Sri Lanka opposition boycotts parliament

COLOMBO – The main opposition in Sri Lanka Wednesday boycotted parliament, which was due to vote on proposed constitutional amendments that would boost powers of the president.

The United National Party said the amendments were undemocratic and accused the government of coercing opposition members into supporting the measures.
“The government is acting undemocratically by getting our [..] Read the original article: here.

South Korea imposes independent sanctions on Iran over suspected nuclear weapons program

South Korea imposes independent sanctions on Iran

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea said Wednesday it will ban unauthorized financial dealings with Iran and impose other penalties as part of a U.S.-led campaign to enforce sanctions against the country over its disputed nuclear enrichment program.
Seoul targeted 102 entities, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the …. Original source  : South Korea imposes independent sanctions on Iran over suspected nuclear weapons program.

Former NM governor, little known nationally, mulls presidential run on small gov’t platform

Former NM gov is little known but has big ideas

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson may not be well-known nationally, but he’s considering a run for president.
Last week, the two-term Republican governor made his second trip to Iowa. He’s visited New Hampshire four times.
Both states are key to presidential candidates because they …. Source  : Former NM governor, little known nationally, mulls presidential run on small gov’t platform.

Munda may be invited to form government Wednesday evening

RANCHI – Jharkhand Governor M.O.H. Farook is likely to invite Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Arjun Munda to form government in the state after getting the green signal from New Delhi, sources here said.

Farook Tuesday night sent a report to the union home ministry, recommending that President’s Rule be lifted and detailing …. Read the original article  : Munda may be invited to form government Wednesday evening.

Chicago mayor’s race promises to be most competitive in decades as Daley steps aside

Chicago mayor race wide open as Daley steps aside

CHICAGO – The race for Chicago mayor is suddenly on.
Mayor Richard M. Daley has thrown the competition wide open by announcing he won’t seek a seventh term. The decision ends 21 years of token opposition and prompts speculation about who’ll next lead the nation’s third largest city.
Political … Read more >>.

As Obama’s popularity drops, number of Democratic candidates seeking his help falls, too

Fewer Democratic candidates seeking Obama’s help
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – President Barack Obama doesn’t go there anymore.
The days of Obama traipsing around the country to states like Montana, Indiana or Arkansas in freewheeling campaign mode – and with sky-high popularity lifting Democratic candidates – are long over. With his approval rating sliding, the president [..] Read the original article: here.

POLITICAL INSIDER: Republicans cast more primary ballots than Democrats

POLITICAL INSIDER: GOP voters outnumber Dems
WASHINGTON – Looking for yet another sign Democrats are in trouble? Take note of who is showing up to vote in the primaries.
For the first time since 1930, Republican votes for statewide offices are outnumbering Democratic votes, according to an analysis from American University’s Center for the Study … Read more »».

Fla. pastor has legal right to burn Qurans, as long as intimidation, violence line uncrossed

Florida pastor has legal right to burn Qurans

MIAMI – Florida pastor Terry Jones will undoubtedly offend and infuriate many people around the world if he follows through on a plan to burn Muslim Qurans at his church this weekend.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution will protect him, in the same way it allows the [..] Read the original article: here.

Qur’an Burning Criticized By Hillary Clinton

WASHINGTON (GaeaTimes.com)- The proposal of the Gainesville, Florida church to burn copies of the Islamic holy book Qur’an has attracted attention the world over sparking outrage from Muslim countries across the globe. After the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen. David Petraeus slamming the decision of the evangelical church explaining that it might endanger the [..] Read the original article: here.

Afghan vote officials: More polling stations to remain closed because of security concerns

Afghanistan: More voting stations to remain closed

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan election officials say more than 80 polling stations will have to remain closed in the tense eastern Nangarhar province during the Sept. 18 parliamentary vote because of the deteriorating security situation in the region bordering Pakistan.
The number adds to the previously announced decision to shut …. Read the original article  : Afghan vote officials: More polling stations to remain closed because of security concerns.

