Georgian President Suspends All Prison Staff After Video Of Abuse Surfaces
Video footage documenting widespread abuses of prisoners in the Caucasus state of Georgia has surfaced, inciting public protests and prompting Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to suspend all prison personnel throughout the country.
Colombia's 'Last' Drug Boss Captured In Venezuela
Daniel "Loco" Barrera, described as Colombia's "last' major drug lord, was captured in Venezuela in an operation that involved cooperation between Colombia's national police, Venezuelan anti-narcotics forces and U.S. and British intelligence agencies. Barrera was responsible for delivering more than 10 tons of cocaine per month to the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, much of which would end up in the U.S.
Fire Kills 26 At Mexican State Gas Facility
A major fire erupted at a state-owned natural gas facility in northern Mexico, killing 26 people and displacing local residents in the area.
UAE Restricting Visas For Immigrants Workers From Asia
The UAE is making it more difficult for immigrant laborers to enter the country on tourist and other short-term visas in a bid to prevent foreign criminals from entering the country under the guise of looking for work. The rapidly developing country has been built up with immigrant labor mostly from South Asia, who form a majority of the Gulf nation's 8 million plus population.
Hezbollah Issues Fatwa Against 'Innocence Of Muslims' Makers; Rushdie Blasts Movie
The leader of Lebanon's militant Islamist political party Hezbollah has issued a proclamation calling for the death of the producers of the highly controversial film, Innocence of Muslims, which has sparked outrage, protests and violent attacks throughout the Islamic world.
Mexican Prison Break Near US Border
Over 130 inmates have escaped from a Mexican prison in Peidras, located across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. Mexican authorities have undertaken a massive manhunt, while U.S. authorities are closely monitoring the border to assist in the recapture of any prisoners that try to cross.
Coca Leaf Production Drops Off In Bolivia, U.N. Report Finds
Cultivation of the coca leaf, which provides the main ingredient for cocaine production, has dropped off 12 percent, according to a U.N. report.
French Cardinal Warns Same-Sex Marriage May Lead To Polygamy, Incest
Cardinal Philippe Barbarin has voiced opposition to the French President Francois Hollande and his administration's efforts to craft legislation legalizing marriage and adoption for same-sex couples.
Boko Haram Spokesman Dies After Arrest By Nigerian Military
The Nigerian military has claimed to have killed Abu Qaqa, spokesman for the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has claimed responsibility for series of attacks on government and civilian targets, killing more 935 people since 2009.
Former French Oil Executive Extradited To Togo, Faces Fraud Charges
The former CEO of French oil corporation Elf Aquitaine, Loik Le Floch-Prigent, has been extradited from the Ivory Coast to Togo on charges relating to a $48 million fraud scheme. The funds in question were contained in a Togolese bank account belonging to the former military ruler of the Ivory Coast, Robert Guei, who was killed in 2002. Le Floch-Prigent had previously been convicted in France for embezzlement of hundres of millions of dollars in public funds during his time as head of Elf.
A Tale of Two Tropical Paradises: Venezuela Fails At Tourism, While Colombia Goes Mainstream
Venezuela and Colombia are both rich in natural beauty, but have taken two very different approaches to tourism. One has seen tourist numbers stagnate while the other is an international success story. What happened, and why are two neighbors so radically different?
Pope Benedict Visits Lebanon As Protests Spread Over 'Innocence If Muslims' Movie
Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Lebanon Friday amid heightened tensions in the Muslim and Arab world as protests spread, some violent, in response to an anti-Islam movie produced in the U.S. The pope's three-day visit is focused on expressing support for Christians throughout the region who increasingly feel threatened amidst the rising influence of Islamists following the Arab Spring.
Argentines Protest President Fernandez's Economic Policies Amid Rising Inflation
Many Argentines are protesting against the policies of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over her tight controls on the economy amid rising inflation. Fernandez has said that her policies are aimed at supporting the most vulnerable in society and will benefit the majority of people as a whole, though she has been criticized for pursuing a populist agenda at the expese of the upper and middle classes.
South African Activist Elder Epainette Mbeki Scolds ANC
Epainette Mbeki, mother of former South African President Thabo Mbeki and revered anti-Apartheid activist, recently criticized the country's ruling African National Congress which had pressured her son to resign in 2007. The ANC continues to have wide support in South Africa, but Mbeki stressed that its leaders needed to communicate better with the people or public unrest would increase amid the country's persistent economic disparities.
