US - 9-11 ANNIVERSARY: U.S. President George Bush will lead a moment of silence at the White House today to mark the seventh anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.The moment of silence will be held at the exact time (8:46 a.m. EDT/1246 GMT) when terrorists crashed the first of two passenger jets into the World Trade Center in New York City. Another jet crashed into the Pentagon near Washington that morning, while a fourth jet crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly three-thousand people were killed in the attacks.
NOKOR - KIM: The South Korean president has instructed his Cabinet to be prepared for
possible changes in North Korea after reports that its leader Kim Jong-Il
suffered a stroke.A statement issued after the emergency meeting in
Seoul Wednesday night says President Lee Myung-bak stressed the South should be
ready to respond to any situation without confusion.The statement says
there was a report that Mr. Kim is recovering from a stroke and does not appear
to be in critical condition. It also says the South has not seen any unusual
troop movements in North Korea.
THAILAND POLITICS: Thailand's ruling political party has re-nominated ousted Prime Minister Samak
Sundaravej to stand again for the post.A spokesman for the People's
Power Party says the majority of members selected Mr. Samak during a meeting in
Bangkok today. Earlier this week, Mr. Samak was forced to
resign after the Constitutional Court ruled he broke the law by accepting
payment for appearing on a television cooking show while in office.The
PPP, the largest in Thailand's six-party ruling coalition, faced opposition from
its coalition partners over Mr. Samak's nomination.
CHINA - LANDSLIDE: Officials in China say the death toll at a provincial village buried under a
massive landslide will likely rise.The head of China's ministry of work
safety told the state-run "China Daily" newspaper there is
"almost no hope" for the survival of hundreds of people buried under tons of mud
and debris in Shanxi province.More than two-thousand rescue workers are
digging through the rubble in a search for any survivors.At least 128
people were killed when heavy rains triggered the collapse of a reservoir of
iron-ore waste at an illegal mine.
US - PAK - AFGHAN: A U.S. newspaper is reporting that President George Bush gave secret orders in
July authorizing U.S. armed forces to carry out ground assaults in Pakistan
without seeking approval from Pakistan's government. The "New York
Times" newspaper quoted senior U.S. officials who said the military will notify
Pakistan's government when they conduct raids, but will not seek its
permission.The officials
said the orders are part of a broader push to assert U.S. control over the
Afghan-Pakistani border, thought to be a stronghold for the Taliban and al-Qaida
.
LEBANON - BOMB: Lebanese officials say a bomb killed a pro-Syrian politician near Beirut, just days before rival factions are due to begin national reconciliation talks.Authorities say the bomb detonated Wednesday as Druze leader Sheik Saleh Aridi was in his car in the village of Baissour.Aridi is the first public figure to be assassinated in Lebanon in about a year.His death comes less than a week before Lebanon's pro-Western and pro-Syrian factions are to meet for talks on settling their differences.Last month, Lebanon and Syria announced a plan to open diplomatic ties for the first time since independence about 60 years ago.
GEORGIA: A Russian news agency reports that Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia
intends to become part of Russia.Interfax today quotes
the leader of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, as saying the region plans to unite
with North Ossetia, just across the border in Russia.Another Russian
news agency reports the separatist region of Abkhazia intends to become an
independent republic.Itar-Tass quotes Abkhazia leader, Sergei Bagapsh,
as saying Russia has no claim to the region and has stated it does not intend to
seize any part of it.
BANGLADESH - POLITICS: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been released from prison on bail, after spending a year in jail on corruption charges.The Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader left prison today. One of her lawyers said Ms. Zia will remain in Bangladesh and intends to resume her political activity. The Bangladesh high court said Tuesday that Ms. Zia should be paroled for three months to seek medical treatment. On Wednesday, Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission appealed that ruling. The Supreme Court will likely hear the appeal next week.
HERRICANE IKE: Residents along the coastal region of (the southwestern U.S. state of) Texas have begun evacuating their homes to escape the potential onslaught of Hurricane Ike.The National Hurricane Center says Ike is traveling through the Gulf of Mexico carrying maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers an hour, making it a Category Two hurricane. Forecasters say Ike could evolve into a much stronger Category Three storm later today or Friday. It is expected to make landfall along the Texas coast early Saturday.
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