>>Iraq - While Senator Obama is wrapping up his, by all accounts, successful tour of the Middle East, the liberal blogosphere is jumping on Senator McCain's assertion that the "Surge," which is generally defined as beginning in January 2007, spawned the "Anbar Awakening," which is generally thought to have begun in summer 2006. McCain's campaign responded by saying that they occurred at the same time and that they were both spawned by U.S. troops.

>>Trade - After three days of negotiations, ministers from 35 nations meeting in Geneva are no closer to moving forward on the WTO's Doha trade negotiations. In a breakout session last night, the seven main players -- the EU, United States, Australia, China, India, Brazil and Japan -- met in a marathon 12-hour session, that several sources have described as "tense." The main point of contention is over the reduction of domestic farm subsidies in developed nations and the opening of developing nations' borders to industrial good and services. Talks will move forward, but it's unclear whether they will disintegrate before the Saturday close or push through into next week. Robin Pomeroy provides some color.

>>Sudan - President Omar al-Bashir traveled to Darfur yesterday in what some observers have called a "charm offensive." ICC lead prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo recently submitted a request to a three-judge panel to indict Sudan's leader on charges of genocide in the Darfur region.

• Eric Rosand's response
• Matthew Levitt's response
• Gregory P. Djerejian's response
• What's the Link Between Terrorism and Poverty?
• Meeting the Challenges of International Terrorism
• How the ICC Came to Sudan
• The UN's New "Next-of-Kin" Notification System

Africa

• Sudan - Sudanese Leader Mounts Charm Offensive
• Sudan - Rwanda Threatens Darfur Pullout if U.N. Removes General
• Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe rivals may reach final deal soon: report
• Senegal - Senegal 'ready' for Habre trial
• East Africa - Oxfam's east Africa appeal

Americas

• Argentina - Cabinet Chief Replaced
• U.S. - US consumer spending remains sluggish
• Venezuela - Venezuela Offers to Host Bases

East Asia

• China - Powerful aftershocks hit China quake area, 1 dead
• China - China Presses Grieving Parents to Take Hush Money
• China - China Sets Zones for Olympics Protests
• Japan - Strong quake jolts north Japan, 107 hurt
• Indonesia - Garuda pilot charged with deliberately crashing his plane
• North Korea - In First Meeting, Rice Presses North Korean on Nuclear Effort
• Philippines - Explosion on Philippine Bus
• Thailand - Thailand Assails Cambodia in Dispute Over Temple

Europe

• France - MPs scrap France's 35-hour week
• Germany - Obama in Germany on European tour
• Germany - Merkel warns of fall in economic growth
• Bosnia - Hunt begins for Karadzic helpers
• Switzerland - Swiss anger at Libyan 'reprisals'
• Serbia - Serbian officials suspect Karadzic stole false name from Bosnian war victim
• Italy - Appeals court reverses ruling that a woman in tight jeans cannot be raped

Middle East

• Israel - Israel revives plan to build new West Bank settlement
• Israel - Obama Meets With Israeli and Palestinian Leaders
• Israel - Obama makes surprise visit to Jerusalem's Western Wall
• Iraq - Turkish jets target PKK in Iraq
• Iraq - Iraqi Measure on Provincial Voting Is Vetoed
• Syria - Talking Into the Sunset

Russia and Former Republics

• Russia - Russia says opposes deadlines for Iran response

South Asia

• India - Five killed in Kashmir explosion
• India - India vows to revive economic reforms
• Pakistan - Nato warning on Pakistan fighters
• Pakistan - Plan Would Use Antiterror Aid on Pakistani Jets
• Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka jets bomb rebels, fighting kills 54 in north

>>Iraq - Kurdish lawmakers boycotted critical legislation Tuesday that sets new rules for provincial elections. The sticking point was the status of Kirkuk, which Kurdish lawmakers believe should come under the control of their autonomous region. The bill, which would bring more power to Iraq's regions and empower Sunnis, is now unlikely to be ratified by the Presidency Council, headed by President Jalal Talabani, an ethnic Kurd.

