BBC: Front Page
- Diplomacy on Syria gathers pace
Special envoy Kofi Annan is heading for Syria, a day after the UN condemned it over the Houla massacre, in which more than 100 people died.
- Rwanda 'backing DR Congo mutiny'
The UN says it has evidence that a rebellion in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being fuelled by recruits and support from neighbouring Rwanda.
- Lazio captain arrested by police
The captain of Italian football team Lazio is arrested by police investigating match-fixing, as the homes of players are searched.
- Two men 'self-immolate in Lhasa'
Two men set themselves on fire in Lhasa and one dies, Chinese state media report, in what is said to be the first such case in the Tibetan capital.
- 'China's Twitter' adopts new code
China's most popular Twitter-like service, Weibo, adopts a new contract limiting the types of messages its users can post.
- Press links inevitable - Blair
Fomer UK PM Tony Blair's "close relationship" with media mogul Rupert Murdoch could come under scrutiny at the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics.
- Sol Campbell warns Euro 2012 fans
Former England footballer Sol Campbell warns that racism in Ukraine and Poland could endanger fans travelling to Euro 2012.
- Spain bond yields at record high
The difference between the price investors will accept for Spanish and German bonds has reached a record high.
- Kan: 'Blame state for Fukushima'
Former Japanese leader Naoto Kan tells a parliamentary commission on the Fukushima disaster the state should be held responsible for the crisis.
- Lanka north 'not just for Tamils'
Northern Sri Lanka, over which a separatist war was fought, should not be seen as a predominantly Tamil area, the defence secretary tells the BBC.
- India PM in historic Burma visit
Manmohan Singh is meeting President Thein Sein as he makes the first official visit to Burma by an Indian prime minister since 1987.
- 'Olympic rings' molecule imaged
Researchers release the first microscope image of Olympicene, a molecule that resembles the five rings of the Olympics logo.
- VIDEO: Allotments help Greeks in hardship
Allotments are being used as a way of helping some people in Greece feed themselves through the economic hardship.
- VIDEO: Lagarde tax jibe angers Greeks
The head of the International Monetary Fund has attracted strong criticism over a newspaper interview in which she suggested the Greek people could help themselves by not dodging their taxes.
- VIDEO: Unicyclist goes extreme
Extreme unicyclist Hugo Duguay explains why life on one wheel is better spent jumping down stairs then going around in circles.
- VIDEO: One-minute World News
Watch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day.
- VIDEO: UN condemns Syria over massacre
The UN Security Council condemns the use of heavy weapons by Syria's government during a massacre in which 108 people were killed and 300 injured.
- VIDEO: Rwanda 'fuels DR Congo rebellion'
The United Nations says it has evidence that a rebellion in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is being fuelled by recruits and support from neighbouring Rwanda.
- VIDEO: Air Hotel guests sleep in trees
The Air Hotel is part theatre show, part guest house where the "rooms" are hung from trees in the middle of a forest in eastern England.
- VIDEO: Jerry Springer's unusual birth
The pioneer of the confrontational American television show, Jerry Springer, talks about his early years when he lived in London.
BBC: Israel/Palestinians
BBC: Middle East
- Diplomacy on Syria gathers pace
Special envoy Kofi Annan is heading for Syria, a day after the UN condemned it over the Houla massacre, in which more than 100 people died.
- Leftist seeks Egypt vote recount
The candidate who is said to have come third - missing out on a run-off - in Egypt's historic election demands a recount, citing "violations".
- Abu Qatada bids for bail release
Lawyers for radical Jordanian cleric Abu Qatada will return to court later to argue he should be released from prison on bail.
- Corrupt Mubarak aide imprisoned
One of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's closest aides is jailed for seven years and fined $6m (£3.8m) for corruption.
- Iran enrichment 'at higher level'
Iran has enriched uranium at more than 20% at its Fordo nuclear site, a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog suggests.
- Israel 'denies migrants' rights'
The US state department criticises Israel's treatment of thousands of African asylum seekers who it says are being denied basic social services.
- Suicide bomber kills 12 in Yemen
A suicide car bomber kills at least 12 people in Yemen's northern town controlled by Shia rebels, officials say.
- Organ suspect 'held in Israel'
A key suspect in an organ-trafficking case in Kosovo is arrested in Israel, European Union prosecutors in Kosovo say.
- Syrian general urges intervention
A former Syrian army general calls for foreign intervention in his country to end the "barbaric genocide" being committed by the regime.
- Nations 'wasting time' on climate
The latest round of UN climate talks makes little progress against a "coalition of the unwilling", observers say.
- World 'betrayed rights protests'
Pro-democracy protests in Egypt and elsewhere of 2011 were let down by states putting self-interest before human rights, Amnesty says.
- Algeria profile
Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news about Algeria
- Bahrain country profile
Provides an overview of Bahrain, including key events and facts about this oil-rich state which has become a financial services centre
- Egypt profile
Provides an overview of Egypt, including key events and facts.
- Iran country profile
Provides an overview of Iran, including key events and facts about this country whose supreme leader is an Islamic cleric
- Iraq country profile
Provides an overview of Iraq, including key events and facts about the home of some of the earliest civilisations
- Israel profile
Provides an overview of Israel, including key events and facts about the world's only state with a majority Jewish population
- Jordan profile
Provides an overview of Jordan, including key events and facts about this small country in the Middle East.
- Kuwait profile
Provides an overview of Kuwait, including key events and facts about this oil-rich state.
- Lebanon profile
Provides an overview of Lebanon, including key events and facts about a country which has often been at the centre of Middle Eastern conflicts
BBC: South Asia
- Two men 'self-immolate in Lhasa'
Two men set themselves on fire in Lhasa and one dies, Chinese state media report, in what is said to be the first such case in the Tibetan capital.
- Nepal PM announces new elections
Nepal's prime minister calls elections, after years of deadlock in which political parties have failed to agree a new constitution.
- Lanka north 'not just for Tamils'
Northern Sri Lanka, over which a separatist war was fought, should not be seen as a predominantly Tamil area, the defence secretary tells the BBC.
- Kan: 'Blame state for Fukushima'
Former Japanese leader Naoto Kan tells a parliamentary commission on the Fukushima disaster the state should be held responsible for the crisis.
- Briton held in Bali over cocaine
A British woman is arrested for allegedly trafficking cocaine worth £1.6m million into the Indonesian island of Bali, a customs official says.
- India PM in historic Burma visit
Manmohan Singh is meeting President Thein Sein as he makes the first official visit to Burma by an Indian prime minister since 1987.
- Bangladesh charges Islamist chief
The leader of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, Motiur Rahman Nizami, is charged by a special tribunal with war crimes.
- US drone 'kills six' in Pakistan
A US drone strike kills at least six people in north-west Pakistan, officials say, the latest in a barrage of strikes on a restive tribal area.
- Nato strike 'kills Afghan family'
A Nato air strike has killed eight members of a family in the eastern Afghan province of Paktia, according to local officials.
- 'China's Twitter' adopts new code
China's most popular Twitter-like service, Weibo, adopts a new contract limiting the types of messages its users can post.
- Lady Gaga cancels Indonesia gig
Lady Gaga cancels a concert in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, citing security concerns, after protests by religious groups.
- Taliban deny poisoning schools
The Afghan Taliban deny carrying out poison attacks on girls' schools, as 40 children are admitted to hospital in the latest incident.
- China rape arrest after web anger
Chinese authorities arrest a former Communist Party official on suspicion of raping girls, after an outcry on microblogs.
- VIDEO: India-Burma border market helping trade
There are only a few border crossings between Burma and India, but at one there is a market where both communities can buy and sell produce.
- VIDEO: Where the world's ships go to die
Although dangerous and potentially poisonous work, ship-breaking is big business in poverty-stricken Bangladesh, as a BBC film crew discovers.
- VIDEO: Cruise ship's brush with a bridge
A newly built cruise liner hit a bridge in Eastern China.
- VIDEO: Buddhism in South Korea under scrutiny
South Korea is preparing to celebrate the birthday of Buddha, but the role of monks in the country has been questioned after recent scandals.
- VIDEO: Tensions rise in South China Sea dispute
Tensions between China and the Philippines have increased in recent weeks over who controls a group of small uninhabited islands in the South China Sea. How can the dispute be resolved?
- VIDEO: Vineyards buried in the Gobi desert
The extreme weather conditions in the Gobi desert in China are not stopping local red wine producers.
- VIDEO: Sydney light show brings house down
Spectacular light show illuminates the Sydney Opera House as part of Australia's Vivid Festival.
BBC: Asia Pacific
- Two men 'self-immolate in Lhasa'
Two men set themselves on fire in Lhasa and one dies, Chinese state media report, in what is said to be the first such case in the Tibetan capital.
- Nepal PM announces new elections
Nepal's prime minister calls elections, after years of deadlock in which political parties have failed to agree a new constitution.
- Lanka north 'not just for Tamils'
Northern Sri Lanka, over which a separatist war was fought, should not be seen as a predominantly Tamil area, the defence secretary tells the BBC.
- Kan: 'Blame state for Fukushima'
Former Japanese leader Naoto Kan tells a parliamentary commission on the Fukushima disaster the state should be held responsible for the crisis.
- Briton held in Bali over cocaine
A British woman is arrested for allegedly trafficking cocaine worth £1.6m million into the Indonesian island of Bali, a customs official says.
- India PM in historic Burma visit
Manmohan Singh is meeting President Thein Sein as he makes the first official visit to Burma by an Indian prime minister since 1987.
- Bangladesh charges Islamist chief
The leader of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, Motiur Rahman Nizami, is charged by a special tribunal with war crimes.
