Washington - Reports say U.S. President George W. Bush is to announce that he will send about 21,500 extra U.S. troops to Iraq when he delivers a major policy speech today. Western news agencies quote unnamed senior administration officials as saying that 17,500 troops would go to Baghdad and 4,000 to the volatile, western Al-Anbar Governorate. The additional troops are to be sent to Iraq over the coming months. The United States already has about 130,000 troops in Iraq.
(Full Story)Source: rferl.org
- Monday, January 8, 2007
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By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome - The newly appointed archbishop of Warsaw resigned Sunday january 7 after he admitted to having spied for Poland's communist-era secret services. The Vatican has asked outgoing archbishop, Cardinal Jozef Glemp, to remain in his place for the time being.
(Full Story)Source: voanews.com
- Sunday, January 7, 2007
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Image : rian.ru Moscow - Aleksy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, celebrated a midnight Mass for 5,000 people at Christ the Savior Cathedral. The five-hour service was broadcast on national television. Orthodox Christmas was not officially recognized by the communist regime, but became a public holiday in Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Communists demolished thousands of churches, including Christ the Savior Cathedral, which was rebuilt in the late 1990s.
(Full Story)Source: rferl.org
- Saturday, January 6, 2007
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According to several international press-freedom groups, 2006 was the deadliest year for journalists. Iraq was the most dangerous country for members of the press, but Latin America, the Philippines, and Russia also emerged as places of high risk. The media-watchdog groups have released year-end reports that cite death tolls ranging from 55 to 155, but all agree the past year was the deadliest on record for media professionals.
(Full Story)Source: rferl.org
- Friday, January 5, 2007
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Ramallah - Witnesses say at least four Palestinians were killed and at least 20 injured. Arabic television showed live pictures of the gunbattles and of wounded being carried away from Ramallah's central square. Israeli troops moved into Ramallah Thursday afternoon with armored carriers and bulldozers. Witnesses say Israeli helicopters fired on buildings in the city center.
(Full Story)Source: voanews.com
- Thursday, January 4, 2007
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Baghdad - The mobile phone video shows witnesses taunting the former dictator before his execution, and since then there has been an increase in sectarian tensions. Iraqi officials say two bomb blasts in the upscale Mansour neighborhood killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 20 others.
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Amnesty International deplored the execution of Saddam Hussein
following the confirmation of his sentence by the Iraqi Appeals Court on 26 December 2006. The organization, which totally opposes the use of the death penalty, said it was concerned that the Iraqi Appeals Court had failed to address the major flaws during the former dictator's trial before the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal (SICT) which had rendered it unfair.
(Full Story)Source: news.amnesty.org
- Monday, January 1st 2007
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Baghdad - Hundreds of Sunni Arabs, many of them armed, protested in Iraq today against the execution of Saddam Hussein. The rally took place in Ad-Dawr, the village north of Baghdad where Hussein was captured by U.S. troops in December 2003. Demonstrators fired guns in the air and chanted, blaming Shi'ite leaders such as radical leader Muqtada al-Sadr, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for carrying out the death sentence.
(Full Story)Source: rferl.org
- Monday, January 1st 2007
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Baghdad - Former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein was buried overnight in his home village of Awja, near Tikrit, following his execution by hanging on December 30 for crimes against humanity.Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Hussein's death "ends a dark chapter" in the country's history.
(Full Story)Source: rferl.org
- Sunday, December 31, 2006
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President George W. Bush was one of the first leaders to react. The U.S. president issued a written statement saying that the execution was a milestone for the Iraqi people and his trial was, in his words, "the kind of justice [Hussein] denied the victims of his brutal regime." But many countries and leaders have condemned Hussein's execution. In Rome, the Vatican said the execution was "tragic" and risked feeding "the spirit of vengeance." The European Union (EU) said that it condemns "the crimes committed by Saddam and also the death penalty." The EU's aid and development commissioner Louis Michel said the execution was "barbaric" and said it may turn Hussein into a martyr.
(Full Story)Source: rferl.org
- Saturday, December 30, 2006
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