World News - ABC News Radio

• Iraq Vets Returning Medals at NATO Summit in Chicago
  

  Khalid Mohammed-Pool/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A protest of Iraq war veterans at the NATO summit being held in Chicago this weekend is intended to send a strong message to Washington and the European alliance.
  
  Some members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War plan to return their medals to NATO generals on Sunday, claiming they were given their honors for bravery or suffering for "a war based on lies and failed policies."
  
  The group said on its blog the Global War on Terror "has killed hundreds of thousands, stripped the humanity of all involved, and drained our communities of trillions of dollars, diverting funds from schools, clinics, libraries, and other public goods."
  
  Following the rally, the vets are expected to march to the convention center to give back their medals.  If they are unable to meet with the NATO generals, they said they would throw their medals at the building.
  
  About 30 to 50 veterans are expected to participate in the protest.

  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

  
  
  
• Syria President Says He's Losing Information War with West
  

  Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) -- With information being everything these days, Syria's embattled leader says his government is losing the propaganda war to the West.
  
  With no sign of the violence ending after 14 months despite a United Nations-crafted ceasefire agreement in place, President Bashar al-Assad told the Russian state TV channel Rossiya 24 in an interview that he blamed the West for releasing "a large amount of false information."
  
  According to al-Assad, Western nations have sympathized with his political opponents and "outplayed us... at the very beginning of the crisis -- invented stories."
  
  Al-Assad ordered a crackdown in March 2011 against rebels seeking his ouster, alleging they were terrorists being driven by foreign agitators.  An estimated 9,000 to 11,000 people have died during the fighting although a true death toll is impossible to verify because of a news blackout set up by the Syrian government.
  
  The president said the West was guilty of spreading "lies, or rumors, or false accusations -- call them what you will -- all these are soap bubbles, they have a short life."
  
  However, al-Assad said, "The main thing is to win in real life," predicting his supporters would ultimately prevail.

  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

  
  
  
• Afghanistan Preparing to Drill for Oil
  

  Comstock/Thinkstock(KABUL, Afghanistan) -- An output of 5,000 barrels of oil a day doesn't sound like much but it could be the beginning of a bonanza for Afghanistan, one of the poorest nations in the world.
  
  Afghan Mining Ministry spokesman Jawad Omar announced on Wednesday that oil production is expected to start by October with the assistance of China's National Petroleum Corporation.
  
  It would mark the first time Afghanistan has drilled for oil in its history.  The plan is to start with 5,000 barrels and work up to 45,000 barrels daily.
  
  The initial drilling will take part in the "Afghan-Tajik" zone of northern Afghanistan, one of the areas that is relatively unscathed by war and where major oil deposits lie.
  
  An estimated 87 million barrels of oil exist underground in that particular zone alone.  Tapping it would help Afghanistan rely less on the crude it imports from Iran and Central Asia and add to its revenues.
  
  Six oil deposits have been found so far in Afghanistan in the northern, western and southern parts of the country.

  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

  
  
  
• Secretary Clinton Says ‘Oui’ to New French President
  

  AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that she welcomes the new French president, Francoise Hollande, and is looking forward to working with him. In an interview with USA Today, Clinton said even though Hollande, who is a socialist, will have very different policies from conservative predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, she believes the strong relationship between France and the United States will continue.
  
  “Different voices may be louder on growth than they have been, but the overall approach of how we support Europe’s recovery hasn’t changed,” Clinton told USA Today. “It’s been our view that there needed to be some adjustments to just austerity, so that there could be growth, both for economic reasons and for political reasons.”
  
  As the two largest and most stable economies in the eurozone, France and Germany have been the stalwarts during the ongoing economic crisis. Both have helped bail out other eurozone countries in trouble, but also set strict austerity requirements for countries to remain part of the euro. Some, such as Greece, have balked at the forced cuts, causing domestic political turmoil and sending global markets into a tailspin.
  
  The Obama administration has taken the position that Europe cannot solve its economic problems with austerity measures alone. Similar to the U.S. with its stimulus packages, Europe should also have a plan for growth that will stimulate the economy and provide jobs for the continent’s unemployed youth, which makes up more than 22 percent of the 18- to 24-year-old population. "We’ve been delivering that message, publicly and privately, for some time,” said Clinton.
  
  It’s a message that’s likely to resonate with Hollande, who beat incumbent president Sarkozy by campaigning against Sarkozy’s deeply unpopular economic cuts.
  
  Hollande reiterated his "pro-growth” economic plans in his acceptance speech last week and warned that France and Europe are headed for a shift. “Europe is watching us,” he said to cheering crowds. “Austerity can no longer be the only option.”
  
  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

  
  
  
• Which Nation Is Most Likely to Sunbathe Nude?
  

  Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- It’s not the one you might expect. Expedia’s summer travel survey posed the question on nude sunbathing to 8,600 people around the world and found that only two percent of Americans were likely to shed their clothing on the beach -- no big surprise there. The Brits also came in at two percent, as did New Zealanders and Argentineans.  Only the Japanese were less likely than Americans to sunbathe nude.
  
  Germans, on the other hand, were far more likely to take it all off.  At 15 percent, they’re the most likely of all the 21 nations surveyed to bare it all.
  
  The French, although still in the top quarter, were far more modest than one might guess, given the tradition of topless sunbathing on the Riveria. But only five percent said they took it all off on the beach.
  
  Here are the tallies:

  • Germany: 15 percent
  • India: 8 percent
  • Spain: 8 percent
  • France: 5 percent
  • Italy: 5 percent
  • Sweden: 6 percent
  • Denmark: 6 percent
  • Australia: 5 percent
  • Canada: 5 percent
  • Singapore: 5 percent
  • Mexico: 6 percent
  • Netherlands: 6 percent
  • Brazil: 5 percent
  • Ireland: 4 percent
  • South Korea: 4 percent
  • Norway: 3 percent
  • Argentina: 2 percent
  • New Zealand: 2 percent
  • United States: 2 percent
  • United Kingdom: 2 percent
  • Japan: 1 percent

  The survey also found that Americans spend 40 percent of their allotted vacation days at the beach. Turns out we’d rather be at the beach (26 percent) than doing pretty much anything else, including visiting family (22 percent.
  
  And what about those naked Germans? Turns out their love of the beach surpasses that of any other country. They must have a tricks for keeping sand out of places it doesn’t belong.
  
  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio