PolitInfo.com: Current Events

July 4, 2005

Burundians go to the polls to vote for representatives in their parliament, who will then select the country's next president. The elections are part of a peace agreement to end more than a decade of war. The Hutu group Forces for the Defense of Democracy is widely expected to lead. The Hutu Forces for National Liberation, the only rebel group not to join the peace process, had promised the United Nations that it would not attack or disrupt the elections unless provoked. .(News24) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
The fifth African Union heads-of-state summit opens in Libya. High on the A.U. summit agenda is a message the 53-member body intends to send to the Group of Eight meeting later this week. The African heads of state are also expected to ratify a declaration calling for two permanent and five non-permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council. (PolitInfo)
Albania's opposition took an early lead today as officials released preliminary results of parliamentary elections held on Sunday. Early returns showed leader of the opposition Democratic Party Sali Berisha had a slight lead over the ruling Socialists. Final results are expected on Tuesday. International observers have expressed reservations about the voting process. Three people have been killed during the election, including an election official (Reuters) (Guardian Unlimited) (PolitInfo)
Early Results from general elections held at the weekend in Mauritius show.the main opposition Social Alliance, led by Navin Ramgoolam, had taken the lead in the national ballot. (PolitInfo)
The U.S. military acknowledges that an "unknown" number of civilians were killed in a recent U.S. air strike in Afghanistan's Kunar province. The admission came after the governor of the eastern province, Assadulah Wafa, told reporters that 17 civilians were killed during the raid carried out during a search for missing U.S. troops. (PolitInfo)
The Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the country's current opposition party that ruled for over 70 years, has won elections for the governor of the country's most populated state, Mexico. (BBC) (PolitInfo)

July 3, 2005

Gunmen in Iraq kidnapp an Egyptian diplomat, widely expected to be the country's first Arab ambassador since the Iraqi interim government was formed in April. (Guardian) (PolitInfo)
Albanians are voting in parliamentary elections, with a tight race expected between the ruling Socialists and opposition Democratic party. Final results are expected Tuesday (Reuters) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
In Pristina, Kosovo, three bombs explode almost at the same time. They explode near Kosovo's parliament building and European Agency for Reconstruction building; at the Commercial Bank near the OSCE building; and local United Nations peacekeeping headquarters. No injuries are reported. (B92) (Reuters AlertNet)
Officials in Saudi Arabia say security forces there have killed the leader of the al-Qaida terrorist group in the kingdom. (PolitInfo)
The Israeli Cabinet votes 18-to-3 to reject a proposal to delay the Gaza pullout by six months. The decision clears the way for the withdrawal to begin on schedule in mid-August. (PolitInfo)
In Mauritius, parliamentary elections begin. The main rivals are prime minister Paul Berenger of the Mauritian Militant Movement and Navin Ramgoolam of the opposition Social Alliance (IOL) (BBC)

July 2, 2005

African Union foreign ministers have developed a plan that would give the continent two permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. The ministers decided on the plan during a meeting in the Libyan resort city of Sirte. In addition to the permanent seats, Africa wants three non-permanent members on the council. (PolitInfo)
A series of insurgent attacks across Iraq kills at least 30 people, including a number of police recruits. (PolitInfo)
As many as 200,000 people -- many wearing white -- form a human chain around Scotland's medieval capital of Edinburgh, pressing for action against African poverty at next week's G8 summit at the nearby Gleneagles resort. (PolitInfo)
Turkish officials say six people were killed and several others injured as a bomb ripped through a train in eastern Turkey. Officials say suspected Kurdish rebels planted the explosives on the railway tracks. (PolitInfo)
A bomb attack on a United Nations convoy in Afghanistan kills six local security personnel. (PolitInfo)
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas asks Hamas to join his Cabinet to help ensure a peaceful Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip next month. (PolitInfo)
The Live 8 concerts begin their globe-spanning tour in Tokyo. Several famous artists and musical groups are joining in this effort to raise awareness about poverty and AIDS in the leadup to the G8 summit and on the anniversary of the 1985 Live Aid concerts. (Wired) (Globe and Mail) (LA Times) (PolitInfo). Related information: (Live 8 home page)

July 1, 2005

In Germany, the Bundestag passes a motion of no confidence in the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder by 296 to 151. The vote, at Schröder's insistence, opens the way for new elections. (Deutsche Welle) (IHT) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
A suspected suicide bomber said to be targeting Turkey's Justice Minister is shot dead after he tried to set off an explosive device, Turkish officials say. (PolitInfo)
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi summons the U.S. ambassador and demands that the United States fully respect his country's sovereignty. The meeting between Mr. Berlusconi and Ambassador Mel Sembler focused on the alleged CIA kidnapping of a radical Muslim cleric in Milan in 2003. (PolitInfo)
A French court finds a Mauritanian military officer guilty of torture in his own country, applying for the first time a doctrine allowing foreigners to be prosecuted for crimes committed anywhere in the world. (PolitInfo)
The UK assumes the rotating presidency of the European Union. British Prime Minister Tony Blair announces an informal summit of European Union leaders to consider the future direction of the troubled alliance. (BBC News) (PolitInfo)

