3/16 International Herald Tribune - World News, Analysis, and Global Opinions

Leftist party wins Salvadoran election March 16, 2009 at 6:36 am El Salvador's FMLN, the leftist party of the country's former guerrillas, won the presidential election Sunday, marking a turning point after two decades of rule by the right. Capitalism finds voice in China TV March 16, 2009 at 6:36 am At just 31 years old, Rui Chenggang has emerged as the media face of Chinese capitalism: young, smart and, to the dismay of some, deeply nationalistic. Confidence on outlook lifts shares in Europe March 16, 2009 at 6:36 am Stocks in Europe and Asia rose Monday as the G-20 vowed to clean up toxic assets, the Federal Reserve said the recession may end soon and Barclays reported a 'strong' start to 2009. With local control, new troubles in Iraq March 16, 2009 at 6:36 am Some in Iraq are forecasting more troubled times as American forces give up more and more control to their Iraqi counterparts. Fruit picking causes strife in Andalusia as natives' job of last resort March 16, 2009 at 6:36 am High unemployment in southern Spain has made fruit picking a lifeline for local people and a source of friction over immigrants.<br> AIG lists firms to which it paid taxpayer money March 16, 2009 at 6:36 am Among the biggest recipients of collateral were Société Générale, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, all of which were owed money from credit default swaps. A new view of a famine that killed millions March 16, 2009 at 6:36 am Ukrainians have built a memorial to a scourge of the 1930s. They no longer blame drought for it; they blame Stalin. Pakistan leader backs down, reinstates top judge March 16, 2009 at 6:36 am The Pakistani government agreed to reinstate the former chief justice of the Supreme Court, a stunning concession to the opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. Suicide attacks kill 12 in Afghanistan March 16, 2009 at 6:36 am A suicide bomber struck a police station in southern Afghanistan on Monday morning, killing 11 people and wounding 28, the police said. Most of the casualties were members of a counter-narcotics squad Bernanke fears lack of will to end crisis March 16, 2009 at 6:34 am The U.S. recession could last most of the year, the Federal Reserve chairman said, warning that the biggest risk was that the political will needed to fix the fractured financial system could be lacking. Asian stocks hit one-month high March 16, 2009 at 12:30 am Asian stocks struck a one-month high on Monday as reassurances over the health of the U.S. banking sector sparked a broad recovery in investor appetite for risk. Bracing for a bailout backlash March 15, 2009 at 9:32 pm The Obama administration is worried that populist anger at financial institutions and Wall Street could complicate its agenda. Lessons from the Depression shape Obama policy March 15, 2009 at 7:53 pm For the Fed chairman and the White House economic adviser, the lessons include "Don't close the lending or spending taps until recovery is firmly in place." Benedict XVI to make his first trip to Africa as pope March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm Pope Benedict XVI will be visiting the future of the church, if not its present, on the continent. International deals on sharing tax data could take years to complete March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm Monaco succumbed to international pressure during the weekend, becoming the latest country to adopt OECD standards for banking openness and information-sharing, but the United States and its main European allies in the battle against tax evaders faced what could be years of negotiation before they are able to proclaim victory. Austrian who imprisoned daughter goes on trial March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm Josef Fritzl, 73, has confessed to imprisoning his daughter Elisabeth for 24 years, fathering seven children with her. NATO's mission and Afghanistan March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm NATO does have a future, but only if it succeeds in Afghanistan. How can we tell if the worst is over for the markets? March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm The economist John Kenneth Galbraith once said, "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable." Still, it must be asked: Have the markets hit bottom? Big bonus plans at A.I.G., despite White House outrage March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm The insurer that has received more than $170 billion in taxpayer bailout money from the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve plans to pay about $165 million in bonuses to executives in the same unit that brought the company to the brink of collapse. Europe hedges on Guantánamo detainees March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm Some countries have begun raising questions about the risks and requirements if they accept prisoners. Economic advisers warn of no quick turnarounds March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm It will take time for the administration's rescue efforts to gain serious traction, a top Obama adviser acknowledged. Police chief in Ulster plays down dissidents March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm As the police questioned suspects arrested in connection with killings of two soldiers and a police officer in Northern Ireland this month, the province's police chief said only a "very small group" was involved with the I.R.A. dissident groups seeking to wreck the peace process. G-20 finance chiefs try to reassure markets March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm Finance ministers from the Group of 20 countries met over the weekend but failed to agree on a detailed action plan to restore economic growth, indicating that conflicting national agendas remain an impediment to an international strategy. Pakistanis defy effort to prevent huge rally March 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm A crackdown by the Pakistani government to prevent