UN General Assembly President to Address World Food Crisis in Egypt

The president of General Assembly of the United Nations, Srgjan Kerim, will address the world food crisis among several regional and international topics during his visit to Cairo next week. Read more

Obama Leads in Democratic Caucuses on Guam

U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama has an early lead in Saturday’s nominating caucuses in the tiny U.S. territory of Guam. With nearly one-quarter of the vote counted, Obama has won about 55 percent of the ballots in Guam, ahead of his rival Hillary Clinton. The caucuses are choosing delegates to the Democratic Party’s national convention. Read more

EU: Dealing With Both Russia And Georgia

With tensions heating up between Georgia and Russia over Abkhazia, RFE/RL’s Georgian Service Director David Kakabadze spoke to the EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, about what the European Union can do to defuse the dispute. Read more

Venezuelan Ministry of the Environment Puts Breaks on Gold Mining Permits

Toronto-based Crystallex Corporation announced Wednesday that the Venezuelan Ministry of the Environment denied a key gold mining permit for the company’s operation of the Las Cristinas mine, one of the largest gold deposits in Latin America. The same day, Spokane, Washington-Based Gold Reserve Inc. reported that the ministry also plans to rescind an environmental and social impact approval, which had been granted to the company in March 2007, for the neighboring Las Brisas gold and copper mine. Read more

Afghanistan: Gates Says U.S. Could Eye Expanded Role

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the United States could consider taking over NATO’s command in southern Afghanistan, where some NATO allies have been reluctant to provide combat forces. His comments come as U.S. media reported that the United States is considering sending extra troops to Afghanistan next year. Read more

Evidence Suggests That Stun Guns May Stimulate the Heart

On the eve of the British Columbia inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski, a review of scientific data in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) finds that in some cases, stun guns may stimulate the heart in experimental models. This evidence is contrary to current views that stun guns only affect skeletal muscles. Read more

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