Morning Brief: North Korean missiles under observation for possible launch while rhetoric cools

Posted By Joshua Keating Thursday, April 11, 2013 - 8:33 AM

Top news: U.S. and South Korean authorities continue to monitor the medium-range missiles that North Korea has moved to its east coast for signs of a possible launch. The five Musudan missiles could theoretically reach U.S. bases in Guam, though it's not known if they have been tested at that distance.

Despite the missile threat, the North appears to be toning down its rhetoric after a month of near daily threats against the South and its allies. The country has begun inviting visitors in anticipation of celebrations on Monday for the birthday of the country's founding father, Kim Il-sung.

After categorically rejecting early talks with the North, the South Korean government is also easing its rhetoric, with unification minister Ryoo Kihl-jae saying in a televised speech on Thursday, "We hope the North Korean authorities come out to the dialogue table."

Earlier that day, President Park Geun-hye had invited a group of foreign investors to the presidential Blue House to reassure them that her country has seen "dramatic economic growth and democratization in the past 60 years despite the provocations and threats from North Korea."

Taiwan has become the first country to warn its citizens to delay travel to South Korea due to the risk of war.

Budget: U.S. President Barack Obama's $526.6 billion 2014 defense budget keeps military spending relatively stable, but assumes that automatic spending cuts mandated by congress will be averted this year.

The administration's foreign aid budget dramatically reduces the government's requirement to purchases food from U.S. farmers to ship overseas.

Asia

15 militants and one soldier were killed after heavy fighting in Northwest Pakistan.
A man with family ties to President Hamid Karzai's inner circle was killed in a Special Operations raid in Afghanistan.
China's former railways minister was charged with corruption.

Europe

Cyprus is selling off much of its gold reserves to finance its bailout.
French President Francois Hollande created a special prosecutor for tax fraud.
Russia granted a $500 million loan to Serbia.

Americas

Uruguay's congress voted to legalize gay marriage.
The Cuban government returned a couple fleeing a custody ruling in the United States.
Britain has decided not to invite Argentine President Cristina Fernandez to Margaret Thatcher's funeral.

Middle East

Qatar agreed to give Egypt a $3 billion aid package.
U.N. diplomats say talks with the Syrian government about chemical weapons have reached an impasse.
Israeli police arrested five women for wearing prayer shawls, which are traditionally worn by men, at the Western Wall

Africa

Nigeria's Boko Haram militants rejected a government amnesty proposal.
Lawmakers have given Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara the authority to rule by decree on economic issues.
Nelson Mandela's children have launched a court case over the control of two companies.

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Morning Brief: Korean armed forces raise alert level

Posted By Elias Groll Wednesday, April 10, 2013 - 8:40 AM

Top news: U.S. and South Korean troops increased their military alert level amid indications that North Korea is on the verge of a missile launch that would deliver on weeks of bellicose rhetoric from Pyongyang.

"Based on intelligence we and the Americans have collected, it's highly likely that North Korea will launch a missile," South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told a parliamentary hearing Wednesday. "Such a possibility could materialize at any time from now."

According to South Korean military officials, the North has in recent days moved several kinds of missiles -- including Musudan, Rodong, and Scud varities -- to the country's east coast, where they can easily be fired off in tandem. While the North has tested the shorter-range Rodong and Scud varieties, it has so far not fired its longer-range Musudan rockets, which can travel just over 2,000 miles and if proven successful would give the North the ability to strike all of Japan and U.S. military bases in the Pacific, including Guam.

In the past, North Korea has often timed missile tests to important holidays and milestones in the country's history. Several such dates will occur in the next few days, including the anniversary of Kim Jong Un's ascent to power and the birthdate next monday of his grandfather, Kim Il Sung.

Kenya: Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for his role in 2007's post-election violence, was sworn in as Kenya's president. Kenyatta's inauguration caps a long and tumultous election season in Kenya, and in his inauguration speech Kenyatta called for his country's many ethnic groups to establish a lasting peace capable of overcoming the kind of violence that marred the 2007 eleciton. Given the allegations against him, Kenyatta's formal ascent to the presidency presents a difficult problem for the West: The grave charges leveled against him are difficult to overlook, but as Kenya is the most important Western ally in East Africa, some level of engagement with the new head of state will be all but impossible to avoid.

