"President Carlos Mesa scrambled to assemble a new Cabinet Sunday just hours before the ministers were to be sworn-in, as Bolivians tried to recover from weeks of deadly street protests that brought down the previous government. Mesa, who took office Friday after his predecessor resigned, promised a new Cabinet of Bolivians independent of political parties to confront the nation's unyielding poverty and crippling social problems," reported the AP news agency.
"Palestinian gunmen ambushed an Israeli army patrol in a West Bank town after sundown Sunday, killing three soldiers, the military said, the most serious attack in the area in months. The deadly attack came a few hours after Palestinians in Gaza fired rockets at Israeli towns, and Israeli forces wound up a phase of a wide-ranging operation in a Palestinian refugee camp on the Egyptian border," reported the AP news agency.
"Italian authorities have arrested three Moroccan men for allegedly supporting terrorist cells linked to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, Italian state radio reported Monday. The Italian news agency ANSA quoted Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu, in France for a meeting with European counterparts, as saying the arrests indicated Italy was keeping up its crackdown on international terrorism," reported the AP news agency.
"China's rapid ascendance as a major trading nation is benefiting the world, Chinese President Hu Jintao said Sunday, shrugging off U.S. criticism that its currency controls and other policies give it an unfair advantage in global markets. Later he met privately with U.S. President George W. Bush, who complains the yuan is pegged too low against the U.S. dollar at the expense of the American economy and jobs," reported the AP news agency.
"A bomb blew up a pickup truck on a dirt road in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, killing four people, and two Afghan soldiers were killed in a separate land mine explosion in the country's south," reported the AP news agency.
"Based on events in the run-up to the summit, it is terrorism that is steering the direction of the forum, ahead of any other matter although Apec has a long string of matters to discuss. Based on events in the run-up to the summit, it is terrorism that is steering the direction of the forum, ahead of any other matter although Apec has a long string of matters to discuss," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Malaysia expects the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) to return to its original reason d'etre of forging trade and investment links instead of expanding into a forum to include security, military and political matters. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the summit, spread over two retreats today and tomorrow, would provide an opportunity to refocus on the economic agenda and on ensuring free and fair trade," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Pushing to eliminate terrorism and boost global trade, Pacific Rim leaders open their annual summit Monday amid extraordinarily tight security in the Thai capital. U.S. President George W. Bush has prompted APEC to step up counterterrorism measures, despite concerns by some in the 21-member group that it could be moving too far away from its stated goal of opening economies to free trade and investment," reported the AP news agency.
"An ailing Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa before a crowd of 300,000 yesterday, calling her an icon of charity and launching her on the fast track to sainthood. The two-and-a-half-hour ceremony in St Peter's Square was a multi-coloured, multi-lingual service that reflected Mother Teresa's global appeal. But it was a test for the dwindling stamina of the 83-year-old pope, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. He can no longer walk and his speech is often slurred and gasping," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The British government and the BBC were on course for a fresh row yesterday after Home Secretary David Blunkett condemned the public broadcaster for sending a reporter undercover to expose racism in the police. The BBC has rejected the criticism, placing itself on a collision course with ministers again, following the bitter row over the presumed suicide of government weapons expert David Kelly," reported the AFP news service.
"Former Bosnian Muslim leader Alija Izetbegovic, who led the Balkan country through a turbulent decade of war and peace in the 1990s, died yesterday, his party and doctors said. He was 78. Doctors said Izetbegovic died from chronic heart disease and complications after he fell at home last month and broke four ribs. He was admitted to hospital on Sept 10 and transferred to a cardiological ward two weeks ago," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israeli troops pulled out of a refugee camp along the Gaza-Egypt border early yesterday, completing a four-day operation in which they demolished at least 15 homes and killed four militants and four bystanders, witnesses said. Troops continued to operate in other parts of the Rafah border area, including the densely populated Salem area. As troops pulled out of the Brazil refugee camp, they left roads destroyed by tanks and ripped up water pipes in their wake, the witnesses said. Electric and telephone cables were torn apart in the operation, they added," reported the AP news agency.
"The fighter pilot who made China's first trip into space last week has been promoted, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday amid efforts by the communist government to build Lt. Col. Yang Liwei into a national hero. Yang's promotion to full colonel was approved several weeks ago, but his superiors didn't tell him until after he returned Thursday from his 21 1/2 hour space flight," reported the AP news agency.
"A former teenage prostitute with a criminal record has been ordained as a Church of England vicar. In a revelation that will shock the traditionalist wing of the Anglican Church, Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, announced that he encouraged the woman to undergo theological training after she expressed an interest in joining the priesthood four years ago," reported the Sunday Telegraph.
