You are currently browsing the Current World News weblog archives for the day Saturday, February 23rd, 2008.

Breaking News

Turkey Sends Soldiers Into N. Iraq

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

DAHUK, Iraq, Feb. 22 — After months of sporadic shelling targeting the mountain hideouts of Kurdish guerrilla fighters, Turkey sent tanks and ground troops into northern Iraq on Thursday afternoon in an incursion that escalated the tension between the neighboring countries. Read more

More on page 322

Sadr Extends Truce In Iraq

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

BAGHDAD, Feb. 22 — Anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mahdi Army militia on Friday to extend a cease-fire for six months, a decision designed to bolster his stature and power but one that U.S. and Iraqi officials hope will also increase stability in Iraq. Read more

More on page 321

EU asks Serbs to cooperate, leaves north Kosovo

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

PRISTINA (Reuters) – The European Union’s envoy in Kosovo appealed to Serbs for cooperation on the sixth day of protests against the declaration of independence by Serbia’s former province. Read more

More on page 320

“Shame on you,” Clinton tells Obama

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

CINCINNATI (Reuters) – Hillary Clinton slammed rival Barack Obama on Saturday for campaign leaflets on her health-care plan that she called “blatantly false” and accused him of using Republican tactics in their contest for the Democratic U.S. presidential nomination. Read more

More on page 319

Iraq warns Turkey over incursion

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

TURKEY-IRAQ CRISIS KEY STORIES Iraq warning over incursion Turkish troops enter north Iraq Turkish jets in fresh Iraq raids Iraq Kurds warn Turkey on raids Turkey defends incursions in Iraq BACKGROUND Border tensions fuel confusion News of military action is often blown out of proportion Pin-point tactics Cold welcome US pressure bears fruit Turkish incursion [...]

More on page 318

Turkey fights Kurds in northern Iraq (AP)

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

Turkish forces pressed ahead with ground operations against Kurdish rebels in Iraq that began earlier this week. It is Turkey’s first major ground incursion against Kurdish rebel bases in nearly a decade. Read more

More on page 317

Hey, big spender: Hillary accused of ‘Ritz campaign’

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

Hillary Clinton’s faltering White House campaign spent €3.32m on consultants, €66,400 on party food in Iowa and €16,400 on rooms at a luxury hotel last month, according to an internal financial report. Read more

More on page 316

Serbia plunged into crisis as Kosovan row escalates

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

Vesna Peric Zimonjic in Belgrade Read more

More on page 315

Law Would Let Jilted Brides Collect

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

MEXICO CITY (Feb. 22) – Runaway brides — and grooms — in Mexico City could get stuck paying for the limo and flowers under a bill proposed by a local lawmaker Friday. Read more

More on page 314

Turkey invades Iraq as EU and US call for restraint

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

The operation is the first involving troops in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein nearly five years ago and raised immediate concerns it could trigger a wider conflict with the American-backed Iraqi Kurds. Read more

More on page 313

Farmers hold 29 police hostage in Guatemala

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

Hundreds of angry farmers are holding 29 policemen hostage in a remote Guatemala village, demanding the release of a Mayan leader arrested for invading land, officials said on Friday. Read more

More on page 312

Overview: Africa's Civil Wars

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

This list, though hardly exhaustive, provides an overview of some of Africa’s major contemporary civil conflicts. Read more

More on page 311

Raul Castro – Brief Bio

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

Raul Castro, Fidel Castro‘s younger brother, is currently Cuba’s First Vice President of the Council of State (i.e., Cuba’s second-in-charge) and Fidel’s constitutional successor. The question of whether Raul Castro will succeed his brother, Fidel, after his death, and exactly what kind of leader he will be has been subject to widespread speculation and debate. [...]

More on page 310

Turkish Troops Launch Offensive Against PKK

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

By Bridget Johnson, your guide to Journalism Further fanning fears of instability in northern Iraq, Turkish forces pushed across the border in a long-anticipated offensive against Kurdish separatists, the Marxist-oriented Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). There’s no love lost in the U.S. for the Kurdish rebels — the PKK is branded a terrorist organization [...]

More on page 309

Help wanted: 7 questions about Facebook

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

I signed up for a free account at the social networking site Facebook a little more than four months ago for the same reason a lot of middle-aged adults have been signing up: To see what all the fuss was about and get a sense of how risky it might be for kids to expose [...]

More on page 308

Sky News – With The Web’s Agenda

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

Sky.Com News, news with the web’s agenda, is on-air and online from 7.30pm tonight. Today’s most-clicked stories on Sky News Online: Ipswich Killer Will Spend Life In Prison Plane Crash Wreckage Found In Mountains Mark Dixie Guilty Of Murdering Sally Anne Bowman Football Stars Rally Behind Paul Gascoigne Hillary Clinton Accuses Barack Obama Of Copying [...]

More on page 307

US Elections Hillary Clinton Denies Plans To Quit

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

But in the debate the night before, the generous tribute she paid to her rival was seen by some commentators as an admission that her quest to be the first woman president could fall short. Read more

More on page 306

Analysis: Will Burnham pledge help TV?

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

The government today said halting piracy would help the “creative industries” – and that could mean better video on demand, or ad supported free music, for all of us. But internet service providers, who have been ordered to sort it out or face new laws, disagree. “Let me make it absolutely clear: this is a [...]

More on page 305

Pakistan’s heroic voters have spoken

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

To call it a massive upset is to ignore the opinion polls, which for months had been recording the growing unpopularity of Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf. Yet it is still a surprise — and a credit to both the army and its former chief, Musharraf — that the opposition has been allowed so thoroughly to [...]

More on page 304

BELGRADE BRUTES

admin @ February 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet

February 22, 2008 — BELGRADE, Serbia – Serb rioters broke into the US Embassy and set fire to an office yesterday, and police clashed with protesters outside after a large demonstration against Kosovo’s declaration of independence. Read more

More on page 303