Sri Lanka’s Parliament begins debating amendment to remove term limits for president

Sri Lanka debates ending president’s term limit

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka’s Parliament on Wednesday began debating a controversial amendment to the country’s constitution that would allow President Mahinda Rajapaksa to hold unlimited number of terms, a move critics say could lead to a dictatorship
The government is likely to secure the two-thirds majority required in …. Read the original article  : here.

Subhash Yadav to desert brother-in-law Lalu, join Congress?

PATNA – Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s brother-in-law Subhash Yadav is likely to desert him and join the Congress ahead of the Bihar assembly elections in October-November, party sources said.

Subhash Yadav, the youngest of Lalu Prasad’s three brothers-in-law, felt he was being sidelined and was angry at being denied a renomination to the … Read more : Subhash Yadav to desert brother-in-law Lalu, join Congress?.

Call for Polish state honour for former Indian maharaja

WARSAW – Polish academics and Indophiles have requested newly elected Polish President Bronislaw Kmorowski to posthumously honour the late Maharaja of Jamnagar who cared for more than one thousand Polish children during World War II.

Thousands of Poles were exiled to the most inhospitable parts of then USSR after the Red Army had invaded …. Read the original article  : Call for Polish state honour for former Indian maharaja.

Kashmir crisis: Omar Abdullah to meet Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR – Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Wednesday evening and reportedly discuss ways to end the current impasse in the Kashmir valley.

It has been reported that Abdullah will brief Dr Singh …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

FBI officials say Thai Airways flight lands in Los Angeles after bomb threat found on plane

FBI: Flight lands in Los Angeles after bomb threat

LOS ANGELES – A Thai Airways flight from Bangkok landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday evening after a bomb threat written in poorly worded English was spotted on a bathroom mirror on the plane, authorities said.
Airport officials were notified at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday of the … Original article on : FBI officials say Thai Airways flight lands in Los Angeles after bomb threat found on plane.

Manmohan Singh calls for CCS meet to discuss Kashmir crisis

NEW DELHI – The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, will on Wednesday convene the Cabinet Committee on Security meet to discuss the current crisis prevailing in the Kashmir valley.

It has been reported that the Government will most likely discuss the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and initiate new steps to break the impasse.

Earlier … Original article on : Manmohan Singh calls for CCS meet to discuss Kashmir crisis.

Gunmen burst into small shoe factory in Honduras, killing 18 employees and wounding 5

Gunmen burst into factory in Honduras, kill 18

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Men armed with assault rifles burst into a shoe factory and opened fire Tuesday, killing at least 18 workers and wounding five, Honduran authorities said.
National police spokesman Leonel Sauceda called the attack in the northern city of San Pedro Sula “a massacre.”
Authorities initially reported 15 … Read more : Gunmen burst into small shoe factory in Honduras, killing 18 employees and wounding 5.

Obama congratulates Australia’s prime minister

WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama Tuesday offered his congratulations to Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who held onto office after breaking a 17-day logjam that built up behind the inconclusive August 21 parliamentary elections.
In a telephone call, Obama expressed his commitment to the alliance between the US and Australia and the two …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Mexican president has 100/000 followers on Twitter

Indo-Asian News Service
Mexico City, Sep 8 (IANS/EFE) Mexican President Felipe Calderon said he has 100,000 followers on the online social networking website Twitter.

\”We have reached more than 100,000 followers already interested in this way of communication. Thank you and good day to all,\” the president said in a post Monday.
Calderon opened his Twitter account … Read more : Mexican president has 100/000 followers on Twitter.

Ky. Senate candidate Paul dons scrubs for 1st fall TV ad, bashes federal health care reforms

Paul’s first TV ad highlights work as physician

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul is back in scrubs for his first TV ad of the fall campaign, declaring: “I’m a physician, not a career politician.”
Paul is an eye surgeon. He trounced his GOP opponents in Kentucky’s primary by running as a political outsider. …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Ky. Senate candidate Paul dons scrubs for 1st fall TV ad, bashes federal health care reforms.