SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev said Saturday (June 2nd) that he has accepted the resignations of Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov and Justice Minister Georgi Petkanov, due to an ongoing corruption scandal. Ovcharov is a member of the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), while Petkanov belongs …
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US Defence Secretary cautions Turkey against operation in Northern Iraq
SINGAPORE — US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday (June 3rd) warned Turkey to refrain from any unilateral incursion into northern Iraq. Speaking at the sidelines of an Asian security conference in Singapore, he said the US administration understands Ankara’s concerns, but believes negotiation is the best way to address …
Read More »EC to resume SAA talks with Serbia
HELSINKI, Finland — The European Commission (EC) will resume Stabilisation and Association Agreement negotiations with Serbia, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told Serbian President Boris Tadic in Helsinki on Saturday (June 2nd).
Read More »Amnesty says Israel should tear down wall
LONDON (Reuters) — The wall Israel is building to separate itself from the Palestinian territory is illegal, has caused deaths and suffering among Palestinians and should be torn down, rights group Amnesty International said on Sunday.
Read More »Baghdad barriers mixed blessing for merchants
BAGHDAD — Tall concrete blast walls surrounding hotels and government buildings have long been a feature of Baghdad’s war-torn urban landscape, but now these tombstones are swallowing up the city’s historic markets to the chagrin of merchants.
Read More »Somali force moves to secure area after US attack
MOGADISHU (AFP) — Forces from the Somali semi-autonomous state of Puntland on Sunday moved to secure mountainous and remote areas where a US warship shelled suspected Al Qaeda targets, residents said.
Read More »14 US troops die in Iraq
BAGHDAD (AFP) — At least 14 more American troops were killed in Iraq over the weekend, the military said Sunday, as a former US commander warned victory in the intractable conflict was now beyond reach.
Read More »Olmert rejects Hamas ceasefire feeler
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday brushed off a Hamas ceasefire feeler, pledging instead to press ahead with Israel’s campaign against Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip and stop their daily rocket fire.
Read More »Lebanese army pounds besieged Islamists
NAHR BARED (AFP) — Lebanese troops pounded Islamists holed up in a refugee camp throughout Sunday as the deadly standoff entered its third week with both sides vowing to fight to the end.
Read More »Fighting spreads in south of Lebanon
Fighting has spread to a second Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon after an army checkpoint near Ain al-Hilweh in the south was attacked by rocket-propelled grenades. The attack and ensuing gunfights wounded five people and came as troops continued their latest assault against Fatah al-Islam fighters at Nahr al-Bared in …
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