Asia

The operator of the crippled nuclear reactor in Fukushima, Japan, discovered an additional leak in a tank used to store radioactive runoff.
The death toll from a recent outbreak in China of bird flu rose to nine.
A NATO helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, killing two American soldiers.

Middle East

Iran announced two new nuclear-related projects that expand the country's ability to extract and process uranium.
Al Qaeda's branch in Iraq and Jabhat al-Nusra, the most prominent and successful radical Islamist rebel group in Syria, announced plans to merge.
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake in a rural area of southern Iran killed at least 37 and injured hundreds but according to authorities did not damage a nearby nuclear reactor.

Europe

Following a ministerial scandal over secret Swiss bank accounts, French President François Hollande called for the "eradication" of tax havens.
An anti-blasphemy law drafted after the Pussy Riot controversy received initial approval in the Russian Duma.
A veteran of the Balkan war killed 13 people in his village, including his mother and son, in an overnight shooting rampage.

Africa

Somalia's government acknowledged that its troops were involved in widespread rapes carried out during March.
Rebels in South Sudan attacked a U.N. convoy and killed five Indian peacekeepers and injured at least seven civilian.
A camel given to French President François Hollande by the government of Mali was killed and eaten by the family in whose care he left the animal, prompting embarrassed promises from Malian officials to replace the camel.

Americas

A couple who had lost custody of their two sons but kidnapped them and fled to Cuba were handed over to U.S. authorities by the Cuban government.
Brazilian authorities granted Chevron permission to resume oil extraction of the country's coast after more than 100,000 gallons of crude leaked into the ocean.
An appeals court upheld a decision acquitting former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo on charges he embezzled $15 million while in power.

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Morning Brief: Japan deploys interceptor missiles to Tokyo in anticipation of North Korean test

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - 8:50 AM

Top news: In anticipation of a possible missile test by North Korea, Japan deployed a Patriot anti-missile battery to central Tokyo and moved warships equipped with Aegis radar and interceptor missiles to the waters off the Korean Peninsula. Japan also ordered its military to shoot down any missile that threatened to hit Japanese territory, as it has done during previous North Korean tests.

Japan's decision to deploy interceptor missiles comes against the backdrop of increasingly belligerent rhetoric from Pyongyang, which on Tuesday warned foreigners to leave South Korea before they fall victim to a "merciless, sacred, retaliatory war." According to the official KCNA news agency, "all foreign institutions and enterprises and foreigners, including tourists … are requested to take measures for shelter and evacuation in advance for their safety."

Since the North has not yet mobilized ground troops, most analysts believe the fiery rhetoric is intended to bolster Kim Jong Un's domestic standing and extract concessions from the international community.

Iran: Authorities announced Tuesday that operations have begun at the Saghand 1 and 2 uranium mines in Iran's Yazd province, as well as at a nearby milling plant. The announcement comes after negotiators failed to resolve the nuclear standoff during several days of talks in Kazakhstan last week.

Middle East

Clashes between tribesmen and army deserters in southern Yemen on Monday left seven people dead.
The U.S. Navy announced Monday that the United States and more than 30 allies will hold naval exercises in the Persian Gulf in May.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that he will meet with members of the Syrian opposition later this week.

Africa

Kenya will swear in Uhuru Kenyatta as its next president Tuesday.
President Barack Obama announced Monday that Somalia is legally eligible to receive U.S. military aid, though no decision has been made to do so.
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will visit South Sudan Friday for the first time since the South seceded in July 2011.

Asia

International donors pledged some $3.6 billion in reconstruction aid to Sudan's Darfur region.
Chinese authorities reported another death from the H7N9 bird flu virus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths to eight.
India's foreign ministry said Tuesday that rebels ambushed and killed five Indian peacekeepers in South Sudan.

