LOST IN THE DARK RIDE

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Lawyers for Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing an airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988 killing 270 people, asked a court on Thursday to free him on bail because he has cancer. Lawyer Maggie Scott made an appeal for bail at Scotland’s High Court, saying Megrahi was very ill and “doesn’t have very long to live”. Megrahi’s lawyers said last month that he had been…

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Coca cultivation up 15% between 2000 and 2006 despite military aid package from US, congressional report finds Colombia’s coca cultivation increased 15% between 2000 and 2006 despite a $5bn (£3.1bn) aid package aimed at halving illegal drug production, a US congressional report has found. The programme reached its target for cuts in opium and heroin production, but its failure to make inroads in to cocaine production has led to questions about its future. While coca cultivation…

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MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces plans to ‘downscale’ operations against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in selected areas of Mindandao to allow refugees from the fighting to return home, a military spokesperson said Thursday. The plan to cut back on military operations came after Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief…

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Tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 pm, the DIGNITY leaves for the third time for the shores of Gaza. This time, eleven past and current members of the European Parliament are on board, along with journalists from Al Jazeera English and The…

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Nov 6, 2008 10:52 PM As the end nears for the Bali bombers, some victims of the carnage they wreaked are fighting to save them from the firing squad.    At the same time, terrorism experts are urging the Indonesian government to swiftly execute the Islamic militants or risk losing credibility in its fight against terrorism.    As uncertainty stretches on over when the bombers will die, one thing is clear.    Indonesia’s policy of keeping secret the exact timing of executions has created a dark and farcical cycle of speculation, rumour and counter-rumour.    The wait has been agonising for the many people - across 22 countries - who hold a very personal…

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Proposals could see Vladimir Putin back in the Kremlin for two six-year terms as early as next year Matrioshka dolls with the faces of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin on the table of a street vendor in St Petersburg. Photograph: Anatoly Maltsev/EPA President Dmitry Medvedev moved yesterday to entrench the current Russian leadership’s grip on power by proposing a presidential term that would extend the stint in office from four to six years. Medvedev said the extension was necessary to guarantee stability and help Russia deal with huge global challenges. But critics said the proposal was further evidence of Russia’s alarming and rapid drift towards authoritarianism. This morning’s…

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Washington - Outgoing US President George W Bush on Wednesday faced a mountain of unfinished work - two wars, the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the global economic crisis - with just 11 weeks to scale it. Atop the list: A US-Iraq security pact to allow US forces to stay after the UN mandate for their presence lapses in December, stalled free trade deals with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama, and shoring up the battered US economy. Cloistered inside the White House as US voters made Barack Obama the first black US president, Bush emerged on Wednesday to congratulate his successor but also to serve notice that he is still in charge. “There’s important work to do in the months ahead, and I will…

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Comments WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Spurred on by a continued decline in violence, the U.S. military will reduce its presence in Iraq to 14 combat brigades this month - at least two months earlier than originally planned. Military officials say two brigades from the 101st Airborne Division will leave Iraq this month and only one will be replaced. A brigade is roughly 3,500 soldiers. Initially the 3rd Brigade, 101st Division, was scheduled to leave this month, and the 2nd Brigade, 101st Division, was to leave by February. On Wednesday, however, the military announced the 2nd Brigade will instead return to its Fort Campbell, Ky., home base this month, after…

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China will spend 1 trillion yuan ($146.5 billion) over the next three years to rebuild areas ravaged by the Sichuan earthquake, local media reported on Thursday, citing the country’s top planning agency. The May 12 quake killed 80,000 people and left about 10 million homeless as whole…

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Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo. Photograph: Frank Baron Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang says he felt let down by Google’s decision to pull out of a controversial advertising agreement between the two internet rivals. The $800m deal – which would have enabled Google to sell advertising on some parts of Yahoo’s search engine listings - had been subject to a over potential antitrust concerns. However, despite recently renegotiating some of the terms to allay fears, Google that it would pull the plug on the agreement. “We were disappointed,” said Yang, speaking at the…

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