Morning Brief: Early Egyptian election results point to leading candidates for run-off

Posted By Uri Friedman Friday, May 25, 2012 - 7:51 AM

Top news: The ballots from Egypt's two-day presidential election are still being counted, and official results aren't expected until Tuesday. But independent vote counts by entities such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm suggest that the Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi will square off against former Egyptian Air Force general and prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in a run-off scheduled for June.

If the preliminary results are accurate, the New York Times notes, the second round of voting will "pit the two most polarizing figures" in the race "against each other in a reversion to the decades-old power struggle between Egypt's secular-minded military elite and its longstanding Islamist opposition." Shafiq, who has been criticized for his ties to Hosni Mubarak's regime, surged in the final days of the campaign on a platform of law and order.

The early frontrunners in the race -- former Arab League chief Amr Moussa and former Brotherhood member Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh -- appear to have lost a great deal of support in the run-up to the election, while the leftist nationalist candidate Hamdeen Sabahi may have performed much better than expected. Egyptian election officials say half of the country's 50 million eligible voters cast ballots this week.

Human rights: The State Department released its 2011 report on global human rights, which criticized countries such as China and Iran but praised the progress made by states such as Myanmar and Tunisia. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman called the report "baseless, biased, and completely wrong."

Asia

French President Francois Hollande made a surprise visit to Afghanistan shortly after announcing that all French troops would leave the country by the end of the year.

A U.S. Senate committee withdrew $33 million in aid to Pakistan -- $1 million for each year that Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA track down Osama bin Laden, was sentenced to prison.

The humanitarian organization Medair announced that four of its workers were kidnapped in northern Afghanistan.

Europe

Trading in shares of Spain's Bankia has been suspended amid reports that the bank will ask the government for a bailout.

Scottish nationalists launched a "Yes Scotland" campaign to persuade people to vote for independence during a referendum in 2014.

A brawl erupted in Ukraine's parliament over a bill permitting the official use of the Russian language in some parts of the country.

Middle East

Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers in Baghdad did not produce any breakthroughs, but both sides agreed to meet again in Moscow in June.

The United States is reportedly developing a plan to vet members of the Free Syrian Army before Arab nations transfer arms to them.

A bombing outside a police station in central Turkey killed a policeman.

Africa

Clashes between farmers and herders along the border between Mali and Burkina Faso killed at least 25 people.

Nigeria freed Chinese traders who had been accused of "economic scavenging."

Lesotho is preparing for elections on Saturday.

Americas

Police arrested nearly 700 people in Montreal and Quebec City who were protesting a planned increase in tuition fees.

Mexican security forces raided a workshop producing fake Mexican military uniforms.

Argentina prohibited a railway company from operating in Buenos Aires in response to a deadly train crash in February.

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Morning Brief: Egyptians vote in second day of presidential elections

Posted By Uri Friedman Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 8:12 AM

Top news: Egyptians are queuing up at polling stations for a second straight day in the country's first free presidential elections, though the BBC reports that turnout so far today does not appear to be as high as it was on Wednesday. The Egyptian authorities have declared Thursday a holiday to allow government workers to vote.

Voting has generally gone smoothly, though there have been reports of protesters throwing shoes at candidate Ahmed Shafik and a group of female voters being blocked from a polling station because they were wearing full face veils.

A runoff is scheduled for June if none of the 13 candidates secures a majority of the votes, and preliminary results are expected to be released over the weekend.

Pakistan: The sentencing of a Pakistani doctor to 33 years in prison on Wednesday for helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden has only further widened the rift between Islamabad and Washington. Some U.S. senators threatened to withhold aid to Pakistan, while a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman said the two countries "need to respect each other's legal processes."

Middle East

In its second day of nuclear talks with world powers in Baghdad, Iran suggested that it would not stop enriching uranium unless the international community scaled back sanctions against Tehran.

Syria's oil minister said sanctions have cost the country's economy $4 billion.

A new U.N. report blamed the Syrian army for committing "most of the serious human rights violations in the country" since March.

Europe

European officials failed to reach any breakthroughs during a summit meeting in Brussels on the debt crisis, as reports emerged about contingency planning for a Greek exit from the eurozone.

Russia tested an intercontinental ballistic missile to counter the planned American missile defense system in Europe.

During a meeting in Geneva this week, the World Health Organization will vote on whether to declare polio eradication an "emergency for public health."

Asia

A U.S. drone strike killed suspected militants in northwestern Pakistan for the second day in a row.

The brother of Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng fled his village to meet with lawyers in Beijing.

Protests against power cuts are spreading in Myanmar.

Americas

Mexico extradited the drug lord Sergio Villarreal to the United States.

Hewlett-Packard announced plans to cut 27,000 jobs.

Forensic experts in Argentina identified the remains of a victim of the country's "dirty war" whose body washed ashore in Uruguay in 1976.

Africa

The trial of an artist who painted an explicit portrait of South African President Jacob Zuma is underway in Johannesburg.

Mali's interim leader traveled to France for medical treatment after he was assaulted by protesters.

The incoming chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court dismissed the notion that the ICC is biased against Africa.

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Morning Brief: Egyptians head to the polls for historic vote

Posted By Joshua Keating Wednesday, May 23, 2012 - 8:09 AM

Top news: Fifteen months after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's are heading to the polls today for the country's first competitive election. So far, lines are reportedly long the proceedings have been mostly peaceful. More than 50 million Egyptians are eligible to vote.

While there's little in the way of reliable polling, four main candidates have emerged as frontrunners. Former Arab League chief Amr Moussa and former Air Force chief and briefly Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik represent the felool, or remnants of the old regime. The main Islamist candidates are Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who is campaigning as a moderate, and Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate who was thrust into the spotlight after the party's standard-bearer, Khairat al-Shater, was disqualified.

Rather than religion, most voters appear motivated by economic concerns, and particularly a crime wave that has recently swept the country. Voting will continue through Thurdsay. A run-off will be held between the top two contenders in June. Egypt's military government has pledged to give up power on July 1.

P5+1: International negotiations over Iran's nuclear program have resumed in Baghdad. IAEA President Yukio Amano says he has reached a breakthrough on gaining access to the country's facilities.

Europe

European leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss remedies for the region's debt crisis.
Britain announced plans for a new generation of nuclear power plants.
Russian lawmakers have proposed a bill imposing stiff new penalties on protesters.

Middle East

Iran has recalled its ambassador from Azerbaijan.
Saudi Arabia has signed a $3 billion deal to buy 30 jets from Britain's BAE.
There were riots in Lebanon in response to the abduction of 13 Lebanese Shia pilgrims in Northern Syria.

Asia

Satellite imagery shows work continuing at North Korea's main nuclear site.
More than 120 girls were poisoned in an attack on a school in Afghanistan.
The World Bank has trimmed its 2012 China growth projections to 8.2 percent.

Africa

Supporters of Mali's coup leader have named him to lead a new interim government, in defiance of a deal brokered by regional body ECOWAS.
Guinea-Bissau's military junta has handed back power to a civilian government.
A South African farm worker was found guilty of killing white supremacist leader Eugene TerreBlanche.

Americas

A bomb was found at a theater where former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was due to give a speech.
A U.N. panel on torture is demanding that Cuba provide information on several prisoner deaths.
Opposition candidate Hipolito Mejia has decried the results of the Dominican Republic's presidential election.

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Morning Brief: Al Qaeda-linked group claims credit for Yemen attack

Posted By Joshua Keating Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - 8:17 AM

Top news: A group tied to Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a bombing in Yemen's capital that killed more than 100 people yesterday. The bombing, carried out by a man dressed as a soldier at a rehearsal for a military parade in central Sanaa, was retaliation for attacks on militant bases in the south of the country, according to a Facebook post by the group, Ansar al Shariah.

A smaller and more somber version of the parade, meant to commemorate the 1990 unification of North and South Yemen, went ahead today amid heavy security.

The massive attack is likely to weaken morale among Yemeni troops and has shattered the relative calm in heavily-fortified Sanaa, which has been spared the worst of terrorist violence. It marks a change in tactics from Al Qaeda's Yemeni branch, which has generally avoided direct attacks against rank-and-file soldiers in an effort to encourage them to defect.

The bombing followed an attack on Sunday against a group of American contractors in the port city of Hodeida. U.S. counterterrorism officials say the Yemeni military's latest southern offensive is encountering stiff resistance.

Afghanistan: NATO has formally agreed on a plan to draw down their security role in Afghanistan.

Middle East

Groups supporting and opposing the Syrian government clashed in Beirut on Monday.
The IAEA expects to reach a deal soon on investigating Iran's nuclear program.
The U.S. Senate approved a bill to tighten sanctions against Iran.

Africa

The interim president of Mali was beaten by a mob who stormed the presidential palace on Monday. The ECOWAS bloc is threatening new sanctions against the country.
A verdict is due in the trial of two men accused of killing a South African white supremacist leader.
A controversial painting of South African President Jacob Zuma was attacked in Johannesburg.

Asia

North Korea vowed to boost its nuclear deterrent in response to U.S. pressure.
Former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka was released from prison.
Several members of Myanmar's main opposition party were arrested after protests against power cuts.

Europe

Newly elected President Tomislav Nikolic has affirmed Serbia's commitment to join the European Union.
French prosecutors are investigating new rape charges against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Khan.
The OECD is calling for jointly-guaranteed eurozone bonds.

