Articles: Politics - international

  Israel has deployed its fifth Iron Dome battery in Tel Aviv and Gush Dan as the missile shield failed to intercept two-thirds of missiles fired from Gaza Strip in response for Israeli attacks. Haaretz reported that the new Iron Dome battery “was deployed in the Tel Aviv area on Saturday, two months ahead of schedule”. “The battery is estimated to have higher interception abilities than the previous four sy

  Six Cambodian farmers were killed after their tractor ran over an anti-tank mine left over from the country’s 1980s civil war. One of those killed in northwestern Battambang Province was a 12-year-old child, district Police Chief Khum Soy said on Monday. Two other people were seriously wounded by the blast. The workers were driving home from a market. An estimated four to six million land mines and other unexp

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that is if he was American, he would vote for Barak Obama in November’s U.S. Presidential election. In a televised interview Chavez said he believes Obama is a “good guy” and would still vote for him if he was a Venezuelan. Both leaders face elections in the coming weeks. Relations between two countries have been tense for years. "I wish we could begin a new p

  On Monday, 3 NATO soldiers, an Afghan interpreter and at least 9 civilians were killed in a suicide bomb attack against a foot patrol in the volatile eastern Khost province, the coalition said. A suicide bomber wearing a police uniform attacked US soldiers patrolling the city of Khost. A NATO spokesperson confirmed that the attack was a suicide bombing. The bombing came after two Americans were killed on Sunday in an ap

  Thirteen heads of state and government officials from Latin America and the Arab world met in the Peruvian capital Lima for the third Summit of South American and Arab Countries, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. This forum of the ASPA's 34 member-states aims to promote South-South business cooperation. The agenda also includes political issues, such as the ongoing internal conflict in Syria, its effects on its Middle E

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper for closing Ottawa’s embassy in Tehran. Netanyahu, and during his meeting with Harper on the side lines of the United Nations General Assembly, praised the Canadian government’s decision to sever ties with Iran. "I want to express my pleasure at seeing Stephen Harper again. He proved that he is a real statesman, and St

  Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that his ruling political party has become a model for others to follow in Muslim states. He was addressing a congress of the AKP, the Islamist-rooted party, which has dominated Turkey for a decade. The presidents of Egypt and Kyrgyzstan were among the guests in Ankara. The exiled political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, told the congress the

  Saudi Arabia turned back this week more than 1,000 Nigerian women pilgrims who were not accompanied by male guardians or "mahram." Saudi's Ministry of Pilgrimage (Hajj) released a that defends its decision, saying that it will "not allow the entry of those who don't comply with terms and requirements of the entry visa to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj." Saudi law requires each female pilgrim under

  Spain's debt levels will increase further next year, the government has predicted, putting Madrid under more pressure as it continues efforts to trim spending. Treasury Minister Cristobal Montoro said debt would likely reach 85.3% of the country's annual economic output this year, increasing to 90.5% in 2013. His comments come after more cost-cutting plans were unveiled last week. Many analysts consider it only

  A grenade attack injured 30 people at a trade fair in southern Thailand's Narathiwat Province. The attackers fired grenades at a security checkpoint, and two exploded near booths. Four of the 30 victims were seriously wounded. Thai police blamed Islamist insurgents for the incident, and for a separate shooting attack on Saturday. More than 5,000 have died since an insurgency took hold of the country's southe

  The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, called for his country to hold talks with Serbia in an effort to normalize relations and pursue integration with the EU. Next month, the EU will attempt to broker talks between Kosovo and Serbia; an improvement in relations between the two countries is regarded as a precondition for EU membership. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence, and views

  One child was killed and three others were seriously injured during Sunday school at St. Polycarp's Church in Nairobi, Kenya, when a group of attackers threw a hand grenade into the church, police said. The attackers are believed to be linked to the Somali militant group al-Shabaab. The radical Islamist organization began operating in Kenya last year, after Kenyan forces deployed in Somalia to combat the group.

    At least four Buddhist temples and 15 Buddhist homes were burned down last night when hundreds of Muslims stormed Bangladesh's southeastern Buddhist region. The protesters claimed they were angered by a photograph “insulting Islam” posted on Facebook by a Buddhist. Police deployed security forces to the region and have banned gatherings in areas heavily populated by Buddhists.

  Two people have been shot dead in a clash between supporters of President Hugo Chavez and his opponent Henrique Capriles ahead of next month's Venezuelan presidential election, reports the Ministry of Justice. According to the opposition, Chavez supporters blocked a motorcade of Capriles backers and people on both sides were arguing when a man appeared with a gun and started shooting. These are the first deaths related

  A coalition service member and a civilian contractor were killed in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, according to an ISAF statement. There were also a number of Afghan National Army casualties in an attack which is believed to have involved an Afghan soldier or a militant dressed as one. Officials refused to give any other details while a joint Afghan National Army and ISAF investigation is underway. The trend of Afghan

  Members of the (Ansar Dine) extremist group have destroyed another shrine of a Sufi Muslim saint in a northern Mali region under their control, witnesses say. On July 1, the Ansar Dine extremists received global condemnation when they started destroying centuries-old mausoleums of Sufi Muslim saints in the UNESCO-listed city of Timbuktu in the West African nation of Mali. "I saw the Islamists in Goundam destroy the mau

  The US commander of the International Security Assistance Force says he is “mad as hell” about the so-called insider attacks against the US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan. “I’m mad as hell about them, to be honest with you,” General John Allen said on Saturday. “We’re willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we’re not willing to be murdered for it.” Allen

  A theatre in the south Russian city of Rostov has dropped a production of Jesus Christ Superstar after protests by Orthodox Christians. A Russian company was due to stage the Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera at the Rostov Philharmonic next month. Protesters had complained the opera projected the "wrong" image of Christ. News of the cancellation baffled members of the cast and caused indignation among commentator

  President Barack Obama has stopped a Chinese company from building wind turbines in the US state of Oregon, citing national security concerns, his administration said. Ralls Corp, a private Chinese firm, had acquired four wind farm projects near a US naval facility earlier this year. This is the first foreign investment to be blocked in the US for 22 years. It comes as the US lodged a trade dispute against China just we

  Thousands of people are taking part in commemorations in Belfast to mark one of the most significant dates in unionist history. The six-mile march from central Belfast to Stormont marks the 100th anniversary of the Ulster Covenant, to oppose Home Rule for Ireland in 1912. There was no trouble at a contentious feeder parade past a north Belfast Catholic church on Saturday morning. The biggest policing operation in 20 yea