>>Thailand/Cambodia - Thousands of Thai and Cambodia troops have moved into disputed land near the Preah Vihear temple on the border. Tensions were sparked when UNESCO listed the temple as a Cambodian World Heritage Site, which prompted protests by local Thais and their subsequent arrest by Cambodian authorities. Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has suggested that Cambodia's Prime Minister, Hun Sen is just using the row to gin up votes for the imminent general election.

>>India - India's government survived a vote of confidence on Tuesday, clearing the way for a controversial nuclear energy deal with the United States. At one point during the debate, opposition members carried duffel bags full of cash into parliament, alleging that it had been used to try to buy votes. Under the deal, which still needs to be approved by the IAEA, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and the U.S. Congress, India would open its civilian nuclear reactors to international inspectors in exchange for the ability to develop its civilian nuclear program without having to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

• Another Darfur Peacekeeper Attacked, Another Opponent of ICC Action in Sudan
• Nabbed!

Africa

• Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe crisis talks to start in South Africa
• Zimbabwe - EU widens Zimbabwe sanctions
• Sudan - South Sudan's Kiir joins calls to delay ICC warrant
• Sudan - Sudanese president visits Darfur
• South Africa - S African police evict migrants

Americas

• U.S. - U.S. Offers a Subsidy Concession at Trade Talks
• Colombia - Vote Sought to Permit 3rd Presidential Term
• Venezuela - Chavez calls for Russia alliance
• Brazil - Brazil boom breeds new generation of millionaires
• Mexico - Kidnapped Koreans freed in Mexico

East Asia

• China - Last Three Gorges Dam migrants evacuate as water rises
• China - Bus Blasts Not Linked to Olympics, China Says
• Thailand - Thais brace for border clashes with Cambodia

Europe

• Bosnia - UK and US saw through Karadzic disguise
• Greece - Suit to Prohibit Use of 'Lesbian' Dismissed
• Bulgaria - EU to suspend funds to Bulgaria

Middle East

• Iraq - Kurds Object to Iraqi Provincial Election Law
• Iraq - Britain Plans Pullout of Most of Its Iraq Force
• Israel - Obama gives pledge on Israel ties
• Iran - Ex-Advisers Warn Against Threatening to Attack Iran

Oceania

• Australia - Australian core inflation hits 17-year high

Russia and Former Republics

• Russia - Manned spaceship design unveiled
• Russia - BP Will Withdraw Its Engineers in Russia

South Asia

• India - Rahul Gandhi's pro-nuclear speech disrupted by heckling in Indian parliament
• Pakistan - Senior Zardari security officer killed in Pakistan
• Pakistan - Taliban arrest in Pakistan raises Western hopes
• Pakistan - Action call over Pakistan missing
• Bangladesh - Bangladesh to receive $1.3bn food aid

>>Serbia - The wartime leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Radovan Karadzic, who is wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity, was arrested in a Belgrade suburb yesterday (the Guardian has his rap sheet). On the run since 1996, Karadzic had been practicing alternative medicine in the open under an elaborate disguise. He had been under surveillance for a week after a tip from a "foreign intelligence agency." He will be taken the the UN war crimes court in the Hague. Karadzic's arrest was one of the preconditions for Serbian advancement toward EU membership.

>>Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's ruling party and two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change begin negotiations today in Pretoria on a power-sharing deal. All parties signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday that committed them to two weeks of talks. It was the first time that Tsvangirai and Mugabe had met face-to-face in a decade. The NY Times thinks more pressure need be put on China, Russia, and South Africa by President Bush.

>>China - Two public buses exploded yesterday morning in Kunming, killing at least two. It is not yet known whether the perpetrators are foreign or domestic. Many residents received a text message prior to the blasts warning them off public buses.

