Russia's Heat Wave Wilts Crops, Nation
Russia's worst drought in 130 years became a political issue Friday as the Kremlin held an emergency meeting to combat the impacts of a month long heat wave that is shriveling crops, forcing up food prices, and causing hundreds of drownings as Russians jump into rivers to escape heat funneled up from North Africa.

Berlusconi discusses proximity talks situation with Abbas
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi telephoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Saturday to discuss the situation of proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Israel Radio reported Saturday. Berlusconi said at a press conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Friday that the two sides need to move direct negotiations as soon as possible.

Iran says it has 100 vessels to confront each US warship
Iran has set aside 100 military vessels to confront each US warship that poses a threat, a former naval chief in the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guard said Saturday. Gen. Morteza Saffari was quoted by the conservative weekly Panjereh as saying that troops aboard US warships are "morsels" for Iran to target in the event of any American threat against Iran. In 2008, Iran put its most powerful military force, the Revolutionary Guard, in charge of defending the country's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, a vital oil route.

Turkey exploits 'window of opportunity', moving rapidly to acquire nuclear weapons
A quiet but intense debate is ongoing within senior circles of the governing Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (Justice and Development Party: AKP) in Turkey over whether or not this is the time to proceed rapidly with the development and acquisition of nuclear weapons. ...Nuclear weapons research has long been underway, under conditions of extreme secrecy, in Turkey, and the AKP leadership is aware that it is probable that this will become public knowledge as the effort becomes more intense.

Series of strong quakes hit Philippines
Four powerful earthquakes struck the Philippines' Moro Gulf early on Saturday just over an hour, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Three of the earthquakes measured between 7.3 and 7.6 points on the Richter scale, and the other one registered 5.4 points. There have been no reports on damage of victims. No tsunami warning was immediately issued following the tremor.

Israel warns of N. Korea missile proliferation in Mideast
Israel has told the UN Security Council's North Korea sanctions panel that ballistic missile proliferation by Pyongyang is destabilizing the Middle East and urged countries to step up efforts to stop it. "Israel would like to express its ongoing concern regarding the proliferation of ballistic missiles from (North Korea), and to encourage the international community to strengthen its efforts in response to these dangers," Israel's UN mission said in a letter to the North Korea sanctions committee.

Some insurers stop writing new coverage for kids
Some major health insurance companies will no longer issue certain types of policies for children, an unintended consequence of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law, state officials said Friday. ...In Florida, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Aetna, and Golden Rule -- a subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare -- notified the insurance commissioner that they will stop issuing individual policies for children, said Jack McDermott, a spokesman for McCarty.

Bernanke Says Extending Bush's Tax Cuts Would Maintain Economic Stimulus
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said extending at least some of the tax cuts set to expire this year would help strengthen a U.S. economy still in need of stimulus and urged offsetting the move with increased revenue or lower spending. “In the short term I would believe that we ought to maintain a reasonable degree of fiscal support, stimulus for the economy,” Bernanke said yesterday under questioning from the House Financial Services Committee’s senior Republican.

Wal-Mart Radio Tags to Track Clothing
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to roll out sophisticated electronic ID tags to track individual pairs of jeans and underwear, the first step in a system that advocates say better controls inventory but some critics say raises privacy concerns. Starting next month, the retailer will place removable "smart tags" on individual garments that can be read by a hand-held scanner.

CNN Host Calls for Crackdown on 'Bloggers'
Should there be a "gatekeeper" regulating internet bloggers? In the aftermath of the Shirley Sherrod incident, that's what CNN promoted on July 23. Anchors Kyra Phillips and John Roberts discussed the "mixed blessing of the internet," and agreed that there should be a crackdown on anonymous bloggers who disparage others on the internet.

Dengue Fever Showing Up In Central Florida
Dengue fever has infected a handful of people in Central Florida, health officials said. “This is not a regular flu virus that you get, you feel a lot worse,” said Dr. Todd Husty. “You get a real great fever, a horrible fever; it's called ‘break bone fever.’ You feel like your bones are breaking, but it's really joint pain,” Husty said.

North Korea warns of nuclear 'sacred war'
North Korea says it will use its "nuclear deterrent" in response to joint US-South Korean military exercises this weekend. Pyongyang was ready to launch a "retaliatory sacred war" at any time, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Washington and Seoul say the war games are to deter North Korean aggression.

Brown says global economy reliant upon growth in Africa
Gordon Brown has used his first major speech since leaving office to say the future growth of the world economy is reliant upon the development of Africa. Speaking in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, the former UK prime minister said he wanted to see the continent achieve its full potential. Mr Brown also made light of losing the British general election in May. He said he was someone who "spent some time as a politician before becoming a community organiser".

Mass grave in northern Mexico contains 38 bodies
Police found blood on an earthen ramp and traces of petrol at the bottom, where victims may have been tortured. Soldiers in Mexico have uncovered a mass grave with at least 38 bodies in the northern state of Nuevo Leon. Security forces said an anonymous tip-off led them to the site almost the size of a football pitch.

Peru declares emergency over cold weather
The Peruvian government has declared a state of emergency in more than half the country due to cold weather. Most of the areas affected are in the south, where temperatures regularly drop below zero centigrade at this time of year. However, this time temperatures have dropped to as low as -24C.

Ahmadinejad lashes out at Russia
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Russian President Dmitry Medvedev of turning against Teheran and joining US efforts to spread lies about its nuclear program on Friday, in the latest sign that Iran is drifting apart from a one-time key backer. Ahmadinejad said Dmitry Medvedev entered a "propaganda drama" directed by Washington by saying last week that Iran was getting closer to being able to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran studying fusion reactors
Iran's nuclear agency began studies Saturday to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor, something that has yet to be achieved by any nation. Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, who also heads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told a conference on the new research program that his agency has set an initial budget of $8 million to conduct "serious" research in the area of nuclear fusion.