April 2007

Ukrainian President Dissolves Parliament (April 2): President Viktor Yushchenko accuses Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, his bitter rival, of attempting to consolidate power. Yushchenko sets elections for May 27.

British Sailors Captured in Iran Are Freed (April 4): The 15 sailors and marines who were seized in disputed waters on March 23 by Iranian troops are freed. Iran claimed the sailors illegally entered Iranian waters, while British officials maintained they were in Iraqi territory.

Thousands of Iraqis Protest American Occupation (April 9): Iraqis loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr rally in the streets of Najaf against the foreign occupation of Iraq.

Iranian President Announces Ability to Enrich Uranium (April 9): President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the country has the ability to enrich uranium on an industrial scale, which is part of the process to make fuel for a nuclear bomb or reactor.

Serbian Court Convicts Four of War Crimes (April 10): Four Serbs—former paramilitary officers—are found guilty of executing six Bosnian Muslims from Srebrenica in Trnovo.

Bombs Kill Dozens in Algeria (April 11): Some 35 people are killed and hundreds are wounded when suicide bombers attack a government building in the capital, Algiers, and a police station on the outskirts of the capital. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claims responsibility for the attack.

Iraq Parliament and Beloved Bridge Are Attacked (April 12): Eight people, including two Iraqi legislators, die when a suicide bomber strikes inside the Parliament building, which is located in Baghdad's fortified International Zone. An organization that includes al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia claims responsibility for the bold attack. In another attack, the Sarafiya Bridge that spans the Tigris River is destroyed.

Bombs Kill Nearly 200 in Baghdad (April 18): Five bombs targeting Shiite neighborhoods ravage the Iraqi capital in the worst violence in weeks. One bomb alone kills about 140 in Sadr City area.

Atomic Agency Confirms Iran's Progress in Uranium Enrichment (April 18): International Atomic Energy Agency reports that Iran is enriching uranium in some 1,300 centrifuges.

Nigerian Presidential Election Is Called Deeply Flawed (April 21): Umaru Yar’Adua, the candidate of the governing party, wins the election in a landslide, taking more than 24.6 million votes. Second-place candidate Muhammadu Buhari tallies only about 6 million votes. International observers call the vote flawed and illegitimate. The chief observer for the European Union says the results “cannot be considered to have been credible.” Many expect a prolonged legal battle to determine the next step in the process.
Conservative and Liberal Candidates Top Vote in French Elections (April 22): Nicolas Sarkozy, the conservative candidate, prevails over Ségolène Royal, of the Socialist Party, taking 30.7% of the vote to Royal’s 25.2%. They will face each other in a second and final round in May. Centrist candidate François Bayrou places a distant third, with 18.4%.

U.S. Squadron Hit by Suicide Bombers in Iraq (April 24): Nine U.S. soldiers are killed and at least 20 are wounded by two bombers attacking an American post in Diyala.

Russia Says It Will Suspend Weapons Treaty (April 26): President Vladimir Putin announces Russia will suspend the 1990 Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, which limits conventional weapons in Europe. Several U.S. officials speculate that Putin was acting in response to U.S. plans to build a missile shield in Europe―a move strongly opposed by Russia.
Inspectors Report Rebuilding Projects in Iraq Are Deteriorating (April 30): Stuart Bowen, Jr., head of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, faults both the U.S. and Iraq, criticizing the construction and maintenance of several projects throughout Iraq. Problems include power generators that don't work, overflowing sewage systems, and faulty electrical systems.

Israeli Prime Minister Reprimanded for Handling of Lebanon War (April 30): A commission that investigated 2006's war between Israel and Lebanon says Ehud Olmert was responsible for "a severe failure in exercising judgment, responsibility, and prudence." It also says Olmert rushed to war without an adequate plan. Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former army chief Dan Halutz are also criticized




Nation


Pakistani body to promote nuclear non-proliferation objective IRNA 30 Apr 2007 -- Pakistan has set up a body in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote the objective of nuclear non-proliferation, the Foreign Office spokesperson said on Monday.

Al-Qaeda behind suicide attack, says Pakistani minister IRNA 30 Apr 2007 -- Pakistan's interior minister, who escaped in a suicide bomb attack at the weekend, said on Monday that al-Qaeda has links with the attack.

20 killed in suicide blast in Pakistan interior minister's public meeting IRNA 30 Apr 2007 -- At least 20 people were killed and scores others injured in a suicide bomb blast in the public meeting of Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao near the northern city of Peshawar on Saturday, officials said.


Germany in talks with Pakistan over sale of three submarines: daily IRNA 21 Apr 2007 -- A German defense consortium is involved in talks with the Pakistani navy over the construction of three conventional submarines, the Berlin-based Neues Deutschland cited Friday a confidential document of the German Finance Ministry.


Afghan, Pakistani Troops Battle Over Border Fence RFE/RL 20 Apr 2007 -- The Afghan Defense Ministry says Afghan troops were tearing down the fence near the Durand Line that separates the two countries when they were fired on by Pakistani forces early yesterday.
Pakistan, Afghan Forces Exchange Fire Along Disputed Border VOA 20 Apr 2007 -- Pakistani-Afghan relations have taken a dramatic turn for the worse after the countries' forces exchanged fire along a remote stretch of their ill-defined border


Pakistan has no agreements with US on joint operation: spokesperson IRNA 16 Apr 2007 -- Pakistan said on Monday that it has no agreement with the United States for any agreement on joint operation on its soil.


Pakistan conducts live missile firing exercise IRNA 16 Apr 2007 -- Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Monday completed a three-day live missile firing exercise at Somniani Range, the PAF said.
India declares readiness to discuss Nuclear-doctrines military CBMs, with Pak IRNA 13 Apr 2007 -- India has declared readiness to discuss nuclear doctrines and military confidence-building measures (CBMs) with Pakistan as it emphasised that the two neighbours had an opportunity to "remake" their relationship "fundamentally".


Protests Over Suspended Judge Continue in Pakistan VOA 13 Apr 2007 -- Protests against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's suspension of the country's chief justice are continuing, despite the detention Thursday of about 200 lawyers and other critics of the suspension


Pakistan to get F-22 P frigate from China: official IRNA 13 Apr 2007 -- Pakistan would get F-22 P frigate from China, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Defence, Nisar A. Memon said on Thursday.

Pakistani tribesmen have killed 300 militants, says Musharraf IRNA 13 Apr 2007 -- Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday that tribesmen have killed some 300 foreign militants in a tribal region near the Afghan border.


Pakistan President Defends Record on War Against Terror VOA 12 Apr 2007 -- Senior military commanders from 21 countries, including the United States, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have completed Thursday a two-day anti-terrorism conference in Islamabad

Musharraf: 300 Foreign Militants Killed in Pakistani Tribal Offensive VOA 12 Apr 2007 -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says local tribesmen have killed about 300 foreign militants in weeks of fighting near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.


Pakistan Government Touts Success in Fight Against Foreign Militants VOA 11 Apr 2007 -- Pakistani tribal forces near the Afghan border say they have defeated hundreds of Uzbek militants after several weeks of sometimes intense combat


PAKISTAN: UN refugee agency faces deficit in Afghan repatriation funds IRIN 10 Apr 2007 -- After recently announcing that it was tripling its cash assistance for repatriating Afghans, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it may need to raise funds to live up to its promise in the last five days of the offer.


Anti-Musharraf Protests in Pakistan Show No Sign of Abating VOA 03 Apr 2007 -- Pakistan's suspended chief judge has appeared before a judicial panel in the capital, as a political street battle over his fate enters its fourth week




Business/Science/Society


Earthquake and Tsunami Strike the Solomon Islands (April 3): Magnitude 8.0 earthquake and tsunami that follows kill at least 20 people and destroy villages.


UN Panel Reports Consequences of Emissions of Greenhouse Gases (April 6): Group, composed of several of the world's top scientists on climate change, finds that Earth's climate and ecosystems are already being affected by the accumulation of greenhouse gases and warns that without immediate action to slow the buildup of such emissions, droughts, flooding, and the extinction of species are imminent. Panel also says that poor regions are most vulnerable.


