Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:52:39 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Foreign :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/foreign istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/foreign/iran-refuses-to-suspend-uranium-enrichment/82207/ Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:44:14 EST GENEVA — An Iranian official says his country will refuse requests to freeze its uranium enrichment program in exchange for a pledge of no new U.N. Security Council sanctions. Keyvan Imani's comments cast doubt on the success of talks between senior envoys from Iran and the six countries trying to persuade it to compromise on its nuclear program. The six nations hope Iran will agree to stop expanding its uranium enrichment program. In exchange, they offer to hold off pushing for new U.N... BRADLEY S. KLAPPER http://www.nysun.com/foreign/brazilian-nazi-reference-rocks-wto-talks/82209/ Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:48:44 EST GENEVA — Some pre-negotiation jabbing turned into a potentially damaging diplomatic incident Saturday when Brazil's foreign minister said rich countries' deception in trade talks reminded him of tactics used by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. His comments drew a sharp rebuke from the United States, whose chief trade negotiator, Susan Schwab, is the daughter of Jewish Holocaust survivors. Her spokesman described the reference to Goebbels as "incredibly wrong." The controversy threatens to... JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN http://www.nysun.com/foreign/saudi-kings-religion-conference-ends-on-sour-note/82200/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:40:21 EST MADRID — A conference convened by Abdullah of Saudi Arabia for the purpose of gathering together leaders of the world's religions ended here yesterday with little sign as to whether the Saudi monarch's efforts to counter religious extremism would continue. The conference concluded on a sour note this afternoon as Christian and Jewish participants complained that the organizers, the Muslim World League, had too much control over the conference's closing communiqué. The three-day gathering in... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/allegations-against-prosecutor-may-harm-bashir/82165/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST UNITED NATIONS — Allegations of sexual misconduct against the prosecutor who charged President Bashir of Sudan with genocide and other crimes, including overseeing systematic rapes, could further complicate the process of bringing justice to those who committed atrocities in Darfur. Visiting the United Nations yesterday, the International Criminal Court's top prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, noted that he had been cleared by his colleagues, and he dismissed the latest twist in a case involving... ELI LAKE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/despite-saudi-promises-textbooks-filled-with-hate/82163/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON — Two years after protracted American-Saudi negotiations persuaded the State Department that the Saudis would remove religious intolerance from their national textbooks, a new study finds the books still portray non-Sunni Muslims as the enemies of true believers. The report from the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute finds that the Saudi textbooks are filled with the austere supremacism of the Wahhabi sect of Islam, despite promises from the Kingdom in 2006 to alter... JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN http://www.nysun.com/foreign/uae-official-attacks-zionism-at-saudi-conference/82164/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST MADRID — The Saudi king's talk of tolerance and moderation notwithstanding, the Jewish state is proving to be a divisive issue at the religious conference that the Saudi monarch has convened here. The conference, the theme of which is interfaith dialogue, is an effort by the Saudi monarch to foster more cordial relations between imams in his country and Christian and Jewish religious leaders in the West. The conference is also drawing notice because Abdullah, whose kingdom includes the sites of... SUZAN FRASER http://www.nysun.com/foreign/iran-calls-american-participation-in-nuclear/82196/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:40:15 EST ANKARA, Turkey — Iran's foreign minister said today that forthcoming nuclear talks at Geneva and the participation of a U.S. diplomat for the first time look positive and he expects progress. America's undersecretary of state for political affairs, William Burns, was expected to attend the talks at Geneva on tomorrow — the first time America has had such a presence — and join colleagues from other world powers to meet with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator. "The new negotiation process (and) the... SOPHENG CHEANG http://www.nysun.com/foreign/general-cambodia-thailand-come-close-to-shoot-out/82197/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:46:29 EST PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia — Cambodian and Thai troops came close to a shoot-out in a disputed border region as the confrontation over land surrounding an ancient temple entered its fourth day, a Cambodian general said today. The standoff is the latest escalation in a long-standing conflict over land that surrounds Preah Vihear temple, which is similar in style to the more famous Angkor Wat at northeastern Cambodia. Thai soldiers entered the surrounding