14 May 08
KENYA: HIV-positive people feeling the pinch of high food prices
Soaring food prices are beginning to affect the health of HIV-positive people in Kenya. Health workers say the situation is especially dire in the remote and chronically food insecure northern parts of the country.-"The success of ARV drugs is no more; many patients are suffering seriously,"They have developed health complications because they cannot afford basic food, leave alone a balanced diet."
Russia to Ensure Succession in Ties With Germany - Russian FM
"With the new president coming to power, we will ensure a full succession in relations with Germany," the FM stressed."Russian-German relations are developing, and we feel a bid to ensure their continuity from the German side," Lavrov said.-"We are closely cooperating on Iran's nuclear programme,the Middle East settlement, Iraq and Afghanistan," he stressed.
Palestinians meet in Egypt next week on Gaza truce
Palestinian militant groups will meet in Egypt next week to consider Israel's response to a Hamas ceasefire offer in the Gaza Strip, Egyptian and Palestinian officials said on Wednesday.
Russia Urges Int'l Partners to Provide Security Guarantees for Iran
Russian news agencies say FM Sergey Lavrov has urged international mediators on Iran's nuclear program to provide security guarantees that would boost chances of a diplomatic resolution.-Germany and Russia are two of the countries in the so-called "sextet" seeking a resolution to tensions over Iran's alleged moves to develop nuclear weapons.
Over 50,000 dead, missing or buried in China quake
More than 50,000 people are dead, missing or buried under rubble after China's devastating earthquake, officials said Wednesday as the full horror of the disaster began to emerge.
Gillerman says Iran on Israel's northern border
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillerman said Wednesday that "the situation in Lebanon, between the Syrians and the Iranians, seems bad. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War, is not being implemented. It is extremely alarming that Iran is on our northern border, and in a sense on our southern border."
Iran's Ahmadinejad says Israel 'dying'
Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Wednesday that Muslims would uproot Israel at the first opportunity, saying the Jewish state was "dying," a local news agency reported.
Brussels outlines plan for new Mediterranean club
The European Commission has begun to look at the possible set-up for the planned Mediterranean union by trying to breathe life into current bilateral relations between the EU and Mediterranean countries while avoiding an unwieldy new political organisation.
Bush arrives in Israel to mark state's 60th anniversary
"We consider the Holy Land a very special place, and we consider the Israeli people our close friends," US President George W. Bush said Wednesday upon arrival in Israel.
The president arrived in Israel shortly after 11 a.m., his second visit to the country in approximately four months.
At least 80 dead in India blasts
At least seven bombs exploded in the western Indian city of Jaipur Tuesday evening, most within a few minutes of each other, killing at least 80 people and injuring around 100, police, officials and witnesses said.
The bombs all exploded in Jaipur's crowded walled city, an area often frequented by tourists. One was beside a Hindu temple.
Time runs out for thousands trapped by China quake
China poured more troops into the earthquake-ravaged province of Sichuan on Wednesday to speed up the search for survivors as time ran out for thousands of people buried under rubble and mud.
New storm head toward cyclone-devstated Myanmar
Myanmar - Another powerful storm headed toward Myanmar's cyclone-devastated delta, where so little aid has reached that the U.N. warned on Wednesday of a "second wave of deaths" among an estimated 2 million survivors.
US foreclosure filings surge 65 percent in April
More U.S. homeowners fell behind on mortgage payments last month, driving the number of homes facing foreclosure up 65 percent versus the same month last year and contributing to a deepening slide in home values, a research company said Tuesday.
Bush: Israel, U.S. have joint alliance that confronts terrorists
United States President George W. Bush on Wednesday arrived in Israel to participate in celebrations of the country's 60th anniversary.
Bush addressed the assembled Israeli dignitaries at Ben Gurion international airport, stating: "Our two nations both faced great challenges when they were founded. And our two nations have both relied on the same principles to help us succeed."
