World Watch: Absent but not forgotten

* China: Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize in absentia though his recognition may help advance the human rights movement in his native country.

* Spain: The non-profit Qatar Foundation will pay $225 million as part of a sponsorship deal with soccer powerhouse F.C. Barcelona.

* Pakistan: A pair of newspapers confessed to being duped by a fake Wikileaks report critical of the Indian military.

* Nigeria: On a related note, a statement from Pfizer rejected a cable uncovered by Wikileaks claiming that the pharmaceutical giant used "dirty tricks” against a former Nigerian attorney general.

Image – AP via NPR (“Nobel Commitee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland sits next to an empty chair with the Nobel Peace Prize medal and diploma during a ceremony honoring Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo at city hall in Oslo, Norway Friday Dec. 10, 2010. Liu, a democracy activist, is serving an 11-year prison sentence in China on subversion charges brought after he co-authored a bold call for sweeping changes to Beijing's one-party communist political system.”)
Online Sources- CNN, The Guardian, 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: Nine years and counting

* Afghanistan: As U.S.-led coalition troops continue their ninth year in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai confirmed reports that his government was talking with Taliban commanders.

* Hungary: Authorities are worried that a second reservoir could break in the same industrial plant where a “toxic tsunami” killed four villagers last week.

* China: Human rights activists are concerned over the safety of the wife of jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo who was placed under house arrest after she visited her husband.

* Iran: Two journalists who tried to interview an Iranian woman sentenced to death for adultery were themselves arrested.

Image – CBS News (“Trucks carrying fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan burn following an attack by militants in the remote Mitri area, 112 miles southeast of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province on October 9, 2010.”)
Online Sources- Voice of America, BBC News, MSNBC, Al Jazeera English

World Watch: Recognition

* China: Human rights activists worldwide celebrated the awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo.

* Hungary: At least seven people are dead after 184 million gallons of toxic sludge swept through several villages and reached the Danube River.

* Middle East: The Arab League gave its conditional support of stalled peace negotiations between leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

* Congo: The International Criminal Court will resume its trial against a Congolese militia leader accused of recruiting child soldiers.

Online Sources - The Guardian, MSNBC, BBC News, CNN
Image - BBC News (Protesters have called on the Chinese government to release imprisoned dissident and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo).