World News
US Marines push deeper into southern Afghan towns (AP)
AP - NAWA, Afghanistan — U.S. Marines pushed deeper into Taliban areas of southern Afghanistan on Friday, seeking to cut insurgent supply lines and win over local elders on the second day of the biggest U.S. military operation here since the American-led invasion of 2001.
SKorea says NKorea fires 2 missiles off east coast (AP)
AP - North Korea fired two missiles off it eastern coast Saturday, a South Korean official said.
Iranian cleric: British Embassy staff to be tried (AP)
AP - EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.
VP Biden urges Iraqis to make political progress (AP)
AP - Vice President Joe Biden pressed Iraqi leaders Friday to do more to foster national reconciliation and offered U.S. assistance in achieving that, as concerns grow that a lack of political progress is fueling violence in Iraq.
Honduras rejects OAS appeal to restore president (AP)
AP - Honduras' Supreme Court rebuffed a personal appeal from the Americas' top international diplomat Friday, refusing to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya before a Saturday deadline.
U.S. and Russia: The Talk Starts Here (Time.com)
Time.com - U.S. and Russia: The Talk Starts Here
Madonna plans Jackson tribute at London show: report (AFP)
AFP - Madonna will perform a special tribute to Michael Jackson during her London show on Saturday, at the venue where he was due to stage his farewell shows, she said in a newspaper interview.
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,322 (AP)
AP - As of Friday, July 3, 2009, at least 4,322 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
Mexico wins praise for swine flu response (AP)
AP - As swine flu runs rampant in the Southern Hemisphere winter, world health experts are concerned that some hard-hit countries have been reluctant to take forceful measures to protect public health.
Two foreign aid workers kidnapped in Darfur: officials (AFP)
AFP - Two women aid workers from Ireland and Uganda were kidnapped Friday by armed men in Sudan's volatile Darfur region, the scene of Africa's longest running conflict, officials told AFP.
NKorea test-fires two missiles: defence ministry (AFP)
AFP - North Korea has test-fired two more missiles following similar launches earlier this week, according to the defence ministry.
Canada, U.S. unemployment expected to rise (Reuters)
Reuters - The jobless rate in Canada and the United States will continue to rise, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Friday.
Australian dinosaur that lived 98M years ago found (AP)
AP - Scientists have confirmed for the first time that Australia was once home to a dinosaur that was big, fast and terrifying, and they've named it like something from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Meet the Australovenator.
Biden's visit to Iraq raises questions about Iraq's future (McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - BAGHDAD — Vice President Joe Biden's surprise two-day visit this weekend to Iraq was meant to "re-establish contact" with leaders here, but some Iraqis bristled at the messenger more than the message.
US operation aims to smooth road for Afghan elections (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - With national elections less than two months away, the Afghan government is hoping to bring more areas under its control with the help of a new US-led military campaign.
Does the E.U.'s Airline Blacklist Make Flying Safer? (Time.com)
Time.com - In the wake of the Yemenia Airways crash that killed 152 on Tuesday, the E.U. considers putting the airline on its safety standards blacklist. But will that keep air travelers safe in the skies?
'Business as Usual' Days after Peru Crisis (OneWorld.net)
OneWorld.net - WASHINGTON, Jul 2 (OneWorld.net) - The Peruvian government has given a company permission to drill for oil in Amazon territories populated by two uncontacted tribes, just 13 days after dozens of people were killed during protests against the exploitation of indigenous lands.