International

A shooting involving private military contractor Blackwater USA leaves at least eight Iraqi civilians dead, and prompts renewed scrutiny of the role private-sector security firms play in the Iraq War.

Moscow announces that rock samples taken from beneath the Arctic Ocean indicate that the North Pole is part of Russia, a claim that underscores the increasing efforts of Arctic border nations to stake their claims to the valuable region.

The region may hold about 90 billion barrels of oil, which could meet world demand for a few years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Fifteen weeks' fighting that threatened to escalate into civil war concludes with the escape of Shaker al-Absi, the head of Fatah al-Islam and a man wanted for the murder of U.S. Ambassador Lawrence Foley.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul becomes the country’s first president with an Islamist background, in a victory that marks the increasing influence of Turkey’s religious middle class on a government with staunchly secular roots.

The president of Iraq’s Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, warns of a “real civil war” if the Iraqi government fails to take action on Kurdish claims over the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

In recent elections the Islamic-inspired governing party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan won 340 of the 550 seats in the Turkish Parliament, indicating shifting attitudes in a country that has followed strict secularist codes since 1923. 

Tony Blair, in his new role as special Middle East envoy, and Arab League representatives arrived in Israel this week on separate missions to try to revive the peace process.

With his non-appearance at the Revolution Day celebrations, Fidel Castro’s return to power looks less and less likely; analysts suspect that Castro’s chosen successor, despite his leftist reputation, will introduce market reforms.

Having claimed to bring rain to arid regions of China, Beijing’s Weather Modification Office is set to unleash cloud-busting ordnance to keep the 2008 Olympic Games dry.

Muslim anger and al-Qaida threats follow the British government’s decision to knight novelist Salman Rushdie, who was condemned to death by Iran’s supreme leader in 1989.

Militants in the Niger Delta free a British toddler in a kidnapping that pushed up oil prices the world over; the incident drew the international media's attention to the worsening violence in Nigeria.

Recent London and Glasgow plots were overseen by an international mastermind, say investigators; such low-tech attacks are a foretaste of future terrorism, according to U.S. experts.

Results were mixed when presidents Putin and Bush met: there was agreement on Iran, but no discernible progress on the more divisive issue of the U.S. missile defense system in Europe.

The FDA has detained shipments of five species of seafood from China after finding that they contained two antibiotics and two antifungals illegal in the United States, joining the ranks of other dangerous Chinese products that include toothpaste, tires, and toy trains.

After many years’ waiting, finance minister Gordon Brown becomes British prime minister, while departing Tony Blair adopts the role of special peace envoy to the Middle East.

An International Court has issued arrest warrants for a Sudanese government official and a Janjaweed military leader for alleged war crimes committed in Darfur, Sudan. These are the first arrest warrants that have been issued on an international level for an alleged genocide in Darfur.

The Basque separatist group ETA has declared an end to its 15-month ceasefire with the Spanish government, extinguishing hopes of a peaceful end to the conflict that’s claimed over 800 lives.

The troop withdrawal timetable sought by many Democrats falls by the wayside; Republicans fail to block the $8 billion earmarked for domestic spending initiatives.

Britain charges ex-KGB agent Lugovoi with the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, who died of radiation poisoning in November, 2006; the U.K.'s Attorney General insists Lugovoi be tried in Britain.

Former deputy of defense and architect of the Iraq War Paul Wolfowitz tenders his resignation as bank head; his presidency, problematic from the start, grew increasingly troubled amid the controversy over his girlfriend's pay increase.

Distinguished Russian human rights advocate Karinna Moskalenko, whose clients include Garry Kasparov and the family of murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya, may lose her right to practice.

Thousands march to Delhi, following the path of Indian soldiers who rebelled against their British rulers 150 years ago.

Tony Blair announces his coming resignation in a speech to Labour Party activists, heralding the end of 10 years as British Prime Minister.

A Russian scientist asserts that global warming is caused by solar changes and points to melting ice caps on Mars as support of his controversial theory, despite most scientists having attributed global warming to human pollution

Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy beat his socialist opponent, Segolénè Royal, to win the French presidency––the new incumbent promises market reforms.

BP CEO John Browne resigns in response to a ruling from the highest U.K. legal authority that he cannot prevent a British newspaper from publishing details of his private life.

Venezuela has officially assumed control over the country’s last remaining privately run oil field in a May Day takeover that saw the holdings of six major oil companies appropriated by the government.

Weekend protests by anti-Kremlin groups in Moscow and St. Petersburg lead to clashes with riot police and the arrest of former chess champion Garry Kasparov; government opposition promises to unify in response.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad styles the release of the servicemen as a "gift"; Blair defends his country’s refusal to negotiate.