More Sunnis joining Iraq’s National Police
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Some 800 Sunni Muslims are among 2,000 newly trained recruits in the Iraqi National Police, a force that a Pentagon report a year ago called a brutal organization infiltrated by Shiite militias and even death squads.

Did US Army Cause Iraq Birth Defects?
Families in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are calling for an investigation into their claims of a rise in the number of birth defects. They have raised concerns about the weapons used by American forces in 2004 – when Fallujah suffered one of the heaviest bombardments of the entire war in Iraq… Hikmat Tawfeeq, deputy chairman of the Fallujah-based human rights group Alakhiyar said: “We have around 200 cases of deformities recorded by our society. Most of these cases are birth deformities which have arisen after the bombing of Fallujah.”

Palestinians: Israeli fire wounds 7 demonstrators
SUFA CROSSING, Gaza Strip – Palestinian doctors say Israel troops opened fire and wounded seven Palestinians in a demonstration at a crossing into Israel.

Iran slams US policy in Middle East
STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that failed U.S. policies in the Middle East were fueling hatred and resentment, and he called for a change in American foreign policy after the presidential election.

Gunman kills at least 8 in Yemeni mosque attack
SAN’A, Yemen – A gunman opened fire in a mosque in a predominantly Shiite northern town on Friday, killing at least eight worshippers and wounding dozens, a security official said.

Taliban capture Afghan district: officials
Taliban militants captured a remote district in central Afghanistan, taking prisoner the police and administration chiefs, officials and the militant group said Friday. “Last night Taliban attacked Rashidan district and it fell,” said provincial police chief Jan Mohammad Mujahed. “We are trying to decide here now what to do,” Mujahed said, adding that he did not know what had happened to the district officials.

Musharraf flays rumor mongers for sowing strife
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has lashed out at rumor-mongers for speculation he planned to quit to avoid being forced out by the new government, and for trying to cause a rift between him and the army.

Sri Lanka soldiers capture rebel base
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Government troops have captured a Tamil Tiger rebel base in northern Sri Lanka after three days of fighting that killed seven rebels and one soldier, the military said Friday.

UN: Myanmar forcing storm victims from camps
YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s military government is forcing cyclone victims out of shelters and refugee camps and sending some back to their devastated villages with virtually no aid supplies, United Nations and church officials said Friday.

Chinese lawyers unable to renew licenses
HONG KONG – Mainland Chinese lawyers known for defending rights have been unable to get their licenses renewed ahead of an annual deadline, a Hong Kong group said Friday.

Canada’s aboriginals slam “third-world” conditions
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada cares less and less about the “third-world” living conditions faced by many of its native peoples, protesters said on Thursday in the second annual aboriginal National Day of Action.

Chavez recalls Colombian rebel leader
CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that no one should be celebrating the death of Colombian rebel leader Manuel Marulanda.

Latin America’s economies spared — for now
WASHINGTON — When the U.S. economy sneezes, Latin American economies catch colds, according to an old saying. Not this time — at least for now. The U.S. crisis triggered by subprime mortgages and rising energy costs will spare most economies in Latin America, experts said Thursday.

More than 100 countries adopt cluster bomb ban
DUBLIN (AFP) – A landmark international convention banning cluster munitions was formally adopted by 111 countries here Friday, in a move organisers hope will stigmatise the lethal weapons as much as landmines.

Britain looked to Israel when studying military deception
LONDON – When British military leaders set up a special task force in 1969 to study how best to use deception to achieve their battlefield aims, they turned their attention to the tactics used by the Israelis — not the Americans.

Putin in France rejects rights criticism
PARIS (AFP) – Vladimir Putin, in France on his first trip abroad as prime minister, has dismissed criticisms of Russia’s human rights record as a ploy for putting diplomatic pressure on Moscow.

Burundi’s rebel leader returns home for peace deal
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – The exiled leader of Burundi’s last rebel group returned to the capital on Friday to begin implementing a stalled deal seen as the final obstacle to peace in the tiny central African country.

Zimbabwe a ‘state of despair’: opposition leader
HARARE (AFP) – Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai launched a scathing attack on Robert Mugabe’s rule of Zimbabwe on Friday, saying a nation rich in natural resources had become an embarrassment to the whole of Africa.

‘Extraordinary’ inequality threatens Africa stability: WEF
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Rising growth levels across Africa have given rise to extraordinary levels of inequality which are likely to lead to political instability, a report by the World Economic Forum said on Friday.