Daily Headlines: May 8, 2014

* Venezuela: 243 anti-government protesters were arrested on Thursday morning as part of a crackdown on tent camps in Caracas while the U.S. Congress is considering several proposals to raise sanctions against President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

* Brazil: Federal police have threatened with going on a 24-hour strike in the middle of the World Cup unless the government raises their pay and improves their working conditions.

* Latin America: A new World Health Organization report found that areas of Brazil, Paraguay and Costa Rica have some of the world’s cleanest air.

* Mexico: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will reportedly go ahead with a planned visit to Mexico later this month despite being subpoenaed by Congress over the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Video Source – CNN en Español via YouTube

Online Sources – Latin Times; ABC News; Al Jazeera; Xinhua; NBC News

World Watch: Tensions in Libya

* Middle East: According to the Libyan media “multiple arrests” were made in relation to the recent deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

* World: According to UNICEF child mortality rates have sharply declined over the past decade reportedly “amid gains in health care, education, development programs and economic progress”.

* Russia: Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suggested the early release of three members of the Pussy Riot collective controversially sentenced to two years in prison for ''hooliganism motivated by religious hatred''.

* Afghanistan: Residents in Karachi paid their respects to over 260 employees of a garment factory who died as a result of a massive fire on Tuesday.

Video Source– YouTube via Associated Press (“The U.S. Is deploying two warships to the Libyan Coast, following the attack on a U.S. consulate that killed the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and three others.”)

Online Sources – Voice of America, CNN, Sydney Morning Herald, BBC News

Daily Headlines: September 13, 2012

* Peru: On the twentieth anniversary of the capture of Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman, President Ollanta Humala said that he will not negotiate with the guerillas.

* Cuba: Cuban officials said that they would be willing to talk with the U.S. government over possibly releasing imprisoned contractor Alan Gross.

* Latin America: Latin American governments condemned the violent attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya that left four people including Ambassador Christopher Stevens dead.

* El Salvador: Ex-senior Salvadoran military officer Inocente Orlando Montano pled guilty in the U.S. to immigration fraud and could be extradited to Spain over his alleged role in the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- NPR, RTT, Reuters, infosurhoy.com, The Latin Americanist

Weekend World Watch: Holiday Spirit

* Israel: Over 120,000 pilgrims and tourists are estimated to have gathered in Bethlehem in order to celebrate Christmas.

* Libya: For the first time since 1969 Libya will publicly celebrate its day of independence, which was sixty years ago on this date.

* Russia: Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in several Russian cities calling for new parliamentary elections and the resignation of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

* North Korea: Kim Jong Un was named as the "supreme leader of the revolutionary armed forces" days after the death of his father, former ruler Kim Jong Il.

* India: A court ordered that 22 Internet companies, including Google and Facebook, remove “objectionable content” from their websites.

* Nigeria: At least 68 people were killed as a result of clashes between police and “Islamic militant group Boko Haram.”

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources – Voice of America, BBC News, ABC Online, USA TODAY, PC World, The Guardian

World Watch: Ciao Silvio

* Italy: The Senate is poised to approve a series of austerity measures that will likely lead to the resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

* China: The country’s inflation rate decreased for a third consecutive month as the government is supposedly trying to “cool economic growth.”

* Iran: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran would not back down from its nuclear program despite a U.N. report indicating “serious concern” over developing nuclear arms.

* Libya: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that he was close to completing an investigation regarding hundreds of rapes allegedly overseen by officials under former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Video Source – YouTube user euronews

Online Sources- BBC News, Reuters, Voice of America

World Watch: Leaving Libya

* Libya: NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the end of the alliance's seven-month military intervention in Libya.

* Thailand: Relief agencies worry that a humanitarian crisis could occur due to historic flooding across the nation.

* Palestine: The U.S. will cut off $60 million in aid to UNESCO after members of the body voted to include Palestine.

* China: The Chinese space exploration took a key step forward with the launching of an unmanned rocket that is expected to dock with a space lab.

Video Source - YouTube user Associated Press

Online Sources - BBC News, The Globe and Mail, CNN, Al Jazeera English

World Watch: A post-Gadhafi domino effect?

* Libya: The death of former Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi has reportedly “inspired” Yemeni and Syrian anti-government protesters, while questions continue over the circumstances behind the death.

* Iraq: U.S. President Barack Obama said that troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of this year.

* Thailand: Floodwaters that inundated towns and villages throughout Thailand reached into the capital city of Bangkok.

* Greece: European countries approved an $11 billion bailout loan plan that may prevent the Greek government from defaulting.

Video Source – Via the YouTube page of the Associated Press. (“Inspired by the scenes of euphoria in Libya, Syrian protesters poured into the streets on Friday and shouted that President Bashar Assad's regime will be the next to unravel now that ousted Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi is dead.”)

