Saturday, June 17, 2006

6/17/06

* Bombers defy security to hit Iraq About 30 people have been killed and 80 injured in a string of attacks in and around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

* Hundreds rally against Iran's president More than 700 people gathered Saturday to protest the Iranian president's denial of the Nazi Holocaust as Iran played its second match at the World Cup.

* Abbas vows to uphold truce with Israel The Palestinian president has promised to continue a 16-month-old ceasefire with Israel - denying Hamas ever broke it.

* EU endorses Palestinian aid plan EU heads in Brussels have backed a plan to resume aid for Palestinians, frozen since a Hamas government took power.

* Roundup: EU constitution impasse lingers on For the constitution of the European Union, the only certainty is uncertainty in the coming years as EU leaders have failed to break the impasse at the end of a one-year period of reflection.

* Over half the world to live in cities by next year More than half the world’s population will live in a city by 2007, but for one in three people that will mean a crime-ridden slum with inadequate housing and services.

* Chinese PM launches Africa tour Wen Jiabao, China's prime minister, has arrived in Africa for a tour of seven states aimed at boosting economic links and securing raw material supplies.

* Somalia Islamists, elders agree to administer militia-held areas Islamic militias secured the backing of influential clan elders overnight to set up a new system of governance for swathes of southern Somalia which the Islamists now control.

* Rice hopeful on EU aid for Palestinians Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday agreement is close on the creation of an international mechanism to provide assistance to Palestinians in a way that does not benefit the Hamas government.

* Hamas criticises EU aid proposals The Hamas government has criticised as "regrettable" an EU plan to provide urgent funding for the Palestinians while bypassing Hamas itself.