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: Money, money, money

* World: Stock markets around the world surged on Thursday reportedly due to investor optimism over a deal aimed at halting Europe's sovereign debt crisis.

* Kenya: Are representatives of “extremist group Al-Shabaab” seeking negotiations with the Kenyan government?

* Middle East: Twenty-six people including an alleged spy were involved in a prisoner swap between Israel and Egypt.

* Asia: Japanese insurance companies could pay as much as $2.5 billion to clients in flood-ravaged Thailand.

Image – Via Flickr user Stefan (“Tokyo Stock Exchange.”) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Online Sources- The Telegraph, CNN, Reuters, Bloomberg

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* Iraq: U.S. President Barack Obama said that troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of this year.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

* Liberia: Recent Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf may require a runoff in order to win a second straight presidential term.

* Iran: Iranian officials emphatically denied that their government was behind a foiled plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S.

* U.S.: The accused “underwear bomber” who tried to blow up a commercial flight on Christmas Day 2009 pled guilty to all the charges against him.

* Thailand: An estimated two-thirds of the country has been swamped by some of the worst flooding in over a century.

Video Source – YouTube user euronews

Online Sources- Reuters, CBS News, BBC News, MSNBC

World Watch: Another Shinawatra in power?

* Thailand: Yingluck Shinawatra, younger sister of disgraced former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, could be the winner in Thailand’s national elections on Sunday.

* Canada: Residents of 27 countries including Honduras, China and Belarus were sworn in as Canadian citizens on Canada Day.

* U.S.: Bail conditions against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn were dropped though he still faces charges of an alleged sex assault.

* Morocco: Voters overwhelming backed a series of political reforms designed to limit the power of the monarchy but also prevent that “Arab Spring” protests take place in Morocco.

Image – AFP (“A picture of fugitive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra is displayed at the entrance of a Red Shirt village in Khon Kaen.”)
Online Sources- The Independent, CTV News, Bloomberg, Reuters

Today’s Video: Animal nitrate

What do undocumented immigrants have in common with animals? For Mexican artist Fernando Aceves Humana, creatures forced out of their natural habitats are a metaphor for migrants who move to another location with a distinct culture. "It's a parallel with immigration, with those who see us as freaks and the fear of something different," said Aceves Humana at the opening on Thursday of his new exhibit in Bangkok, Thailand.

The following video via the EFE news agency shows some of Aceves Humana's artwork as part of the "At Risk" exhibit. Judge for yourself if his metaphor is appropriate or off the mark.

Online Source - El Universal
Video Source - EFE via YouTube

World Watch: Seeking change in Syria

* Syria: Security forces reportedly killed at least 49 people during nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

* Vatican: Pope Benedict XVI took on questions related to faith, mortality, and other subjects in a televised interview that aired on Good Friday.

* World: People in nearly 200 countries observed Earth Day, which was created in reaction to a 1969 oil spill off the California coast.

* Asia: Tensions rose between neighboring countries Thailand and Cambodia after four soldiers were killed in a disputed border region.

Image – AP via CSMonitor.com (“Syrian antigovernment protesters march during a demonstration following Friday prayers near Damascus, Syria, on April 22. Security forces fired live bullets and tear gas Friday at tens of thousands of people shouting for freedom and democracy in several areas across the country.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, Voice of America, The Telegraph, Bloomberg

World Watch: Impasse

* Egypt: President Hosni Mubarak's piecemeal stabs at political reform and permitting the Muslim Brotherhood to participate in a dialogue with the government may not be enough to halt protests against the Mubarak regime.

* Asia: Cambodia and Thailand called a "tentative ceasefire" after a soldier died while the army fought in a disputed border area.

* Somalia: A "looming catastrophe" could occur in Somalia due to severe drought according to aid groups.

* Serbia: An estimated 55,000 demonstrated in Belgrade and called for the government to hold early elections.