Americas

Chilean authorities exhumed the remains of poet Pablo Neruda in order to determine if he died of cancer or was poisoned by Gen. Augusto Pinochet in 1973.
A federal judge declined to release Eric G. Harroun, a U.S. Army veteran who fought alongside the Nusra Front in Syria, into his mother's custody.
The IMF could approve $958 million in a four-year loan package for Jamaica as early as the end of April.

Europe

Protesters, some of them topless, greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany and the Netherlands Monday as he met with the leaders of both countries for trade talks.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius proposed keeping a permanent force of 1,000 counterterrorism troops in Mali.
British authorities announced Tuesday that the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher will be held on April 17.

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Morning Brief: Margaret Thatcher has died

Posted By Elias Groll Monday, April 8, 2013 - 8:41 AM

Top news: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died from a stroke Monday morning, her spokesman announced.

The first female prime minister in her country's history, Thatcher came to embody a turn toward a free-market political program that sought to unleash economic dynamism through an aggressive program of privatizations and tax reductions. Thatcherism -- as her political program became known to both her supporters and detractors -- would throw off the heavy hand of the state and seek a Britain with greater vitality. Her perhaps defining moment came in 1984 when she broke a major strike launched by the miners union, a victory that consolidated her political power and represented a triumph over the country's strike-prone unions.

The woman who came to be known as the Iron Lady matched her pioneering domestic agenda with a muscular foreign policy that saw Britain come to blows with Argentina over the Falkland Islands. And just as she refused to cede British sovereignty in the South Atlantic, she remained deeply skeptical toward the European project and laid the groundwork for Britain's taciturn relationship with the European Union and its decision not to adopt the euro. Together with Ronald Reagan, a man who would become a close friend, she emerged as a canny leader in the Cold War, recognizing early on that Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms presented an opportunity for the West.

But to her detractors, Thatcher's free-wheeling market ideology came to embody an uncaring political philosophy, one willing to sacrifice at the altar of economic dynamism a state apparatus directed toward the common good.

Regardless, she is likely to go down in history as Britain's greatest post-war prime minister.

Korean Peninsula: North Korean authorities announced that they have suspended production at the Kaesong industrial zone, the last remaining symbol of North-South cooperation amid heightening tension on the Korean Peninsula. The closure of Kaesong deprives the North of crucial hard currency, and its continued operation has been seen as a weather-vane in the current conflict over North Korean nuclear and missile tests and subsequent sanctions imposed on the regime.

Middle East

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is expected to take up shuttle diplomacy to broker a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians, expressed interest in reviving the Arab Peace Initiative.
The Syrian army launched a counteroffensive to roll back extensive rebel territorial gains in the south of the country and elsewhere.
Heavy fighting between Coptic Christians and Muslims on the streets of Cairo claimed the lives of two people.

Asia

Speaking at an Asian regional forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that no one country should be allowed to cause "chaos for selfish gain," a comment interpreted as a rebuke of North Korea.
Amid fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban, an airstrike in Afghanistan killed 11 children.
Pakistan's top court ordered Pervez Musharraf, the country's former president, to appear before the body on charges he committed treason.

Europe

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said at a meeting with Jose Manuel Barroso, the head of the EU's executive, that European governments should ease off austerity measures and seek to generate demand.
Prime Minister David Cameron will visit Madrid, Paris, and Berlin this week to pitch skeptical European leaders on his vision for EU reform.
Amid an ongoing crackdown in Russia in civil society groups, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to encourage civil society groups.

Africa

Following treatment for pneumonia, former South African President Nelson Mandela was discharged from the hospital.
Fighting between Christian and Muslim villagers in central Nigeria left 11 people dead.
South Sudan restarted oil production, more than a year after tensions with its northern neighbor led to a halt in output.

Americas

A group of independent prosecutors in Brazil opened an investigation into allegations that would directly connect former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The head of a Cuban publishing house was fired from his post after he wrote an op-ed in the New York Times describing persistent racial discrimination in Cuba.
The body of poet Pablo Nerudo is being exhumed in an effort to definitively establish whether he died of natural causes or was killed by the government shortly after the military took power in a coup in 1973.