- US drone 'kills six' in Pakistan
A US drone strike kills at least six people in north-west Pakistan, officials say, the latest in a barrage of strikes on a restive tribal area.
- Nato strike 'kills Afghan family'
A Nato air strike has killed eight members of a family in the eastern Afghan province of Paktia, according to local officials.
- 'China's Twitter' adopts new code
China's most popular Twitter-like service, Weibo, adopts a new contract limiting the types of messages its users can post.
- Lady Gaga cancels Indonesia gig
Lady Gaga cancels a concert in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, citing security concerns, after protests by religious groups.
- Taliban deny poisoning schools
The Afghan Taliban deny carrying out poison attacks on girls' schools, as 40 children are admitted to hospital in the latest incident.
- China rape arrest after web anger
Chinese authorities arrest a former Communist Party official on suspicion of raping girls, after an outcry on microblogs.
- VIDEO: India-Burma border market helping trade
There are only a few border crossings between Burma and India, but at one there is a market where both communities can buy and sell produce.
- VIDEO: Where the world's ships go to die
Although dangerous and potentially poisonous work, ship-breaking is big business in poverty-stricken Bangladesh, as a BBC film crew discovers.
- VIDEO: Cruise ship's brush with a bridge
A newly built cruise liner hit a bridge in Eastern China.
- VIDEO: Buddhism in South Korea under scrutiny
South Korea is preparing to celebrate the birthday of Buddha, but the role of monks in the country has been questioned after recent scandals.
- VIDEO: Tensions rise in South China Sea dispute
Tensions between China and the Philippines have increased in recent weeks over who controls a group of small uninhabited islands in the South China Sea. How can the dispute be resolved?
- VIDEO: Vineyards buried in the Gobi desert
The extreme weather conditions in the Gobi desert in China are not stopping local red wine producers.
- VIDEO: Sydney light show brings house down
Spectacular light show illuminates the Sydney Opera House as part of Australia's Vivid Festival.
Command Post: Iraq
- House Rejects Iraq Pullout
The Washington Times reports the House last night overwhelmingly voted down a resolution calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq. The Resolution simply read: It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately. The vote was 403-3, with six voting present and 14 not voting. From California Yankee....
- Good News from Iraq (Arthur's Finale): 13 September 2005
Note: Available from Chrenkoff, as well as “WSJ Opinion Journal,” Winds of Change.NET and GoodNewsFromTheFront.com. As this is my last contribution to the series, an extra special thanks to WSJ's James Taranto and Joe Katzman of Winds of Change.NET, as well as to countless readers and bloggers for your support and encouragement right from the beginning. Here is the entire series. It's been almost a year and a half since I first started compiling the under-reported and often-overlooked stories of positive developments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Major changes and events have taken place in both countries. With the constitutional referendum in Iraq and a parliamentary election in Afghanistan still ahead, however, it is time for me to say good-bye. A change in my work circumstances will unfortunately prevent me carrying this forward or blogging at Chrenkoff; nevertheless, the trend has been set. I have no doubt that good news will continue to come out of the Middle East and Central Asia - and that it is likely to continue to lose prominence to stories of violence, mayhem, dislocation and crisis. With the Support of The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, however, GoodNewsFromTheFront.com has risen to fill the news void and redress the imbalance of negativity. Future reports will be found there; other briefings may arise as well. Big thanks go to James Taranto, the editor of WSJ's “Opinion Journal”, who had the courage, imagination and foresight to provide a forum for this news. If the American press and networks across the ocean had more editors like James, I'm certain Americans news providers would face a far less disillusioned public. As they don't, however, it's a huge loss for everyone. Big thanks also to all of my readers for your support and encouragement. I don't know what Iraq and Afghanistan will look like in five or ten years time, but I hope for the best. I hope that despite all the horrendous problems and challenges, both countries manage to make it through and join the international family of normal, decent and peaceful nations. If so, it will be all due to the amazing spirit and commitment of the majority of their people, and to the crucial help of the Coalition members both in and out of uniform. If that does indeed happen, many will wonder just exactly how these two countries, seemingly in the news only when blood flows, ever...
- Winds Iraq Report: Sept. 12/05
Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com. TOP TOPICS The battle for Tal Afar, mentioned here last week, has expanded to include an attempt by the Iraq government to seal the Syrian border to prevent insurgents from slipping into the country to augment those already there. The fighting in Tal Afar itself seems to have slowed, however. JK: Michael Yon describes the operation in which Lt. Col. Kurilla was shot (he posts the photo of that exact moment) - an operation in which he picked up a gun in the middle of combat and charged in to help the wounded LTC and men of Deuce Four. The jihadi who did it had been released from Abu Ghraib in August. What a surprise. You'll be happy to hear that LTC Kurilla will make a full recovery, but now that he's state-side in hospital, he's annoyed at media coverage that absolutely fails to reflect the reality he lived. What a surprise. Maybe it would be different if they were there, and had the guts to do what Michael does. Someone purported to be Abu Musab al-Zarqawi released an audio tape in which he claimed the U.S. was using chemical weapons in Tal Afar. Al-Zarqawi claimed the Coalition would be defeated in Tal Afar, and he cursed the Iraqis who were joining Iraq's army and security forces as traitors. Other Topics Today Include: a hostage freed; RadioShack IED finders; Iraq takes the lead in Tal Afar; Iraq's stock exchange on the move; reconstruction highlights; working the constitution; Carnival of the Liberated; Dawn Patrol. Read the Rest…...
- 500 Die In Baghdad Stampede
Reuters reports up to 500 people died when a crowd of Iraqi Shi'ites stampeded off a bridge over the Tigris river in Baghdad on Wednesday, fleeing rumors of a suicide bombing threat: “So far we have 500 dead,” Jalil Al-Shumari, the deputy minister, told Reuters. The crowd, on its way to the Kadhimiya mosque for an important religious ceremony, panicked as rumors spread that a suicide bomber was preparing to blow himself up. Earlier at least seven people died in three separate mortar attacks on the crowd....
- U.S. Aircraft Destroy Terrorist Hideouts Near Iraq's Syrian Border
Bloomberg reports that suspected al-Qaeda fighters were killed in western Iraq today when precision guided bombs destroyed three terrorist hideouts in two cities near the Syrian border: Four bombs were dropped on a house “occupied by terrorists” outside the city of Husaybah in the first strike, the military said in a statement e-mailed from the capital, Baghdad. Then at 6:20 a.m. local time two bombs were dropped on a second house, killing a man identified as “Abu Islam, a known terrorist” and several others, the military said. At about 8:30 a.m. another attack was conducted, this time on a house in the city of Karabilah, six kilometers south east of Husaybah, where some of Islam's followers are believed to have fled, the military said. Several terrorists were killed, according to the statement. From California Yankee....
Command Post: Global
- Dutch police make terror arrests
The BBC, Reuters and other media report:Six men and a woman were detained in raids in The Hague, Amsterdam and nearby Almere, the national prosecutor's office said. (...) Riot police moved in to strengthen security at the Binnenhof castle in...
- How We Can Help Quake Victims
The death toll is in the tens of thousands and the United Nations says more than 2.5 million people were left homeless by Saturday’s monster 7.6-magnitude quake. A number of charities have already launched appeals to help with the earthquake...
- Quake kills More Than 18,000
The Associated Press reports more than 18,000 were killed in South Asia earthquake: Village after village was reduced to rubble, and landslides flattened an apartment building after an earthquake shook the Pakistan-India border Saturday. More than 18,000 people were killed,...
- Bin Laden Seeking Medical Attention
UPDATE: Reuters reports the U.S. military denies that one of its officers had told reporters Osama bin Laden was seeking medical attention. Reuters reports that Osama bin Laden is in poor health and is seeking medical attention. “Osama bin Laden...
- Chief Justice Rehnquist Dies
Chief Justice Rehnquist died of cancer at his suburban Virginia home, shortly before 11 p.m. ET Saturday. Rehnquist had an extraordinary career. Rehnquist's grandparents emigrated to the United States from Sweden in 1880 and settled in Chicago. His grandfather was...
Command Post: Terror
- Dutch jail terror group
The first ruling within the new Dutch anti-terror law: “Anyone who preaches hate and violence lays the basis for committing crimes directed at instilling fear among the people and destroying Dutch democracy.” Source: BBC...
- Australia Foils Terror Attack
The BBC reports Australian police arrested 16 people in Sydney and Melbourne preventing a “potentially catastrophic attack.” Chemicals, weapons, and computers were seized in raids on 23 houses in Sydney and Melbourne Tuesday, following a 16-month investigation. “I'm satisfied that...
- Quake Hits Area Where Osama Hides
The Associated Press reminds us yesterday's tragic earthquake struck where the world's most wanted terrorist avoids justice, but maybe not mother nature's wrath: No evidence suggests that the deadly earthquake that rocked Pakistan on Saturday injured or killed the world's...
- Reports of NYC Subway Threat
At this hour, CNN, MSNBC, and FNC are reporting that there will be an alert briefing by the New York City Police and Mayor addressing “unspecified threats for NYC subways”. The briefing scheduled to air at 5:30pm EDT. Newsday (via...
- Monday Winds of War: Sept 12/05
Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Monday's Winds of...
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WaPo: Front Page
Telegraph: Breaking
- Greece on brink of collapse
Europe's financial crisis lurches into perilous new phase as IMF chief Christine Lagarde warns that Greek euro exit would be "quite messy", with risks to growth, trade and financial markets.
 