June 30, 2005

Spain's parliament votes to legalize same-sex marriages, the third European country to do so after the Netherlands and Belgium, and in the same week as Canada. The bill passed by a margin of 40 votes, with 187 votes in favor, 147 opposed, and four abstentions. (BBC News) (PolitInfo)
The Sudanese government lifts its ban on an opposition party and frees the party's prominent leader, Hassan al-Turabi, who had been in detention for more than a year. Sudan's long-running state of emergency has also been lifted in most areas of the country. (Middle East Online) (Al-Jazeera) (PolitInfo)
Thousands of people take to the streets of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, calling for the resignation of the transitional government. But the demonstrations turn violent when security forces clamp down on the protests, firing live rounds and tear gas, killing several people, injuring dozens, and arresting hundreds more. (BBC) (PolitInfo)
An Italian cabinet minister denies that the government had prior knowledge of the alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian imam, carried out by CIA operatives in Milan in 2003. (PolitInfo)
The U.S. Defense Department is now reporting that all 16 servicemen on a U.S. helicopter shot down in Afghanistan on Tuesday died in the incident. (PolitInfo)
Israeli soldiers storm a beachfront hotel in Gaza to dislodge Jewish extremists. The raid followed a military order to temporarily close Gaza settlements to stop extremists from entering the area. (PolitInfo)
In Lebanon, former Minister of Finance, Fouad Siniora is appointed prime minster.
Time Magazine says that it will hand over records in compliance with a court order in the investigation of the leak of a covert CIA operative's name. This decision in the matter of Valerie Plame could avoid jail time for one of its reporters, Matthew Cooper. (Time) (PolitInfo)

June 29, 2005

International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo states that they have credible evidence of crimes against humanity in Darfur. (BBC) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
A Belgian jury finds two Rwandans, Etienne Nzabonimana and Samuel Ndashyikirwa, guilty of involvement in the Rwandan genocide. (News24) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
The warring parties in Ivory Coast agree to start disarming immediately, in an effort to revive their country's stalled peace process. The agreement is reached after two days of talks in Pretoria, South Africa. (PolitInfo)
The United Nations says it needs $ 2.6 billion to meet urgent humanitarian needs for tens of millions of people in 29 countries, most of them in Africa. (PolitInfo)
In Ethiopia, the government promises to rerun some elections in constituencies where there have been allegaions of election fraud (IOL) (Reuters AlertNet) (PolitInfo)
One Israeli soldier and one Hezbollah fighter are killed, when guerillas fired rockets on Israeli military positions, and Israeli warplanes bombed targets in a village nearby. (BBC) (PolitInfo)
In Serbia, Belgrade court convicts 10 officials from the government of Slobodan Milošević for an assassination attempt against then-opposition leader Vuk Drasković. they include special police commander Milorad Ulemek and chief of state security Radomir Marković (B92) (Reuters AlertNet) (PolitInfo)
Venezuela forms Petrocaribe, an energy cooperation pact with 13 Caribbean states to suplly them with cheaper oil. Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados opt out (Caribbean Net News) (Reuters) (Bloomberg) (PolitInfo)
International Federation for Human Rights demands that International Criminal Court investigate human rights abuses of Colombian paramilitary group Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) (World peace Herald) (BBC)

June 28, 2005

Bill C-38 passes through the Canadian House of Commons, placing Canada on track to become the third country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, likely by July. (CBC) (PolitInfo)
Guinea-Bissau's former president Kumba Yala declares that he accepts the results of presidential elections in the country "in the interest of peace and democracy" but still insists that he actually won. No candidate has won 50% of the vote and the next round of elections commences in July. (Reuters SA) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
The head of U.N. peacekeeping operations says conditions in parts of Haiti are worse than in Sudan's devastated Darfur region. Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno expresses concern that even a newly strengthened peacekeeping force may be unable to provide security for upcoming elections in Haiti's lawless regions. (PolitInfo)
In Egypt presidential candidate Ayman Nour pleads not guilty in forging signatures in his party's registration. His supporters demonstrate outside the courthouse. Nour is regarded as the main rival canditate to incumbent president Hosni Mubarak. (Arab News) (Al-Jazeera) (BBC) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
Ugandan parliament votes to remove the law that limits presidential terms to two 5-year terms. Opposition critics say that it intended to make Yoweri Museveni President-for-life. Police disperses opposition demonstrators with tear gas. (BBC) (Reuters) (Reuters AlertNet) (PolitInfo)
Baghdad police say a suicide car bomber has killed a prominent Shi'ite member of Iraq's parliament, along with his son and three bodyguards. (PolitInfo)
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warns opponents of his disengagement plan against using violence. The warning comes amid increasing concerns about possible civil unrest as Israel prepares to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and small portions of the West Bank (PolitInfo)

