JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - During a visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning, a Jewish student was told by Islamic Waqf officials to take off his kippah. The 20-year-old from London, England, was in Israel as part of a student mission. He said he was told by three separate Waqf monitors to take off the Jewish head-covering because it was offensive to them.
MEXICO - World leaders emerged from the G-20 meeting in Mexico satisfied that Europe is making progress on efforts to save the common currency from collapse. But now the euro zone must come up with a concrete plan. Expectations are high for the EU summit at the end of June.
MEXICO - UK Prime Minister David Cameron has confronted the Argentine president over her country's continued claim to the Falklands Islands. He spoke to President Cristina Fernandez before the first session of the G20 summit, No 10 said.
EUROPE - Pan-European Government funds are set to be used to buy Spanish and Italian bonds, which have recently hit record highs – in a move which will send a strong signal to financial markets that the German administration is prepared to back its weaker economic neighbours.
EUROPE - Eurozone leaders begged China and Saudi Arabia for their help in dealing with the economic global debt crisis today as they met for the G20 summit.
USA - With economic storm clouds gathering abroad and signs the US recovery is flagging, the Federal Reserve may feel compelled on Wednesday to launch a new round of monetary stimulus.
USA - A new biography of [Mr] Barack Obama has established that his grandfather was not, as is related in the President’s own memoir, detained by the British in Kenya and found that claims that he was tortured were a fabrication.
UK - The Church of England's Archbishops’ Council, headed by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, has made a submission on Europe to the Foreign Affairs select committee.
MIDDLE EAST - Iran, Syria, Russia and China are planning the “biggest-ever wargames in the Middle East,” according to an unconfirmed report on the semi-official Iranian news site Fars News. A Syrian official denied the claims.
VATICAN CITY - Palestinian officials voiced concern about possible concessions by the Vatican ahead of talks on Tuesday between Israel and the Holy See on the status of Catholic Church property in Jerusalem.
WASHINGTON, USA - The United States is planning a significant military presence of 13,500 troops in Kuwait to give it the flexibility to respond to sudden conflicts in the region as Iraq adjusts to the withdrawal of American combat forces and the world nervously eyes Iran, according to a congressional report.
JAPAN - A tropical cyclone with winds of up to 193 kilometres per hour is approaching Japan from the western Pacific. It is expected to reach the southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday evening. By the time it reaches Japanese coast the typhoon is expected to somewhat weaken, with wind speeds going down to roughly 105 kilometres per hour, reports the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).
AUSTRALIA - A magnitude 5.2 earthquake has hit the southeastern coast of Australia, 120km from Melbourne. No immediate details on casualties or damage have been released. Windows rattled and floors rocked as the tremor hit around 8.55 pm (AEST) on Tuesday, lasting for almost a minute.
MEXICO - DAVID Cameron warned that Britain might be forced to turn its back on Europe after hopes of a global deal to tackle the eurozone crisis evaporated last night. On arriving at the G20 summit in Mexico, the Prime Minister admitted the lack of political will among European leaders could mean the single currency’s stagnation going on for years.
MEXICO - The opening day of the G20 summit was threatening to deteriorate into a fractious row between eurozone countries and other non-European members of the G20, notably the US, as EU commission president José Manuel Barroso insisted THE ORIGINS OF THE EUROZONE CRISIS LAY IN THE UNORTHODOX POLICIES OF AMERICAN CAPITALISM.