Another Swine-Flu Casualty: Good Journalism
by Andres Oppenheimer

The swine flu outbreak that has wrecked Mexico's economy may become a case study in reckless journalism. Like most of you, I had taken it for granted that the disease had started in Mexico.

Iranian Elections 2009: Iran's Crisis of Legitimacy

As Iranians Revolt, Their Government Reveals True Self
by William Pfaff

The truly significant result of the suppressed Iranian revolt is that the most important Islamist radical movement in the contemporary world has demonstrated that it has become a brutally repressive dictatorship whose leaders rig elections and beat down clear popular demands for a true election count or repeat of the election itself.

Will Iran Look More Like Turkey, or Turkey Like Iran
Nathan Gardels - Global Viewpoint

The effort to forge new forms of non-Western modernity in the Muslim world has pushed Iran into bloody civil strife while Turkey swirls with persistent rumors of military plots against the Islamist-rooted government. The great historical question is whether, at the end of the day, Iran will look more like Turkey, or Turkey like Iran

 

The Nation-State is Back & How
International Politics & Foreign Affairs
by Paul Kennedy

About 500 years ago, in parts of Western Europe, a funny thing happened to human society. The national state had arrived, and the world would never be the same.

Tiananmen's Enduring Challenge
by Wang Dan

Twenty years have passed since our landmark demonstrations in Tiananmen Square for democracy and free speech and against corruption. And during this time, China has changed in important ways. Economic reforms have allowed millions of Chinese people to lift their families out of poverty, and many in China find their lives changed for the better. But the central causes the Tiananmen generation, students and citizens alike, took up remain unresolved: corruption, workers' rights, free speech and the need for government reform to address the needs of China's 1.3 billion people.

Asia Economy: Tamed Asian Tigers, Distressed Chinese Dragon
by Brian P. Klein and Kenneth Neil Cukier

Since the 1960s, Asian economies have focused primarily on exports. It was the key to success in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Much of Southeast Asia and China soon followed suit. Over the past decade, the region's exports have increased from 37 percent to 47 percent of GDP. By hitching their wagons to exports, however, Asian countries left themselves vulnerable to a drop-off in Western consumption

Elections Give India's Congress Party Clout to Push Agenda
by Ian Bremmer

For nearly a year, an unmanageable coalition government in India has obstructed the ruling Congress Party's policy agenda and brought the country's economic reform process to a grinding halt. Now that an impressive electoral triumph in national parliamentary elections held in April and May has allowed the party to shed unreliable allies, can its leaders move the country in a more market-friendly direction. There are grounds for both caution and optimism

India's Fortune: Prospects of a Country on the Rise
by Edward Luce

Nandan Nilekani's book, Imagining India, charts how India arrived at the potentially transformative moment it has reached today and describes the gargantuan challenges the country will have to overcome if it is to fulfill that potential

Indian Ocean: Center Stage for 21st Century Struggles Between India & China
by Robert D. Kaplan

Competition between India and China suggests that the Indian Ocean is where global struggles will play out in the twenty-first century. The old borders of the Cold War map are crumbling fast, and Asia is becoming a more integrated unit, from the Middle East to the Pacific.

North Korea's Nuclear Weapon Challenge
Henry A. Kissinger

The Obama administration has so far dealt publicly with the North Korean challenge in an understated, almost leisurely, manner. The challenge goes far beyond the regional security issue. For the United States, it involves relations with an emerging superpower (China); relations with a re-emerging Russia; relations with key U.S. allies (Japan and South Korea); and a major escalation in the threat of proliferation to non-state parties.

 

Essence of Islamist Resistance:
Different View of Iran, Hezbollah & Hamas
by Alastair Crooke

Most Western analysts of political Islam make the same mistake. They instinctively assume that conflict with the West has mainly to do with specific foreign policies, particularly of the U.S. with respect to Israel, the Arab world and Iran, and, if those changed, all would be well.

