AP - Pro-government crowds swarmed outside the battered home of a key Iranian opposition leader Friday after militiamen attacked with firebombs and beat a bodyguard unconscious in a brazen message of intimidation and pinpoint pressure on dissent.

AP - A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake damaged buildings, cut power and knocked fleeing residents off their feet on New Zealand's South Island early Saturday, but there were so far no deaths and only two injuries reported.

AP - A Honduran who survived the massacre of 72 migrants in Mexico helped untie the only other survivor — a wounded Ecuadorean — and the two fled together, an official said Friday.

AP - A UPS cargo plane with two crew members on board crashed shortly after takeoff Friday outside Dubai, officials said.

AP - North Korea is preparing its largest political meeting in 30 years, and leader Kim Jong Il is expected to appoint a son to a key Workers Party position in what would be the strongest sign yet of a succession movement in the secretive communist country.

Time.com - After a notable absence, the Secretary of State has been a very visible presence at the current negotiations. Will it pay off?

MEXICO CITY - President Felipe Calderon acknowledged Thursday that an increasingly bloody war with powerful drug trafficking organizations continues to pose "the central threat" to Mexico.


Mexico - Drug cartel - Organized crime - Crime - Narcotrafficantes

BEIJING - If all goes according to plan, this fall a girl somewhere in China's Yunnan province will tell her boyfriend she can't have sex with him. And he'll have an abstinence program from the United States to thank.


Sex education - Education - Abstinence-Only - Sexuality - Opposing Views

The two ousted executives of Afghanistan's largest bank on Friday blamed a hasty government takeover for a run on the embattled institution this week


Afghanistan - Asia - Business - Hamid Karzai - Financial services

SUKKUR, PAKISTAN - A suicide bombing at a Shiite demonstration in the western Pakistani city of Quetta left at least 55 people dead Friday, triggering fears of an outbreak of sectarian violence as the nation continues to struggle with ruinous floods.



Pakistan - Sectarian violence - Asia - Lahore - Shia Islam

Next week's Green Party conference will be the first to be addressed by an MP from its own ranks. Tanya Gold finds out...

Tony Blair's preoccupation with sex has created more of a boddice ripper rather than a political memoir

The ban he championed led to a law so complicated that the police won't enforce it, says Vicki Woods.

The PM knows what he wants to achieve in office, and he has the experience to do it, says Bruce Anderson

David seems determined to let the Lib Dems dictate economic policy, writes Simon Heffer.

The Foreign Secretary has called into question his credibility to stay in office, writes Simon Heffer.

Labour called for ''clarity and reassurance'' from the BBC's director general was photographed going into a Downing Street meeting.

Veteran politician Sir Cyril Smith has died aged 82.

Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party MEP, has confirmed he is standing for the party's leadership.

David and Samantha Cameron have posed for pictures outside Downing Street with their new baby Florence Rose Endellion.

The internet has become too important for governments to ignore

GOVERNMENTS are increasingly finding ways to enforce their laws in the digital realm. The most prominent...

Galloping inflation in American college fees

FOR decades, college fees have risen faster than Americans’ ability to pay them. Median household income has grown by a...

China now has more warships than America, according to the IISS

THE International Institute for Strategic Studies (better known as the IISS), reckons China now has...

The best-selling political memoirs in Britain

TONY BLAIR, Britain's former prime minister, published his memoirs on Wednesday September 1st. The few people who have already read...

How America's opinion of the Iraq war has changed

OVER seven years after the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, America's direct military involvement is now...

