 | | Boston Globe World | |  | General says troops have left Georgia MOSCOW - A top Russian general said today that Russia has completed withdrawal of troops that had been based in Georgia since the Soviet collapse, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency. The presence of Russian troops in the former Soviet republic was one of the longtime irritants between Georgia and its neighbor. "There are no more Russian troops in Georgia; ... 2007-11-15T05:00:00Z
| Earthquake hits Chile; damage is widespread MARIA ELENA, Chile - A major earthquake crushed cars, damaged thousands of houses, blocked roads, and terrified people for hundreds of miles yesterday. Officials reported at least two deaths and more than 100 injuries. Federico Quilodran, Associated Press 2007-11-15T05:00:00Z
| Iraqis raid Sunni headquarters BAGHDAD - Iraqi authorities seized the headquarters of the country's most influential Sunni clerical group yesterday, sealing off its west Baghdad compound and accusing the organization of supporting Al Qaeda in Iraq. Robert H. Reid, Associated Press 2007-11-15T05:00:00Z
| Pakistan opposition begins to unite against Musharraf LAHORE, Pakistan - Leaders of this country's fractured political opposition began taking the first steps yesterday toward uniting against President Pervez Musharraf, who is facing widespread dissent after more than a week of emergency rule. Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times 2007-11-15T05:00:00Z
| Britain unveils security crackdown LONDON - Travelers face new delays and disruption on trips to Britain under government plans unveiled yesterday to tighten defenses against terrorism at airports, rail stations, and major public spaces. David Stringer, Associated Press 2007-11-15T05:00:00Z
| Sarkozy urges talks to end transit strikes PARIS - Transport workers shut down most trains yesterday, testing the patience of Parisians forced to walk, bike, or skate to work with a strike aimed at derailing President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to strip away labor protections he says hurt France's competitiveness. Elaine Ganley, Associated Press 2007-11-15T05:00:00Z
| Far-right bloc axed after row on words BRUSSELS - A group of extreme-right members of the European Parliament was dissolved yesterday after its outraged Romanian contingent walked out in an argument over racism. Stephen Castle, International Herald Tribune 2007-11-15T05:00:00Z
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| Wahsington Post World | |  | 15 Hostages Rescued in Colombia Colombia's military yesterday rescued the most prominent of several hundred hostages held by Marxist rebels, a group of 15 that included the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three American Defense Department contractors who had been imprisoned in remote jungle camps since 2003.

 Juan Forero
| Putin Directs Organizers of 2014 Winter Olympics to Protect Wilderness MOSCOW, July 3 -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Thursday ordered organizers of the 2014 Winter Olympics to relocate a number of planned facilities, including the bobsled track and a village for athletes, away from protected wilderness.

 Peter Finn
| Ex-Hostage Reunited With Children in Bogota BOGOTA, Colombia, July 3 -- A day after being rescued from captivity, Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt was reunited with her two children in Bogota for the first time in six years.

 Travis Fox and Juan Forero
| Dalai Lama's Envoys End Talks With China BEIJING, July 3 -- Envoys for the Dalai Lama ended more than two days of talks with Chinese government officials Thursday with no immediate reports of substantive progress on easing tensions in Tibet, something the United States and other foreign governments had pushed for.

 Jill Drew
| 200 Fearful Mugabe Foes Seek Refuge at U.S. Embassy JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Some 200 opposition supporters crowded outside the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe on Thursday, appealing for protection amid new reports of violence aimed at dissenters against the heavy-handed rule of President Robert Mugabe.

 CELEAN JACOBSON
| A Shortage Of Troops in Afghanistan The nation's top military officer said yesterday that more U.S. troops are needed in Afghanistan to tamp down an increasingly violent insurgency, but that the Pentagon does not have sufficient forces to send because they are committed to the war in Iraq.

 Josh White
| Mugabe Rival Sets Conditions For Talks HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 2 -- Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Wednesday that he would not consider joining a unity government as a junior partner to President Robert Mugabe, whom he has accused of beating, torturing and killing his way to reelection last week.

 Post
| Offensive in Tribal Area Criticized by Key Pakistani Politicians ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 2 -- Several Pakistani politicians and local media outlets have started to sharply criticize the government's new offensive against Islamist insurgents, as paramilitary troops on Wednesday continued to press operations in the country's northwest.

 Candace Rondeaux
| Congolese Accused of Recruiting Child Soldiers Ordered Set Free Judges at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday ordered the release of the court's first defendant, a Congolese warlord charged with the coercive recruitment of thousands of child soldiers, saying he could not receive a fair trial due to withheld evidence.

 Nora Boustany
| Bush Makes Final Push for Global Climate Deal In his final months in office, President Bush is mounting a last-ditch effort to forge a new global deal to limit greenhouse-gas emissions but finds himself once again at odds with much of the rest of the world on how to address climate change.

 Michael Abramowitz and Blaine Harden
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