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Morning Brief: Tensions with North cause jitters in South Korean markets

Posted By Joshua Keating Friday, April 5, 2013 - 8:34 AM

Top news: Senior officials say North Korea has moved two mobile missile launchers to an unknown location in the east of the country, possibly to demonstrate its ability to strike Japan or U.S. bases in the Pacific. However, there was none of the strident rhetoric from Pyongyang, that has been intensifying in recent days, as the country celebrated a national holiday.

After years of on-again-off-again tensions, threats from the North generally don't have much impact on South Korean financial markets, but this time has been different with stocks falling 1.64 percent on Friday amid a flurry of sell offs by foreign investors. Fears were further intensified by comments from GM CEO Dan Akerson, who suggested the ongoing tension could lead the company to move its South Korean production elsewhere.

South Korea's central bank and regulatory agencies have held emergency meetings and promised strong action to restore stability to the markets if needed. This has raised investor expectations of an interest rate cut next week.

Bird flu: Shanghai has temporarily closed its poultry markets over an outbreak of bird flu that has killed at least 6 people. More than 20,000 birds have been slaughtered.

Middle East

A rocket attack in northeastern Damascus reportedly killed at least 5 people.
Iran has announced a new plan for its nuclear program.
The UN is halting food aid to Gaza after one of its distribution centers was attacked.

Asia

Clashes between Burmese Buddhists and Muslims have spread to a detention center for refugees in Indonesia.
A bombing in Southern Thailand killed a senior government official.
Dozens were killed in a building collapse near Mumbai.

Americas

The daughter of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya is calling for an international investigation into his death.
Mexico claims to have foiled an assassination attempt targeting two lawmakers.
Flash floods have killed at least 57 people in Buenos Aires.

Africa

South Africa is withdrawing its troops from the Central African Republic.
The former Navy chief of Guinea-Bissau has been arrested on drug charges and will be transferred to the United States.
The Ivory Coast government has begun exhuming a mass grave from the country's 2010 post-election violence.

Europe

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called for a new election unless the center left agrees to govern with him.
Public prayers are being held in Bulgaria after a series of self-immolations.
A constitutional court ruling today could overturn Portugal's 2013 budget.

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Morning Brief: U.S. to deploy missile-defense system to Guam

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, April 4, 2013 - 8:48 AM

Top news: The United States will deploy a land-based missile defense system, The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), to Guam in response to recent threats by North Korea, which U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday called a "real and clear danger and threat." According to a Pentagon statement, the system should arrive "in the coming weeks as a precautionary move to strengthen our regional defense posture against the North Korean regional ballistic missile threat."

The decision to deploy THAAD coincides with North Korea's decision to move a missile with "considerable" range to its east coast, according to the parliamentary testimony of South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin. The missile, which Kim indentified as a Musudan, probably has a range of more than 1,900 miles, putting all of South Korea, Japan, a potentially Guam within range.

In a statement carried Thursday by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, the General Staff of the North Korean People's Army warned that he was authorized to "take powerful practical military counteractions" and that the "moment of explosion is approaching fast." On Wednesday the KCNA broadcast a statement claiming that a "diversified nuclear strike" against the United States had been "ratified."

Since the North's series of escalating threats has not been matched by any mobilization of troops, most analysts believe they are intended to bolster new leader Kim Jong-un's domestic image ahead of celebrations scheduled for April 15. As a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council said in response to the latest statement from Pyongyang: "It is yet another offering in a long line of provocative statements that only serve to further isolate North Korea from the rest of the international community and undermine its goal of economic development."

NatSec: In his first major policy address since being sworn in as secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon should prepare for up to $1 trillion in cuts to projected spending over the next decade. "A combination of fiscal pressures and a gridlocked political process has led to far more abrupt and deeper reductions than were planned," he said.

Middle East

Syrian rebels on Wednesday seized a military base on the outskirts of the southern city of Daraa.
Egypt's Administrative Court ruled Wednesday against the extradition to Libya of Ahmed Qaddaf al-Dam, a former aid to Muammar al Qaddafi.
A Syrian fighter jet fired a missile into a field Wednesday near the Lebanese town of Arsal, 12 miles from Syrian border.