• 99 Problems--But Carbon Neutrality Ain't One
• Security Council to Discuss Abkhazia and South Ossetia -- Again
• UN Plaza: The ICC Action Against Bashir

Africa

• Sudan - AU rejects Bashir Darfur charges
• Congo - Congo prisoners 'starve to death'
• Sierra Leone - S Leone pledges cocaine crackdown

East Asia

• China - Bid to reach trapped China miners
• China - 2 Die in Bus Blasts in Southwest China
• China - China Begins Pulling Soldiers Out of Quake Zone
• Thailand - Thai-Cambodia spat trumps ASEAN talks with big powers
• Thailand - UN help sought over temple row
• South Korea - S Korea faces another 1997, warns minister
• Myanmar - Burma cyclone 'caused $4bn in damage'

Europe

• France - Sarkozy victory as reforms are approved
• Spain - Spanish Police Arrest 8 in Basque Group Crackdown

Middle East

• Iraq - Iraq rolls out the red carpet for Obama
• Iraq - Iraq Points to Pullout in 2010
• Iraq - British troops in Iraq are set for smooth withdrawal
• Israel - Israeli, Palestinian presidents talk peace
• Israel - Final quizzing of Olmert witness
• Iran - Iran Offers 2 Pages and No Ground in Nuclear Talks
• Syria - Syria Moves Ahead in Recognizing Lebanon

Russia and Former Republics

• Russia - Russia Scorns Methadone for Heroin Addiction

South Asia

• India - India vote debate adjourned over bribery charges
• India - Upstart Party Gains Power as Major Vote Nears in India
• Pakistan - Court in Pakistan Muzzles Disgraced Nuclear Scientist
• Pakistan - Unilateral Action by U.S. a Growing Fear in Pakistan
• Nepal - Nepal Maoists to shun government
• Sri Lanka - Tigers call Colombo summit truce

>>Sudan - Today, ICC lead prosecutor Moreno Ocampo filed charges against president Omar al-Bashir for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Ocampo has charged that, through the "state apparatus," al-Bashir killed at least 35,000 directly and caused the "slow-death" of up to 265,000. Sudan is not party to the court and has refused to cooperate with any investigation. A "carefully choreographed" protest against the charges was held in Khartoum.

>>South Korea - South Korea announced today that it would recall its ambassador to Japan in protest of Japan's announcement that it would publish details about the two nations' dispute over the Dokdo/Takeshima islands in school teaching guides. In the middle school guides, the islands will be referred to as Japanese territory. The islands are uninhabitable but are surrounded by fertile fishing grounds.

>>Malaria - Researchers in Melbourne believe they may have made a major breakthrough in the fight against malaria by removing a protein that makes the parasite "sticky" and more difficult for the body to flush. The protein is one of eight that allows the parasite to attach itself to the walls of blood vessels and keep from being destroyed by the spleen.

• Giving Bashir His Day in Court
• When All Else Fails?
• Happy World Population Day
• Breaking: Sudan President to be Charged with Genocide
• Possble ICC Indictments Coming Monday
• More on the Attack on UNAMID

Africa

• Sudan - Stampede Kills 23 in Sudan Stadium
• Zimbabwe - Gordon Brown turns to EU after failed Zimbabwe vote
• Somalia - Aid groups mull leaving Somalia
• Nigeria - Nigerian jobs scramble kills 12
• Sierra Leone - Drug crew seized in Sierra Leone

Americas

• America - 9 Americans Die in Afghan Attack
• U.S. - American and British troops face a switch from Iraq to Afghanistan
• Brazil - Brazil oil workers begin strike
• Mexico - Eight shot dead in Mexico attack

East Asia

• China - China detains 100 for riot in southwestern town
• China - China detains two 'underground' Catholic priests
• South Korea - New S Korea call for North talks
• North Korea - N Korea to disable main reactor
• Thailand - Foes want Thai govt, Thaksin charged in temple row
• Japan - In Japan, Buddhism May Be Dying Out
• Malaysia - Police blockade Malaysian parliament to stop opposition attending debate