area Tuesday, staking out positions at a... MATTHEW LEE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/bush-administration-changes-track-on-iran/82117/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is changing course on Iran in its final months. The hope is that engagement can jolt a stagnant effort to resolve concerns about Tehran's disputed nuclear program where war drums could not. America has shifted from its long-standing confrontational policy of isolating Iran in favor of a diplomatic approach that resembles the direction taken to get North Korea to give up its atomic arms. The administration will, for the first time, send a senior envoy to... CAROLYNNE WHEELER http://www.nysun.com/foreign/israel-freed-lebanese-prisoner-should-fear/82125/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Jerusalem — Israeli security officials have said that Samir Kantar, the Lebanese murderer who was freed in a prisoner exchange after nearly three decades behind bars, should now fear for his life. "Every terrorist who committed an act of terror against Israel, especially someone like Kantar, who killed a little child and two other people, is a target," an official said. Another security official told the Yediot Aharonot newspaper: "Now that he is out of jail, we have no obligation towards... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/foreign/broken-leg-puts-american-soccer-star-out-of-games/82195/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST BROKEN LEG PUTS AMERICAN SOCCER STAR OUT OF GAMES A star forward on America's Olympic soccer squad, Abby Wambach, is out of the Olympics after breaking her leg during a demonstration match with Brazil Wednesday night. Ms. Wambach, 28, underwent surgery yesterday to have a metal rod inserted in her leg. She broke both her tibia and fibula after colliding with a Brazilian player and will need about three months to recover, the Associated Press reported. "I put my heart and soul into this game... ALI KOTARUMALOS http://www.nysun.com/foreign/bali-bombers-lose-final-appeal-of-executions/82111/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:22:23 EST JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia has rejected the final appeals of three Islamic militants convicted in the deadly 2002 Bali bombings, bringing them closer to execution, a court official said today. The Denpasar District Court head, Nyoman Gede Wirya, said he received a letter from the Supreme Court saying it had dismissed the appeal for a last review. The court had rejected two other similar petitions from them. He said Ali Ghufron, Imam Samudra, and Amrozi Nurhasyim will now be formally asked... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/foreign/wary-china-tells-local-leaders-to-manage-unrest/82101/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:24:22 EST Responding to a fresh wave of unrest as China gears up to host the Olympics next month, the communist leadership has told local leaders to be on alert to public grievances and find ways to resolve them. The order is the most recent in a series of calls reflecting the government's apparent concern over rising social inequality, rampant corruption and the weak legal system. Communist Party secretaries at the county level have been told to "keep track of key public complaint cases until they are... AMY TEIBEL http://www.nysun.com/foreign/olmerts-lawyers-fight-back-against-corruption/82104/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:16:58 EST JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Olmert's lawyers today began cross-examining an American businessman who accused Mr. Olmert of accepting thousands of dollars in cash from him to fund a lavish lifestyle. The lawyers hope to discredit businessman Morris "Moshe" Talansky's allegations that Mr. Olmert had illicitly accepted cash-stuffed envelopes to pay for a penchant for expensive cigars, first-class travel and luxury hotels. Mr. Olmert has denied any wrongdoing and has said he will resign if he is... TARA TODRAS-WHITEHILL http://www.nysun.com/foreign/israel-buries-one-of-two-soldiers-returned-in-swap/82105/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:26:31 EST NAHARIYA, Israel — Thousands of mourners turned out today for the burials of two Israeli soldiers returned in a prisoner exchange with Lebanese guerrillas, laying to rest the young men whose unknown fate had riveted the Jewish state for two years. Across the border in Lebanon, the five militants freed as part of the prisoner swap prayed at the grave of a slain Hezbollah military commander, Imad Mughniyeh. They vowed to keep fighting Israel. Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser's remains were... ZEINA KARAM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/freed-lebanese-terrorists-pledge-to-fight-israel/82106/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:31:59 EST BEIRUT, Lebanon — Five militants who were freed as part of a prisoner swap with Israel prayed today at a slain Hezbollah military commander's grave, pledging to follow in his footsteps and continue fighting Israel. Wearing military fatigues, the five men walked down a red carpet laid out for them outside Imad Mughniyeh's burial spot at a cemetery south of Beirut. They laid wreaths and gave a military salute as supporters showered them with rice. Mughniyeh, a shadowy figure Israel and the West... JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN http://www.nysun.com/foreign/saudi-king-denounces-extremism-touts-islams/82088/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST MADRID, Spain — In a