Africa

Heads of state from the central African region on Wednesday refused to recognize Michel Djotodia's self-appointment as president of Central African Republic.
Police in Mozambique raided the headquarters of the opposition Renamo party Thursday and detained 15 people.
The United States offered $5 million for information leading to the capture of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, following the Ugandan army's decision to stop pursuing him.

Asia

Nine Taliban suicide bombers killed themselves and 44 others in a courtroom attack Wednesday in the western Afghan province of Farah.
Chinese authorities announced two new cases the H7N9 strain of avian flu on Wednesday, brining the total number of reported cases to nine.
The British Parliament's International Development Committee said Wednesday that the United Kingdom should withhold extra aid to Pakistan unless the South Asian country increases taxes on its wealthier citizens.

Americas

Flash floods in Argentina destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 52 people this week.
A spokesman for the National Ballet of Cuba said Wednesday that seven of its members defected to Mexico last month.
A Mexican judge sentenced three minors to jail over the 2011 killing of Mexican activist Susana Chavez.

Europe

Spanish authorities subpoenaed Princess Cristina, daughter of King Juan Carlos, as part of a corruption investigation into her husband.
Italian authorities seized $1.7 billion worth of assets from a Sicilian wind and solar energy mogul Vito Nicastri.
Police in the British city of Manchester announced Wednesday that they will begin treating crimes against alternative subcultures, including Goths an "emos," as hate crimes.

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Morning Brief: North Korea blocks access to Kaesong

Posted By Elias Groll Wednesday, April 3, 2013 - 8:36 AM

Top news: North Korean authorities blocked access on Wednesday to the jointly run Kaesong industrial zone. The plant had stood out as one of the few -- if not the only -- remaining symbols of North-South cooperation, and its closure marks the latest in a series of incidents that have significantly increased tensions on the Korean peninsula.

South Koreans who approached the border crossing to Kaesong on Wednesday were denied permission to cross and had to turn back. The closure of the border crossing at Kaesong leaves over 850 South Koreans who live in the area stranded there, but the North said that they would be allowed to return to the South if they wish.

The closure of Kaesong, which supplies vital hard curency to the North Korean regime, comes a day after the North vowed to restart its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and delivers on a threat issued four days ago that the North would shut down Kaesong in retaliation for military drills in the South and new sanctions issued by the U.N. Security Council. Analysts have said that the closure of Kaesong provides a vital indicator over how far the North is willing to go in this latest round of nuclear brinksmanship. The North has previously closed the crossing but has in the past reopened it after a few days.

The United Nations: The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to approve the Arms Trade Treaty, a landmark agreement that will seek to regulate the global arms trade and for the first time ties the legality of arms sales to human rights issues.

Middle East

Israel retaliated with an airstrike in Gaza in response to rockets fired across the Gaza border apparently in solidarity with the launch of a new hungerstrike by Palestinian prisoners.
Shiite militiamen raided the offices of four independent newspapers in Baghdad in what was one of the most brazen attacks on journalists in Iraq this year.
Israeli tanks fired into Syria after one of its army jeeps came under fire from Syrian territory.

Europe

The unemployment rate in the eurozone rose to 12 percent, the highest since the launch of the euro in 1999.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a measure allowing regional legislatures to abolish the direct election of governors, undoing a major political reform that had ceded some power from the Kremlin.
EU-mediated talks between Serbia and Kosovo aimed at resolving the status of a Serbian dominated part of north Kosovo broke down.

Asia

Malaysia's prime minister dissolved parliament and called for general elections that will pit a coalition that has ruled for nearly six decades against a surging opposition.
After 17 years in jail, a prominent Tibetan political prisoner was freed by Chinese authorities.
Taliban fighters attacked a government facility in a failed bid to free a group of prisoners, killing at least 10 and wounding 70.

Africa

Francois Bozize, the ousted president of the Central African Republic, accused Chad of aiding rebels that ousted him from power last month.
Seven political prisoners were freed in Sudan a day after President Omar al Bashir ordered the release of all such prisoners.
African troops suspended their hunt for the warlord Joseph Kony in the Central African Republic because of a lack of cooperation from the government there.

