Nicholas Lawrence's News Blog

After conservatives led the country to bankruptcy, Iceland voters reduced the power of conservatives and elected a left-wing coalition looking to join the European Union under the world's first openly gay national leader , according to The Times.

"Our time has come!" said the Social Democrat Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir, 66, who also leads with the coalition of the Left-Green party. It is the first time Iceland has had a left-wing absolute majority in their government, reported The Times.

The conservative Independent party had lost Iceland's trust after nearly 18 years of control, according to The Times.

Sigurdardottir argued that the government needs to apply for membership to the European Union and get rid of their own currency and adopt the euro so it can provide a sheild in the tough finicial situation, reported The New York Times.

"We want Iceland as soon as possible to join the European Union and adopt the euro," The New York Times reported she said. "I should emphasize that this is a priority issue for the Social Democrats."

Sigurdardottir's first 80 days in office have recieved "high ratings" by commentators in Iceland, commenting she has "steadied the country's faltering self-confidence in the wake of the banking collapse and turbulent January street protests" (New York Times).

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An attempted attack on a Norwegian tanker by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, persisting into early Sunday morning, was thwarted with the help of NATO forces, according to CNN.

The failed capture of the MV Front Ardennes off the coast of Somalia, which took place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, resulted in the pirate attackers being apprehended seven hours later with the help of the NATO supported ship the HMCS Winnipeg, a Canadian navy ship, reported CNN.

The pirates were questioned but allowed free because Canadian law could not be enforced, reported The Christian Science Monitor.

A day earlier Dutch NATO commandos freed 20 pirate captives from Yemen, reported The Christian Science Monitor. This and Sunday's release of the pirates demonstrate the inability to bring justice to the offenders at sea according to The Christian Science Monitor.

At the moment the pirates off the coast of Somalia are believed to have 17 ships captured along with about 300 crew members. In some cases, ransoms exceeding a million dollars have been met for the release of a ship, according to VOA News.

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A summit meeting of Asian nations in Thailand Saturday was disbanded, and leaders were evacuated as protesters burst through a glass window and invaded the meeting on the economic crisis, reported The New York Times.

"'We've won -- the summit is over,' shouted Aey, one of 'red shirts' who support ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra" (Reuters).

The protesters believed their current leader, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, came to power "illegitimatley," reported Reuters.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were disbanded and evacuated to their home countries before being able to conduct a meeting on economic policy, reported the New York Times.

The police were unable to contain the protesters which lead to this statement from the spokesman of the prime minister’s party, the “work of the police and the military did not meet expectations" (The New York Times).

“If you compare it to a boxing match, we won the first round,” Prasong Hassanoi, cab driver from northeastern Tahiland, told the New York Times. "We are now more confident."

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President Barack Obama declared the fate of mankind was at stake, Sunday in a speech at the Czech capital, if countries do not strive to disarm their nuclear weapons, reported The Associated Press.

Obama spoke to a crowd of about 30,000 at Prague Castle and declared "concrete steps" would be taken to reduce US nuclear weapon stockpiles also stating the urgency of the enactment of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, reported The Christian Science Moniter.

"Some argue that the spread of these weapons cannot be checked — that we are destined to live in a world where more nations and more people possess the ultimate tools of destruction," Obama said to the crowd in his key address during his tour of Europe. He added, "If we say to ourselves that the spread of nuclear weapons is inevitable, we are saying that the use of nuclear weapons is inevitable" (The Christian Science Monitor).

The speech came just hours after the failed attempt by North Korea to launch "a satellite into orbit on a long-range rocket that can carry nuclear warheads" (The Christian Science Monitor).

"Now is the time for a strong international response," Obama said, joining international critisism, reported The Christian Science Monitor.

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, signed by former President Bill Clinton and rejected by the senate in 1999, has been ratified by 140 nations but only 35 of the 44 nations with nuclear weapons have ratified the treaty. The key holdouts, according to The Associated Press, to both sign and ratify the treaty: The United States, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, North Korea, and Pakistan.

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Hundreds of millions of people followed the Earth Hour protocal and turned off their lights for one hour Saturday night, reported the Associated Press.

Following the success of the hour of darkness, environmentalists say, "nations have a mandate to tackle climate change" (The Associated Press).

Yvo de Boer, United Nations' top climate official, said it was now clear that the world seeks the nation's governments to ambitiously fight global warming, according to the Associated Press.

"The world said yes to climate action, now governments must follow," the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) told the Associated Press Sunday.

Schools and businesses across UK, Belfast, London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester paticipated in the event Saturday night, according to BBC News.

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Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif led thousands of anti-government protesters to Islamabad on Sunday to sit in on Pakistan's parliament meeting, reported The Associated Press.

The protest in Lahore started with the flooding of streets with rocks and teargas; Sharif, currently under government ordered house arrest, was allowed to march with his fellow protesters because they outnumbered the police, reported The AP.