bid to counter Iran's influence and establish himself in the eyes of the West as the dominant figure in the Muslim world, Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is here to preach that "Islam is a religion of moderation and tolerance" to a group of bishops, rabbis, swamis, and other religious leaders whom he convened here yesterday. During an opening speech at the conference he is sponsoring, the Saudi monarch appeared to want reconciliation between the clerics of the Muslim world and... JAY SHANKAR http://www.nysun.com/foreign/troops-capture-tamil-base/82022/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Bangalore, India — Sri Lankan troops captured a key rebel naval base in the country's north and killed at least 30 Tamil Tiger fighters in the battle, the military said. Soldiers penetrated the base in Vidattaltivu, a stronghold of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the northwestern Mannar region, earlier yesterday, a Ministry of Defense spokesman, Udaya Nanayakkara, said by telephone from the capital, Colombo. The military overran the rebel-held territory by deploying jet fighters and... LOLITA C. BALDOR http://www.nysun.com/foreign/gates-us-may-send-more-troops-to-afghanistan/82023/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON — Pentagon leaders yesterday signaled a surge in American forces in Afghanistan "sooner rather than later" — a shift that could come later this year as they prepare to cut troop levels in Iraq. Faced with an increasingly sophisticated insurgency, particularly along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, defense officials said sending more troops would have a significant impact on the violence. "I think that we are clearly working very hard to see if there are opportunities to send... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/israeli-mourns-soldiers-awaits-hezbollahs-next/82034/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST UNITED NATIONS — After the final chapter of the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah ended yesterday with celebrations in Lebanon and mourning in Israeli cities, Jerusalem officials and scholars warily eyed a possible future assault by the terrorist organization deployed on Israel's northern border. Like a shark that cannot stop swimming, Hezbollah is not expected to rest on its laurels, several Israeli intelligence sources and government officials said yesterday. Even as it celebrates a... JOSH GERSTEIN http://www.nysun.com/foreign/hague-tribunal-figures-in-terror-case-involving/82074/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Iran is in a standoff with a federal court in Chicago concerning information a judge has ordered to be turned over to lawyers for terrorism victims who hold multimillion-dollar legal judgments against the Islamic Republic because of its support for the terrorist group Hezbollah. In May, Judge Blanche Manning ordered Iran to give the victims detailed information about Iran's claims to ancient tablets and other artifacts that the victims' lawyers have sought to seize from collections at the... ELI LAKE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/bushs-iran-decision-brings-mixed-reactions/82075/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON — Just as Senator Obama was in the process of refining his position on the Iraq war, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is seizing on President Bush's decision to embrace diplomacy on Iran as a move that fits with his own plan to begin nuclear talks with the mullahs without preconditions. The undersecretary of state for political affairs, William Burns, will attend European talks with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, on Saturday as part of what has been... BRIAN LATHAM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/mugabe-opposition-to-start-talks/82024/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Durban, South Africa — President Mugabe's party was expected to sign an agreement with the main opposition in Zimbabwe yesterday paving the way for substantive talks on ending the country's political crisis, officials from both sides say. President Mbeki of South Africa was to witness yesterday's signing in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, according to the officials, one a member of the decision-making council of Mr. Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front. The second is from... HEEJIN KOO http://www.nysun.com/foreign/lee-calls-for-strategic-approach-to-korea-japan/82025/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Seoul, South Korea — President Lee of South Korea called on his government to counter Japan's claim that a chain of disputed islands are its territory with a strategic approach. "We have to keep in mind that Japan has been employing a long-term strategy and has turned these territories into an international dispute one step at a time," Mr. Lee told his ministers at a Cabinet meeting yesterday, according to his spokesman, Lee Dong Kwan. "We too need to take a strategic, long-term approach to... ALBERTINA TORSOLI and FERGAL O'BRIEN http://www.nysun.com/foreign/sarkozy-will-probably-seek-second-irish-treaty/82031/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Dublin — President Sarkozy of France will "probably" ask Ireland to vote again on the European Union's new governing treaty Irish voters rejected last month, Mr. Sarkozy's special adviser, Henri Guaino, said. A new vote is "one of the possible solutions," Mr. Guaino said yesterday on France 2 television. The text should be modified to address