Americas

Nicolas Maduro and Henrique Capriles, the two main candidates in Venezuela's presidential election, kicked off the first official day of campaigning with mass rallies.
Eight people were charged in connection to a nightclub fire that killed 241 people in a southern Brazilian city earlier this year.
The United Nations said malnutrition has spiked in Haiti as a result of a heavy storm season, which left crops damaged.

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Morning Brief: North Korea vows to restart nuclear reactor

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, April 2, 2013 - 8:44 AM

Top news: North Korea announced Tuesday that it plans to reopen the Soviet-era reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear facility, potentially allowing the isolated nuclear power to bank additional fissile material. The graphite-moderated reactor -- shuttered in 2007 as part of a disarmament deal with the United States -- had previously been the North's chief source of weapons-grade plutonium.

The announcement, broadcast by the official KCNA news agency, came against the backdrop of repeated threats from Pyongyang, which said Saturday that it had entered a "state of war" with the South. In response to the North's repeated provocations, the United States has conducted joint military exercises with South Korea and positioned the USS McCain, a Navy guided-missile destroyer, off the southwestern coast of the Korean peninsula.

South Korean President President Park Geun-hye has also vowed to respond swiftly in the event of an attack, but the United States said that it has seen no signs of North Korean mobilization. As White House spokesman Jay Carney explained on Monday, "I would note that despite the harsh rhetoric we are hearing from Pyongyang, we are not seeing changes to the North Korean military posture, such as large-scale mobilizations and positioning of forces."

In another notable development, North Korea appointed former premier Pak Pong-ju as the country's new prime minister.

Syria: More than 6,000 people died in Syria last month, according to the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, making March the deadliest month yet in the country's two-year-old civil war.

Africa

A European Union mission to train Mali's army got underway Tuesday at a military base outside Bamako.
Central African Republic's main opposition parties said Monday that they will not participate in the government appointed by Michel Djotodia, the country's new leader.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said Monday that he would release all political prisoners, but it remains unclear how many prisoners the edict applies to.

Europe

Slovenia's parliament unanimously approved Croatia's European Union accession bid on Tuesday, after the two countries resolved a 20-year-old banking dispute.
Russia's first deputy prime minster said Monday that the government will not compensate Russian depositors hurt by the Cypriot banking crisis.
Serbia and Kosovo are close to reaching an agreement to end the ethnic partition of the northern Kosovar city of Mitrovica.

Asia

President Barack Obama is expected to announce the appointment of Caroline Kennedy as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan in the coming weeks.
A fire at a Muslim school in the former Burmese capital of Rangoon left at least 13 people dead.
Air pollution in China contributed to 1.2 million premature deaths in 2010, according to a new study.

Middle East

Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, imposed a strict new education law requiring separation of sexes and prohibiting ties with Israelis.
Hamas re-elected Khaled Meshaal on Tuesday as its leader.
Gunmen killed three workers at a gas field in Iraq's Anbar province and took two others hostage.

Americas

Authorities in Brazil arrested eight police officers after security-camera footage showed a police cruiser leaving the scene of a double homicide in Sao Paulo.
Members of Colombia's Nasa tribe freed three captive soldiers after the government promised to investigate the death of a tribal leader.
Brazil's homicide rate has fallen since the passage of restrictive gun laws in 2003, according to a new study.

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Morning Brief: Tensions increase on the Korean peninsula

Posted By Elias Groll Monday, April 1, 2013 - 10:12 AM

Top news: Tensions on the Korean peninsula were further ratcheted up over the weekend, as North Korea announced that it is in a "state of war" with the South, leading the United States to deploy stealth fighters to participate in war games and bolster its ally.

The announcement by the North is the latest in a series of provocations that have included tests of missiles and a nuclear weapon, the ending of communication hotlines, and widespread military mobilization. At a meeting Sunday of the North Korean Workers' Party central committee, Kim Jong Un declared that "nuclear armed forces represent the nation's life, which can never be abandoned as long as the imperialists and nuclear threats exist on Earth."

