Politics

Israeli jets have carried out strikes in southern Lebanon, despite agreeing to halt air attacks for 48 hours. An army spokesman has confirmed the action saying that the plane was intended to support ground troops in the area and was not targeting anything specific. Meanwhile Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz addressed parliament saying that an immediate cease was not planned and that military action in Lebanon would continue. He said "It's forbidden to agree to an immediate cease-fire, Israel will expand and strengthen its activities again

Two lesbians who married lawfully in Canada have failed in their High Court bid to have their matrimony accepted under law in the United Kingdom. Sue Wilkinson and Celia Kitzinger married in Vancouver in 2003, and they now live together in North Yorkshire. But they say the UK’s failure to accept the legality of their vows infringes a fundamental human right; under Article twelve of the Human Rights Act, it is stated that everyone has a right to marry. But Sir Mark Potter, the President of the High Court Family Division, ruled today that thei

Tents began sprouting in Mexico’s capital Sunday afternoon after leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel López Obrador called on his supporters to set up camp on the capital until a recount is ordered by the Federal Electoral Tribunal. The encampments are to be placed along a 4.6-mile stretch of the city. As of now, the number of people in the camps is unknown but the encampments themselves are expected to block most of the streets in the city, an expectation made much more believable by the fact that in Sunday, only hours after Obrador’

Australian Prime Minister John Howard was mobbed by protesters in Perth, Western Australia on Saturday, angry at the stance he has taken on the recent conflicts in the Middle East. Leaving a Liberal party conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the West Australian capital, Howard was mobbed by 200 protestors angry at his support for Israel and the Australian government's lack of action. Protestors kicked, punched and threw projectiles at the Prime Minister's vehicle as police struggled to keep the angry mob under control. One protestor manag

The month long election campaign in the run up to this weekend's elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo has ended, with a one day break before voting can begin Sunday. The fiercely fought campaign began on June 29th and involved no less than 9,707 parliamentary candidates and 33 presidential candidates. Canvassing ended yesterday with a mass rally in support of the current president Joseph Kabila. Kabila, who became the youngest head of state in Africa in 2001, used his final speech before voting to claim credit for taking the D.R. Co

On Monday, the result of a counter-analysis of Floyd Landis' B-sample, as requested by the Americans, will be announced. Landis, who came in first on this year’s Tour de France, has previously tested positive for an abnormally high testosterone balance in his blood stream. This led to claims that he was involved with doping, in order to improve performance. According to Patrick Lefévère, the president of the Association of professional cycling teams, "Our sport's survival is at stake"..."We can no longer afford to have teams or riders who ju

On Sunday, Dr. Azmi Bishara, leader of the Balad Arab nationalist political party in Israel and member of the Israeli Knesset (Israeli Parliament) compared the current military actions by Israel unfavorably with similar previous conflicts in Lebanon. In an article for the Arab Times Bishara said; "The only difference between today and the earlier bombardments — the 'Day of Reckoning' and 'Grapes of Wrath' between 1993 and 1996 — is that Syrian forces are no longer present in Lebanon." American Spencer Witt, who is filing daily reports from L

Hamas has denied claims made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, 19, captured on June 25, will be released. "Nothing has changed in the case of the Israeli soldier. The file remains in the hands of the resistance factions and not in the hands of any politician even if that politician is Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas]. We heard this news from the press and our stance remains as it was: The case is in the hands of resistance fighters," said spokesman for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida. Ubaida al

The Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf today flicked a switch to restore electricity to the country’s war torn capital, Monrovia, after a gap of over 15 years. At a ceremony to coincide with the 159th anniversary of the country’s independence, Mrs. Sirleaf-Johnson, who was elected at the end of 2005, pulled a switch draped in the Liberian flag illuminating a suburban clinic in the city. "The switching on today is symbolic. It symbolises our journey from darkness to illumination," President Johnson-Sirleaf said in a speech. She was joi

Class of 2006 students who have so far failed to conquer the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) will continue the struggle today in classrooms across the state, and also in a San Francisco courtroom. Some of the nearly one in ten members of the Class of 2006 who still haven't passed the CAHSEE weeks after their scheduled graduations, including dozens from James Logan High School's Class of 2006, will get another crack at it starting today at high schools around the state, when schools administer an additional last chance two-day test, a

Pope Benedict XVI called on people of all religions to join Sunday's worldwide day of prayers for peace on Friday July 21, 2006. The Pope spent an hour hiking in the Big Paradise National Park, returning to his mountain retreat just as rain started to fall. He said the gorgeous mountain vistas further impressed on him the gravity of the crisis. "I think it is best to leave that to the diplomats, because we don't enter politics. But we do everything for peace. Our goal is simply peace, and we will do everything to help attain peace," Pope Bene

Thailand's king, Bhumibol Adulyadej has endorsed a decree confirming that the new general election will take place on October 15, 2006. The King's proclamation follows on from a year of political turmoil in the country, involving public demonstrations calling for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to step down amid perceptions of government corruption and legal malfeasance. A series of legal actions against popular public figures and opposition politicians led to further unrest and a surprise decision by Thaksin to hold a snap-election on Apri