3/21 International Herald Tribune - World News, Analysis, and Global Opinions

NATO receives French letter asking to rejoin March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm Officials said President Nicolas Sarkozy had submitted a letter officially requesting that France rejoin the command structure of NATO after a 43-year absence. A border dispute in Balkans imperils Europe's expansion March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm The eastward push of both the European Union and NATO hangs in the balance as Croatia and Slovenia argue. Obama and Israeli leader make video appeals to Iran March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm President Barack Obama and the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, asked Iranians to shift away from decades of confrontation. The Maastricht fine art fair ends on a glorious buying binge March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm Business is blooming against all odds in the art market while the rest of the world economy shrinks. School accused of staging fight club March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm Feuding students were shut in a steel cage to settle disputes with bare knuckles, an internal report said. Pressures come from the past in 6 Nations March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm Wales and Ireland, the only two teams left in Six Nations contention, are two small nations that care a lot about their sports. The pressure on Wales comes from success. For Ireland, the pressure comes from not quite succeeding. Fed chief calls for scrutiny of financial pay March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, called for banking supervisors to pay "close attention" to compensation practices as they examine the soundness of financial institutions. Bangladesh tries using silt to protect against sea levels March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm The country has begun to channel silt to fill in low-lying lands prone to flooding and to create new land off its long, exposed coast. Further accounts of Gaza killings released March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm As an Israeli newspaper again published testimonies from soldiers on Friday, the defense minister said that such incidents were exceptions. The road to Rome: To a classic or another all-England affair? March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm Such is the financial power of England's Premier League that four of its teams are still in the Champions League competition. And such is fate that Liverpool and Chelsea will meet for the fifth year in a row in the quarterfinals. Renewed strength of euro threatens economy March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm The euro's latest surge could help push the European Central Bank into taking radical steps similar to those that are weakening the dollar, pound and Swiss franc. E.U. comes together on emergency funding March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm Overcoming internal divisions, the European Union pledged an additional €75 billion to finance loans by the I.M.F. and to double a credit line for its stricken eastern economies. North Korea to reopen military hot line with South March 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm The hot line, the only telephone link between the two Koreas, was to reopen on Saturday, a day after American and South Korean troops ended annual defense drills that Pyongyang had called preparations for an invasion. Obama budget projected at $9.3 trillion in next 10 years March 20, 2009 at 10:30 am The deficits under the Obama plan would be $4.9 trillion more than the projected deficits if there were no changes in current laws and policies. Afghan legislator killed in bomb attack March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am A powerful remote-controlled roadside bomb killed an Afghan legislator and four others between Kandahar and Helmand provinces, officials said. It's payback time March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am American policies, more than any other factor, created the daunting crisis President Barack Obama now faces in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Richardson died of brain hemorrhage, examiner says March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am An autopsy of Natasha Richardson indicated that a "blunt impact" tore an artery in her head, and her death was ruled an accident. Arrogant? Not these magpies March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am An industrious, affectionate pair of birds in a Paris garden overcomes resistance to sentimentality. Road map out of crisis March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am Every crisis embodies a chance to change things for the better. David Brooks: Perverse cosmic myopia March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am As the global financial system is collapsing, world leaders are unable to focus on the immediate crisis. Instead, they take refuge in projects that are years and decades away. 36 hours in Doha, Qatar March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am Still plump with petrodollars, the home of the Al Jazeera network has been bingeing on luxury hotels and cultural venues designed by top-shelf architects. 2 vessels collide in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Navy reports March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am Two U.S. Navy vessels — a submarine and an amphibious ship — collided early Friday in the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian peninsula, the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet reported. In video, Obama offers Iran a 'new day' March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am The president used an unusual video-taped message to appeal directly to Iranians as much as their leaders for a shift away from decades of confrontation. Obama takes recovery plan to late-night TV March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am President Barack Obama appeared on ""The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno to try to sell his economic recovery plan. Rapid declines in manufacturing spread global anxiety March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am The depth and speed of the manufacturing plunge are striking, and recall conditions that led to the Great Depression. U.S. House approves tax on bonuses for bailout recipients March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am Spurred by anger over A.I.G. bonuses, the House voted to levy a 90 percent tax on bonuses paid by any company accepting more than $5 billion in bailout money. Avalanche guns may go silent in town that pioneered them March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am Alta, Utah, faces the prospect of change as its supply of shells runs short and development puts more people in the flight path of the ordnance. African Union suspends Madagascar March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am The African Union has suspended Madagascar from the continental body, saying this week's change in government there constitutes a coup. North Korea reopens military hotline March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am North Korea said Friday it would reopen a military hotline with the South ahead of the North's widely expected missile launch early next month. Citigroup names new C.F.O. March 20, 2009 at 10:11 am Citigroup said Friday that it has named a new financial chief as its current one becomes the chairman of a collection of assets it hopes to dispose of. Obama kills proposal to have veterans use private insurance for combat injuries March 20, 2009 at 7:09 am Lawmakers of both parties said the proposal would have made it more difficult for some veterans to get affordable private health insurance for themselves and their families. Euro-zone output plunges in January March 20, 2009 at 5:20 am Euro zone industrial output plunged again in January for a fifth straight monthly decline, pointing to a further contraction in the economy at the start of the year. A.I.G. executives face scorn, even at their homes March 20, 2009 at 5:04 am Communities are rattled over the millions of dollars in bonuses paid to A.I.G. executives, the credit-default swaps that brought American International Group to its knees and the $170 billion the U.S. government has spent to prop it up. U.S. government officials knew weeks ago of bonuses for A.I.G. March 20, 2009 at 5:04 am Interviews with senior Federal Reserve and Treasury officials, as well as members of Congress, leave little doubt that the bonus program was a disaster that hid in plain sight. <strong>Transcript</strong>: Remarks by President Obama in celebration of Norwuz March 20, 2009 at 12:37 am VIDEOTAPED REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN CELEBRATION OF NOWRUZ Israel arrests 10 Hamas leaders March 19, 2009 at 8:35 pm Hamas said the arrests were an attempt to pressure the organization after the collapse of negotiations for the release of a captive Israeli soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit. Citigroup considering reverse stock split March 19, 2009 at 7:39 pm The move would be a cosmetic change intended to give a troubled bank the appearance of stability and inspire confidence.