COMOROS PLANE CRASH: A Yemeni airliner has crashed in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Comoros, with 153 people on board.
Officials say one survivor, a child, has been rescued. The bodies of three other people were also recovered.
Officials from Yemenia Air say the plane went down early Tuesday
morning while flying from the Yemeni capital of Sanaa to Moroni on the
main island of Grand Comore.
The cause of the crash is unknown, however news reports say there were
strong winds as the plane approached the island. The plane, an Airbus
310, was carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members.
IRAQ: Iraqi forces officially assumed control of Baghdad and other cities
early Tuesday, following the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from
urban areas.
At a ceremony on Monday, the top U.S. military commander in Baghdad,
Major-General Daniel Bolger, gave his Iraqi counterpart the keys to the
former defense ministry building, which had served as a joint
headquarters.
The withdrawal is part of U.S.-Iraq security deal that sets a timeline for the withdrawal of all U.S forces by the end of 2011.
The Iraqi government declared Tuesday, June 30, a "Day of National Sovereignty."
HONDURAS: Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya says he will return to his country later this week.
Mr. Zelaya announced the plans late Monday during a meeting of Latin American leaders in Nicaragua.
The Honduran president says he plans to make the trip Thursday with
Organization of American States Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza.
Earlier Monday, security forces in riot gear fired tear gas to push
back protesters massing outside the Presidential Palace in the Honduran
capital of Tegucigalpa.
CHINA - CORRUPTION: Chinese state media are reporting that a newly established government
hotline for corruption has been overwhelmed during its first week of
operation, receiving more than 17,000 tips.
The China Daily newspaper says more than 11,000 people called in tips
by telephone and 6,000 others reported cases on the hotline's Web site.
The newspaper says that many other would-be whistleblowers may not have
been able to get through. The report noted, however, that the 24-hour
Web and phone service was staffed by only 10 operators.
NOKOR NUCLEAR: South Korea's defense minister says North Korea appears to be pushing
forward with a uranium enrichment program, raising fears that it may
use the material to make atomic weapons.
Addressing a hearing of lawmakers Tuesday, Lee Sang-hee said it is
clear that North Korea is moving forward with the program. He added
that such a program is far easier to hide than the North's current
plutonium-based program.
North Korea has ample supplies of natural uranium, and it could conduct
an enrichment program in underground or undisclosed facilities, away
from the view of U.S. spy satellites.
NORTH KOREA - JAPAN - BURMA: Japanese police have arrested three men for allegedly attempting to
export a magnetic measuring device to Burma that could be used to
develop missiles.
Police say the three men, a North Korean man and two Japanese nationals
were trying to ship the magnetic device to Burma. The company that was
trying to export the device is based in China, but is believed to have
links to the North Korea's government.
The arrests come as the international community is stepping up efforts
to monitor North Korea's trading practices and its proliferation of
missile technology.
UN - BURMA: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Burma later
this week to press the military government to release all political
prisoners and start a dialogue with the opposition.
U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas told reporters Monday that Mr. Ban is
due in Burma on Friday, following a trip to Japan. His special envoy
for Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, concluded a two-day visit to the east Asian
country on Saturday.
The Nigerian diplomat did not meet with jailed pro-democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi. It is not clear whether the U.N. chief will be able
to meet with her.
US - MADOFF SCANDAL: The man who confessed to organizing the largest fraud in U.S. history,
Bernard Madoff, has been sentenced to 150 years in prison.
A White House spokesman said Monday that the ruling sends a strong
signal to anyone who invests money on behalf of others. Press secretary
Robert Gibbs told reporters he believes the message "will be heard loud
and clear."
Thousands of people lost billions of dollars in the investment scheme,
and some of them testified at Monday's hearing. Some spoke in great
anger, others tearfully.
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