Politics

Talks aimed at negotiating peace between Iraqi Shi'ites and Sunni Muslims, the two largest population groups in Iraq, are set to take place in Finland within the next few days. The Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and the Finnish Foreign Ministry have both confirmed reports that the pre-arranged talks are scheduled to begin soon in an undisclosed location in Finland. The CMI, a non-governmental organisation founded by former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, has organised the talks, which are said to include key politicians, including r

A police officer was killed after a motorcycle accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The officer, forty-year-old Germaine Casey, was driving his motorcycle in a motorcade as President Bush was leaving the city heading to the Albuquerque Airport following a fund raiser for Senator Pete Domenici. The vehicle was traveling at a high speed when it hit a curb, then crashed into a tree. Casey was taken to Albuquerque Hospital where he was pronounced dead. President Bush passed the accident scene on his way out of Albuquerque. Bush issued a statement

A statue of former South African leader Nelson Mandela has been unveiled in a ceremony attended by UK premier Gordon Brown and the Lord Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone in Parliament Square. In a speech Gordon Brown, who had private "catch up" talks with Mr Mandela on Tuesday, paid tribute to the 89-year-old, calling him the "greatest and most courageous leader of our generation". The statue was unveiled and Mandela was assisted to a podium by Mr Brown and others, where he made a speech. Addressing Mr Brown, Mandela said he wished him "streng

As of 1600 hours local time (08:00UTC) Western Australia became the first state to resume normal internal movement of horses. The decision to lift restrictions was taken after all horses known to have entered the state in the two weeks prior to the outbreak of Equine Influenza in New South Wales were tested and confirmed not to be infected. Western Australian Agriculture and Food Minister Mr Kim Chance said "The 15 imported horses from New South Wales, three from Queensland and one from South Australia have now all tested negative to equine in

Yesterday, Linda Rozett, left Republican Fred Thompson's "exploratory committee" after serving as communications director for the past several weeks. Referring to Rozett's departure, Thompson said, "I don't know what the story is". Whereas, the day before reporter Jo Becker explored Thompson's past, noting Thompson's past as a Republican counsel "sometimes straddled a fine line between investigating his targets and defending them." Becker explained that while "he famously asked the question" that revealed the Watergate/Nixon taping system, "M

As the Federal Labor Party calls for an inquiry into the outbreak of Equine Influenza, federal Opposition leader Kevin Rudd said "if there is a hole in the quarantine system, it needs to be plugged straight away." Federal Minister for Agriculture Mr McGauran has cautioned against a rushed judgment that failures at the Eastern Creek Quarantine station was the cause of the outbreak. But an unidentified former quarantine official believes its the most likely source. Mounted Police patrols during the APEC meeting scheduled for Sydney next week h

Greece's socialist opposition party leader, George Papandreou, has stepped up its attack on the government's response to the most devastating wildfires in the country's history, with 64 dead and thousands homeless. Papandreou pointed that the government had been "totally incompetent" in fighting the blazes that continued to rage across southern Greece after five days. The PASOK president said that "This government was proven to be totally incompetent, unable to handle the fire crisis, like all the other crises it encountered in its four-year a

John Prescott, former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is to stand down as a Member of Parliament after the next general election. Mr Prescott, 69, who has been MP for the constituency for Hull East for 37 years, made his announcement for at a weekend garden party. Stephen Brady, chairman of the local Labour association said, "John told us he would not be standing again. People paid tribute to his long service. It was an emotional event." Prescott, recently took up the post of head of the Parliamentary delegation to the Council of

The Houston Astros have fired manager Phil Garner and general manager Tim Purpura less than two years after leading the team to its first World Series appearance (2005). Bench coach Cecil Cooper was appointed interim manager and team president Tal Smith will serve as interim general manager. "I felt this was the time for a change," owner Drayton McLane said. "I just think we needed a fresh start." Garner took over the Astros in the middle of the 2004 season after Jimy Williams was fired. The Astros went 48-26 in the second half and won 36 of

Italian politics were flamed on Sunday, August 26th, by a statement from Umberto Bossi, the leader of far-right party Northern League, who said during a rally in Ca' San Marco di Mezzoldo, north of Milan, “People of this region have never drawn out the rifles, but there's always a first time”. Bossi, who had been minister of reform from 2001 to 2006, during last days had repeatedly invited people to a tax revolt against the government. The President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, issued immediately a public statement expressing “a strong call t

Miami Dade Fire Rescue, Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force 1 Members were on the scene since last night. Search dogs worked the scene all night. According to current reports, sometime early this morning, an apartment building in Brittons Hill, Barbados fell into a cave below. Five family members are known to be trapped in the collapse, although reports have not be made as to whether these are the only individuals involved. Rescue workers, as well as several prominent politicians are currently on the scene; two cranes have been deploye

Rumors began circulating today in Miami, Florida that Fidel Castro, the President of Cuba, may be dead. The rumor has been reported to have started on Wall Street in New York City. PerezHilton.com was the first to "break" the news, saying that an official announcement on Castro's death would be coming at 2:00 p.m. (local time), but no announcements were made and there has been no confirmations of his death. Castro turned 81 on August 13 and shortly after, reports began to circulate that his health was on a downward track, but the Cuban govern