"US magician David Blaine was yesterday ending his fast inside a glass box suspended above London's River Thames after 44 days of intense public scrutiny, intermittent ridicule and - experts warn -possibly permanent damage to his health. Blaine, who has suffered severe palpitations and breathing difficulties in recent days, would not be restored to full health for around six months, doctors say. A nutritional expert tasked with preparing a briefing on restoring Blaine to health warned yesterday the US entertainer could even die through re-feeding syndrome if he ate too fast," reported the AFP news service.
"Fair and equitable trade in the process of globalisation should be the agenda of the World Trade Organisation rather than one designed for the benefit of the developed countries alone, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday. Using the analogy of fair play in sports - citing golf, American football and Thai boxing - the Prime Minister told the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) CEO Summit that globalisation would only be accepted if its stress was on fair trade rather than solely on free trade," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Twelve Kashmiri civilians held hostage for a day by suspected Islamic militants in a village house have been freed, and soldiers were engaging the holed-up rebels in a gunbattle Tuesday," reported the AP news agency.
"Vietnam needs to push harder for economic reform and work to restore public trust by stamping out widespread corruption, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said Tuesday at the opening of the biannual National Assembly," reported the AP news agency.
"Warships patrolled the seas and armored vehicles took up positions Tuesday close to the international airport as Indonesia's bomb-scarred Bali island beefed up security ahead of a flying visit by U.S. President George W. Bush. Bush is expected to be on the island for just three hours for talks with his Indonesian counterpart Megawati Sukarnoputri that are expected to focus on terrorism," reported the AP news agency.
"North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong Il has made his first public appearance in 40 days, an official news report said, diluting outside speculation about health problems. Kim, accompanied by generals, gave his "on-site guidance'' at a military-run farm on Monday, according to Pyongyang's state-run news agency KCNA," reported the AP news agency.
"Chemical residues found in a house suspected to have been used by the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah tested negative for biochemical agents and were ingredients for an explosive device. The small amounts of powder were recovered from the house in southern Cotabato city during a raid on Sunday," reported the AP news agency.
"Saudi authorities on Monday announced the arrests of a number of wanted terrorist suspects and the discovery of large quantities of weapons, ammunition and explosive materials during raids around the kingdom. A Saudi Interior Ministry official, speaking to the official Saudi Press Agency, did not say when the suspects and weapons were found," reported the AP news agency.
"Americans are still angry about recent corporate conduct - especially executive pay _ and company directors must act aggressively to prevent recurrences, the head of the new board overseeing the accounting industry said Monday. William McDonough warned directors that as company watchdogs they must go beyond a rote adherence to the new rules imposed in response to the wave of business scandals that started with Enron's collapse and wiped out billions in investors' savings," reported the AP news agency.
"Loral Space & Communications Ltd., which filed for bankruptcy in July, is set to sell five satellites to Intelsat Ltd. for $1.1 billion after Intelsat won an auction for the assets Monday. The losing bidder was EchoStar Communications Corp., which owns the Dish Network satellite TV service and had offered $1.03 billion this month for the Loral assets," reported the AP news agency.
"British Prime Minister Tony Blair heeded doctor's orders to ease his workload yesterday after requiring electric shocks to regulate heart palpitations in the first health scare of his premiership. The 50-year-old Blair, who has had the toughest year of his six-year rule with the Iraq war and its difficult aftermath, was sending his Foreign Minister Jack Straw in his place to report on a European Union meeting to parliament. He was due to hold some low-key meetings at his Downing Street office and residence yesterday, but would not be back at his desk full-time until today," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said that accusing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad of anti-Semitism served to deflect attention from Israeli acts against the Palestinians. Maher said: We hope that those who condemned Dr Mahathir's speech lend more attention to the words of the American general ... who demonstrated hostility toward Islam. Maher was referring to Gen William Boykin, who in June was named US deputy undersecretary of defence for intelligence, and cast the war on terror as a fight of Christianity against Islam," reported the AFP news service.
"Which bit of Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad's speech at the opening of OIC summit is inflammatory, offensive, repugnant and deserving of contempt? The Muslim world has failed to unite on many issues in the past; honestly telling the Muslims to pause and think out strategies is certainly not breaking news as far as the international media is concerned. It is far more exciting to stir up a controversy. That makes sensational headlines. In the opening speech, Dr Mahathir stressed that revenge, anger and violence was not the way for Muslims to go forward but this did not attract much attention in the Western media. And really this shouldn't be such a big deal. Because what matters at the end of the day is whether the Muslim leaders and 1.3bil Mus-lims worldwide get the message. nd whether they take up the challenge to pause, think and strategise to unite the Muslim ummah," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"French President Jacques Chirac has written a letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the Malaysian leader's speech at the opening of the OIC summit last week. In his letter, Chirac said he noted with approval that Dr Mahathir's speech called for an end to Palestinian suicide attacks on Israelis," reported the news Agencies.