Europe

• France - Leaders mass for parade in Paris
• Italy and UK - Italy and Britain eye nuclear power potential
• Belgium - Belgians buy Budweiser brewer

Middle East

• Turkey - Turkey charges 86 for 'coup plot'
• Turkey - Five dead as Turkey battles PKK
• Israel - Israel moves Hezbollah prisoners ahead of swap
• Israel - Dispute on Paris summit wording
• Syria - Iran attack would hurt U.S., Israel: Syria's Assad
• Syria and Lebanon - Breakthrough for Syria and Lebanon in Paris

Oceania

• Australia - Pope May Apologize To Australian Victims

South Asia

• India - India left launch nuclear protest
• Pakistan - Pakistan Marble Helps Taliban Stay in Business

>>Ireland - On Friday voters in Ireland rejected the carefully negotiated Lisbon Treaty, which would have provided a much needed restructuring to the European Union's governing apparatus, by a margin of 53.4 percent to 46.6 percent. An aggressive "no" campaign appealed to voters' fears. In order to come into effect, the Treaty needs to be ratified by all 27 EU nations. Some European leaders aren't giving up.

>>China - Some areas in southern China already devastated by the May 12 earthquake are now suffering under torrential floods, which have killed at least 57 and displaced over 1.25 million. The Guangdong province, an important export area for China, has been one of the regions worst hit.

>>Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai threatened yesterday to send soldiers to fight Taliban militants in Pakistan if cross-border attacks continued. In response, Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to receive a formal protest.

• Training Telecommunications First Responders
• Security Council Condemns Eritrean Attack on Djibuti
• The Europe Effect
• Women's Struggle in Myanmar
• Talk About Chutzpah
• Improving the Clean Development Mechanism

>>Pakistan - The U.S. military hit "anti-Afghan forces" in the Gora Pai region of Pakistan with artillery last night, killing 11 Pakistani soldiers and 8 Taleban militants. Pakistan's prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani condemned the attacks, and Pakistan's military called them "cowardly." U.S. strikes on Pakistan's soil have killed over 50 people this year.

>>Afghanistan - One of history's largest drug busts occurred yesterday in Kandahar on Monday. Counter-narcotics officials in southern Afghanistan found 260 tons of hashish, the weight of 30 double-decker buses, hidden in 6-foot-deep ditches.

>>China - Teams of Taiwanese and Chinese negotiators opened talks today in Beijing to finalize a deal that would open regular charter flights between Taiwan and China and sharply increase Chinese tourism in Taiwan. Both sides have described this as a first step toward broader agreements.

>>Kenya - Peaceful elections were held for five parliamentary seats in Kenya yesterday, the outcome of which will determine who hold the majority in parliament. This was the first balloting since the disputed election last December that led to widespread ethnic violence, the death of 1,300 people, and the displacement of 300,000.

• Sec Gen Calls for Lifting Travel Restrictions on People with HIV
• UNEP's "Atlas of Our Changing Environment"
• Battling HIV/AIDS
• Peaceful Energy Revolution
• No Money, No Aircraft, No Aid

>>Somalia - At UN-led talks in Djibouti yesterday, Somalia's government signed a three-month ceasefire with the Alliance for Re-Liberation of Somalia. The ceasefire does not include many of the armed groups currently fighting the government and has been rejected by leader of the Union of Islamic Courts, Hassan Dahir Aweys. The agreement envisages the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops and their replacement by UN peacekeepers.

>>China - Yesterday, soldiers in Sichuan blasted away debris and allowed the Tangjiashan quake lake to drain, destroying the uninhabited town of Beichuan, which authorities had already planned to rebuild elsewhere. The water level in the lake fell by over 20 meters, a "decisive victory" according to Sichuan party chief Liu Qibao.