Irish concerns, he said. Mr. Sarkozy, whose government holds the rotating E.U. presidency for the rest of the year, is due to visit Dublin on July 21... RICHARD ALLEYNE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/study-women-are-happier-than-men-in-old-age/82032/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST London — Women enjoy life more than men in old age, a British study claimed yesterday. Researchers questioned almost 9,800 people over the age of 50 about their lives and found that women were more optimistic. Wealth also appeared to help people live longer, researchers at University College London discovered. One the authors of the report, Dr. Elizabeth Breeze, said that women could become happier as they grow older as they no longer have to worry about looking after their families. She said... VIJAY JOSHI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/malaysian-opposition-leader-jailed/82076/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Police arrested Malaysia's leading opposition figure yesterday on suspicion that he sodomized a male aide — the second time in a decade he has faced the accusation that could send him to jail for 20 years and hobble his campaign to bring down the country's government. Anwar Ibrahim, 61, dismissed the accusation — made last month by the 23-year-old aide — as a "malicious" fabrication by the same ruling establishment that jailed him for sodomy and corruption in 1998... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/foreign/iraq-takes-control-of-security-in-10th-province/82004/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:37:03 EST BAGHDAD — Coalition forces have handed the Iraqi government control of a province south of Baghdad, reflecting security improvements across the country. American and Polish forces operated in the mostly Shiite province of Qadisiyah, the tenth of 18 provinces to revert to Iraqi authority. The handover comes as Iraqi officials pressure America to agree to a specific timeline to withdraw American forces. The American commander in the provincial capital of Diwaniyah, Lieutenant General Lloyd... ZEINA KARAM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/report-hezbollah-transfers-bodies-of-2-israeli/82002/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:09:18 EST BEIRUT, Lebanon — Five Lebanese militants got a hero's welcome from tens of thousands of cheering Hezbollah supporters and kisses from the American-backed prime minister today after being set free by Israel in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers. The lopsided exchange was hailed as a triumph by a Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who declared that the "age of victories has come," and solidified the Iran-backed militant group's rising political power at Lebanon and the wider Arab... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/foreign/colombia-apologizes-for-red-cross-display/82008/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:27:50 EST BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia's president says a Red Cross symbol was worn by a member of the military rescue mission that freed 15 hostages from leftist rebels. President Alvaro Uribe says his government has apologized to the International Red Cross for the incident, which he said was not authorized. A team of Colombian military intelligence agents posing as members of a fake international humanitarian group airlifted the hostages to safety on July 2. Those rescued included a French-Colombian... DESMOND BUTLER http://www.nysun.com/foreign/us-offers-ambivalent-response-on-sudan-genocide/81939/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON — For years, the Bush administration has taken a strong stance denouncing atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region and labeling them genocide. Yet it offered only an ambivalent response when the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court filed genocide charges against Sudan's president. For all its criticism of President al-Bashir of Sudan, the American administration is reluctant to take steps that lend legitimacy to a court whose jurisdiction it has questioned and whose treaty it... PETA THORNYCROFT http://www.nysun.com/foreign/zimbabwe-opposition-prepared-to-change-stance/81934/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST HARARE — Zimbabwe's opposition is prepared to drop its demand that all violence against its supporters must cease before any substantive talks with President Mugabe's regime can begin, according to sources in the Movement for Democratic Change. The precondition had been a mantra since Mr Mugabe's "victory" in last month's one-candidate election. The MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, boycotted the vote due to constant violence against his supporters by the ruling Zanu-PF party. Only last week, as... DUNE LAWRENCE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/china-denies-breaking-un-embargo/81935/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST BEIJING — China denied a report it broke a U.N. arms embargo against Sudan, and expressed concern over the International Criminal Court's request to arrest the African nation's President for war crimes. A British Broadcasting Corp. investigation aired Monday found China supplied army trucks to Sudan and trained pilots to fly Chinese-made fighter jets. The same day, the Hague-based ICC sought the arrest of President al-Bashir of Sudan, citing his "criminal responsibility" for genocide in the... JOHN MARTENS