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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Terrified teen surrounded by ‘shooting and shelling’

A teenage boy trapped alone in an orphanage commandeered by soldiers in Pakistan’s war-torn Swat Valley has described his terrifying ordeal. “The situation outside is extremely bad and scary,” said the boy, who is identified by his teachers using his first name Ubaid. “All the time I hear shooting and shelling.” About 50 orphans and 20 teachers and administrators escaped the Khpal Kor Foundation orphanage in the Swat district capital of Mingora over the past week.

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Sri Lanka says 10,000 civilians flee fighting

The Sri Lankan government said Sunday that more than 10,000 civilians have fled fighting between government forces and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka over the past week, a "sudden increase" in people displaced by the violence. Most of the 10,501 displaced civilians are from Kilinochchi, while others are from the Jaffna peninsula, according to a news release from Sri Lanka’s defense ministry

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