- Child benefit plan will be a disaster, warns institute
Removing benefit from middle-classes will cause confusion, intrusion and unfair fines, official accountants' body warns.
 
- Child benefit plan will be a disaster, warns institute
Removing benefit from middle-classes will cause confusion, intrusion and unfair fines, official accountants' body warns.
 
- State must pay family carers to look after elderly, say MPs
Report recommends doubling proposed £35,000 cap on amount an elderly or disabled person would pay for care over their lifetime.
 
- HMS Astute: Royal Navy's world-beating £1.2bn nuclear submarine
HMS Astute, the Royal Navy nuclear submarine is powered with a nuclear reactor the size of a dustbin.
 
- Wealthy woman with connections with a foreign head of state wins ban on allegations of her sex life being made public
A wealthy woman who has close connections with a foreign head of state has won a blanket ban on allegations of her sex life being made public.
 
- Super-injunction row: Lawyers for unnamed ex-wife of an Asian head of state have hit back at 'unwarranted' claims
Lawyers acting for an unnamed ex-wife of an Asian head of state have hit back at "unwarranted" claims made by a businessman under Parliamentary privilege.
 
- Nick Clegg wants to let MPs keep family fortunes under wraps
Nick Clegg says moves to disclose politicians' financial affairs should not be extended to spouses and families.
 
- 9/11: the day of judgment is nigh
The trial of alleged 9/11 mastermind is in danger of being undermined by political and legal wrangling.
 
- Council tenants to get up to £75,000 to buy their own homes, David Cameron to say
Council tenants are to be offered up to £75,000 to help buy their own homes, David Cameron will say today.
 
- Bus driver arrested after fatal M5 crash
Driver arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following fatal crash in foggy weather
 
- One dead in M5 crash between bus and lorry
Passenger dies and 27 are taken to hospital after a bus and a lorry crashed on a foggy M5 this morning.
 
- One dead in M5 crash between coach and lorry
A passenger has died and 27 taken to hospital when a coach and a lorry crashed on a foggy motorway this morning.
 
- Toulouse siege: as it happened
Live coverage as it happened of the siege at the home of Mohamed Merah, the suspected Toulouse serial killer responsible for the murders of four people outside a Jewish school and three paratroopers in south west France.
 
- Toulouse siege: live
Live coverage of the siege at the home of Mohamed Merah, the suspected Toulouse serial killer responsible for the murders of four people outside a Jewish school and three paratroopers in south west France.
 
- Toulouse siege: interactive graphic
Graphic details key events leading up to the siege at the home of Mohamed Merah, the suspected Toulouse serial killer responsible for the murders of four people outside a Jewish school and three paratroopers in south west France
 
- Child benefit cuts: 20,000 middle class children to be pushed below poverty line
Hundreds of thousands of middle class mothers face cuts to their state pension as a result of new limits to child benefit, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
 
- Top civil servants should 'stop hiding behind ministers' to avoid responsibility for their mistakes
Senior civil servants are trying to hide behind ministers to avoid being held to account by MPs for mistakes that cost the taxpayer hundreds of milions of pounds of public money, according to the chairman of the Parliamentary spending watchdog.
 
- Child benefit cuts: 351,000 stay-at-home middle class mothers could lose some of their state pension
Hundreds of thousands of middle class mothers face cuts to their state pension as a result of new limits to child benefit, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
 
- Budget 2012: £28bn of Royal Mail pension assets to pay down national debt
Billions of pounds-worth of shares, bonds and properties controlled by Royal Mail's pension fund will be used to reduce down the national debt.
Telegraph: International News
- Annan in last ditch effort to save peace plan
Kofi Annan, the United Nations and Arab League envoy to Syria, was flying into Damascus on Monday in a desperate attempt to try to rescue his peace plan in the wake of the massacre of more than 100 people, mostly women and children, in the town of Houla at the weekend.
 
- British woman facing death penalty after arrest on suspicion of trafficking cocaine in Bali
A British woman has been arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine into the Indonesian island of Bali, and may face the death penalty under stiff anti-drug laws.
 
- Two Tibetans set themselves on fire in Lhasa
The wave of 34 self-immolations that has spread across Tibetan areas of China over the past year has reached Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, where two men set themselves on fire on Sunday.
 
- Syria accuses UN of 'tsunami of lies' over Houla massacre
Syria's ambassador to the United Nations hits out at "a tsunami of lies" after the Security Council condemn the country's government for a massacre in the town of Houla.
 
- Family of eight killed in Afghanistan air strike
Nato has started an investigation after a family of eight - including six children - were killed in an air strike in Afghanistan, according to local officials.
 
- FARC to release French journalist on Wednesday
The Colombian guerrilla group FARC has said it will free on Wednesday a French journalist taken prisoner nearly a month ago.
 
- ETA military leader among two captured in France
Two members of ETA, the Basque separatist group, including Oroitz Gurruchaga Gogorza, the group's military leader, have been arrested by French police.
 
- Syria Houla massacre: Russia told to intervene before it is too late
William Hague issues ultimatum to Russia, warning massacre of children has taken country to brink of civil war.
 
- BBC News uses 'Iraq photo to illustrate Syrian massacre'
The BBC is facing criticism after it accidentally used a picture taken in Iraq in 2003 to illustrate the senseless massacre of children in Syria.
 
- Syria Houla massacre: they moved from family to family, killing them one by one
The flat, once peaceful town of Houla is an unforgiving place in which to try and investigate what could well be a major war crime and is certainly a significant massacre of civilians.
 
- Syria: Assad regime accused of renewing attack on Houla
Bashar al-Assad's regime has been accused of renewing its attack on the town of Houla, scene of the Syrian conflict's most gruesome single massacre.
 
- Cannes 2012: Michael Haneke's 'Love' wins Palme d'Or
Michael Haneke has won the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or for a second time with his film about love and death - 'Amour', or 'Love'.
 
- BBC classical music presenter arrested in Zimbabwe had been there as charity volunteer
Petroc Trelawny, a BBC classical music presenter imprisoned by Zimbabwean authorities for allegedly 'working without a permit' was in the country doing charity work for underprivileged children when he was arrested, friends have said.
 