http://www.nysun.com/foreign/belgian-government-collapses-over-rift/81936/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST BRUSSELS, Belgium — Belgian Prime Minister Leterme's four-month-old government collapsed after failing to heal a rift between French- and Dutch-speaking voters that may threaten to split the country. King Albert II is considering the resignation Mr. Leterme submitted just before midnight Monday, the royal palace said in a statement yesterday in Brussels. Mr. Leterme's coalition, which took a record nine months to pull together, fractured after missing a self-imposed July 15 deadline for getting... LUCIAN KIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/russia-pressed-on-oil-cut-to-czechs/81937/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST MOSCOW — The German Economy Minister, Michael Glos, pressed Russian government ministers about a drop in oil shipments after the Czech government agreed to participate in a planned American anti-missile shield. "I made it clear that in our view political misconduct as perceived by the Russians shouldn't be answered with economic pinpricks," Mr. Glos told reporters in Moscow yesterday in response to a question about the Czech supply cut. "Those aren't the standards we value in the European Union... SEBASTIAN ABBOT http://www.nysun.com/foreign/28-dead-in-iraq-suicide-bombing/81938/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST BAQOUBA, Iraq — Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of army recruits yesterday in an Iraqi province where devastating attacks persist despite security improvements elsewhere. At least 28 people died, the Iraqi police and military said. The bombings came ahead of what Iraqi military officials have described as an imminent offensive in troubled Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad. The U.S. military says it will support that effort, which it called an enhancement of existing... GWEN ACKERMAN http://www.nysun.com/foreign/israel-ratifies-agreement-for-prisoner-swap-with/81940/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST JERUSALEM — Israel's Cabinet ratified an Egyptian-mediated agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah that provides for the release of five Lebanese nationals jailed in Israel in exchange for the return of two Israeli soldiers. The Cabinet voted 22-3 yesterday to go ahead with the swap, Prime Minister Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said. The exchange will take place today at the Rosh Hanikra crossing in northern Israel, an area that was to be closed to the press and public starting at midnight local... CHARMAINE NORONHA http://www.nysun.com/foreign/guantanamo-interrogation-tapes-of-16-year-old/81941/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST TORONTO — Burying his face in his hands, a 16-year-old captured in Afghanistan sobs and calls out "Oh Mommy!" in a hidden-camera video released yesterday that provides the first look at interrogations inside the American military prison in Guantanamo Bay. Lawyers for Toronto-born Omar Khadr released the tapes in hopes of generating sympathy for the young prisoner and to try to persuade the Canadian government to seek custody before he is prosecuted for war crimes at the U.S. special tribunal in... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/assassination-threat-forces-blair-to-call-off/81948/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST UNITED NATIONS — As Tony Blair was about to enter Gaza yesterday to begin the highest-level visit by a foreign diplomat since Hamas took over, the former British prime minister received a warning of a "specific threat" of assassination and quickly scrapped his plans. For Hamas, which has taken pride in fully controlling the poverty-stricken enclave it seized last June from a rival Palestinian Arab party, Fatah, the cancellation was a disappointment. Spokesmen accused Israel of manufacturing the... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/foreign/despite-olympics-beijing-may-draw-fewer/81971/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Beijing is expecting no big boom in foreign tourism as a result of the Olympics and may wind up with fewer overseas visitors in August than a year ago, a tourism official said yesterday. The city expects 400,000 to 450,000 foreign visitors in August, as compared with 420,000 a year ago, the deputy director of the Beijing Tourism Administration, Xiong Yumei, told reporters, according to Bloomberg News. The lack of any expected surge in foreign visitors is likely due to China's move in April to... AMY TEIBEL http://www.nysun.com/foreign/israeli-cabinet-approves-prisoner-swap-with/81910/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:45:38 EST JERUSALEM — Israel's Cabinet today overwhelmingly approved an emotionally charged deal to trade a Lebanese militant convicted of killing three people for two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas and believed to be dead. The swap is due to take place tomorrow under U.N. supervision at a seaside border crossing. Hezbollah has given no evidence that Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev are alive, and has not allowed the Red Cross to see them since they were captured in a July 2006... CHARMAINE NORONHA http://www.nysun.com/foreign/video-of-guantanamo-interrogation-released/81911/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:17:00 EST TORONTO — Lawyers for a Canadian prisoner at Guantanamo Bay released excerpts of videotaped interrogations today, providing a first-ever glimpse into the secretive world of questioning enemy combatants at the