controversial law barring West Bank Palestinians from living with their spouses and children in Israel itself. By a six-to-five majority, the court rejected petitions brought by civil rights groups, members of the Israeli parliament and Arab Israeli families. The government says the law, passed at a time of rising violence in 2002, is based on security concerns. But critics say it is discriminatory and violates rights to a family life. The case has been described as one of the most important questions the Supreme Court has dealt with in recent years. One of the groups that challenged the law said thousands of families were affected, that they have been forced to move abroad or live apart. Orna Kohn, a lawyer for a group defending Israeli Arabs, said Sunday's ruling caused "grave damage to the basic rights of thousands of people". ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4769661.stm
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Editor - 11:11:00 05-14-06 |
Thailand, Vietnam bird flu praise |
The UN's top bird flu expert has told the BBC he is encouraged by successful efforts in Thailand and Vietnam to reduce the threat posed by the disease. David Nabarro said he hoped their example would encourage other countries to invest a similar effort. However, the deadly H5N1 strain still remained a significant threat, especially to Indonesia and Africa. And despite the positive signs, it did not mean the threat of bird flu turning into a human pandemic had abated. Mr Nabarro said he was "very pleased indeed" with how both Thailand and Vietnam had responded to the health crisis facing their domestic poultry. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4770475.stm
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Editor - 10:37:00 05-14-06 |
Iran to Reject Any Offer Seeking Nuclear Suspension |
Iran will reject any offer that requests a suspension of its nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, five days before the United Nations Security Council meets to review new incentives. ``Any offer requiring us to suspend our peaceful nuclear activities will be invalid,'' Ahmadinejad told state-run Iranian News Agency IRNA upon his return from a trip to Indonesia. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said May 10 the U.S. will wait a ``couple of weeks'' before seeking a UN Security Council resolution against Iran, to allow European allies to design new incentives to persuade Iran to halt its program. The Security Council's five permanent members plus Germany will meet in London on May 19. The permanent five are the U.S., U.K., France, Russia and China. The governments of Russia and China have resisted using the threat of sanctions against Iran. ... http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a8TCJzOyym8k&refer=home
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Editor - 10:32:00 05-14-06 |
Chavez set for private UK visit |
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is to arrive in Britain for a private visit. The left-wing leader will meet the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, as well as some Labour MPs and union leaders during his two-day trip. But he will not meet Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom he has called a pawn of the "imperialist" US. Mr Chavez controls a country with the world's fifth largest oil supply. On Friday Mr Blair urged Venezuela to use its energy resources responsibly. BBC World Affairs correspondent Chris Morris says Mr Chavez is following in the footsteps of Cuban leader Fidel Castro. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4769387.stm
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Editor - 10:29:00 05-14-06 |
Vietnam and US reach deal on WTO |
Vietnam has moved closer to joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) after talks with US trade officials ended with a trade deal paving the way ahead. VietnamNet website quoted a source as saying "Vietnam and the US reached an agreement on Vietnam joining the WTO." The US has called the agreement, which will mean lower tariffs on its industrial and farm products being sold in Vietnam, as "very good". The US will also help Vietnam complete WTO membership "in the near future". Other barriers that block US service providers from working in Vietnam are to be abolished, said US Trade Representative Rob Portman.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4769839.stm
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Editor - 10:27:00 05-14-06 |
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