A standoff is deepening between officials in Honduras and the international community, which is demanding the reinstatement of ousted President Manuel Zelaya. Analysts are divided over whether Honduras' newly-installed interim government can resist overwhelming international pressure to allow Mr. Zelaya's return to office.

Two days after the Honduran military sent him into exile, President Zelaya received the unanimous backing of the United Nations and the Organization of American States for his reinstatement.

The Ninth Regular Session of the Inter- American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE), meets in the Hall of the Americas, OAS headquarters, Washington, D.C. (March 2009).

A public opinion survey conducted by the Washington based World Public Opinon.Org shows more Pakistanis perceive Taliban and al-Qaida as a critical threat. But it also shows Pakistanis' negative opinion about U.S. policies remains unchanged.

According to the poll, there has been a major shift in Pakistan in how the people perceive Taliban and al-Qaida militants.  Clay Ramsay is the Research Director of the World Public Opinion.Org, the group that conducted the survey.

"Eighty-one percent now see the activities of the Islamist militants and Taliban in the FATA area as a critical threat to Pakistan while in the fall of 2007 when we asked the same question, only 34 percent saw them as critical," said Clay Ramsay.

The poll shows that now 82 percent of Pakistanis see al-Qaida as a threat to Pakistan's national interests, as compared to 41 percent just 18 months ago.

But according to the poll, the views about the United States are still negative, with 69 percent of Pakistanis feeling unfavorably toward the United States government.  But the pollsters note the poll was taken before U.S. President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo that addressed Muslims across the world.

The poll was taken between May 17 to 28, after the Taliban in Swat Valley had violated the peace accord with the government and taken control of the Buner district nearby.  That prompted the government to launch an all out crackdown on the Taliban in the valley.

The poll shows that 69 percent of the people express confidence in the way the government of President Asif Ali Zardari is dealing with the Swat Valley problem and 72 percent of the people approve of the way the Army is dealing with the Taliban.

"The public seems definite that the Pakistani Taliban represents a road they don't want their country to go down," he said. "We asked them what if the Pakistani Taliban were to gain control over all of Pakistan.  And 75 percent called this bad, 67 percent said it would be very bad. At the same time a majority see such a takeover of the whole country as unlikely."

The poll shows that a large majority of Pakistanis, 71 percent of them, feel that whereas the Taliban want to apply strict Sharia Islamic laws on the people, they themselves will never submit to the jurisdiction of the Sharia courts. Again Clay Ramsay.

"This may seem a small point," said Ramsey. "But it can be important how militant groups are perceived in the future because the willingness to accept a rule for yourself if you want to impose it on others is often basic to people's perception of fairness"

A majority of Pakistanis also do not agree with the Taliban interpretation of the Islamic law. The Taliban are against women going to work and girls going to schools. But 75 percent of the people say Sharia allows women to work and 83 percent say it also permits girls to get education in schools.

The poll shows while almost 88 percent of Pakistanis think al-Qaida or Afghan Taliban should not be allowed to run training camps inside Pakistan, 81 percent of the people are against U.S. bombings of such camps.

"Asked about the current U.S. Drone aircraft attacks to strike targets in Northwestern Pakistan, 82 percent called them unjustified, only 13 percent disagreed," he said. "If the U.S. were to identify Afghan Taliban bases in Pakistan, 79 percent said it would not be justified to bomb them, though we have seen that this type of action is supported now when carried out by Pakistan's own government."

And 79 percent of the respondents also felt that the NATO mission in neighboring Afghanistan should be ended.

The diplomatic row between Tehran and London continues to rumble.

Speaking during prime minister's question time in the House of Commons, Gordon Brown said he believed some elements in Iran are using Britain as an excuse not to allow totally lawful demonstrations to go ahead.

"Some people in Iran are trying to seek to use Britain as an explanation for the legitimate Iranian voices calling for the greater openness and democracy. But we will continue with our international partners to raise our concerns with Iran," the prime minister said.

