World Watch: March of the (Fossilized) Penguins

* New Zealand: Scientists discovered the fossilized remains of an extinct penguin species that were over four feet tall and lived between 24-27 million years ago.

* South Sudan: The South Sudan Democratic Movement, one of the county’s largest rebel groups, signed a peace agreement with the government.

* Egypt: Three judges recused themselves from overseeing the trial of over forty “pro-democracy activists” including defendants of Egyptian and U.S. background.

* Syria: According to the U.N. over 7500 people have been killed over the past eleven months as part of the Syrian government’s crackdown against dissidents.

Video Source– YouTube via slatester

Online Sources – Reuters, Voice of America, MSNBC

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: Growing pains?

* Africa: The Republic of South Sudan, which will mark its independence on Saturday, reportedly faces plenty of challenges including internal strife and an uneasy relationship with its soon-to-be northern neighbor.

* U.S.: A federal appeals court ruled that the military’s "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay soldiers should be lifted immediately.

* New Zealand: The country’s civil defense supposedly cancelled a tsunami warning that was triggered by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake roughly 500 miles away of the North Island.

* Britain: According to police, editors and other execs at the News of the World tabloid masterminded the illegally hacking of cell phones of several figures including a 13-year-old murder victim.

Image – Peter Martell/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian
Online Sources- CSMointor.com, MSNBC, CNN, stuff.co.nz