North Carolina Prosecutor Dismisses Assault Case Against Duke Students (April 11): State attorney general Roy Cooper says lacrosse players who were accused of sexually assaulting a stripper in March 2006 are innocent and had been falsely accused. He also criticizes the prosecutor in the case, Michael Nifong, calling him a "rogue prosecutor."

May 2007

Rice Meets With Syrian Counterpart (May 3): At a meeting in Egypt about Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State asks Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem to move to stem the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq from Syria, and he asks Condoleezza Rice to reinstate the U.S. ambassador to Syria who was withdrawn after the assassination of Syrian prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. It was the first high-level meeting between the two countries in two years.

Senior Sunni Insurgent Is Killed in Iraq (May 3): Muharib Abdul Latif al-Jubouri, a leader of al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia, dies in a raid north of Baghdad. U.S. officials say that Jubouri was involved in the kidnapping of American reporter Jill Carroll.

Labor Party Suffers Stunning Defeat in Scotland (May 4): The separatist Scottish National Party, which supports Scotland's independence from Britain, prevails in parliamentary elections, taking 47 seats in the 129-seat Scottish parliament. The Labor Party wins 46 seats. Prior to the election, the Scottish National Party held 25 seats.

Sarkozy Wins French Presidential Election (May 6): Conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy defeats Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal, 53.1% to 46.9%, in the runoff election. He is the first French president to be born after World War II.

World Bank Panel Finds Wolfowitz Guilty (May 6): A committee of directors of the World Bank reports that it has found Paul Wolfowitz , president of the bank, guilty of conflict of interest for setting up a lucrative pay raise for his girlfriend, Shaha Ali Riza. (May 14): A report issued by the committee says Wolfowitz violated bank rules and ethical guidelines in his treatment of Shaha Ali Riza. (May 17): Wolfowitz resigns from the World Bank. The bank's board releases a statement saying of Wolfowitz, "he assured us that he acted in good faith in what he believed were the best interests of the institution, and we accept that."

Former Enemies Resume Power-Sharing Government in Northern Ireland (May 8): Local government is restored to Northern Ireland as Rev. Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionists, and Martin McGuinness, of Sinn Fein, are sworn in as leader and deputy leader, respectively, of the Northern Ireland executive government.

British Prime Minister Announces Plan to Step Down (May 10): Tony Blair says he will resign as prime minister of June 27 after ten years in the post. Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer, is widely expected to succeed Blair.

Protests Over Suspended Judge Turn Deadly (May 12): Thirty-nine people are killed in Karachi when dueling rallies—those in support of ousted Supreme Court chief justice, Iftikar Mohammad Chaudhry, and others of the government—turn violent.

U.S. Soldiers Are Abducted after an Ambush in Iraq (May 12): Four soldiers die and three are captured in an attack near Mahmudiya, a mostly Sunni area. The Islamic State of Iraq, an insurgent group that includes al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia, says it is holding the soldiers. (May 23): The body of one of the missing soldiers, Pfc. Joseph Anzack, is found in the Euphrates River.

Inspectors Report Iran Has Made Progress in Uranium Enrichment (May 14): The International Atomic Energy Agency reports that Iran is using about 1,300 centrifuges and producing fuel for nuclear reactors. The fuel would have to be further enriched to make it weapons grade.

Top Taliban Leader Is Killed in Joint Operation (May 13): Mullah Dadullah, an operational commander who has organized assassinations and abductions, dies in a raid in Helmand Province carried out by Afghan security forces, NATO troops, and American soldiers.

Bush Nominates War Czar (May 15): White House selects Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute to oversee war policy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lute serves as the top operations officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Senate must confirm Lute's nomination.

Israelis, Palestinians Trade Rocket Fire (May 18): Seven Palestinians are killed when Israeli troops fire on Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for strikes on Israel by Hamas. The violence caps a week in which some 40 Palestinians die in factional fighting between members of Hamas and Fatah. (May 24): Israel officials arrest 33 West Bank Palestinians, including seven public officials, claiming they are involved in terrorism against Israel.

