ZIMBABWE POLITICS: Zimbabwe's opposition says a power-sharing deal is in jeopardy after
President Robert Mugabe allocated key ministries to his ZANU-PF party.
A Zimbabwean government notice said Saturday that Mr. Mugabe gave
control of the defense, home affairs and finance ministries to ZANU-PF.
The opposition called the move unilateral.
It was announced one day after talks between Mr. Mugabe, opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change and
Arthur Mutambara, who heads a breakaway opposition faction.
WORLD ECONOMY: U.S. President George Bush is meeting with finance officials from the
world's top economic powers at the White House today to
discuss the financial crisis that has sent stock indexes plunging
around the world.
The heads of international finance institutions will be joining the G-7
finance ministers at the meeting.
Following talks in Washington Friday, finance ministers and central
bankers from the G-7 (the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany,
France, Canada and Italy) pledged
to take decisive action and use all available tools to support
important financial institutions and prevent their failure.
US POL - PALIN - PROBE: A newly released report by Alaska's Legislative Panel found that
Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin abused her power as
state governor by pressuring officials to fire a state trooper who was
once married to her sister.
The investigation found that Palin violated state ethics rules governing public officials.
The report says that Palin allowed her husband, Todd Palin, to use the
Alaska's governors office and its resources to pressure employees into
finding a way to fire state trooper Mike Wooten.
US POLITICS: Republican U.S. presidential candidate John McCain has urged his
supporters to be respectful toward rival Barack Obama to control angry
outbursts at McCain campaign events toward the Democratic nominee.
Senator McCain told a crowd at a campaign event Friday in Minnesota that Obama is a decent person.
McCain's campaign has raised questions in recent days about Obama's
character and his fitness to be president. At some McCain campaign
stops, audience members have railed angrily against Obama.
TURKEY - KURDS: The Turkish military say its warplanes and artillery units have bombed
dozens of Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq.
A military statement says 31 positions of the rebel Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) were successfully hit in the late Friday strikes.
Turkish officials have been considering new actions against Kurdish
rebels following recent attacks on security forces. Last week, Kurdish
fighters killed 15 Turkish soldiers during a raid on a military outpost
in southeastern Turkey, close to the Iraqi border. Seven people were
killed Wednesday in an attack on a police vehicle, also in the
southeast.
INDONESIA - ACEH: The founder of Indonesia's Aceh separatist rebel movement returned home today after more than 30 years in exile.
Thousands of people turned out to welcome Hasan di Tiro, founder of the former rebel group, the Free Aceh Movement.
The 83-year-old appeared to be in frail health as he was helped off the
plane in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh and was greeted by his
elderly sister.
Di Tiro's declaration of independence from Indonesia in 1976 sparked a
three-decade civil war that claimed 15 thousand lives and left the
province on the northern tip of Sumatra island in ruins.
NOKOR - KIM: North Korean media have released the first photograph of a public appearance by leader Kim Jong Il since he allegedly suffered a stroke in August. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports that North Korean state television today showed a still picture of Mr. Kim's inspection of a female artillery unit. North Korean media have not clarified when the appearance took place. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) first reported the military inspection on Friday, but did not make any reference to Thursday or Friday's celebrations for the founding of the ruling Worker's Party.
INDIA - KASHMIR: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated Indian Kashmir's first train service amid heavy security and a separatist strike protesting his visit. The train service covers 117 kilometers between Baramuilla in the north and Qazigund in the south. For the moment, only a 66-kilometer portion will be used. On Friday, two people were killed, and 75 injured, when police fired teargas at protesters in Indian Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. Authorities deployed thousands of soldiers today to patrol Srinagar, as shops, schools and businesses were shut down.
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