World Watch: Fickle Finger-pointing

* Cambodia: Nuon Chea, a deputy to the late despot Pol Pot, alleged that the Vietnamese and not the brutal Khmer Rouge regime committed “crimes against humanity” in Cambodia.

* Space: Researchers at NASA discovered Kepler-22b, a planet 600 light years away and a “possible Earth twin” that could support life.

* Ivory Coast: At his first appearance in front of the International Criminal Court, ex-President Laurent Gbagbo claimed that he would “challenge” the evidence against him.

* World: According to a new study published in the journal “Nature Climate Change” global carbon dioxide emissions spiked in 2010 and reached a record 9.1 billion tons.

Image Source – Flickr via Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. (“Nuon Chea during a Trial Chamber hearing on 31 Jan 2011.”) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources – BBC News, National Geographic, CBC News, UPI

World Watch: The Long Arm of the Law

* Ivory Coast: Ex-president Laurent Gbagbo was arrested and flown to the Netherlands where he awaits trial in front of the International Criminal Court.

* Britain: Hundreds of thousands of public employees took to the streets to protest against government-backed austerity measures.

* Pakistan: The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff “publicly and categorically” rejected accusations that NATO purposely killed 24 Pakistani soldiers over the weekend.

* Palestine: Iceland became the first western European country to recognize Palestine as an independent state.

Image Source – Flickr via Alkan de Beaumont Chaglar (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- Reuters, USA TODAY, MSNBC, Herald Sun

World Watch: Gone Gbagbo gone

* Ivory Coast: Disgraced former president Laurent Gbagbo may face “judicial proceedings” after he was detained by French and opposition forces.

* Japan: No tsunami warning was issued after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the Japanese coast one month after a major tremor and tsunami killed an estimated 25,000 people.

* Belarus: President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that a deadly bombing in the Minsk metro on Monday might’ve been a “gift from abroad.”

* France: Two Muslim women were arrested for peacefully protesting France’s ban on wearing face veils in public.

Image – Str/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian (“Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo and his wife Simone after their arrest.”)
Online Sources- Busninessweek, USA TODAY, BBC News, The Guardian

World Watch: Under the surface

* Italy: While the E.U. continues to debate over immigration, rescuers keep searching the Mediterranean for survivors of a capsized boat that carried over 200 migrants from North Africa.

* Libya: Documents revealed that Moammar Gadhafi waged a PR campaign to improve his image that included favorable opinion pieces in major U.S. dailies and a failed book project on his "ideas on democracy".

* Ivory Coast: French troops and opposition forces are reportedly knocking at the presidential palace’s door yet besieged leader Laurent Gbagbo continues to bunker and not cede power.

* India: Researchers found highly resistant “superbugs” in bacteria in water supplies of the capital city of New Delhi.

Video Source – euronews via YouTube
Online Sources- AFP, Reuters, Voice of America, Monsters and Critics, CNN

World Watch: Gbagbo give up?

* Ivory Coast: France and the U.N. have set out a conditions for embattled leader Laurent Gbagbo to hand over the presidency though that may not save him from possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

* Japan: India suspended food imports from Japan due to concerns over radiation while the U.S. and the E.U. are considering similar restrictions.

* Libya: Rebel commander Gen. Abdul Fattah Younis blasted NATO efforts as “not doing anything” to help civilians under attack by forces loyal to President Muammar Gaddafi.

* Italy: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is not expected to appear in court on Wednesday when trial proceedings being in the “bunga bunga” sex scandal.

Image – Rebecca Blackwell/AP via CSMonitor.com (“New Forces soldiers loyal to Alassane Ouattara drive at a checkpoint at one of the principal entrances to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday.”)
Online Sources- Xinhua, BBC News, Times of India, Reuters

World Watch: Fighting in Abidjan

* Ivory Coast: Forces loyal to internationally recognized President Alassane Ouattara have supposedly taken over the presidential palace while U.N. and French troops have fired against soldiers loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo.

* China: Contemporary artist Ai Weiwei has reportedly “disappeared” as part of a “massive” crackdown by Chinese authorities “on lawyers, writers and activists.”

