generalspeaking

The World News

• Thousands Riot in Budapest: Police in Budapest fired tear gas and rubber bullets yesterday to disperse thousands of protesters as demonstrations against the government escalated on the 50th anniversary of Hungary's revolution against the Communist regime. Sirens, helicopters and canister explosions could be heard in areas as police, some on horseback, pushed people back and deployed water cannons. A demonstration turned into riots last month after revelations Ferenc Gyurcsany, the Hungarian Prime Minister, lied about the economy to win re-election.
• Hunters May Have to Shoot Whales: Dozens of beluga whales are trapped in an Arctic waterway and as ice begins to clog their only escape route Inuit hunters are preparing to shoot them and collect their blubber. Earlier this month, flights near the Arctic coast hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk spotted more than 200 belugas in the Husky Lakes, a labyrinthine network of saltwater inlets and bays connected to the Arctic Ocean. By last Friday the number had dwindled to 76, but with ice forming in the single 100-metre-wide channel that connects the lakes to the sea, time is running out for the whales to free themselves.
• Olmert Adds Hard-Liner to Coalition: Israeli politics shifted to the right yesterday when Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister, persuaded a fiercely anti-Arab party to join his government. Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the Israel Beitenu - or Israel My Home - party, was promised the position of deputy prime minister in exchange for committing his party's 11 MPs to the coalition led by Mr. Olmert. The agreement changed the complexion of Israel's government, which had previously presented itself as centrist.
  
• US$800-Million Stolen from Iraqi Defence Fund: Iraq's former finance minister said as much as US$800-million has been stolen from a US$1.2-billion fund intended to equip the Iraqi army to control a growing insurgency. "It's a huge amount of money - gone up in smoke. The culprits are running around the world, hiding and scurrying around," he said. The rest of the funds were spent on useless and outdated equipment. The Iraqis responsible for looting the fund have fled to countries such as Jordan and Poland. One suspect was in charge of defence procurement at the time.
• Iran Launches Second Batch of Centrifuges at Nuclear Plant: Iran has launched a second batch of centrifuges at its pilot nuclear fuel plant despite possible UN Security Council sanctions, diplomats said yesterday. Tehran fired up the new cascade of 164 interconnected centrifuges, which can enrich uranium for power plant or nuclear bomb fuel, earlier this month.
• Ethiopia's and Somalia's Islamists Accuse Each Other of Aggression: Tensions between Ethiopia's government and Mogadishu's new Islamist rulers have sparked fear among Addis Ababa citizens of a new conflict, but have also inflamed nationalist passions against traditional rival Somalia. The Islamists, who have imposed a Taliban-like order on the capital accuse Ethiopia of sending troops across the border and have declared jihad against Addis Ababa.
• Taliban Vows Revenge Attacks in Europe: Afghan terrorists are planning to launch deadly attacks on civilians in Europe in revenge for the 2001 invasion by U.S.-led forces. Mullah Mohammed Amin said terrorists had built up stockpiles of weapons and were bent on vengeance against "the foreign invaders". "It's acceptable to kill ordinary people in Europe because these are the people who have voted in the government", he said. "They came to our home and attacked our women and children. The ordinary people of these countries are behind this, so we will not spare them. We will kill them and laugh over them like they are killing us and laughing at us."
• Border Region Now Closed to Militants: Pakistani militants used to cross the porous border from the Waziristan region of northwest Pakistan to neighbouring Afghanistan whenever they had the urge to fight U.S.-led forces. But their trips have stopped since Waziristan tribal leaders struck a deal with Pakistani authorities last month barring militants from entering Afghanistan from the semi-autonomous state. The Pakistani government believes the arrangement will enable it to stem a growing tide of "Talibanization" among the conservative and fiercely independent Pashtun tribes who live in six semi-autonomous tribal states along the Afghan border.
• Teenage Nun Allegedly Killed by Chinese Army: Tibetan refugee children told yesterday how they escaped Chinese soldiers who shot at them as they fled to Nepal three weeks ago, killing a teenage nun. They were among a group of 75 people making the 22-day trek over the Himalayas when Chinese troops fired on them September 30, sending them running for cover. An unnamed British climber told the pressure group International Campaign for Tibet they watched "Chinese soldiers quite close to Advance Base Camp kneeling, taking aim and shooting, again and again, at the group, who were completely defenceless."
• Cleric "Misses Picture" on China's Religious Freedom: The Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, was accused yesterday of "not meeting the real church", after he toured China and concluded freedom of religion had increased. The Archbishop said China was at a "watershed" in its attitude to religion despite the government's record of persecuting underground Christians.
• Call to Tackle "Atrocities" of Mugabe: In the past six years, up to one million people may have been abused and tortured by the dictatorship of President Robert Mugabe, according to Gabriel Shumba, a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer. "The use of torture has increased and it has become widespread and systematic" he said. "The Zimbabwe government is one of the most persistent and brutal torturers in all of Africa today." It is impossible to get a fair trial in Zimbabwe, and no African nation seems willing to challenge Mr. Mugabe. "African countries stick together as a club, an African brotherhood", he said. Once one of Africa's most successful economies, Zimbabwe is on the brink of disaster, plagued by shortages of food, fuel and foreign exchange. The former grain exporter known as the breadbasket of southern Africa now lives in the shadow of famine. Its economy has shrunk by 50% since 2000. About 4,000 of its people die every week from HIV/AIDS. The government has seized nearly 4,000 farms from white farmers in a move that is seen by many as the cause of Zimbabwe's current economic crisis.
• Maoist Rebels Charging Climbers Near Everest Fees to Maintain Army: Nepal's interim government asked Maoist rebels yesterday to stop taking money from tourists and climbers near Mount Everest. Climbers said the rebels have been collecting 100 Nepali rupees from every climber, especially foreigners, for a day in the region.

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, October 25, 2006