Daily Round Up

Let's try another feature that I have to make a daily occurrence. I will round up the news of the day.

World:

In China, demonstrators clashed with police and caused 156 deaths and 1434 arrests.

Police have arrested 1,434 suspects in connection with the worst ethnic violence in decades in China's western Xinjiang region, which killed at least 156 people, state media reported Tuesday.

The arrests come amid a security clampdown on the region, with hundreds of paramilitary police with shields, rifles and clubs taking control of the streets of the capital, Urumqi, where the riots took place on Sunday.

In Honduras, things are coming to a head. The deposed leader, Jose Zelaya, was barred from returning. The airport was closed, and meanwhile, demonstrators clashed with military causing one death. The OAS, the UN, and the U.S. have all condemned the overthrow and it's unclear how long the government can survive.

Deposed Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya will once again try to return to his homeland after a series of meetings in Washington this week, he said in an interview with CNN en Español Monday night.

A plane carrying ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya flies over Tegucigalpa on Sunday.

Zelaya failed in a attempt to return Sunday, after the government of provisional
President Roberto Micheletti prohibited his plane from landing.

Zelaya is expected to arrive in Washington on Tuesday for meetings with U.S. and foreign officials, likely including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a senior U.S. official told CNN.

In Iran, the military's Revolutionary Guard has proclaimed that it is taking command.

The top leaders of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard publicly acknowledged they had taken over the nation’s security and warned late Sunday that there was no middle ground in the ongoing dispute over the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a threat against a reformist wave led by Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the elite military branch, said the Guard’s takeover of the country had led to “a revival of the revolution and clarification of the value positions of the establishment at home and abroad.”
…

Jafari’s comments came the closest yet to publicly acknowledging what government supporters describe as a heroic intervention by the Revolutionary Guard and critics decry as a palace “coup d’etat” instigated by military elites loyal to Khamenei.

In Russia, President Obama and Medvedev agreed to the diplomatic version of being engaged to be engaged. The two leaders agreed to a farmework that commits to working toward a deal.

The biggest achievement touted from the summit — and the only document
the two men signed — was a nonbinding “joint understanding” setting target ranges for a new round of nuclear arms reductions.

It's unclear if an agreement would be reached. It's even less clear that any such agreement would have any effect in the world. It's not even clear that Obama's counterpart Medvedev has any real power. Still, this was diplomatic coup for Obama and he will likely treat it as a win.

U.S.
Everyone is still talking about Sarah Palin. Her lawyers are threatening media with a lawsuit over what they believe are false accusations. Congressman Peter King went on the radio to rant at the coverage of Michael Jackson. King referred to Jackson as a "pervert" and a "low life". Al Franken was sworn in as the Senator from Minnesota. This gives the Democrats 60 votes though with both Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd on the mend, that isn't currently the case. The death of Steve McNair continues to look more and more like a murder suicide though the police haven't officially ruled it as such. Just a couple hours ago, the South Carolina Republicans formally censured Mark Sanford for his affair.

Sports:
Lance Armstrong moved up to third in the Tour De France. The Boston Celtics have agreed in principle to sign Rasheed Wallace to a three year deal. The Phillies beat the Reds 22-1. Andy Roddick pulled out of the Davis Cup. Finally, Dwayne Wade is demanding a serious effort by the Miami Heat to make a run at an NBA Championship if he is to re sign at the end of this year.

Business:

The markets were relatively tame today. the Dow was up 44, the NASDAQ was down 9 and the S&P was up 2. U.S. Treasury Bonds barely moved, with all finishing trading within three points of the open The only thing that showed any volatility today was the price of oil. The price of oil dropped nearly $3 to just over $64 a barrel.