Tehran's Take: Understanding Iran's U.S. Policy
by Mohsen M. Milani

Iran's foreign policy is often portrayed in sensationalistic terms, but in reality it is a rational strategy meant to ensure the survival of the Islamic Republic against what Tehran thinks is an existential threat posed by the United States

Flipping the Taliban: How to Win in Afghanistan
by Fotini Christia and Michael Semple

Although sending more troops is necessary to tip the balance of power against the insurgents, the move will have a lasting impact only if it is accompanied by a political surge, a committed effort to persuade large groups of Taliban fighters to put down their arms and give up the fight.

In Afghanistan, It's President Obama's War Now

There is a popular proverb that has been making the rounds in Kabul involving the inadvisability of juggling two watermelons with one hand. It is used to suggest the peril--some say folly--of taking on large tasks with too few resources. Lately, it has been cropping up as Afghans struggle to describe the enormity of the task that confronts President Obama in their country, where conditions have deteriorated dramatically over the past year

A Bright Star on the World Stage: Smiles & handshakes a Start But Obama's real challenge will be to show results
by Thomas Omestad

White House officials say Obama's appeal extends beyond just the leaders of the world. "What has happened is that anti-Americanism isn't cool anymore," says top Obama adviser David Axelrod.

But this initial repositioning of the American leadership brand onto more popular terrain internationally will be the easier part of Obama's task. For all the sense of fresh starts and of goodwill, the seeds of perhaps inevitable disappointments are present as well.

Who's Ready if Swine Flu Pandemic Comes Knocking
Andy Coghlan, Linda Geddes & Rachel Nowak, New Scientist Magazine

Doomsday visions of curfews, sealed borders, travel bans and scuffles over food are a long way from materializing in the current crisis regarding swine flu.

But if the World Health Organization declares a pandemic, countries could bring in draconian measures to isolate and treat infection, prevent further spread and keep societies functioning.

The question, then, is which countries are ready and prepared to handle a Swine Flu Pandemic.

 

 

The West's Reckless Approach to Relations with Russia
by Wiliam Pfaff

The failure last week of Russian talks with the European Union on energy supplies to Europe is one more occasion for Russian-Western tension.

Waiting For Netanyahu
International Current Events, News & World Affairs

As President Obama prepares to receive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their first meeting, the situation is very similar to what it was in 1978.

Now as then, Israel is ruled by a rightwing coalition. Now as then, some of its elements are more hawkish than the prime minister and his Likud Party is. Now as then, talks with the other side are ongoing but leading nowhere.

Obama's Moment in South Asia
International Current Events, News & World Affairs

Afghanistan and Pakistan are at the very top of President Obama's list of foreign and security priorities. The U.S. military has embraced this new emphasis, as indicated by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen's recent statement that the war in Afghanistan is now more important than the struggle in Iraq.

The increased emphasis on Afghanistan and Pakistan is laudable, because what happens in these two countries is critical in determining the future of extremism and terror -- a defining security challenge of our time.

Fighting Extremism with Democracy in Pakistan
International Current Events, News & World Affairs

Pakistan opposition leader Nawaz Sharif is seen by many -- including, reportedly, officials in the Obama administration -- as the man who can possibly help unite Pakistanis against the scourge of Talebanization threatening the South Asian nuclear-armed nation.

In this interview Sharif says that national consensus on strengthening the rule of law, must be part of a multi-pronged strategy to address the root causes of Taliban extremism.

Cambodia Deja Vu: The Invasion of Pakistan
International Current Events, News & World Affairs

39 years! And here we are again. The United States, despite its plan to deploy nearly 70,000 troops this year in Afghanistan, finds itself and its NATO allies in danger of defeat by the Taliban guerillas. U.S. bombing, with remote-controlled "drones," of the Pakistani Tribal Territories has killed many people but has had no decisive effect on the fighting in Afghanistan.

Brazil Stretching Clout to Central America
Andres Oppenheimer

Brazilian President Luiz In�cio Lula da Silva's largely unnoticed trip to Central America last week underscored an interesting phenomenon: Brazil is making big inroads into a region that was traditionally seen as Mexico's backyard

Will Colombia's President Uribe Run Again?
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

After Tuesday's vote in the Colombian Senate many well-placed Colombians tell me they are convinced that President �lvaro Uribe is serious about running in 2010.

Many Believe End of Argentina's 'K' Era Nears
International Current Events, News & World Affairs

Seven weeks before Argentina's much-awaited June 28 legislative elections, there is a growing consensus that populist President Cristina Fern�ndez de Kirchner will lose her majority in Congress, and that there will be major political changes in this country.

Free-Market Economy Fundamentally Healthy
Global Economic Viewpoint

Last week at the Milken Global Conference, three Noble Laureates in Economics sat down to discuss the global recession -- Gary Becker (Nobel Prize, 1992), Roger Myerson (Nobel Prize, 2007) and Myron Scholes (Nobel Prize 1997).

All three agreed that this is not going to be a depression and that the free-market economy is fundamentally healthy.

Brazil, China & India Can Mitigate Global Crisis
Global Economic Viewpoint

Brazil, India and even China will not be able, by themselves, to correct the dysfunctions that produced the global crisis. But it is true that the economic power of these three countries can mitigate its negative consequences. ...

Obama's Foreign Policy Challenge - Henry Kissinger

The first overseas trip of a new president always has a significance beyond its itinerary. The president has an opportunity to test the impact of his policies; his interlocutors begin to assess the leader with whom they will have to deal over at least four years.

The Global Economy: Worse & Worser

Today's global economic debacle shares a disturbing number of similarities with the early stages of Japan's "lost decade" of the 1990s.

Without good policy and better luck, the world may well fall into a prolonged period of slow GDP growth, high unemployment, and stagnant living standards like that which unfolded in Japan almost 20 years ago.

Today's Global Economic Debacle: The Japan Fallacy

As the United States sinks deeper into recession, many observers fear the country could reprise Japan's "lost decade," the decade of stagnation that followed its mammoth property bubble in the late 1980s. But this fear is unawarranted.

 

Deng Undone: China Halts Market Reform

Since the present Communist Party leadership took power, fresh market-oriented liberalization has been minor. Such policies have been wound down and supplanted by renewed state intervention. In privatization, prices, even foreign trade and investment, the PRC was heading away from the market well before the financial crisis erupted.

 

Why China & U.S. Not Ready to Upgrade Ties

Calling on the United States and China to do more together has an undeniable logic. Both Washington and Beijing are destined to fail if they attempt to confront the world's problems alone, and the current bilateral relationship is not getting the job done.

But elevating the bilateral relationship is not the solution. It will raise expectations for a level of partnership that cannot be met and exacerbate the very real differences that exist between Washington and Beijing.

 

African Union in rift with court
The African Union halts co-operation with the International Criminal Court over its war-crimes charges against Sudan's leader.

North Korea 'tests two missiles'
North Korea reportedly tests two short-range missiles as concern mounts in the region that a long-range test could be days away.

Alaska Governor Palin to resign
Republican ex-vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin is to quit as Alaska governor amid speculation about a possible presidential bid.

Honduran court defiant on Zelaya
The Supreme Court of Honduras rejects a demand by the Organisation of American States to reinstate the ousted President, Manuel Zelaya.

Russia 'agrees US troop transit'
An Obama administration official says Russia has agreed to let US troops bound for Afghanistan fly through its airspace.

UN chief to hold more Burma talks
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is set to hold a second meeting with Burma's top military leaders.

Kenya sets new tribunal deadline
Kenya and the ICC agree a new deadline to set up a special tribunal to try the ringleaders of post-election violence.

Serbia jails Muslim 'terrorists'
Twelve alleged Serbian Muslim radicals are jailed for up to 13 years for plotting terrorist attacks on an imam and others.