isolated American prison at Cuba. The 10 minutes of video — selected by Omar Khadr's Canadian lawyers from more than seven hours of footage recorded by a camera hidden in a vent — shows a 16-year-old Khadr weeping, his face buried in his hands, during the 2003 interrogation that took place... SEBASTIAN ABBOT http://www.nysun.com/foreign/police-iraqi-suicide-bombers-kill-28-army-recruits/81914/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:18:57 EST BAQOUBA, Iraq — Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of army recruits today at an Iraqi province where devastating attacks persist despite security improvements elsewhere. At least 28 people died, the Iraqi police and military said. The bombings came ahead of what Iraqi military officials have described as an imminent offensive at troubled Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad. The American military says it will support that effort, which it called an enhancement of existing... ROBERT WIELAARD http://www.nysun.com/foreign/dutch-french-divide-drives-belgian-governments/81920/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:18:25 EST BRUSSELS, Belgium — Belgium's government collapsed today, unable to resolve an enduring divide over more self-rule for the country's Dutch and French-speakers. The gap was so wide the premier suggested the end of Belgium as a country was looming. King Albert II immediately began political discussions with lawmakers to try to resolve the situation, talks expected to take several days. He did not formally accept the resignation of government offered by Premier Leterme late yesterday, so Mr... MATTHEW LEE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/us-iran-diplomats-to-discuss-nuclear-issues/81942/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:11:32 EST WASHINGTON — In a break with past Bush administration policy, a top American diplomat will for the first time join colleagues from other world powers at a weekend meeting with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, The Associated Press has learned. America's third highest-ranking diplomat, William Burns, will attend talks with the Iranian envoy, Saeed Jalili, at Switzerland on Saturday aimed at persuading Iran to halt activities that could lead to the development of atomic weapons, a senior American... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/indictment-of-bashir-presents-complications/81903/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST UNITED NATIONS — The request to arrest Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, on charges that include genocide may force a rethinking of international policies on Darfur, but it also poses major challenges for the United Nations and for America. The staunchest supporters of the International Criminal Court hailed yesterday's decision by the Hague-based prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, to request 10 indictments against Mr. Bashir in the first ICC case against a head of state. But at the United... ELI LAKE http://www.nysun.com/national/mccain-will-call-for-a-surge-of-troops/81861/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON — Senator McCain will announce plans today for an Iraq-style "surge" of troops in Afghanistan. An adviser to the campaign told The New York Sun that, in a speech to be delivered in Albuquerque, N.M., the senator will call for an increase in combat troops and the creation of a special Afghanistan tsar to coordinate policy toward the country. "There will be a surge for Afghanistan. It will be moving combat troops in and applying the lessons from Iraq and the strategy that was... MEERA SELVA http://www.nysun.com/foreign/three-plead-to-charges-in-plot-that-changed-air/81835/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST LONDON — In a case that changed the face of air travel, three men charged with a plot to kill trans-Atlantic airline passengers with bombs in soda bottles admitted yesterday they intended to cause explosions. But the men appealed to the jury to believe their story — that they wanted to stage an elaborate publicity stunt at one of London's iconic sites to promote a film, rather than commit mass murder. The men are charged with a plot to kill hundreds of passengers at the height of the summer... HELENA BEDWELL http://www.nysun.com/foreign/georgia-to-expand-military-to-counter-russian/81836/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Tbilisi, Georgia — Georgia plans to expand its military more than 15% to 37,000 soldiers to counter the threat of Russian aggression in two breakaway regions, a Georgian deputy defense minister said. Batu Kutelia said the troop increase follows a threat analysis last year. "We're talking about specific, not theoretical, threats," he said yesterday by telephone in the capital Tbilisi. "I'm referring to recent events" in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, "especially the air-defense situation." Georgia... MIKE COHEN http://www.nysun.com/foreign/south-africas-anc-erodes-mbekis-power-may-fire/81839/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Cape Town, South Africa — South Africa's ruling African National Congress stepped up its effort to sideline President Mbeki, forcing him to assign its deputy president to a cabinet post and indicating it may fire two provincial governors he appointed. Premier Ebrahim Rasool of the Western Cape and Premier Nosimo Balindlela of the Eastern Cape, who backed Mr. Mbeki's failed bid to retain the party presidency in December, may be dismissed, the ANC said in a message sent by e-mail yesterday. Two...