The Guardian

Afghanistan: Close Monitoring of Troubled Bank to Resume New York Times The Afghan bank under severe threat of collapse was closed, as usual, on Friday, the national day of rest. The country's banking system ... Should the US support Kabul Bank to stabilize Afghanistan's banking system?Wall Street Journal Obama Administration: No Plans for Afghan Bank BailoutFOXNews Afghan officials resist clean-up of Kabul Bank as scandal engulfs eliteThe Guardian The National Interest Online (blog) -Christian Science Monitor -Press TV all 1,176 news articles »

Telegraph.co.uk

US to temper stance on Afghan corruption Washington Post Disputes in the volatile region highlight flaring tensions as US troops surge into southern Afghanistan, an area once patrolled almost solely by NATO allies ... Defense Secretary Offers Cautious Views on WarsNew York Times Gates says Pakistan havens still threaten AfghanistanReuters Afghan corruption undermines anti-Taliban campaign, officials sayMiamiHerald.com Voice of America -Telegraph.co.uk -UPI.com all 1,313 news articles »

War in Afghanistan News 3 Sep 2010 War On Terror News Enemy forces continued to take losses as Coalition Troops continued the relentless pursuit of evildoers in Afghanistan. In Shinkay, Khowst, several Haqqani ... Factbox: Security developments in Afghanistan, Sept 3Reuters Southwestern Afghanistan Winning On Corruption, Insurgency FrontsAHN | All Headline News Taliban Facing Financial Crisis: U.S. GeneralRTT News San Diego Union Tribune -Hindustan Times -Department of Defense all 199 news articles »

The Guardian

End of combat yields surge of contractors Boston Globe Ongoing investigations of company executives and employees involve more weapons violations, bribes to Iraqi officials, and fatal shootings in Afghanistan. ... Obama's speech on Iraq worries AfghanistanEnerPub Bring All the Troops HomeHuffington Post (blog) Defense cut proposals deserve thoughtPolitico (blog) National Journal (blog) -Los Angeles Times (blog) -Brooklyn Daily Eagle all 9,882 news articles »

AFP

Obama, NATO chief to discuss Afghanistan on Tuesday AFP ... General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will meet Tuesday at the White House to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, the president's spokesman said Friday. ... Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the ...ISRIA (registration) all 85 news articles »

The country, which had sought to show solidarity with Islamic groups and allow religious figures...

After recent food riots in poor countries, United Nations officials said that a watchful eye...

The security contractor created dozens of shell companies or subsidiaries in part to obtain U.S....

A major earthquake hit west of Christchurch early Saturday morning, causing no immediate reports of...

Donors have not yet committed enough money for even one of the two studies needed...

Many Palestinian and Israeli commentators described this week’s talks in Washington as mere political theater.

The explosion, two days after another attack, killed at least 40 people, as militants intensify...

The decision was based on concerns that the country was not doing enough to protect...

• Pressure mounts as No 10 spin doctor's ex-colleague speaks
• Tessa Jowell says phone was hacked 28...

Exclusive: Education secretary had claimed that more than 700 'free schools' could be established due to high...

State of emergency declared after earthquake with magnitude of 7.0 strikes 19 miles west of Christchurch

A powerful 7.0...

In the first of a three-part investigation, Rory Carroll reports from the gateway to America, at the centre...

Cricket council rebuts conspiracy charge as players accused of spot-betting scam are interviewed by police under caution

The International...

President Hamid Karzai's brother calls for US to guarantee deposits amid fears collapse would threaten police and army...

Iran's president urges Palestinians to continue armed resistance against Israel at al-Quds Day rally

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, today...

New system finds underpayments through PAYE, with workers who moved jobs or accepted benefits most likely to suffer

Tax...

About 54,000 jobs lost, far fewer than the 100,000 expected, easing fears of a second US recession

Barack...

In his only live TV interview since his memoirs were published, he tried to convince the audience of...

If you believe what some newspapers report, last year's winter storms are about to be followed by a blizzard of...

In an age when even some bishops are near atheists, "man doesn't believe in God"...

Even the ecstatic, flag-waving crowd which welcomed Tony Blair to Downing Street in 1997 was...

If you believe what some newspapers report, last year's winter storms are about to be followed by a blizzard of...

In an age when even some bishops are near atheists, "man doesn't believe in God"...

Britain is sobering up. Last year saw the biggest one-year fall in alcohol consumption since 1948.

To say that Tony Blair always divided opinion would be an understatement.