In France and Germany on Friday, US President Barack Obama said he wanted to renew the trans-Atlantic partnership. Part of that alliance, though, involves more European troops for Afghanistan, he said. Unexpectedly, Obama called for a world without nuclear weapons.

Madagascar's army-backed transitional authority, led by Andry Rajoelina (photo), has called for the organisation of a presidential election in October 2010 during a reconciliation conference held in the capital Antananarivo.

In front of the presidential palace in Islamabad, 300 protesters against the destruction of Swat Valley schools defy the government. "[President] Asif Ali Zardari, where were you when we needed you? What have you done for us?" they shout.

 

In less than a year, over 100 schools have been destroyed by Taliban insurgents in the region. Schools for girls were the main target, but boys' schools were attacked as well. And, as for those still standing, many parents have become too afraid to send their children there.

An American military aircraft opened fire Thursday night on Sons of Iraq members who were allegedly spotted placing a roadside bomb north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Friday.

The incident, which killed one suspected member of the paramilitary group and wounded two, is the latest sign of the fraying allegiance between the paramilitary groups and the U.S. military.

The U.S. military recently stopped paying the Sons of Iraq, many of whom are former insurgents who were put on the American payroll in 2007 in a high-stakes strategy to quell the insurgency.

Under heavy pressure from the U.S. military, the Shiite-led Iraqi government agreed to assume responsibility for the payments to the predominantly Sunni armed groups and absorb some of them into its security forces.

But in recent weeks, several Sons of Iraq groups have disintegrated and some members have rejoined the insurgency, saying the government has failed to pay them on time and has been slow to admit them into police academies.

More proof Bush's surge tactic in Iraq was designed only to let him slink out of office with violence in Iraq in a lull. As soon as the bribes and protection money stop, those formerly being paid-off rejoin the fight. People need jobs and if they cannot find jobs, then many, at least in Iraq, take up arms.

Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged rockets and gunfire Friday in a disputed area on the countries' common border, where tensions between the two nations' armies have been high since last year. Two Cambodian soldiers were reportedly killed in the gunfight.

 

"The brief clash happened at 7:10 am when Cambodian troops came to investigate the spot where that Thai soldier stepped on a landmine yesterday," Seni Chittakasem, governor of Si Sa Ket province in Thailand said.

 

Both sides accused each other of initiating the skirmish. Cambodian commander General Srey Doek claimed that "the Thais fired rockets and rifles at us, and we responded the same way."

 

Thailand claims Cambodia was to blame. Thailand's foreign ministry immediately accused Cambodia of violating its sovereignty and said it would be sending a note of protest to authorities in Phnom Penh.

 

"We had to retaliate because Cambodians opened fire at Thai soldiers first. We want to reiterate that this area is our territory," ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told AFP.

 

According to FRANCE 24 correspondent Cyril Payen, this incident comes on the heels of a threat Cambodian PM Samdach Hun Sen made on March 31 that any Thai attempts to enter the disputed territory would be punished.

 

Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was in London at the time of the incident to attend the G20 talks. Payen said, "The Cambodian leader stated that he will not be intimidated by a (Thai) government that was not elected." Veijajiva was appointed to his post after the ousting of predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra.

Ah, nice...

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

Najib's accession to the premiership completes a transition triggered by elections last year when the ruling United Malays National Organisation party (UMNO) slumped to its worst ever performance.
   
Abdullah, who was widely criticised as weak and ineffective, agreed several months ago to step down amid the fallout from those elections, which reshaped Malaysia's political landscape.
   
When he first came into office Abdullah pledged sweeping reforms including tackling corruption -- seen as endemic both in the ruling party and society at large.
   
In the end, he was punished at the ballot box last year for not making good on those promises, when the opposition won an unprecedented one third of seats in parliament and seized control of five states.

Obama Set to Lift Ban on Family Travel to Cuba

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama plans to lift a longstanding U.S. ban on family travel and remittances to Cuba, a senior administration official said Friday, in what could be an opening gesture toward more openness with the Castro regime.

The move will fulfill a campaign promise and follows more modest action in Congress this year to loosen travel rules.

The president has authority to loosen these rules on his own, and the move is likely meant as a signal of a new attitude toward both Cuba and other Latin American countries that have pressed the U.S. to alter its policy.