World : Top Stories

Australian Labor Party wins enough support to rule (AP)

AP - Prime Minister Julia Gillard's center-left Labor Party will form a minority government to rule Australia for a second three-year term, after two independent lawmakers joined her coalition Tuesday in the interest of stable government.

Tropical Storm Hermine crosses into Texas (AP)

AP - Forecasters say Tropical Storm Hermine (hur-MEEN') has crossed into Texas.

Sharp series of aftershocks strike New Zealand (AP)

AP - A sharp series of about 20 aftershocks rattled New Zealand's earthquake-hit city of Christchurch overnight, and earthquake experts warned Tuesday that another powerful temblor might hammer the region in coming days.

Top US commander: Burning Quran endangers troops (AP)

AP - The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned Tuesday that an American church's threat to burn copies of the Muslim holy book the Quran could endanger U.S. troops in the country and Americans worldwide.

Pakistanis suspect landowners of diverting floods (AP)

AP - As the disastrous floods recede in Pakistan, something new is rising: suspicions and rumors that powerful officials and landowners used their influence to divert water away from their property and inundate the villages and fields of millions of poor Pakistanis.

Spain: What the ETA Cease-Fire Announcement Reveals (Time.com)

Time.com - Spain's political establishment has rejected a unilateral cease-fire declared by the battered Basque terrorist group ETA. What does it reveal about the cohesion of the separatists and what they might do next?

Barclays appoints Bob Diamond as chief executive (AFP)

AFP - British bank Barclays on Tuesday said it had chosen American Bob Diamond, head of its investment banking unit, to become its new chief executive in place of incumbent John Varley.

Iran says it has the right to bar UN inspectors (AP)

AP - Iran's nuclear chief says Tehran has the right to bar some U.N. inspectors from monitoring its disputed nuclear program.

Chavez's base, the poor, wobbles as election looms (AP)

AP - On a hilltop overlooking Caracas, dozens of shacks made of wood scraps and corrugated zinc have risen among tall weeds — a new slum tacked on to an old one as the poor face harder times in Venezuela.

Mozambique unrest shows the power of text messaging (AFP)

AFP - Deadly protests that paralysed Mozambique's capital last week were spurred by a text message that went viral on Maputo's cell phones, signalling the power of new technology in the hands of the poor.