World

Google appears to drop censorship in China

By msnbc.com on March 16, 2010

Web sites dealing with subjects such as the Tiananmen Square protests could all be accessed through Google’s Chinese search engine Tuesday in defiance of Beijing’s censorship rules.

Palestinians, Israeli police clash

By msnbc.com on March 16, 2010

Dozens of Palestinian stone-throwers clash with Israeli police in East Jerusalem on a “day of rage” Hamas Islamists declare in protest at Israel’s consecration of an ancient synagogue.

Thai protesters give blood to pour on streets

By msnbc.com on March 16, 2010

Anti-government protesters started donating their own blood as part of a plan to splatter the Thai government headquarters in a symbolic sacrifice to demand new elections.

NYT: U.S. reins in special forces in Afghanistan

By msnbc.com on March 16, 2010

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top American commander in Afghanistan, has brought most American Special Operations forces under his direct control for the first time.

British boy kidnapped in Pakistan freed

By msnbc.com on March 16, 2010

A British boy who was kidnapped in Pakistan while on vacation has been released, an official and a relative said on Tuesday, ending a 12-day ordeal.

Kidnapped British boy found safe in Pakistan

By CNN on March 16, 2010

(CNN) — A five-year-old British boy who was kidnapped in Pakistan earlier this month has been found safe, the British High Commission said Tuesday.

The commission did not say when or where Sahil Saeed was found. It issued a statement thanking the police in the Pakistani town of Jhelum for the boys return.

Sahil, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, was on the last day of a two-week vacation in Pakistan before he was to return home to Oldham, in northern England.

Gunmen barged into Sahils grandmothers home in Jhelum, in the eastern province of Punjab, and took him at gunpoint on March 3. They reportedly demanded a ransom of 10 million rupees ($118,000).

Soon after the abduction, Pakistans Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the captors included someone close to the family.

"There is someone who is very close to the family because the way the situation happened, the way the entry was made," Malik told reporters.

Strong, moderate quakes rock Chile

By CNN on March 16, 2010

(CNN) — A pair of earthquakes rattled coastal Chile overnight, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

A strong 6.7-magnitude quake hit at 11:22 p.m. Monday, and a moderate 5.5-magnitude quake followed at 12:05 a.m. Tuesday.

Vicente Nuñez, director of the National Emergencies Office, appealed to Chileans to remain calm, saying there was no danger of a tsunami.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or significant damage, he said.

Both quakes were centered 35 to 45 miles north of Concepcion, which was heavily damaged by a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake on February 27.

Aftershocks have continued to rock Chile — at least seven of magnitude 5.0 or above since Sunday.

Thai protesters collect blood for message

By CNN on March 16, 2010

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — Anti-government protesters launched a blood drive Tuesday to collect enough samples to douse the ministers offices.

The dramatic gesture is the latest move by the anti-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call new elections.

Thousands of "red shirts" — so named for their clothing — held out their forearms to allow their compatriots to draw blood.

The protesters intended to collect 1,000 liters (1 million cubic centimeters) and then throw the blood on the grounds of the Government House, which houses ministerial offices, at 6 p.m. (7 a.m. ET).

"Red shirts" rally in Bangkok: Share your photos

If Abhisit still refuses to dissolve parliament, the demonstrators said they will collect another 1,000 liters of blood Wednesday and splash it on the headquarters of the ruling party.

The next day, they will collect 1,000 more liters and target the prime ministers residence, the demonstrators said.

Abhisit has repeatedly said he will listen to the protesters but will not accede to their demands.

The anti-government demonstrations began Friday. By Sunday, tens of thousands of protesters had poured into the center of Bangkok.

The rallies have been largely peaceful. Abhisit has said his government will not use force to quell the demonstrations.

The nations tourism minister estimated the demonstrations might have resulted in a 20 percent drop in tourists. The impact on Chinese visitors appears to have been greater, with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce reporting a 50 percent cancellation rate.

The protesters are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006.

Thaksin was the only Thai prime minister to serve a full term and remains hugely popular.

He fled the country in 2008 while facing trial on corruption charges that he says were politically motivated.

The protesters say Abhisit was not democratically elected and have demanded that he call new elections.

Since Thaksins ouster, Thailand has endured widespread political unrest that has pitted Thaksin loyalists against Abhisit supporters.

Two people were killed and at least 135 wounded in riots in April 2009 when protesters clashed with demonstrators supporting the government.

CNNs Kocha Olarn and Dan Rivers contributed to this report

Afghan women fear loss of hard-won progress

By msnbc.com on March 16, 2010

As Karzai’s government considers negotiating with Taliban, retreat from hard-won progress is worry for Afghan women.

Iranian leader shuns ancient fire festival

By CNN on March 16, 2010

Tehran, Iran (CNN) — Irans supreme leader is attempting to extinguish an annual event celebrating the last days of winter and the Persian calendar year, and the government is strengthening its security presence in the days leading up to a major holiday, Iranian media reported.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday urged Iranians to dismiss the ancient practice of fire jumping and feasting on Chaharshanbe Soori, a festival held on the eve of the last Wednesday before spring — this year, March 16. The activities date back thousands of years.

The festivities have no basis in Islam, and can cause "harm and corruption," Khamenei said in a statement published by Iranian news sites. "It is appropriate to avoid it," he said.

The celebrations lead up to Norooz, the holiday that marks the first day of spring and the Persian new year. Norooz falls on Saturday this year.

Iran is beefing up security to ensure "order and calm" during the two-week period celebrating Norooz, stationing 200,000 security personnel across the Islamic republic, according to Raja news, the official new site of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In the eastern city of Mashad, the chief prosecutor said those who engage in "disruptive behavior" during Chaharshanbe Soori would face "strong consequences."

Its a precaution thats become increasingly commonplace in Iran, especially in advance of holidays, as the government continues to warn against political demonstrations that have emerged since last summers disputed presidential elections.

Most recently, the Iranian government quashed anti-government protests that brewed in February as the nation commemorated the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, which marked the end of the countrys Western-backed monarchy and the start of an Islamic republic. In the days that led up to the February 11 holiday, the government mobilized security forces and heightened its warnings, saying it would arrest protesters and hold them until the April 9 end of Norooz.

Six protesters who were arrested in December on the Muslim holiday of Ashura were sentenced to death on Monday, the day before Chaharshanbe Soori, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday. Their sentences are being reviewed by an appeals court, Fars said.

And some 350 inmates at Evin prison have gone on hunger strike to demand that their cases be examined before Norooz, saying their ward is so overcrowded with recent political arrestees that prisoners are in poor health, according to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, an Iranian group.

There were also reports that opposition leader Mehdi Karrubis home was vandalized. Karrubis Eetemade-Melli (National Trust) partys Web site, called Saham News, said a group had gathered in front of his house and tossed red paint on the walls of the apartment building. Two weeks earlier, a similar group threw tomatoes and eggs at the building, the Web site said.

A video identifying a vandalized apartment building as Karrubis was posted on YouTube Monday, showing exterior walls scrawled with the last names of Karrubi, fellow opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi and former President Mohammad Khatami — all reformists. In some areas, the black spray paint read "death to Karrubi" and "death to Khatami."

Anti-government demonstrations began after the disputed June 12 presidential vote, which re-elected hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over main opposition candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi.

Eyewitnesses in Iran said thousands of riot police and security officers lined the streets of the capital, Tehran, and patrolled major intersections on motorcycles and on foot Monday night. Beginning Saturday, police also set up checkpoints along major roads in Tehran, and vehicles have been stopped and searched from late at night into the early morning hours, witnesses said.

CNNs Reza Sayah contributed to this report.

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