Fighting in Lebanon Kills Dozens (May 20): About 60 people are killed in battles between government troops and members of Islamic militant group Fatah al-Islam, which is based in a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. The group is similar in philosophy to al-Qaeda.

Former Serb Officers Convicted in Killing of Prime Minister (May 23): Serbian court convicts 12 Serbs, including former paramilitary police officers, in the 2003 assassination of pro-reform prime minister Zoran Djindjic.
Powerful Shiite Cleric Returns to Public Eye in Iraq (May 25): Moktada al-Sadr, leader of the Mahdi Army militia and an opponent of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, reemerges from hiding for the first time since January. In a speech, he calls for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

U.S. and Iranian Diplomats Discuss Iraq (May 28): U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Iran's ambassador, Hassan Kazemi Qumi, meet at the office of Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki to discuss security issues in Iraq. Little progress is made, but the meeting is notable for merely taking place.
Bush Nominates Wolfowitz Replacement (May 29): President Bush nominates Robert Zoellick as the president of the World Bank to succeed Paul Wolfowitz, who resigned in a conflict of interest scandal. Zoellick served as Bush's deputy secretary of state and held high-ranking positions in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations.

Bush Administration Expands Sanctions on Sudan (May 29): Measure bans 31 Sudanese companies and four individuals from doing business in the U.S.

Britons Are Abducted in Iraq (May 29): Five British civilians are abducted from the Finance Ministry by masked gunmen in Baghdad.
UN Approves Special Court to Try Suspects in Assassination of Lebanese Leader (May 31): Security Council narrowly approves a resolution to create a tribunal to prosecute suspects in the 2005 slaying of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.



Nation


Pakistan Defends Terror Stance, US Senator Demands More VOA 27 May 2007 -- The Pakistani government is defending its stand on combating terrorism at a time of growing concern in Washington about the depth of Islamabad's commitment to the cause


Pakistan confirms new bird flu outbreak - Agriculture Ministry RIA Novosti 23 May 2007 -- Pakistan confirmed Wednesday an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus among poultry on farms near the capital, but said no cases of human infection had been registered.


Pakistani Authorities Negotiate with Pro-Taleban Islamists for Captives' Release VOA 19 May 2007 -- Pakistani authorities are trying to secure the release of four police officers taken hostage by pro-Taleban Islamic students in the capital, Islamabad.


Pakistan, Afghan Troops Again Clash Along Border VOA 17 May 2007 -- There has been another exchange of fire between soldiers of Pakistan and Afghanistan along the countries' border


Afghan, Pakistani Troops Break Brief Border Silence RFE/RL 17 May 2007 -- A May 14 cease-fire between Afghan and Pakistani government troops was shattered this morning by the sound of mortars and machine-gun fire.


PAKISTAN: UNHCR appeals for calm after refugee camp violence IRIN 17 May 2007 -- The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has appealed for calm after an outbreak of violence at an Afghan refugee camp earmarked for closure in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province.


Bomb Blast Kills at Least 25 in Pakistan VOA 15 May 2007 -- A powerful bomb blast in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least 25 people and seriously injured more than 25 others
U.S., Pakistani Soldiers Reported Killed In Border Incident RFE/RL 14 May 2007 -- At least one U.S. soldier and one Pakistani soldier were killed when shooting broke out during an effort today to bring an end to violent clashes between Afghan and Pakistani government troops around their common border.


US, Pakistan Troops Killed in Meeting on Afghan Border VOA 14 May 2007 -- A firefight along the Pakistan Afghan border has left at least one U.S. and one Pakistani soldier dead and several others wounded


Afghan, Pakistani Forces Clash For Second Day RFE/RL 14 May 2007 -- Afghan and Pakistani troops today clashed for a second consecutive day on their common border.


