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Iraq's PM longs to leave office Mr Maliki was not his alliance's first choice as prime minister Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has made clear he dislikes being the country's leader and would prefer to leave the job before his term ends. In an extensive interview with a US newspaper, Mr Maliki said he would certainly not be seeking a second term. A compromise choice, his tenure has been plagued by factional strife within both the country and government, and rumours the US has no faith in him. "I wish I could be done with it even before the end...

Ethiopia PM admits Somalia action Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has admitted for the first time that his troops are fighting in Somalia. In a televised speech, he said the troops were sent into the neighbouring country to defend its sovereignty against the Islamic Courts Union (UIC). While Mr Meles was speaking, his troops were attacking the Islamist militias in four areas of southern Somalia. The BBC's Amber Henshaw in Addis Ababa says there has been a significant escalation in the conflict. The UIC, which has seized control of much of southern and central Somalia, says Ethiopian troops have been...

Doctors treating a former Russian Prime Minister for a grave illness believe he was deliberately poisoned, an aide has revealed.Yegor Gaidar is being treated in a Moscow hospital after becoming ill on a trip to Ireland a week ago. "Doctors don't see a natural reason for the poisoning and they have not been able to detect any natural substance known to them in Gaidar's body," said aide Valery Natarov. "So obviously we're talking about poisoning (and) it was not natural poisoning." He said Mr Gaidar's condition could not have been the result of food poisoning. The news follows the death...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2006 – Senior U.S. officials in Iraq are calling a four-point plan released yesterday by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to halt sectarian violence “a significant step in the right direction.” Maliki’s plan, released yesterday, aims at uniting Shiite and Sunni parties to reduce and ultimately stop growing sectarian violence that threatens Iraq. “This … shows that the Iraqi leaders want their country to succeed and are responding to the wishes of their people for security,” said U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and Army Gen. George W. Casey, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, in a statement...

TOKYO: Japan’s new premier has yet to spell out clear plans for his stewardship of the world’s second-largest economy but shopkeeper Mineo Hayakawa, like many of the elderly, is not getting his hopes up. Shinzo Abe, who on Tuesday succeeded outgoing Junichiro Koizumi, has spoken in general terms about the need to reduce wealth inequalities but he is known more for talking tough on North Korea than for his economic strategy. He penned a pre-campaign book entitled “To A Beautiful Country”, outlining his philosophy of unabashed conservatism, but many of Japan’s disadvantaged appear not to share his vision of a...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2006 – Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai expressed his people's gratitude to U.S. servicemembers during a visit to the Pentagon today. When a Pentagon Channel reporter asked if he had a message for the troops, Karzai replied: "I was yesterday in the Walter Reed hospital. Ma'am, I was -- let me find the right word -- I was taken by emotions there, to put it in simple terms, of wounded soldiers and of a lady officer who had worked in Afghanistan, having six children, six boys. She was still helping the Afghan people. "So my message for the...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is working hard to quell sectarian violence and pave the way for the reconciliation of his country’s people, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said this week. “We have been impressed with Prime Minister Maliki. He has opposed militias. He has favored reconciliation. He was determined in resisting the appointment of people to the key security ministries who were more political than substantive,” Rumsfeld said after meeting with the Senate Armed Services Committee. In the relatively short time the prime minister has been in office, Rumsfeld said, Maliki has moved his government in the...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2006 – Iraq is facing grave challenges as it transitions into a democratic society, but Iraqi leaders are committed to the country’s success and are working hard to create a political situation that will allow the terrorists to be defeated, Iraq’s deputy prime minister said here today. Barham Salih held a news conference at the Pentagon during a visit to the U.S. to meet with Defense Department, congressional and business leaders. Salih said he follows the U.S. news from Iraq, but was surprised to see firsthand the intensity of the debate about U.S. involvement in Iraq. “No...

A Nuclear Hat Trick For Dr Manmohan Singh An IDC Analysis New Delhi, 29 August 2006 Dr Manmohan Singh is not known for his cricketing skills, but more as the Finance Minister who saved India from defaulting on its external debt in 1991. Yet recently he had to bowl against three formidable batsmen on the pitch created by the Nuclear Deal he negotiated with President Bush. The PM’s UPA allies, the CPM were not happy with some clauses, and the BJP went to town even on clauses which did not exist, while the former nuclear doyens (scientists) of India revolted...

US military defends Baghdad raid slammed by PM Wed Aug 9, 10:30 AM ET The US military defended itself against criticism by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of a raid on a crowded Baghdad suburb which culminated in a deadly air strike. The army had said the Sunday night assault by Iraqi troops and US advisers was aimed at arresting the head of a suspected kidnap-and-torture cell. But Maliki called it "unjustified" and said he had not approved it. Major General William Caldwell told reporters that Iraqi commanders had taken the lead in launching the operation, with the support...