Jackson tickets via internet draw
Tickets for a memorial service for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles will be made available via the internet, organisers reveal.

North Korea launches beer advert
North Korea launches television adverts for a beer, in a rare commercial move for the resolutely communist nation.

Murray suffers semi-final misery
Britain's long wait for a men's finalist at Wimbledon goes on after Andy Murray loses a nail-biting semi-final against an inspired Andy Roddick in four sets.

Federer eases into seventh final
Roger Federer beats Tommy Haas in straight sets to reach a seventh consecutive Wimbledon final and close in on a record 15th Grand Slam title.

Mass arrests
Concern grows over fate of Iranian protesters

Around the horn
So what exactly does the cuckold sign mean?

West meets East
UK teenagers take up Japan's fashion rebellion

Custody battle
Legal wrangles may lie ahead over Jackson's children

Danger zone
BBC visits Somalia's radical guerrillas al-Shabab

Inside Opus Dei
Influential Catholic group lifts veil on its activities

Rai star jailed for abortion bid
Algerian Rai music star Cheb Mami is jailed for five years in France for trying to force his former partner to have an abortion.

Month mourning for Comoros crash
The Comoros will mourn the victims of this week's plane crash for 30 days, the president of Indian Ocean nation announces.

Putin urges Obama to scrap shield
Russian PM Vladimir Putin urges the US to shelve its missile defence shield, as Barack Obama prepares to visit Moscow.

WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable'
The UN's top health official tells a swine flu forum in Mexico that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable.

Japan rethinks silent hybrid cars
Japan considers adding noise-making devices to quiet hybrid cars to improve safety for blind pedestrians.

New dinosaurs found in Australia
Three new dinosaur species are found in Queensland, Australia, and named after the Outback song Waltzing Matilda.

Demjanjuk cleared to stand trial
The alleged Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk is declared fit enough to stand trial in Germany.

Europe nears gas pipeline accord
Five European governments are due to sign an agreement on 13 July for a major new pipeline from Central Asia.

'Iran trial' for UK embassy staff
Some of the British embassy staff arrested in Iran for "inciting protests" will be put on trial, a top cleric says.

Gaza girl killed in border clash
A 17-year-old Palestinian girl has been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire in a clash with Palestinian militants near the border.

Deadly military crash in Pakistan
Up to 26 Pakistani soldiers are feared dead after an army transport helicopter crashes in a tribal region, officials say.

India media hails gay sex ruling
The Indian media welcomes a ruling by a Delhi court decriminalising homosexuality in the country.

An old-fashioned coup in Honduras?
In Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, Stephen Gibbs finds out what people think of the coup which exiled President Manuel Zelaya.

Pakistan's education battleground
A lack of government schools and teachers means more and more children in Pakistan are being taught at madrassas.

Are you worried about swine flu?
The UN’s top health official has said the worldwide spread of swine flu is now unstoppable. Are you concerned?

BBC News | World | UK Edition
Get the latest BBC World News: international news, features and analysis from Africa, Americas, South Asia, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.

 

Palin resigns as Alaska governor
Sarah Palin abruptly resigned as governor of Alaska, saying she did not want to waste her time on 'political blood sport' and would hand power to her deputy later this month.

North Korea test-fires missiles
South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing an unnamed government official, reports that North Korea on Saturday test-fired two Scud-type missiles that have an estimated range of 500km

UK 'very concerned' by Iran trial threat
Britain's Foreign Office said it was 'very concerned' by reports from Iran that local embassy staff may face trial in connection with demonstrations against last month's presidential election

Heat rises as Russia awaits Obama
Russia eyes opportunities created by the economic context and what it calls a crisis in US global leadership to show that Washington needs Moscow

Merkel coalition leaves record legacy
Angela Merkel's grand coalition will go down in history as the hardest-working German government in 60 years, adding to the list of records broken by the chancellor since she took office four years ago