Americas

Mexican police have captured a suspect in this month's killing of 49 people.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating possible misconduct by the Drug Enforcement Agency in Colombia, unrelated to the Secret Service prostitution scandal.
A former Haitian telecom official was sentenced to nine years in prison for bribery.

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Morning Brief: Afghan war dominates NATO summit

Posted By Uri Friedman Monday, May 21, 2012 - 8:23 AM

Top news: A two-day NATO summit got underway in Chicago on Sunday shortly after a deal to reopen supply lines through Pakistan to Afghanistan collapsed, placing the brittle relationship between the two countries at the center of the conference. President Barack Obama has reportedly refused to meet with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari without a deal on the supply routes, which were closed after an American airstrike killed Pakistani soldiers last November.

While the summit has focused on security in Afghanistan, with NATO leaders expected to endorse an Afghan exit plan on Monday, other topics have been raised as well. The alliance announced a deal to buy five drones as part of its new "smart defense" strategy, and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen discussed missile defense capabilities in Europe.

Outside the summit, Chicago police clashed with protesters and arrested 45 people, filing terrorism charges against two of them.

Lockerbie bomber dies: Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was convicted in 2001 in the 1988 bombing of an American plane over Lockerbie, Scotland and released from Scottish jail in 2009 because of a terminal cancer diagnosis, died in Libya at age 60. The funeral will take place on Monday.

Middle East

A suicide bombing during a military parade rehearsal in the Yemeni capital killed dozens of people.

Clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian groups in the Lebanese capital killed two people.

The Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement calling for elections and a unity government.

Europe

The nationalist candidate Tomislav Nikolic was elected president of Serbia in a surprise victory.

An earthquake in northern Italy killed at least five people and left thousands homeless.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his new cabinet.

Asia

The Pakistani government temporarily blocked access to Twitter over a cartoon contest on Facebook.

Three climbers died as they returned from the summit of Mount Everest.

A suicide bomber attacked U.S. soldiers in southern Afghanistan.

Americas

The Mexican army arrested a drug cartel leader in connection with the killing of 49 people near the city of Monterrey.

Early results from the Dominican Republic's presidential election show ruling party candidate Danilo Medina in first place.

Haitian authorities detained former soldiers who called for the restoration of the country's army in a series of protests.

Africa

West African negotiators struck a deal with Malian authorities to transition the country to democratic rule and grant coup leader Amadou Sanogo the status of former head of state.

Zimbabwe's justice minister denied accusations of state-sponsored violence against political activists during a visit by U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay.

Sudan released four foreigners who were detained along its disputed border with South Sudan.

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Morning Brief: Concerns about Greece and Spain roil markets

Posted By Uri Friedman Friday, May 18, 2012 - 8:49 AM

Top news: European stock markets reeled on Friday before staging a modest recovery on fears about Greece leaving the eurozone and Spain succumbing to its economic woes. Moody's downgraded the credit ratings of 16 Spanish banks on Thursday, as official data confirmed that Spain has slipped back into recession and the country's borrowing costs soared.

Investors are also worried that new elections in Greece will usher parties that oppose austerity measures demanded by the country's international creditors into power. A poll on Thursday, however, showed the pro-bailout New Democracy party polling ahead of the anti-bailout Syriza coalition.

The troubling developments in Greece and Spain -- and what they mean for the future of the eurozone and the health of the global economy -- will be at the top of the agenda as G-8 leaders begin meeting at Camp David in Maryland on Friday, though Reuters reports that "no major economic policy decisions are expected from the talks."

Iran nuclear talks: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he's seen no evidence that Iran intends to halt its nuclear program ahead of a meeting next week between Iran and world powers in Baghdad. The remarks came shortly after Dan Shapiro, the U.S. envoy to Israel, said the United States had developed plans for a possible attack on Iran.

Middle East

An OPEC report found that Iranian oil production declined by 12 percent in the first quarter of 2012.

The head of the U.N. observer mission in Syria called for genuine dialogue between the government and opposition while U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suggested that al Qaeda was behind two recent suicide bombings in the country.

Iran threatened to sue Google for not labeling the Persian Gulf in its online map service.

Asia

The Obama administration lifted most restrictions on American companies doing business in Myanmar.

A rocket attack in eastern Afghanistan killed two NATO soldiers.

China jailed Lai Changxing for life for running a smuggling ring.

Europe

The reformist Serbian presidential candidate Boris Tadic is leading in the polls ahead of a runoff election on Sunday.

Queen Elizabeth II is facing criticism for inviting the rulers of Bahrain and Swaziland to her diamond jubilee lunch.

British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed support for French President Francois Hollande's economic policies.

Africa

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Khartoum to mediate talks between Sudan and South Sudan.

West African mediators launched talks with Mali's rebel groups.

South Africa's ruling ANC says it will sue an artist for his explicit painting of President Jacob Zuma.

Americas

Wal-Mart revealed that an internal inquiry into bribery accusations has expanded beyond its subsidiary in Mexico.

Inmates in Honduras seized control of a prison and began firing at each other.

Facebook shares will begin trading on the Nasdaq on Friday morning.

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Morning Brief: Greece swears in caretaker government

Posted By Joshua Keating Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 8:36 AM

Top news: Greece has sworn in a new caretaker government that will manage the country's affairs until a new general election can be held on June 17. A mix of diplomats, academics, and economists led by former judge Panagiotis Pikrammenos, the new government is a stop-gap solution after the country's party leaders failed to agree on a new government following inconclusive elections on May 6.

The two centrist parties that negotiated the controversial $170 billion loan agreement with international creditors in February, and were subsequently punished at the polls for it, have indicated that they will now seek to renegotiate some of the terms of the agreement if elected.

Alexis Tsipras, leader of the leftist Syriza bloc, which is now leading the polls, repeated his intention to tear up the agreement, known in Greece as the memorandum. "There is no memorandum. The memorandum is finished politically because it has not produced results," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel seemed to soften her position on Greek austerity somewhat on Wednesday, saying she was open to discussing stimulus measures to restart the country's economy and was committed to keeping the Greece within the euro. “I have the will, the determination to keep Greece in the eurozone,”she told CNBC.

Other European leaders have suggested that the June election should be considered a referendum on whether Greece remains in the single currency. “We want Greece to remain part of our family, of the European Union, and of the euro. This being said, the ultimate resolve to stay in the euro area must come from Greece itself,” said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who added that the terms of the bailout agreement would not be renegotiated.

Fears about the stability of Greece's banks also increased Wednesday after reports that depositors pulled out $1 billion in a single day. "We're two ticks away from a run on banks," said one of the country's leading hedge fund managers. "If people were worried before, they're getting scared now."

Syria: Reuters reports that Syria is still the top destination for Iranian arms exports, defying a U.N. export ban.

Africa

The International Criminal Court announced new charges against a former Congolese rebel leader.
Seventeen civilians were sentenced to death for attacking a military base in Somaliland.
Guinea-Bissau has reportedly chosen a new prime minister.

Europe

French President Francois Hollande unveiled a new cabinet, which does not include Socialist Party leader Martine Aubry.
The war crimes trial of Ratko Mladic has been indefinitely delayed due to errors by the prosecution.
The EU's enlargement commissioner is visiting Turkey in a big to restart accession negotiations.

Asia

Pakistan has proposed a $5,000 shipping fee for every NATO container that crosses its territory.
A U.S. group says North Korea has resumed construction of a nuclear reactor.
North Korea has seized two Chinese fishing boats and is demanding payment for their release.

Americas

Quebec's government is suspending many university classes in response to a 14-week student strike over tuition increases.
Five Mexican men have been sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Malaysia.
Brazil inaugurated a truth commission to investigate human rights abuses under military rule.

Middle East

Iraq has summoned the Turkish ambassador to protest the behavior of two Turkish diplomats.
A suspected U.S. drone attacked a convoy in Eastern Yemen, killing three.
The Palestinian authority swore in a new cabinet. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad gave up his second post as finance minister.

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Morning Brief: Ratko Mladic's war crimes trial begins

Posted By Uri Friedman Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 8:11 AM

Top news: Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb leader who was captured last May after more than 15 years on the run, appeared in a courtroom in The Hague on Wednesday to begin his trial for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity in connection with the Bosnian war in the 1990s.

In outlining its case against Mladic, the prosecution accused the former military commander of "realizing through military might the criminal goals of ethnically cleansing much of Bosnia" by orchestrating the slaughter of 8,000 unarmed Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica and laying siege to Sarajevo for 44 months, a period in which more than 10,000 people died.

Mladic, for his part, has refused to enter a formal plea, but the court has entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. On Wednesday, the 70-year-old general appeared to taunt Srebrenica survivors, making eye contact with a Muslim woman in the audience and running a hand across his throat in a gesture that prompted the judge to call a brief recess.

Greece: Greek President Karolos Papoulias appointed a judge to head a caretaker government until a new round of elections can be held on June 17, as the country's failure to form a coalition government roils markets and Greeks began withdrawing funds from banks.

Middle East

A convoy of U.N. monitors got caught in clashes between protesters and Syrian forces in Idlib province and stayed with members of the opposition Free Syrian Army overnight.

