Paress' News Blog

India's Minister Shivraj Patil resigned Sunday as the country investigated alleged Pakistani terrorist ties killing 183 people in Mumbai, according to CNN
India is considering suspending the five-year-old cease-fire with Pakistan and ending communication with the country.
The three day terrorst attack took place at the Taj Mahal palace & Tower Hotel in Mumbai, according to The New York Times.
Pakistani officials promised troops would be sent to the border if relations between India and Pakistan worsened.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 12:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new Russian nuclear submarine returned to base on Sunday after an accident with its fire-extinguishing system, according to The New York Times. Two compartments were flooded with Freon gas, killing 20 people and injuring 21.
Seventeen of the deaths were civilian members of the shipyard crew, according to CNN. 208 people, including 81 soldiers were on board the submarine.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 3:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Photos were released of North Koreans leader Kim Jong-il onSunday, according to The New York Times. He is smiling in the picture taken at a soccer match between two military-affiliated teams, yet the date or location are unknown.
Kim, 66, has not been seen in public since August 14, accordin to CNN. There are rumors of Kim suffering a stroke and undergoing brain surgery over the summer.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 1:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A deadly explosion killed nine construction workers and wounded 19 others near the border of Iraq and Syria, according to The New York Times. Nearby witnesses believed the blast was caused by American shelling, but it could not be confirmed.
Syria's state news agency SANA said four U.S. helicopters crossed the border and struck a farm about 5 miles inside Syria before returning to Iraqi airspace, according to CNN.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 3:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A British couple was arrested and sentenced to three months in prison after having sex on a public beach in Dubai, according to CNN. Police charged Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vincent Acors, 34, with illicit relations, public indecency and public intoxication on July 5.
"The emirate is a financial hub in the Middle East, catering to tourists and multi-billion dollar business deals. It is also an Islamic state straining to balance Western influence and wealth with religious traditions that forbid alcohol, un-married sex and homosexuality," according to The New York Times.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gunmen shot and killed six men at a family party in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico Sunday, according to The Star Tribune. The motive is unknown but 1,000 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez this year, mostly due to warring drug gangs.
Federal police arrested seven reputed members of the Arellano Felix drug cartel, including a police officer, according to The Pioneer PressOfficers confiscated 21 assault rifles, 4,000 rounds of ammunition and body armor in the raid.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 5:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fifteen soldiers were killed in an overnight clash with Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey, according to CNN.
Turkey has been pressing Iraq and the United States to hit bases of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq, and has considered a military operation across the border to root out the insurgents, according to The Herald Tribune.
"Our government is determined to take every measure possible if it will be useful to stamp out terrorism," State Minister Cemil Cicek, the government spokesman, said at the end of a Cabinet meeting.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 5:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Ukranian ship has been seized off the coast of Somalia by pirates since Thursday, according to CNN. There are 33 Russian y-72 tanks in its cargo and the pirates are now holding 14 ships and more than 300 crew memebers, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia.
According to The Star Tribune, the pirates said they would not release the crew members or the arms until they were given $20 million. There are no plans to raid the ship yet according to U.S military officials.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 2:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

South African President Thabo Mbeki announced his resignation Sunday after losing a power struggle to a rival with allegations of corruption. This now clears the path for rival Jacob Zuma to run for office in spring, according to CNN. Mbeki, who served for nearly nine years, spoke of his successes and downfalls during his televised address. During his leadership, South Africa held its longest period of economic growth in its history.
According to The Star Tribune, most Cabinet ministers have agreed to stay but there is fear that some will leave and effect the government's stability.
"We should never be despondent if the weather is bad, nor should we turn triumphant because the sun shines," he said during his address.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 1:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

South African President Thabo Mbeki announced his resignation Sunday after losing a power struggle to a rival with allegations of corruption. This now clears the path for rival Jacob Zuma to run for office in spring, according to CNN. Mbeki, who served for nearly nine years, spoke of his successes and downfalls during his televised address. During his leadership, South Africa held its longest period of economic growth in its history.
According to The Star Tribune, most Cabinet ministers have agreed to stay but there is fear that some will leave and effect the government's stability.
"We should never be despondent if the weather is bad, nor should we turn triumphant because the sun shines," he said during his address.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 1:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nigeria's main rebel group declared an "oil war" on Sunday in response to attacks by Nigerian government, reports CNN.http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/14/nigeria.oil.war/index.html Twenty-two Nigerian soldiers were killed at the Soku Gas Plant. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Nigerian Delta said in an email," The operation will continue until the government of Nigeria appreciates that the solution to peace in the Niger Delta is justice, respect, and dialogue.
According to Star Tribunehttp://www.startribune.com/world/28366224.html?elr=KArksUUUU, about 10 speedboats attacked security personnel at Royal Dutch Shell PLC. While a flow station may have been damaged, no government staff were injured. The rebel group has aimed at hurting Nigeria's oil industry for the past three years and bombing oil pipes in hopes for the federal government to send more revenues.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 4:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hundreds of Dafarian rebels overran African Union peacekeepings base Saturday, killing 10 soldiers, possibly kidnapping a dozen more, and stole supplies that included heavy weapons according to The New York Times and the Star Tribune.
According to NYT, "The attack was the most dramatic display yet of the new kind of chaos that is engulfing Darfur, where the conflict has morphed from a rebellion and brutal counterinsurgency into a free-for-all among dozens of armed groups, with aid workers and peacekeepers increasingly in their sights."
Star Tribune reports: "It came just as the United Nations has been trying to persuade member countries to commit troops and support to a greatly expanded Darfur peacekeeping force. Aid officials now fear some of those countries may have second thoughts about participating."

Posted by Paress Huebner at 4:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to The New York Times, a plane crash heading for Phuket, Thailand on Sunday killed at least 88 NYT reports, "Established in 2000, One-Two-GO is one of many low-fare airlines in Southeast Asia that have made travel in the region more affordable. But a series of accidents involving those carriers has raised questions about their maintenance procedures and overall safety."
According to The Star Tribune, at least 91 passengers died in the crash, 55 of which being foreign tourists. 60 bodies were retrieved fairly quickly but the rest took hours to dig up.

Posted by Paress Huebner at 5:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)