Since the disputed June 12 elections, Britain and Iran have expelled two of each other's diplomats. On Sunday, it was announced that nine Iranian staff members at the British embassy in Tehran were being detained and questioned for allegedly stirring unrest in the days after that election, an allegation strongly denied by London.

During his parliamentary question session, Gordon Brown expressed his view Iranian actions have been completely wrong.
 
"I am sure the whole House will share my deep disappointment at the recent behavior of the Iranian regime. Disappointment at the manner in which legitimate demonstrations have been suppressed, ... disappointment that the Iranian government has expelled two of our diplomats and detained several of our embassy staff, this action is unjustified and it is unacceptable," he said.

Most of the Iranian employees at the British Embassy who were detained have now been freed, but questions remain. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he thinks two are still being held. But Iran's English-language Press TV reported that only one person remained in detention.

Meanwhile, senior European Union officials on Thursday will debate a British call for all 27-member states to pull their envoys from Iran. But many in Europe feel such a move would only further isolate Iran and that could bring with it additional unwanted consequences.

Former Iranian president and leading reformist Mohammad Khatami says the outcome of Iran's disputed presidential election is a "coup" against democracy.

Khatami also accused Iran's government of suppressing the rights of people to protest the election results.

His statement Wednesday comes two days after Iran's powerful Guardian Council upheld the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Defeated presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi also criticized the election outcome Wednesday, calling the government led by Mr. Ahmadinejad "illegitimate."

In a statement on his Web site, Mousavi urged his supporters to keep fighting for the rights of the people.  He also called for press freedom, election reforms and the release of those detained during post-election protests.  Mousavi and Karroubi say the June 12 vote was rigged.

Iran stopped publication Wednesday of a reformist newspaper allied with Karroubi after he vowed to continue his fight against the election outcome.

Iran's police chief says 20 people were killed and more than 1,000 arrested during the large protests following the election.  Human rights groups have put the death toll from post-election unrest much higher.

The Iranian news agency Fars quoted Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam on Wednesday as saying that most of those detained have been released and the rest are being referred to the public and revolutionary courts in Tehran.

There are conflicting reports of how many of the nine local British embassy staff are still in detention in Iran, after being arrested for allegedly playing a role in the unrest.  Iranian state-run Press TV said Wednesday one local staff member of the embassy remains in custody.

In London, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown reiterated "deep disappointment" at Iran's recent behavior, including the arrests of British embassy staff.  He called the action "unjustified" and said it is not acceptable that some in Iran are trying to use Britain "as an explanation for the legitimate Iranian voices calling for democracy."

European Union officials on Thursday are expected to debate a British proposal for all 27 member states to pull their envoys from Iran.

Fars quoted Iran's top military commander, Major-General Hassan Firouzabadi as saying the EU's interference in post-election unrest has jeopardized talks on Iran's disputed nuclear program.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose government took over the European Union presidency, said Wednesday the EU should support those in favor of democracy in Iran, but should be careful not to stir up tension inside the country.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

Russia strongly opposes the U.S. plan to station a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. That issue will be discussed during the upcoming summit meeting in Moscow between U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev.

Four Patriot interceptor missiles like the one shown here can be fired from this mobile launcher between loadings

Iraq says it has rejected new offers from foreign companies to develop the country's oil and gas fields, after an international tender Tuesday produced only one deal.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh says the offers were rejected Wednesday because the firms did not agree with the fees Iraq is willing to pay them for extracting oil and gas.

The spokesman also says Iraq's Cabinet approved a contract awarded Tuesday for Britain's energy company BP and the China National Petroleum Corporation to develop its massive Rumaila oil field.

The contract was the only deal sealed in an auction aimed at attracting foreign investors back to Iraq.

The country had hoped to award contracts to six oil fields and two natural gas fields.

Iraq has the world's third-largest known oil reserves, a critical source of income for a country struggling to rebuild from years of war.

The head of the International Energy Agency's oil markets division, David Fyfe, said Tuesday that administrative barriers likely would limit Iraq's oil production for a few years.

