Sunday, August 2, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Semi-nude bike riders protest oil
June 14, 2009
Bicycle riders get naked to promote cause
By Peter Hirschfeld VERMONT PRESS BUREAU
June 15, 2009
MONTPELIER – Naked cyclists brought smiles to the faces of hundreds of sidewalk spectators Saturday as free-spirited riders spread a message of bike and body love. No fewer than 42 men and women (and two appropriately clothed children) spun a well-watched path down Main Street early Saturday afternoon en route to the Statehouse. Aside from some body paint preaching the ills of oil dependency and the beauty of the bicycle, the crew for the most part bared all.
Nearly Naked Riders Protest Oil Dependency
By Lori Aratani
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Tour de France?
More like Tour sans Pants.
Under semi-sunny skies, the District's run of the fourth annual World Naked Bike Ride kicked off yesterday from Franklin Square downtown.
No oil and no clothes: Cyclists ride in the (near) buff
BY Clare Trapasso and Jotham Sederstrom
Sunday, June 14th 2009

It was a protest in the raw. Well, almost. About 40 scantily clad men and women braved the rain for a nearly nude bike ride on the streets of Manhattan Saturday - until cops forced the joy riders to button up.
Boulder Naked Bike Ride is naughty-bits free
By Michael Roberts
Monday, Jun. 15 2009
The Boulder Police Department's threat of potentially registering genital-displaying Naked Bike Ride peddlers as sex offenders seems to have done the trick. This weekend's Ride went off without a hitch, but with plenty of stitches over groins -- and pasties on male and female nipples alike, as can be seen in the Boulder Daily Camera video above. Shortly after the last chants of "Less gas! More ass!"
Cyclists bare all in naked ride through Portland
Jun 14, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. - More than a thousand nude cyclists took to the streets overnight in downtown Portland for the Naked Bike Ride. It started at the stroke of midnight on Northwest Nicolai Street. The cyclists then rolled through downtown with plenty of onlookers cheering them on. Not every cyclist bared it all but many did. Police controlled traffic at intersections and kept an eye out on the event. It is not illegal in the city to ride a bike in the nude.
Video: Naked cyclists take to the streets in London
Amanda Knox's Jailhouse Letters to Ex-Beau Reveal Prison Life
Monday, June 15, 2009

Student on Trial in Italy Claims Police Pressure

By RACHEL DONADIO
June 13, 2009
PERUGIA, Italy — An American student on trial here in the murder of her housemate held to her version of events under cross-examination on Saturday, saying that “confusion” and a “crescendo” of police pressure led her to wrongly accuse a man of the crime.
Amanda Knox took 'full advantage' of chance to testify, her father says
By Jonathan Martin
Curt Knox prepared to leave Italy on Sunday as any tourist might, hunting for a gas station to fill up the rental car. Then, a quick stop at Italy's version of "60 Minutes," and Knox was on a plane back to Seattle.
Amanda Knox tells of Meredith Kercher’s ‘yucky’ death
June 14, 2009
AMANDA KNOX yesterday startled the Italian court trying her for the murder of Meredith Kercher by saying the English student's death was “yucky, disgusting” and comparing it to crimes in CSI, the popular US television series.
Knox hits at police 'crescendo' of pressure
Sunday 14 June 2009
Amanda Knox, the American student charged with murdering her British roommate in November 2007, told a court in Perugia, Italy, yesterday that a "crescendo" of police pressure led her to finger an innocent man in the case.
Video: Amanda Knox Says Italian Police Pressured Her
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Hezbollah still holds sway in Lebanon
U.S. Continues Charm Offensive With Syria
By CHIP CUMMINS
JUNE 13, 2009
Mitchell: Syria has 'crucial' role in peace
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Washington's Mid-East envoy George Mitchell has said Syria has a "crucial role" in finding a comprehensive peace settlement, during a visit to Damascus. The comments came as he held talks with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian capital.
Obama envoy says Syria integral to Mideast peace
By Talal El-Atrache
DAMASCUS (AFP) — US envoy George Mitchell said on Saturday Damascus had an integral role to play in Washington's efforts to secure Middle East peace, after meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
By SAM F. GHATTAS
BEIRUT (AP) — The pro-Western politician favored to become Lebanon's next prime minister is setting aside the explosive issue of disarming the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, saying Friday he hopes for unity with his political foes in the sharply divided country.
Iran election scrutinized for 'Obama effect'
Matthew B. Stannard
Saturday, June 13, 2009