- Hong Kong democracy protest marks Tiananmen anniversary
Protesters march through Hong Kong to mark the 23rd anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown on the pro-democracy movement.
 
- Vatican hunts suspected Vatileaks mastermind as butler is charged
The Vatican is hunting a suspected mastermind of the Vatileaks scandal that has seen the Pope's butler charged for the leaking of highly sensitive documents.
 
- Germans take to the streets for Carnival of Cultures
Hundreds of thousands of spectators attend the annual Berlin Carnival of Cultures, a street parade of the German capital's ethnic minorities, with some 4,700 members from 80 communities celebrating the city's cultural diversity.
 
- Syrians protest against Houla killings
Footage has emerged on the internet showing protests in several different locations in Syria after more than 109 people were killed in Houla on Friday.
 
- Islamists declare north Mali an independent state governed by sharia
Mali moved a step closer to being broken in two on Sunday when al-Qaeda-linked Islamists and Tuareg rebels declared the nation's north an independent country to be ruled according to sharia law.
 
- Syrian government denies troops were behind Houla massacre
The Syrian government has denied its troops were behind an attack on a string of villages that left more than 90 people dead, blaming the killings on "hundreds of heavily-armed gunmen" who attacked soldiers in the area.
 
- German teenager harnessed to horse cart rescued
A German teenager has been rescued from a Bosnian couple who are accused of starving and beating her for years and of harnessing her to a horse cart and making her pull it.
 
