IRAN: Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, says Iran will not yield to pressure in the face of post-election protests over the nation's disputed presidential election. His comments Wednesday come one day after Iran's Guardian Council ruled out overturning the election results, despite finding voter irregularities in 50 districts.. U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday there are "big questions" about the legitimacy of the poll, which resulted in a landslide victory for incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Internet postings call for an opposition rally to be held outside Iran's Parliament Wednesday afternoon, but these plans cannot be confirmed.
CHINA - DISSIDENT: Chinese state media say a prominent dissident, Liu Xiaobo, has been
formally arrested for alleged activities aimed at subverting the
country's socialist system.
Liu has been in detention since late last year, after he co-authored a
manifesto calling for sweeping reforms to China's political system.
The official Xinhua news agency quotes a police statement that says
prosecutors approved Liu's arrest on Tuesday for alleged agitation
activities, such as the spreading of rumors and defaming of the
government.
The Xinhua report says Liu confessed to the charge in preliminary police investigation.
NOKOR - SUCCESSION: A South Korean newspaper report says North Korean leader Kim Jong Il
has put his youngest son in charge of the country's secret police.
The report in the Dong-a Ilbo, which is based on
information from an unnamed source, says Mr. Kim visited North Korea's
State Security Department in March, along with his son Kim Jong Un.
The report says that during the visit he told agency leaders to regard
his son as the agency's head. Mr. Kim also ordered members of the
agency to protect his son with their lives as they have done for him in
the past.
US - CHINA - DEFENSE: The Chinese and U.S. militaries have agreed to work together to avoid
confrontations at sea and raising tensions that could have a broader
impact on relations.
The issue was at the center of their first high-level military talks in
18 months and comes after a series of recent naval encounters that
include the collision of a Chinese submarine and a sonar device being
towed by a U.S. Navy ship.
At the end of two days of talks on Wednesday the leader of the Chinese
delegation, Lieutenant General Ma Xiaotian, told reporters that China
and the U.S. would hold special consultations in July to discuss how
they could prevent sea confrontations.
UN FINANCIAL CONFERENCE: Officials from 126 countries will gather at the United Nations headquarters in New York Wednesday as a three-day conference on reforming the global financial system begins. Only 14 heads of state and government are scheduled to attend, including two leftist Latin American presidents -- Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Bolivia's Evo Morales. Other nations are sending low-level delegations. The developing nations participating in the conference are calling for the U.N. to play a greater role in the global financial system.
NIGERIA - RUSSIA: Russia President Dmitri Medvedev arrives in Nigeria Wednesday on a
visit aimed at increasing Moscow's presence in the competition for
Africa's natural resources.
During the trip, Russia's state-run gas company Gazprom is expected to
sign an agreement with Nigeria's main oil company that would boost its
standing as one of Europe's major suppliers of natural gas.
Russian and Nigerian officials say the two countries will also sign a deal on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
President Medvedev began his visit to Africa with a stop in Egypt on
Tuesday.
KOSOVO - CEKU: Prosecutors in Bulgaria say former Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku will
be held for 72 hours, after being arrested for alleged war crimes.
Bulgarian officials said Wednesday they are awaiting more information before deciding whether to extradite Ceku or release him.
Police arrested the former Kosovo prime minister at Bulgaria's border
with Macedonia late Tuesday after acting on an Interpol arrest warrant
issued by Serbia.
Former Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi told reporters that Ceku
was coming to Bulgaria to lobby for Kosovo's NATO membership.
AFGHANISTAN: An Afghan army general says Afghan and coalition forces have killed 23
suspected Taliban fighters in a clash in southern Afghanistan.
The general (Sher Mohammad Zazai) said Wednesday fighting
broke out when forces stormed a Taliban stronghold near Tirin Kot, the
capital of Uruzgan province. He said regional Taliban commander Mullah
Ismail was among the militants killed in the assault.
(News Updates)
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