June 27, 2005

The human-rights group, Amnesty International, is warning that the forcible return of Burundian refugees from camps in Tanzania could destabilize Burundi's fragile peace process. (PolitInfo)
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has called for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council after meeting with U.S. President Bush at the White House. (PolitInfo)
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has issued a call for renewing the mission of the United Nations on the 60th anniversary of its founding. (PolitInfo)
U.S. rights groups say the government jailed scores of U.S.-based Muslim men without charges after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (PolitInfo)
Nepalese Officials say Maoist guerrillas have abducted 90 high school students from a remote village in Western Nepal, while the country's former prime minister, at odds with the king, has been cleared of corruption charges. (PolitInfo)
In the Philippines, president Gloria Arroyo apologizes and admits that she took a phonecall to an election official during the presidential elections last. She denies any vote fixing and refuses to resign. (Manila Bulletin (Sun Star) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
Israeli military tribunal convicts ex-soldier Wahid Taysir of manslaughter for killing British peace activist Tom Hurndall in April 2003. (Jerusalem Post) (Ha'aretz) (Times) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
The Sudanese government has filed a complaint with the United Nations against its neighbor, Eritrea, for Eritrea's alleged support of rebel groups operating in eastern Sudan. (PolitInfo)
Kenya releases three men suspected of conspiracy to a suicide bombing in 2002 and links to al Qaeda. (BBC) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)

June 26, 2005

In Iraq, more than 30 are killed in series of suicide bombings. (London Times) (NY Times) (PolitInfo)
Elections in Bulgaria: The Socialists win a plurality with 31.44% of the vote, with defending Prime Minister and ex-Tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg receiving 20.13%. Despite the plurality, the results fall far short of pre-election forecasts for the Socialists. (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
Demonstrators rally near Egypt's security police headquarters to demand the resignation of the country's interior minister and the prosecution of security officers whom they accuse of torture. (PolitInfo)
A Syrian court has acquitted a leading human rights activist of various accusations of anti-government activity, dropping all charges against him. (PolitInfo)

June 25, 2005

In Iran, the hardline Mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wins Friday's run-off election for the nation's presidency with 62% of the vote. (BBC) (Bloomberg News) (PolitInfo)
An Italian judge ordes the arrest of 13 people linked to the CIA on charges of kidnapping terrorism suspect Abu Omar allegedly in order to have him tortured in Egypt. (IHT) (PolitInfo)
At least 19 Iraqis, including eight policemen, and six U.S. military personnel are killed in separate attacks in Iraq. (PolitInfo)
Elections in Bulgaria: The people of Bulgaria are voting today and the government of Prime Minister Simeon Sakskoburggotski, the country's former Tsar, is expected to be defeated. (Reuters) (PolitInfo)

June 24, 2005

The UN Security Council agrees to send 850 extra troops to war-divided Ivory Coast, but the reinforcements fell short of the 2,000 soldiers that UN officials said were necessary to keep the peace in the run-up to presidential elections. (PolitInfo)
At least two people have been reported killed and several injured in Guinea-Bissau during clashes between demonstrators and police following the release of election results. (PolitInfo)
In Iran, second round of voting begins in presidential elections between candidates Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (IRNA) (Iran Focus) (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
A rebel movement operating in eastern Sudan claims that the Sudanese government is bombing areas in Red Sea state, killing and injuring civilians in the process. (PolitInfo)
The Sri Lankan government signs a deal to share three billion dollars in tsunami aid with Tamil Tiger rebels. The agreement is expected to speed up reconstruction of tsunami-hit areas and boost a stalled peace process with the rebels. But political groups opposed to the Tamil Tigers are protesting the aid deal. (PolitInfo)
Sir Donald Tsang is sworn in as the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong in the Great Hall of the People following his appointment by the Election Committee. (BBC) (PolitInfo)
21 people die in clashes between government troops and rebels of the Maoist Communist Centre in the state of Bihar, India. (The Hindu) (BBC)

June 23, 2005

Four special U.N. human-rights Investigators renew a request they made one-year ago to the U.S. government to be allowed to visit terror suspects detained at Guantanamo Bay and other facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. The human-rights experts say they will conduct a joint investigation on the situation of detainees at Guantanamo even if they are not allowed to visit. (PolitInfo)
The U.N. Security Council is boosting the size of the Ivory Coast peacekeeping force in advance of October elections.
The Security Council agrees to add 850 troops and more than 350 police officers to the 6,000 peacekeepers already in Ivory Coast. A vote authorizing the increase is set for Friday. (PolitInfo)
Iraqi police say a series of car bomb blasts in the capital has killed some 35 people and wounded dozens more. In Baghdad Thursday morning, officials said at least three car bombs exploded within minutes of each other, killing at least 17 people near Shi'ite mosques in a commercial district. Wednesday night, several near-simultaneous car bomb blasts hit another Shi'ite district in Baghdad, killing at least 18 people (PolitInfo)
A new international poll reveals that anti-American feelings remain high in several parts of the world, two years after the United States' invasion of Iraq. In 10 of the countries surveyed, the majority of the public held unfavorable views of the United States. (PolitInfo)
In Indonesia, the team that is investigating the death of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib states that the Indonesian intelligence agency BIN may be involved. Munir died of arsenic poisoning en route to the Netherlands on September 7, 2004. (Channel News Asia) (PolitInfo)
More than 200 human rights and civic groups are condemning the Zimbabwe government's campaign to demolish illegal houses and businesses. (PolitInfo)
After three days of talks, senior North and South Korean delegates fail to agree on a date for renewed multi-national nuclear weapons talks. But they restate their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the issue, and announce a number of new North-South cooperation initiatives. (PolitInfo)
The moratorium on Japanese coastal whaling is going to remain in place. The International Whaling Commission sank Japan's request to catch up to 150 minke whales off its northern Pacific coast. (PolitInfo)
In Spain, regional Basque parliament elects Juan Jose Ibarretxe as their new president (EITB) (Berria) (Reuters AlertNet)
Cameroon accuses Nigeria of attacks in the disputed and oil-rich Bakassi peninsula (BBC) (Reuters AlertNet) (PolitInfo)

