United States – News Stories About United States - Page 31

Mar 1, 2008 4:59 PM CST

Elections Put US-Russia Ties in Limbo

US relations will stay chilly after Sunday's vote, analysts say

(Newser) - As Russians vote today, the Washington Post looks at factors that have chilled Russia-US relations in recent months—from a stalled nuclear pact to Kosovo to a proposed missile defense system in Eastern Europe. President Bush is trying to smooth relations by downplaying President Vladimir Putin's power grabs, but analysts...

Turkey Gives
No Timetable on Iraq Withdrawal

Feb 27, 2008 1:35 PM CST

Turkey Gives No Timetable on Iraq Withdrawal

US, Iraq want quick end to incursion aimed at Kurd rebels

(Newser) - Despite mounting casualties and outside pressure, Turkey said today it would not give a timetable on pulling back troops from an offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq, Reuters reports. Turkish soldiers have killed 230 PKK guerillas since the conflict began, and lost 24 of their own. Iraqi and US officials...

China Will Resume Talks
on Human Rights With US

Feb 26, 2008 6:07 PM CST

China Will Resume Talks on Human Rights With US

Beijing trying to improve its image before summer Olympics

(Newser) - China said today it is ready to restart a discussion on human rights with the US that has been suspended since 2004, the Washington Post reports. The move, announced by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi after a meeting with Condoleezza Rice, comes as China looks to improve its image before the...

Meet the Man Putting Paris
in Motion

Feb 3, 2008 4:31 PM CST

Meet the Man Putting Paris in Motion

Ex-socialist is now Sarko's buddy and France's star politician

(Newser) - Bernard Kouchner was once a card-carrying socialist hurling red ink at the American Embassy in Paris. Now, as France’s foreign minister, he’s President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-hand man, helping to rebuild long-strained ties with the US. He also may be France’s most popular politician. The New York ...

US Blunts Arctic Oil Warning

Jan 23, 2008 2:18 PM CST

US Blunts Arctic Oil Warning

Report's recommendations cut on US, Swedish objections

(Newser) - A top researcher for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was poised this week to deliver a stern warning against the oil drilling operations sweeping the Arctic—until politicians pulled the teeth from his report, Der Spiegel reports. The report needed approval from the Arctic council that commissioned it—...

Canadian FM Apologizes for Torture List

Jan 20, 2008 2:00 PM CST

Canadian FM Apologizes for Torture List

Claims US, Israel were 'wrongly' included with other countries

(Newser) - Canadian foreign minister Maxime Bernier has apologized for the inclusion of the US and Israel on a list of countries in which prisoners risk being subjected to torture, the BBC reports. The list, part of a torture awareness guide for diplomats, cited US interrogation techniques and referred to its Guantanamo...

US Makes Canadian Torture List

Jan 18, 2008 6:40 AM CST

US Makes Canadian Torture List

'Torture awareness' manual for diplomats includes US, Syria, Israel, Iran

(Newser) - The US, along with China, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and Israel, is listed in an official Canadian foreign ministry document of countries where prisoners are at risk of torture, the BBC reports. The "torture awareness" training manual classifies as torture some US interrogation techniques, including forced nudity, isolation, and sleep...

151,000 Iraqis Killed, Study Says

Jan 9, 2008 7:47 PM CST

151,000 Iraqis Killed, Study Says

New survey touted as most reliable yet, but definite figure hard to come by

(Newser) - More than 150,000 Iraqis—about 120 a day—were killed in the first three years of the Iraqi war following the US invasion in 2003, a new study says. The estimate, from the WHO and the Iraqi government, is said to be the most scientific study yet of the...

Director Rips Bush in Colombia Hostage Drama

Jan 7, 2008 3:40 AM CST

Director Rips Bush in Colombia Hostage Drama

Rescue undermined by US, says Stone

(Newser) - Maverick Hollywood director Oliver Stone had a front-row seat on the scene of the failed hostage rescue mission in Colombia last month—and has returned blaming that nation's government and President Bush. "Shame on Bush,” Stone told the Guardian. Colombian rebels reneged on a deal to free two...

Italian Syndicate Quietly Rules Europe's Cocaine Trade

Dec 27, 2007 4:44 PM CST

Italian Syndicate Quietly Rules Europe's Cocaine Trade

US market tumbles as mobsters flourish

(Newser) - Europe is gaining a foothold in the world’s cocaine trade, elbowing out the US as the largest market thanks to the bravado of one Italian crime syndicate. The ‘Ndrangheta mafia, based in the hills of southern Italy, has won prominence by dealing directly with Colombian kingpins and shunning...

