July, 2008

• 16 July

  Russia will defend interests abroad: Medvedev

  MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia will robustly defend its interests abroad, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday in a speech that made clear he would not soften the assertive policies that irked the West under his predecessor.

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• 16 July

  Smallest spark could start war in Georgia regions

  MOSCOW (Reuters) – On wooded hillsides where Georgian and separatist troops eye each other through the sights of their guns, the smallest spark could set off a war. Last week the detention of four Georgian soldiers in the breakaway South Ossetia region quickly escalated into a crisis. Georgia threatened an …

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• 15 July

  Two suicide bombers kill 23 in Iraq’s Diyala

  BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Two suicide bombers killed 23 people and wounded 68 at a recruitment centre for the Iraqi army north of Baghdad on Tuesday, an Iraqi security source said, just days after the government promised a crackdown in the area.

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• 15 July

  Gunmen kidnap two Turkish nationals in Afghanistan

  HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Unknown gunmen kidnapped two Turkish nationals working on construction project in western Afghanistan on Monday, a senior police official said. Kidnapping has become a lucrative business in Afghanistan, where dozens of locals and foreigners have been abducted by criminals or Taliban-linked militants.

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• 15 July

  Quake hits off Greek island of Rhodes, one killed

  ATHENS (Reuters) – One person was killed in an accident after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the island of Rhodes in southeast Greece, officials said on Tuesday, but there were no other reports of casualties or damage.

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• 15 July

  Fresh Iraq troop cuts hinge on security: Petraeus

  BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Monday that security conditions would determine whether he makes recommendations for further troop withdrawals in the coming months.

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• 15 July

  Obama to deliver speech on Iraq ahead of trip

  CHICAGO (Reuters) – White House hopeful Barack Obama will outline his views on Iraq and U.S. national security in a speech Tuesday before a planned trip there, his campaign said. “He will focus on the global strategic interests of the United States, which includes ending our misguided effort in Iraq,” …

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• 15 July

  Basra still faces Shi’ite militant threat: general

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iraq’s southern city of Basra likely will face new threats of violence from Shi’ite militants who battled Iraqi security forces there during a March government crackdown, a British general said on Monday.

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• 15 July

  “Lost” small arms aid Iraq, Afghan militants: study

  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Every year hundreds of thousands of small arms go missing and many wind up in the hands of insurgents in countries like Iraq, Colombia and Afghanistan, a new survey published on Monday said.

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• 15 July

  U.S. troops died in Taliban attempt to storm base

  KABUL (Reuters) – A Taliban attack that killed nine U.S. soldiers, the biggest single American loss in Afghanistan since 2005, was a well-planned, complex assault which briefly breached the defenses of an outpost near the Pakistan border.

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