Online Sources- The Globe and Mail, Bloomberg, BBC News, Reuters, CNN

World Watch: Beyond Gadhafi

Note: The major news headline of today was the death of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi. There have been other important pieces of news from around the world, however, which we will highlight in today’s “World Watch”.

* Spain: Representatives of militant Basque separatist group ETA claimed that they will halt their decades-long armed campaign.

* Afghanistan: At least 115 suspected insurgents were reportedly killed over the past week by NATO and Afghan forces.

* Philippines: Colleagues of the late Father Fausto Tentorio have accused the army of killing the “great advocate for disadvantaged people.”

* Denmark: A study by Danish researchers has raised doubts over the rumored links between cell phone use and brain cancer.

Video Source – YouTube user europapress

Online Sources- Reuters, MSNBC, Al Jazeera English, ABC News

World Watch: Eradicating malaria

* Africa: Preliminary results of an experimental vaccine against malaria showed that the vaccine cut the risk of disease in infants roughly in half.

* Middle East: Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit was freed as part of a prisoner exchange that also liberated 477 Palestinians.

* Libya: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Libya today and is expected to meet with rebel leaders who helped in the ouster of former leader Moammar Gadhafi.

* Cambodia: The trial of four ex-members of the Khmer Rouge accused of crimes against humanity and genocide is scheduled to begin next month.

Image – Via Flickr user US Army Africa (“U.S. Army medical researchers in Kenya mark World Malaria Day 2010.”)

Online Sources- Voice of America, MSNBC, ABC News, The Guardian

Daily Headlines: October 3, 2011

* Cuba: According to the Miami Herald’s website the first member of a group of convicted spies known as the “Cuban Five” will be released from prison on Friday.

* Latin America: U.S. President Barack Obama could send stalled free trade pacts with Colombia and Panama to Congress today, while Human Rights Watch warned that Colombia has made "virtually no progress" in getting convictions against killers of labor activists.

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez claimed that he prayed to “God to protect the life of our brother Muammar Gaddafi” and also expressed solidarity with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

* Argentina: Los Pumas qualified to the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup but they will face the daunting task of trying to beat host country and heavy favorites New Zealand.

Online Sources - NPR, MiamiHerald.com, Reuters, CBC News

Image –BBC News (Supporters of the “Cuban Five” claim that they were wrongly convicted of spying on the U.S. government and have been mistreated while imprisoned).

World Watch: Presidential problems

* World: Clashes broke out at the trial against former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak while ex-president Jacques Chirac of France faces a maximum ten-year prison sentence if convicted of corruption.

* Africa: The U.N. warned that as many as 750,000 people could die in the upcoming months due to a famine that originated in Somalia.

* Libya: Authorities in China denied a report by Canada's The Globe and Mail newspaper alleging that Chinese firms were planning to sell $200 million in weapons to deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

* Japan: At least 34 people died as a result of one of the worst typhoons to hit Japan in recent years.

Image – Reuters via The Guardian (“Riot police clash with anti-Mubarak protestors on the first day of the former Egyptian president's return to trial.”)

Online Sources- Voice of America, euronews, MSNBC, CNN, BBC News

World Watch: Deadline

* Libya: Rebels gave besieged leader Muammar Gaddafi a deadline of the Saturday to "peacefully surrender."

* Asia: The Food and Agriculture Organization warned of a possible resurgence of the H5N1 avian flu virus in several Asian nations.

* South Africa: Police in Johannesburg clashed with backers of Julius Malema, the head of the African National Congress' youth wing.

* India: A court ordered the postponement of the execution of three people convicted of participating in the 1991 assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Image Source - AP via MSNBC ("Libyan rebel fighters prepare to patrol the village of Heisha on Tuesday.")
Online Source - BBC News, Al Jazeera English, Sydney Morning Herald, CNN

World Watch: Famine

* Africa: Donors at the African Union summit pledged $351 million in aid to combat a spreading famine though some activists expressed doubts over the figure.

* World: Typhoon Nanmadol is expected to bring heavy rains and whipping winds to Taiwan and the Phillipines while the East Coast of the U.S. is bracing for Hurricane Irene.

* Libya: The search continues for Moammar Gadhafi while rebels continue to make progress in Tripoli against loyalist forces.

* Sri Lanka: President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced that he would end the country's emergency wartime laws that have been in the books for nearly three decades.

Online Sources - Voice of America, CBS News, MSNBC, Bloomberg, Reuters
Image Source - AP via The Guardian ("Muslim clerics walk along a dirt road outside Dadaab, eastern Kenya. A forthcoming interactive will look at the relief effort in the area.")

World Watch: Advancing

* Libya: While rebels continue to make leeway in Tripoli the U.S. proposed that the U.N. Security Council unfreeze $1.5 billion in Libyan assets for humanitarian purposes.

* Sudan: The Sudanese army was accused of killing anti-government opponents after satellite images revealed freshly dug mass graves near the border with South Sudan.