Iraq hopes to more than double its current daily output of 2.4 million barrels.

Tuesday's auction was the first international tender since the oil industry was nationalized in 1972.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

Former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, a Republican conceded defeat Tuesday to Democrat Al Franken in the disputed Senate race in the Midwestern state of Minnesota. The move followed a decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court that affirmed Franken's narrow win.

More than seven months after the election, Norm Coleman came before reporters at his home in St. Paul, Minnesota to concede defeat.

"I join all Minnesotans in congratulating our newest U.S. Senator, Al Franken," said Norm Coleman.

The announcement came after the state Supreme Court declared, in a unanimous decision, that Franken had won the race by a margin of 312 votes. The court rejected an appeal by Coleman to include some 4,000 absentee ballots that had been rejected for various reasons.

Two of the court's seven justices did not take part in the decision. They recused themselves because they had served on a canvassing board that performed a recount earlier this year.

The court ruled that Franken is "entitled" to the senate seat, but stopped short of ordering the governor to officially certify him. The state's Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty, widely seen as a potential presidential candidate, refused to certify Franken after the recount, saying that he would wait until the state Supreme Court had ruled. The court's decision and Coleman's concession presumably removes any obstacle for Franken's certification.

Al Franken spoke to reporters on Tuesday, saying that Norm Coleman had telephoned him to congratulate him on the victory. He described the call as "gracious".

Franken conceded that he will have some catching up to do, coming in six months after the Senate session began. But he said he is ready.

"I cannot tell you exactly when I will be seated, but I think it will be early next week," said Al Franken. "Coming in mid-session will be more difficult than having started January 6th, I am sure. But I have been trying to keep abreast of what is going on and I will do the best I can."

The 58-year-old Franken is a former comedian and actor who also served as a liberal radio talk show host before deciding to run for office. Coleman, who is 59, was mayor of St. Paul before entering the U.S. Senate in 2003.

The addition of Franken will provide the Democrats with 60 votes in the U.S. Senate, giving President Barack Obama and party leaders a better chance of passing controversial legislation such as health care reform and a cap-and-trade bill aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming. The 60-vote advantage is also important because it will make it far more difficult for Republicans to block passage of bills through a filibuster, in which senators tie up the floor in long speeches to prevent a vote. It takes 60 votes to end such a maneuver. 

The U.N. General Assembly has condemned Sunday's coup in Honduras that expelled President Manuel Zelaya from the country and has called for his restoration to power.

In a vote by acclamation, the 192-member states of the United Nations agreed Tuesday not to recognize any other government in Honduras than President Zelaya's.

President Zelaya then strode to the podium, embraced the Nicaraguan president of the General Assembly and began an hour long speech detailing why his ouster was undemocratic and illegal.

"A number of charges have been leveled against your humble servant in Honduras. But I have not been put on trial," he said. "I have not been called to the stand to defend myself. Nobody has told me what my crime is, nobody has indicated what my errors [are], no accusations have been brought to my attention by any judge."

Honduran soldiers, acting on orders of the Supreme Court, arrested Mr. Zelaya early Sunday and flew him to Costa Rica.

In a sometimes rambling address, he blamed the country's elite and its media which he said manipulated the military to win his ouster. He then went on to detail his ordeal Sunday when authorities roused him from his bed and took him away in his pajamas.

"I was awoken by shouts, by hammering against the door below, screams. And I awoke and rose still in my night clothes and saw an entire contingent of armed officials with helmets, with rifles, who pushed me out into the street jostling me," said President Zelaya. "These are moments I do not wish to remember because it breaks my heart to see humanity slide backwards."

He said he told them if they had orders to execute him, then they should carry them out. But he was instead taken to the airport and sent to Costa Rica, where he began seeking the help of regional allies.

Following his address to the General Assembly, Mr. Zelaya told reporters that he would not seek to stay in office after his term ends in January and would return to life as a farmer.

