U.N. Urges ‘More Crop Per Drop’ as Water Dwindles – “Water scarcity and quality will be one of the major problems of the 21st century,” Godwin Obasi, secretary-general of the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (news – web sites) (WMO), told a ceremony in Rome to mark World Water Day.
Afghans Have a Palace, but Not a Role, Ready for the Former King By the quiet, almost secretive way in which the Karzai government has prepared for the 87-year-old former monarch’s return, an impression has gained ground among Afghans that the government is not entirely of one mind on what his future role should be.
U.S. Nuclear Arms Stance ModifiedThe Bush administration is working to codify the evolution of U.S. strategic nuclear doctrine from the Cold War policy of massive retaliation against the Soviet Union to a more flexible system that warns of a preemptive strike against hostile countries that threaten to use weapons of mass destruction.
BBC News | Afghan schools enter post-Taleban era Almost two million children are expected to return to school – significantly, many of them girls who were banned from the classroom during the years of Taleban rule.
AlterNet — CORN: We Make War; Keeping Peace is for Others For months, Hamid Karzai, the interim prime minister, has pleaded for expanding the international peacekeeping force in his country. Currently, these troops — about 4500 soldiers from 17 nations — patrol only Kabul and its environs. … A month ago, the Bush White House [...]
Afgha.com – U.S. Troops Found Afghan Biological Weapons Lab U.S. troops battling remnants of the al Qaeda network in southeast Afghanistan (news – web sites) uncovered a biological weapons laboratory during recent mountain operations, a British government source said on Friday.
The Guardian | Beijing rounds up Muslims The Chinese authorities have detained thousands of Muslims in Xinjiang region in the north-west since September 11, claiming that local separatists are linked to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, Amnesty International said yesterday.
BBC News | Italian workers take to the streets The centre of Rome has been brought to a standstill by an anti-terror demonstration organised by Italy’s biggest trade union.
Many people seemed happy about the new format, while some still wanted e-mail. Hopefully this compromise will work – you will get e-mails, but not the whole articles. You will have to click on the links to read the whole article. Also, everyone is now set to get a daily digest, rather than many e-mails. [...]