The Yemeni military killed at least 18 people in airstrikes against al Qaeda as part of a larger offensive against militants in southern Yemen.

The Libyan Islamist leader Abdel Hakim Belhadj resigned from the military to run in elections next month.

Americas

Gen. James Cartwright, a former commander of U.S. nuclear forces, called for a steep reduction in the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

A bombing in the Colombian capital killed at least two people, in what appeared to be an assassination attempt on a former government minister.

The Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes died at age 83.

Europe

Following his inauguration, French President Francois Hollande met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and named Jean-Marc Ayrault as his prime minister.

The European Union announced new regulations for banks.

Russian police cleared a campsite occupied by anti-government protesters in Moscow.

Asia

NATO invited Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to its upcoming summit in Chicago.

Investigators discovered the black box from a Russian passenger jet that crashed in Indonesia last week.

The Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng called into a second U.S. congressional hearing and spoke of local Chinese authorities harassing his family.

Africa

Ahead of his sentencing, former Liberian President Charles Taylor accused the prosecution in his war crimes trial at the Hague of paying its witnesses.

The United Nations estimated that more than half the population in South Sudan is facing food shortages.

Amnesty International accused Tuareg rebels in northern Mali of recruiting child soldiers and committing rape and murder.

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Morning Brief: Greek president pushes for technocratic government

Posted By Joshua Keating Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 8:20 AM

Top news: Greek President Karolos Papoulias is meeting with party leaders to ask them to step aside in favor of a technocratic government that can keep the country from bankruptcy -- a last-ditch effort to salvage a political compromise out of the inconclusive May 6 election. However, while the leftist Syriza bloc is attending the meeting, it has already pledged to reject the plan. "We don't want to consent to any kind of bailout policies, even if they are implemented by non-political personalities," said a spokesman.

Failure to agree on a new government would force Papoulias to call for new elections in June, and would likely raise the chances of Greece defaulting on its debts and leaving the eurozone entirely.

While many eurozone leaders are now discussing the prospect of a Greek exit openly, Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker, who heads the group of eurozone finance ministers, angrily dismissed such talk on Monday. “I don’t envisage, not even for one second, Greece leaving the euro area. This is nonsense. This is propaganda,” he said.

The Greek economy contracted by 6.2 percent in the first three months of the year.

Economy: Despite contractions in Southern Europe, the continent narrowly avoided returning to recession in the first three months of the year thanks to stronger than expected growth from Germany.

Middle East

Nearly 23 Syrian soldiers were reportedly killed in clashes with opposition fighters.
Saudi Arabia is seeking a closer union of the Gulf monarchies.
A group of Palestinian prisoners agreed to end a hunger strike in exchange for concessions from Israel.

Africa

EU forces conducted their first raid on a pirate base on the Somali mainland.
A suspected remote-controlled bomb went off at a Somali refugee center in Kenya.
West Africa regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to reimpose sanctions on Mali's coup leaders.

Europe

Former Rupert Murdoch aide Rebekah Brooks will face prosecution in the NewsCorp phone hacking scandal.
Francois Hollande was sworn in as president of France.
The British government defended David Cameron's meeting with the Dalai Lama from Chinese criticism.

Asia

Nine civilians were killed in a bombing at a market in Northern Afghanistan.
Pakistan's foreign minister suggested it may reopen its Afghan border to NATO supplies.
China has detained four South Korean activists.

Americas

Haiti's parliament voted in a new government.
The U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement went into effect.
Argentina's vice president is being investigated for corruption.

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Morning Brief: Greek president struggles to form unity government

Posted By Uri Friedman Monday, May 14, 2012 - 8:24 AM

Top news: After several failed attempts by Greece's political parties to form a coalition government following elections last week, Greek President Karolos Papoulias invited leaders to a final round of talks on Monday in an effort to avoid new elections.

But the chances of success appear slim, as the head of the radical leftist Syriza party refused to attend the negotiations and the moderate Democratic Left party said it would not be part of any unity deal that didn't include Syriza. European finance ministers are expected to discuss the political impasse when they meet in Brussels on Monday.

Many are worried that fresh voting in Greece -- which would likely take place in mid-June -- will further empower parties such as Syriza that oppose the terms of the country's bailout deal. This, in turn, could precipitate a Greek default and exit from the eurozone. These concerns are contributing to instability in financial markets.

Syria: Activists are reporting that at least 30 people -- including 23 Syrian soldiers -- died in overnight fighting in the central city of Rastan, a day after sectarian clashes fueled by the Syrian conflict erupted in the Lebanese city of Tripoli. On Monday, the European Union imposed a new round of sanctions on Syria in response to the ongoing violence.

Europe

Tens of thousands of Spaniards protested against government austerity measures in roughly 80 Spanish cities.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats lost elections in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

A group of prominent Russian writers led protesters in a march through Moscow.

Asia

A gunman killed Mullah Arsala Rahmani, a former Taliban minister and member of Afghanistan's High Peace Council.

A Mongolian court granted bail to former President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, who is engaged in a hunger strike over his detention on corruption charges.

Fifteen people died in a plane crash in Nepal.

Middle East

Yemen's new president reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing terrorists during a meeting with U.S. counterterrorism official John Brennan, as raids against militants continue in southern Yemen.

Human Rights Watch urged NATO to investigate a bombing in Libya last year that killed 72 civilians, according to the group.

Gulf leaders are meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss the idea of forming a union.

Africa

Uganda captured a senior commander in Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army.

South Sudanese refugees in Sudan have begun returning to Juba.

Nigerian police arrested a Boko Haram commander in the northern city of Kano.

Americas

Mexican authorities discovered 49 mutilated bodies along a highway near Monterrey.

Three top traders at JPMorgan Chase will resign after the bank posted a $2 billion loss last week.

Colombia's FARC rebels promised to release the French journalist Romeo Langlois.

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Morning Brief: Egypt holds first presidential debate

Posted By Uri Friedman Friday, May 11, 2012 - 8:17 AM

Top news: Just two weeks before the first round of voting in the country's presidential election, Egypt held the Arab world's first televised presidential debate on Thursday night. The four-hour event featured Amr Moussa, a former Arab League chief, and Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The two top candidates discussed the economy, security, and the role Islamic law should play in government, and criticized each other's backgrounds. Moussa highlighted the oath of loyalty that Aboul Fotouh once swore to the chairman of the Brotherhood, while Aboul Fotouh noted that Moussa had long served as a diplomat under Hosni Mubarak. "Those who take part in creating the problem couldn't be part of the solution," he declared.

Friday marked the first day that Egyptians abroad can start voting in the presidential election.

Greece: Evangelos Venizelos, the leader of Greece's main socialist party, is engaged in a last-ditch effort to form a coalition government. If he fails, all parties will have one final chance to strike a unity deal before new elections, which would likely benefit a radical leftist party that opposes the country's bailout, are called.

Middle East

The head of the opposition Syrian National Council blamed a double bombing in Damascus on al Qaeda forces linked to the Syrian regime.

Early results from Algeria's legislative elections indicate a strong showing by the ruling National Liberation Front and an Islamist alliance.

The spy who helped foil a plot to bomb a U.S.-bound airliner is reportedly a British national, and British intelligence may have helped recruit him.

Asia

An attacker in an Afghan Army uniform killed a NATO soldier in eastern Afghanistan.

Protesters gathered at the Chinese embassy in Manila as a dispute between China and the Philippines over an island in the South China Sea escalated.

Rescuers found no evidence of survivors in the wreckage of a new Russian passenger jet that crashed in Indonesia.

Europe

The European Commission predicted that the eurozone economy will contract this year and warned that Spain could miss its deficit targets.

Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, testified before a British inquiry into press ethics.

Britain is seeking to scale back a provision of the impending EU oil embargo on Iran.

Americas

JPMorgan Chase disclosed a $2 billion trading loss.

Peru's interior and defense ministers resigned over a botched operation against Shining Path rebels.

Argentina passed a landmark gender rights law that will make it easier for people to change their legal and physical gender identity.

Africa

Somali pirates hijacked a Greek-owned oil tanker off the coast of Oman.

More than 40 people were injured in clashes between police and protesters in Guinea.

West African mediators met with leaders in Guinea-Bissau to negotiate a return to civilian rule.

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Morning Brief: Double bombing hits Damascus intelligence center

Posted By Joshua Keating Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 8:25 AM

Top news: Two bombings outside an intelligence complex in Damascus killed at least 40 people and injured 170, according to Syrian television. It was the largest and deadliest single attack since the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.

No one immediately took responsibility for the bombing, but state media in Syria has suggested it is the work of terrorists supported by Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Opposition groups blamed Bashar al-Assad's regime, saying it was trying to frighten people out of joining the opposition.

On Wednesday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said there was only a narrow window to avoid a full-scale civil war in Syria: "There is no escaping the reality that we see every day. Innocent civilians dying, government troops and heavy armor in city streets, growing numbers of arrests and allegations of brutal torture, an alarming upsurge in the use of IEDs and other explosive devices throughout the country."

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 849 people have been killed in a U.N. imposed truce in April, not including those killed in today's blast.

Ten rebels were also killed overnight when thanks shelled a village in the northwestern province of Idlib.

U.S. politics: In a major reversal, President Barack Obama said he believes gay marriage should be legal.

