Month: September 2009

Washington, September 05: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Israel’s plan to expand settlements in the West Bank was regretful and “inconsistent” with the international peace plan designed to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We regret the reports of Israel’s plans to approve additional settlement construction,” Clinton said in a statement. “Continued settlement activity is inconsistent with Israel’s commitment under the roadmap” peace plan.

Cotabato, September 05: A soldier began firing inside an army camp in the southern Philippines, killing two of his comrades, an army spokesman said Saturday.

Five other soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, received gunshot wounds in the incident, which occurred late Friday inside the army headquarters in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce said.

Washington, September 05: A large piece of space junk flew past the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday without posing any threat, US space agency NASA said.

A piece of a European Ariane-5 rocket passed within 1.3 kilometres of the ISS, but not close enough to pose a risk to the station or its crew.

“The flight control team is continuing to monitor that debris, but again it did pass as expected and is no concern to the orbiting complex,” said a NASA spokesperson.

Kentucky, September 05: A former US soldier will spend his life in prison for the gang rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and the slaughter of her family, a judge ruled Friday.

Steven Dale Green was convicted in May of the 2006 rape and killing of 14-year-old Abeer al-Janabi and the murder of her mother, father and six-year-old sister in their home south of Baghdad.

He was considered the ringleader of a group of five soldiers who plotted the crime over whiskey and a game of cards at a traffic check point in Mahmudiyah.

Washington, September 05: The chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said Friday the United States should focus its efforts on building up the Afghan army and police before considering further increases in U.S. combat troops in Afghanistan.

Bogota, September 05: Thousands of opponents of Hugo Chavez marched against the Venezuelan president across Latin America on Friday, accusing him of everything from authoritarianism to international meddling.

The protests, coordinated through Twitter and Facebook, drew more than 5,000 people in Bogota, and thousands more in the capitals of Venezuela and Honduras. Smaller demonstrations were held in other Latin American capitals, as well as New York and Madrid.

United Nations, September 05: The United Nations is planning to host a summit in Afghanistan following the country’s disputed elections that will bring the new government and key international players together to promote development and democracy in coming years.

Ari Gaitanis, spokesman for the U.N. Peacekeeping Department, said Friday the summit will likely be held next spring in the capital, Kabul.

“We want to see fresh momentum on governance and development once the elections are over, and it’s hoped this meeting will contribute to that,” he said.

Khartoum, September 05: Amnesty International on Friday called on the Sudanese government to withdraw the charges against a woman journalist who risks 40 lashes for wearing trousers.

As a court in Khartoum prepares to resume the trial of Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, Amnesty International said the law used to justify the flogging of women for wearing clothes deemed to be “indecent” should be repealed.

Idaho, September 05: A federal appeals court delivered a stinging rebuke Friday to the Bush administration’s post-Sept. 11 detention policies, ruling that former Attorney General John Ashcroft can be held liable for people who were wrongfully detained as material witnesses after 9/11.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the government’s improper use of material witnesses after Sept. 11 was “repugnant to the Constitution and a painful reminder of some of the most ignominious chapters of our national history.”

United Nations, September 05: Heavy flooding is hitting some 350,000 people across West Africa, killing at least 25 in Ghana and seven in Burkina Faso, U.N. officials said Friday.

The most badly affected appears to be Burkina Faso, where 110,000 have been forced to flee their homes, mainly in the capital, Ouagadougou.

Bishkek, September 05: The Kyrgyz Department of Sanitary and Epidemiological Monitoring is recommending that citizens not undertake the Hajj to Mecca this year due to the H1N1 flu pandemic. It issued the recommendation after Saudi authorities circulated new rules for undertaking a Hajj in 2009.

Kyrgyzstan, September 05: The Kyrgyz government has issued new restrictions on conditions under which pregnancies can be terminated. They are part of a national strategy to protect reproductive health up to 2015.

Under the new policy, abortions can be performed up to the 22nd week of pregnancy with the consent of both spouses or the woman, if she is unmarried. Minors require approval from their parents or guardians.

Washington, September 05: The Pentagon opened its doors to celebrate Iftarwith Muslims in the military and their families Thursday night.

The event also was open to anyone who works in the Pentagon and drew over 200 people making it the largest Iftarevent ever hosted at the Pentagon. This came on the heels of an Iftardinner held at the White House earlier this week.

Muslims — uniformed military personnel, civilians and family members — joined together for prayers, and then with the other guests shared a meal that began with dates.