* Yemen: At least 12 protesters were killed by “Yemeni security forces and gunmen in civilian clothes” in the city of Taiz.

* U.S.: Could the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan soon become the next head of the Central Intelligence Agency?

Image – Luc Gnago/Reuters via The Guardian (“Civilians pass a pro-Gbagbo soldier near the presidential palace in Abidjan.”)
Online Sources- The Guardian, BBC News, NPR, Voice of America, MSNBC

World Watch: Escape

* Ivory Coast: A humanitarian crisis is rapidly developing on the Ivory Coast as an estimated one million refugees are fleeing the country.

* Portugal: The E.U. is considering a hefty bailout for Portugal after legislators rejected government-backed austerity measures.

* Canada: The Conservative Party-led government was defeated today after a vote of no confidence in the Canadian parliament.

* World: Unrest in Libya and the recent natural disasters in Japan could hurt the global auto industry according to this article.

Image – Reuters via Al Jazeera English (“The UNHCR's estimates of the number of displaced nearly doubled in the past week amid ongoing fighting.”)
Online Sources- USA TODAY, Xinhua, Bloomberg, euronews

World Watch: Forgotten conflicts

* Ivory Coast: According to the BBC News, several U.N. aid agencies have warned that the escalating conflict in the Ivory Coast is leading to “forgotten humanitarian catastrophe.”

* Syria: Security forces could be to blame for gunfire erupting in Deraa where hundreds of protesters have been demonstrating for nearly a week.

* Libya: Fighter planes from countries including the U.S., Britain and France continue to attack Libyan military targets while the anti-government international coalition could be expanded to thirteen countries.

* Japan: Power has been restored to all six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that continues to be crippled after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

Image – Luc Gnago/Reuters via The Guardian (“Young supporters of Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo gather at a stadium at army headquarters in Abidjan to sign up for military service.”)
Online Sources- BBC News, Reuters, Voice of America, The Globe and Mail

World Watch: Mortality

* Japan: The death toll from Friday’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan rose to at least 3373 people though the country’s disaster preparedness system was credited with saving hundreds of lives.

* Bahrain: Hundreds of anti-government protesters were injured in clashes with domestic security forces and troops from neighboring Saudi Arabia.

* Italy: Prosecutors reportedly accused Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi with having sex thirteen times with an under-age Moroccan teen.

* Ivory Coast: Violence has intensified between factions loyal and opposed to Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo.

Image – Kim Jae-Hwan/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian (“Residents on a devastated street in Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture on Tuesday.”)
Online Sources- Xinhua, BBC News, Voice of America, BusinessWeek, MSNBC

World Watch: Red Rover

* Libya: According to the AP a Red Crescent official claimed that pro-Gadhafi soldiers are preventing the escape of tens of thousands of refugees attempting to leave Libya.

* Denmark: The country’s immigration minister was fired after she wrongly refused granting citizenship to three dozen stateless Palestinians.

* Yemen: At least several dozen protesters are reported to be injured after security forces fired on anti-government demonstrators.

* Ivory Coast: A protest against the massacre of seven women ended with soldiers shooting and killing four people.

Image – Spencer Platt/Getty Images Europe via The Guardian (“Libya's border with Tunisia has seen thousands of migrant workers crossing over – but the number has fallen dramatically.”)
Online Sources- ABC Online, MSNBC, BBC News, The Guardian

World Watch: Reef-er madness

* World: A World Resources Institute report concluded that climate change along with human activities like pollution and overfishing have severely threatened the world’s coral reefs.

* Libya: Muammar Gaddafi continues to remain defiant in the face of mounting domestic and international pressure.

* New Zealand: The official death toll from Tuesday’s 6.3-magnitude earthquake grew to 123 while survivors have had to endure numerous violent aftershocks.

* Ivory Coast: The country is at the brink of civil war according to the U.N. as battles between government forces and rebels have intensified this week.

Image – Mark Conlin/Alamy via The Guardian (“Reefs at Risk report says coral reef, like this one off Fiji are in danger. The consequences – especially for countries that depend of reefs for food – will be severe.”)
Online Sources- CNN Xinhua, Reuters, BBC News

World Watch: Free Liu Xiaobo

* China: On the eve of Human Rights Day, the U.N. and human rights activists worldwide called on China to release 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo from prison.

