Geopolitical Monitor - News: current news from the USA and around the world

BEIJING, Mar. 11th (China Daily) - A stronger Chinese navy will not seek to build military bases overseas, a retired senior officer has said amid media reports that the country harbors such "ambitions".

ISLAMABAD, Mar. 11th (Dawn) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai told Pakistan on Thursday his country did not want to become a battle ground for proxy wars and welcomed an offer from Islamabad to help with peace efforts.

Mar. 11th (Al Jazeera) - The US vice-president has said there should be no delay in resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Mar. 11th (BBC News) - Preliminary results from Iraq elections show the grouping of PM Nouri Maliki is leading in two southern provinces, the electoral body says.

Mar. 11th (BBC News) - Public services and transport in Greece have ground to a halt as workers stage a third general strike in protest at the government's austerity measures.

Mar. 9th (BBC News) - US Vice-President Joe Biden has condemned Israel's approval of 1,600 new homes for ultra-Orthodox Jews in East Jerusalem.

Mar. 9th (BBC News) - The governor of Nigeria's Plateau state has accused military commanders of ignoring warnings of an attack on Sunday near the city of Jos.

March 9th (BBC News) - A Pennsylvania woman in her late 40s has been charged with terror offences including using the internet to recruit militants for deadly attacks abroad.

March 9th (BBC News) - A senior insurgent leader from Hizbul Islam has been shot to death in Mogadishu, deepening a leadership crisis inside the Islamist rebel group.  The official, Bare Ali Bare, was an outspoken critic of Hizbul Islam's one-time ally, al-Shabab, raising speculation that the militant group carried out the assassination.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar. 9th (AFP) - Israel's UN ambassador on Tuesday said prospects for crippling UN sanctions against Iran were "grim" because Russia and China want to use diplomacy to convince Iran to scale back its nuclear ambitions.