"If I was offered the possibility of remaining in power I would not do it," he said. "I am going to fulfill my four years, I am going to fight to have the four years respected, because it is part of our law."

Mr. Zelaya said he plans to return to Honduras on Thursday. He said the president of the General Assembly, Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, would travel with him, as well as the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador and the head of the Organization of American States. 

Iraqi forces officially assumed control of Baghdad and other cites across the country, following the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from urban areas.  

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, accompanied by Defense Minister Jawad Boulani, reviewed Iraqi troops from the army, navy and air force as a military band played music to celebrate the official U.S. withdrawal from Iraqi towns and cities.

Mr. Maliki then laid a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier as an army bugler played to commemorate Iraqi troops that have died in the service of their country.

Iraqi soldiers and police staged a long parade in full dress uniform in Baghdad to commemorate the U.S. pullout and to mark the day the government is calling "National Sovereignty Day."

Most Iraqis were joyful and jubilant, and few people went to work on the declared national holiday.

Iraqi army tanks, armored personal carriers and other military vehicles lined the streets, as police and soldiers were deployed in force to scare away troublemakers.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the day a "great victory" for the Iraqi people and said the U.S. pullout was "historic."

He says that he has no doubt Iraq will come out holding its head high, and that the country is prepared to retaliate with full force against whomever wishes ill against it and its people. He says it is a national and historic duty to stand together behind Iraq's armed forces, which are responsible for this great achievement. He said the occasion must not be used for political or sectarian revenge.  He said Iraqis must overcome differences and be wise in dealing with political challenges.

The prime minister also noted all U.S. forces are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011, urging his countrymen to look forward with confidence to that moment.

He says Iraqis hope and aspire to achieve the ultimate goal set to take place at the end of 2011, with the final pullout of foreign troops from the country. This event will surely take place, he insists, according to the scheduled timetable.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani also spoke on Iraqi TV, urging his countrymen to cooperate with the country's political and military leaders to achieve stability.

He says destabilizing the situation in Iraq will not profit any one. The key element in achieving stability, he argues, is the support and cooperation of the public with the political leadership and the armed forces.

U.S. troops have reportedly dismantled dozens of bases and command posts inside Baghdad and elsewhere, an handed many over to Iraqi forces.

The US congressional reauthorization of PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in July, 2008, lifted a 15-year ban on HIV-positive foreign nationals from entering the United States. On Tuesday, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiated the final regulatory steps toward halting implementation of the ban.
  
Executive Director Rachel B. Tiven of New York-based Immigration Equality says that yesterday’s action was a positive development, and that the ban, which has until now continued to classify HIV as a communicable disease that warrants exclusion from US life, is expected to be fully lifted by December.
  
“This is the penultimate step, but it is not the end of the road. Until the 45-day notice and comment period is concluded, and until after that, the new regulation is finally published, it will not take effect. We expect, and we hope, and we will be monitoring the implementation of the final regulation, which we hope will happen before the end of the year,” she said.
  
Tiven, who heads a national rights organization that advocates for equal treatment of immigrants and also gay and lesbian couples seeking to keep their families together in the United States, explains that the repeal of the HIV ban, which is the only disease ever singled out legislatively for immigration quarantine in America, has taken a year or more to implement because of standard administrative procedures followed by the US government.
  
“It’s standard procedure that all federal regulations have to go through, and it’s a multi-step process, and by releasing the text of the new regulations, and putting them up for what’s called Notice and Comment (a procedure that is the usual course for all new proposed regulations), the end of the HIV ban is really coming to the last big hurdle in a multi-step process,” she noted.
  
Tiven calls the ban “an anachronistic exclusion that was not based on good science. It was based on fear and misinformation about HIV and AIDS.”
  
She says the change in enforcement will mean that many immigrant students and workers, who have sought green cards for employment and ultimately American citizenship would find a much more hospitable environment in which to build their lives and also help contribute to public needs in the United States.
  
