digest
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Laura Bush meets with
UN envoy on Myanmar
WASHINGTON, Dec 18: The UN envoy for Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, met at the White House Monday with US First Lady Laura Bush and US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, US officials said. Gambari and Laura Bush posed for photographs and then met for about 30 minutes, said her spokeswoman, Sally McDonough, who declined to provide details of their discussions — AFP.
Sarkozy steps out with
ex-supermodel Bruni
PARIS, Dec 18: French newspapers reported Monday that President Nicolas Sarkozy is romancing supermodel-turned-pop singer Carla Bruni, just two months after his divorce. Sarkozy, 52, and Bruni, 38, were photographed together at the Disneyland theme park near Paris on Saturday, although none of the photos showed them any closer than shoulder-to-shoulder — AFP.
Tiger rebels claim smashing
Sri Lanka army outpost
COLOMBO, Dec 18: Tamil Tiger rebels overran a military outpost in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, killing at least five government soldiers, the rebels said.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) mounted the offensive at Weerapuram in the district of Vavuniya just outside their de facto mini-state, the LTTE's Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said in a statement-AFP.
Castro says he won't
cling to office
HAVANA, Dec 18: Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said in a letter read on television Monday that he would not cling to office or obstruct the rise of a new generation of leaders, raising speculation about his political future. "My basic duty is not to cling to office, nor even more so to obstruct the rise of people much younger, but to pass on experiences and ideas whose modest value arises from the exceptional era in which I lived," said Castro, who stepped aside from Cuba's presidency "temporarily" more than 16 months ago after undergoing surgery —AFP.
Three Pakistan soldiers hurt
in rocket attacks: army
ISLAMABAD, Dec 18: Three Pakistan soldiers were injured when militants fired rockets on check posts in the country's restive tribal northwest, the military said in a statement Tuesday. One soldier was injured when militants fired 12 mortar rounds and two rockets on a check post in Miranshah, the main town
in North Waziristan tribal district. At another location in the city, two soldiers sustained injuries when militants fired 25 mortar rounds and seven rockets, the military said — AFP
UN envoy on Myanmar
WASHINGTON, Dec 18: The UN envoy for Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, met at the White House Monday with US First Lady Laura Bush and US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, US officials said. Gambari and Laura Bush posed for photographs and then met for about 30 minutes, said her spokeswoman, Sally McDonough, who declined to provide details of their discussions — AFP.
Sarkozy steps out with
ex-supermodel Bruni
PARIS, Dec 18: French newspapers reported Monday that President Nicolas Sarkozy is romancing supermodel-turned-pop singer Carla Bruni, just two months after his divorce. Sarkozy, 52, and Bruni, 38, were photographed together at the Disneyland theme park near Paris on Saturday, although none of the photos showed them any closer than shoulder-to-shoulder — AFP.
Tiger rebels claim smashing
Sri Lanka army outpost
COLOMBO, Dec 18: Tamil Tiger rebels overran a military outpost in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, killing at least five government soldiers, the rebels said.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) mounted the offensive at Weerapuram in the district of Vavuniya just outside their de facto mini-state, the LTTE's Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said in a statement-AFP.
Castro says he won't
cling to office
HAVANA, Dec 18: Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said in a letter read on television Monday that he would not cling to office or obstruct the rise of a new generation of leaders, raising speculation about his political future. "My basic duty is not to cling to office, nor even more so to obstruct the rise of people much younger, but to pass on experiences and ideas whose modest value arises from the exceptional era in which I lived," said Castro, who stepped aside from Cuba's presidency "temporarily" more than 16 months ago after undergoing surgery —AFP.
Three Pakistan soldiers hurt
in rocket attacks: army
ISLAMABAD, Dec 18: Three Pakistan soldiers were injured when militants fired rockets on check posts in the country's restive tribal northwest, the military said in a statement Tuesday. One soldier was injured when militants fired 12 mortar rounds and two rockets on a check post in Miranshah, the main town
in North Waziristan tribal district. At another location in the city, two soldiers sustained injuries when militants fired 25 mortar rounds and seven rockets, the military said — AFP