* U.S.: Apple cofounder Steve Jobs resigned from his post as company CEO after claiming that he “could no longer meet my duties and expectations.”

* World: Researchers concluded that the climate changes such as those caused by El Niño could be a factor in civil conflicts.

Image – Hamza Turkia/XinHua/Xinhua Press/Corbis via The Guardian (“Rebels celebrate in Shuhada Square as they capture Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli. Other rebel fighters are advancing to (Gaddafi's hometown of) Sirte.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, The Telegraph, The Independent, BBC News, Voice of America

World Watch: Battle of Tripoli

* Libya: The almost 42 years of rule under Muammar Gaddafi are close to over as rebels battle loyalists in Tripoli though reports that one of his sons, Saif al-Islam, was detained seem to be premature.

* India: Support seems to be growing for Anna Hazare, an anti-corruption social activist who has been on a hunger strike for over a week.

* U.S.: Prosecutors in New York have requested that a court drop sexual assault charges against ex-International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

* Syria: According to the U.N. over 2200 people have died in a government crackdown against dissidents and protesters since early March.

Image – Sergey Ponomarev/AP via The Guardian (“An artist paints a caricature of Muammar Gaddafi on a wall in Benghazi. The once-ubiquitous Libyan dictator is nowhere to be seen.”)
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, MSNBC, CSMonitor.com, BBC News

Daily Headlines: August 2, 2011

* Cuba: Russian oil firm Gazprom purchased a larger stake in a number of Cuban offshore oil blocks.

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez backed embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and called anti-government rebels "terrorists."

* Mexico: Twenty-one federal prosecutors resigned en masse in an action that may be connected to an internal purge by the Attorney General’s office.

* Haiti: Several dozen protesters upset with the lack of housing for earthquake survivors blocked access on one of Port-au-Prince's busiest streets.

* Guatemala: Police apprehended a third suspect allegedly connected to last month’s murder of Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral.

* Caribbean: The U.S. Coast Guard recovered roughly 7.5 tons of cocaine from a sinking narco-submarine in the Caribbean.

Image – Reuters (“An oil pump is seen on the shore near Santa Cruz del Norte, Cuba June 5, 2008.”)
Online Sources- UPI, MSNBC, The Guardian, GlobalPost, Sacramento Bee, CBS News

World Watch: War$

* U.S.: Spending on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as operations in Pakistan could cost nearly $4 trillion according to a study by Brown University researchers.

* China: A lawyer for recently freed artist Al Weiwei said that he would appeal a $1.85 million tax bill sent by authorities.

* Libya: French officials admitted that they’ve sent weapons to Libyan rebels despite the possibility that such actions would break a U.N. resolution.

* Greece: The parliament approved a staunch austerity plan that could lead to a joint E.U./International Monetary Fund bailout.

Image – Al Jazeera English
Online Sources- Voice of America, MSNBC, Reuters, The Guardian

World Watch: Deal or no deal?

* Libya: A detainee swap between the government and rebels could “mark the beginning of broader talks” between the opposing sides, while the White House faces increased congressional pressure over the U.S. military role in Libya.

* China: Government critic and outspoken artist Ai Weiwei was released from prison but he also must abide by a gag order enforced by authorities.

* Rwanda: The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda sentenced former minister Pauline Nyiramasuhuko to life in prison due to her role in planning the mass murders of over 800,000 of her countrymen in 1994.

* Netherlands: According to Dutch researchers Type 2 diabetes can either be reversed or improved via weight loss surgery.

Image – AFP via Al Jazeera English (“Over 300 people have returned to Benghazi, the Libyan rebels' stronghold, aboard an ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross)-chartered ship.”)
Online Sources- CBC News, Reuters, the Telegraph, ABC News, CBS News

Daily Headlines: June 24, 2011

* Peru: Machu Picchu will be removed from UNESCO’s list of endangered world heritage sites though conservation programs by the U.N. will continue.

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez Tweeted several messages after not appearing in public for nearly two weeks while recuperating from surgery in Cuba.

* Colombia: Are female Colombian guerillas fighting as “mercenaries” against rebels in Libya?

* Brazil: At least eight people were killed during a police raid at a Rio de Janeiro favela on Wednesday night.

Image – Getty Images via The Guardian
Online Sources- BBC News, Voice of Russia, Reuters, Magharebia.com

World Watch: Starving

* World: A study backed by Oxfam concluded that the global population “especially in the world’s poorest countries, are cutting back on the quantity or quality of the food they eat because of rising food prices.”

* U.S.: In a report to Congress, President Barack Obama claimed that the current mission in Libya doesn’t require legislative approval under the War Powers Resolution.

* Greece: Prime Minister George Papandreou brought up the possibility of stepping down in response to mass protests and a national economy in dire straits.

* Sudan: According to the U.N. and several aid workers, “dozens of people” were killed in an internal border area of Sudan.

Image – AFP via The Guardian
Online Sources- AFP, MSNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg