weaken
ing national morale. He was arrested in October after criticising a lack of democracy and police
excess
es in Syria.
World News from the BBC.
The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told Azerbaijan that the United States is ready to help it reach a deal with Armenia over the disputed
enclave
of Nagorno-Karabakh. Speaking in Azerbaijan, she said the issue was a high priority for the US and that peace was possible. The enclave has been controlled by Armenian troops and ethnic Armenian forces since 1994. President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has called the
simmer
ing tensions with Armenia "a major threat" to regional security.
Two government ministers in France have resigned over their use of
more than
$100,000 of taxpayers’ money. The Development Minister Alain Joyandet hired a private plane in March to go to an emergency meeting in Martinique on the Haiti earthquake, while Christian Blanc, who’s in charge of a new transport plan for Paris, spent more than $14,000 of his ministry's budget on cigars.
The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has won his second men singles’ title in Wimbledon in London. Nadal, who’s the world No. 1, beat Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in straight sets. Nadal has now won eight Grand Slam titles. He said he was particularly delighted to be champion once again, after being unable to defend his title last year because of injury.