June 22, 2005

A new report, published by Amnesty International, Oxfam, and the International Action Network on Small Arms, says the world’s industrialized countries are selling arms to governments that abuse human rights. (PolitInfo)
The United States presents the U.N. General Assembly a seven-point plan for reforming the world body. The proposal calls for a limited, criteria-based Security Council enlargement. (PolitInfo)
Guinea-Bissau's electoral commission announces the results of last Sunday's presidential election. Election officials say former leaders Malam Bacai Sanha and Joao Vieira were the two top vote-getters, but neither got a majority, which means there will have to be a second round of polling. (PolitInfo)
The United Nations Security Council votes to send 750 more peacekeepers to Haiti for elections and extend the UN mandate to February 15, 2006 (UN News Centre) (ReliefWeb) (PolitInfo)
African Union mediated talks aimed at finding a peaceful solution to Sudan's Darfur conflict have stalled because of rebel objections to Chad as a co-mediator. The rebels also object to people accused of war crimes in Darfur being tried in a special court, set up by the Sudanese government. (PolitInfo)
The results of a referendum to change Chad's constitution have been announced with a large majority in favor of allowing sitting President Idriss Deby to run for a third term. Opposition leaders quickly denounced the results, charging massive fraud, and calling for public demonstrations. (Reuters SA) (PolitInfo)
Somalia's interim government has begun establishing itself in the town of Jowhar, where it will be based until security is restored in the capital, Mogadishu (PolitInfo)
In South Africa, president Thabo Mbeki names energy and minerals minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as his deputy president. She is also the first woman in the position (SABC) (Reuters SA) (PolitInfo)

June 21, 2005

A meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ends in disappointment with the Palestinians saying it did not meet their expectations. The meeting was overshadowed by an increase in violence in recent days and a resumption of large Israeli security operations. (PolitInfo)
The U.N. Security Council extends sanctions against Liberia, saying the country's government has failed to control illegal diamond sales. (PolitInfo)
For the second day in a row, rebels in eastern Sudan have carried out attacks against government forces there to protest what they say is long-running neglect by Khartoum. (PolitInfo)
Togo's prime minister announces the country's new cabinet. Despite pressure from the international community to form a government that would include the opposition, most key posts have gone to supporters of new President Faure Gnassingbe.
(PolitInfo)
Members of the International Whaling Commission vote down a Japanese effort to overturn a 19-year ban on hunting whales for profit. (PolitInfo)
In Lebanon, a remote control bomb that had been placed under the passenger seat of his car kills anti-Syrian politician George Hawi, former secretary general of Lebanese Communist Party (Daily Star) (Al-JAzeera) (IHT) (PolitInfo)
The White House rejects calls by opposition Democrats for an independent commission to probe allegations of detainee abuse at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (PolitInfo)
In the Philippines, congress begins an inquiry into allegations that president Gloria Arroyo had rigged votes in last year's presidential elections. President states that shell comemnt the process later. Her supporters and the opposition demonstrate in Manila (Manila Times) (Channel News Asia) (PolitInfo)

June 20, 2005

The anti-Syrian opposition coalition in Lebanon swept the fourth and final round of parliamentary elections, held on Sunday, and has secured a majority in the new parliament. (Yahoo!) (PolitInfo)
Election officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo are registering the first of an estimated 30 million voters who will take part in post-war elections next year. (PolitInfo)
An international medical aid agency says the Sudanese government has dropped charges against two of its officials over a report of rape in Darfur. (PolitInfo)
A Suicide bomber in Iraq kills 13 policemen, and injured more than 100 people, in the city of Irbil, northern Iraq. (PolitInfo)
A U.S.-based rights group says the majority of the nearly 700,000 children in Indonesia employed as domestic workers are being routinely abused and exploited. Human Rights Watch is urging the government to acknowledge the problem and implement regulations. (PolitInfo)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: (PolitInfo)
- One Israeli is killed in West Bank ambush after Palestinian militants shot his car. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, calling it retaliation for arrests of Islamic Jihad members. (Ynet) (Haaretz)
- An unarmed Palestinian teenager is shot by Israelis in a closed border area of the Gaza Strip, and killed according to Palestinian sources. (BBC ) (Al-Jazeera)

June 19, 2005

Polls closed in Guinea-Bissau's presidential election, which monitors say was largely free and fair. (PolitInfo)
Voters are going to the polls in northern Lebanon where the fourth and final round of parliamentary elections is underway. (PolitInfo)
A suicide-bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives, blew himself up at a Baghdad restaurant popular with Iraqi police and army personnel, killing at least 23 people. (PolitInfo)