>>South Korea - Massive street protests, sparked by a deal to widen the South Korean market to U.S. beef, caused South Korea's entire cabinet to offer to resign yesterday. Concern over mad cow disease has opened the door to general discontent with President Lee's six-month-old government. Lee plans to reshuffle his government later this week.

• (Another) Boundary Commission in Abyei?
• Picking the Next High Commissioner
• A Flurry of Extraditions
• UN Plaza: Live From Khartoum

>>Zimbabwe - A report released today by Human Rights Watch states that a shadowy security politburo, which goes by "Joint Operations Command," took power in Zimbabwe shortly after President Mugabe's election defeat in March and has organized the campaign of violence against the opposition over the past few months. According to The Times of London, the report is 'corroborated by senior Western diplomats who describe the situation in Zimbabwe as a "military coup by stealth."' The report also suggests that, shortly following his defeat, Mugabe planned to step down but wasn't allowed by the JOC, which fears prosecution in a post-Mugabe Zimbabwe.

>>Venezuela - Yesterday President Hugo Chavez called for a "grand humanitarian gesture" from the new leader of FARC in the release of all remaining hostages. Analysts believe that the new leader, Alfonso Cano, will be more likely to negotiate their release.

>>Nepal - Up to 450 Tibetan exiles were detained in Kathmandu on Sunday after protesting China's crackdown in their homeland. Protests had been on hold as the Tibetan government-in-exile in India called for a hiatus in the wake of the earthquake in China.

• On that Senate Investiation Into Pre-War Iraq Intelligence
• Security, Peace, and Justice in Northern Uganda
• ICC Readying New Indictments on Darfur?
• More on the Scandal that Wasn't
• Prioritizing Gender-Based Violence
• World Environment Day: Kicking the CO2 Habit

Africa

• Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe opposition MP released
• Zimbabwe - 'Military coup' in Zimbabwe as Mugabe is forced to cede power to generals
• Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe vote 'not free and fair'
• Zimbabwe - Militias Block Zimbabwe Opposition Rally, Party Says
• Somalia - 20 Dead as Heavy Fighting Unsettles Somalia's Capital
• Somalia - Somali peace talks splutter in Djibouti
• Algeria - Algeria bombs kill 12, including French engineer
• Senegal - Talks Seek to Bridge Hamas-Fatah Rift
• Sudan - Sudan agreement on Abyei reached
• Nigeria - Opec member dismisses call for emergency meeting

Americas

• Venezuela - Chavez reverses course on citizen spying rules
• Venezuela - Chavez urges Colombian rebels to free all hostages
• U.S.A. - Treaty tensions mount as Iraq tells the US it wants all troops back in barracks
• Colombia - Tough Intellectual Takes Rebel Reins in Colombia
• Colombia - Tough Intellectual Takes Rebel Reins in Colombia

East Asia

• Japan - Japan announces plan to cut emissions
• China - Aftershock near China quake lake
• China - China seeks to quell quake parents' outrage
• South Korea - Seoul $10bn stimulus targets oil strains
• South Korea - S Korea sends beef envoys to US
• South Korea - South Korea truckers may add to president's anguish

Europe

• Greece - Quake strikes Greece, killing two, injuring 125
• Spain - Bomb targets Basque paper
• Ireland - Irish PM bids to rally EU support
• Spain - Spanish Truckers Block Border
• Italy - Marching for Roma rights in Rome
• Hungary - Historic trial replays in Hungary

Middle East

• Iraq - Turkish jets hit PKK rebel target
• Iraq - Iraq seeks to allay Iran's concern over U.S. bases
• Iraq - Iraq suicide bomber kills U.S. soldier, wounds 18
• Israel - Israel tries to play down minister's warning of attack on Iran
• Israel - US professors face hostile reception in Jerusalem
• Iran - Bush to press Europe on Iran sanctions
• Turkey - Soldier and 3 rebels killed in eastern Turkey: sources