Yemen: Anti-Islam Film Is The Least Of This Poverty-Stricken Nation's Many Problems
Anger in the Muslim and Arab world over an anti-Islam film produced in America has spread to Yemen, where several hundred protesters stormed the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Sana. Yemen is already dealing with widespread social problems due to food and water shortages, rising extremism and sectarian conflict and political instability following the popular uprising that began in 2011.
Dutch Parliamentary Elections: Will Far-Right Freedom Party Defy Polls Again?
Far-right Dutch politician and leader of the ultra-conservative Freedom Party (PVV) Geert Wilders formerly established his party in parliament on a platform of Islamophobic anti-immigration, and now seeks to turn nationalist sentiment against the eurozone amid frustrations with debt-laden countries like Greece, Italy and Spain. Poll indicate his party will lose seats this election, but it has defied expectations in the past.
Chile's Own 9/11: When The U.S. Backed A Brutal Dictator
Sept. 11 is not just a day that marks a national tragedy for the U.S., but also one for Chile that happened in 1973, when the U.S.-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet took power and ruled with an iron fist for over 15 years.
Justice By The Sword: Saudi Arabia's Embrace Of The Death Penalty
Saudi Arabia regularly executes convicted criminals by beheading. Its use of the death penalty has been criticized due to a lack of transparency and due process in its criminal justice system
Taliban Denies Claims It Will Negotiate Ceasefire
The Taliban has denied claims that it is willing to negotiate a ceasefire with U.S.-led NATO troops, rejecting an analysis by a group of Western academics who sat down for private discussions with former Talban officials.
Britain's Prince Harry May Visit China, But Unlikely To Mend Diplomatic Tensions
Prince Harry has been asked by the British Foreign Office to visit China in an effort to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries, which have suffered over the U.K.'s relationship with the Dalai Lama and the murder of a British national by the wife of a prominent Chinese politician.
Nigerian Police Step Up Security Around Telecom Towers After Boko Haram Attacks
Nigerian police are conducting 24-hour surveillance of all telecom installations after the terrorist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a recent spate of attacks on mobile phone towers in the north.
Greece Bans Nepotism Among Public Officials After Public Backlash
Greece's new coalition government has banned cabinet ministers from handing out jobs to family members, following a public backlash after the temporary head of parliament appointed his daughter to a civil servant post last month.
Honduras' Charter Cities: Potential Economic Miracles or New 'Banana Enclaves'?
Honduras is implementing a bold new plan to establish independent "charter cities" that will operate under separate laws in a bid to draw more foreign investment. Proponents says the plan will create thousands of jobs and spur economic development in the rest of Honduras, while critics say they will only open the door for corporations and other governments to exploit cheap labor and neoliberal tax laws.
Culture Clash: Amazon Tribe In Venezuela Alleges Illegal Gold Miners Massacred Village Residents
Members of the Yanomami tribe in the Amazon claim that a massacre took place in a settlement in Venezuela, where they say Brazilian miners killed nearly 80 people, seeking to gain unlicensed access to their lands.
Yemen Receives $6.4 Billion In Foreign Aid, Amid Food, Water Shortages And Social Unrest
Yemen will receive $6.4 billion in foreign aid as it struggles to rebuild its economy following shaky political transition in the face of food and water shortages and ongoing internal conflicts with Al Qaeda militants in the south and Shiite insurgents in the north.
False Fire Alarm At France's Feissenheim Nuclear Plant
Fire alarms were set off at France's Feissenheim nuclear power plant when a blast of steam erupted after an accidental chemical reaction, injuring at least two people.
Parti Quebecois Victory Marred By Shooting In Montreal
As Quebec's newly elected premier and leader of the Parti Quebecois Pauline Marois delivered a victory speech to supporters in a concert hall in Montreal Tuesday, a gunman in a ski-mask and bathrobe entered the building and discharged his assault rifle, killing one man and injuring another.
Brussels' Offensive Language Fines Highlight Widespread Sexual Harrassment
City officials in Belgium's capital Brussels recently announced a set of new fines that target use of offensive language in public.
Big Grain Companies Reap Profits As Global Food Prices Soar And Poor Go Hungry
Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus, the big four companies of the grain market, are doing all right as gobal food prices spike. According to non-profit groups, they are doing so partially at the expense of hungry people.
Colombian Drug Lord Griselda Blanco's Life Of Violence Comes Full Circle
The two assassins had approached the Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco on motorcycles as she exited a butcher shop in Medellin, where they delivered two fatal bullets into her skull and left the 69-year-old's body lying in the street.