Telegraph: Opinion
- Doctor's Diary: Is Hughes syndrome the new syphilis?
An auto-immune condition that takes three years to be confirmed may be implicated in a variety of conditions, finds James LeFanu.
- Who'll get the impossible job?
Peter Stanford untangles the intrigues and rivalries in the 'snake pit' as the race to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury begins .
- No wonder so few bother to vote any more
The disillusion caused by coalition politics has proved a disaster for democracy, writes Jeff Randall.
- A British FBI won't make us any safer
The proposed National Crime Agency could disrupt our fight against crime and terrorism , argues John Yates.
- Put out the bunting. This is the age of the Second Elizabethans
As we celebrate the Queen's glorious reign we should remember to count our blessings, writes Boris Johnson.
- The disarming charm of Christine Lagarde
Where did Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, learn to reduce grown men - and countries - to mush, asks William Langley.
- David Cameron and George Osborne will not even argue their case
According to critics, the Tory leadership is isolated and impervious to advice. says Janet Daley.
- From his seat in the dock, David Cameron can show who's in charge
David Cameron can use his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry to revive his political fortunes, says Matthew d'Ancona.
- Eurovision? We've laughed, we've cried...
The presenter whose sardonic commentaries were a defining feature of the Eurovision Song Contest for decades offers his favourite memories of the festival.
- Everybody who knows no better thinks of François Hollande as a beige bureaucrat
Mitterrand and Chirac were never game for a laugh, and De Gaulle was positively morose, says Terry Wogan.
- Wogan's World: Everybody who knows no better thinks of François Hollande as a beige bureaucrat
Mitterrand and Chirac were never game for a laugh, and De Gaulle was positively morose, says Terry Wogan.
- Friends: the One Where Dave Doesn't Finish His Greek Salad
Dining out with Sam, the PM suddenly gets that hunted feeling, in the latest episode of our political sitcom, by Harry Mount.
- The law should be helping a child to have two parents
A host of social problems are made worse by the dismal way that 'contact disputes' are handled by the courts, says Alasdair Palmer.
- The G8-plus-two was a timely reminder of who really rules us
An image of the world's most powerful men, and woman, reflects the sorry state of government, says Christopher Booker.
- Your posh guilt doesn't help, Mr Clegg
We wonder what happened to social mobility, but hand-wringing over snobbery is a red herring, says Jenny McCartney.
- Siblings who'll never make a family movie
You could be a reasonably committed film buff and still not be aware that Beatty and MacLaine are brother and sister, says Tim Robey.
- Your posh guilt doesn't help, Nick
We wonder what happened to social mobility, but hand-wringing over snobbery is a red herring, says Jenny McCartney.
- Social workers told to return snatched baby to France
At least in this case, the family has won their baby back, writes Christopher Booker.
- Is the stadium finished? I saw something like a giant helter skelter, and that didn't look finished at all
So many things could go wrong with the Olympics. It's not too late to cancel, says Nigel Farndale.
- Please can I be Christine Lagarde when I grow up?
She's the ultimate foxy lady - though it seems certain Neanderthals would prefer a little less of the brain power, says Judith Woods.
Yahoo: Politics
- Obama to honor fallen troops on Memorial Day
 President Barack Obama is paying tribute to the nation's fallen warriors on Memorial Day, attending a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and honoring those who died during the Vietnam War.
- Warning signs for Obama on path to electoral votes
 President Barack Obama faces new warning signs in a once-promising Southern state and typically Democratic-voting Midwestern states roughly five months before the election even as he benefits nationally from encouraging economic news.
- Obama on the defensive on spending, debt
 Government spending and debt are emerging as a campaign tug-of-war, with Mitt Romney blaming President Barack Obama for a "prairie fire of debt" and Obama calling the charge a "cowpie of distortion." House Speaker John Boehner is talking about a debt ceiling that is still more than eight months away.
- China expels former railways minister from Party
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has expelled former railways minister Liu Zhijun from the ruling Communist Party for suspected involvement in economic crimes, state media said on Monday. His case has been handed over for investigation to the judicial authorities, the official Xinhua news agency said. Liu was sacked in February of last year for "serious disciplinary violations". He had spearheaded an investment drive into the rail sector over the last decade. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Ken Wills)
- Iran says Syria massacre aimed at fomenting chaos
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday the killing of more than 100 people, many of them children, in the Syrian town of Houla had been carried out in order to spread chaos and instability in Syria and block peace efforts. "We are certain that foreign interference, terrorist and suspicious measures which have targeted the resilient Syrian people are doomed to fail," the website of the state television network, Press TV, quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying. ...
- Kofi Annan due in Damascus to meet Assad
BEIRUT (Reuters) - International mediator Kofi Annan will fly to Damascus on Monday for talks with the Syrian government, a Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, a day after the U.N. Security Council condemned the killing of 108 people in the town of Houla. Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi confirmed in an email that Annan would hold talks with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem on Monday ahead of talks with President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday. ...
- Egypt's Brotherhood urges foreign action in Syria
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called on Arab and other world powers on Monday to intervene in Syria after 108 people were killed in the town of Houla in an attack it blamed on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Images of the bloodied bodies of children and others slain in Houla have shocked the world and highlighted the failure of a six-week-old U.N.-backed ceasefire to stop the violence in the 14-month uprising against Assad's rule. "The Muslim Brotherhood calls on Arab, Islamic and international governments ... ...
- China condemns "cruel killings" in Syria's Houla
BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Monday condemned the "cruel killings" of civilians in the Syrian town of Houla, while insisting that peace mediator Kofi Annan's efforts remained the most viable way to end the violence in Syria. The comments from the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin marked an intensification of Beijing's condemnation of the surging bloodshed in Syria, but Liu stopped short of directly condemning the government of President Bashar al-Assad. ...
- Campaigns mine online data to target voters
Voters who click on President Barack Obama's campaign website are likely to start seeing display ads promoting his re-election bid on their Facebook pages and other sites they visit. Voters searching Google for information about Mitt Romney may notice a 15-second ad promoting the Republican presidential hopeful the next time they watch a video online.
- Obama to honor fallen troops on Memorial Day
President Barack Obama is paying tribute to the nation's fallen warriors on Memorial Day, attending a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and honoring those who died during the Vietnam War.
- African Union troops secure Somali aid corridor
 MOGADISHU (Reuters) - African Union and Somali government troops secured an aid corridor between Mogadishu and a former rebel stronghold close to the capital, the AU said, wresting control of a strip of land believed to hold around 400,000 people displaced by conflict. The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali forces seized the town of Afgoye from the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents on Friday. ...
- U.S. hedge funds find ways to trade euro misery
 BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two decades ago, George Soros rose to fame and fortune on his now-historic trade in which he took on the Bank of England and shrewdly wagered on a devaluation of the British pound. But it's unlikely the current European monetary crisis and worries about Greece's potential exit from the euro zone will give rise to an investing legend like Soros, who made $1 billion in 1992 by betting on a decline in the price of the pound. Instead, there are a multitude of strategies to play Europe's troubles, and many different participants, according to U.S. hedge fund managers. ...
- Polls on gay marriage not yet reflected in votes
 Poll after poll shows public support for same-sex marriage steadily increasing, to the point where it's now a majority viewpoint. Yet in all 32 states where gay marriage has been on the ballot, voters have rejected it.
- A state-by-state look at the road to 270
An analysis of the state-by-state race to 270 electoral votes, the total needed to win the presidency, and where Democratic President Barack Obama and probable Republican nominee Mitt Romney stand now. The numbers reflect electoral votes:
- Warning signs for Obama on path to electoral votes
President Barack Obama faces new warning signs in a once-promising Southern state and typically Democratic-voting Midwestern states roughly five months before the election even as he benefits nationally from encouraging economic news.
- The Note's Must-Reads for Monday May 28, 2012
The Note’s Must-Reads are a round-up of today’s political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com Compiled by ABC News’ Carrie Halperin and Jayce Henderson PRESIDENT OBAMA The New York Times’ Peter Baker: “Obama...
- Egypt to announce presidential poll result on Monday
 CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's election committee will announce on Monday first round results of the presidential poll, an official said, after unofficial counts showed it would go to a run-off between the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate and the last prime minister of Hosni Mubarak. Four candidates have complained about the voting, including Hamdeen Sabahy, the leftist candidate shown in third place. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a run-off is held between the top two. ...
- Allies quit government as Nepal crisis deepens
 KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Three parties quit Nepal's Maoist-led government on Monday as the Himalayan republic slipped deeper into crisis after the prime minister called elections following the failure to agree on a new constitution aimed at ending years of instability. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has called for Nov 22 elections to resolve the constitutional impasse, sparking a backlash from politicians and Nepalis who have seen the country lurch from one crisis to the next after a civil war ended in 2006. ...
- Syrian bombardment of Hama kills 41: opposition
AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army's bombardment of the city of Hama has killed at least 41 people in the past 24 hours, an opposition group in the city said on Monday. Syrian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles opened fire on several neighborhoods of Hama on Sunday after a series of attacks by rebel Free Syrian Army fighters on roadblocks and other positions manned by President Bashar al-Assad's forces, opposition sources said. The dead included five women and eight children, the Hama Revolution leadership Council said in a statement. The report could not be independently verified. ...
- Analysis: With or without euro, Europe must raise its game