a national demonstration and detain the country's leading opposition figure collapsed Sunday, and what had been a clash between the police and protesters transformed into a huge anti-government rally. Thomas L. Friedman: The next really cool thing March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am America needs to make a few big bets on some real game- changers, like fusion. Obama open to taxing some health benefits March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support such a move, as some lawmakers and economists favor, to help pay for overhauling the U.S. health care system. It's still hard to pin a label on Obama March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am Obamaism, as it is shaping up, appears to be an amalgam of philosophies: a strong belief in the role of an activist government, and a more centrist view of national security and at least some cultural issues. U.S. reconsiders its '2-war' readiness strategy March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am One question on the table for Pentagon planners is whether there is a way to reshape the armed forces to provide for more flexibility in tackling a wide range of conflicts. New Orleans schools offer hope for progress March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am The improvement in education is a bright spot in a city whose future hangs in the balance. Rare Australian bat finds unwelcome refuge March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am Tens of thousands of gray-headed flying foxes are damaging the Royal Botanic Gardens, a prized preserve for rare plants and trees in Sydney. Tales from torture's dark world March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am After interviewing these and other 'high-value detainees' at Guantánamo, the Red Cross declared that their treatment 'constituted torture.' Tripping back to the world of psychedelia March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am The Grateful Dead played there. So did Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company and The Doors. Even Jimi Hendrix slipped in late one night to jam. Iraqi president sets off talk on role of Iraqi Kurds March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am Jalal Talabani, who has used his post to broker between ethnic and religious blocs, will not seek a second term. Iran, Jews and pragmatism March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am Anything but apocalyptical, the Iranian regime knows its limitations. Where education and assimilation collide March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am A record influx of immigrants has put classrooms on the front lines of America's battles over whether and how to assimilate the newcomers and their children. Police chief says Ulster militants are few March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am Militants who want to end British control of Northern Ireland by force number around 300, the province's police chief said in remarks published Sunday. U.S. in a quandary over policy on Myanmar March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am Two decades of isolation and sanctions have only made the country's ruling generals more stubborn, and now a new administration in Washington has declared the policy a failure. Chilean water rights system leaves town parched March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am Quillagua is among many small towns that are being swallowed up in the country's intensifying water wars. Nowhere is the system for buying and selling water more permissive. A face-off intensifies in Madagascar March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am Madagascar's chief opposition leader declared he was taking charge of the nation and told thousands of cheering supporters that he was giving the president a deadline to step down. A.I.G. planning huge bonuses after $170 billion bailout March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am The insurer planned to pay about $165 million in bonuses by Sunday, though some payments were reduced after Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner intervened. OPEC members divided over cutting production March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am Battered by falling oil prices even as they try to rein in production, the leaders of the OPEC gathered Sunday to decide whether further cuts would be necessary. Police and protesters clash in Pakistan March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am A government crackdown intended to prevent a national demonstration erupted into a fierce clash between police and members of opposition parties and lawyers. U.N. takes over Chad force amid growing Darfur fears March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am By Moumine Ngarmbassa A long history of people trying to control Tibet March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am China's lockdown this month is only the latest episode in a long history of both Tibetans and Chinese trying to keep the mountain kingdom closed to the outside world. Iraq wages war on new threat: stray dogs March 15, 2009 at 11:01 am The dogs have become such a menace that municipal workers are hunting them down, having slaughtered 10,000 in Baghdad just since December. Looking for A.I.G.'s money trail March 15, 2009 at 8:30 am Officials at the Fed overseeing the A.I.G. rescue have decided the terms of the insurers' contracts are confidential and it would be wrong to name recipients of taxpayer money. Dalai Lama welcomes China openness to talks March 15, 2009 at 7:56 am The Tibetan government-in-exile over the weekend welcomed China's stated willingness to hold more talks with its envoys but stressed that it was ''not seeking separation'' and said it hoped Beijing would demonstrate sincerity in dealing with the region. Without a pastor of his own, Obama turns to five March 15, 2009 at 5:24 am Since cutting his ties to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., the president has cultivated new ones with other pastors.