Middle East

Bahraini activists blocked roads with burning tires to demand the release of detained female activists.
Polls opened in Algeria's parliamentary elections.
Israel's parliament approved a coalition deal between the Likud and Kadima parties.

Europe

Greece's center-left PASOK party will make a final attempt to form a coalition government.
A British parliamentary panel will question former David Cameron aide Andy Coulson on his role in the News of the World phone hacking scandal.
Russia says it has foiled a terrorist plot to attack the Sochi Olympics.

Asia

The Japanese government agreed to spend $12.6 billion to bail out Fukushima nuclear plant operator TEPCO.
Chinese activist Chen Guangchen said local officials in his town were carrying out reprisal attacks on his family.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has suspended work in Peshawar and Karachi.

Americas

Eighteen mutilated bodies were found in the western Mexican state of Jalisco.
Another prominent journalists has been kidnapped in Honduras.
Argentina's senate approved a new "dignified death" law.

Africa

Burundi's corruption ombudsman says he has uncovered a plot to kill him.
South Sudan accused Khartoum of bombing its territory in violation of a U.N. resolution.
Thousands of Mauritanian opposition activists participated in anti-government protests.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/GettyImages

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Morning Brief: Prospects for Greek coalition government dim

Posted By Uri Friedman Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 8:37 AM

Top news: Leftist leader Alexis Tsipras, whose party finished second in Greece's elections on Sunday, will spend Wednesday meeting with officials from the country's two major parties -- PASOK and New Democracy -- as part of his effort to form a coalition government.

But such a deal is highly unlikely since Tsipras has called for nullifying the terms of Greece's bailout by the European Union and International Monetary Fund, which both PASOK and New Democracy support, albeit with reservations. New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, who failed to broker a solution to Greece's political impasse on Monday, has warned that pulling out of Greece's bailout commitments could "lead to immediate internal collapse and international bankruptcy, with the inevitable exit from Europe."

If Tsipras doesn't secure an agreement, new elections could be held within weeks. In the meantime, the political tumult in Greece is roiling markets.

Foiled bomb plot: New reports suggest that the suicide bomber tasked with attacking a U.S.-bound airplane by an al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen was actually a Saudi intelligence agent who was cooperating with the CIA. American officials have expressed concern that the leaked details about the plot could undermine U.S. efforts to partner with foreign intelligence services.

Middle East

An explosion struck a Syrian military vehicle that was escorting a convoy of U.N. observers, a day after envoy Kofi Annan warned of "serious violations" of the ceasefire in Syria.

In the first test of Israel's new governing coalition, religious and secular parties clashed over draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Armed men attacked the offices of Libya's interim prime minister in an apparent response to not receiving payment for fighting Muammar al-Qaddafi's forces.

Europe

Jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko was transferred to a hospital.

The Russian parliament confirmed Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister, though a third of parliamentarians voted against the nomination.

Serbia's Socialists and Democratic Party formed a governing coalition and agreed to support President Boris Tadic in an upcoming runoff election.

Asia

The Taliban killed five Afghan education officials in an ambush.

Dissident Chen Guangcheng said Chinese officials have begun helping him with his application to study in the United States.

An Iranian delegation struck trade deals with India shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed India to scale back commercial relations with Iran.

Americas

The U.S. Treasury Department added two sons of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to its drug kingpin blacklist.

The Colombian government refused to negotiate with FARC rebels regarding the release of a French journalist.

Jamaica's two major political parties are investigating whether they received money from a convicted fraudster.

Africa

The South Sudanese military accused Sudan of renewing its airstrikes against the South.

A South African judge ruled that the country's police and prosecutors must investigate Zimbabwean officials over torture charges.

An Islamist group that took seven Algerian diplomats hostage in Mali issued a 30-day ultimatum to Algiers.

Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Greek leftists attempt to form government

Posted By Joshua Keating Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - 8:24 AM

Top news: Greece's left-wing Syriza bloc will have a chance to form a coalition government after center-right, pro-austerity parties failed to do so following a drubbing in Sunday's Greek election. Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras, whose anti-austerity, anti-bailout party finished a surprise second place in the vote, went into talks with President Karolos Papoulias on Tuesday and is expected to be given three days to form a government. The conservative New Democracy party failed after only one day.

"We want to create a government of leftist forces in order to escape the bailout leading us to bankruptcy," Tsipras said. However, his chances of being able to form a coalition are slim, raising the possibility of repeat elections, likely on June 17. "The country is heading at high speed towards catastrophe," an editorial in Kathimerini said of that possibility.

Despite the hopes of many voters that a left-wing coalition could reject the terms of the EU bailout or at least renegotiate them, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the country must stick to the plan. "The agreements must be adhered to. They are the best way forward for Greece," he said.

Meanwhile, the far right Golden Dawn party, known for its swastika-style logo and extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric, is planning its own agenda after winning 21 seats in Sunday's vote. In his victory speech Sunday, party leader Nikos Michaloliakos called for the "liberation" of part of neighboring Albania.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/05/07/148044/neo-nazi-party-plots-rise-as-first.html#storylink=cpy

Terrorism: The CIA claims to have foiled a plan to smuggle a bomb onto a flight to the United States.

Middle East

The leader of Israel's opposition Kadima party agreed to join Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, staving off early elections.
Syria's opposition boycotted yesterday's parliamentary elections.
Interpol has issued a worldwide red warning for Iraq's fugitive Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi.

Asia

China has expelled Al Jazeera.
The U.S. military claimed responsibility for an airstike that mistakenly killed six members of a family in southern Afghanistan.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is visiting India where she will attempt to convince the country to take a harder stance against Iran.

Europe

President Serzh Sargsyan's party gained in Armenian parliamentary elections.
Spain is planning a state bailout of the country's third largest bank.
Ukraine has postponed a planned regional summit after several leaders threatened to boycott over the imprisonment of Yulia Tymoshenko.

Africa

Al Shabaab militants attacked African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu.
Customers in Malawi are scrambling for goods after the country's currency was devalued by 33 percent.
Save the Children declared Niger the world's worst country to be a mother in its annual report.

Americas

A Honduran journalist and gay rights activist was found murdered.
The opposition Progressive Liberal party won a general election in the Bahamas.
President Hugo Chavez called in to a state television broadcast saying he plans to return to Venezuela after his latest cancer treatment.

LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/GettyImages

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Morning Brief: Hollande defeats Sarkozy in French presidential election

Posted By Uri Friedman Monday, May 7, 2012 - 8:34 AM

Top story: Francois Hollande beat French President Nicolas Sarkozy with just over 51 percent of the vote in a runoff election on Sunday, becoming the first Socialist to win the presidency since Francois Mitterrand left office in 1995. Sarkozy, the first French president since 1981 to not win a second term, will officially transfer power to Hollande on May 15.

"Europe is watching us, austerity can no longer be the only option," Hollande declared in a victory speech. The president-elect's emphasis on expanding a European Union fiscal compact to include pro-growth measures resonated with French voters, and news reports are casting Sarkozy as the latest European leader to be felled by popular anger over the handling of Europe's debt crisis.

But Hollande's position also puts him at odds with proponents of austerity such as Germany's Angela Merkel -- who congratulated Hollande but warned that the EU treaty was "not up for grabs" -- and raises concerns about how the euro crisis will be resolved. The results of the French election have already rattled financial markets.

Greek election: In parliamentary elections on Sunday, voters in Greece abandoned the country's two major parties in an implicit rejection of the harsh terms of bailouts by the European Union and International Monetary Fund. The center-right New Democracy party, which attracted the largest percentage of the vote, will now try to form a unity government.

Europe

Vladimir Putin was inaugurated as president of Russia a day after Russian police clashed with anti-government protesters in Moscow.

The presidential candidates for Serbia's ruling Democratic Party and the Serbian Progressive Party will most likely square off again in a runoff vote.

Voters in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein toppled their center-right coalition government.

Middle East

Al Qaeda militants attacked a Yemeni army base after the Yemeni government said a Qaeda militant linked to the bombing of the USS Cole was killed in an airstrike.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for early elections, which may now take place in September.

Syria is holding parliamentary elections, which the government has characterized as a sign of its commitment to reform.

Asia

A video posted on Islamist websites appeared to show U.S. hostage Warren Weinstein urging President Barack Obama to meet the demands of his captors in Pakistan.

The United States is reportedly releasing high-level detainees in Afghanistan as part of negotiations with insurgent groups.

Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng said he doesn't know when he'll be permitted to leave China for the United States, as Chinese officials continued to criticize Washington's role in Chen's case.

Americas

The lawyers for five men charged with plotting the Sept. 11 attacks complained about the military tribunal process after a dramatic arraignment.

Colombia's FARC rebels confirmed that they're holding a French journalist as a "prisoner of war" and suggested that he may be released soon.

Mexico's presidential candidates participated in their first televised debate.

Africa

The Democratic Republic of Congo claimed it had regained control of territory seized by warlord Bosco "Terminator" Ntaganda.

Militants destroyed the tomb of a Muslim saint in the Malian town of Timbuktu.

The African Union repeated its call for Mali's military junta to cede power.

Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: China says Chen Guangcheng could apply to study abroad

Posted By Uri Friedman Friday, May 4, 2012 - 8:28 AM

Top story: In what could be a breakthrough in the case of Chen Guangcheng -- the Chinese dissident who escaped house arrest and spent six days at the U.S. embassy in Beijing -- China's Foreign Ministry suggested on Friday that the activist could study outside China. Chen "can apply through normal channels to the relevant departments in accordance with the law, just like any other Chinese citizen," a ministry spokesman explained.

The announcement came after Chen called into a U.S. congressional hearing on Thursday and later stated that while he didn't intend on seeking political asylum in the United States, he was interested in spending time there and potentially attending New York University.

But the diplomatic crisis, which has overshadowed high-level talks between China and the United States in Beijing, may not be over just yet. China's top diplomat informed U.S. officials on Friday that human rights should not be "used as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries," and a Chinese human rights lawyer tells Reuters that Chinese authorities could make it difficult for Chen to study abroad by delaying his paperwork. "We can't be 100 percent optimistic," the lawyer noted.

British elections: Early results from local English and Welsh elections suggest that the opposition Labour party could win 38 percent of the national vote. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the government would not alter its economic policies in light of Labour's strong performance.

Middle East

At least four students reportedly died when Syrian security forces cracked down on a student demonstration at Aleppo University.

Iran is holding a second round of parliamentary elections.

Israel freed Hagai Amir, the brother of the man who killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Europe

A twin bombing at a police station in Russia's North Caucasus region killed at least 13 people.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is trailing his Socialist challenger Francois Hollande by roughly six percent in polls in the last day of campaigning for the country's presidential election.

Cardinal Sean Brady, the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, is facing calls to resign over his alleged failure to report clerical sexual abuse.

Asia

A suicide bomber killed at least 20 people in an assault on a police checkpoint in northwest Pakistan.

Japan will shut down its last functional nuclear reactor on Saturday.

Recent clashes between government troops and Kachin rebels in Myanmar have reportedly left more than 30 people dead.

Africa

Both Sudan and South Sudan agreed to a U.N. roadmap for ending hostilities and restarting negotiations, though tensions between the two sides remain high.

Africa received a greater share of global foreign direct investment in 2011 than ever before but is still considered the "least attractive" destination for FDI, according to a new survey.

Prosecutors are requesting that former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who was recently convicted of war crimes in The Hague, be given an 80-year sentence.

Americas

Argentina's Congress approved the nationalization of the Spanish-controlled oil company YPF.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, will appear before a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Saturday.

Three photojournalists were found dead in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz shortly after a crime reporter was murdered in the same region.

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Morning Brief: Chen Guangcheng now wants to leave China

Posted By Joshua Keating Thursday, May 3, 2012 - 8:28 AM

Top story: Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese human rights activist who left the U.S. embassy yesterday under a deal negotiated between China and the United States, now says he wants to leave China, further complicated a diplomatic standoff that appeared headed for a quick resolution on the eve of a major summit between the two countries.

Chen was taken from the embassy to a hospital yesterday under a deal that would allow him to study at a law school not far from Beijing, but two conflicting narratives have emerged in the saga. Chen now says that he was not fully aware of his situation while in the embassy, was strongly encouraged to leave, and then abandoned by U.S. officials once he reached the hospital. "The embassy kept lobbying me to leave and promised to have people stay with me at the hospital," he said. "But this afternoon, as soon as I checked into the hospital room, I noticed they were all gone."

U.S. officials strongly deny this account, saying Chen was fully briefed on his options. “I was there. Chen made the decision to leave the Embassy after he knew his family was safe and at the hospital waiting for him, and after twice being asked by [U.S. Ambassador to China Gary] Locke if he was ready to go,” said Kurt Campbell, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. “He said, ‘zou,’ – let’s go. We were all there as witnesses to his decision, and he hugged and thanked us all.”

Chen's change of heart appears to have happened after he reached the hospital and was reunited with his wife, who told him she had been threatened by officials during his absence. He also spoke by phone with political supporters who urged him to seek asylum.

"I want them to protect human rights through concrete actions," he told CNN. "We are in danger. If you can talk to Hillary, I hope she can help my whole family leave China."

U.S. officials have not been able to speak with Chen in person since he left the embassy. Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has not addressed the case directly but said in a speech at the opening of the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue that “all governments have to answer our citizens’ aspirations for dignity and the rule of law.” China has strongly criticized U.S. handling of the case and demanded an apology for meddling in its internal affairs.

The dialogue: Aside from Chen, the U.S. aims to use the conference, which opens today, to secure Chinese cooperation on efforts to rein in the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is urging China to move away from an export-led growth strategy.

Europe

Britons are voting in local elections today.
French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande squared off in a contentious debate.
Britain's cabinet office minister warned that this summer's London Olympics could face cyberattacks.

Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce early elections for September.
Four people were killed when Syrian security forces attacked a student protest at Aleppo University.
Libya's National Transitional Council lifted a ban on religious parties.

Asia

South Korea accused North Korea of trying to jam its air navigation system.
The U.S. will triple its military aid to the Philippines this year.
The U.N. imposed sanctions on three North Korean firms.

Americas

Brazil deployed more than 8,500 troops to the Amazon in an anti-crime operation.
Brazil's development bank urged the government to lower interest rates.
Twelve people were killed in a shootout between the Mexican army and suspected drug gang members in Sinaloa.

Africa

Dozens were killed in an attack on a cattle market in Northeastern Nigeria.
The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution threatening to impose sanctions on Sudan and South Sudan.
Violence continued in Bamako as Mali's ruling junta hunted down troops involved in this week's attempted counter-coup.

Jordan Pouille/AFP/GettyImages

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Morning Brief: Chinese dissident leaves U.S. embassy

Posted By Uri Friedman Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - 8:19 AM

Top story: The blind Chinese human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng, whose whereabouts have been a mystery since he escaped house arrest last week, left the U.S. embassy in Beijing on Wednesday and headed to a check-up at a hospital in the Chinese capital before reuniting with his family.

Xinhua, China's official news agency, reported that Chen left the embassy "of his own volition" after a six-day stay, while American officials tell the New York Times that the activist emerged only after he received assurances from the Chinese government that he would remain safe if he stayed in his country -- a deal that Reuters is calling "unprecedented."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is in Beijing for previously scheduled talks with Chinese officials, said she spoke with Chen on Wednesday and that the dissident's understanding with the Chinese government included "the opportunity to pursue higher education in a safe environment."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, for its part, demanded an apology from the United States for taking Chen into its embassy.

Afghanistan: President Barack Obama pledged to end the war in Afghanistan and signed a strategic partnership agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai during an unannounced visit to Kabul on Tuesday. Less than two hours after Obama left the country, however, a suicide bomber attacked a compound housing foreigners in the Afghan capital, killing seven Afghans.

Middle East

Unidentified attackers clashed with mostly Islamist protesters in the Egyptian capital, leaving at least nine people dead.

Human Rights Watch accused the Syrian government of committing war crimes in Idlib province during ceasefire negotiations.

The Israeli military ended its investigation into the 2009 shelling of a house in the Gaza Strip that killed 21 members of an extended Palestinian family.

Asia

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in as a member of Myanmar's new parliament.

Rescuers in India continued to search for bodies after a ferry accident that killed at least 100 people.

South Korean officials accused North Korea of disrupting GPS navigation in the country.

Europe

The unemployment rate in the eurozone rose to 10.9 percent in March -- the highest level since the creation of the euro in 1999.

The British Sky Broadcasting Group defended its record amid criticism of News Corporation, which owns 39 percent of BSkyB.

The credit rating agency Standard & Poor's upgraded Greek debt from "selective default."

Africa

Junta leaders in Mali said that they had defeated a counter-coup and that a transition to civilian rule was still on track.

A suicide attack in central Somalia killed seven people, including two lawmakers.

The president of Chad called for a regional force to crack down on the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram.

Americas

The Bosnian-born U.S. citizen Adis Medunjanin was convicted of plotting suicide bombings of New York subways.

Bolivian President Evo Morales nationalized a subsidiary of the Spanish power company REE.

A woman claiming to be a member of the FARC said the Colombian rebel group had captured a French journalist as a prisoner of war.

Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Clinton leaves for China amid Chen Guangcheng crisis

Posted By Joshua Keating Tuesday, May 1, 2012 - 8:26 AM

Top news: U.S. Secretary Hillary Clinton left on Monday night for talks in China that are likely to be overshadowed by the case of dissident Chen Guangchen. The blind human rights activist is believed to be holed up at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, though neither side has acknowledged his presence there.

Clinton avoided comment on Chen prior to leaving for the talks, which will include efforts to win Chinese cooperation on issues ranging from the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, to Syria's human rights crackdown, to territorial claims in the South China Sea. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is also attending to discuss longstanding disputes over currency and market access. Without mentioning Chen specifically, Clinton promised to press Chinese leaders on human rights.

President Barack Obama also avoided mentioning Chen in a Monday press conference with visiting Japanese leader Yoshihiko Noda, saying only that “every time we meet with China the issue of human rights comes up.” Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell arrived in Beijing to discuss Chen's case with Chinese officials on Sunday.

According to allies of Chen, he will not ask for political asylum but will demand to remain in China to press on with his campaign for reform.

War on terror: Obama administration counterterrorism advisor John Brennan defended the legality of U.S. drone strikes in a speech.

