 Political tension is rising in Ecuador over a referendum on the drafting of a new constitution, planned for 15 April. The opposition-controlled Congress has announced plans to impeach some members of the electoral tribunal for their decision to vote in favour of the poll. The move comes a day after Congress voted to remove the president of the tribunal, Jorge Acosta, from office. Left-wing President Rafael Correa, who was elected in November, is seeking a referendum to restructure Congress. The referendum would decide whether to form a national assembly that would then consider reforms. If Mr Correa has his way, ties with the IMF and the World Bank could be cut and the country's foreign debt restructured. Its oil wealth, he has said, will go back to the people. Opinion polls suggest about 70% of Ecuadorians are in favour of an assembly. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk
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Editor - 18:55:00 03-07-07
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 Baby fights for life in Italy after abortion attempt |
A baby was struggling for life in an intensive care unit in Florence yesterday after being resuscitated following an attempted abortion at 22 weeks' gestation because of indications of abnormalities which turned out to be false. The baby's mother, who has not been identified, was admitted to hospital for a late abortion at the end of last week after being told her child might have abnormalities. The child showed signs of life after the procedure and, under Italian law, doctors were obliged to try to save it. The baby, who weighed 500 grams (17oz), was resuscitated and found not to have any deformity. It had a cerebral haemorrhage, but it was not immediately clear if the haemorrhage was because of the attempted abortion. The Italian news agency Ansa yesterday reported that the child's parents were "in shock"....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,,2028799,00.html
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Editor - 18:51:00 03-07-07
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| U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,188 Wednesday, According to Count by the Associated Press |
As of Wednesday, March 7, 2007, at least 3,188 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,574 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The AP count matches the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST. The British military has reported 134 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 19; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, six; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, one death each. Since the start of the U.S. military operations in Iraq, 23,924 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department's weekly tally. The latest deaths reported by the military: ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2933156
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Editor - 18:43:00 03-07-07
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| Jordan's king urges U.S. to lead Middle East peace drive |
Citing the risks of further delay, Jordan's King Abdullah II said Wednesday the United States must take the lead in creating conditions for a permanent peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Speaking to a joint meeting of Congress, Abdullah said that history has shown no progress in Middle East peacemaking is possible without American leadership. "We look to you to play a historic role," he said, adding that results are needed "not in one year or five years but this year." "No more bloodshed, no more lives pointlessly taken," Abdullah declared. He speech, lasting just under a half hour, was delivered in flawless English, with only an occasional aside in Arabic. He was interrupted a number of times by applause....
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/07/us.king.abdullah.ap/index.html?eref=rss_world
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Editor - 17:58:00 03-07-07
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| Obama's rising star hit by claims of financial misdealing |
Barack Obama, a star of the Democratic party and a frontrunner in the presidential race, was forced on to the defensive yesterday over past financial dealings. Disclosure of his share dealings in two companies - one dealing in pharmaceuticals and the other in communications - was a knock to Mr Obama who is campaigning on a platform of higher ethical standards in politics and tougher restrictions on political funding and lobbying. Until now Mr Obama, a senator for Illinois, has enjoyed a relatively easy rise and established himself as the main rival to Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. His campaign team insisted yesterday the share dealings had all been above board and there had been no conflict of interest. A financial website, TheStreet.com, reported on Monday that in March 2005 Mr Obama bought more than $50,000 (£25,900) of stock in the companies. One of them, AVI BioPharma, was developing a drug to treat avian flu and the other, SkyTerra, a satellite...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2028841,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
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Editor - 17:46:00 03-07-07
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| China hits back, accuses U.S. of rights abuses |
China accused the United States of hypocrisy on Thursday in its annual response to Washington's criticism of Beijing's human rights record, saying it had no right to blacken the name of other countries. "As in previous years, the State Department pointed the finger at human rights conditions in more than 190 countries and regions, including China, but avoided touching on the human rights situation in the United States," said the report, extracts of which were carried by the official Xinhua news agency. China hopes its report will "help people have a better understanding of the situation in the United States and promote the international cause of human rights," Xinhua said. "Relying on its strong military power, the United States has trespassed on the sovereignty of other countries and violated human rights in other countries," Xinhua quoted the document as saying, released by the State Council, or cabinet....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070308/ts_nm/china_usa_rights_dc
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Editor - 17:44:00 03-07-07
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