Weekend World Watch: The Long Road Ahead in Yemen

* Yemen: At least twenty-six people were killed in a car bombing that occurred hours after Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was sworn in as the country’s new president.

* Italy: Judges dismissed the bribery case against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi though he continues to face charges of corruption and sex with an underage prostitute.

* Pakistan: Authorities began demolishing the residence where U.S. special forces killed ex-Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden last year.

* Afghanistan: NATO withdrew its personnel working in Afghan ministries in Kabul after two U.S. officers were killed amid heavy protests.

Video Source– YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources – USA TODAY, Reuters, BBC News, Bloomberg

World Watch: The Start of Reconciliation?

* North Korea: A pair of South Korean delegation were allowed to visit their northern neighbor in order to pay condolences for the death of Kim Jong Il.

* Nigeria: Hundreds of mourners attended a memorial service outside a Catholic church where at least 39 people were killed by a bomb attack on Sunday.

* Egypt: Egyptian authorities charged three people with smuggling “a machine gun and ammunition” from Israel.

* Yemen: U.S. officials could allow Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh to enter the country for medical treatment.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources – CNN, Reuters, CBS News, Xinhua

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* Iraq: U.S. President Barack Obama said that troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of this year.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

Weekend World Watch: Intervention

* Uganda: U.S. president Barack Obama announced that 100 troops and military advisers will be sent to Uganda in order to combat the Lord's Resistance Army rebels.

* Yemen: At least twelve people at an anti-government rally were shot and killed by “security forces and plain-clothed government loyalists.”

* U.S.: A federal judge recommended that Al-Qaeda pay $9 billion for “property loss, business interruption, and related damages, and attest that these damages were directly caused by the September 11th terrorist attacks.”

* Liberia: Opposition candidates threatened with withdrawing from the presidential elections due to alleged electoral fraud favoring recent Nobel Peace laureate and current president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Video Source –Via YouTube user AlJazeeraEnglish

Online Sources- Reuters, The Guardian, New York Daily News, BBC News

World Watch: Still seeking change in Syria

* Syria: The Mexican government joined the international condemnation opposed to increased Syrian repression against protesters and opposition.

* Nigeria: A local human rights group claimed that at least 516 people died as a result of post-presidential election violence this month.

* India: Rest in peace Sathya Sai Baba; “one of India's most popular and influential spiritual leaders” died on Sunday at the age of 85.

* Yemen: Thousands of protesters opposed a plan that would allow President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 30 days and would also grant him immunity from prosecution.

Image – Petros Karadjias/Associated Press via CBC News (“Syrian protesters hold a giant national flag as others shout slogans against the country's president during a demonstration in front of the Syrian Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus, on Friday.”)
Online Sources- Milenio, BBC News, Xinhua, The Independent

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: 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: Long arm of the law

* Libya: While unrest continues in Libya International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that he will investigate possible crimes against humanity perpetrated by the government.

* Japan: Designer John Galliano’s career may be over due to anti-Semitic remarks but it remains to be seen what repercussions await a Japanese boy band that appeared on TV wearing Nazi-like uniforms.

* Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh is reportedly negotiating stepping down later this year amid pressure from the opposition and swelling protests against him.

* U.S.: According to researchers regular use of the painkiller ibuprofen could reduce the risk of getting Parkinson’s by over one-third.

Image – “Sean Smith for the Guardian” via The Guardian (“An injured Libyan rebel is treated at a clinic in Bregga, after pro-Gaddafi fighters attacked the town on Wednesday.”)
Online Sources- The Guardian, MSNBC, BBC News, Voice of America, CBC News