June 18, 2005

Voters in Iran will have to go to the polls for a runoff election to determine, which of the top two finishers in Friday's election will be president. The runoff pits a moderate former president former (Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani) against a hard-line conservative (Mahmood Ahmadinejad). (PolitInfo)
The Sudanese government signs a reconciliation deal with one of the country's largest opposition groups. Vice President Ali Osman Taha signs the accord with the leader of the National Democratic Alliance, Mohammed Osman, in Cairo, Egypt.
The National Democratic Alliance, or NDA, is an umbrella group that includes 13 mainly northern political parties. (PolitInfo)
Azerbaijan's three main opposition parties hold their second mass protest in two weeks. Thousands demonstrate in Baku demanding free and fair parliamentary elections in November and President Ilham Aliyev's resignation. (PolitInfo)

June 17, 2005

A two-day European Union summit in Brussels collapses in acrimony over the bloc's long-term budget, prompting EU leaders to say the union is now in deep crisis. The failure to agree on a budget follows the decisive rejection of the bloc's constitution by French and Dutch voters. (PolitInfo)
Polls open in Iran, where seven candidates are on the ballot to succeed outgoing President Mohammad Khatami.. Iran's interior minister says the presidential election will likely head to a runoff with no candidate winning more than 50 percent of the vote. (Middle East Online) (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters) (IHT) (PolitInfo)
The Democratic Republic of Congo's transitional government's mandate is extended by at least another six months. But the head of the electoral commission also announces that the first elections in 40 years will not take place before the middle of next year. (PolitInfo)
Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has put parts of Ivory Coast under military rule saying heightened security is needed before scheduled October elections. (PolitInfo)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il says he may return to multinational talks on his country's nuclear weapons program as early as next month. (PolitInfo)
The United Nations refugee agency says the global number of refugees fell four percent in 2004, with many people returning to Afghanistan, Iraq and former war-torn countries in Africa. But the UNHCR also reports there are about 25 million internally displaced people around the world. That is about 2.5 times the number of refugees. (PolitInfo)
In Kyrgyzstan, hundreds of protesters seize a government building in the capital of Bishkek. They support presidential candidate Urmat Baryaktadasov, who was denied registration because the government says he is also a citizen of Kazakhstan. Police later seized the building. (RIA Novosti) (CNN) (Guardian Unlimited) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
The Supreme Court of the Republic of China rejects the opposition's appeal to nullify the results of the 2004 presidential election. Chen Shui-bian won the election by a narrow majority. (Channel News Asia) (Bloomberg)

June 16, 2005

European Union leaders agreed to extend the deadline for ratification of the bloc's embattled constitution following its rejection by voters in France and the Netherlands. They say that the ratification process must continue. But they say the November 2006 deadline for the constitution's approval by all countries is no longer tenable and that nations that have not yet voted on it need more time to gain public backing. (PolitInfo)
The government of Burundi has endorsed a UN plan to set up a truth and reconciliation commission as part of the country’s peace process. Years of civil war involving Tutsi and Hutu have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. (PolitInfo)
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees says thousands of refugees have fled to southern Chad to escape fighting between government and armed groups in the Central African Republic. (PolitInfo)
Ethiopian authorities release 360 people held during a government crackdown on election-related protests. (PolitInfo)
Conflict in Iraq:
- Five U.S. Marines die from a roadside bomb in Ramadi, Western Iraq. (BBC) (PolitInfo)
- Shi'ite negotiators in Iraq have announced a compromise deal that will place 25 more Sunnis on the pan-Iraqi committee drafting a new constitution. (PolitInfo)
The head of one of Senegal's minor opposition parties is released more than two weeks after his arrest on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. His detainment under a controversial constitutional article has tarnished the country's image as a democratic leader in the region, human rights activists say. (PolitInfo)
The Bush administration says it supports the addition of "two or so" new permanent members to the U.N. Security Council - one of them Japan - while adding two or three non-permanent members. It said a broader expansion could dilute the effectiveness of the council. (PolitInfo)

June 15, 2005

Amnesty International appeals for the suspension of all foreign military aid to Nepal's royal government until it stops what the group says are widespread killings and torture in the fight against Maoist rebels. (PolitInfo)
Delegates attending the International Labor Organization's annual conference in Geneva are calling for a global alliance against forced labor. (PolitInfo)
Britain suspends a planned increase in aid to Ethiopia over post-election violence that has left at least 36 people dead. The Ethiopian government says it is hopeful that a declaration it signed with the political opposition to renew a peace agreement will end post-election violence in the country. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch issues a warning that the government's crackdown on unrest has spread across the country. (PolitInfo) (PolitInfo)
Conflict in Iraq:
- A suicide bomber wearing an Iraqi army uniform kills at least 23 Iraqi soldiers and wounds nearly 30 others in a dining hall on an army base north of Baghdad. (PolitInfo)
- A leading American newspaper says police and security forces in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk have abducted hundreds of Arabs and Turkmens - sometimes with the knowledge of U.S. forces in the region. (PolitInfo)
- An Australian engineer held hostage for six weeks by insurgents in Iraq has been freed after a rescue mission by Iraqi and U.S. forces. (PolitInfo)
Venezuela hands U.S. officials an extradition request for a Cuban exile who Caracas accuses of bombing a Cuban airliner nearly 30 years ago. (Reuters) (BBC) (PolitInfo)

