International Glance
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has pulled out of an international summit because he doesn't want to share a platform with the "morally indefensible" Tony Blair, it emerged yesterday.
The retired archbishop, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his campaigning against apartheid, said that he had withdrawn from the event because he believed the former Prime Minister had supported the invasion of Iraq "on the basis of unproven allegations of the existence of weapons of mass destruction."
Desmond Tutu quits summit with Blair over invasion of Iraq
Refinery blast kills 24 in Venezuela, 86 hurt
A huge explosion rocked Venezuela's biggest oil refinery and unleashed a ferocious fire Saturday, killing at least 24 people and injuring more than 80 others in the deadliest disaster in memory for the country's key oil industry.
Balls of fire rose over the Amuay refinery, one of the largest in the world, in video posted on the Internet by people who were nearby at the time. Government officials pledged to restart the refinery within two days and said the country has plenty of fuel supplies on hand to meet its domestic needs as well as its export commitments.
Gay parades banned in Moscow for 100 years
Moscow's top court has upheld a ban on gay pride marches in the Russian capital for the next 100 years. Earlier Russia's best-known gay rights campaigner, Nikolay Alexeyev, had gone to court hoping to overturn the city council's ban on gay parades.
He had asked for the right to stage such parades for the next 100 years. He also opposes St Petersburg's ban on spreading "homosexual propaganda". The European Court of Human Rights has told Russia to pay him damages.
UK issues 'threat' to enter Ecuadorian Embassy to arrest Wikileaks founder
Ecuador has accused the UK of making a "threat" to enter its embassy in London to arrest Wikileaks' Julian Assange. Mr Assange took refuge at the embassy in June to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning over assault and rape claims, which he denies.
Ecuador foreign minister Ricardo Patino also said a decision on the 41-year-old's bid for political asylum had been made and would be revealed on Thursday.
Families of Iran's murdered nuclear scientists sue Israel, US and Britain
The families of murdered Iranian nuclear scientists have filed a lawsuit against Israel, the US and the UK, accusing them of involvement in assassination.
Rahim Ahmadi Roshan, whose son, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, was killed in a bomb attack in January, told a press conference in Tehran that the families had asked Iran's judiciary to pursue their complaint through international bodies and bring those behind the killings to justice.
Israeli sniper gets 45 days jail for killing 2 Gaza women
An Israeli soldier faces a 45-day jail term for the killing of two Gaza women carrying a white flag, under a plea bargain with a military court, the army and local media said.
The sniper, identified by Israeli media as `staff sergeant S`, was charged with manslaughter in 2010 over the fatal shooting of 64-year-old Riyeh Abu Hajaj and her daughter Majda Abu Hajaj, 37, during Israel`s 22-day war in the Gaza Strip that started in late December 2008.
Top US general: Venezuela not a threat
The Air Force general responsible for U.S. military operations in most of Latin America said Tuesday that he does not believe Venezuela, despite ongoing arms purchases and close ties to Iran, poses a national security threat to the United States.
Gen. Douglas Fraser also said he would like to see more counterdrug cooperation from Venezuela, from which most northbound cocaine smuggling flights continue to originate, according to U.S. and Colombian officials.
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