Pyongyang Ambassador Summoned
By Nabi Abdullaev
Staff Writer
North Korea on Wednesday test-fired a barrage of missiles, prompting an international furor and the Foreign Ministry to summon North Korea's ambassador in protest.
Chaika Sacks 6 of His Deputies
By Nabi Abdullaev and Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writers
New Prosecutor General Yury Chaika fired the chief military prosecutor and five deputy prosecutors Wednesday in an overhaul of the Prosecutor General's Office that removes several officials linked to incompetence or corruption.
Putin Wags a Finger at Europe
By Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writer
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday took issue with Britain for granting asylum to a senior Chechen rebel and scolded Europeans for ignoring neo-Nazi marches and violations of the rights of ethnic Russians in Baltic countries.
NGOs Urge G8 to Reprimand Russia
By Maria Danilova
The Associated Press
A day after Putin addresses an NGO conference, a group of NGOs holds a meeting of its own to decry abuses.
Amnesty Presses Russia Over Its Rights Record
Reuters
Russia should use its spell as president of the Group of Eight countries as an opportunity to clean up its record on human rights, Amnesty International head Irene Khan said Wednesday.
Religious Leaders Condemn Violence
The Associated Press
International religious leaders on Wednesday condemned attempts to use religion to justify violence and called for world leaders to be ecologically responsible in a declaration to be delivered to the G8 summit later this month.
Russia Clings to Cold War Outpost
By James Kilner
Reuters
A Russian flag flutters over the concrete buildings hugging the side of a fjord on a remote Norwegian island deep inside the Arctic Circle.
Big Tasty Displays Its Calorie Count
Bloomberg
McDonald's is changing its packaging in Russia to show how many calories are in Big Macs and other foods it sells.
Media Bill Clears Vote
Reuters
The State Duma passed in a second reading Wednesday a package of bills that would, among other things, establish tight control over how the media reports on terrorist attacks.
World
Defiant N. Korea Test-Fires Missiles
By Christopher Torchia
The Associated Press
Foreign leaders condemn the launches, and Japan threatens sanctions.
Enron's Lay Dies at the Age of 64
The Associated Press
Enron founder Kenneth Lay, who was convicted of helping perpetuate one of the most sprawling business frauds in U.S. history, has died of a heart attack in Colorado. He was 64.
Israel Authorizes Offensive in Residential Areas of Gaza
By Ramit Plushnick-Masti
The Associated Press
Israeli leaders on Wednesday authorized the army to send troops into residential areas of Gaza and gave the green light for the military to push ahead with a plan to create a buffer zone meant to prevent militants from firing rockets into Israel, officials said.
Total Vote Recount Called For in Mexico
Reuters
Mexico's left-wing presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wants every single vote recounted and is threatening to call street protests as he fights an election result giving a razor-thin victory to his conservative rival.
U.S. Foes Forge Unlikely Alliance
By Christian Oliver
Reuters
To get a statue in central Tehran, you normally need to be an 11th-century Persian poet. However, Venezuela's 19th-century independence leader Simon Bolivar surveys passersby in Tehran's Goftogou Park.
Cocaine Use Grows Among India's Rich
By Matthew Rosenberg
The Associated Press
What may have begun with a couple of snorts has fast become a media-driven blizzard over whether, along with German cars and French handbags, another Western import is sweeping India -- cocaine.
