International News

Here's a sampling of what I found when I took a look this morning at headlines of various English-language newspaper and news center websites based in other countries:

• China Daily says Chinese economy to grow by 9.4% this year(if you click on the link, you'll be asked if you want to install language pack...I chose to cancel/ignore)
  
• Majorca [Spain] Daily Bulletin says high winds have interfered with shipping in the Balearics.
  
• The Straits [Singapore] Times says tens of thousands of protestors marched in Hong Kong for Hong Kong democracy
  
• The Jerusalem Post said Sharon offered Peres his pick of appointments
  
• The Moscow News reports on an interview with Shukhrat Masirokhunov, awaiting trial on charges of terrorism in connection with the attacks in Andizhan of May, 12-13, 2005.
  
• The Globe & Mail [Canada] reports that NDP leader Jack Layton says Canada should threaten tariffs on oil and gas exports to the United States as a way of dealing with the ongoing softwood lumber battle.
  
• El Universal [Venezeuela] reports on meetings between Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and his Argentinian and Columbian counterparts, designed to send messages of unity against the U.S. actions to stop the sale of jet fighters from Spain to Venezuela.
  
• The Sophia Echo [Bulgaria] reports that Bulgarian ministers have to accept at least two EU-related measures daily during the coming year, to meet the requirements for Bulgaria to join the EU as scheduled on January 1 2007.
  
• The Guadalajara Reporter [Mexico] reports that the three top contenders for the country's presidency spoke at the same event (American Chamber's annual convention in Mexico city), but that probably most people in the audience wanted to hear what Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), the left-leaning frontrunner, had to say.
  
• The Times of London reports that Major-General Peter Wall faces criminal charges relating to alleged attempts by officers to prevent an investigation into the deaths of a British tank commander and an unarmed Iraqi civilian.
  
• Aljazeera reports that a large crowd at the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf hurled sandals and shoes at Iyad Allawi - what they say is a grave insult in the Iraqi culture.

Some times, I think the English-language versions of news I find on the internet do not give a true picture of the viewpoints of other cultures. Not sure just how to get that.