“It could be someone who is studying in the United States on a visa and then is offered a job, which enables them to apply for a green card, but previously, they have not been able to have taken a green card that their employer is offering them because they are HIV-positive. And if they haven’t been able to meet the very narrow grounds for a waiver, they’ve been completely excluded in the past,” she pointed out.
  
Tiven says that lifting of the ban will also be extremely helpful for HIV-positive skilled workers traveling to the United States for work, enabling them to contribute to the US economy as they make lives for themselves in the US without being barred by the discriminatory stigma of living with HIV.
  
“I think that what we know about HIV is that in encouraging people to come out of the shadows, to not be afraid, to not fear stigmatization is good for them and is good for their communities. And people should seek testing and treatment and be open and honest with themselves and their loved ones about their HIV status, and that is what contributes positively to people’s health and well-being and the health and well-being of their families,” she said. 

Besides the United States, only 12 other countries around the world still enforce entry bans on HIV-positive foreign nationals wanting to visit their countries.

Turkey is considered to be a bridge between the East and West

At the Gaziosmanpasha detention center, an hour's drive north of Istanbul, a police van delivers the latest batch of illegal migrants deported by Greece. The migrants join several hundred others in the camp. Most of them like Sadoon Mahmoud, made great sacrifices in their failed bid to enter Europe

"I paid $7,000 to human traffickers so that take me from Iraq to Greece. They took me through mountains and everywhere it took me 10 days to get there. But then Greece authorities they sent us back to Turkey. I am not a criminal, I am an engineer. I have done nothing against anybody I just want a safe place," he said.

None of the migrants in the camp want to be in Turkey and each new person sent back from Greece only adds to the growing feeling here that Turkey is paying for a EU problem.

A 2002 accord between Athens and Ankara requires Turkey to accept the return of all would-be immigrants from Greece. But there have been reports of Turkish security forces refusing to accept migrants being deported back from Greece. And, the Greek foreign minister earlier this month accused Ankara of not honoring its commitments to stem migration.

The EU has also criticized Ankara of not providing adequate living conditions in the refugee camps.

Ahmet Icduygu, an expert on illegal migration at Istanbul's Koc University says there is a problem that both sides have to face up to.

"To fight against this movement, Turkey needs money. For instance, the United States to control its border spends $5.5 billion per year. But still there is no or little money, coming from the European Union to Turkey. Only they are a few training programs. And in the small police or jandama stations across around the country those police offices there is no single budget item to provide food for them or accommodation to them and in this sense what happens in practice they try to close their eyes instead of catching migrants," Icduygu said.

On Tuesday, European Union Justice Commissioner Jacque Barrot, said the EU would do everything it could to convince Turkey to stem illegal migration in Europe. He also promised financial aid to help Turkey in its efforts. But the commissioner stopped short of specify how much or when funds would be made available.

Still, Brussels is expressing concern over the treatment of detained migrants. Richard Howitt, a member of the European Parliament's committee on Turkey, recently visited a detention center here in Istanbul and was shocked at what he saw.

"What I have observed in the detention center was massive overcrowding, little access to any sort of diversion or to the normal living conditions that are the basic minimum. No access to television no access to the outside world at all. Really pretty grim conditions. One dormitory that I saw was filled with people who were lifeless, not moving. They were clearly serious [ly] ill. Complaints about lack access of medicine and to doctors. And we said it must change," he said.

But, at the Gaziosmanpasha detention center, conditions seem a little better. There doesn't appear to be an overcrowding problem and migrants have limited access to TV. Some can even work. But camp director Mustafa Katcha says the EU, instead of criticizing Turkey, must take more responsibility for the problem.

Turkey is not a rich country, he says, but the rich European countries don't want to understand this. Turkey is not a destination country, it is a transit country. But Europe wants us to deal with consequences of their tougher immigration policies, he says.

Analysts say such a plea is likely to fall on deaf ears in Brussels. More calls for tougher immigration policies and tightening budgets mean Turkey's security forces are bracing for long hot summer.

Many Internet users in China are celebrating after Beijing delayed implementing its order that Internet-blocking software be installed in all new computers.
 