No matter who wins Iran's presidential race, the contest will be scrutinized for signs that voters were wooed or put off by America's recent charm offensive - the so-called Obama effect.
Video: MIR: Saudi Arabia - A Player in Middle East Elections
Protesters Gird for Long Fight Over Opening Peru’s Amazon
By SIMON ROMERO
June 11, 2009

Members of an indigenous group opposed to Peru’s plans to open large parts of the Amazon to drilling and logging demonstrated Thursday in Iquitos, Peru.
Peru tribes vow to continue protest
June 12, 2009

Peruvian tribes have vowed to continue their protests against land laws six days after at least 60 people were killed in clashes between protesters and police.
Police fire tear gas in Peru protests
By CARLA SALAZAR
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Riot police used tear gas to turn student protesters away from Peru's Congress on Thursday as thousands marched to back Amazon Indians resisting oil and natural gas exploration on their land. At least 20,000 students, labor union members and indigenous Peruvians from the country's Andean highlands to its jungle lowlands joined the mostly peaceful nationwide protests.
By Lucien Chauvin and Sara Miller Llana
June 11, 2009
Indigenous groups say government is just trying to stop efforts to protect jungle from oil and logging development. More protests are planned today.
Peru’s Congress suspends land laws, but is it enough to calm Amazon conflict?
By Kevin Gray
Peru’s Congress hopes to calm protests over President Alan Garcia’s plans to open up the country’s Amazon region to oil and logging by multinational companies but the conflict is far from being resolved.
Peru protest leader takes refuge
A Peruvian indigenous leader linked to protests in the Amazon region has sought refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy in Lima, Peru's prime minister says. Alberto Pizango is accused of sedition, conspiracy and rebellion, after clashes in the north of the country with the army that left more than 30 dead.
Urging Freedoms, Obama Chides Zimbabwe Leader
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
June 12, 2009
President Obama Praises Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai, Pledges $73 Million Aid
By Blessing Zulu
12 June 2009
Culminating a five-day visit to the United States, Zimbabwean President Morgan Tsvangirai met on Friday with U.S. President Barack Obama who praised the former opposition leader's leadership and courage and pledged $73 million to help the Zimbabwean people.
Obama pledges aid for Zimbabwe
President Barack Obama has announced $73m (£44m) in aid for Zimbabwe. The US president was speaking at the White House in Washington, where he met the visiting Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Obama offers Zimbabwe aid package
Barack Obama, the US president, has offered $73 million in aid to Zimbabwe but said it would be given "directly to the people" amid concerns over human rights.
U.S. offers $73 mln aid to Zimbabwe
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets with Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, June 12, 2009.
Obama Pledges $73 Million to Zimbabwe
By Michael A. Fletcher
President Obama announced today that the United States will provide $73 million in aid to Zimbabwe, saying the economically-wracked nation has made progress since Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai entered a power-sharing arrangement with longtime President Robert Mugabe four months ago.
Video: Frost over the World - Morgan Tsvangirai - 12 Jun 09
Gains in Pakistan Fuel Pentagon Optimism for Pursuing Al-Qaeda
By Joby Warrick and R. Jeffrey Smith
Saturday, June 13, 2009
U.S. sees new Pakistan combat drive in Waziristan
By Paul Eckert
Fri Jun 12, 2009
WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - Pakistan's military looks set to mount a significant combat drive in the Taliban stronghold of Waziristan, U.S. officials said on Friday and praised Islamabad's resolve against Islamic militants.
Pakistan planning offensive against terror havens
By PAULINE JELINEK and LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. defense officials said Friday that Pakistan is planning a new assault into South Waziristan aimed at key al-Qaida strongholds, a move tied to the Obama administration's broader strategy for the Afghanistan war.
At least 39 militants killed in Pakistan's Swat
ISLAMABAD (AFP) — At least 39 Taliban militants and 10 soldiers were killed in fierce fighting in northwest Pakistan's Swat valley, the military said Friday.
"During last 24 hours, 39 terrorists were killed in various areas of Malakand. At the same time, 10 soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom) and 24 were injured," it said in a statement.
'39 militants, 10 soldiers killed in Pak. military operations'
Islamabad (PTI) As troops stepped up attacks on the Taliban, the Pakistani Army said 39 militants and 10 soldiers were killed in raging battle in the troubled northwestern Malakand division, where the insurgents attacked the house of a regional commander in Peshawar on Friday.
2 Dead in Gunbattle Near General's Home in Pakistan
By VOA News
12 June 2009
Suspected militants have opened fire near the home of an army general in Pakistan's northwest, sparking a gunbattle that killed two of the attackers.
Video: Beating Video May Turn Tide Against Taliban
3 killed in NW Pakistan blasts

