PAKISTAN - VIOLENCE: Officials in Pakistan say at least 10 people have been killed in a suspected U.S. missile attack in the country's northwest.The officials say a plane fired missilesnear the town of Miranshah in North Waziristan tribal region early today, hitting a private home. Pakistan's government has denounced a recent series of suspected U.S. raids into Pakistani territory.Senior U.S. officials have confirmed that U.S. forces carried out recent strikes in Pakistan, near the Afghan border. The officials say President George Bush gave the military secret authorization in July for ground assaults in Pakistan without Islamabad's approval.
ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai agreed Thursday to a power-sharing deal to end the country's long political crisis. Details of the agreement are not expected to be formally announced until Monday.But media reports from Zimbabwe and opposition officials say the unity government will see Mr. Mugabe retain the presidency and Tsvangirai become prime minister.They also say Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party will have 15 cabinet seats, Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change will get 13 and three seats will go to a smaller opposition breakaway faction.
THAILAND - POLITICS: Thailand's ruling party says it has decided to not renominate ousted Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej for the position.Officials in the ruling People's Power Party say today they agreed to reverse their decision following objections from other parties in the ruling coalition.A vote was originally supposed to be held today to re-elect Mr. Samak, but some members of the ruling coalition were concerned that he was too controversial to repair Thailand's current political crisis.The PPP says it has short-listed three party members, and that it will nominate one of the three for prime minister's post.
MALAYSIA - POLITICS: Malaysia's three-party opposition alliance now says its plans to topple the
government by next week may be delayed.Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim
has pledged to persuade enough lawmakers from the ruling National Front to
defect to his coalition by September 16th. But the government sent about 50 of
its lawmakers on a fact-finding mission to Taiwan earlier this week. A
four-member opposition team is flying to Taiwan today to meet
with the lawmakers and gauge their potential support. The opposition
pulled off a stunning upset in parliamentary elections in March, winning enough
seats to end the National Front's two-thirds legislative majority.
PALIN INTERVIEW: Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin says she is ready to be second in command and if necessary, president of the United States.In an interview with ABC's Charles Gibson, Palin said she "did not blink" when asked to be John McCain's running mate. She said she has confidence in her readiness for the post. The sit-down chat was the Alaska governor's first extensive interview since being introduced as McCain's vice-presidential pick.After asking Palin whether she thinks she is experienced enough, Gibson threw a string of foreign policy questions at the first-term governor, a newcomer to the national stage.
BOLIVIA - US - PROTESTS: The United States has ordered Bolivia's ambassador to leave the country in
response to Bolivia's expulsion order against the U.S. envoy in La
Paz.State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday that
Bolivian Ambassador Gustavo Guzman is being expelled in response to unwarranted
action and in accordance with the Vienna Convention on diplomatic protocol.
The U.S action came as at least eight people were killed in Bolivia as
anti-government protests spread across the Andean nation. On Wednesday,
Bolivian President Evo Morales ordered U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg to leave,
accusing him of instigating protests.
CHINA - BABY FORMULA: China's health ministry is launching a nationwide probe of all baby milk powder after a company acknowledged some of its products were contaminated.State media reported Thursday the Sanlu group issued a recall for 700 tons of baby formula produced before August sixth. Health officials say the formula was tainted with melamine and was likely the cause of kidney stones in dozens of babies across the country. At least 59 infants have been hospitalized with the condition and one baby died in the northwestern province of Gansu.
HURRICANE IKE: Authorities say residents living along coastal areas of (the southeastern U.S. state of) Texas face "certain death" if they do not evacuate ahead of Hurricane Ike, which could make landfall later today or early Saturday. The area is under a mandatory evacuation order for areas south of Houston, including all of Galveston Island. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Ike is still a Category Two storm, with maximum winds of 165 kilometers an hour, as continues to travel over the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters say it could develop into a much stronger Category Three hurricane by the time in reaches land.
Listen to our World News for details.