"Chirac urged the OIC to promote mutual respect and tolerance between Islam and other religions. In Bangkok, a White House spokesman said US President George W. Bush pulled Dr Mahathir aside on Monday and told him that his controversial remarks about Jews were "wrong and divisive." Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he would not go out of his way to improve his sometimes testy relationship with Malaysia immediately after Dr Mahathir retires next week," reported the news Agencies.
"New Zealand on Wednesday passed an anti-terrorism law boosting police powers to deal with terror activities ranging from handling nuclear material to attacking the nation's sheep and cattle. All groups except the leftist Green Party in the nation's Parliament supported the Counter Terrorism Act, which passed 110 votes to 9 by the 120-member chamber," reported the AP news agency.
"Arab and non-aligned nations gave strong support to a pair of resolutions that would condemn Israel's construction of a barrier that juts deep into the West Bank and call on the world court to issue an opinion on whether it is legal or illegal. The General Assembly began discussing the two resolutions on Monday and was to meet yesterday, possibly for a vote. The proposals - backed by members of the Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement and Organisation of the Islamic Conference - are almost certain to pass because no country has a veto in the 191-member General Assembly and support for the Palestinians runs high," reported the AP news agency.
"The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution demanding that Israel halt construction of a barrier jutting deep into the West Bank and dismantle the section already built. The vote late Tuesday was 144 in favor, 4 opposed and 12 abstentions," reported the AP news agency.
"Producer David Gest sued singer Liza Minnelli for $10 million Tuesday, accusing his estranged wife of alcohol-fueled violence that caused neurological damage and headaches. Gest, 50, alleges in court papers that Minnelli, 57, flew into drunken rages on several occasions in Europe and the United States, insulting and striking him," reported the AP news agency.
"New Zealand and China are looking at ways to encourage greater economic cooperation between the two countries, Prime Minister Helen Clark said Wednesday. Australian Prime Minister John Howard has said Australia and China are expected to sign a closer economic partnership agreement in the next three days," reported the AP news agency.
"The Bush administration plans to vigorously pursue China's unfair trade practices, with the piracy of copyrighted computer programs high on the list of issues that will be raised next week, Commerce Undersecretary Grant Aldonas said Tuesday. One of the key complaints of American manufacturers is that China is undervaluing its currency, giving Chinese products a competitive advantage against U.S. manufactured goods of as much as 40 percent. However, the Chinese have rejected U.S. calls to allow their currency to float immediately, saying that would put too much strain on their fragile banking sector," reported the AP news agency.
"Technology stocks boosted by Texas Instruments' solid earnings report led Wall Street moderately higher Tuesday, but the Dow Jones industrials lagged behind, held back by disappointing news from AT&T. Analysts said earnings reports didn't give the market a more significant advance because, while third-quarter profits have generally been strong, investors have already pushed stocks higher in anticipation of robust results," reported the AP news agency.
"The United States is leaving an air base in Kuwait it had used in the war on Iraq, saying its presence there is no longer needed now that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been toppled," reported the AP news agency.
"Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the world media at the end of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) Summit here that there was no question of US President George W. Bush rebuking him over his remarks about the Jews during the recent Organisation of Islamic Conference meeting. Instead, he said that Bush had regretted having had to use strong words against him," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"When a reporter from an Israeli newspaper asked whether he would go to Israel to clarify his comments, he replied: I will go after the Jewish leaders have gone to the Muslim countries and explained why they call Muslims terrorists. After they have done that, I will go to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv to explain what I had said. In response to another question, Dr Mahathir said Christian fundamentalists, too, could have extreme views, citing Lt-Gen William Boykin. His remarks about Muslims mean that he has a bias against them. And for a military man to have those kind of views and then lead his forces against Muslims, makes us worry," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"The United States should learn from the past where its actions won the hearts of many, rather than try to solve conflicts with its current approach of using force, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said. Dr Mahathir said the earlier positive feeling towards the United States had changed because of a change in its attitude. Dr Mahathir added that using force to make people democratic was wrong," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"On the US policy on terrorism, Dr Mahathir said it would not be able to solve the problem by using force alone, no matter how strong it might be. He said this was the case in Iraq, where the United States could conquer the country but not subdue it, adding that people would take pot shots at you," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Australia should make more attempts to identify itself with Asia if it wants to be considered part of the region, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, postponed since May, will be held on Nov 26, the British government announced yesterday. The announcement from the prime minister's office came amid rising expectations that the Irish Republican Army would announce significant further disarmament, in line with demands from the British and Irish governments and from Protestant leaders in the British province," reported the dpa news agency.