PAKISTAN SELECTS LOCKHEED MARTIN'S SNIPER ADVANCED TARGETING POD Lockheed Martin 14 May 2007 -- The U.S. government has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for 18 Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP), a part of the new Advanced Block 52 F-16 aircraft program for Pakistan


Pakistan Officials Try to Stem Violence VOA 14 May 2007 -- Pakistani troops have been told to "shoot on sight" if need be to control political violence in the southern city of Karachi


PAKISTAN: Hundreds missing in conflict-torn Balochistan IRIN 10 May 2007 -- Dr Hanif Sharif, 29, was regarded until 2005 as one of the most gifted young writers in the Balochi language.


NATO Secretary-General Meets With Pakistan President Over Regional Security VOA 08 May 2007 -- NATO's secretary-general says there are no plans for NATO troops to pull out of Afghanistan



Business/Science/Society


UN Report Urges Immediate Action on Reducing Heat-trapping Gases (May 4): Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that the technology now exists to produce more efficient cars, appliances, and buildings. It also encourages investment in alternative fuels.


Tornado Levels a Kansas Town (May 6): A Category F-5 enhanced tornado leaves behind a trail of rubble in Greensburg, Kansas. Ten people are killed in the disaster

June 2007

Former Liberian Dictator Refuses to Appear at Trial (June 4): Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, boycotts the first day of his trial at the International Criminal Court. He's facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity for supporting rebel troops in Sierra Leone's brutal civil war that claimed the lives of about 300,000 people in the 1990s.

Putin Proposes Joint Missile Shield with the U.S. (June 7): Russian president introduces plan during a meeting with President Bush at the G8 meeting in Germany. The proposal calls for using an early warning radar system in Azerbaijan as part of a missile defense system to protect against an attack by Iran.

World Leaders Reach Agreements at the G8 Conference (June 7): Leaders of the eight industrialized nations meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany, agree to consider ways to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In a nod to President Bush's recent proposal, the leaders endorse his plan to have the world's top polluter set their own goals for reducing emissions. Bush also agrees to participate in negoiations to establish a new global climate policy by 2009, a potenial succesor to the Kyoto Protocol. (June 8): G8 meeting participants promise to spend $60 billion to treat AIDS and other diseases in the third world. Critics say the plan is weak because it does not include a definitive timetable and falls short of the actual need.

Iraqi Parliament Votes to Remove Speaker (June 11): The speaker, Mahmoud Mashhadani, a Sunni, has been criticized for intimidating, often physcially, other members of Parliament.

Fighting Escalates Among Palestinian Factions (June 12): About three dozen Palestinians die in battles between members of rival parties Hamas and Fatah. The homes and offices of Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and President Mahmoud Abbas are attacked. Both sides accuse each other of coup attempts. (June 13): Hamas succeeds in taking control of much of the Gaza Strip. With Fatah holding sway over the West Bank, many fear a civil war is imminent. (June 14): Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas dissolves the government, fires Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, the leader of Hamas, and declares a state of emergency. The violence continues in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. (June 15): Abbas swears in an emergency government. Salam Fayyad, an economist, takes over as interim prime minister. (June 18): The U.S.and European Union announce they will resume aid to Palestinians.
Sudanese Government Agrees to Peacekeeping Force (June 12): Officials agree to allow a joint peacekeeping force of about 19,000 troops from the African Union and the United Nations be deployed to Darfur, but require that most of the soldiers be African.

Shiite Shrine Is Attacked in Iraq (June 13): The revered Shiite Askariya mosque at Samarra is bombed for the second time in 16 months. Sunni militants connected to al-Qaeda are suspected in the attack. (June 15 and 16): Shiites blow up two Sunni mosques in retaliation.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Is Elected Leader of Labor Party (June 13): Former prime minister Ehud Barak returns to politics, defeating Parliament member Ami Ayalon in the race to head the Labor Party. In addition, Shimon Peres, of the Kadima Party, is elected president by Parliament.

Deaths Mount in Afghanistan (June 17): At least 22 police academy instructors are killed when a suicide bomber attacks a police bus in Kabul. (June 18): Seven children die during an airstrike by U.S.-led forces in eastern Afghanistan. The attack was targeting what officials say was an al-Qaeda compound.





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