President Asif Ali Zardari planned to reinstate the fired Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and, before this, he reinstated judges that have resulted public outrage, reported BBC News.

The ruling party claims Sharif is staging these protests in attempt to gain public favor.

"This is not a fight for restoration of judiciary. This is not a fight for the rights of people," said Farzana Raja, a leader of Zardari's ruling party. "This is a fight for personal gains" (The AP).

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With the number of drug violence claims for 2008 doubling from the last year to 6,290 and the number already more than 1,000 in the first eight weeks of 2009, Mexico called the troops in, according to ABC news.

The border city Ciudad Juarez has experienced much of this escalated crime and the morgues are becoming overwhelmed, reported ABC news.

The U.S.-Mexico border city, in attempt to restore security, recieed nearly 7,000 soldiers and federal police to help fight off the "bloody drug war", reported CNN.

The chief of police was forced to quit due to a threat by local organized crime; if he didn't they promised to kill one police officer every day, according to CNN.

1,500 soldiers are to join the 3,500 already stationed in Juarez to help the municipal police and take over their operations. With that 3,000 federal agents are to arrive to carry out investigations Ciudad Juarez police spokesman Jaime Torres Valadez said Thursday to CNN. Surveillance cameras are also being installed throughout the city according to CNN.

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President Hugo Chavez ordered the army to temporarily take over all rice-processing plants in the Venezuela on Saturday due to a pricing dispute, reported the New York Times.

Chavez accused the companies of refusing to produce the rice at government set prices, claiming they were overcharging, reported the New York Times.

What are some of the sectors of the agricultural industry doing? They buy rice from producers, and they don't want to produce regulated rice," Chavez said Saturday reported CNN.

Chavez warned the companies they would be nationalized if they attempted to interrupt supplies and did not say the length of this takeover, reported CNN.

Last February Chavez won a referendum making him eligible for re-election indefinitely reported the New York Times.

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At least 74 miners have died after a coal mine blast in northern China early Sunday, reported the New York Times.

The explosion occured at the Tunlan Coal Mine of Shanxi Coking Coal Group in Gujiao City around 2:17 a.m., reported the China Daily.

There were 436 miners working at the time of the blast and, according to rescue workers, among the 114 hospitalized miners, six were in critical condition, reported the China Daily.

The fatalities released by the headquarters did not specify whether victims of the accident died in the mine shaft or under hospitalization but as of 1 p.m. Sunday, according to the China Daily.

Many of the miners suffered from monoxide poisoning according to a nearby hospital, reported the China Daily.

The death toll Sunday made the mine accident the largest since December 2007 when 105 miners in the city of Linfen in Shanxi Province, according to the New York Times.

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, for the second time, was seeking to abolish term limits and extend his own term on Sunday with a referendum, reported The Associated Press.

Under the current consititution, and a referendum backed by Chavez, the president can serve two six-year terms. Chavez was elected in 1998.

The pre-election polls are tight and Venezuelans are backing Chavez for the oppurtunities for higher education, while others see it as governmental corruption and look at the crime that has not been fixed reported The Associated Press.

The results are expected on Monday from the National Electoral Council and if passed Chavez could run for a third consecutive six-year term in 2012 reported CNN.

In late November, a week after his canidates won the majority in local election, Chavez called for the referendum reported CNN.

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The deadliest brush fire in Australia's history has claimed at least 96 people, reports CNN Sunday.

"It rained fire," said one survivor told Reuters, showing his singed shirt. "We hid in the olive grove and watched our house burn."

The brush fire continued in Austrlia Sunday engulfing homes at a suprising rate.

Home owners joined together and attempted to fight the flames with hoses, while helicopters attempted to contain the flames by dropping water.

The fires destroyed 750 homes this weekend, the Firefighters told Reuters. The most effected area was north of Melbourne.

Victoria Police said they expect to find more injured people as well dead as they continue to uncover automobiles from the ashes.

The worst brush fires before this took 75 lives in the "Ash Wednesday" fires in 1983.

The factors this time were much worse, incredibly hot weather, drought and tinder-dry brush.

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After a few trial years of democracy Iraq is voting for their canidates with very few problems, reports Newsweek.

"We're happy because we were deprived of fair elections in the past," a voter said to ABC News. Voters felt safer this election, as well the participation was much higher.

For the 400 seat available in the Iraq's provincial elections 14 thousand canidates ran. Millions came out to vote, reports ABC News.

National security for the election was reinforced. Tens of thousands of Iraqi soilders and police along with U.S. troops patrolling helped for a smooth day. A transistion of power was evident as Iraqi forces were taking the lead during this election.

The country also took precautions by shutting down the airports and international borders, as well placed a ban on driving automobiles as a way to prevent car bombings.

It could take weeks till these important election results are released. But all the precautions and security led to great day for democracy in Iraq and only resulted in two incidents and no deaths, reports ABC News.

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