June 14, 2005

Conflict in Iraq: 23 people die following a suicide bombing in Kirkuk, northern Iraq. A car-bomb in the central Iraqi city of Baquba kills at least six . (BBC) (PolitInfo)
Sudan rejects the UN's decision to use the International Criminal Court to try criminals in relation to the atrocities of the Darfur conflict, and instead opens its own recently-created special court. (Al-Jazeera) (ReliefWeb) (ISN) (PolitInfo)
Jacob Zuma, Executive Deputy President of South Africa, is fired for being implicated in a high-profile corruption trial. (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
Bolivia's interim President Eduardo Rodriguez names a transition cabinet, and renews his pledge to hold new presidential elections by the end of the year. (PolitInfo)
The Supreme Court of Argentina declares unconstitutional two laws that granted immunity to Dirty War human rights abusers. (Bloomberg)
Philippine military officials say at least 10 soldiers have been killed in an ambush by suspected communist rebels in the northern Philippines. (PolitInfo)

June 13, 2005

A powerful bomb explodes in Indian Kashmir, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 70 others. (PolitInfo)
Ivory Coast's rebels say they will not begin disarming by the end of the month as required under a South African mediated peace deal. The decision puts a planned October presidential election in serious doubt as many now say there is not enough time to prepare. (PolitInfo)
Lebanon's Christian leader and ex-army chief, Michel Aoun, has won a huge victory in the third round of parliamentary elections, held on Sunday. (PolitInfo)
EU foreign ministers approve a pact adapting the EU customs union with Turkey, to the 10 new members, including Cyprus. (PolitInfo)
Swedish diplomat Jan Eliasson is unanimously elected President of the United Nations General Assembly. He will take over the presidency on September 20, 2005. (UN News)
A low voter turnout in Italy invalidates a referendum on the law regulating assisted fertility. (Reuters) (BBC) (IHT) (PolitInfo)
The International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors re-appoints Mohamed ElBaradei as Director General of the agency for another four-year term. (PolitInfo)
The last Australian peacekeeping troops leave East Timor. (SBS) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)

June 12, 2005

To mark the fourth World Day against Child Labor, the International Labor Organization is calling for the elimination of some of the worst, most hazardous forms of child labor. The ILO estimates nearly one-quarter of a billion children around the world have to work to make a living. (PolitInfo)
A series of Bombs strike the Iranian cities of Ahwaz and Tehran, leaving 8 people dead and dozens wounded. There has been no claim of responsibility. (BBC) (PolitInfo)
Conflict in Iraq:
- French officials say a French journalist held hostage in Iraq for five months has been released along with her Iraqi driver. (PolitInfo)
- 28 bodies, believed to mainly be Sunni Arabs, have been found in Baghdad sidestreets. (BBC) (AP) (PolitInfo)
- Four US Soldiers die from two roadside bombs in Baghdad, bringing the total death toll of US troops to over 1,700. (Associated Press)
In Lebanon, preliminary results of Parliamentary election show increased support for pro-Syrian parties. (Daily Star) (ABC) (IHT) (PolitInfo)
Kuwait appoints first female cabinet minister, Massuma al-Mubarak (Al-Jazeera) (Arab News) (IHT) (PolitInfo)
Kurdish parliament in Northern Iraq elects Masoud Barzani as a president of the region (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
Ethiopian opposition appeals for calm after the last week's protests (Reuters AlertNet) (PolitInfo)

June 11, 2005

The G8 anounces the cancellation of the multilateral debt of the eighteen poorest countries of the World (BBC) (PolitInfo)
The international aid group Doctors Without Borders says two of its employees, who were kidnapped last week in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been released. (PolitInfo)
Ethiopia's main opposition leader says the government has put him under house arrest. The detainment comes despite an agreement Friday between the government and opposition parties to work together to end recent violence sparked by election results. (PolitInfo)
At least two dozen people are being killed, in a series of attacks in the Baghdad area of Iraq. (PolitInfo)
Authorities in Nepal say Maoist rebels have opened fire on a crowded public bus, killing at least eight people and wounding several others. (PolitInfo)

June 10, 2005

Delegations representing Sudan's government, and Darfur's two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement, or SLM, and the Justice and Equality Movement, known as JEM, begin meetings in Abuja, Nigeria. (PolitInfo)
Bolivia's new interim president, Eduardo Rodriguez, vows to call early elections and says he wants to help heal a nation that has been paralyzed by weeks of protests. (PolitInfo)
The Ethiopian Government rejects a call by a human rights group to set up an impartial investigation to look into this week’s fatal shootings and wounding of demonstrators. Amnesty International has called on the government to stop what it calls police violence and set up an independent and impartial commission of inquiry. (PolitInfo)
Police in Kyrgyzstan say unknown gunmen have shot dead a leading parliamentarian in the capital, Bishkek. (PolitInfo)
Iraqi police say a car bomb has killed at least five people and wounded 17 others in Baghdad, The U.S military says a roadside bomb killed five Marines Thursday in Iraq's western Anbar province. Also in Anbar, police found the bodies of 21 Iraqi men who were apparently executed. (PolitInfo)