A blast victim arrives to the Lady Reading hospital in Peshawar, shortly after an attack at a police check post on June 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
U.N. vows to stay in NW Pakistan despite deadly attack
Thu Jun 11, 2009
By Nita Bhalla
NEW DELHI - The United Nations has no plans to suspend or reduce its activities in Pakistan despite Tuesday's bomb attack that killed nine people, including two foreign U.N. staff, in the northern city of Peshawar, U.N. agencies say.
Pakistan faces a growing insurgency
Thursday 11 June 2009
The Peshawar blast that hit humanitarian aid workers proves how the Taliban's reach is extending beyond the Swat valley
Bombing Challenges Aid to Pakistan Refugees
By SABRINA TAVERNISE and SALMAN MASOOD
June 10, 2009

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — One casualty of the bombing that killed as many as 18 people at a luxury hotel here Tuesday night may be the effort to aid Pakistan’s surging population of refugees, who have been displaced by the military campaign against the Taliban.
Pakistan's Peshawar transformed by Taliban threat
By Sajjad Tarakzai
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — A deadly hotel bomb in Pakistan's Peshawar underscores its shift from safe metropolis to besieged city where shop keepers are afraid to stock Western films and few foreigners dare to visit.
Pearl Continental hotel bombing
The Pearl Continental hotel bombing occurred on 9 June 2009 in Peshawar, Pakistan, in which at least 11 people have been killed and at least 46 people injured. The blast occurred at the five-star Pearl Continental hotel in the city. The force of the explosion caused the hotel to partially collapse. The United States had planned to purchase this hotel to convert it to a consulate.
Video: Hotel bomb blast shakes Peshawar - 10 Jun 09
Libyan leader plays to the gallery
Saturday, 13 June 2009

Gaddafi invites back Italians expelled from Libya
Saturday, June 13, 2009
ROME (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi ended a first visit to former colonial power Italy on Saturday by inviting Italians expelled in the wake of his 1969 revolution to return to the North African country.
Colonel Gaddafi is turning into a mellow megolamaniac
By Colonel Gaddafi
13 Jun 2009

Suddenly the Libyan dictator loves the Italians, a nation he has long reviled – so what's the big idea? It's to try and scrape together some sorely needed cash for his skint country, says William Langley.
Eni's Scaroni discussed gas ventures with Gaddafi
Jun 13, 2009
ROME, June 13 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Italian oil and gas company Eni SpA (ENI.MI) discussed joint ventures in gas with Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) at a meeting with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Saturday, an ENI spokesman said.
Qaddafi Pays a Business Call on Berlusconi
By RACHEL DONADIO
June 10, 2009

Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, right, in Rome on Wednesday.
ROME — Italy came to terms with its colonial past on Wednesday in a somewhat surreal news conference with two of the world’s most colorful politicians, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.
Libya's Gadhafi Lashes Out at US
By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
11 June 2009
Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi has lashed out at the United States by likening the 1986 U.S. Strikes on Libya to Osama bin Laden's terror attacks on the United States in 2001. He was speaking Thursday in Rome, where he is on a three-day official visit.
Video: Raw Video: Gadhafi Visits Italy for 1st Time
Pakistan: Suspected US missile, bomb kill 13
By ISHTIAQ MAHSUD
31 militants killed in NW Pakistan operation
2009-06-14
Pakistan blast kills eight
By Hasbanullah Khan
FACTBOX: U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan
By Augustine Anthony
Sun Jun 14, 2009
Pakistan's Taliban leader faces threat from fellow tribesman
By SAEED SHAH
McClatchy Newspapers
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan -- A new Islamic militia leader has emerged in Pakistan to openly challenge al-Qaida-affiliated warlord Baitullah Mehsud for the first time from within his own tribe, marking the start of a bloody confrontation in the wild Waziristan region that could have profound consequences for both Pakistan and the West.
Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi
Mufti Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi, (16 February, 1948 - 12 June, 2009) was a leading anti-Taliban Sunni Islamic cleric from Pakistan who was well known for his moderate views. He was killed in a suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan on June 12, 2009.
Video: Double suicide bombing in Pakistan
Plenty reasons to be gloomy at Paris Air Show
By EMMA VANDORE
Already reeling from the global recession, the aviation industry gathering in the city where Air France Flight 447 should have landed only two weeks ago has been shaken by the still unexplained crash.
Air France jet sent message on rudder problem
June 14 2009
Associated Press Writers= RIO DE JANEIRO (AP). A burst of last-minute automatic messages sent by Air France Flight 447 includes one about a problem with a rudder safety device but that does not explain what sent the jet plunging into the Atlantic Ocean, an aviation expert says.
Air France Plane Part Is Recovered by Merchant Ship
By Helder Marinho and Diana Kinch
June 14 (Bloomberg) -- A merchant ship traveling between Uruguay and the United Kingdom found a “medium size” piece of debris from the Air France plane crash site in the Atlantic Ocean, the Brazilian military said yesterday.
Crash jet ‘split in two at high altitude’
June 14, 2009
THE Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic with 228 people on board broke apart before it hit the water, throwing out some passengers at high altitude, investigators believe.
Error Messages From Air France Jet Offer Details but Little Insight
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: June 12, 2009

Debris recovered from Air France Flight 447 was displayed Friday for the press in Recife, Brazil. Searchers have also found 44 bodies, including three on Friday.
Flight 447 mystery likely to cast shadow over Paris Air Show
June 12, 2009

The loss of the Air France Airbus A-330 will be one of the main talking points in Paris.
(CNN) -- The world's premier air show takes place in Paris next week, with the recent loss of Air France flight 447 over the Atlantic Ocean likely to cast a shadow over the event.
Video: Le Bourget 2009 - Paris Air Show on FRANCE 24
North Korea claims US could provoke nuclear war
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
14 Jun 2009
US denounces North Korean threat

North Korea Vows to Produce Nuclear Weapons
By MARTIN FACKLER
Published: June 13, 2009
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea responded Saturday to new United Nations sanctions on Friday by defiantly vowing to press forward with the production of nuclear weapons and take “resolute military actions” against international efforts to isolate it.
U.N. approves sanctions targeting North Korean ships
By Paul Richter
June 13, 2009
The sanctions, unanimously endorsed by the Security Council, seek to rein in Pyongyang's lucrative arms trade. The U.S. says it is ready to confront suspect vessels at sea.
North Korea Vows to Make More Nuclear Weapons
By Kurt Achin
Seoul
13 June 2009
North Korea has wasted no time in responding angrily to the passage of a new United Nations Security Council resolution. Pyongyang says it will use both plutonium and uranium technologies to create more nuclear weapons.
China urges North Korea to scrap nuclear weapons
Fri Jun 12, 2009
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - China's U.N. ambassador, Zhang Yesui, said a U.N. resolution on North Korea passed on Friday demonstrated the "firm opposition" of the world to Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and urged North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program.
Video: UN Imposes Stiff Sanctions Against North Korea
Difficult moment for Iran - and world
By John Simpson
Sunday, 14 June 2009

