General Politics

Madagascar's deposed president Ravalomanana in Swaziland: report

Madagascar's deposed president Ravalomanana in Swaziland: report Johannesburg  - Madagascar's deposed president, Marc Ravalomanana, is in Swaziland after being forced from office, according to a Swazi newspaper report Tuesday.

The Swazi Observer newspaper, quoting the Foreign Ministry of the mountain kingdom that is landlocked with South Africa, reported that Ravalomanana had arrived the previous day on an undisclosed mission.

Swazi King Mswati III currently chairs the security organ of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar is a member.

ROUNDUP: British government warns of increased terrorist threat

ROUNDUP: British government warns of increased terrorist threat London - The British government warned Tuesday that a terrorist attack on the country was "highly likely" and could "happen without warning, at any time."

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith sounded the warning as she presented a terror strategy report to parliament which said that the main threat came from a terrorist plot involving a so-called dirty bomb.

US seeks powers to take over non-financial firms in wake of AIG

US seeks powers to take over non-financial firms in wake of AIG Washington  - US authorities need broad new emergency powers to take over non-financial firms whose collapse could threaten the wider economy, the country's top economic officials warned Tuesday in the wake of the bail-out of insurance giant American International Group Inc.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the bail-out of AIG, which began in September, as critical to the survival of the US financial system.

Confidence vote session underway in Czech Republic

Confidence vote session underway in Czech RepublicPrague  - Czech lawmakers convened Tuesday to submit Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's government to a confidence test, the outcome of which could undermine country's presidency of the European Union and efforts to ratify the bloc's reform Lisbon Treaty.

If the government falls, it would also complicate the Czech Republic's efforts to battle the economic slump and deal a major blow to Czech-US missile defence treaties, Topolanek's key foreign policy project.

Britain sees increased threat of "dirty bomb" attack

Jacqui SmithLondon  - The British government Tuesday warned of the increased threat of a nuclear or chemical attack, while unveiling plans of a greater involvement of the public in the fight against terrorism.

A government assessment of the terrorist threat said that while terrorism networks such as al-Qaeda were "likely to fragment" and might not survive in their current form, their ideology would live on.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, in a report to be submitted to parliament later Tuesday, said the "likely future direction" of the threat would involve the use of a so-called dirty bomb.

Nepalese court reinstates eight generals forced into retirement

Nepalese court reinstates eight generals forced into retirement Kathmandu  - Nepal's Maoist-led government on Tuesday suffered a serious setback after the Nepalese Supreme Court reinstated eight army generals who had been forced into retirement.

The eight brigadier generals were forced into retirement after the defence ministry led by a former Maoist rebel leader Ram Bahadur Thapa ignored the recommendation of the army headquarters to extend their terms by another three years.

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