 LONDON (Reuters) - The opening last week in northeastern Spain of a 37-million-euro stretch of motorway to nowhere is an irresistible metaphor for the euro, an ambitious project conceived in better times that is now seemingly running out of road. With Spain heavily in debt, the authorities could not afford to finish the highway but opened the completed 6 km section near Lleida in any case to deter illegal joy racing. If only the euro were bringing joy. Maybe the road in Spain will be completed one day, but for now it is one more reminder that much of Europe has been living beyond its means. ...
Yahoo: Oddly Enough
- Guards strike, inmates set free at Norway prison
OSLO (Reuters) - Convicted sex offenders and violent criminals were let loose from a Norway prison this week when guards went on strike, forcing authorities to free 52 inmates, officials said. "Some of these are prisoners convicted for violence, drugs, economic crime and sex crimes," Harald Aasaune, the manager of the Bjoergvin prison outside Bergen, said on Friday. "Bjoergvin is an open prison, but still, many of them are sitting in relatively long sentences," he added. "I don't think this has ever happened before. ...
- Etan Patz and the history of missing kids on milk cartons
Click image to see more photos. Etan Patz disappeared on May 25, 1979 (AP Photo/Stanley K. Patz) In today's social-media world, it's hard to imagine: But in 1979, there was no coordinated effort of state or national law enforcement when a child went missing. Etan Patz, who disappeared 33 years ago on May 25, changed [...]
- Mexican mother arrested after son's eyes gouged out
 MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A mother in Mexico has been arrested on suspicion of gouging out the eyes of her 5-year-old son during a ceremony. Police said on Thursday they had arrested seven people, including the boy's parents, after his eyeballs were pulled out during the ritual in Nezahualcoyotl, a working-class neighborhood on the eastern flank of Mexico City. "There was some kind of ceremony inside a house," said Laura Uribe, a spokeswoman for state prosecutors in the State of Mexico, a populous region that borders much of the capital. She did not give details of what the ritual involved. ...
- School bus with students aboard crashes into home; 4 hurt
A school bus in New York State carrying 19 children swerved out of control and crashed into a private residence on Thursday morning. The Buffalo News reports that the bus was carrying students to nearby Lorraine Academy when it crashed through the front of the home. Police say the bus driver may have been trying [...]
- Phony 'dying bride' ordered to repay victims
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York bride who faked having terminal cancer to swindle well-wishers into funding her dream wedding and honeymoon to the Caribbean on Wednesday was ordered to repay more than $13,000 (8,200 pounds) to her victims, prosecutors said. Jessica Vega, 25, pleaded guilty last month to fraud and forgery charges for deceiving people in the Hudson Valley area of New York into thinking she had only a few months to live, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said. ...
- Unabomber can't make Harvard reunion, sends update
 BOSTON (Reuters) - The 50th reunion for Harvard's University's undergraduate class of 1962 took a strange turn when Ted Kaczynski, the year's most infamous graduate, sent in a status update that was published in the alumni book. Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, was convicted in 1998 of killing three people and injuring 23 others in a mail bombing campaign against modern technology that was waged for almost two decades. ...
- Harvard alumni group apologizes for Unabomber entry in directory
Harvard University's alumni association has issued an apology for references made by Ted Kaczynski, a graduate of Harvard's Class of 1962, in the school's latest directory. A spokesman for Harvard told Boston.com that Kaczynski, the so-called "Unabomber," submitted the entry for the directory himself. "While all members of the class who submit entries are included, [...]
- Another bear falls from tree in Colorado (PHOTOS)
The bears don't grow on trees in Colorado, but they sure are making a habit of falling from them. The Steamboat Pilot & Today reports that another black bear has been tranquilized and immortalized in photos as it fell from a tree to safety. The Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife tranquilized the bear after [...]
- A look inside the ‘world’s nicest prison’
Picture this: A small Norwegian island dotted with pine trees, rocky coasts, rustic farms and private, wooden cottages. It sounds almost like the perfect romantic getaway. But the residents are actually inmates confined to what some are calling the "world's nicest prison." CNN has an excellent, in-depth look at Bastoy Prison, located on a one-square-mile [...]
- TV weather reporter caught recreating storm during live broadcast
A Romanian TV weatherman has put a new spin on the phrase "having sand kicked in your face," after he was seen faking a storm during a live news report. The Metro reports that the reporter was filing a story about heavy winds along the Black Sea coast, which were gusting at more than 60 [...]
- South Africa painting debate exposes racial rifts
 JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling ANC went to court on Thursday seeking to remove from public display a painting of President Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed, saying the work is symbolic of the lingering racial oppression of apartheid. Proceedings were halted after a bizzare scene where Gcina Malindi, lawyer for the ANC, broke down in tears when a judge asked him how the court can halt viewing of an image widely distributed on the Internet. ...
- iFound you: Woman posts pictures from her stolen iPhone to Facebook
Katy McCaffrey doesn't have her stolen iPhone back yet. But it looks like she's one step closer after an alleged thief's pictures taken with the phone began uploading to her photo stream. NPR reports that McCaffrey had her phone stolen while taking part in a Disney Cruise Line vacation. The pictures being automatically uploaded from [...]
- Man survives 2,400-foot helicopter jump without a parachute
Stuntman Gary Connery has pulled off a truly amazing feat, jumping 2,400 from a helicopter and landing safely on the ground without the use of a parachute. The 42-year-old Connery made his landing on top of 18,600 cardboard boxes in a stunt captured live on video by the London Telegraph. "I feel absolutely wonderful, I [...]
- Dog bites into spray can; explosion ignites kitchen fire (VIDEO)
In the words of his human mom, 8-year-old Yogi is one "rotten" dog. But after the incorrigible Corgi caused a kitchen fire that was caught on film, she's just happy he's safe and sound. Hali Hudson had agreed to let Yogi appear on an episode of the new animal Web series, "Pet Sense," being produced [...]
- ‘Grieving’ dog refused to leave dead dog’s side
A heartbreaking photo of a male pit bull refusing to leave the side of a female pit bull that lay dead on the side of a Phoenix road is making the rounds on Facebook. According to Fox's Phoenix affiliate, the female pit bull appeared to have been struck by a car on Friday. The male [...]
- Border patrol nabs fake UPS truck skirting checkpoint
SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - U.S. border patrol agents found 13 illegal immigrants in the back of a fake UPS van after they noticed the brown vehicle with yellow insignia trying to circumvent a highway checkpoint, the agency said on Tuesday. The agents arrested the passengers, identified as Mexican citizens without legal immigration documents, at an inland checkpoint on Friday on the dusty Highway 111, about 50 miles by car from the U.S.-Mexico border. The driver of the replica mail delivery van, a 21-year-old U.S. ...
- Mountain lion wanders into California city center, is killed
 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A mountain lion ventured into the center of a crowded Southern California city on Tuesday, and was shot and killed when authorities had trouble corralling the animal in the courtyard of a building, police said. It was not immediately clear how the 3-year-old mountain lion weighing about 75 pounds (34 kg) ended up in the middle of the beachside city of Santa Monica, which lies just west of Los Angeles. ...
- South Africa protesters deface Zuma penis portrait
 JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Two men vandalized a portrait of South African President Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed on Tuesday, intensifying a heated debate about the picture that has enraged the ruling African National Congress. Television footage showed a white middle-aged man in a suit walking up to the portrait at a Johannesburg gallery and painting a red cross on president's face and private parts. A younger black man then smeared black paint over the picture while the first man was being taken into custody by security guards. ...
- Parents take aim at proposed gun range near elementary school
A Connecticut town is caught up in a heated debated over whether a proposed gun range should be built just hundreds of feet from a local elementary school. "I'd say total insanity. A gun range should not be put next to a school, period. Put it on the outskirts of Waterbury, or somewhere else," community [...]
- Berkeley police chief assigns 10 officers to find son’s missing iPhone
How many people have called their local police station about a stolen cell phone or laptop, only to be told by the authorities that they have more pressing issues at hand? Well, Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan has opened himself up to a new round of controversy after it was reported that he dispatched 10 [...]
DoD: News Releases
DoD: Transcripts
DoD: Speeches
- Purple Heart Ceremony
As Delivered by, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, Thursday, April, 20, 2006
- Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation Annual Gala
As Delivered by, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Friday, April, 07, 2006
- Caspar Weinberger (15th Secretary of Defense) Eulogy
As Delivered by, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Tuesday, April, 04, 2006
- Army War College
As Delivered by, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Monday, March, 27, 2006
- 4th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference
As Delivered by, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, Monday, March, 20, 2006
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Yahoo: Middle East
- Palestinian electoral officials in Gaza
Palestinian election officials from the West Bank have arrived in the Gaza Strip to prepare the way for long-overdue elections, a key step toward repairing a five-year rift between the two territories.
- UN observer chief stresses suffering of Syrians
 The head of the U.N. observer mission in Syria said Monday he will emphasize "the suffering of the Syrian people" during special envoy Kofi Annan's visit, which comes just days after a gruesome weekend massacre that killed more than 100 people.
- Egypt to announce election results today
 Egypt's electoral commission will announce on Monday the results of last week's presidential election, which appear headed into a run-off between Islamist Mohammed Mursi and former premier Ahmed Shafiq.
- Six killed as Yemeni troops advance on Qaeda bastion
 At least six people have been killed in overnight battles in Yemen's war-torn southern Abyan province as troops inched closer to the Al-Qaeda stronghold of Jaar, military and local officials said on Monday.
- Activists say shelling kills 24 in Syrian city
Activists say troops have shelled several neighborhoods in a central Syrian city, killing at least 24.
- Iraq Christian heritage sites lie neglected
 A stone's throw from Iraq's Shiite holy city of Najaf's airport, the remains of the celebrated ancient Christian city of Hira lie neglected and mouldering, because funds for excavation have dried up.
- Iran rejects link to alleged coup plots in Bahrain
Iran's Foreign Ministry has rejected the country's alleged role in plotting to topple the regime in Bahrain.
- Attempts to revive language spoken in Jesus' time
