Poppy crop expands again, U.S. envoy says
By TIMES WIRES
Published July 18, 2007
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan's heroin-producing poppy crop set another record this season, despite intensified eradication efforts, the American ambassador, William Wood, said Tuesday. Wood said preliminary data show that Afghan farmers harvested 457,135 acres of opium poppies this year, compared to 407,715 acres last year. The growing industry fuels the Taliban, crime, addiction and government corruption. Wood said that he supports forced eradication but that there is "not yet an international consensus" on the practice.
ISRAEL
Military releases Hamas ex-official
The Israeli military released a former Palestinian Cabinet minister swept up in a West Bank raid in May, saying Tuesday he had agreed to renounce his Hamas membership and would no longer hold positions for the militant Islamic group. Nasser Shaer had served as education minister. Separately, the Israeli Cabinet approved a list of 256 Palestinian prisoners to be released Friday in a gesture of support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but the release faced court challenges in Israel and Palestinian criticism.
BRAZIL
Fishermen kill dolphins on video
A crew of Brazilian fishermen was captured on video killing 83 dolphins and joking about their illegal haul, Brazil's Ibama environmental protection agency said Tuesday. The video obtained by an Ibama researcher and broadcast by Globo TV showed the fishermen netting the dolphins, which suffocated because they could not surface to breathe. Ibama said it will try to impose fishing restrictions along parts of Brazil's coast where dolphins are common. No one has been charged because authorities are trying to identify the fishermen, Ibama said.
RUSSIA
Spy case response delayed by Kremlin
The Russian government held off Tuesday on a threatened response to Britain's expulsion of four of its diplomats in the bitter standoff over the poisoning death of a former KGB officer, but it warned London it was on a "direct path to confrontation." Britain has sought the extradition of former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi in the death of Alexander Litvinenko on Nov. 23 in a London hospital after ingesting radioactive polonium-210.
Elsewhere
Washington: In a letter sent to five House leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato said serious, long-term damage to Japanese-U.S. relations is likely if the House passes a resolution demanding an apology from Japan for its wartime policy of forcing women to become sex slaves for Japanese soldiers.
Cambodia: The government issued a directive preventing Christians from promoting their religion in public places, or using money or other means to persuade people to convert, officials said Tuesday.
Dominican Republic: Former President Clinton visited HIV-positive Dominican children in a hospital funded by his foundation for an up-close look at how AIDS can ravage its smallest victims.
Sudan: Scientists have found the underground remnants of an ancient lake in Sudan's Darfur region, offering hope of easing water scarcity, which experts say is the root of much of the unrest in the region.