Russia and Former Republics

• Afghanistan - Laura Bush Visits Afghanistan
• Afghanistan - BBC Afghan reporter is shot dead
• Afghanistan - British Afghanistan death toll hits 100
• Russia - BP battle for Russia oil deal to escalate
• Russia - Hopes for Court Reform Stir in Russia
• Ukraine - Battle to save 37 Ukraine miners

South Asia

• India - Marooned divers describe ordeal among world's largest lizard
• India - Climate change blamed as mango harvest goes sour in India
• India - India tribe due to hold key talks
• Nepal - 450 Tibetans Detained in Katmandu
• Pakistan - Four Pakistani police die in ambush by militants

>>Uganda, Sudan, and DR Congo - The military chiefs of Uganda, DR Congo, and Sudan cemented a deal yesterday to go after the Lord's Resistance Army and its leader Joseph Kony if peace talks fail. Uganda has called for such a multinational force in the past. Kony most recently snubbed mediators in April.

>>Zimbabwe - Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was detained and charged with violating public order while campaigning yesterday. Such charges are often dropped in Zimbabwe's courts due to lack of evidence.

>>Bangladesh - In the last few days, nearly 12,000 people, mainly politicians and businesspeople, have been arrested by the army-backed caretaker government. The administration took over in January 2007 after violent clashes between the two leading political parties, the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The recent detentions occurred soon after the leaders of those parties refused to talk with the government until they are freed from jail. Both leaders, former prime ministers, have been detained on corruption charges.

• The Effects of Global Warming on America
• Clinton, Obama, McCain United on Darfur
• IHT: Even With Access, Distributing Aid in Myanmar is a Challenge

Africa

• Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe vote should be called off says Makoni
• Sudan - Sudan accuses court of wrecking Darfur peace hopes
• Sudan - 'Whole state' behind Darfur crime
• DR Congo - DR Congo to attack Ugandan rebels
• Angola - Angola election date sparks transparency fears
• Algeria - Al Qaeda exploits anger in Algeria's Kabylie

Americas

• Brazil - Biofuel bonanza not so sweet for Brazil's sugar cane cutters
• Cuba - In Rare Study, Cubans Put Money Worries First
• Peru - Amazonian tribe to be investigated
• Argentina - Oil spill threatens Buenos Aires

East Asia

• China - China urged to release Tiananmen Square prisoners
• China - Charles takes on China to save Ming dynasty houses from Beijing's concrete carbuncles
• China - China says arrests 16 for bombings in Tibet
• China - China launches quake zone reconstruction
• Japan - Japan PM faces likely censure but seen keeping job
• South Korea - South Korea Opposition Boycotts Legislature
• Myanmar - Myanmar arrests activist as U.S. aid ships leave
• Thailand - New trafficking law for Thailand

Europe

• Germany - German shops running out of milk
• Slovenia - Slovenia nuclear alert after leak
• Spain - Zapatero calls for unity on migration

Middle East

• Iraq - Three US soldiers shot dead in Iraq
• Iraq - 18 Killed in Baghdad When Truck Explodes
• Israel - Obama pledges support for Israel
• Israel - Palestinian Urges E.U. to Snub Israel
• Israel - Bush Meets With Olmert, Warns Again About Iran
• Israel - Gaza rocket kills one at kibbutz
• Syria - Assad says Syria may open embassy in Lebanon
• Syria - Syria says Israel terms signal not serious on peace
• Iran - Developing states back U.N. probe of Iran bomb claims
• United Arab Emirates - UAE sends foreign minister to Iraq
• Turkey - Turkish court considers headscarf ruling

Oceania

• Australia - Apology after Afghan sex claims
• Australia - Rudd moots EU-style Asia-Pac bloc

Russia and Former Republics

• Russia - Medvedev heads to Germany on first W. Europe trip

South Asia

• India - Hindu freedom fighter to be India's 'Statue of Liberty'
• India - India strike over fuel price rise
• Pakistan - 'Al-Qaeda' claims Pakistan attack
• Bangladesh - Nearly 12,000 Are Arrested in Roundup in Bangladesh
• Nepal - Nepal's ex-king given new palace
• Sri Lanka - Many wounded in Colombo blast

>>Syria - The International Atomic Energy Agency announced yesterday that Syria's government will allow nuclear inspectors visit the site bombed by Israel in September 2007. Syria has denied that the site was a nuclear reactor, but many including the U.S. government believe otherwise. Soon after the attack, Syria wiped the site clean and began rebuilding a new structure, steps that investigators say will complicate their work. The visit will occur June 22 to 24.