"Efforts to revive the Northern Ireland peace process suffered a huge setback yesterday as the province's main Protestant leader said a big act of disarmament by the Irish Republican Army was not enough. Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble, speaking near the end of a day of whirlwind activity, effectively put plans to revive the power-sharing government, which is the cornerstone of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace deal, on hold," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israel's army yesterday said there would be no let-up in its hunt for Islamic militants after it killed 10 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and wounded about 100 in a day of air strikes in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian militant groups vowed to avenge the raids. In one attack on a refugee camp, a helicopter gunship chasing suspected militants in a car fired a missile into a crowd of people, killing seven civilians. Most of those killed are civilians. It's the bloodiest and most dangerous escalation in years," Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A college student who allegedly hid box cutters and other banned items on four airliners to expose weaknesses in US security has been charged with a federal crime. An FBI affidavit said the banned items were not discovered on two of the planes until a month after the student had alerted authorities about his scheme via e-mail," reported the AP news agency.
"Armed fighter jets with a licence to kill have begun patrols in the skies over Australia's capital as the city yesterday began an unprecedented security operation for a visit by US President George W. Bush. It is only the second time armed air force jets have flown operationally over Australia's mainland since World War II. Tens of thousands of anti-US protesters were expected to take to the streets and in Australia's largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, during Bush's visit. It is the first by a US president since Bill Clinton spent a week in 1996," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States and its allies will try to rally wealthy donors this week to stump up billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq but political fissures carved out by the US-led invasion will limit their success. Washington would like to put the divisions caused by its decision to use force to topple Saddam Hussein behind it as it focuses on getting Iraq back on its feet, but war opponents such as France, Germany and Russia have made clear they are not ready to forgive and forget by bankrolling Iraqi reconstruction," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Pacific Rim leaders yesterday vowed to dismantle terrorist organisations, strive for peace on the Korean peninsula and work to re-energise multilateral trade talks at the conclusion of their summit. The 21 heads of state and government, including US President George W. Bush, also agreed to eliminate weapons of mass destruction after two days of talks dominated by the war on terror and the threat posed by North Korea. Agreement was also reached on curbing the spread of so-called man-portable air-defence systems, known as Manpads, which Washington fears terrorists could use to shoot down civilian airliners. Agreement was also reached on curbing the spread of so-called man-portable air-defence systems, known as Manpads, which Washington fears terrorists could use to shoot down civilian airliners," reported the AFP news service.
"Chinese President Hu Jintao may have nixed US President George W. Bush's demand that Beijing quickly ease controls on its currency - but he softened the blow with a face - saving show of support on Monday for stronger Pacific Rim action on terrorism. Addressing a business conference just hours before meeting with Bush on Sunday, Hu said Beijing was determined to keep the yuan's value steady, and that any other policy would be irresponsible," reported the AP news agency.
"After agreeing with Pacific Rim leaders to crack down on terror and revive world trade talks, US President George W. Bush took the message to Singapore yesterday - but he will largely be preaching to the converted. But unlike Bush's first three stopovers in Tokyo, Manila and Bangkok, there is no chance of noisy street protests erupting in Singapore thanks to restrictions on public demonstrations rigidly enforced by a semi-authoritarian government," reported the Reuters news agency.
"When President George W. Bush meets Indonesia's leading ulama today, they will tell him US policies in the Middle East, seen as favouring Israel, are one of the root causes of terror attacks in Asia. But they do not expect the leader of the world superpower to listen," reported the Reuters news agency.
"I will tell it like it is. In Indonesia, the majority are not happy with the US stance in the Middle East conflict, said Hasyim Muzadi, leader of the country's largest Muslim group, the 40-million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama. Syafii Maarif, head of the second-largest Muslim group in Indonesia, Muhammadiyah, speaking by telephone from Bali, said Washington's policies in the Middle East were unjust and had become a contributor to terror," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iran will suspend uranium enrichment and allow spot checks of a nuclear programme it insists is peaceful, an Iranian national security official said after talks with British, French and German envoys in Teheran yesterday. Iran set no date for the steps>," reported the AP news agency.