* Britain: Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in London against the legislative approval of a government plan to triple maximum university tuition fees.

* Ivory Coast: The African Union bloc suspended the Ivory Coast due to the disputed presidential election that took place last month.

* India: Several Transportation Safety Administration agents are under fire after patting down the Indian Ambassador to the U.S. reportedly due to the sari she was wearing.

Image – Morten Holm/Scanpix/AP via CSMonitor.com (“Supporters of 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo demonstrate outside China's Embassy in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, Dec. 9.”)
Online Sources- Voice of America, Al Jazeera English, BBC News, New York Daily News

World Watch: Nuked

* World: While international negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program ended on a “vague” note, a deal was signed allowing a French firm to construct a pair of nuclear reactors in India.

* Ivory Coast: Hundreds of people are leaving the Ivory Coast amid growing fears of post-election violence.

* Middle East: Will the dropping of a U.S. demand to freeze Israeli settlements facilitate peace talks between that country and the Palestinian Authority?

* Britain: A British court denied bail to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange after he surrendered to authorities over sexual assault allegations.

Image – Reuters/Philippe Wojazer via Reuters (“Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (R) shakes hands with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy as they arrive for a meeting at Hyderabad house in New Delhi, December 6, 2010.”)
Online Sources- The Guardian, CNN, BBC News, MSNBC

World Watch: Plugging Wikileaks?

* Switzerland: While Wikileaks continues to release documents a Swiss bank froze the assets of an account used by the website’s founder, Julian Assange.

* North Korea: International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo could charge North Korea with war crimes over a deadly military attack last month on a South Korean island.

* Ivory Coast: The E.U. could raise sanctions against the Ivory Coast due to the country’s heavily disputed presidential election.

* Iran: Representatives of Iran and “six world powers” met on Monday to discuss concerns about the controversial Iranian nuclear program.

Image – CTV (“Cable released by WikiLeaks reveals Canadian sites 'vital' to U.S.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, CNN, BBC News, The Guardian

World Watch: Whose presidency is it anyway?

* Africa: Ivory Coast officials are divided as to who won last week’s presidential elections while tensions continue in Guinea after opposition leader Alpha Conde was declared as president-elect.

* India: As the 26th anniversary of the Bhopal industrial disaster approaches, some victims are seeking $1.1 billion in compensation from Dow Chemicals.

* World: According to a new survey released by Pew Research Center most Muslims in countries with large Islamic populations rejected Al Qaeda as well as the tactic of suicide bombings.

* Spain: An increased tobacco tax and pension reforms could be the next steps to strengthen an already weakened Spanish economy.

Image – Luc Gnago/REUTERS via The Guardian (“Supporters of opposition leader Alassane Outtara in the city of Gagnoa, Ivory Coast. The president's camp alleges vote rigging.”)
Online Sources- Bloomberg, Reuters, BBC News, CNN

World Watch: Contrition

* Croatia: Serbian President Boris Tadic apologized to Croatia for atrocities committed during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.

* Iran: Anti-U.S. protests were held to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

* Ivory Coast: A runoff will be needed in order to decide the country’s next president.

* U.S.: Get better soon Aretha Franklin!

Image – Al Jazeera English (Serbian President Boris “Tadic's visit (to Croatia) has sparked small protests with some holding placards reading 'our blood on your hands' [AFP].”)
Online Sources- NPR, Voice of America, euronews, Christian Science Monitor

World Watch: Losing by boozing

* Britain: According to a study published in the medical journal Lancet alcohol is a more dangerous drug than heroin or crack.

* Indonesia: Mount Merapi continues to rumble and spew hot ash days after several islands were ravaged by a tsunami caused by an earthquake.

* U.S.: Google filed a lawsuit last week against the U.S. government alleging that they were inappropriately excluded from a messaging contract in favor of Microsoft.

* Ivory Coast: The country’s presidential election designed to “end years of crisis” may go to a second round.

Image – New York Daily News (via Getty Images)
Online Sources- Xinhua, BBC News, MSNBC, PC Magazine