Zelaya to announce return to Honduras

Ahead of a third and possibly final round of talks between two disputed governments of Honduras on Wednesday, ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya told CNN he was looking at other options to gain his return to power. Zelaya, who was toppled in a military-led coup on June 28, said he will publicly announce his return as early as this week

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EU suspends aid budgeted for Honduras

Pressure for a resolution to a political standoff in Honduras has increased after the breakdown of talks between the two sides over the weekend. The European Union on Monday suspended aid to the Central American country, which has found itself increasingly isolated since the June 28 military-led coup that ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya. Representatives of Zelaya over the weekend failed to reach an accord with representatives from the interim Honduran government of Roberto Micheletti, who was named by congress hours after the military detained Zelaya and sent him to Costa Rica.

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How Should Europe Respond to Iran?

Europe used to be the good cop with Iran, engaging with the regime on tricky issues like its nuclear program while the bad cop, the U.S., rasped that Tehran was part of an “axis of evil.” But the European Union’s moderating stance has done it few favors in the wake of last month’s disputed Iranian elections. On Wednesday, Iran’s military chief of staff, Major General Hassan Firouz-Abadi, accused the E.U.

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Is a Trade War with China Brewing?

When the U.S. Senate last February introduced a clause requiring the purchase of U.S.-made steel and iron in Washington’s $787 billion stimulus package, the Chinese government decried the “Buy American” measure as a dangerous step toward trade protectionism, stressing that Beijing would not respond in kind.

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U.S., EU complain China puts "giant thumb" on trade

The European Union and United States accused China of restricting the export of key raw materials used in the production of steel and other industrial products in a complaint filed Tuesday with the World Trade Organization. China defended the practice Wednesday on environmental and conservation grounds.

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Analysis: Why is Iran so upset with Britain?

The contested election results in Iran have brought thousands onto the streets of Tehran in protest. So why have the voices of two of Iran’s most prominent critics — the United States and its leading ally the UK, so far been comparatively muted in their support of the protesters and in their criticisms of the regime?

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Center-right make gains amid EU vote apathy

Voters endorsed parties of the center-right in elections for the 736 seats of the European Parliament in the midst of a record low turnout, officials figures showed on Monday. Only 43 percent of the 375 million people eligible to vote in 27 countries visited the polls, according to European Parliament figures, continuing a fall in interest since elections for MEPs were first held 30 years ago

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