My Way News – Saudi king in Syria amid regional tensions
My Way News reports: “Syria on Thursday warned the United States to stop trying to interfere as Arab leaders try to defuse heightened tensions in the Middle East [...] Washington has urged Syria to move away from its alliance with Iran [...] Syria backs militant groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas.”
My Way News – Arab League backs Palestinians on restarting talks
My Way News reports: “Arab nations on Thursday backed the Palestinian president’s refusal to immediately restart direct talks with Israel despite heavy U.S. pressure. The Arab foreign ministers endorsed the idea of direct negotiations, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani, but left the timing up to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has laid down several conditions.”
My Way News – Russia grants more powers to KGB successor agency
My Way News reports: “Russians may now face jail time for crimes they have not yet committed under a new security law signed Thursday by President Dmitry Medvedev. The law restores Soviet-era powers to the Federal Security Service, the KGB’s main successor agency, a move that rights advocates fear could be used to stifle protests and intimidate the Kremlin’s political opponents [...] The opposition has accused the Kremlin of turning Russia into a Soviet-style police state, and many Russians say they have experienced or fear abuse at the hands of FSB officers.”
My Way News – French woman admits to suffocating her 8 newborns
My Way News reports: “A French woman who admitted suffocating eight of her newborns and concealing their corpses in the garden and garage of her home has been charged with manslaughter.”
My Way News – Indian students demand teachers wear burqas
My Way News reports: “Students at an Islamic university in eastern India have refused to allow a female lecturer to teach unless she wears an all-encompassing Muslim veil, the teacher said Thursday. The student union has ordered all female students and all eight female lecturers at the small Calcutta campus of Aliah University to wear the veil, called a burqa in South Asia.”
My Way News – Egypt: US assurances may boost direct peace talks
My Way News reports: “Egypt said Wednesday it has received U.S. assurances that may help in restarting direct peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel [...] President Hosni Mubarak has received a letter from Obama, followed by calls from Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, all signaling a U.S. commitment to establish a Palestinian state.”
My Way News – Supertanker damage raises alarm in Persian Gulf
My Way News reports: “A Japanese shipping line raised alarm Wednesday that one of its supertankers was damaged by an explosion in a possible attack in the Persian Gulf, but authorities on both sides of the tense waterway denied that any strike occurred.”
My Way News – Police find corpses of 8 newborns in French home
My Way News reports: “A French couple was in custody Wednesday after police found the corpses of eight newborn babies in a village in northern France, a judicial official said. The official said the detained couple, in their mid-40s, were the parents of the dead babies, and that the corpses were found on two different parts of their property in Villers-au-Tertre, not far from the city of Lille.”
The Associated Press: Worst floods in a decade in China, 30,000 trapped
AP reports: “Floods caused by heavy rains in northeastern China stranded tens of thousands of residents without power Wednesday, as the worst flooding in more than a decade continued to besiege many areas of the country.”
My Way News – Plankton, base of ocean food web, in big decline
My Way News reports: “Despite their tiny size, plant plankton found in the world’s oceans are crucial to much of life on Earth. They are the foundation of the bountiful marine food web, produce half the world’s oxygen and suck up harmful carbon dioxide. And they are declining sharply.”
My Way News – Scientists say global warming is continuing
My Way News reports: “Compiled by more than 300 scientists from 48 countries, the report said its analysis of 10 indicators that are ‘clearly and directly related to surface temperatures, all tell the same story: Global warming is undeniable.’”
