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BY: Andrew Buncombe | The Independent
Burma's military ruler, Than Shwe, is set to receive the red-carpet treatment in India when he makes a rare overseas visit to further cement a controversial relationship that is increasingly vital to both countries.
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BY: Zachary Fillingham | Geopolitical Monitor
It seems that the days of a Chinese foreign policy based on not ‘rocking the boat’ are over. Over the next few years, expect Beijing to increasingly assert itself as a global power.
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BY: Colum Lynch | The Washington Post
The outgoing chief of a U.N. office charged with combating corruption at the United Nations has issued a stinging rebuke of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, accusing him of undermining her efforts and leading the global institution into an era of decline, according to a confidential end-of-assignment report.
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BY: Eli Lake | The Washington Times
Israel's outgoing ambassador to the United Nations said Monday that the most significant threat to the Jewish state is not Iran, but efforts to delegitimize Israel and its leaders.
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BY: Theodore May | Global Post
It is turning into the summer of Egypt’s discontent. The state security apparatus has responded furiously, unleashing plain-clothes officers to break up demonstrations, beat protesters and hustle them away in unmarked cars. It is a level of disaffection not seen in Egypt’s recent history.
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BY: Benjamin Joffe-Walt | The Media Line
A group of Palestinian IT entrepreneurs have launched the first internationally funded economic development project in the Gaza Strip since Hamas took over the coastal strip.
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BY: Richard A. Oppel, Jr. | The New York Times
The United States and European nations attending an international conference here on Tuesday are expected to endorse President Hamid Karzai’s plan for Afghan forces to take the lead on security throughout the country by 2014, according to Western officials and diplomats.
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BY: Laura King | Los Angeles Times
A high-profile international conference Tuesday showcasing Western unity and purposefulness in Afghanistan offers a glimpse into rifts within the allied coalition and continuing tensions with the government of President Hamid Karzai.
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BY: David Wood | Politics Daily
In Afghanistan, where women have traditionally been treated as shut-ins and worse, 29 Afghan women are taking a daring step: They are the first volunteers to undergo training to serve in the all-male Afghan national army.
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BY: Max Delany | The Christian Science Monitor
Several Pakistanis are among those detained in connection with Al Shabab's Uganda bombings during the World Cup final on July 11. The Al Qaeda-linked Somali group claimed responsibility for its first terrorist attack outside Somalia.
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BY: Stephen Castle | The New York Times
The European Union is considering tough new sanctions against Iran to protest its nuclear program, including banning investment in the oil and gas sector and tightening restrictions on shipping and finance.
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BY: Valentina Pop | EU Observer
With new institutions and powers granted by the Lisbon Treaty, the EU is looking to reset its relations with Switzerland, currently governed by 120-odd agreements covering everything from wrist watches to borderless travelling.
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BY: Valérie Hartwich | Open Democracy
Since the end of 2009 a number of European countries have made moves towards a banning of the burqa, or hijab, the full Islamic headdress for women.
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BY: Valery Dzutsev | Eurasia Daily Monitor
The Chechen battalions Sever (“North”) and Yug (“South”) were set up in Chechnya in the summer of 2006. Their combined manpower was initially 1,200, but eventually grew to approximately 2,000. Both units are formally part of the Russian interior ministry’s troops, but the bulk of their servicemen was formerly on the rebels’ side and fought the Russian army.
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Eurasianet
First the violence, now the fear. Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan report that Kyrgyz authorities are rounding up Uzbek men without probable cause. Many of the arrests are taking place during the pre-dawn hours.
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BY: Shaun Walker | The Independent
A new law which gives Russian security services sweeping powers to question people about crimes that have not yet been committed is being criticised by human rights activists as a dangerous return to the era of the KGB.
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BY: Mark Landler | The New York Times
The mood was noticeably less toxic on Monday, perhaps in part because Mrs. Clinton showed up with more than $500 million in economic aid, part of her campaign to win over a skeptical Pakistani public.
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BY: Keith B. Richburg | The Washington Post
The unresolved rivalry across the narrow Taiwan Strait masks a different reality on the ground. In many ways -- economics, culture, family ties -- China and Taiwan are rapidly becoming closely intertwined, making the chances of a military confrontation seem increasingly remote.
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BY: Ashish Kumar Sen | The Washington Times
A federal court has found North Korea guilty of aiding terrorists and has fined Pyongyang $300 million in connection with a 1972 terrorist attack in Israel.
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BY: Alex Rodriguez | Los Angeles Times
The U.S. secretary of State unveils plans for $500 million in infrastructure improvements. Pakistanis on the street wonder, what is the catch?