Israel: Iran results intensify threat

(CNN) -- Israel warned Sunday that the apparent re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad represented "an intensification of the Iranian threat," and called for redoubled international efforts to halt its nuclear program.
Iran Cracks Down on Protests After Ahmadinejad Election Success
By Ladane Nasseri and Ali Sheikholeslami
June 14 (Bloomberg) -- Iran cracked down on protests sparked by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidential victory, arresting more than 100 people who clashed with police in Tehran and political party leaders after his opponents charged fraud.
WITNESS-Dreams turn to ashes on Tehran boulevard after vote
By Fredrik Dahl
Jun 14, 2009
TEHRAN, June 14 (Reuters) - A few days ago Tehran's most famous boulevard was alive with joy and celebration as supporters of moderate presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi vented their desire for social and political change in Iran.
Ahmadinejad defends vote as 'real and free'
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his re-election was "real and free" and cannot be questioned.
Iranian presidential election, 2009
The 2009 Iranian presidential election was held on 12 June 2009 in Iran, the tenth presidential election to be held in the country. The President of Iran is the highest official elected by direct popularly vote, but does not control foreign policy or the armed forces. Candidates have to be vetted by the Guardian Council, a twelve member body consisting of six clerics (selected by Iran's Supreme Leader), and six lawyers (proposed by the head of Iran's judicial system and voted in by the Parliament).
Video: Ahmadinejad wins landslide victory
U.S. envoy speaks highly of China's measures to contain green house gases
China and U.S. Seek a Truce on Greenhouse Gases
By JOHN M. BRODER and JONATHAN ANSFIELD
Published: June 7, 2009
US eases demands on PRC emissions
Sunday, Jun 14, 2009
The US said on Friday it would not demand that China commits to binding cuts in its greenhouse gas emissions, marking an important step toward agreement on a global treaty to fight climate change.
ANALYSIS-Dispute on CO2 cuts forms roadblock to Copenhagen
Fri Jun 12, 2009
By Alister Doyle and Gerard Wynn
BONN, Germany, June 12 (Reuters) - A small reference on page 776 of a mammoth U.N. scientific report to cuts in greenhouse gases far deeper than those on offer by rich nations has become a main roadblock towards a new U.N. climate treaty.
At Odds on Emissions, U.S., China Open Talks
By Ariana Eunjung Cha
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
BEIJING, June 8 -- Senior U.S. and Chinese officials began three days of talks here Monday in hopes of making a breakthrough on climate change, but they remain far apart on the basic issue of who is to blame for carbon emissions and should shoulder the biggest burden for reducing them.
US Climate Envoy Talks with China on Emissions Cuts
By Alison Klayman
Beijing
09 June 2009
China and the United States have agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas like clean energy, as the international community gets ready to discuss a new climate treaty in Copenhagen, this December. U.S. special envoy for climate change Todd Stern has wrapped two days of talks with officials in Beijing.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Some in Palau are worried about Guantanamo detainees

June 14, 2009
AP Interview: Detainee move to Palau is tentative
By TOMOKO A. HOSAKA
China Protests Moving of Detainees

By ANDREW JACOBS and SHARON OTTERMAN
Published: June 11, 2009
Obama Bows on Settling Detainees
By Peter Finn and Sandhya Somashekhar
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Obama administration has all but abandoned plans to allow Guantanamo Bay detainees who have been cleared for release to live in the United States, administration officials said yesterday, a decision that reflects bipartisan congressional opposition to admitting such prisoners but complicates efforts to persuade European allies to accept them.
U.S. sends four Uighur detainees to Bermuda
Jun 11, 2009
By James Vicini
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four Chinese detainees from Guantanamo Bay arrived in Bermuda on Thursday after being freed by U.S. authorities in the Obama administration's latest move to close the controversial prison camp for terror suspects.
Row erupts over Guantanamo deal

A diplomatic spat has broken out over Bermuda's acceptance of four Chinese Muslim Uighurs released from the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay.
Video: Uighurs face new island home
Labour MPs threaten own manifesto

12 June 2009
Self-pity and a dread of things to come as MPs lick their wounds

June 13, 2009
British PM Brown's ratings fall again, Labour gains
June 12, 2009
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's personal ratings have fallen again after he survived attempts to force him out of office, although his ruling Labour Party's standing has improved, an opinion poll said on Friday.
Why Brown is Too Big for Britain
Jun 12, 2009
By Stryker McGuire
In Britain, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been all but consumed by a wildfire of parliamentary scandal, Labour Party infighting, domestic-policy missteps and profound national anxiety over an economy in turmoil. He stood down calls for his resignation last week, but if he's not forced out sooner, he's virtually certain to resign after the next election, which must be held within the next 12 months. Brown lacks the tools to stage a comeback at home. And yet around the world, his stature is still rising.
Steps to counter recession having effect-UK's Brown
Jun 10, 2009
By Adrian Croft
Why plot to oust Gordon Brown failed
10 June 2009
Gordon Brown's PR won't stop duck houses or 'flipping'
12 Jun 2009
By Simon Heffer