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2006 – Iraq is the front line in the war on terror and ultimately will serve as a "graveyard for terrorism," Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told a joint session of Congress here today. Maliki repeatedly thanked the lawmakers for the United States' steadfast support for his country and assured them that Iraq will remain a solid ally in the terror war. "Iraq will never forget those who stood with her ... and who continue to stand with her in times of need," he said. The prime minister compared the losses Iraq faces at the hands of...

Farnborough: UK prime minister rumoured to have tour of Airbus Corporate Jetliner for government jet UK prime minister Tony Blair is to take an evaluation tour of the Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) today at the Farnborough air show, speculation has it. The UK head of government is addressing the air show today at around 15:00 on the importance of aerospace to the UK economy. After this, he is understood to be offered a chance to look around a corporate interior version of the ACJ. Airbus does not have an ACJ on the static display at the show, where security...

PM accuses Pakistan over Mumbai bombs Randeep Ramesh in Delhi Friday July 14, 2006 The Guardian (UK) One of the trains targeted in the attacks on Mumbai rail network. Photograph: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images India's prime minister pointed the finger of blame for the blasts in Mumbai across the border to Pakistan today, saying that promises to rein in terrorism had not been kept and effectively stalling the peace process between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Manmohan Singh, who was in Mumbai to console survivors of Tuesday's train explosions, which killed 198 people, said Pakistan's failure to clamp down on bombers had endangered...

Palestinian PM is defiant as Gaza runs out of water By Harry de Quetteville in Gaza (Filed: 01/07/2006) The Palestinian prime minister emerged from hiding yesterday, vowing to defy Israeli military pressure which has left the Gaza Strip facing a humanitarian crisis. Ismail Haniya: 'No concessions' to the barrage Ismail Haniya, who has already survived one Israeli assassination attempt, has been under cover since a 19-year-old Israeli soldier was captured by Palestinian militants on Sunday. Israeli public television reported yesterday that Cpl Gilad Shalit was alive and had been treated by a Palestinian doctor for his injuries. But until he...

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2006 – The struggle in Iraq is a genuine pursuit of liberty, and the international community needs to recognize its importance and unite to advance the cause of freedom, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a speech at Georgetown University here today. "This should be a moment of reconciliation not only in Iraq but in the international community," Blair said. "The war split the world; the struggle of Iraqis for democracy should unite it." Many people may not agree with the original decision to go to war in Iraq or may think mistakes have been made,...

Teheran mocks PM over polls drubbing By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor (Filed: 08/05/2006) Iran mocked Tony Blair yesterday, saying Labour's drubbing in last week's local elections was caused by his close alliance with President George W Bush. On the eve of a meeting of the world's major powers to decide how to respond to Teheran's nuclear defiance, the regime took comfort in the humiliation of one of its major foes. Show of strength: President Ahmadinejad stands with commanders of the Basij Militia in Tehran yesterday "The people's vote showed their opposition to Mr Blair's policies of following those of...

LONDON -- Verra Budimlija was once classic fan of Prime Minister Tony Blair -- she's 40, well-educated advertising executive, the kind of voter who propelled Blair and the Labor Party to power in 1997. Not only does she live in Islington, a Labor stronghold where people took to streets to celebrate Blair's generation-shifting election, she lives in very brick house that was Blair's at the time. Nine years and two reelections later, Budimlija is suffering from "Tired of Tony," a malady afflicting even once-fanatical supporters as it spreads across Britain like blanket of fog. "He has been around too long,"...

If you were given the choice, who would be your preferred Prime Minister from the following three people?

Stephen Harper balances job, hockey dad dutiesCTV.ca News Staff March 1, 2006 One adjustment for hockey dad-turned-Prime Minister Stephen Harper is that Mounties now insist on driving him to the rink. "Didn't used to get so much help," said Harper, who was sworn in as prime minister on Feb. 6. "Now we have a lot of people who want to carry the bags and sticks and open the door." As prime minister, Harper now has a federal government to run. However, he says it helps to be the boss -- he can often adjust his schedule to fit in the...

New Canadian PM rebuffs US envoy Mr Harper criticised opponents for anti-US positions during the election Canadian Prime Minister-elect Stephen Harper has defended plans to send military ice-breakers to the Arctic in defiance of criticism from Washington. US ambassador David Wilkins said on Wednesday that Washington opposed the plan and, like most other countries, did not recognise Canada's claims. Mr Harper said his mandate was from the Canadian people, not Mr Wilkins. Mr Harper's Conservatives have promised to defend Canada's northern waters from claims by the US, Russia and Denmark. The party won a narrow victory over the outgoing Liberal...