Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Russia’s Foreign Minister to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. A senior Russian official says that further sanctions against Iran would be “counterproductive,” and Clinton agrees that “we are not at that point yet.”

Russia and China agree to a framework for the export of Russian oil and gas supplies to China. The deal is part of $3.5 billion worth of trade agreements signed at a meeting between leaders of the two countries in Beijing.

Romania’s Democratic Liberal Government falls after loosing a vote of no confidence in parliament; the first such collapse since the end of Communist rule in 1989.

South African police fire tear gas and rubber bullets as thousands protest demanding basic services such as sanitation, electricity and housing in several northeastern townships.

Nearly 50 people are killed and more than 100 injured when a car bomb rips through the main market in Peshawar, Pakistan. The attack is the sixth the city has suffered in the past four months.

France arrests a researcher at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) for purported ties to al-Qaeda.

Burma’s military government allows pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi  to hold rare talks with Western diplomats in what could be a sign of thawing relations.

France’s Louvre Museum will return five relics stolen from Luxor’s Valley of the Kings to Egypt.

Ireland votes “yes” in a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, paving the way for the creation of an E.U. president. Ireland had voted “no” in a similar referendum last year, blocking the the implementation of the treaty, which requires unanimous approval.

Greece’s Socialists win a sweeping victory over the center-right ruling party in snap elections, bucking a European trend towards conservative government  exemplified most recently by Germany’s re-election of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Egypt’s highest Muslim authority says he will issue a religious edict against the wearing of the niqab, a full veil that covers a woman’s face. While headscarfs are widely worn in Egypt, the niqab is a growing trend associated with more radical Islam.

The Dalai Lama visits Washington this week but will not meet with President Obama — the White House postponed a planned meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader in an apparent attempt to gain favor with China in advance of a summit between President Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, scheduled for next month.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that the U.S. will engage with Burma’s military government, while also maintaining sanctions imposed on account of the junta’s human rights abuses. Burma’s pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi expresses her support for the new U.S. policy.

Heads of state from the Group of 20 gather in Pittsburgh tonight. Three main issues are on the table: “rebalancing” the world economy, meaning that debtors like the U.S. should save more, while exporters like China should consume more; tightening financial regulation around the world; and allowing poorer countries more representation at the International Monetary Fund.

The largest-ever discovery of Anglo-Saxon treasures is uncovered by an amateur in a field in Staffordshire, England. The collection of nearly 1,500 gold and silver pieces will “alter our perception of Anglo-Saxon England,” says Leslie Webster, former curator of Anglo-Saxon archaeology at the British Museum.

Earlier this morning, President Obama spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a meeting which a senior administration source called “businesslike.” Expressing his impatience, Obama told the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, “We’ve had enough of talks….it’s time to move forward.”

Residents of Sydney, Australia awake to an eerie orange sky as the worst dust storms in at least 70 years engulf the city and move north towards Queensland.

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology officially opens. The university, which boasts the world’s 14th fastest supercomputer and one of the world’s largest endowments, could also become a cultural battleground in this conservative country — the school is co-ed, and female students will mix freely with males and will not be required to wear veils.

Addressing world leaders gathered for a U.N. summit on climate change, President Obama declares that the U.S. is “determined to act,” and encourages unity on the issue, saying the world “cannot allow the old divisions that have characterized the climate debate for so many years to block our progress.”

China bans foreign tourists from Tibet ahead of the 60th anniversary of Communist rule in the country, which will be celebrated on October 1 with a military parade, fireworks, and a speech by President Hu Jintao.

Honduran security forces use tear gas to break up demonstrations outside the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, where deposed President Manual Zalaya has been since his surprise return to the country yesterday.

World leaders gather in New York this week for the U.N. general assembly; among them are new presidents of the U.S., Russia and China, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, attending for the first time. Issues to be discussed include climate change and nuclear proliferation.

President Obama will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the U.N. general assembly on Tuesday, but does not have “grand expectations” for the meeting.

More than 140 rebels are killed as the Yemeni army fights back a major offensive in the northern city of Sadah. The clash is the bloodiest since Houthi rebels began fighting with goverment forces in 2004.

As Typhoons Morakot and Etau continue to wreak havoc in Asia, nearly one million people are evacuated from China’s eastern coastal provinces, at least 13 are killed in western Japan, and hundreds are missing after landslides hit the village of Xialin in Taiwan.

President Barack Obama meets with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Guadalajara, Mexico, for the forth annual summit of North American leaders. Major issues to be discussed include the economic crisis, the swine flu pandemic, the drug trade, climate change and immigration.

