Latest Breaking International News
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Internationally recognised Irish peacekeeper for UN gets major Mideast post
18 June 2013 150 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment today of Major General Michel Finn, of Ireland, as head of Mission and Chief of Staff of the Jerusalem-based UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the first such operation the world body set up almost 60 years ago. "Major General Finn succeeds Major General Juha Kilpia of Finland, who will ...
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Iran poll shows people want change, says Obama
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has urged Iran's newly elected president to prove to the world that the Islamic republic was not pursuing a nuclear weapon programme as the White House welcomed election of a moderate leader as a hopeful sign. "I think it says that the Iranian people want to move in a different direction," Obama said of the election results in Iran that saw a surprising ...
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President Rousseff says Brazil has woken up after massive protests
SAO PAULO, Brazil - Anti-graft protests swept Brazil's main cities as some 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets against alleged mis-governance, forcing President Dilma Rousseff Tuesday to acknowledge the need for better public services and effective administration. The assurance from Rousseff came a day after biggest protests rocked at least ten Brazilian cities, including Sao ...
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Talks between UK and Ecuador fail as Assange completes year in embassy
LONDON - Talks between the United Kingdom and Ecuador have ended without any breakthrough over WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's fate with the Andean nation. Ecquador said it was vowing not to succumb to diplomatic pressure and was ready to consider any request from Edward Snowden, another whistleblower, for asylum. As the fugitive anti-secrecy advocate marks one year holed up in the ...
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Libya to hold trial of Gaddafi's son in August
LONDON - Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of deceased Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, will stand trial in August along with Gaddafi's last prime minister and a former intelligence director, the prosecutor's office has announced. The men will be tried for crimes against the Libyan people during the 2011 uprising that toppled the former regime. Notorious former spy chief Abdullah ...
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Group of Eight leaders stop short of calling for Assad ouster
ENNISKILLEN - The Group of Eight industrialised nations called for a swift end to the bloody civil war in Syria and urgent peace talks but stopped short of calling for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in its joint statement at the end of talks Tuesday. Despite the lack of consensus among the G8 on the fate of Assad, as well as the use of chemical weapons by his regime, Canadian ...
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Li Na enters second round at Eastbourne
Second seed Li Na of China defeated French woman Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Aegon International here. Li, French Open champion two years ago but beaten in the second round at Roland Garros earlier this month, will next take on former champion Marion Bartoli of France, reports Xinhua. Fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki, the former World No.1, led Tamira Paszek 6-2, 2-2 ...
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Veronica Campbell-Brown denies knowingly taking drug
Olympic and World Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown has denied knowingly taking a banned substance Lasix, which also goes by the name Furosemide. Brown's first public reaction came in the form of a statement released by her On Track Management (OTM) group following reports that she has tested positive for the banned drug. The OTM statement says Brown is determined to clear her name and included ...
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Brazil protests will calm down Blatter hopes
FIFA president Sepp Blatter denied that the Confederations Cup and World Cup are the causes for mass protests across Brazil. Demonstrations, which began last week in response to rise in public transport fares, have turned into a nation-wide rally against bad governance and corruption, reports Xinhua. Many marchers expressed their anger at the billions of dollars spent on new football stadiums ...
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Pakistan expresses concern over US drone attacks at UNSC
Pakistan has expressed concerns over drone attacks to the United Nations Security Council. Pakistan told the UNSC that armed drones were violating country's sovereignty, causing civilian casualties, and putting communities at risk of reprisal attacks. According to the Daily Times, Pakistan said drone strikes radicalised disaffected communities and increased the number of terrorists, adding ...
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Protestors hack Brazil World Cup 2014 website
Protestors have reportedly hacked the official website for the Brazil Football World Cup 2014 and replaced the site with a video of a violent police response to a peaceful protest. According to News.com.au, the FIFA website was replaced with an embedded YouTube video, showing protesters marching, before riot police release tear gas and fire on the protesters with rubber bullets. The report ...
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Kim Jong Un distributes copies of Hitlers Mein Kampf to North Korean officials to mark bday
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un handed out copies of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf to mark his birthday. Kim reportedly distributed the copies of Mein Kampf in an effort to sow fear among top officials. According to the Telegraph, North Korea-watchers believe the move is part of an effort to make him seem powerful, rather than drawing on Nazi beliefs. Shirley Lee, the editor of the New Focus ...
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Whatmore to review flop Pak players with World Cup 2015 in mind
Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore has said that national team will be reviewed keeping in mind the 2015 World Cup after their dismal performance in the ICC Champions Trophy in England. Poor batting led to Pakistan's defeat in all three matches as they failed to post a single total above 170 runs, with the flop performance prompting calls from former players, media and fans to overhaul the system and ...
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UN chief hails G8 leaders understanding on Syria
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon Tuesday welcomed the understanding reached on Syria by leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrial nations. Ban welcomed the commitment to bring the Syrian sides to the negotiating table, saying that he stands ready to convene the Geneva Conference on Syria as soon as possible to help the Syrian sides reach "a comprehensive agreement based on the Geneva ...
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Praising advances in Serbia UN official urges political will to solidify human rights gains
18 June 2013 150 Visiting Serbia at "an important and transformative moment" in its history, the United Nations human rights chief today urged a steadfast focus on fundamental rights as she hailed a succession of political advances that augur well for the country itself and for the future of the wider region. "It is a positive sign that the authorities are addressing some tough human ...
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Hungary must revoke amendment threatening judicial independence - UN rights chief
18 June 2013 150 The top United Nations human rights official today urged the Hungarian Government to revoke a constitutional amendment that threatens the judiciary's independence and endangers the country's system of checks and balances. "Hungary should seek to maintain high standards of human rights protection," said High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay. "Our view is that this ...
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Senior UN officials urge restraint dialogue to defuse tensions fuelling protests in Turkey
18 June 2013 150 Urging "maximum restraint" amid widespread anti-Government protests in Turkey, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Navi Pillay, the world body's human rights chief, called today for constructive dialogue to defuse tensions in the country. "The atmosphere is still clearly highly combustible," said Ms. Pillay, who is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. ...
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Libyas democratic transition can benefit from national political dialogue says UN envoy
18 June 2013 150 Managing Libya's democratic transition is bound to be difficult given the legacy of decades of brutal rule, a senior United Nations envoy told the Security Council today, adding that the country could benefit from a national political dialogue on the way forward. "The political and security challenges that now face the country may well be the legacy of decades of ...
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Mali UN officials welcome accord between Government and Tuareg rebels
18 June 2013 150 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the signing of an agreement between the Government of Mali and Tuareg rebels, providing for an immediate ceasefire and paving the way for country-wide presidential elections set for next month. In a statement issued by a spokesperson in New York, the UN chief welcomes the accord reached between the Malian ...
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US Names New Envoy to Africas Great Lakes
Former Senator Russell Feingold has been named the U.S. special envoy to Africa's troubled Great Lakes region. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who announced the appointment Tuesday, said Feingold will work closely with U.N. envoy Mary Robinson to advance a U.N. framework for peace in the region. The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has endured years of conflict and ...
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More Russian Oil Flows to China in Shift From Europe
MOSCOW Russia is steeply ramping up oil deliveries to China, with Asia now importing almost a fifth of oil exports from the world's largest crude producer in a strategic shift meant by the Kremlin to end reliance on weak and saturated European markets. Russia will increase oil supplies to China by 13 percent in July-September from the previous three months, a shipping schedule obtained ...
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Kenyas Deputy Leader to Appear during ICC Trial
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ruled that Kenya's deputy president, William Ruto, must attend key segments of his trial on charges of crimes against humanity scheduled to begin in September, according to a court spokesman. Ruto and Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta face similar charges before the court in connection with their alleged role in the country's 2007-2008 post-election ...
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G8 condemns use of chemical weapons in Syria
G8 leaders Tuesday condemned any use of chemical weapons in Syria, and that they were deeply concerned by the growing threat from terrorism and extremism in the Middle East country. In a final communique issued after the annual G8 summit in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, the leaders called on all parties in the conflict to allow access to the UN investigating team, Xinhua reported. It said the ...
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India signs loan agreement with World Bank for US$ 255 million for National AIDS Control Project-IV
An agreement for loan of US$ 255 million (equivalent) from World Bank for the "National AIDS Control Project (NACP-IV)" was signed here today between India and the World Bank. Nilaya Mitash, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance signed on behalf of the Government of India and Mr.Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank. ...
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Europe will regret arming Syrian rebels says Assad
Embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned Europe that it will live to regret arming rebel factions in the Syrian conflict. The move to arm the rebels would lead to the "export" of terrorism to the continent, The Independent daily quoted the president as telling German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Assad rejected Western claims that his forces had deployed chemical ...
Sri Lankan Focus
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Sri Lanka sees major tourism industry investment
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, especially the cruising scene, is getting back on its feet following the war, with significant interest being shown by major cruise lines wanting to schedule Sri Lankan ports on Indian Ocean Cruises, while the local yachting scene is seeing exciting growth and a local cruise industry may be emerging from infancy.
Sri Lanka, following the long and devastating civil war, which lasted around two and a half decades, is now making renewed attempts to redevelop its tourist industry. The industry is extremely import to the economy of Sri Lanka and is a vital part of the country’s access to foreign currency reserves, but saw marked declines in tourist arrivals during periods in which the ongoing civil war was perceived to be increasing in intensity and violence. Read more
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