Europe

A British parliamentary inquiry concluded that Rupert Murdoch is "not a fit person" to run a large corporation like News Corp.
National Front leader Marine Le Pen has declined to back President Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round of France's presidential election.
Italy plans to cut $5.5 billion in spending to avoid a sales tax increase.

Africa

Soldiers loyal to ousted Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure appear to be attempting a counter-coup.
Nigerian forces raided a suspected Islamist militant base in Kano.
Troops loyal to alleged war criminal Bosco Ntaganda took two towns in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Middle East

Imprisoned Bahraini activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja says he will continue his hunger strike.
At least 23 people were killed by violence in Syria on Tuesday, which is still technically under a U.N. sponsored ceasefire.
Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni announced that she is resigning from the Knesset.

Americas

Mexico's congress passed a bill to compensate victims of crime.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said there are "clear indications" that FARC rebels are holding a French journalists hostage.
Before returning to Cuba for cancer treatment, President Hugo Chavez announced steps to withdraw Venezuela from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Asia

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Two suspected insurgents were killed in a joint Afghan-NATO raid in Eastern Afghanistan.
Workers staged Asia's largest May Day rally in Indonesia.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages

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Morning Brief: United States stays quiet on Chinese dissident's whereabouts

Posted By Uri Friedman Monday, April 30, 2012 - 8:35 AM

Top story: The Obama administration has yet to comment on mounting speculation that Chinese rights activist Chen Guangcheng is at the U.S. embassy in Beijing (pictured above), but it has reportedly dispatched State Department official Kurt Campbell to meet with Chinese officials about Chen's fate. The blind lawyer escaped from house arrest last week.

The talks come ahead of scheduled visits to China by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner later this week. "This is the greatest test in bilateral relations in years, probably going back to '89," former CIA analyst Christopher K. Johnson tells the New York Times, in reference to the suppression of protests in Tiananmen Square.

Chinese authorities, meanwhile, are furiously blocking web searches of terms related to Chen's escape -- ranging from "Shawshank" (a reference to an American prison-break film) to "UA898" (a United Airlines flight from Beijing to Washington).

Syria: Two suicide bombings in the Syrian city of Idlib on Monday killed at least eight people, according to state media, shortly after state television reported that attackers had struck the Syrian Central Bank in Damascus with rocket-propelled grenades. At the moment, there are only around 15 U.N. ceasefire monitors in Syria.

Africa

Sudan declared a state of emergency along its border with South Sudan amid continued fighting between the two sides.

The Ugandan military accused Sudan of supporting Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army.

A bomber attacked a Nigerian police convoy a day after at least 19 people were killed in two attacks on church services in the country.

Europe

Shukri Ghanem, a former Libyan prime minister and oil minister under Muammar al-Qaddafi, was found dead in the Danube river in Austria.

The British government said it had made every effort to secure the release of a British aid worker who was murdered in Pakistan.

The Spanish economy has officially slipped back into recession.

Asia

A U.S. drone strike reportedly killed three suspected militants in Pakistan's tribal region.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to lift sanctions against Myanmar in an address to the country's parliament, as the opposition called off a boycott of parliament.

Protesters in Malaysia accused the police of brutality in breaking up a large demonstration.

Middle East

Israel began building a wall along part of its border with Lebanon.

A Bahraini appeals court ordered retrials for more than 20 activists, including Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.

Benzion Netanyahu, the father of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, died at age 102.

Americas

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House.

A French reporter is missing after a clash between the Colombian military and FARC rebels.

Peru is investigating the mysterious death of hundreds of pelicans along its northern coast.

Goh Chai Hin/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Downgraded Spain faces record-high unemployment

Posted By Uri Friedman Friday, April 27, 2012 - 8:21 AM

Top story: Spain announced on Friday that the country's unemployment rate had hit 24.4 percent in the first quarter of 2012 -- the highest rate in the eurozone. The release of Spain's record-high unemployment figures followed the rating agency Standard & Poor's decision to downgrade the country's credit rating to BBB+, which puts Spain on par with Italy.

"Spain is in a crisis of huge proportions," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo warned in a radio interview. Markets initially reacted negatively to the news out of Spain but have since recovered "as the downgrade was largely viewed as a belated acknowledgment of the market realities," according to the Associated Press.

The developments come as Spain slips back into recession and moves to the forefront of the European debt crisis despite the Spanish government's austerity measures and labor market reforms.

Chinese dissident escapes: Chen Guangcheng, a blind rights activist who had been under house arrest in Shandong province, has escaped from his home and may now be in Beijing, though his whereabouts are unclear. In a video posted online, Chen demanded that Prime Minister Wen Jiabao punish officials who had abused him and his family.

Europe

Four explosions struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk in a suspected terrorist attack.

The Netherlands reached an agreement to meet budget targets set by the European Union.

A Dutch judge upheld a new law prohibiting foreigners from entering cannabis coffee shops.

Asia

The United States agreed to move thousands of Marines out of Okinawa, Japan.

Pakistan's prime minister refused to resign after the Supreme Court convicted him of contempt of court.

An Afghan special forces soldier killed a U.S. soldier and his translator in southern Afghanistan.

Americas

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating fresh allegations of agents paying for strippers and prostitutes in El Salvador.

The United Kingdom banned exports to Argentina's military amid a standoff over the Falkland Islands.

A U.S. federal judge rejected a request to release photos and video of Osama bin Laden from the raid on his compound.

Middle East

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Syrian government was "in contravention" of envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan.

At least 13 people were killed in attacks in Iraq's Diyala province.

Pakistan deported Osama bin Laden's three widows and children to Saudi Arabia.

Africa

The West African bloc ECOWAS will send troops to Mali and Guinea-Bissau in response to coups in both countries.

The U.N. Security Council is considering sanctions against Sudan and South Sudan.

Ghana has become the first African country to simultaneously offer children rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines.

Cristina Quicler/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Violence continues in Hama

Posted By Joshua Keating Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 8:36 AM

Top news: Syrian activists claim that up to 70 people were killed in an explosion that flatted part of a residential neighborhood in the city of Hama. Activists claim the explosion was caused by government shelling or a scud missile attack. State media put the number killed at 16 and said the explosion came from a rebel bomb-making factory.

According to the opposition, more than 100 people have been killed in Hama in recent days, despite a U.N. brokered ceasefire. Violence has continued in the Syrian capital as well.

U.N. envoy Kofi Annan told the Security Council on Tuesday that Syrian troops had not withdrawn from population centers. Two U.N. observers have now returned to Hama ahead of a team of 300 that the U.N. would like to send. Syria's main opposition group is calling for a special Security Council session to discuss the ongoing violence in Hama.

France's foreign minister said on Wednesday that the U.N. should consider allowing international military action in Syria if the peace plan fails.

International justice: At the Hague, former Liberian President Charles Taylor was convicted on 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes in Sierra Leone during the 1990s. He is the first African head of state convicted by an international tribunal.

Asia

The New York Times reports that ousted politician Bo Xilai ran an extensive spying network on fellow Chinese leaders.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was found guilty of contempt.
Japanese power broker Ichiro Ozawa was acquitted of charges in a political financing scandal.

Middle East

The head of the Israeli Defense Forces said in an interview that he does not believe Iran will develop nuclear weapons.
The White House has approved the expanded use of drones in Yemen.
Egypt confirmed that former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq will be allowed to compete in the upcoming presidential election.

Africa

There has been an explosion at the headquarters of a major newspaper in Abuja, Nigeria.
China has agreed to provide South Sudan with loans and humanitarian aid but not a new oil deal.
Mali's interim prime minister formed a government.

Europe

Testifying before a government ethics inquiry, Rupert Murdoch apologized for the News of the World hacking scandal.
The Dutch caretaker government is scrambling to reach a budget deal before a Monday EU deadline.
Germany's president has canceled a trip to Ukraine over concerns about the health of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

America

The Mexican government says it will investigate corruption claims involving Wal-Mart.
Brazil's congress passed a controversial new forests law.
Argentina's senate approved the nationalization of oil company YPF.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Pakistan follows India with missile test

Posted By Uri Friedman Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 8:09 AM

Top story: Pakistan announced on Wednesday that it had successfully tested an intermediate-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile, less than a week after archrival India test-fired a long-range missile that can also deliver a nuclear warhead. The Pakistani military said the Shaheen-1A launched into the Indian Ocean today has a longer range than its predecessor, the Shaheen-1 (pictured above).

Pakistani defense analyst Mansoor Ahmed tells the New York Times that the test was not in response to India's and that "Pakistan is only concerned with maintaining a minimum credible deterrent capability vis-a-vis India." India, for its part, framed its test as an effort to counter China's regional power.

Meanwhile, speculation is mounting that North Korea may carry out a third nuclear test after a failed rocket launch.

Double-dip in Europe: New data shows that the U.K. economy contracted in the first quarter of 2012 after shrinking in the fourth quarter of 2011, which technically means that the United Kingdom has returned to recession. Spain revealed on Monday that it too had slipped back into recession.

Middle East

Violence continued in and around Damascus despite a ceasefire and observer mission in Syria.

Israel's military chief raised doubts about Iran's intent to build nuclear weapons, as Israel's prime minister expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of sanctions against Tehran.

A court found the Egyptian actor Adel Imam guilty of insulting Islam.