Image Source - John Moore/Getty Images via The Guardian ("A protester leads fellow anti-government demonstrators in chants against Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square. They remained in the square following Friday's mass rally calling for the president to resign.")
Online Sources - BBC News, Voice of America, MSNBC, Al Jazeera English

Weekend World Watch: Tragedy in India

* India: Investigators found the black box from the debris of Saturday’s Air India plane crash that killed 158 people.

* Thailand: “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” was the surprise winner of the Palme d'Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

* South Korea: President Lee Myung-bak is expected to announce on Monday what actions South Korea will take on its northern neighbor over March’s sinking of the navy ship Cheonan.

* Malawi: Crowds jeered a gay couple that was sentenced to fourteen years in jail due to their homosexual relationship.

Image – ABC Online
Online Sources- The Telegraph, BBC News, Voice of America, MSNBC

World Watch: Under siege

* Thailand: Shortly after negotiations failed Thai troops began a crackdown of anti-government protesters by breaking through a fortified camp in Bangkok run by the “Red Shirts”.

* Malawi: A gay couple was convicted of “unnatural acts” and may face a maximum jail sentence of fourteen years.

* Afghanistan: Seven Afghan militants were killed in an attack on troops stationed at the Bagram military base.

* Israel: Citing the “complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, musician Elvis Costello cancelled a pair of planned concerts later this year.

Video Source– YouTube
Online Sources- BBC News, MSNBC, New York Times, Voice of America

World Watch: Worse and worse

* Thailand: Anti-government protesters continue to be defiant against the army as the country remains on the brink of civil war.

* U.S.: The broken underwater well that has spewed roughly 5000 barrels of oil per day since late April could endanger the Floridian coastline.

* Europe: The euro traded at its lowest point in over four years as Europe undergoes a massive debt crisis.

* Africa: According to a recently released scientific study Africa’s Lake Tanganyika has “experienced unprecedented warming” possibly caused by climate change.

Image – The Telegraph
Online Sources- MSNBC, BusinessWeek, BBC News, AFP

Weekend World Watch: Troubles in Thailand

* Thailand: Thailand could soon enter a civil war as violence between the army and anti-government protesters has sharply escalated since Thursday’s murder of “renegade army general Seh Daeng.”

* U.S.: For the 31st-consecutive year there will be no horse racing Triple Crown champion after Lookin At Lucky won the Preakness Stakes.

* Netherlands: The lone survivor of a deadly airline crash in Libya- young Ruben van Assouw- returned to his native Holland earlier today.

* Europe: Worries over Europe’s worsening financial situation led to the euro falling to an eighteen-month low on Friday.

Image – MSNBC (“A "Red Shirt" protester carries the Thai flag as tires burn and the violence in central Bangkok escalates on Saturday.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, AP, Bloomberg, The Guardian

World Watch: Panic in the streets of Athens

* Greece: The Greek government signed off on an austerity plan yet at least 50,000 people went on strike and there have been violent protests in Athens.

* Nigeria: Acting president Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as Nigeria’s new leader after his predecessor, Umaru Yar'Adua, died on Wednesday.

* Thailand: Anti-government protests continued in Thailand though a reconciliation deal proposed by the country’s Prime Minister could ease tensions.

* U.S.: The man supposedly behind a failed bomb attack in Times Square has reportedly been cooperating with investigators but has yet to reveal his precise motive.

Image – Guardian UK
Online Sources- BBC News, Guardian UK, Reuters, MSNBC

World Watch: Thailand’s bubbling cauldron

* Thailand: The crisis between the Thai government and opposition protesters worsened after a soldier was killed and eighteen demonstrators were wounded in clashes.

* Europe: The region’s debt crisis has gotten worse after Standard & Poor’s downgraded Spain’s credit rating one day after doing the same to Greece and Portugal.

* Australia: The country's government will reportedly soon announce plans for plain packaging of cigarette boxes.

* Britain: Gordon Brown’s time as British Prime Minister is likely coming to an end after he insulted a Labour Party supporter by calling her “bigoted”.

