India scales back military presence in Kashmir
Citing an improvement in the region's security, India has withdrawn 1,000 of its estimated 200,000 troops from disputed Kashmir. Further plans for pulling out troops are uncertain, and likely depend on the activity of militant separatists in the area. The move comes as relations between India and neighboring Pakistan begin to cool. The two countries have been on the brink of war over Kashmir, which each nation claims as its own. India has stated it will refuse to accept any agreements that would redraw borders in Kashmir.
EU parliament approves new executive commission
The European Parliament voted to approve leader Jose Manuel Barroso's commission, ending a weeks-long showdown over some of Barroso's nominees. His first proposed commission, presented last month, was blocked by the parliament over concerns about two nominees. The parliament can only vote to approve a whole commission, not individual members. The new commission's term will begin on Monday, November 22, and last for five years.
Erratic behavior prompts questions about North Korea
Several portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il have been removed from public places, and the state-run media has dropped his honorific "Dear Leader" title, creating uncertainty about the country's leadership. While some observers have speculated that there may have been a military coup, others believe the steps may have been ordered by Kim as a way to remove himself as a target for public discontent.
Fighting continues in Ivory Coast
Rebel forces in the northern regions of Ivory Coast have pledged to continue their efforts to oust President Laurent Gbagbo. Cherif Ousmane, commander of the rebel stronghold Bouake, has claimed that the Ivorian Army was nothing more than a "militia" and that negotiations with its leader were impossible. The renewed fighting began two weeks ago, after Gbagbo broke an 18-month truce and ordered bombings of rebel strongholds. The move prompted retaliation from the French, who destroyed the Ivorian air force. Gbagbo has pledged to rebuild the air force, despite a U.N. arms embargo imposed on the country.
Iran allegedly seeking to build nuclear missiles
Iran is trying to adapt missiles to carry nuclear warheads, according to intelligence presented by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell's statements also partially corroborate claims from an Iranian opposition group, which says that the Iranian government is deceiving the U.N. and intends to have nuclear weapons as early as next year. According to Powell, there is no evidence that Iran has the capability to build nuclear weapons, but their efforts to adapt conventional missiles for nuclear warheads "should be of concern to all parties."