June 9, 2005

The Bolivian Congress accepts the resignation of Carlos Mesa and names Supreme Court justice Eduardo Rodríguez as the new interim president (Bloomberg) (Reuters AlertNet) (PolitInfo)
NATO defense ministers approve an operation to airlift extra African Union troops to Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region, the alliance's first mission to Africa. (PolitInfo)
Human Rights Watch, reports that hundreds of thousands of people in Burma have been displaced due to the targeting of ethnic minorities by the Burmese army. The report says the situation is worst in Eastern Burma, where, since 2002, about 100,000 members of the Karen minority have been displaced. (PolitInfo)
Burundi's election board says a former Hutu rebel group has won last week's local elections. The Hutu-led Forces for the Defense of Democracy won about 55 percent of local government positions, taking nearly 1,800 of the 3,225 seats up for grabs. (PolitInfo)
Israel's Supreme Court rules that the government's Gaza withdrawal plan is constitutional, removing the last legal obstacle to the pullout, which is due to begin in mid-August. (PolitInfo)
A newly released United Nations report. the 2005 Millennium Development Goals report, documents unprecedented gains against poverty in Asia. But the improvement in Asia is offset by worsening conditions in southern Africa. (PolitInfo)
Italian Clementina Cantoni a worker with CARE International who was held hostage in Afghanistan is released unharmed. (Reuters AlertNet) (PolitInfo)
In Syria, the ruling Baath party votes to end the state of emergency that has lasted for 40 years. (Al-Jazeera) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
Protesters in Bolivia take over seven oil fields managed by British Petroleum and Repsol. (IHT) (PolitInfo)
Togolese president Faure Gnassingbé names Edem Kodjo as prime minister. Togo's opposition rejects the naming of the new prime minister, saying it does nothing to support reconciliation after months of violence and turmoil following the February death of the late, long-time leader, Gnassingbe Eyadema. (Republique Togolaise) (BBC) (Reuters AlertNet) (PolitInfo)

June 8, 2005

Four countries campaigning for permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council drop their demand for veto power. Japan, Germany, India and Brazil revised a draft General Assembly resolution that would increase the size of the U.N. Security Council from 15 to 25 members, but the four candidate countries say they would drop the veto demand for at least 15 years. (PolitInfo)
Ethiopian general elections: At least 26 Ethiopians are killed at demonstrations in Addis Ababa between police and students who accuse the ruling party of fraud in last month's general elections. (News 24, South Africa) (Guardian) (PolitInfo)
In Bolivia, widespread demonstrations continue. Ex-president Carlos Mesa, who has already offered his resignation, states that there is a threat of civil war without immediate elections. Congress will decide on Thursday whether to accept the resignation (Reuters AlertNet) (CNN) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
Sao Tome's embattled president Fradique de Menezes names the head of the central bank, Maria do Carmo Silveira, as his new prime minister ahead of elections due next year. (PolitInfo)
Foreign Ministers from the 34 nations of the Organization of American States end three days of meetings with a resolution to establish a mechanism to strengthen democracy in the Western Hemisphere. (PolitInfo)
Nepal's police arrest some 50 journalists who were protesting press restrictions imposed after King Gyanendra dismissed the government and assumed absolute power. (PolitInfo)

June 7, 2005

The United Nations says its desperate pleas for humanitarian assistance for African countries is going unheeded. It says it has received less than one third of what it needs to provide aid for 26 million people in 21 countries, most of them in Africa. (PolitInfo)
Former president Jimmy Carter says the U.S. military should close its detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, following allegations of prisoner abuse. Mr. Carter told an audience in Atlanta that closing the camp and several other secret detention centers around the globe would show that the United States is committed to defending human rights. (PolitInfo)
Insurgent attacks across Iraq kill at least 25 people, including three U.S. soldiers. (PolitInfo)
Human Rights Watch demands investigation about the Unrest in Uzbekistan, accusing the leaders of the country trying to cover up a "massacre" (Human Rights Watch) (Reuters AlertNet) (RIA Novosti) (PolitInfo)
Taiwan's National Assembly approves a package of amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of China to halve the number of lawmakers in the 225-seat Parliament, institute a single constituency election system and put future constitutional amendments in the hands of Taiwanese voters. (Taipei Times) (TaiwanNews) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
Officials in Somalia say at least 16 people have been killed in factional fighting. (PolitInfo)
Hungarian legislators elect opposition leader Laszlo Solyom as the new president. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: A surge of violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is threatening the Mideast cease-fire. At least four people are kille din two separate incidents. (Haaretz) (PolitInfo)
In India, the leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, Lal Krishna Advani, resigns as the party's president after Hindu hard-liners expressed outrage at his praise of Pakistan's founder. (BBC News) (PolitInfo)
The U.S. State Department says North Korea has told U.S. officials Pyongyang will return to Chinese-sponsored six-party talks on its nuclear program but has given no timeframe. (PolitInfo)

June 6, 2005

The International Criminal Court launches a formal investigation into crimes committed in the war-torn Darfur region of western Sudan. (PolitInfo)
Bolivian President Carlos Mesa submits his resignation to Congress amid angry protests demanding nationalization of the country's oil and gas industry. Congress must still vote to accept the resignation. (PolitInfo)
Britain postpones its planned referendum on the European Union constitution after the treaty was soundly rejected by the people in France and the Netherlands. (PolitInfo)
In Nepal at least 38 people are killed and more than 70 wounded when a landmine explodes under a crowded bus. (PolitInfo)
In the second stage of Lebanon's parliamentary elections, a pro-Syrian coalition, led by the militant group, Hezbollah, won all 23 seats at stake in the southern region where voting was held Sunday. (PolitInfo)

