Hezbollah has agreed to withdraw its gunmen from Beirut after the Lebanese army settled tensions between the Shia group and armed government supporters. The army revoked two key government measures that had led to four days of street fighting between the two sides, leaving at least 37 people dead. Hezbollah had seized large parts of the city, but said it was now handing control back to the army. But it has vowed to continue civil disobedience until its demands are met. A Hezbollah statement said: "The Lebanese opposition will end all armed presence in Beirut so that the capital will be in the hands of the army."
The army revoked two key government measures that had led to four days of street fighting between the two sides, leaving at least 37 people dead.
Hezbollah had seized large parts of the city, but said it was now handing control back to the army.
But it has vowed to continue civil disobedience until its demands are met.
A Hezbollah statement said: "The Lebanese opposition will end all armed presence in Beirut so that the capital will be in the hands of the army."
a) the military government did not authorize the entry of humanitarian aid, if they do not spread.
b) Statements by several nations and members of NGOs claimed that could not be trusted that the military government to distribute aid and not stay with it.
c) the prestigious professor Carrillo Salcedo has worked on the concept of international humanitarian intervention. According to him, we would be in Myanmar in a situation that could justify "international humanitarian intervention", under the authority of the UNO.
d) they raised the relationship between the "interference" in Iraq -first, eliminating the UNO, and then after the disaster, calling for the legal protection of the UNO- and the current situation in Myanmar.
e) they wondered if the UNO still had sufficient authority or the latest developments of international politics have eroded the UNO.
f) they wondered whether they should not pose a new situation of the UN: the times are far removed from the years after World War II. And also the question about the veto. When Procrustes looks after you, you're sure to fit in.
Of course, very ironical after Katrina.
And do the Burmese people actually want intervention ? Nobody seems to talk about them. They are the poor peons that got hit by the hurricane, but they hardly seem to have a voice. Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
India successfully tested a nuclear-capable missile Wednesday that can hit targets deep inside China, joining the ranks of nations possessing intermediate-range missile capacity, the defence ministry said. It marked the third test of the Agni-III missile -- India's longest-range ballistic missile -- and was staged "to establish the repeatability of the missile's performance," defence ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar told AFP. The missile was fired from a mobile launcher Wednesday morning at a testing site on Wheeler Island off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa.
It marked the third test of the Agni-III missile -- India's longest-range ballistic missile -- and was staged "to establish the repeatability of the missile's performance," defence ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar told AFP.
The missile was fired from a mobile launcher Wednesday morning at a testing site on Wheeler Island off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa.
seeing the two countries have a mutual border, you could stick it on wheels and push it across. Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
China has vowed to keep grain output above 500 million tonnes in 2008 as the world's largest producer and consumer of rice struggles to cope with rising global grain prices, state media said Thursday. "We will strive to stabilise full-year grain output at more than 500 million tonnes," said Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai, according to the China Securities Journal. In 2007, China produced more than 501.5 million tonnes of grain, almost level with the nation's annual consumption of 510 million tonnes, official data showed. Sun also pledged to strictly control the development of biofuels to protect the country's grain supplies and arable land banks, according to the China Daily Thursday. Biofuels, transformed from corn, wheat, soy beans and sugar cane, are accused by experts and international organisations of snatching food out of the mouths of the poor.
"We will strive to stabilise full-year grain output at more than 500 million tonnes," said Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai, according to the China Securities Journal.
In 2007, China produced more than 501.5 million tonnes of grain, almost level with the nation's annual consumption of 510 million tonnes, official data showed.
Sun also pledged to strictly control the development of biofuels to protect the country's grain supplies and arable land banks, according to the China Daily Thursday.
Biofuels, transformed from corn, wheat, soy beans and sugar cane, are accused by experts and international organisations of snatching food out of the mouths of the poor.
Sudan says it has cut off diplomatic relations with Chad, blaming it for helping rebels from Darfur to launch an attack on Sudan's capital, Khartoum. Both Chad and Jem rebels deny working together to launch the assault on the Khartoum suburb of Omdurman, which the rebels say they have taken control of. The government said the rebel advance, the closest they have come to Khartoum, had been defeated. An overnight curfew imposed on Khartoum has been extended indefinitely.
Sudan says it has cut off diplomatic relations with Chad, blaming it for helping rebels from Darfur to launch an attack on Sudan's capital, Khartoum.
Both Chad and Jem rebels deny working together to launch the assault on the Khartoum suburb of Omdurman, which the rebels say they have taken control of.
The government said the rebel advance, the closest they have come to Khartoum, had been defeated.
An overnight curfew imposed on Khartoum has been extended indefinitely.
Burmese cyclone survivors face a massive crisis unless they are urgently delivered aid, leading aid agencies have warned. A likely death toll of 100,000 could rise to 1.5m without provision of clean water and sanitation, Oxfam said. The International Rescue Committee said that without a massive delivery of aid, Burma faced "unimaginable tragedy". Eight days after Cyclone Nargis struck, the UN estimates only a quarter of survivors have received any aid so far. The military government is still refusing to allow many foreign nationals into Burma to distribute relief.
Burmese cyclone survivors face a massive crisis unless they are urgently delivered aid, leading aid agencies have warned.
A likely death toll of 100,000 could rise to 1.5m without provision of clean water and sanitation, Oxfam said.
The International Rescue Committee said that without a massive delivery of aid, Burma faced "unimaginable tragedy".
Eight days after Cyclone Nargis struck, the UN estimates only a quarter of survivors have received any aid so far.
The military government is still refusing to allow many foreign nationals into Burma to distribute relief.
Tamil Tiger rebels have sunk a naval cargo ship in eastern Sri Lanka, hours before important local elections. The navy said a 65-metre (213-ft) ship was hit by an underwater blast caused by a suicide diver, though no other casualties were reported. Rebels said the ship had been loaded with munitions destined for Sri Lankan troops operating in the north. Voting has now closed in Saturday's local elections, the first in the region in 20 years. The polls follow a government offensive last summer. Troops drove the Tamil Tigers from their bases in the region, which they had controlled for 13 years. Thousands of extra troops and police have been deployed to ensure security for the elections in the east coast towns of Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara.
Tamil Tiger rebels have sunk a naval cargo ship in eastern Sri Lanka, hours before important local elections.
The navy said a 65-metre (213-ft) ship was hit by an underwater blast caused by a suicide diver, though no other casualties were reported.
Rebels said the ship had been loaded with munitions destined for Sri Lankan troops operating in the north.
Voting has now closed in Saturday's local elections, the first in the region in 20 years.
The polls follow a government offensive last summer.
Troops drove the Tamil Tigers from their bases in the region, which they had controlled for 13 years.
Thousands of extra troops and police have been deployed to ensure security for the elections in the east coast towns of Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara.
