Politics

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has decided to re-open diplomatic contact with the leader of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. Sharon had cut all links after a suicide attack killed six Israelis at a Gaza Strip border entry point, just days after Abbas has been elected leader. However, Abbas has made moves to curb the activities of Palestinian militants, leading to a drop in violence in the region. Palestinian officials say that Palestinian security forces will be deployed in the southern Gaza Strip within 24 hours to red

U.S. President George W. Bush has asked the U.S. Congress for an additional $80bn to pay for the on-going military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is on top of $25bn approved by Congress last summer in the fiscal defense appropriations bill for 2005. Bush states that this money is to provide U.S. troops with "whatever they need to protect themselves" and also to fight terrorism in Iraq. The money will support the 'global war on terror' until September 30, 2005. Of the $80bn, $75bn will be spent on the repair and replacement of equipm

The United States Senate has voted to accept President George W. Bush's nomination of Condoleezza Rice as United States Secretary of State. Eighty-five Senators voted to approve her accession while 13 opposed it. Two Senators did not vote. Democratic Senators had criticised her during debates on the nomination, but this did not prevent her gaining the second-highest ever number of votes for a nominee for Secretary of State. The former head of National Security replaces Colin Powell, who became the highest-serving African American in U.S. hist

Palestinian militants denied claims by an Israeli minister that they had agreed a ceasefire. Just a short while after a ceasefire was apparently agreed between Israel and the new Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, a spokesman for Palestinian militant group Hamas denied the claim.

The new Ukranian president Viktor Yushchenko was today sworn into office in Kiev's Independence Square, drawing a line under a bitter dispute between him and opposition candidate Viktor Yanukovych. Taking the oath of office, Yushchenko added "This is a victory of freedom over tyranny. The victory of law over lawlessness." Opposition candidate and Russian backed Viktor Yanukovych has challenged the validity of the election rerun on December 26 2004, which saw his victory overruled. As recently as a few days ago, the Supreme Court overruled a fi

Security measures are being increased in Iraq to protect voters in the upcoming election. Iraq's Interim government has pledged to protect voters in the upcoming election on January 30. The Interior Security Minister, Falah al-Naqib, announced some security measures that will be taken, including: A curfew will be instituted in many cities from 8:00pm to 6:00am local time. The Airport will be closed for three days starting on the day before the vote. The country will be sealed off from the outside world by closing all borders. Private vehicl

Kim Beazley, Labor backbencher and former party leader, may have to face challengers in his bid to fill the vacuum left by the resignation of previous labor leader Mark Latham. Both Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd and Shadow Health minister Julia Gillard have been actively trying to shore up support for bids at the leadership. Beazley is the only person to have declared his candidacy so far, while both Gillard and Rudd have both refused to commit to running or not running. After returning from his tour of tsunami devastated South Ea

After 34 years as president of Bob Jones University, Bob Jones III announced yesterday that he will retire on May 7. He will be replaced by his son, Stephen Jones. Jones, 65, will continue as Chairman of the Board and Chancellor. The Christian university was established by his grandfather, the evangelist Bob Jones Sr., in 1927. It has been the subject of much controversy because of its racial policies and anti-Catholicism. When George W. Bush made a speech at the non-accredited college during his 2000 presidential campaign, many critics ques

The Romanian President, Traian Băsescu yesterday said that Romania is perceived as a "mafia country" and asked prosecutors to take immediate steps to eliminate the high-level corruption in the country. Basescu told the prosecutors at the High Court of Cassation and Justice that they should resign if they can't do what it takes to ensure that Romania does not become a mafia-like country. Less urgent problems like prostitution will have to wait, he said. Cases of high-level corruption, such as the Camaru brothers' bribing of police and politic

Seeking to "bring together a select group of thoughtful bloggers and journalists", at Harvard today opened a two-day, by-invitation only, Blogging, Journalism and Credibility: Battleground and Common Ground conference. Held at the Kennedy School of Government, the conference was an initiative of the American Library Association's, Berkman Center for Internet and Society and the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. "One of the problems [with blogs]," said Dan Gillmor of Grassroots Media Inc., "is that any random w

Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, a Polish writer, journalist, legendary resistance fighter and an envoy between the commanders of the Home Army and the Polish government in exile, nicknamed Courier from Warsaw, the head of the Polish section of Radio Free Europe for a quarter of a century and an advisor to the US presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter died Thursday evening, January 20 in a hospital in his native Warsaw, Poland. Jan Nowak-Jeziorański fought in the Polish Army during the Polish September Campaign in 1939 as an artillery NCO. He was tak

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva travelled to the Colombian city of Leticia, in the triborder region, where he met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. They discussed the crisis between Colombia and Venezuela. The crisis began after the arrest of the FARC leader Rodrigo Granda, also known as Ricardo Gonzalez. Venezuela argued that Granda's arrest is illegal and that Colombia invaded Venezuelan territory in the course of the arrest. Colombia, in turn, claimed the arrest occurred inside Colombian territory and accused Venezuela o