Two villages in the Holy Land's tiny Christian community are teaching Aramaic in an ambitious effort to revive the language that Jesus spoke, centuries after it all but disappeared from the Middle East.
- Iran parliament re-elects conservative as speaker
Iran's newly-elected parliament has voted to reinstate a conservative critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as temporary speaker.
- Syria denies Houla killings, UN condemns attack
Syria on Sunday strongly denied allegations that its forces killed scores of people — including women and children — in one of the deadliest days of the country's uprising, but the U.N. Security Council after an emergency session condemned government forces for shelling residential areas.
- Israel sees Iranian hand in Syria killings
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday voiced "revulsion" over the bloodshed in Syria, while accusing Iran and its Lebanese militia ally Hezbollah of being accomplices.
- Amnesty urges Saudi to free Shiite prisoners
 Amnesty International urged Saudi Arabia to free Shiite prisoners arrested for taking part in "peaceful" protests and those detained without charge in the kingdom's Eastern province.
- Syria defiantly denies killings, UN council meets
Syria on Sunday strongly denied allegations that its forces killed scores of people — including women and children — in one of the deadliest days of the country's uprising, and the U.N. Security Council held an emergency session on the massacre.
- UAE eyes June opening for pipeline bypassing Hormuz
 A pipeline being built by the United Arab Emirates to pump most of its oil exports from east coast terminals bypassing the Iran-threatened Strait of Hormuz, will be operational in June, the ruler of Fujairah told AFP in an interview.
- Egypt candidates file appeals, charge vote fraud
 Three top candidates in Egypt's presidential race filed appeals to the election commission ahead of the deadline Sunday, alleging violations in the first round vote that they say could change the outcome.
- Egypt's uprising activists weigh Brotherhood vote
 The apparent results of Egypt's first free presidential vote have left many of the young activists who led the country's 2011 uprising dismayed and despondent, facing deeply unpalatable options.
- Iran may rethink 20% enrichment: spokesman
 Iran may accept to negotiate its ongoing enrichment of uranium to higher levels if the West recognises it has the "right" to do so for peaceful purposes, its foreign ministry spokesman said on Sunday.
- Syria denies responsibility for attack killing 90
The Syrian government on Sunday denied responsibility for killings in a string of villages that left more than 90 people dead, blaming the killings on "hundreds of heavily armed gunmen" who also attacked soldiers in the area.
- Election committee to start Gaza work this week
 Palestinian election officials will begin work on updating the electoral register in the Gaza Strip on Monday in a key step to pave the way for elections, an official told AFP Sunday.
- Iran: No reason to halt 20 percent enrichment
Iran's nuclear chief said Sunday there are no reasons at the moment for his country to halt production of uranium enriched to 20 percent, a key demand of world powers, and Iran is planning two new reactors.
Yahoo: Iraq
- Lukoil posts 8 pct increase in Q1 net to $3.8Bln
Lukoil, Russia's second-largest oil producer, said Monday that its first-quarter net profit increased by nearly 8 percent, to $3.8 billion on higher oil prices.
- Six under-rated war movies to see on Memorial Day
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - "Patton," "The Great Escape," and "Apocalypse Now" have justly earned a place among the greatest war movies ever made. These films capture the horror, the sacrifice -- and, yes, sometimes the excitement of battle. However, this Memorial Day, before watching George C. Scott address the troops beneath a massive American flag or quoting along as Robert Duvall rants about the smell of napalm in the morning, consider checking out these criminally underrated gems. ...
- Obama to honor fallen troops on Memorial Day
President Barack Obama is paying tribute to the nation's fallen warriors on Memorial Day, attending a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and honoring those who died during the Vietnam War.
- Fresh Coat Painters Launches Franchise to Serve Raleigh-Durham Region of North Carolina
John Greer has launched his Fresh Coat Painters franchise to serve Raleigh, N.C., and its neighbors. For Greer, the decision to start a business was tied to his commitment to the community. “Raleigh is a big market with lots of competition,” he said. “We’ve got everything from major chains to mom-and-pop operations. What I can offer quality painters is that weekly paycheck that allows them to get and establish credit and build better futures for themselves. That, in turn, builds a better community for all of us. I want to create those kinds of job opportunities. ...
- Iraq Christian heritage sites lie neglected
A stone's throw from Iraq's Shiite holy city of Najaf's airport, the remains of the celebrated ancient Christian city of Hira lie neglected and mouldering, because funds for excavation have dried up.
- Millions in global aid for Iraq sits unspent
 Outside the crumbling elementary school, goats feed on trash strewn across the front yard. Inside, the ceiling is rotting, toilets don't work and students scrunch hip-to-hip behind narrow desks.
- Episode 12: Amputee veterans take on celebrities in softball game
The Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team has given Kyle the camaraderie he's been missing since he lost his hand and retired from the Marines. Will he and his teammates be able to beat a celebrity team featuring "Breaking Bad's" Bryan Cranston?
- Wounded war veterans find brotherhood in softball
 COOPERSTOWN, New York (Reuters) - When Saul Bosquez, a 27-year-old U.S. Army veteran who lost part of his left leg in Iraq, stepped up to the plate during a softball game this Memorial Day weekend, he knew he needed a big hit. Bosquez, who plays with the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team and wears a prosthetic leg below his left knee, said the hot weather on Sunday in Cooperstown - home to the Baseball Hall of Fame - was making it harder than usual for him to run the bases. Luckily, the ball soared over the outfielders' heads, and Bosquez made it safely to third. ...
- Rolling Thunder! Biker vets invade Washington
 They may no longer be in uniform, but nearly all of them are sporting the same thing -- leather vests covered with multicolored military patches.
- Britain's Blair faces grilling over ties to Murdoch
 LONDON (Reuters) - Tony Blair's decision to openly court Rupert Murdoch to win power and ensure favorable coverage during his decade-long tenure as British prime minister will come under scrutiny when he faces a media inquiry on Monday. The inquiry, ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron after Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid admitted hacking phones, has tarnished Britain's elite by laying bare the collusion between politicians, the police and the media. ...
- ‘Come Up With a More Neutral Term’: MSNBC Panel Debates Using the Word ‘Hero’ To Describe Fallen Soldiers
 <p>"To say that someone kind of died heroically suggests that they died worthily..."</p>
- Blair faces grilling over ties to Murdoch
 LONDON (Reuters) - Tony Blair's decision to openly court Rupert Murdoch to win power and ensure favourable coverage during his decade-long tenure as British prime minister will come under scrutiny when he faces a media inquiry on Monday. The inquiry, ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron after Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid admitted hacking phones, has tarnished Britain's elite by laying bare the collusion between politicians, the police and the media. ...
- Britain's Blair faces grilling over ties to Murdoch
LONDON (Reuters) - Tony Blair's decision to openly court Rupert Murdoch to win power and ensure favorable coverage during his decade-long tenure as British prime minister will come under scrutiny when he faces a media inquiry on Monday. The inquiry, ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron after Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid admitted hacking phones, has tarnished Britain's elite by laying bare the collusion between politicians, the police and the media. ...
- Disability Claims a Huge Cost of War that Must Be Paid
COMMENTARY | It's a cost that probably wasn't figured when the wars began. And it's a cost America must now pay, regardless of how staggering. According to the Associated Press, 45 percent of the veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are seeking disability compensation from service-related physical and mental injuries.
- USS Iowa Makes Final Journey
The USS Iowa (BB-61) is making it final journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The huge battleship, known as the "Battleship of Presidents" will make the four-day trip in order to become a museum in southern California, according to Reuters. The storied vessel has been decommissioned for over 20 years and will finally be open for the public as an appropriate naval museum honoring U.S. Navy sailors since World War II.
- UAE eyes June opening for pipeline bypassing Hormuz
A pipeline being built by the United Arab Emirates to pump most of its oil exports from east coast terminals bypassing the Iran-threatened Strait of Hormuz, will be operational in June, the ruler of Fujairah told AFP in an interview.
- Gay students graduate openly at military academies
 Gay students at America's military service academies are wrapping up the first year when they no longer had to hide their sexual orientation, benefiting from the end of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that used to bar them from seemingly ordinary activities like taking their partners openly to graduation events.
- 19 Pakistani pilgrims wounded in Iraq bombing
 A roadside bomb in Iraq's Anbar province wounded 19 Pakistani Shiite pilgrims on Sunday, police and a doctor said, in the second attack against pilgrims in the Sunni province in days.
- Kellie Pickler Joins USO in Honoring Our Nation’s Real Heroes on Week-Long Memorial Day Tour to Middle East
BNA Recording artist Kellie Pickler joins the USO in honoring our nations real heroes with a week-long Memorial Day USO tour to the Middle East. Paying homage to those who have fallen as well as those currently serving on the front lines, Pickler is spending a week visiting two countries and performing five shows. On Memorial Day, she will dine with troops and perform two USO shows. This trip marks the fifth USO tour for Pickler. ...
- AP IMPACT: Almost half of new vets seek disability
 America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.
NYT: Op-Ed
- Op-Ed Columnist: A Brief for Justice Kennedy
He has written two important gay-rights decisions. Will he take one more leap to support marriage equality?
- Op-Ed Columnist: Fiscal Phonies
Chris Christie proves that there are fake deficit hawks at the state level, too.
- Campaign Stops: Political Dividends
Mitt Romney has made it very clear how he will help Wall Street if he wins. It's President Obama who is in a conflicted position.
- Opinionator: The Prognosis for Medical Innovation
We need to stop glorifying every new technology as an innovation. New matters only when it's proved better than what we had before.
- Editorial: Cleaner Energy
There is progress in renewable energy, but there would be more if Congressional Republicans got out of the way.
- Op-Ed Contributor: The V.A.’s Shameful Betrayal
Too many veterans struggling to resume a normal life continue to find the Department of Veterans Affairs a source of disappointment rather than healing.
- Editorial: The Politics of Religion
In a dramatic stunt, some Catholic groups have filed lawsuits claiming that President Obama has violated their religious freedom by including contraceptives in health care coverage.
- Opinionator | The Stone: 'Mommy Wars' Redux: A False Conflict
The conflict is not one between motherhood and feminism, but within feminism itself.
