Politics

Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Fradkov has resigned, citing his reason as being "the approaching major political events in the country and a desire to give the president full freedom in making decisions, including personnel." Russian President Vladimir Putin has nominated Victor Zubkov to replace him, and a new cabinet is expected to follow as well. Parliamentary elections are expected to take place in three months as the parliament has not been dissolved, and presidential elections will take place in six months.

Former Philippine President Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was found guilty by the Sandiganbayan (anti-graft court) for plunder but found him not guilty on a count of perjury. The Philippines’ 13th President was arrested in April 2001 after being ousted in a peaceful revolution in January of the same year for allegedly amassing US$ 85 million (PhP 46=US$) from kickbacks and for failure to declare his true assets and liabilities as a requisite for any public elected or appointed official. After almost six years of trial, Estrada faces a lifeti

A new cat has moved into 10 Downing Street, the residence of now British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, following in the footsteps, or rather pawsteps, of previous Westminister cats "Humphery" and "Wilberforce". "Sybil", named after "Sybil Fawlty", a character in the British sitcom Fawlty Towers, belongs to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, who now lives in residence in a flat above 10 Downing Street (11 Downing Street) itself, having previously lived in Darling's residence in Scotland. A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Bro

Today on Capitol Hill, U.S. Army General David Petraeus presented a long awaited testimony. The number one U.S. commander in Iraq said 30,000 United States troops may be able to leave Iraq by the summer of 2008. The top U.S. diplomat in Iraq, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, also joined General Petraeus in the presentation to Congress. General Petraeus firstly said that the President's troop escalation in January met its objectives "in large measure." Petraeus said, "I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level ... by ne

In Donald Rumsfeld's first interview since leaving the Pentagon, he hailed the efforts in Afghanistan as a "big success", but attributed the failures in Iraq to the Iraqi's government inability to build a foundation of democracy. "In Afghanistan, 28 million people are free. They have their own president, they have their own parliament and they've improved a lot on the streets," Rumsfeld says in the October issue of GQ magazine. But he stated that reaching a similar situation in Iraq would take "some time and some effort". Rumsfeld also defen

The Canadian government is in heated debate regarding a law which allows Muslims to wear veils at the polls. It has been decided, amid concerns from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, that the law will not change, and women are still allowed to wear veils when appearing to cast votes at the ballot box. PM Harper says a ruling which Elections Canada made in July to allow veils was wrong. Over the past week politicians from all three major federal parties are agreeing with Harper's stance on the issue. "I have to say that it concerns me greatly, be

Leaders attending the APEC summit in Sydney, Australia have worn Driza-Bone coats for their traditional group photo in front of the Sydney Opera House. In APEC tradition, leaders wear attire which draws inspiration from the host nation's national costume. Australia's choice was made by Prime Minister John Howard and his wife Janette. Australia does not have a national costume. In an APEC statement it was revealed that Driza-Bone had been consulted to produce an outfit that "captures the essence of Australia's culture and environment." "Driza-

On Sunday Memoirs: 1939-1993 a memoir written by former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney will be released. The 1,152 page tome outlines Mulroney's version of events during his time as prime minister. CTV will broadcast a documentary on Brian Mulroney on the eve of his book launch. In addition, the network plans to air Triumph & Treachery: The Brian Mulroney Story on Sunday, CTV says the 90-minute special will be the most complete interview the former prime minister has ever given and his first comprehensive interview since leaving off

United States First Lady Laura Bush underwent elective surgery on Saturday at George Washington University Hospital and is now "resting comfortably at the White House," according to spokeswoman Sally McDonough. Last month, the First Lady injured her neck and shoulder during a hiking trip. The neck surgery, called posterior cervical foraminotomy, was performed to alleviate pressure on several pinched nerves in her neck. Laura was not able to accompany President George W. Bush for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Syd

According to the highest ranking police officer in New South Wales, the cast and crew of Australian TV show, The Chaser's War on Everything could have been shot during a prank staged in Sydney where they breached APEC security. The comedians staged a fake motorcade to gain access to the APEC restricted area in Sydney's CBD. It is believed that the motorcade was waved through security checkpoints on Macquarie Street and ended up just metres from the hotel where United States President George W. Bush was staying. Police moved in on the group whe

Eight cast and crew members of the Australian television show The Chaser's War on Everything successfully breached the security surrounding the APEC summit meeting in Sydney, Australia. Using a cavalcade of three cars and two motorcycles branded with the Canadian Flag, the crew passed through two security check points, reaching the "red zone". It was only when the team attempted to turn around, ten meters from the InterContinental Hotel where United States President George W Bush was staying, that police realised the security breach and pounc

Written in his new book "Brian Mulroney: Memoirs 1939-1993", a 1,100-page to-be-released book, former Progressive-Conservative Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who was PM of Canada from 1984 to 1993, has revealed that he called former Liberal Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau a "coward" and criticised his decisions on the Meech Lake Accord, questions Trudeau's moral leadership, his refusal to fight against Nazis, his admiration for leaders such as Adolf Hitler, anti-Semitic and anti-immigration views, and his belief in the independe