News of the delay turned a scheduled Internet boycott into an all-day celebration on Wednesday. Hundreds of opponents of the plan flowed in and out of a tucked-away restaurant in Beijing's Caochangdi art district.
 
The well-known artist and activist Ai Weiwei organized the event. Dressed in neon pink, he walks around posing for photographs and signing T-shirts with slogans protesting the plan. Ai had proposed a 24-hour Internet boycott for Wednesday, the day the plan was to go into effect, and used online tools such as Twitter to invite people to gather at the restaurant near his home.

"It's just to let people know what our attitude is towards this kind of censorship," Ai said.

By lunchtime the party already had over 200 guests enjoying free food and alcohol. Ai says he expects over 1,000 people from all over China to join the party before the day is over.
 
"They traveled to Beijing many of them," Ai said. "The guy on the phone there is from Hangzhou, some people are from the northeast, some are from different provinces. I was so surprised. Some are fans of mine, some are Internet activists, [and] some are human rights activists."

Last month, the government said that all new computers sold in China would have to have Internet-blocking software installed. The government said the software, called the Green Dam Youth Escort program, would protect young Internet users from pornography, but many critics say it also would have blocked access to Web sites containing politically sensitive information or allowed the government to track what people view on the Internet.

Ai says citizen protests may have influenced China's decision to delay the software's implementation, but also says the government faces greater pressure than activists.

For weeks, foreign officials and industry groups expressed opposition to the Green Dam software, for political, commercial and technical reasons. Twenty-two chambers of commerce and trade groups asked Premier Wen Jiabao not to go through with the plan. Computer-makers Dell and Hewlett-Packard said they might complain to the World Trade Organization.

Many of these groups welcomed the implementation delay. The American Chamber of Commerce in China called it a "positive development" for Chinese consumers, the government and the business community.
 
While partygoers in Beijing say the delay is positive, many do not believe it will be permanent. Miao Shiming attended Wednesday's party after reading about it online. He thinks the government will go forward with Green Dam, since it has already invested money in it.

Miao says he believes China will implement the Green Dam requirement when there is less attention focused on the issue.
 
But for the rest of the day at least, Chinese netizens celebrate their victory.

The top U.S. military commander in Iraq, Army General Ray Odierno, said Tuesday that American combat forces have completed the planned withdrawal from Baghdad and other urban areas.

Speaking via satellite from Baghdad to reporters at the Pentagon, General Odierno said Iraqi security forces have taken control of all major metropolitan areas in the country.

"In accordance with the security agreement between the United States and Iraq, U.S. combat forces have completed the withdrawal out of Iraqi cities," he said. "A small number of U.S. forces will remain in cities to train, advise and coordinate with Iraqi security forces as well as enable them to move forward."

Odierno declined to estimate how many soldiers will remain in Iraqi cities, saying that number is likely to change on a day-to-day basis.

The general said that outside the urban areas, U.S. forces will continue to conduct operations in coordination with Iraqi forces.

"Our combined efforts will establish a layered defense." he said. "As Iraqis secure the cities, our combat forces, partnering with Iraqi security forces, will secure the belts and borders in an attempt to eliminate safe havens and sanctuaries and to limit freedom of movement of insurgents."

U.S. and Iraqi officials had warned that insurgent groups and militias were likely to step up attacks in the period leading up to the June 30 deadline. There have been several bombings, including one on Tuesday in Kirkuk that killed and wounded dozens of people.

General Odierno said some of the attacks are being carried out by militants with the help of neighboring Iran.

"We continue to still see training going on inside of Iran," he said. "We still believe weapons are moving and ammunition is moving from Iran into Iraq. We have not seen any adjustments made since the problem with the elections in Iran. They have kind of maintained themselves in a steady state."

Odierno said that when he first arrived in Iraq in 2006, the sectarian violence was so high it was difficult to see a way out.

The general noted that there has been a vast improvement in security since then that made the withdrawal possible.