At least two civilians and three police officers are killed in Taliban attacks on government buildings near Kabul, just 10 days before Afghanistan’s elections, which members of the Taliban have vowed to disrupt.

The first Guantanamo detainee to face charges in a U.S. civilian court arrives in Manhattan. Indicted for his role in the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Ahmed Ghailani is expected to appear in court later this afternoon.

Oil-giant Shell agrees to pay a $15.5 million settlement in the case of nine environmental and human rights activists who were hung in Nigeria in 1995. Shell allegedly hired government troops to shoot protesters opposed to the construction of an oil pipeline in the Niger Delta.

Zimbabwe could be heading for a new wave of violence in the lead up to elections scheduled for 2010. Opposition leaders have been receiving threatening phone calls saying that their names are being added to an assassination list.

HIV-prevention interventions appear to be paying off in South Africa — a new study shows that infection rates in children have declined, while rates have leveled off at 10.9 percent among the general population.

Hundreds of police are deployed in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on the 20th anniversary of the violent crackdown on a pro-democracy demonstration that left hundreds dead, preventing any protests or memorials, and barring foreign journalists from entering the square. In largely autonomous Hong Kong, 150,000 people attend a candlelit vigil to mark the anniversary, the only such commemoration in China.

Another 20th anniversary is marked in Poland, where international leaders gather to commemorate the first democratic elections in communist Eastern Europe.

Voting begins in European Union elections; turnout is expected to be low, with voters more focused on local rather than Europe-wide issues.

In a televised debate, Iranian presidential candidate Hossein Mousavi accuses President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of tainting the country’s image with his Holocaust denial and other extremist views.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg visits South Korea and calls on North Korea to choose dialogue over further provocative action. He does not rule out the possibility of sanctions.

French and Brazilian ships search for debris – and possibly bodies – near the crash site of the doomed Air France flight that disappeared on Monday.

India’s parliament unanimously chooses its first women speaker – Meira Kumar.

Amid a global economic crisis and South Africa’s worst recession, newly elected President Jacob Zuma vows to create half a million jobs in six months. Oponents dismiss his plans as a “wish list.”

A private Chinese firm buys Hummer from General Motors, but says it has no plans to build a new manufacturing plant.

Amid new bomb blasts in Pakistan, the U.S. says it may expand its embassy in Islamabad to include about 400 apartments in a project similar to its massive embassy in Baghdad. UNICEF says it has almost run out of funds to provide relief to people fleeing fighting in the Northwest Frontier Province.

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Honduras, causing one confirmed death when a house collapsed, disrupting electricity and phone services, and shaking nearby Guatemala and Belize.

Two more Conservative MPs in Britain say they will step down following outrage over their use of taxpayer money, including one who spent £22,500 to treat dry rot at her home. Eleven other lawmakers have quit since a scandal over expenses erupted, including the House of Commons Speaker.

Nigerian police arrest, then kill militant leader, Ken Niweigha. Supporters accuse police of “summarily executing” him, while police say he was killed during a gun battle.

Four men are arrested in New York for plotting to bomb synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down military aircraft with Stinger missiles. They appear to have been acting alone.

Africa’s longest serving leader, President Omar Bongo of Gabon is hospitalized in Spain for treatment of intestinal cancer. He has ruled Gabon since 1967, and the illness is sparking concerns over his succession.

In the wake of talks between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel dismantles a small Jewish settlement in the West Bank, removing a family and a few single men from several small shacks.

Pakistan’s allies promise $224 million in aid to the 1.5 million civilians displaced by fighting in the Swat Valley.

The United Nations expressed concern over the health of 280,000 civilians being kept in 41 sites across four districts in Sri Lanka. The government says it may hold the civilians for up to two years until it can establish that they are not Tamil Tigers.

Burma’s military bars the public from Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial. Burma VJ, a documentary about the 2007 Saffron Revolution opens in New York.

President Barack Obama announces the resumption of controversial military tribunals against terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, while granting prisoners new rights.

Tens of thousands of Pakistan civilians take advantage of the suspension of a curfew to flee the Swat Valley.

Gay activists planning a gay pride parade in Moscow to coincide with the Eurovision Song Contest face violence from anti-gay groups. Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has banned the parade, calling it “satanic” and accusing homosexuals of spreading HIV.

South Africa reverses course and allows the Dalai Lama to visit. Critics have contended South Africa bowed to pressure from China in initially denying him a visa.

Hundreds of foreign militants are joining the fight against the Somali government.