Image – Los Angeles Times (“Anti-government protesters using shields advance on police and military forces during clashes in Bangkok, Thailand.”)
Online Sources- Guardian UK, AP, BBC News, Reuters

World Watch: Terra

* World: The fortieth anniversary of Earth Day was celebrated worldwide on Thursday as organizers claimed that one billion people participated in diverse activities.

* U.S.: Eleven workers are missing after an oil rig exploded and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.

* Africa: According to UNICEF sixteen African countries are facing a measles outbreak that has so far killed 185 people.

* Thailand: Tensions remain high between anti-government protestors and police after several grenade attacks led to the deaths of at least three people.

Image – CBC
Online Sources- AP, BBC News, ABC News, MSNBC

World Watch: Still mourning in Poland

* Poland: Investigators are leaning towards human error as the cause of Saturday’s plane crash that killed 95 people including Polish president Lech Kaczynski and “dozens of Polish political, military and religious leaders.”

* Ukraine: According to White House officials Ukraine pledged to get rid of its stockpile of weapons-grade nuclear material.

* Thailand: The goal of anti-government “Red Shirt” protestors to hold new national elections is closer to becoming a reality.

* South Africa: The murder of white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche has taken a turn towards the weird.

Image – The Telegraph (“A Russian serviceman stands guard near the engine of the crashed Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft.”)
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, BBC News, MSNBC, CBS News

Weekend World Watch: Mourning in Poland

* Poland: A national week of mourning has been declared in the wake of a Saturday plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and 95 others.

* Thailand: At least fifteen protestors died in Bangkok during clashes between police and anti-government protestors.

* U.S.: The death toll rose to 29 due to a West Virginia mine explosion described as the worst coal mining accident in forty years.

* South Africa: The funeral was held for infamous white supremacist leader Eugene Terreblanche who was killed in a pay dispute with two of his workers.

Image – Los Angeles Times (“Mourners stand amid a flood of candles and flowers outside the presidential palace in Warsaw.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, BBC News, CNN, Voice of America

Weekend World Watch: Lights out

* World: Locales around the world including Big Ben (image), the Sydney Opera House, and New York’s Times Square briefly shut off their lights Saturday night as part of Earth Hour 2010.

* India: According to the Indian press the military successfully fired two short-range ballistic missiles.

* Middle East: "We cannot resume indirect negotiations as long as Israel maintains its settlement policy and the status quo," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said at a summit of the Arab League.

* Thailand: The military is withdrawing from certain areas in order to avoid conflict with tens of thousands of protesters rallying in favor of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Image – The Telegraph
Online Sources- Reuters, Xinhua, CNN, BBC News

World Watch: Information Society

* China: Google may soon shutdown its Chinese site due to government censorship and strict government controls of the Internet.

* Nigeria: Violence continued today in the Niger delta area of Nigeria with the detonation of a pair of car bombs.

* Germany: Church officials suspended a German priest in the middle of a child sex abuse scandal that has affected Pope Benedict XVI.

* Thailand: Protestors backing ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have threatened with “pouring 1,000 liters of their own blood” in front of the Thai parliament.

Image – MSNBC
Online Sources- InformationWeek, Al Jazeera English, New York Times, ABC Online

Daily Headlines: August 12, 2009

* Costa Rica: President Oscar Arias suspended his public duties yet will remain in office after doctors diagnosed him with the swine flu.

* Haiti: Immigration and community activists are campaigning to allow a pair of detained Haitians to be given permission to bury their recently-deceased eight-month-old daughter.

* Venezuela: Russia continues forging stronger ties to Venezuela by promising to use the “most modern oil extraction and processing technology” if it’s allowed to work in the oil-rich Orinoco belt.

* Colombia: A court in Thailand rejected the U.S.’ extradition request of a Russian man accused of selling weapons to Colombia’s FARC guerillas.

Image- PRESS TV
Online Sources- Reuters, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, AFP, BBC News