IRAN - NUCLEAR: Iran has revealed the existence of a second uranium enrichment plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says it received a letter from
Iran earlier this week stating that the plant was under construction.
The U.N. agency says it has demanded the right to inspect the plant to
ensure it does not violate non-proliferation safeguards.
U.S. President Barack Obama will make a statement on the issue Friday morning.
White House officials say Mr. Obama, along with the leaders of France
and Britain, will accuse Iran of concealing the plant for years from
international weapons inspectors.
G-20: The White House says the Group of 20 nations, made up of the world's
leading and developing economies, will become the dominant global
economic forum.
A statement late Thursday says that world leaders meeting in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania endorsed the G-20 as the premier forum for
economic cooperation.
The Group of Eight major industrialized nations had been considered the
world's leading economic group. But the White House statement said the
dramatic changes in the world economy have not always been reflected in
current the global economic structure.
UN - GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Debate will continue for a third day Friday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, with more than 20 world leaders scheduled to speak. Among those scheduled to speak are several African leaders, including Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, President Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast, and Somalia President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Venezuela President Hugo Chavez spoke Thursday. Mr. Netanyahu said Iran poses a threat to world peace, and that its "fanatic" regime should not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
KOREAS - REUNIONS: South Korean families are preparing to cross the border into North Korea for long-awaited temporary reunions.
The two sides agreed last month to hold six days of reunions, with the
first one scheduled for September 26, just before Korea's major (Chuseok) holiday.
Red Cross delegations from the two Koreas reached the agreement following talks at the North's Mount Kumgang resort.
North and South can select just 100 people for each gathering, based mainly on their age and family history.
The reunited relatives can talk, eat and drink in a banquet hall, but
will have no privacy and will not be able to spend the night together.
HONDURAS: Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya says he has held talks with Honduras' interim government but no progress was made.
Mr. Zelaya told journalists he met late Thursday with representatives
from the government of acting President Roberto Micheletti. He
described the talks as a positive step.
The Associated Press reports the ousted president was less optimistic
about the meeting in an interview with a Honduran television station,
saying the interim government's position left little room for
agreement.
Mr. Zelaya turned up unexpectedly in Honduras Monday after three months
in exile.
ISRAEL - OLMERT: Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert proclaimed his innocence as
he arrived at the courthouse in Jerusalem Friday to face corruption
charges.
The 64-year-old told reporters he believed he would be cleared of all charges.
Mr. Olmert is the first former Israeli prime minister to stand trial.
Mr. Olmert faces allegations that he illegally accepted funds from a
U.S. businessman and double-billed Israeli charities for overseas
traveling expenses.
The former Israel leader is charged with fraud, breach of trust and
failure to report income.
US - TERROR PLOT: An Afghan-born man detained in the United States as part of a terror investigation has been charged with conspiring to detonate bombs in the U.S. The indictment unveiled Thursday in New York alleges Najibullah Zazi spent more than a year plotting the attack with others. The government says Zazi received detailed bomb-making instructions in Pakistan in 2008. It says he later purchased components of improvised explosive devices and traveled to New York City on September 10, 2009 to move forward with his plans.
AFGHANISTAN - US: U.S. military officials in Afghanistan say insurgent attacks killed five American troops in the country's south. The International Security Assistance Force issued a statement Friday saying a roadside bomb exploded in Zabul province on Thursday, killing three soldiers. Insurgents shot dead one American soldier during an attack in the same province. Militants in Nimroz province also shot and killed a U.S. Marine as he patrolled the area on foot. The deaths come as the Obama administration is deciding whether to send more troops to Afghanistan.
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