US drone targets militants in missile attack
At least 11 suspected islamic militants were killed in a US missile attack by drone aircraft in Pakistan's Waziristan region, ahead of an expected military offensive by the Pakistan army

UK ready to co-fund GM Europe spin-off
Britain is ready to provide loans or loan guarantees to finance the spin-off of General Motors' European Opel/Vauxhall arm, Peter Mandelson, UK business secretary, said

Burmese elite enjoy times of plenty
Some Rangoon business people say its spurt of highly conspicuous consumption reflects the economy's deep malaise rather than its fundamental health

Hondurans fear crisis will turn 'ugly'
Micheletti's government remains adamant that the ousted Mr Zelaya would spend his first night in a prison cell if he dared to return to the country – something that he has promised to do on Saturday

Syria invites Obama for talks
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued an informal invitation to President Barack Obama to visit Damascus for talks, in a further that relations between the two countries may gradually be thawing

Borissov set to win Bulgaria poll
A new right-of-centre party led by Boyko Borissov, a former police officer, is set to finish first in Bulgaria's general election on Sunday but will fail to win an outright majority, according to opinion polls

UN nuclear watchdog chooses new head
New holder of sensitive post must confront Iran's expanding uranium enrichment programme, blocked investigations into alleged military nuclear activity in Iran and Syria, and North Korea's atomic tests

US Marines launch Afghan offensive
Thousands of US Marines have descended on the volatile Helmand River valley in helicopters and armoured convoys, mounting an operation that represents the first large-scale test of the US military's new counter-insurgency strategy

China to allow renminbi trade payments
Beijing moves towards reducing reliance on the US dollar with new rules that will enable importers and exporters to settle their payments to select Chinese companies in renminbi

Japan emerges from gloom with challenges
Data suggest the worst is over, but deflation and a reliance on exports present risks and no one is suggesting that all is well with an economy that contracted 3.8 per cent in the first three months of 2009.

FT.com - World
FT.com - World

 

US Marines push deeper into southern Afghan towns (AP)

AP - NAWA, Afghanistan — U.S. Marines pushed deeper into Taliban areas of southern Afghanistan on Friday, seeking to cut insurgent supply lines and win over local elders on the second day of the biggest U.S. military operation here since the American-led invasion of 2001.

SKorea says NKorea fires 2 missiles off east coast (AP)

AP - North Korea fired two missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, South Korea said, in yet another provocative move after the U.N. imposed sanctions on the communist regime for its May nuclear test.

Iranian cleric: British Embassy staff to be tried (AP)

AP - EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

VP Biden urges Iraqis to make political progress (AP)

AP - Vice President Joe Biden pressed Iraqi leaders Friday to do more to foster national reconciliation and offered U.S. assistance in achieving that, as concerns grow that a lack of political progress is fueling violence in Iraq.

Honduras rejects OAS appeal to restore president (AP)

AP - Honduras rebuffed a personal appeal from the Americas' top international diplomat Friday, refusing to restore President Manuel Zelaya and setting the stage for a dramatic showdown when the ousted leader returns to reclaim power this weekend.

U.S. and Russia: The Talk Starts Here (Time.com)
Time.com - U.S. and Russia: The Talk Starts Here

Madonna plans Jackson tribute at London show: report (AFP)

AFP - Madonna will perform a special tribute to Michael Jackson during her London show on Saturday, at the venue where he was due to stage his farewell shows, she said in a newspaper interview.

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,322 (AP)
AP - As of Friday, July 3, 2009, at least 4,322 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

(AP)
AP - OAS chief says Honduras' interim government not willing to restore ousted president.

Africa refuses to act on Sudan war crimes warrant (AFP)

AFP - The African Union refused to act on an international war crimes warrant for Sudan's president, at a summit that also yielded a deal on the powers of a new regional Authority.

