Breaking World News from One World, Many Peaces

Colombia and Venezuela Restore Diplomatic Ties

The leaders of Colombia and Venezuela have reestablished diplomatic relations, saying they are starting to repair confidence undermined by years of mutual recriminations. The announcement came after a four-hour meeting Tuesday in the Colombian city of Santa Marta between Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Colombia's new leader, Juan Manuel Santos. The two restored ties that Chávez severed last month in response to accusations that Venezuela has become a haven for Colombian rebels.

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U.S. Counter-Terrorism Operations Expand in North Africa and Central Asia

In roughly a dozen countries — from the deserts of North Africa, to the mountains of Pakistan, to former Soviet republics crippled by ethnic and religious strife — the United States has significantly increased military and intelligence operations, pursuing the enemy using robotic drones and commando teams, paying contractors to spy and training local operatives to chase terrorists.

New Building Plan for West Bank Announced by Israel, Despite Freeze

The Israeli government approved Sunday a new building plan in the West Bank despite the 10-month settlement freeze and warned against any international conditions to the start of direct dialogue with the Palestinian government, Israeli media reported Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved Sunday a plan to build 23 portable structures in different settlements in the West Bank in order to allow 600 scholars to continue their studies in the coming year.

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China Now World's Second Largest Economy, Beating Japan

Japan's economy was outpaced by China in the second quarter in nominal terms, data showed Monday, as sharply weaker than expected growth triggered fresh fears that the global recovery is losing steam. As cooling exports and flat domestic consumption hit Japan's growth in April-June, the data pointed to the looming prospect of China overtaking Japan as the world's second-largest economy.

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North Korea Fires Weapons off West Coast

North Korea fired about 110 rounds of artillery Monday near its disputed sea border with South Korea, the South's military said, amid high tension over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on North Korea. The firing came shortly after South Korea ended five-day naval drills off the west coast that the North called a rehearsal for an invasion, vowing to retaliate. All the artillery shells harmlessly landed into the North's waters and caused no damage to the South, a South Korean Joint Chief of Staff officer said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

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Hiroshima Mayor Wins Magsaysay Award, the 'Asian Nobel'

The mayor of Hiroshima, in Japan, and a Chinese photographer who has documented pollution in the face of official harassment are among the winners of this year's Ramon Magsaysay prize. The award, named after an ex-president of the Philippines, is widely seen as Asia's version of the Nobel prize.

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How a Middle East Regional War Can Be Averted by Mediation

Tuesday's cross-border firefight between Israeli and Lebanese government forces might simply have been a misunderstanding. And the rockets fired from Gaza and the Israeli air strikes on the besieged territory over the past week could be viewed as periodic blip in business as usual on that front. By the same token, last Friday's unprecedented joint visit to Beirut by the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Syria could be viewed simply as a move to stop the conflict between their Lebanese proxies turning nasty. And British Prime Minister David Cameron's pleas to Turkey to keep open its communication channels with Israel's leaders are quotidian diplomatic common sense. Viewed in a wider context, however, each of those events could be taken as signs of why many in the Middle East believe that despite the outward calm, the region may be on the brink of another catastrophic war.

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Internet Over-Use Leads to Depression

Teens who use the Internet pathologically appear more likely to develop depression than those who do not, according to a report posted online that will appear in the October print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. ince the mid-1990s, pathological (uncontrolled or unreasonable) Internet use has been identified as a problematic behavior with signs and symptoms similar to those of other addictions, according to background information in the article. Such use has been associated with relationship problems, physical ill health, aggressive behaviors and other psychiatric symptoms.

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China's Industrial Land-Grab Spurs Real Estate Boom

The Anhui Salt Industry Corporation is a state-owned company that has 11,000 employees, access to government salt mines and a Communist Party boss.  State Dominates Beijing Land AuctionsNow it has swaggered into a new line of business: real estate. The company is developing a complex of luxury high-rises here called Platinum Bay on a parcel it acquired last year by outbidding two other developers to win a local government land auction.

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Pull-Out of Iraq by 2011 Already Well Underway: Obama

President Barack Obama will set a course Monday for the nation's changing mission in Iraq as the military prepares to end its combat operations there. In a speech at the national convention of the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta, Obama was to address the progress being made to meet his deadline of drawing down all combat troops by the end of the month. A transitional force of 50,000 troops will remain to train Iraqi security forces, conduct counterterrorism operations and provide security for ongoing U.S. civilian efforts.

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Mideast Blackberry Ban Rivals Chinese Censorship

Two Gulf states have announced bans on some functions of the Blackberry mobile phone, claiming security concerns. The United Arab Emirates is to block sending emails, accessing the internet, and delivering instant messages to other Blackberry handsets. Saudi Arabia is to prevent the use of the Blackberry to Blackberry instant messaging service.

New Afghan War Strategy, Again: 'Better' Killing

When President Obama announced his new war plan for Afghanistan last year, the centerpiece of the strategy — and a big part of the rationale for sending 30,000 additional troops — was to safeguard the Afghan people, provide them with a competent government and win their allegiance.

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