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Soccer overseers allow Iraq to resume World Cup bid (World, 7 articles)
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But many Iraqis as well as U.S. officials and private security analysts are uncertain whether the current lull signals a long-term trend or is simply a breathing spell like so many others before. Talks on returning Sunnis to the government broke down this week, and tensions among rival Shiite parties remain high despite a May 11 truce that ended weeks of bloody fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City district. WASHINGTON - Violence against civilians and U.S. and Iraqi military forces dropped to some of the lowest levels of the war during May even as Iraqi troops are leading offensives in three major cities. That drop, combined with the Iraqi forces' growing capabilities, has some military experts wondering whether the Pentagon could accelerate the drawdown of its troops. Thousands of Iraqis filled the streets of Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood this afternoon to demonstrate against a long-term United States presence in Iraq, the first significant anti-American rally in the massive Shiite slum in more than two years. As American helicopters hovered overhead, young and old men and even children flowed out of their weekly Friday prayers and began burning American flags and chanting "no, no to America" and " yes, yes to independence.
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Other stories about Iraqi, Iraq and troops:
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A Profile of Cuba's Fidel Castro (World, 5 articles)
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The Bush administration is ruling out any changes in its Cuba policy - including lifting a five-decade trade embargo - deriding Fidel Castro's brother and heir apparent, Raul, as " dictator lite. Led by President Bush, a chorus of officials expressed hope that Castro's departure would spark fundamental changes for the Cuban people. When Cuban native Maria Elena Alvarez first heard the news that Fidel Castro had finally stepped from his post as Cuba's president, her reaction was " so what?.
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Israel hands over Hizbollah spy in return for soldiers' remains (World, 7 articles)
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Amid rumours the release might be part of a prisoner swap, Lebanese group Hezbollah returned remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the 2006 war. Mr Nasser was driven to the border crossing near Lebanon's southern town of Naqoura in an unmarked white jeep and handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Hezbollah officials had prepared a celebratory party for his return, with a stage erected near the border and loudspeakers blaring patriotic music across a main square.
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Other stories about Israel, Israeli and Gaza:
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Prince William to join Caribbean anti-drug patrol (World, 4 articles)
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America Votes 2008 - Hear about a contested solution to a Democratic dispute over delegates 2007-08 Your Top Stories - Review the race for the White House as one of the year's top stories. Prince William is heading to the azure waters of the Caribbean as part of a two-month deployment in the Royal Navy despite his request to be as close as possible to conflict. The assignment beginning Monday will see the second in line to the throne spending much of his time trolling the West Indies aboard the HMS Iron Duke, a frigate on hurricane relief duty and counter-narcotics patrol.
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Defense Secretary slams Myanmar for shunning aid offers (World, 7 articles)
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China says 200,000 evacuated because of flood risk Myanmar warned against premature resettlement Jet overshoots runway in Honduras; 4 dead, dozens hurt Troop convoy bombed in Afghanistan; 8 wounded Gates: Obstructed efforts in Myanmar cost lives. Criticism of the military junta's response to the storm continued, with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying the government had acted with "criminal neglect" in responding to the crisis. Despite the dire situation, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at an international security conference that the U.S. will not force assistance on the country.
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Zimbabwe opposition leader held (World, 6 articles)
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Arthur Mutambara, who recently pledged to work with a rival opposition leader to defeat President Mugabe in run-off elections, was detained in Harare. Our correspondent says Mr Mutambara is the most senior opposition figure to be arrested thus far in a state-run campaign of political intimidation. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) summit starts on Tuesday and reports say Mr Mugabe is expected to stay in Italy until Friday.
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Powerful Aftershock Hits China; 2 Dead, Hundreds Hurt (World, 6 articles)
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CHENGDU, China Most of the 8,000 children found alone after China's devastating earthquake have been reunited with their parents, Chinese officials said Friday. Social workers have helped bring together more than 7,000 children and their families since the earthquake struck Sichuan province May 12, said Ye Lu, director of social welfare at the Sichuan provincial Civil Affairs Department. QINGLIAN, China Tangjiashan Lake rose another 5 feet Thursday, about 70 feet from the top of the wall of rock, dirt and trees that holds the reservoir of river water trapped since the May 12 earthquake devastated northern Sichuan province.
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Bolivian regions 'back autonomy' (World, 4 articles)
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The Amazonian states of Beni and Pando passed autonomy measures by more than 80 percent of the vote, according to preliminary vote counts released Sunday evening. Morales' quest to empower Bolivia's long-oppressed Indian majority has alienated a more mixed-race population in the eastern lowlands and fueled old grudges here against the national government centered in La Paz. Government officials had encouraged Morales' supporters to abstain from voting, and pro-Morales groups in the small Pando town of Filadelfia burned voting urns to protest the referendum.
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blaster@cs.columbia.edu
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