North Korea raises stakes with new missile launch (Reuters)

Reuters - North Korea test-fired two Scud missiles on Saturday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said, raising the stakes in its military moves and further stoking regional tensions already high due to its nuclear test in May.

Canada, U.S. unemployment expected to rise (Reuters)
Reuters - The jobless rate in Canada and the United States will continue to rise, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Friday.

Australian dinosaur that lived 98M years ago found (AP)

AP - Scientists have confirmed for the first time that Australia was once home to a dinosaur that was big, fast and terrifying, and they've named it like something from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Meet the Australovenator.

Biden's visit to Iraq raises questions about Iraq's future (McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - BAGHDAD — Vice President Joe Biden's surprise two-day visit this weekend to Iraq was meant to "re-establish contact" with leaders here, but some Iraqis bristled at the messenger more than the message.

US operation aims to smooth road for Afghan elections (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - With national elections less than two months away, the Afghan government is hoping to bring more areas under its control with the help of a new US-led military campaign.

Does the E.U.'s Airline Blacklist Make Flying Safer? (Time.com)
Time.com - In the wake of the Yemenia Airways crash that killed 152 on Tuesday, the E.U. considers putting the airline on its safety standards blacklist. But will that keep air travelers safe in the skies?

'Business as Usual' Days after Peru Crisis (OneWorld.net)
OneWorld.net - WASHINGTON, Jul 2 (OneWorld.net) - The Peruvian government has given a company permission to drill for oil in Amazon territories populated by two uncontacted tribes, just 13 days after dozens of people were killed during protests against the exploitation of indigenous lands.

Yahoo! News: World News
World News

 

French train derails after hay trailer crash
Five people were injured when a train hit a trailer filled with hay and derailed in central France, police said today.

Palin to quit as Alaska governor
Sarah Palin said today that she is resigning from office at the end of the month, raising speculation that she will focus on a run for the White House in the 2012 race.

Spanish police foil zeppelin jailbreak
Police in Spain foiled a plot to use a zeppelin to help a prisoner break out of jail, officials revealed Friday.

German barman jailed for deadly drinking match
A German court has sentenced a Berlin barkeeper to three years and five months in prison after he was convicted of bodily harm with fatal consequences for a drinking match that left his teenage opponent dead.

Deal sealed to pipe gas across Sahara
Nigeria, Algeria and Niger have signed an agreement to create a $10bn (€7.15bn) pipeline that would ship gas across the Saharan desert to Europe, Nigeria’s state oil company said today.

India steps up tiger conservation plans
India has taken fresh steps to ensure the future of tigers as their numbers continue to dwindle.

Holy anger as Indian priest ritual is put online
Priests in the Hindu holy town of Gaya in India have criticised a move to introduce an online version of a traditional ritual.

Pope agrees Cardinal Newman miracle
The pope put Cardinal John Newman, the influential 19th-century Anglican convert, on the path to possible sainthood today by approving a miracle attributed to his intercession.

Drug-resistant swine flu case detected
Officials in Hong Kong say they have detected a case of swine flu which is resistant to Tamiflu, the main treatment for the infection.

Burma rejects Ban's plea to meet Suu Kyi
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said Burma’s military leader today rejected his initial request to meet jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

World: BreakingNews.ie
Ireland's premier breaking news website providing up to the minute news and sports reports.

 

Russia Opens Route for U.S. to Fly Arms to Afghanistan
The opening of the corridor is one of the most concrete achievements in the effort to rebuild strained U.S.-Russian relations.

Top Reformers Admitted Plot, Iran Declares
The Iranian government has made it a practice to publicize confessions from political prisoners, often subject to sleep deprivation, solitary confinement and torture, rights groups say.

Iran Cleric Says British Embassy Staff to Stand Trial
Iran's plan to put some British embassy staff members on trial could provoke a tightening of European sanctions.

Pakistan Army Helicopter Crash Kills 26
A Pakistani Army helicopter crashed in a northwestern tribal area that is a Taliban stronghold, killing at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary fighters.

