July 6, 2009

Palin to step down:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin surprised the political establishment around the country and in her home state by saying she was resigning her office effective the end of July.

She gave several reasons for the move -- numerous ethics investigations, the continual bright light of publicity on her family and that it was unfair for Alaska to have these distractions -- but the search for ulterior motives began immediately.

Palin made the bombshell announcement Friday, sat on the sidelines Saturday but wrote on her Facebook page Sunday that she is "now looking ahead at how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security and much-needed fiscal restraint."

That would suggest she is going to seek a higher profile in national politics, perhaps a run for president in 2012 or 2016.

Palin was chosen by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as his running mate in last year's presidential race. She is about 2 1/2 years into her term as Alaska's governor.

Obama on the road again:

U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Russia, the first stop on a four-nation trip. He also attends the Group of Eight summit in Italy, has a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican and wraps up the trip with a stop in Ghana during this trip out of the United States.

In Russia, cuts in nuclear weapons arsenals are to top the agenda. The G8 leaders try again to tackle the global recession and greenhouse gas emissions. Obama is likely to get the same earful from the pope that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., got regarding abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research. In Africa, the meeting with Ghanaian President John Atta Mills is to highlight how "sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development," a White House release said.

Riots in northwestern China:

More than 100 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured during a protest by Uighurs over fights between Uighurs and ethnic Han Chinese last month in another section of the country.

A demonstration in Urumqi turned violent but who set off the violence was in dispute. The BBC reported that Chinese police claim protesters went on a rampage but Uighurs say police fired on the demonstration. Local officials blamed influences from outside the country for the violence.

Uighurs are a Turkic ethnic group with members living in many areas of western Asia but are mainly in China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. They generally follow Islam. They have been the target of Chinese government's anti-terror efforts since Sept. 11, 2001, but members of the ethnic community say this is an excuse for repression of a people ethnically different from the Chinese.

Honduran unrest:

An airplane carrying deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was denied permission to land at Tegucigalpa, forcing him to El Salvador from where he said he would try this week to return to Honduras.

Protests there had been generally peaceful since Zelaya was ousted last week but in recent days were becoming less so. Most of the demonstrations in the country seemed to be in support of the coup but some Hondurans are calling for Zelaya's return, as is the bulk of the international community. The pro-Zelaya crowds grew recently.

Police and military are enforcing a dusk-to-dawn curfew. One person was reported killed in a confrontation Sunday at the airport where Zelaya's plane was attempting to land.

Zelaya was removed from office by the Honduran military, with the support of the legislature and judiciary, as he tried to stage a non-binding referendum on proposed changes to the country's constitution. The proposals included the possibility of a president of Honduras serving more than one term. Even suggesting such a change is banned by the current constitution.

Federer wins No. 15:

Roger Federer claimed his men's record 15th Grand Slam title with a victory at Wimbledon. Three of the major tournament wins have come at the expense of Andy Roddick at Wimbledon but Sunday was record-setting in another way.

The match ended with a 30-game, 97-minute fifth set when a Roddick mishit soared high and well long for the only service break Federer managed on the day. That is to Roddick's credit but it shouldn't detract from what Federer accomplished Sunday and over an 11-year professional career.

He's won at Wimbledon six times, taken the U.S. Open five times, won the Australian Open three times and the French Open once. His nearly $49.5 million in winnings is the all-time highest and his match record is 657-155.

The win at Wimbledon returned him to the No. 1 ranking in the world, a position he occupied for a record 237 weeks until last year.