- Room for Debate: How Should the U.S. Support Returning Veterans?
What are the most pressing challenges that returning veterans face?
- Editorial: A Failure of Vigilance
The Supreme Court’s majority failed to protect a defendant’s constitutional right to be spared double jeopardy, and instead protected the trial judge’s mistake.
- Editorial: This Memorial Day
After a decade of two wars, there are many lost lives to mourn, and nature is doing all it can to comfort.
- Letters: School Integration: Revisit a Good Idea
Readers agree that it still has value, for black children and for white children as well.
- Letter: Presidents and Inequality
A Harvard law professor writes that the human face of inequality has spurred presidents to act.
- Letter: Protecting Fish Stocks
A leader of sportsfishing groups objects to an editorial about regulating fisheries.
- Letter: Romney and Bain
A private equity veteran says the objective is profit, not job creation.
- The Strip: The Many Uses of Police Drones
Brought to you by the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.
- Opinionator: Do the Jews Own Anxiety?
What Woody Allen, Philip Roth and nearly 6,000 years of collective memory have wrought.
- Opinion: Let’s Be Less Productive
The relentless drive for productivity may have some limits; if our economies don’t continue to expand, we risk putting people out of work.
NYT: International
- Syria Denies Responsibility in Brutal Attack
The United Nations action over a massacre this weekend of at least 108 villagers was the strongest yet allowed by Russia, which has blocked criticism of Syria’s president.
- At West Point, Asking if a War Doctrine Was Worth It
Faculty at the United States Military Academy are debating what a counterinsurgency strategy gained in Iraq and Afghanistan and whether the doctrine has a future.
- Nepal Disbands Legislature as Talks on Constitution Fail
Nepal descended into a new crisis on Sunday after rival political parties failed to reach an agreement on a new constitution before the national legislature’s term expired at midnight.
- Ahmed Shafik Counting on Egyptian Elites’ Fears
The expected runoff between Ahmed Shafik, a Mubarak associate, and Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, is a rematch of an old struggle between secular authoritarians and Islamists.
- Tony Blair to Explain Ties to Rupert Murdoch
The inquiry into Britain’s hacking scandal heard testimony on Monday from former prime minister Tony Blair, who once sought endorsement from Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers.
- Iran Says It Won’t Halt Uranium Enrichment
Iran’s nuclear chief said the country would not halt its production of higher-grade uranium, suggesting that the Iranian government was veering back to a much harder line.
- London Braces to Manage Traffic of the Olympics
Officials have warned commuters and set up infrastructure to handle its visitors, but some worry the Games may prove too much for the city’s roads and subway.
- Reporter’s Notebook: Azerbaijan Revels as Host of Eurovision Song Contest
Eager to make its debut on the world stage, the Azerbaijan government went all out to ensure a smooth, secure event.
- Chen Guangcheng, In U.S., Has Fears For Family at Home
Chen Guangfu, the older brother of Chen Guangcheng, is back in the family’s home village after evading guards there to travel to Beijing to meet with a lawyer, an American legal scholar who is advising Mr. Chen said Sunday.
- Diplomatic Memo: Frustrations as U.S. and Pakistan Fail to Mend Ties
A visit by President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan to Chicago for last week’s NATO summit meeting underscored the mistrust and political chasms that mark an uneasy alliance.
- Afghan and NATO Inquiries on Reported Deaths of Family in Airstrike
So far this month, 33 NATO service members have been killed in Afghanistan, about half as many as died in May 2011.
- Tens of Thousands in Georgia Protest President
In one of the largest political rallies since 2003, protesters demonstrated in the capital, Tbilisi, to campaign for a fall parliamentary election.
- In Italy, Technology Is Leading to a TV Transformation
Silvio Berlusconi’s television company is flailing amid Internet-driven challenges to the government’s traditional favored status for the media’s old guard.
- Bankia’s President Portrays an Upside to a Bailout
Billions of euros in aid are an investment for the government, not a loan, said José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, the president of the troubled Spanish lender Bankia.
- Government May Step In to Resolve Rail Strike
Canada’s government has enforced back-to-work legislation to end strikes in the past. With a breakdown in talks, the government may be leaning more in that direction.
- Critic's Notebook : ‘Amour,’ by Michael Haneke, Wins Palme d’Or at Cannes
The Austrian director Michael Haneke won the Palme d’Or at the 65th Cannes Film Festival on Sunday for “Amour,” a story of love and death focusing on an elderly Parisian couple.
- WORLD: Spain’s Credit Crunch
Because of the financial crisis, small businesses in Spain have been forced by disappearing credit lines to shut down or downsize.
- WORLD: Building a Dam in Lebanon
Lebanese Christians want a dam to exploit their natural resources and to help alleviate their chronic shortages of electricity and water, but the only donor stepping forward is Iran.
- SPORTS: The Allure of Laamb
Although traditional wrestling exists in various forms throughout West Africa, the version in Senegal, known as laamb, has reached unparalleled heights.
- Yes, There Are Comedians in Qatar
And no, they can’t tell jokes about anything they want. Hosni Mubarak, however, is fair game.
NYT: National
- Pain Spreads as Credit Vise Grows Tighter
Lenders have become even less willing to part with their money, further crimping budgets and family spending.
- For Rivals, Finance Crisis Is Posing on-the-Fly Tests
The presidential race has turned into an audition for who could best handle a national economic emergency.
- Drug Label, Maimed Patient and Test for Court
At issue is whether plaintiffs have the right to sue when the products that hurt them had met federal standards.
- After Impasse, New California Budget Agreement
California legislative leaders and the governor have come to an agreement on the state budget, which is now roughly three months late.
- California Bans Texting by Operators of Trains
After investigators said an engineer in last week’s collision had been texting on the job, regulators temporarily banned the use of all cellular devices by anyone at the controls of a moving train.
- Political Memo: Given G.O.P. Predicament, Rangel Opts to Ride Out the Storm
Democrats believe that a long list of Republican lawmakers with legal troubles makes it impossible for Republicans to gain much ground on the issues of ethics and good government.
- Panel Proposes Broad Changes in Federal Financial Aid for College
The recommendations included a simpler application, Pell grant maximums linked to the consumer price index and federally financed college savings accounts for children in low-income families.
- Chicago Unveils Multifaceted Plan to Curb Emissions of Heat-Trapping Gases
The blueprint would change the city’s building codes to promote energy efficiency, and it calls for installing huge solar panels at municipal properties and building alternative fueling stations.
- Vast Bailout by U.S. Proposed in Bid to Stem Financial Crisis
Treasury and Fed officials were discussing with leaders in Congress a plan for the government to buy up distressed mortgages.
- A Bid to Curb Profit Gambit as Banks Fall
A backlash against short sellers has begun, with regulators in the U.S. and Britain tightening rules and authorities in New York intensifying investigations.
- Bush Emerges After Days of Financial Crisis
The president spoke briefly on Thursday after remaining largely out of sight as Wall Street has become engulfed by a financial crisis.
- The New McCain: More Aggressive and Scripted on the Campaign Trail
Senator John McCain’s once easygoing if irreverent campaign presence — endearing to crowds, though often resulting in gaffes — has been put out to pasture.
- Alaska Star May Add Luster to Tarnished Senator
As Gov. Sarah Palin has moved to the national stage, Senator Ted Stevens, who goes on trial next week, has risen in some opinion polls in Alaska.
- Husband of Alaska Governor Refuses to Testify in Legislature’s Trooper Inquiry
Todd Palin was one of 13 people subpoenaed in the inquiry into whether Gov. Sarah Palin or members of her administration abused their power in the dismissal of a top state administrator.
- The Ad Campaign: Obama Attacks McCain in a Bid to Attract Hispanic Voters
A Spanish-language Obama ad misrepresents John McCain’s record on the immigration issue and his relationship with Rush Limbaugh.
- Agency and Bush Are Sued Over Domestic Surveillance
A privacy group filed a class-action lawsuit on Thursday seeking to halt what it describes as illegal surveillance of Americans’ telephone and Internet traffic.
- Power Still Not Restored to Many in the Midwest
Remnants of Hurricane Ike swept through the region on Sunday, bringing torrential downpours and strong winds.
- Action Is Sought to Ensure Timely Financing for V.A.
As the veterans’ health system strains to handle a growing caseload, a move is under way in Congress to avoid yearly delays in financing that can hamper the medical care of the nation’s veterans.
- Simpson Defense Alleges Police Glee in His Arrest
O. J. Simpson’s legal team began Thursday to mount a defense that will sound familiar to anyone who followed his 1995 murder trial.
- National Briefing | Midwest: Minnesota: Rebuilt Bridge Opens
Flashing headlights and honking horns penetrated the early-morning sky as police officers and first responders led drivers in a slow procession across the new Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis.
NYT: Magazine
- It’s the Economy: The Syria Paradox
Aren’t countries with diverse economies supposed to be good at deposing dictators?
- Noomi Rapace Arrives in Hollywood, by Way of Outer Space
How the original girl with the dragon tattoo became Ridley Scott’s new heroine.
- Ina May Gaskin and the Battle for at-Home Births
Ina May Gaskin, the original home-birth evangelist, is finally winning converts in the mainstream.
- How Did Wisconsin Become the Most Politically Divisive Place in America?
Scott Walker, Scott Fitzgerald and the coming recall vote in the land of cheese and rancor.
- Yes, There Are Comedians in Qatar
And no, they can’t tell jokes about anything they want. Hosni Mubarak, however, is fair game.
- Riff: How Roland Barthes Gave Us the TV Recap
What would the man who essentially created cultural criticism make of a world in which criticism has become a kind of pop culture?
- The 6th Floor Blog: Mainstreaming Sex Toys Through Better Design — and Conversation
Ethan Imboden of Jimmyjane wants to turn vibrators into Apple-like design objects; Linda Brewer - profiled in the magazine in 2004 - used them to make women just a bit happier with their lives.
- The 6th Floor Blog: A Photographer Hunts Down Hunters in Their Trophy Rooms
The photographer David Chancellor answers questions about documenting the controversial practice of trophy hunting.
- The 6th Floor Blog: Noomi Rapace Can Hold Her Breath a Really Long Time
Behind the scenes at the photo shoot with the Swedish actress.
- Makers: Who Made That Fly Swatter?
Building the perfect mechanism to kill with one hand.
- Talk: Gayle King Gets Redonkulous
The morning-TV host on being Oprah’s B.F.F. and Charlie Rose’s sidekick.
- The One-Page Magazine
John Thain’s comeback; new fiction from Curtis Sittenfeld; gay marriage’s medieval roots.
- Lives: My Father, His Father and President Kennedy
Picture-perfect memories of father-son moments.
- The Ethicist: The Sexagenarian Lothario
Spreading germs, good will and the wealth.
- Reply All | Letters: The 5.13.12 Issue
Readers respond.
- Meet the Twiblings
How four women (and one man) conspired to make two babies.
- The Sunday Magazine Staff »
- The Women’s Crusade
The liberation of women could help solve many of the world’s problems, from poverty to child mortality to terrorism.
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