US to Privately Grade Mideast Peace Plan

Dec 23, 2007 4:02 PM CST

US to Privately Grade Mideast Peace Plan

Critics question secret oversight; official says it avoids public blame

(Newser) - Washington will secretly score Israeli and Palestinian adherence to the "road map" peace plan and hash out results with each side, Reuters reports. US diplomats plan to report to the White House on Israeli settlement growth and Palestinian vows to curb militants, two keys to the peace deal—but...

Iraq Seeks to Break Up Sunni Fighter Units

Dec 23, 2007 11:20 AM CST

Iraq Seeks to Break Up Sunni Fighter Units

Shiite-led gov't fears US-backed militias will become rival force

(Newser) - Iraq's Shiite-dominated government is demanding that Sunni militias who are helping fight Islamic extremists eventually disband, fearing they will otherwise turn into their own military force. The militias, called Awakening Councils, or Concerned Local Citizens, comprise more than 70,000 Iraqis, including former insurgents, and are funded by the United...

Turkey Hits Kurds With
Air Strikes

Dec 22, 2007 3:33 PM CST

Turkey Hits Kurds With Air Strikes

Claims rebels suffer 'heavy losses' but no fatalities

(Newser) - Turkey bombed Kurdish rebel targets in Northern Iraq today, claiming strikes on "infrastructure" but no fatalities, the BBC reports. Ten planes reportedly attacked the al-Amadiyah region, which Kurdish officials say is abandoned for fear of military strikes. Turkish officials said the militant PKK "suffered heavy losses in terms...

Britain Tops US in Funding for World Bank

Dec 14, 2007 3:15 PM CST

Britain Tops US in Funding for World Bank

Institution raises record $25.1B for globe's poorest countries

(Newser) - Great Britain has supplanted the United States as the largest contributor to the World Bank, pledging $4.2 billion of the total $25.1 billion raised for the world's poorest nations, a record high. The shift in power reflects both the dollar's waning dominance as well as an end to...

America the Beautiful: UK Women Lag
in Grooming

OPINION

Dec 13, 2007 5:37 PM CST

America the Beautiful: UK Women Lag in Grooming

Writer pans Brits for letting themselves go

(Newser) - British women could stand to take a few pointers from their American counterparts when it comes to the fine art of grooming, complains Tad Safran in the Times. The single-and-looking screenwriter, who splits time between London and LA, says it's no competition. American women follow "obligatory beauty maintenance"—...

Bali Eco Summit Nears Collapse

Dec 13, 2007 4:00 AM CST

Bali Eco Summit Nears Collapse

US, EU in standoff over new carbon limits

(Newser) - A face-off between American and European environment officials has pushed the Bali climate change talks to the breaking point, with United Nations officials warning that the summit could collapse "like a house of cards." Delegates in Bali are sharply divided over the guidelines for the next two years...

UN Chief Issues Urgent Plea
for Warming Battle Plan

Dec 12, 2007 3:55 AM CST

UN Chief Issues Urgent Plea for Warming Battle Plan

Ban: Action is 'moral challenge of generation'

(Newser) - Citing a "desperate urgency," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called upon environmental ministers from over 120 nations to forge a new battle plan against climate change by 2009. The new treaty would attempt to improve on the Kyoto Protocol by including every country, and serve as a "...

Bush Pulls About-Face on North Korea

Dec 7, 2007 4:31 AM CST

Bush Pulls About-Face on North Korea

Offers normal ties to former 'axis of evil' player for nuke secrets

(Newser) - In a sharp reversal from the days when he labeled North Korea part of the "axis of evil," President Bush has sent a letter to Kim Jong Il saying that if the dictator reveals the details of his nuclear program by the end of the year, the US...

Iran Praises
Nuke Report; Israel Skeptical

Dec 4, 2007 8:15 AM CST

Iran Praises Nuke Report; Israel Skeptical

Barak says Tehran hasn't stopped, urges more US pressure

(Newser) - Iran trumpeted a US intelligence report released yesterday that said it suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003, but Israel expressed skepticism, Reuters reports. "The condition of Iran's peaceful nuclear activities is becoming clear to the world," an Iranian official said of the report. Not so fast, said...

Blake Mentally Tough in
Davis Cup Win

Nov 30, 2007 10:54 PM CST

Blake Mentally Tough in Davis Cup Win

United States one victory away from first title in 12 years

(Newser) - James Blake got past his reputation for failing in big situations, in part by avoiding the fifth set today. The No. 2 American player defeated Russia's Mikhail Youzhny to give his nation a commanding 2-0 lead in the Davis Cup Final, reports the Oregonian. Fellow American Andy Roddick won in...