News Compass

Thursday, April 21, 2005

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Italy:Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi handed in his resignation to President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi on Wednesday, but promised to quickly form a new government to end the worst political crisis in his four years in office. By law, the president could call early elections and give someone else an opportunity to form a new government, but observers expect him to give Berlusconi another chance. Announcing his resignation to the senate, Berlusconi said he nonetheless aimed to serve out his full five-year term. Read here for more
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Ecuador: Ecuador's ousted President Lucio Gutierrez has been granted political asylum in Brazil, a day after he was removed from office by Congress. Vice-President Alfredo Palacio has been named in his place. Mr Gutierrez took refuge in Brazil's embassy and sought asylum as the new president ordered his arrest following a week of escalating protests. People are angered by his attempts to overhaul the Supreme Court and apparent effort to pack it with supporters.Read here for more
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Iraq : Iraq's outgoing prime minister, Iyad Allawi, has escaped a car bomb assassination attempt which targeted his convoy in Baghdad.At least two policemen were killed in the attack that occurred late on Wednesday night while Allawi was being driven home from a meeting. Read here for more
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Iraq:Al-Qaida in Iraq, the country's most feared terror group, claimed responsibility Thursday for a suicide car bombing that targeted interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's convoy but did not harm the Iraqi leader. In a separate attack, a roadside bomb exploded on the highway leading to Baghdad's airport Thursday, heavily damaging three SUVs carrying civilians. Police Capt. Hamid Ali said two foreigners were killed and three wounded in the burning vehicles. But U.S. Embassy and military officials could not confirm the casualties. Read here for more
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Iraq: An advance party of 43 Australian soldiers began deploying in Iraq on Wednesday at the forefront of Australia's additional troop commitment there, top officers said."They started moving into Iraq today, and should be finished Thursday ... They are driving across the border into Iraq," Captain Kate Noble, a spokeswoman for the force, told Reuters.The 43 soldiers form part of a group of 450 troops arriving over coming weeks bound for southern Iraq to provide security services and train the Iraqi army. They will bring to about 1,400 the number of Australian troops in Iraq and the Gulf. Read here for more
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Iraq: The Iraqi interim President Jalal al-Talibani said that the bodies of more than 50 persons, supposedly for hostages held in al-Madayen town near Baghdad held earlier this week, were found.Talibani told journalists in Baghdad that these bodies were taken out of the river Tigris to the south of Baghdad and that the authorities have the full names of the killed persons and the criminals. Read here for more
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USA: The U.S. government plans to force foreign airlines flying over American soil to turn over the names of passengers on board or check the names against U.S. government watch lists in an effort to prevent terrorists from entering U.S. airspace.The proposal has angered European, Mexican and Canadian airlines, which operate most of the 500 estimated daily overflights. If foreign airlines do not comply with the order, which is expected to be issued in coming weeks, they could have to reroute flights, adding time and cost to the journeys. At least one carrier, Aeromexico, claims the rule would violate international aviation agreements.Read here for more
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Russia: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, arriving in Russia for the first time since assuming her post, yesterday voiced her sharpest criticism yet of Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule and said he should stick to his pledge not to seek another term in office. Read here for more
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Afghanistan: Afghanistan's Finance Minister, Anwar Ul-Haq Ahady, has said non-government organisations are running a "parallel" unaccountable government in his country as it seeks to rebuild its economy.Mr Ahady said yesterday aid to Afghanistan needed to be funnelled to the Government directly instead of through aid agencies, which had "become a parallel government". "The function of the Government has been taken over by others," he said in a speech at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Mr Ahady questioned why most health services and education were administered by non-government organisations instead of the education or public health ministries. Read here for more
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Palestinian Territory: Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has complained that the Israeli government is inciting public sentiment against him and that it has violated agreements reached at a summit in February. In remarks published on Wednesday, Abbas made his harshest public criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon since the Palestinian leader took office three months ago. Sharon has accused Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, of not doing enough to rein in Palestinian fighters, and voiced his criticism of Abbas in a meeting with US President George Bush earlier this month. Read here for more
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UK: A British university teachers union will propose a boycott of three Israeli universities they accuse of direct involvement in the Jewish state's occupation of Palestinian land.Members of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) are expected to put forward a motion to cut ties with the Israeli institutions at its annual meeting on Wednesday. Authors of the motion say they are responding to a call from Palestinian academics to boycott Israel's cultural and academic institutions. Read here for more
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USA: GEORGE W. Bush has stepped up the pressure on China to revalue its currency amid alarmist rhetoric from US congressmen accusing Beijing of a weapons build-up "aimed at America".The US President, under increasing pressure from both sides of a Congress growing impatient that he is playing it too softly with China, urged Beijing to liberalise its currency regime. Californian republican Duncan Hunter, chairman of a House Committee in Congress told CNN that China's huge reserves of US dollars were allowing it to buy sophisticated weapons that could destroy US aircraft carriers. Read here for more
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Pakistan:A Pakistani general says US claims that Pakistan is planning a new offensive against militants in its Waziristan region are "highly irresponsible". Lt Gen Safdar Hussain, who commands Pakistani forces in Waziristan, was responding to comments by David Barno, head of US forces in Afghanistan. Gen Hussain, who met Gen Barno this week, said: "I told Gen Barno he should better take care of Afghanistan and we can do ourselves in Pakistan." Read here for more