Envoy Seeks Ousted Honduran President’s Return
As José Miguel Insulza arrived in Honduras, thousands rallied for and against the president’s ouster.

Biden Warns Iraq Leaders of Return to Ethnic Fights
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said that the United States would not remain engaged in Iraq if the country reverts to sectarian violence.

In Villages, Marines Work to Win Over Afghans
A new military strategy seeks not just to oust the Taliban, but also to implant a government presence.

Swine Flu Death Toll in Argentina Climbs
Argentina’s president said she would not rule out closing major public venues where swine flu could spread more quickly.

Neighbor’s Shadow Still Large in Slovakia
Slovakia still exudes uncertainty 16 years after its “velvet divorce” from the Czech Republic.

Israel and U.S. to Hold Second Meeting
The Israeli defense minister and the Obama administration’s Middle East envoy will confer for the second time in a week to pursue regional peace efforts, a senior Israeli official said.

U.N. Chief Meets With Myanmar Junta
Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, asked the ruling generals to meet with the imprisoned democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Syrian Leader Invites Obama to Visit, Raising Hope of Policy Shift
Syria appears worried about the reliability of its longtime ally, Iran, amid political turmoil there.

Rare Peek at Riches of Past in Rome
Rome’s archaeological authority has reallocated money so that it can provide staffs for five monuments in the ancient heart of the city that are usually closed.

Report of North Korea Firing Two Missiles
The launches Saturday appeared to be of Scud missiles, according to the news report.

World Briefing | Europe: Germany: Demjanjuk Cleared for Trial
Doctors have determined that John Demjanjuk, who is accused of complicity in atrocities as a guard at a Nazi death camp, is fit to stand trial.

World Briefing | Europe: Italy: Toll in Train Accident Reaches 22
The death toll from a train accident this week rose Friday to 22 after three hospitalized people died.

World Briefing | Europe: The Vatican: Newman May Be Beatified
The Vatican opened the path to the beatification of the 19th-century English cardinal John Henry Newman and a Palestinian nun, Maria Ghattas.

World Briefing | Europe: Greece: 10 Are Held in Kidnapping Case
The police said they were holding 10 people in connection with the January kidnapping of a Greek shipping executive, who was freed after paying a record $42 million ransom.

World Briefing | The Americas: Venezuela: Radio Stations Threatened
Diosdado Cabello, a top aide to President Hugo Chávez, said the government would revoke the licenses of 240 radio stations across the country.

World Briefing | Africa: South Africa: 31 Die After Circumcisions
Thirty-one teenagers died from complications after botched circumcision rites in the rural Eastern Cape region.

World Briefing | Americas: Brazil: A Cellphone Carrier Is Thwarted
For the second time in four months, prison guards foiled an attempt to smuggle a cellphone into a prison by carrier pigeon, the authorities said Friday.

World Briefing | Asia: Hong Kong: Would-be Killer Sentenced
A Chinese man was sentenced to 16 years in prison for a plot to harm a pro-democracy politician and a newspaper publisher.

World Briefing | Europe: France: Singer Sentenced to Prison
A French court sentenced the popular Algerian singer known as Cheb Mami to five years in prison for abducting a former lover in 2005 and forcing her to undergo an abortion.

In Naples, Ex-Convicts Keep a Close Eye on Tourists
After less than a month, a project that enlists ex-convicts to escort tourists through Neapolitan streets with seedy reputations has caused considerable problems for its supporters.

The Saturday Profile: A Pentagon Trailblazer, Rethinking U.S. Defense
Michèle A. Flournoy, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, is considered the “brains” of the Pentagon building.

Lens: Dateline: Iraq
Moises Saman does not need a timetable to know that things have changed in Iraq since his last rotation there a year ago as a photographer for The New York Times.

Letter from India: Journey to India Is Inside the Mind
As Anand Giridharada prepares to depart India, his mind goes back to his earliest pictures of the country.

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