Europe

News Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch testified before a judicial inquiry on his business practices and ties to British politicians.

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko launched a hunger strike in prison.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would not strike a deal with the far-right in his reelection bid.

Asia

China subtly warned North Korea not to carry out an expected nuclear test.

The Supreme Court in the Philippines ruled that an estate belonging to the country's president should be split up among 6,000 farmers.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has reportedly launched an investigation into whether Hollywood studios paid bribes in China.

Americas

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney secured five more primary victories.

The son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai defended his academic record and lifestyle in a letter to the Harvard Crimson student newspaper.

Two Cuban actors who appeared in a film about Cuban defectors appear to have defected in Miami.

Africa

The African Union is demanding that Sudan and South Sudan adhere to a peace deal.

South African youth leader Julius Malema lost an appeal against his expulsion from the ruling African National Congress.

Two attacks in central Nigeria have left five people dead.

Pakistan Ministry of Defense via Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Sudan bombs South Sudan as Bashir vows not to negotiate

Posted By Joshua Keating Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - 8:23 AM

Top news: Sudan continued its bombardment of South Sudan yesterday, with jets launching missiles into the state capital of Bentiu. Officials say eight bombs in total were dropped last night. There have also been reports that Sudanese troops have crossed the border into their recently independent Southern neighbor. *

South Sudan announced last week that it was withdrawing from the disputed Heglig border region in order to avoid all-out war, but the scope of the current attacks seem to go beyond Heglig, and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has vowed not to negotiate until all South Sudanese troops are out of Sudan since southern leaders “do not understand anything but the language of the gun and ammunition." Last week, he referred to the South Sudanese leadership as "insects" and vowed to drive them from power.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir is currently in Beijing to lobby for Chinese diplomatic and economic report. He said that Sudanese actions amount to a declaration of war, though neither side has yet issued a formal declaration.

Since independence last year, the two countries have argued over territorial disputes, oil pipeline rights, and accusations of supporting rebel groups within each others' countries. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged both sides "to stop the slide toward further confrontation and... to return to dialogue as a matter of urgency."

Washington: President Obama outlined his administration's genocide prevention policies in a speech at the U.S. Holocaust Museum as well as announcing new sanctions on Syria and Iran.

Middle East

The Egyptian government rejected registration applications from eight U.S. NGOs.
A Syrian intelligence officer was reportedly killed in a car bombing in central Damascus.
Iran has disconnected some its Persian Gulf oil platforms from the Internet after reports of a cyberattack.

Europe

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced the resignation of his government after failing to agree on austerity measures.
The EU has suspended most of its sanctions on Myanmar.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has reportedly gone on a hunger strike in prison.

Americas

A Pew reports confirms that more Mexicans are now leaving the United States than entering.
Wal-Mart may pay millions to resolve bribery allegations in Mexico.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called a state TV station to refute rumors that he had died while receiving cancer treatment in Cuba.

Africa

Nigeria's parliament is due to discuss a report revealing $6 billion in fraud related to the country's fuel subsidy.
A protester was killed during a separatist demonstration in Kenya's Mombasa region.
The International Criminal Court may investigate reports of atrocities in Mali.

Asia

A Philippine exploration firm has found more natural gas than expected in a disputed area of the South China Sea.
Chinese state media reported that former officials from Wukan have been punished for their town's high-profile rebellion.
Pakistan's Supreme Court is due to announce the verdict in the contempt trial of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today.

Update: The timeline of these events has been updated since first posted.

ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Sarkozy suffers setback in French presidential race

Posted By Uri Friedman Monday, April 23, 2012 - 7:53 AM

Top story: French President Nicolas Sarkozy received 27.1 percent of the vote in the first round of the country's presidential election on Sunday, while his Socialist challenger Francois Hollande finished with 28.6 percent (French Twitter users flaunted a ban on publishing early results by speaking in code). The contest, which will be followed by a second round of voting on May 6, marks the first time that a sitting French president has lost in the first round, according to the BBC.

In another first, National Front leader Marine Le Pen garnered 18 percent of the vote -- the largest share a far-right candidate has ever won in the French presidential election. On Monday, Sarkozy promised to control immigration and prioritize national security, in what Reuters interprets as a bid to woo Le Pen's supporters.

The outcome of the election will have major implications not only for France but also for Europe as a whole. Hollande has pledged to renegotiate a European Union fiscal treaty and promote solutions to the region's debt crisis that Germany opposes.

War in Afghanistan: Afghanistan and the United States completed a strategic partnership agreement that promises American support for Afghanistan for a decade after the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops in 2014.

Middle East

Iran claimed to have extracted secret data from an American drone that it captured last year.

Anti-government protests in Bahrain did not disrupt the Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday.

Egypt's state-owned natural gas company halted the delivery of gas to Israel over a payment dispute.

Africa

There are reports of aerial attacks and ground fighting along the disputed border between Sudan and South Sudan.

Former Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika will be buried at his farm in southern Malawi.

Eritrea accused the CIA of spreading "lies" about the health of its president.

Europe

The collapse of budget talks in the Netherlands has prompted talk of early elections.

Spain slipped back into recession according to new data from its central bank.

Norway shooter Anders Behring Breivik apologized for killing "innocent" people in his Oslo bombing but did not express regret for his rampage at a Labour Party summer camp.

Americas

A new report alleges that Wal-Mart shut down an internal investigation that had unearthed evidence of bribery by a subsidiary in Mexico.

The International Monetary Fund increased its lending capacity by $430 billion at an annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Mexican police are investigating the fatal shooting of a retired general in Mexico City.

Asia

Aung San Suu Kyi's party in Myanmar is boycotting parliament over the wording of the oath of office for lawmakers, as the European Union suspends its sanctions against the country.

North Korea is escalating its rhetoric against South Korea's leaders after Pyongyang's failed rocket launch.

Police clashed with demonstrators in Bangladesh's capital amid anger over a missing politician.

Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Security Council mulls response to ongoing violence in Syria

Posted By Uri Friedman Friday, April 20, 2012 - 8:08 AM

Top story: On Thursday, Syria and the United Nations agreed to allow at least 250 unarmed observers into the country to monitor a ceasefire, as foreign ministers from Arab and Western nations in Paris for a Friends of Syria meeting called envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan the "last hope" to avoid civil war in Syria.

But serious complications remain. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and news outlets have reported evidence of ceasefire breaches over the past week, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the U.N. Security Council to slap an arms embargo and other sanctions on Syria if the violent crackdown persists.

France, meanwhile, is drafting a new Security Council resolution that would dispatch 500 monitors and helicopters to Syria, as Ban urges the Security Council to quickly pass a resolution authorizing the deployment of up to 300 observers. Russia, which did not attend the Friends of Syria meeting, appears to be supportive of expanding the observer mission but not imposing additional sanctions.

French election: Nicolas Sarkozy's reelection prospects are looking bleak ahead of the first round of voting on Sunday. Sarkozy could become the first one-term French president since 1981.

Africa

Fighting is spreading along the disputed border between Sudan and South Sudan.

Mali's ousted leader, Amadou Toumani Toure, fled to neighboring Senegal.

A new scientific report has highlighted a vast supply of groundwater beneath Africa.

Middle East

Police in Bahrain are clashing with protesters ahead of the Grand Prix this weekend.

Al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings in the country on Thursday.

Thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square called for an end to Egypt's military rule.

Asia

Chinese authorities are reportedly detaining officials in Chongqing with ties to Bo Xilai for questioning.

Myanmar's President Thein Sein is visiting Japan to discuss financial aid and debt relief.

The Chinese press is ridiculing India's long-range missile test.

Americas

The United States freed two Chinese Muslim detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison, in the first prisoner transfer there in more than a year.

The Secret Service is expanding its inquiry into the prostitution scandal in Colombia.

Princess Cruises apologized for one of its ships sailing past a stricken boat carrying three Panamanians, two of whom later died.

Europe

Norway shooter Anders Behring Breivik said he'd studied al Qaeda's tactics before embarking on his rampage last year.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned the news media to be careful about how it reported teenage suicides, which have spiked recently.

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made an unexpected appearance at his trial for paying for sex with an underage girl.

Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: India tests nuclear-capable missile that can reach Beijing

Posted By Joshua Keating Thursday, April 19, 2012 - 8:26 AM

Top news: India successfully tested a nuclear-capable missile on Thursday with a range of more than 3,100 miles, giving it the ability to strike Beijing or Eastern Europe. The test of the primarily Indian-built Agni-V was the crowning achievement of a new arms building effort undertaken with neighboring China in mind. (Agni IV pictured.) The new missile will be operational in two years.

Defense Minister A.K. Antony said the test indicated that India had “joined the elite club of nations.” Until now, only the permanent five Security Council members, plus Israel, were thought to have long-range nuclear missile capability. India is not a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but its nuclear program enjoys de facto international legitimacy under a 2008 deal with the United States.

Reaction from China was mixed. "China and India are large developing nations. We are not competitors but partners," said a foreign ministry spokesman. But the government-owned Global Times tabloid warned that "India should not overestimate its strength."

The development will highlight growing fears of an arms race in East Asia. China announced a double-digit increase in military spending in March while India recently became the world's number one arms importer.

