Politics

Ukraine celebrates its independence day today, 15 years after it broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991. Ukrainian president Victor Yuschenko told a crowd at an event to mark the occasion: "By the will of the people, our country's course toward membership in the European Union and NATO will be carried through ... and most importantly, I reiterate and guarantee that Ukraine's democratic, liberal, and national choice is irreversible and unconditional." Yuschenko told the press yesterday that he would insist on the rehabilitation of those who

After a meeting with the government and general officers, French President Jacques Chirac announced today that the French complement in the UNIFIL will be increased to 2,000. "Conditions required by France being fulfilled, I decided to favourably answer the requests of the General Secretary of the United Nations, and of the Lebanese and Israeli governments", Chirac declared; "two more battalions will come to reinforce our deployment on the field within the UNIFIL. 2,000 French soldiers will thus serve under the blue helmet in Lebanon". Chira

New Zealand's nineteenth Governor-General was sworn in today. The Honourable Anand Satyanand succeeds Dame Silvia Cartwright as the personal representative of New Zealand's Head of State, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand. Dame Silvia concluded a five year term in office. A fanfare of trumpets and a 21-gun salute by the 16 Field Regiment from Linton marked the start of ceremonies. Satyanand arrived at Parliament at 11.45am (NZST). His investiture began with an Indian and Māori welcome, followed by the constitutional sweari

Convicted terrorist Faheem Khalid Lodhi has been sentenced a 20 years prison time by the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia. Lodhi, a 36 year old Pakistani immigrant to Australia, was earlier in June convicted on three counts of terrorist related charges, planning to attack civilian targets and military installations. Justice Anthony Whealy commented at the court hearings that Lodhi had "the intent of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause, namely violent jihad". Lodhi is the first person to be convicted under a new

A large forest fire in Kassandra on the Chalkidiki peninsula, close to Greece's second biggest city, Thessalonika, in Central Macedonia region, has resulted in one dead German tourist and injury to hundreds of locals and other tourists. The fire, which broke out Monday afternoon, had a front of some 20km in length as it burned through pine forest in Polychrono, Hanioti, Pefkohori and Kryopigi. Approximately 4,000 hectares (8,500 acres) of forest have been destroyed along with about 20 buildings. The Hellenic Ministry of Mercantile Marine had

The crisis in the Scottish left has intensified as former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan has announced his intention to launch a new left wing party. Sheridan, currently an SSP Member of the Scottish Parliament, was forced to resign as leader after the News of the World accused him of frequenting sex clubs. Sheridan successfully sued the newspaper last month, and was awarded £200,000 in damages. Eleven leading members of the SSP, including 3 MSPs supported the newspaper's allegations against him and testified against Sheridan

There have been three days of violent clashes in Kinshasa between supporters of Jean-Pierre Bemba and incumbent Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila following the release of results from the first round of Congo's elections. The two presidential candidates will face each other in a run off election October 29th after the first round of votes, July 30th, failed to produce a victor. The results were announced on Sunday with Kabila received 45% of the vote, short of the absolute majority required to avoid a run-off, while Bemba

2008 Republican presidential hopefuls are spending a lot of time in South Carolina in the run-up to the 2006 off-year elections. All the interest in the Palmetto State is widely viewed in the light of its place of significance in the GOP's primary calendar. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) leads in most early polls. And he also leads in the pack in handing out campaign contributions to down-ticket Republican hopefuls. Since the beginning of the year, Sen. McCain's Straight Talk America PAC has contributed $172,750 to South Carolina Republican candi

The government of Victoria has announced plans to build what it says will be Australia's "most powerful wind farm." Planning Minister Rob Hulls has given the go ahead to a new $380 million wind farm at Mount Gellibrand in the state's south-west. "I'm pleased to announce that I have approved Australia's most powerful and Victoria's largest wind farm to date," Mr Hulls said. "This project is expected to create anywhere between 110 and 120 jobs during construction and up to 25 full time positions during the life of the wind farm," he said. The

400 Australian soldiers have been officially farewelled at parade in Darwin, NT, ahead of their deployment to Afghanistan on Tuesday. Wishing the soldiers well, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson says there is a high risk associated with the mission. "We know that this is a dangerous mission but it's also an extremely important one," he said. "They will go beginning this week and be deployed over the next few weeks." The group will work around the southern Oruzgan Province. Rising violence in the Taliban heartland province earlier this month p

U.S. Senator John McCain will next observe the effects of global warming on Greenland. The Danish government has invited a number of influential American politicians to visit for them to witness with their own eyes the consequences of climate change on the Arctic ice. Last year 25 Environmental Ministers from all over the world were treated to a similar tour. Last week American scientists from University of Texas at Austin released a study that showed that the ice is melting three times faster now than in the late nineties. Among several sena

The UK Defence Secretary Des Browne has announced a plan to seek approval from Parliament to grant a group pardon to more than 300 British soldiers executed during the First World War for offences such as cowardice and desertion. The proposed pardon will include the case of Pte. Harry Farr, whose family had appealed to the Defence Secretary to grant a full, posthumous pardon. The Ministry of Defence informed the family lawyers of the decision hours before making a public announcement. Farr's family members said in a statement that they were