US - ARMY BASE SHOOTING: Military and civilian personnel at a U.S. Army post in Texas will
observe a day of mourning Friday to remember the victims of one of the
worst mass shootings on a U.S. military base.
Authorities at Fort Hood say 13 people were killed and 31 others
wounded when an army psychiatrist allegedly began firing two handguns
Thursday inside a building where soldiers were preparing to deploy
overseas.
The alleged gunman was identified as Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a native of (the southeastern state of) Virginia.
HONDURAS: An aide to ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya says a deal designed
to end the country's political crisis has failed, after interim leader
Roberto Micheletti announced the formation of a new cabinet.
Mr. Micheletti said late Thursday he is installing a national unity
government without the participation of Mr. Zelaya, who has declined to
name any cabinet members.
The two signed an agreement last week to resolve the four-month
political standoff. A new government was set to begin Thursday.
UN - GAZA: Israel has rejected a U.N. resolution endorsing a report that accuses
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas of committing war
crimes during their conflict in Gaza.
In a statement issued Friday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the
resolution was "completely detached from realities on the ground."
On Thursday, the U.N. General Assembly voted to endorse the so-called
Goldstone report, named after South African jurist Richard Goldstone
who led a U.N. fact-finding mission on the conflict.
US - CHINA - TRADE DISPUTE: The United States has imposed punitive tariffs on imports of Chinese-made pipes for oil and gas drilling wells.
The U.S. Commerce Department announced Thursday it was imposing
anti-dumping duties ranging up to 99 percent on so-called oil country
tubular goods. The department says it determined several Chinese
companies were selling the tubes at 36.53 percent less than their
normal value.
The U.S. imported $2.6 billion of oil country tubular goods in 2008.
APEC LEADERS SUMMIT: A draft statement from members of the Asian Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum says that governments in the region remain concerned
about the possibility of an economic relapse, despite recent signs of
recovery.
The statement, which was shared with reporters Friday, says members
will press for a consensus to not withdraw economic stimulus until
signs if a strong recovery. It says that APEC members will continue
their economic stimulus policies until a more "durable economic
recovery" is secured.
JAPAN - MEKONG SUMMIT: Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will convene a two-day meeting
of leaders from Southeast Asia's Mekong River region in Tokyo Friday.
Mr. Hatoyama and his counterparts from Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand
and Vietnam will discuss economic and human development and climate
change during the summit.
Tokyo has been one of the biggest donors of foreign aid for the Mekong
River region, which stretches about 4,800 kilometers and has been
scarred by decades of war and internal unrest.
But China has stepped up investments in the resource-rich region in
recent years, including building rubber plantations and mines in Laos
and Burma.
BRITAIN - AFGHANISTAN: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says his government remains committed to the mission in Afghanistan as public support for the war falls in Britain. In a speech in London in Friday, Mr. Brown said the main terrorist threats facing his country originate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and said Britain "will not walk away." The prime minister also said he told Afghan President Hamid Karzai that British support depends on the Afghan leader's ability to combat corruption.
ZIMBABWE - SADC SUMMIT: Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says his party has ended
its boycott of the unity government and will give President Robert
Mugabe one month to resolve outstanding issues in the fragile
coalition.
Mr. Tsvangirai said the president has 30 days to fully implement a power-sharing deal reached last year.
The prime minister made the announcement Thursday at the end of a regional summit in Maputo, Mozambique on the Zimbabwe crisis.
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