June 5, 2005

In a referendum, Swiss voters agree to relax their border restrictions by joining the European Union's Passport-Free Zone (Schengen Treaty), while separately approving more rights for same-sex couples. (PolitInfo)
Authorities in Burundi order a re-vote in five districts hit by violence during local elections Friday. (PolitInfo)
The 35th General Assembly of the Organization of American States opens in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. (PolitInfo)

June 4, 2005

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announces the postponement of legislative elections originally scheduled for July 17. He cited a report from the Palestinian election authority that it needs more time to implement changes in laws concerning seating of legislators. Hamas leaders object to the postponement. (New York Times) (Haaretz) (PolitInfo)
France and Germany call for the ratification process for the European Union constitution to continue. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac made the call after talks in Berlin after voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the constitution this past week. (PolitInfo)
Provisional results from Burundi's municipal elections show a former Hutu rebel group has taken the lead. (PolitInfo)
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators take to the streets of Madrid to protest against any talks between the government and the militant group ETA. (PolitInfo)
France's opposition Socialist Party votes to remove its deputy leader Laurent Fabius for defying his party's line in this week's referendum on the European Union constitution. (PolitInfo)

June 3, 2005

The UN Security Council is threatening sanctions against Ivory Coast's former warring parties unless they abide by an April peace agreement. The French-drafted resolution also authorizes appointment of a monitor to ensure the fairness of upcoming Ivorian elections. (PolitInfo)
The U.S. military provides details of five incidents in which it says soldiers or interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay detention center mishandled copies of the Koran. (BBC) (PolitInfo)
Violence marred local elections in Burundi where voters took part in the first multiparty poll since civil war broke out 12 years ago. (PolitInfo)
In Lebanon, opposition leaders blame Syria for the death of Samir Qasir and demand resignation of president Emile Lahoud (Daily Star), Lebanon) (Al-Jazeera) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
The Iraqi government says insurgent violence has killed 12,000 civilians in the past 18 months. (PolitInfo)
U.N. weapons inspectors say that material that could be used for biological and chemical weapons has been removed from more than 100 sites in Iraq. (PolitInfo)
The United Nations suspends its mine-clearing operations in southern Afghanistan after a roadside bomb killed two deminers and injured five others. (PolitInfo)

June 2, 2005

Darfur Conflict / Southern Sudan:
- The International Committee of the Red Cross says the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region between the government-backed Janjaweed militia and rebel groups has diminished. But, Red Cross officials say that conflict is being overshadowed by tribal conflicts over scarce resources. (PolitInfo)
- The World Food Program says the international focus on conflict-ridden Darfur is overshadowing the critical needs of millions of people in southern Sudan. The WFP warns of starvation and increased insecurity in southern Sudan if more money is not forthcoming. (PolitInfo)
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan announces a report that states that the AIDS epidemic is accelerating despite the major efforts to stop it. (UN News Centre) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
One United Nations peacekeeper is killed, and three others are injured when gunmen in Congo's lawless Ituri district attacked U.N. helicopters. Alos in Ituri, gunmen kidnap a French aid worker from the medical charity, Doctors Without Borders, and his driver. (PolitInfo)
A series of suicide car bombings and two-bomb rigged motorcycles kills at least 33 people across northern Iraq. (PolitInfo)
The parliament in Latvia votes to ratify the European Constitution in an overwhelming majority of 71 to 5. (Spiegel online)
Separatist politicians from Indian Kashmir are making an unprecedented trip to Pakistani Kashmir for talks on the disputed region's future. (PolitInfo)
In Lebanon, bomb kills journalist Samir Qasir, who had been critical of Syria (Al-Jazeera) (Arabic News) (PolitInfo)
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israel released 398 Palestinian prisoners, the final phase of an Israeli pledge to release 900 prisoners as a goodwill gesture towards Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. (Haaretz) (PolitInfo)
In the Maldives, parliament members support move to Multi party democracy. Before the parliamentary debate, government arrested number of dissidents (Reuters) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
In Bolivia, president Carlos Mesa calls for a referendum for regional autonomy on October 16 to quell the demonstrations against him. (BBC) (Reuters AlertNet) (PolitInfo)

June 1, 2005

Voters in the Netherlands overwhelmingly reject the European Union's proposed constitution three days after their counterparts in France also turned down the charter. (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
In Ivory Coast, renewed violence in the west of the country costs more than 50 lives (Reuters AlertNet) (SABC) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
At least 20 people are killed and 40 are injured in a bomb blast in the city of Kandahar, Afghanistan. (BBC) (PolitInfo)
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announces plans for a summit with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on June 21 in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh. (PolitInfo)
Mexican Secretary of Interior Santiago Creel turns in resignation to president Vicente Fox in order to pursue his party's candidacy to the 2006 Presidential Election. (BBC) (PolitInfo)

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	The text of this article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from a Wikipedia article © Copyright 2001-2005, PolitInfo.com. Terms of Use - Legal Information / Contact Areas of Interest: Politics - Government - Political Science - International Relations - Current Events PolitInfo Worldwide: International - United States