Also on Thursday, South Korea announced that it had developed and deployed a missile capable of striking any target within North Korea.

Feature: The Colombian escort at the center of the Secret Service scandal speaks with the New York Times. Three agents are being forced out of the service.

Asia

The U.S. and NATO have finalized agreements on winding down the war in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials condemned that actions of troops who posed for photographs with the corpses of Afghan insurgents.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party is in a standoff with the Myanmar government over the wording of a swearing-in oath for newly elected lawmakers.

Middle East

At least 36 people were killed in a wave of bombings across Iraq on Thursday.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Syria is failing to adhere to a U.N. sponsored peace plan.
The CIA is seeking authority to expand its covert drone campaign in Yemen.

Africa

The U.S. special envoy to Sudan condemned the South Sudanese seizure of a contested oil town. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir vowed to teach South Sudan a "final lesson by force" in response to the seizure.
Guinea-Bissau's new military junta says it will wait two years before holding elections.
Ousted Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure -- whose whereabouts have been unknown -- is at the Senegalese embassy in Bamako, according to Senegal's president.

Europe

The Irish parliament has begun debating a bill on allowing abortion in certain cases.
Spain's cabinet if meeting tomorrow to discuss possible retaliation for Argentina's seizure of YPF.
The European parliament backed a controversial plan to give the United States access to personal information about airline passengers.

Americas

More than 1,100 Cubans were detained during the Pope's recent visit.
Mexican police seized more than 250,000 bullets being smuggled into the country from the United States.
Thousands of rural workers in Honduras took part in coordinated land invasions.

Naveen Jora/India Today Group/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: North Korea backs out of U.S. nuclear deal

Posted By Uri Friedman Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - 8:09 AM

Top story: On Tuesday, North Korea declared that it was no longer bound by a deal with the United States in February to suspend uranium enrichment, nuclear tests, and long-range missile tests in exchange for food aid, which Washington halted after Pyongyang's failed rocket launch last week. An agreement to allow nuclear inspectors into the country has also fallen apart.

"We have thus become able to take necessary retaliatory measures," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement, which came shortly after the U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea for its rocket launch and ordered additional sanctions against the country.

North Korea didn't specify what form that retaliation would take, but some fear that Pyongyang is planning a third nuclear test. "Many analysts expect that with its third test, North Korea will for the first time try a nuclear device using highly enriched uranium," Reuters notes.

Myanmar: Lawmaker and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will travel outside Myanmar for the first time in more than two decades, according to her party, in yet another sign of the country's opening. She'll visit Norway and Britain in June.

Middle East

Syrian security forces are reportedly shelling Homs despite a ceasefire, as the wives of the British and French ambassadors to the United Nations release a video plea to Asma al-Assad.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterating his preconditions for peace talks to resume.

At least 1,200 Palestinians in Israeli jails launched coordinated hunger strikes.

Asia

India will test fire an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai delivered an emotional speech on his vision for an independent Afghanistan, as the United States and NATO finalize their withdrawal plan.

China summoned a diplomat from the Philippines once again over tensions in the South China Sea.

Americas

Argentina's nationalization of the oil firm YPF has provoked threats of retaliation from Spain.

American investigators are searching for up to 21 women who may have spent the night with U.S. security officers in Colombia.

Investor Warren Buffett has been diagnosed with stage one prostate cancer.

Europe

Norway shooter Anders Behring Breivik faced questioning from prosecutors on the third day of his trial.

A Libyan military commander is suing a former British foreign minister for illegally transferring him to Libya, where he faced torture under Muammar al-Qaddafi.

British authorities arrested the Muslim cleric Abu Qatada only months after he was released following a failed effort to deport him.

Africa

Malian soldiers reportedly arrested several top political figures, including two men who had planned to run for president.

Sudan and South Sudan are clashing on a new front along their disputed border.

The United States criticized Swaziland for its crackdown on protests last week.

Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Bo Xilai reportedly blocked murder investigation of wife

Posted By Joshua Keating Tuesday, April 17, 2012 - 8:20 AM

Top news: More details are coming to light in the murder and corruption scandal that has rocked China's ruling elite. Reuters is reporting that former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai had allowed and then tried to block an official investigation into allegations that his wife was behind the murder of a British businessman. Neil Heywood, who was found dead on Nov. 15 and is now believed to have been poisoned, had allegedly been threatening to expose a plan by Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, to move money out of the country.

Bo's police chief, Wang Lijun, reportedly confronted Bo with evidence of Gu's involvement on Jan. 18 and was first allowed to proceed with his investigation before Bo quashed it several days later. Wang apparently attempted to seek asylum at the U.S. consulate on Feb. 6 before being arrested.

Gu and Wang are currently in custody while Bo has not been seen in public since March. The scandal involving Bo, once seen as a shoe-in for a senior party leadership post, has exposed what some observers have called the largest rift within the party since Tiananmen Square. While not mentioning Bo specifically, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao called corruption the greatest threat to the party in an interview with a respected political journal this week.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to raise the issue of Heywood's death in a meeting with a senior Chinese official at Downing Street this week. Chinese officials initially said that Heywood, who had lived in China for 10 years, died as a result of excessive alcohol consumption, an explanation accepted by the British embassy and his family. The British government has reportedly decided to allow Heywood's Chinese widow to enter the country if she wishes.

Scrutiny has also fallen on Bo's son Bo Guagua, a Harvard student whose flamboyant lifestyle has reportedly irritated party leaders.

Development: U.S. candidate Jim Yong Kim was selected to lead the World Bank.

Asia and Pacific

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that Australia will withdraw from Afghanistan earlier than planned.
The U.S. and Philippines began joint military exercises.
The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned North Korea's rocket launch but stopped short of new sanctions.

Middle East

A team of six U.N. observers set up headquarters in Damascus.
The Israeli military has suspended a soldier who was videotaped beating a pro-Palestinian activist.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has said his country never promised the U.S. it would hold off on attacking Iran while nuclear talks are taking place.

Americas

The Argentinian government is seizing a majority stake in the country's largest oil company, provoking threats of retaliation from Spain. .
Prisoners at a Brazilian jail have released more than 400 hostages taken during a riot.
A magnitude-6.7 earthquake hit central Chile.

Europe

Accused mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik lashed out at the Norwegian government on the first day of his trial.
The Spanish government threatened to seize budget control of several regions if they do not mee budget targets.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is denying allegations that he tried to sell a nuclear reactor to Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2010.

Africa

Coup leaders in Guinea-Bissau have shut down the country's borders and airport. The African Union has suspended the country's membership.
The politicians were arrested in connection with the allegedly fraudulent purchase of a presidential plane in Cameroon.
Sudan's parliament voted to declare South Sudan a "enemy state."

MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Fighting subsides in Afghan capital

Posted By Uri Friedman Monday, April 16, 2012 - 8:12 AM

Top story: On Sunday, the Taliban launched coordinated attacks in Kabul and three eastern Afghan provinces, in what a spokesman for the group said was the start of the spring offensive. Thirty-six militants, eight policemen, and three civilians were killed in 18 hours of violence, according to Afghanistan's Interior Ministry. There are reports that the Taliban-allied Haqqani network may have also been involved in the assault.

On Monday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai praised the performance of his security forces and blamed the attacks on intelligence failures -- particularly on the part of NATO. The brazen strikes once again undermined confidence in NATO's plan to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by 2014.

Also on Sunday, Taliban fighters orchestrated a massive jailbreak in a northwestern Pakistani town that freed nearly 400 prisoners, including a man who was sentenced to death for plotting to assassinate former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Norway shooter goes on trial: Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a car bombing and shooting rampage last July, appeared in an Oslo court on Monday to begin a trial that is expected to last 10 weeks. "I acknowledge the acts but I don't plead guilty as I claim I was doing it in self-defense," Breivik told the judge, adding that he did not recognize the court's authority because of the government's support for multiculturalism.

Middle East

Egypt's presidential election commission disqualified three of five leading presidential candidates on technical grounds.

The first U.N. military observers arrived in Syria to monitor a four-day-old ceasefire, amid reports of continued government shelling.

Israel blocked pro-Palestinian activists from traveling to Bethlehem in the West Bank.

Asia

The Philippines and the United States have begun joint military exercises in the South China Sea.

Australia has decided to ease sanctions against Myanmar.

In his first public speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emphasized his commitment to strengthening the military.

Europe

The yield on Spain's 10-year bonds rose above six percent, sparking renewed concerns about the need for a bailout.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his 85th birthday at the Vatican.

King Juan Carlos of Spain underwent hip surgery following a hunting trip in Botswana that has been criticized by politicians.

Americas

The Summit of the Americas in Colombia concluded without a consensus statement and with divisions over whether to include Cuba in the next gathering, as a scandal surfaced involving the Secret Service.

Peruvian troops freed gas workers kidnapped by Shining Path rebels.

The Spanish oil company Repsol is appealing to Argentine officials for talks over concerns that its subsidiary in Argentina could be nationalized.

Africa

Coup leaders in Guinea-Bissau say they will establish an interim government with opposition parties, and have accepted an offer by East Timor's outgoing president to act as a mediator.

Sudanese warplanes bombed a U.N. peacekeeping base in South Sudan.

Gunmen reportedly abducted a Swiss woman in the Malian city of Timbuktu.

Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images

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