"Today was just another sign that I have a lot of hope that Iraq is going to be able to move forward as a secure, stable, sovereign Iraq that could be a long-term partner with the United States in the Middle East who has a democratic government," he said.

General Odierno said there are about 131,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. He said he expects that number will be down to about 50,000 by September of next year. The U.S.-Iraq security agreement calls for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces by the end of 2011.

The Chinese government has postponed implementation of a controversial rule requiring all new personal computers sold in the country come with Internet filtering software.

China's official Xinhua news agency released a brief report Tuesday citing the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The report provided no details on the reasons for the ministry's decision, which comes one day before the rule was to go into effect.

Chinese Internet users had called for a boycott of online activities on July 1 to express their opposition to the new rule.

Critics in China say the program, called Green Dam Youth Escort, could be used to spy on Internet users. They have also voiced concerns it could expose computers to security threats and be used to block sites China feels are politically offensive.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information has said the software is needed to protect children from pornographic and violent images. China says that use of the software will be voluntary, and that owners will be able to un-install the program.

There has also been international concern over the government's plan. The United States raised its concerns with Beijing about the software's impact during a recent meeting with Chinese officials.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Trade Representative Ron Kirk said the software may violate World Trade Organization rules. They say it also appears to have "broad-based censorship implications" and network security issues.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

 The U.S. Supreme Court has decided a civil rights case that could have a far-reaching impact on race-based affirmative action programs around the country.  By a vote of five to four, the high court sided with white firefighters in Connecticut who had said they were the victims of reverse discrimination.  

A divided Supreme Court ruled Monday that the city of New Haven, Connecticut, unfairly denied promotions to a group of mostly white firefighters.

The firefighters had sued the city after it scrapped the results of a promotion exam after it became clear that no African-Americans and only a few Hispanics were likely to win promotions. 

Several white firefighters did well in the exam and appeared headed for promotions, but New Haven officials feared the city could become the target of lawsuits by minority firefighters who took the exam.

The majority opinion in the five-to-four Supreme Court decision was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is often the key swing vote on a court sharply divided between conservative and liberal-leaning factions.  It came on the final day of the court's annual term.

Kennedy wrote that New Haven's decision to throw out the results of the promotion exam violated federal civil-rights law because the white firefighters were penalized because of the lack of successful black applicants.

The high-court ruling overturned a previous decision by a federal appeals court panel that included Judge Sonia Sotomayor.  President Barack Obama has nominated Sotomayor to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.

Conservative groups and critics of affirmative action hiring programs welcomed the Supreme Court decision.

Michael Rosman is with the Center for Individual Rights in Washington.

"I think it is justice.  What the city did was intentional discrimination," said Rosman.  "The [promotions] list that was promulgated in 2004 is going to be used and those firefighters who were at the top of the list are going to be promoted."

Supporters of affirmative action programs say the Supreme Court decision will complicate the efforts of local and state governments to ensure that minority applicants are treated fairly in the hiring process.

"The problem that we see in this kind of a decision is that it requires state and local governments to say to women or minorities, if you are upset, you have to sue us because we cannot make any changes unilaterally," said Richard Primus, a legal scholar at the University of Michigan.

Many Republicans praised the Supreme Court ruling and said the high court's reversal of Judge Sotomayor in the lower court raises questions about her judicial philosophy.

Sotomayor is sure to be asked about the case when her Senate confirmation hearings begin July 13.

But Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, believes the Supreme Court ruling in the New Haven case will not have a negative impact on her nomination.

"The bottom line is that the excellence, wisdom and moderation Judge Sotomayor has displayed in her decisions on the 2nd Circuit [court of appeals] will follow her as she serves on the Supreme Court bench.  I believe she will be a positive addition to the United States Supreme Court," said Schumer.

If confirmed, Sotomayor will become the first Hispanic justice and only the second woman on the current court, joining Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Sotomayor is not expected to affect the ideological balance on the high court since the man she is replacing, Justice David Souter, generally voted with the court's liberal faction.