>>North Korea - Yesterday, an external panel cleared the UN Development program of any wrongdoing in North Korea and dismissed "without merit" the allegations of a former contract employee who claimed to have been negatively affected after blowing the whistle on the agency. These findings echo those of a U.S. Senate subcommittee released this January. The central allegation was that UNDP spent $2.7 million in hard currency in North Korea that then ended up in the hands of entities suspected of money laundering and arms dealing.

>>Pakistan - Eight were killed and 25 injured yesterday in Islamabad when a car bomb exploded outside the Danish embassy, the second attack targeting foreigners in the last few months. Pakistan's government recently signed a series of peace deals with Islamic militants in tribal areas.

• The Effects of Global Warming on America
• Clinton, Obama, McCain United on Darfur
• IHT: Even With Access, Distributing Aid in Myanmar is a Challenge

Africa

• Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe blocks 'political' aid
• South Africa - Top judge accused of meddling in Zuma corruption case
• Sudan - AU and U.N. to name joint Darfur mediator: U.N.
• Nigeria - Nigeria seizes 80 tonnes of drugs
• Somalia - Islamists Demand Timetable
• Gambia - Two held in Gambia on gay charges

Americas

• U.S.A. - Bush criticises Senate emissions reduction bill
• Colombia - OAS says will probe Colombian rebel computer files
• U.S.A. - Nato 'needs more' in Afghanistan
• U.S.A. - US to impose stricter visa rule
• Mexico - Suspected drug gangs kill mayor in western Mexico
• Argentina - Argentine farmers extend strike
• Bolivia - Bolivia grabs control of gas firm
• Brazil - Food summit heads for biofuels clash
• Colombia - Colombian mudslide kills 26

East Asia

• China - China Lists Do's and Dont's for Olympics-Bound Foreigners
• China - China urged to free Tiananmen-era prisoners
• China - Police break up protest by parents of China earthquake victims
• China - Pandas recover from trauma after China earthquake
• China - China Sanctions Lawyers Offering to Help Tibetans
• China - China forced to wait days for draining of quake lake
• South Korea - S Korea seeks beef deal change
• South Korea - No honeymoon for unpopular S.Korean president
• South Korea - Gates Backs 3-Year Tours for U.S. Troops in South Korea
• Japan - Whalemeat traders 'defying ban'
• Japan - Tokyo governor leads on climate
• Thailand - Thai shares dip amid coup rumours
• Thailand - Protests Shake a Divided Thailand
• Thailand - Coup no answer to Thailand's political mess: general
• Myanmar - Myanmar Rulers Still Impeding Access
• Myanmar - Aid groups to press Myanmar on camp evictions, red tape
• Malaysia - Malaysia's era of political stability ends
• Malaysia - Malaysia to let fuel prices rise
• Indonesia - Indonesia hardliner in war threat

Europe

• France - French train hits school bus, 7 children killed
• Spain - Catalonia in plea for funding
• Spain - Warming Leads to Water Shortage and 'Africanization' of Spain
• Macedonia - Macedonian poll 'unsatisfactory'
• Greece - Harsh treatment awaits children fleeing war and persecution
• Germany - Three die in floods in southern Germany
• Slovakia - Ministers clear Slovak euro entry

Middle east

• Israel - Abbas-Olmert in new peace talks
• Israel - Ahmadinejad says Israel will 'disappear'
• Israel - On Stand, Imam Tells of Tor