"We built strong democracies to protect the freedoms given to us by an almighty God," he said at the red-carpet ceremony
13 May 08
Ahmadinejad: Israel to be 'swept away soon'
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Israel would "be soon swept away" from the Palestinian Territories by the Palestinians. It is the second time within less than three years that the Iranian president predicted the eradication of the Jewish state.
Report: Death toll in China quake exceeds 12,000
The toll of the dead and missing soared as rescue workers dug through flattened schools and homes on Tuesday in a desperate attempt to find survivors of China's worst earthquake in three decades.
The official Xinhua News Agency said the death toll exceeded 12,000 in Sichuan province alone, and 18,645 were still buried in debris in the city of Mianyang, near the epicenter of Monday's massive, 7.9-magnitude quake.
Vast Chile volcano ash cloud partially collapses
A towering cloud of hot ash, gas and molten rock spewed miles into the air by a volcano in southern Chile has partially collapsed, raising fears it could smother surrounding villages, an expert said on Tuesday.
Iran Brokers Truce Between Sadr, Iraqi Forces
he showdown between Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr and the Iraqi government came to a halt this weekend after Mr. Sadr agreed to a truce brokered by Iran, a sign of Tehran's growing influence in Iraqi politics.
Iran's Ambassador to Syria says Israel in worst ever condition
President's Advisor and IRI Ambassador in Syria said here Monday occupying regime of Holy Qods is currently in its worst ever condition, getting weaker with passage of each day, and moving towards extinction.
South Korea Steps Up Fight Against Worst Bird Flu Outbreak
South Korea is to disinfect all poultry farms nationwide to combat its worst outbreak of bird flu, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday. Nationwide, more than 6.8 million chickens and ducks have been slaughtered since the latest outbreak began around April 1.
Tens of thousands dead or missing in China quake
China was reeling Tuesday from its worst earthquake in three decades which left tens of thousands of people dead, missing or trapped under crushed houses, schools and factories.
EU could give mandate for talks with Russia in June
The EU could issue a mandate for the start of talks with Russia on a new partnership deal after the end of this month, Russia's envoy to the 27-nation bloc said on Tuesday.
Blair unveils new 'West Bank package'
Blair, speaking a day before the arrival of US President George Bush, said that the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority, after weeks of negotiations, have agreed on the steps which he said could begin to change the reality on the ground.
Are Syria, North Korea, China working together?
What does the White House believe it means to the safety of the world to have these three repressive nations joining forces on a project that surely could have been nuclear?"
Officials: 'Good possibility' McCain will pick Rice
Palestinians 'told we may be dealing with her in the future as vice president.'
U.S. Outlook Is Worst Since '92, Poll Finds
Americans are gloomier about the direction of the country than they have been at any point in 15 years, and Democrats hold their biggest advantage since early 1993 as the party better able to deal with the nation's main problems, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Israel leans toward Gaza truce, despite fatal Kassam attack
An elderly woman was killed by a Kassam rocket that scored a direct hit on a western Negev community Monday evening, hours after Israeli leaders said they were leaning toward accepting an Egyptian cease-fire deal with Hamas.
Tornado season deadliest in a decade
The USA has been ravaged through mid-May by a near-record number of tornadoes that has pushed the death toll - including 47 killer twisters over the weekend - to a 10-year high.
The deaths of 98 people attributed to tornadoes this year has made 2008 the deadliest year thus far for tornadoes since 1998 and the seventh deadliest since modern recordkeeping began in 1950, The Weather Channel said.
Saudi smile likely for Bush on oil plea, not more
President George W. Bush will likely receive little more than a smile and handshake when he asks Saudi Arabia to help lower oil prices during a visit to Riyadh this week to commemorate 75 years of a relationship that has developed fissures in the last decade.
Old gas pumps can't handle ever-rising prices
Mom-and-pop service stations are running into a problem as gasoline marches toward $4 a gallon: Thousands of old-fashioned pumps can't register more than $3.99 on their spinning mechanical dials.
The pumps, throwbacks to a bygone era on the American road, are difficult and expensive to upgrade, and replacing them is often out of the question for station owners who are still just scraping by.
