Breaking World News from One World, Many Peaces

Imprisoned Chinese Dissident Liu Xiaobo Wins Nobel Peace Prize.

 Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for using nonviolence to demand fundamental human rights in his homeland. The award ignited a furious response from China, which accused the Norwegian Nobel Committee of violating its own principles by honoring "a criminal."

Chinese state media immediately blacked out the news and Chinese government censors blocked Nobel Prize reports from Internet websites. China declared the decision would harm its relations with Norway — and the Nordic country responded that was a petty thing for a world power to do.

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While Pakistan Warns Against More NATO Raids, Pentagon Is Hosting Indian Minister of Defense for Pending Arms Deal.

US and Indian defense chiefs met on Tuesday amid efforts by Washington to step up arms sales to New Delhi and ease restrictions on hi-tech weaponry.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates hosted India Defense minister AK Antony for talks as both countries touted a growing strategic alliance and expanding military ties, including a pending multi-billion-dollar deal for American C-17 cargo planes.

US and Indian officials have been negotiating an agreement that would see New Delhi buy at least 10 C-17 planes, manufactured by Boeing.

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Will a New Bill Introduced in the French Parliament Create Second-Class Citizens?

Does France have second-class citizens? A new bill introduced Tuesday in parliament aimed at toughening immigration rules would strip naturalized citizens of their nationality if they threaten the lives of police.

Opponents say the measure would drive a new wedge between those born French and those who become French in a country that sees itself as a haven for the world's oppressed.

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IRA- A "Substantial" Terror Threat?

Britain raised the terror threat level Friday posed by Irish Republican Army dissidents, who have mounted repeated attacks in Northern Ireland and recently threatened to start targeting London bankers.
The level has changed from "moderate" to "substantial," the middle rung on the five-point threat scale. This means the threat has risen to a point where an attack is considered a strong possibility.

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After the Slaying of Its Second Journalist in as Many Years,El Diario de Juarez Asks the Cartels: "What Do You Want From Us?"

A newspaper's stunning, front-page editorial of seeming surrender to drug capos has set off a national debate from the presidential palace to Mexico's equivalent of the water cooler — its ubiquitous town squares.

"What do you want from us?" El Diario de Juarez asked the cartels whose war for control of the border city across from El Paso, Texas, has killed nearly 5,000 people — including two El Diario journalists — in less than two years. "You are currently the de facto authorities in this city. ... Tell us what you expect from us as a newspaper?"

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While World Watches its Disputes with Japan and US, China is Quietly Making Huge Investment in African Country.

China has agreed to loan Ghana some 13 billion dollars for infrastructure, a minister said Thursday, with Beijing having expressed interest in the West African country's newly discovered oil fields.

The loan deal, still subject to approval from Ghanian lawmakers, points to China's growing interest in the country which is set to pump its first barrels of oil by year's end from its offshore Jubilee field.

Of the total loans, three billion dollars from the China Development Bank will go towards building oil and gas infrastructure, Ghana's Deputy Finance Minister Fiifi Kwetey told AFP by phone from Beijing.

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China Severs High-Level Goverment Contacts With Japan.

China on Sunday broke off high-level government contacts with Japan over the extended detention of a fishing boat captain arrested near disputed islands. The rare move pushed already tense relations to a new low, and showed China's willingness to play hardball with its Asian rival on issues of territorial integrity.

It came a day after anti-Japanese protests broke out across China on the anniversary of the start of a brutal Japanese invasion of China in 1931 that has historically cast a shadow over ties between what are now the world's second and third-largest economies.

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Will Taliban's Intimidation Campaign Succeed in Keeping Afghan Voters Away?

The Taliban have written threats on leaflets passed out at mosques, whispered them in villages, proclaimed them to journalists and posted on the Internet: If you vote in Saturday's parliamentary elections, prepare to be attacked.

How many Afghans ignore this intimidation campaign and turn out at the polls will be one measure of whether the vote is considered a success.

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In Interview, Ahmadinejad Insists: Muslims 'Are Not Against Americans, Jews, Christians'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says there is no hate between Muslims and Americans despite an apparent escalation in tensions fueled by controversies over a proposed mosque near ground zero in New York and a plan by a Florida pastor to burn Qurans.

"People (in Islamic countries) are against that ugly behavior," he said in an exclusive interview with NBC News' Andrea Mitchell. "They are not against the people of the United States. They are not against Americans, they are not against Jews. They are not against Christians or Christianity."

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French Senate Passes Ban on Full Muslim Veils

The French Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bill banning the burqa-style Islamic veil in public, but the leaders of both parliamentary houses said they had asked a special council to first ensure the measure passes constitutional muster amid concerns its tramples on religious freedoms.

The Senate voted 246 to 1 Tuesday in favor of the bill, which has already passed in the lower chamber, the National Assembly. It will need President Nicolas Sarkozy's signature.

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Cuba to Cut One Million Public Sector Jobs

Cuba has announced radical plans to lay off huge numbers of state employees, to help revive the communist country's struggling economy.

The Cuban labour federation said more than a million workers would lose their jobs - half of them by March next year. Those laid off will be encouraged to become self-employed or join new private enterprises, on which some of the current restrictions will be eased.

It is biggest shift to the private sector since the revolution in 1959.

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Indian Cabinet Approves Caste-Based Census for 2011

India's first caste-based census since 1931 will take place next year, the cabinet has announced.

It said the controversial count would last from June-September 2011, after a full census had been held. Answering questions on caste will be optional.

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Congress to be Told of $60-bln US-Saudi Arms Deal

US President Barack Obama's administration will soon notify Congress of plans to offer advanced military aircraft to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth up to 60 billion dollars, congressional sources said Monday.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the transaction has not yet been formally announced, confirmed a Wall Street Journal report about the deal but warned that key US lawmakers would block the move.
 

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In Referendum, Turks Reject Military-Era Laws

Turks approved sweeping changes to their military-era constitution Sunday — a referendum hailed by the government as a leap toward full democracy in line with its troubled bid to join the European Union.

With 99 percent of the vote counted, 58 percent had cast ballots in favor of the constitutional amendments, state-run TRT television said. About 42 percent voted "no," heeding opposition claims that the reforms would shackle the independence of the courts.

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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.

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.

Next Head of British Army: General Sir Peter Wall, Here's What to Expect

The next professional head of the British Army will be General Sir Peter Wall, the Ministry of Defence has said. Gen Wall, 55, currently Commander-in-Chief Land Forces, will become Chief of the General Staff in September. He replaces General Sir David Richards who it had already been announced will become the overall head of the armed forces as Chief of the Defence Staff.

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Your Ticket Into Top Secret U.S. Operations

Everyone has had their Big Brother fears, experiences and conspiracy theories or realities since the U.S. government began vastly enlarging its secret operations in the wake of September 11th, 2001. Now you can find out how true they actually are in two ways.

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ElBaradei Leads Egypt 'Police Death' Protest

Several thousand demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Egyptian city of Alexandria to protest against alleged police brutality. They were led by the former UN nuclear chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, now a campaigner for reform in his homeland.

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North Korea to Hold Rare Party Meeting 'To Elect New Leaders'

North Korea's ruling communist party is to hold a rare meeting of its political bureau, state media have said. The session will be held in September to select new leaders for the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the North Korean Central News Agency said.

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