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| Bosnian Serb Leader Radovan Karadzic in an April 1996 file photo during and on the right, Karadzic in an undated photo released by Belgrade's "Healthy Life" magazine |
KARADZIC ARREST: Serbia will extradite former Bosnian Serb leader and war crimes suspect Radovan
Karadzic to the Hague tribunal to face charges of genocide and crimes against
humanity.Serbian officials made the announcement during a news conference
today in Belgrade, saying a judge ruled all conditions for
extradition had been met.Karadzic -- one of the world's most wanted men
-- now has three days to appeal the decision.Serbian security forces
arrested the former Bosnian Serb leader Monday as he tried to leave Belgrade for
another location.Officials say Karadzic had been hiding in the city,
practicing alternative medicine at a clinic under an assumed name.
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| Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (L) shakes hands with Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai, 21 Jul 2008 |
ZIMBABWE: Diplomatic sources say talks will begin today in South Africa
between Zimbabwe's ruling party and its main opposition in an effort to end the
country's violent political crisis. The talks are part of an agreement
signed Monday in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare Monday by President Robert
Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change. It was the first face-to face meeting between the political rivals in a
decade. South African President Thabo Mbeki, the chief negotiator
between the two sides, attended the ceremony.The document gives the
parties two weeks to complete the talks, which will focus on the formation of a
government of national unity and the cessation of violence.
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| U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama (L) talks with the governor of Iraq's Anbar province, Maamoun Sami Rashid al-Alwani in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, Iraq, 22 Jul 2008 |
OBAMA - IRAQ: U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama visited Iraq's Anbar
province today (Tuesday) for meetings with Sunni tribal leaders who
helped turned the tide against al Qaeda insurgents in the province.Obama
was meeting with leaders of the Awakening Council, who aligned with U.S. forces
to combat Islamic extremists and successfully brought stability to the province.
His visit to Anbar province comes a day after a meeting with Iraqi Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad. The Illinois senator released a statement
late Monday saying Iraqis want an "aspirational timeline" for the withdrawal of
U.S. troops from Iraq.Senator Obama also said Prime Minister Maliki
stated his hope that "U.S. combat forces could be out of Iraq in 2010."
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| Thai soldiers enter to a Cambodian Buddhist pagoda where they have occupied, near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 22 Jul 2008 |
CAMBODIA - THAILAND: The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations failed to resolve a
simmering border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand during an emergency
meeting today.Diplomats said both countries presented
their side of the issue during a lunch meeting, but no progress was
made.Cambodia has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security
Council to mediate the military standoff with Thailand over disputed territory
around a historic temple.The appeal to the world body today came a day after talks between top defense officials from
Thailand and Cambodia failed to end the stalemate.
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| Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong (L) joins hands with Thai Deputy PM Sahas Bandidkul (2nd L), Nyan Win (2nd R) of Burma and Kao Kim Hourn (R) of Cambodia, in Singapore, 21 Jul 2008 |
BURMA - CYCLONE AID: The United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
say Burma needs more than one billion dollars in aid over the next three
years to recover from Cyclone Nargis.The organizations, along with
Burma, made the estimate in a joint report released Monday. The figure focuses
on Burma's most urgent needs -- food, agriculture and
community-rebuilding.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon thanked ASEAN
for its "constructive role" in helping create the report, saying he hoped the
organizations could work together in the future.Cyclone Nargis tore
through Burma's Irrawaddy Delta region in early May, killing more than
84-thousand people and leaving more than 53-thousand missing.
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| Asia Development Bank |
BANGLADESH - ADB: The Asia Development Bank says it is providing Bangladesh with a 170-million
dollar loan to help the country deal with food shortages and rising food
costs.The loan is part of a program called the Emergency Assistance for
Food Security project, which provides food aid to countries hit by natural
disasters.Bangladesh was severely affected by two floods and a
devastating cyclone last year, which killed more than three thousand
people.The bank says it is also issuing a 600-thousand dollar grant to
help Bangladesh's government improve its ability to plan and carry out
interventions to improve food security.
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| In this TV Grab taken from India's Lower House TV channel, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (C) attempts to speak during the ongoing confidence vote in New Delhi, 22 Jul 2008 |
INDIA - NUCLEAR: India is to hold a confidence vote today, which could decide
the fate of the coalition government and its proposed nuclear deal with the
United States.The vote pits the Congress-led coalition against former
communist allies and Hindu nationalists.Under the nuclear deal, India
would open its civilian reactors to international inspections in exchange for
nuclear fuel and technology.The communists are opposed to the nuclear
deal, saying it will bind India too closely with Washington, and could
compromise India's national security.If the government loses the vote,
elections will be held early and it will have to abandon the nuclear deal.
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| Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez talks to reporters at the end of the 35th Mercosur summit in San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina, 1 July 2008 |
RUSSIA - CHAVEZ: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Moscow today where
he is expected to purchase arms and strengthen his ties with Russia. Mr.
Chavez is scheduled to hold meetings with both Russian President Dmitri Medvedev
and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Russia media are reporting that the
tally for Venezuela's arms purchases could reach at least one billion dollars.
Caracas has bought four-billion dollars worth of arms from Moscow in
recent years. The Venezuelan president is also expected to meet with
military and business leaders.
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| Nepal |
NEPAL POL: Nepal's maoists rebels say they have decided not to try to form a new government
after lawmakers rejected their candidate for the ceremonial post of the
presidency.Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress was elected as the new
president Monday. He is a 61-year-old physician from southern Nepal's ethnic
Madheshi community and a former health minister.The Maoists had hoped to
hold both the presidency and the premiership. The former rebels won the most
votes in a historic election in May, but fell short of a majority in
parliament.
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