The surprisingly bellicose line from Pyongyang have led some analysts to conclude that Kim is attempting to consolidate power in an attempt to force the West to recognize it as a nuclear power. Though it has threatened to shut down the jointly run industrial complex at Kaesong, so far the North has kept the plant running, and analysts see the its continued operation as a key test of the North's likelihood to provoke a border skirmish.

On Monday, Kim convened his country's rubber-stamp parliament to push through the appointment of an economic reformer once sacked for proposing a wage system seen as too close to capitalism. His pivot toward domestic issues may indicate that he is about to pivot away from a dangerous tactic of military brinksmanship.

Kenya: The Kenyan Supreme Court approved the results of a disputed presidential election that handed a narrow victory to Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for his role in fomenting violence after the country's contested 2007 election. The result was accepted by his challenger, Raila Odinga, who said "the court has now spoken."

Middle East

Egypt's most prominent television satirist was released on bail and may face charges of insulting his country's leader and Islam.
Syrian rebels seized a strategically important neighborhood of Aleppo in one of the most significant shift in the front lines in several months there.
A suicide bombing targeting a police station in Tikrit, Iraq, killed seven policemen.

Asia

Chinese authorities in Beijing and Shanghai unveiled measures to cool red-hot real estate markets that have raised fears of a housing bubble.
India's Supreme Court ruled against the European drug maker Novartis in rejecting a patent application for a new drug that it deemed had not been significantly altered, a landmark ruling that may help expand access to generic drugs.
Privately owned newspapers hit the newsstands in Burma for the first time in 50 years.

Africa

Malian troops are conducting house to house searches after repelling an attack on Timbuktu by radical Islamist forces.
The death toll in the collapse of a 16-story building in Tanzania rose to 30.
Michel Djotodia, the rebel leader who seized control of the Central African Republic, consolidated his hold on power, naming members of his government and allocating important positions to himself and his rebel allies.

Europe

In his first Easter mass as pope, Francis I made a plea for world peace, urging an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, violence in Syria, and tensions on the Korean peninsula.
The holders of large deposits in the Bank of Cyprus may have to pay a penalty of up to 60 percent on deposits over 100,000 euros.
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano tapped a group of political experts to seek a way to overcome parliamentary gridlock over the selection of a new government.

Americas

Hugo Chavez's political heir, Nicolas Maduro, accused his opponent in Venezuela's presidential election, Henrique Capriles, of seeking to foment violence.
The Argentine government proposed the use of a mix of cash payments and bonds to pay off obligations related to its debt default.
Mexican cartels have dispatched trusted agents deep inside the United States, a move that may be aimed at giving the criminal groups the ability to expand into other illicit activities inside the U.S., an examination by the Associated Press found.

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Morning Brief: North Korea readies rockets in response to U.S. bomber drill

Posted By Joshua Keating Friday, March 29, 2013 - 8:45 AM

Top News: North Korea has readied its missile units targeting U.S. military bases in response to a U.S. bombing drill. On Thursday two nuclear-capable B-2 Spirit stealth bombers carried out a practice sortie over South Korea. The bombers dropped inert munitions off the Korean coast.

"We must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we'll respond to that," said U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

North Korea's state news agency responded by saying that the two countries could only settle their differences by "physical means" and wrote that leader Kim Jong-un had "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists in view of the prevailing situation."

A mass rally in support of Kim's call to arms was held in Pyongyang. North Korea has cut all communications with U.S. forces and South Korea.

Cyprus: Banks reopened in Cyprus with strict controls to keep customers from draining their accounts in the wake of the EU bailout deal announced on Monday. Despite fears of bank runs, the atmosphere was relatively calm.

Middle East

A mortar attack killed 15 students at Damascus University.
A U.S. Army veteran who claims to have fought with Syria's al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al Nusra was arrested after returning to the United States.
Iran criticized Qatar for giving an embassy to the Syrian opposition.

Africa

Former South African President Nelson Mandela spent his second night in the hospital.
The United Nations approved a new "intervention brigade" to take action against rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kenya's president warned citizens to remain calm after a court rules on the country's disputed election tomorrow.

Europe

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades says his country has no intention of leaving the euro.
Italy's Democratic Party has failed to form a government.
A Montenegrin warlord was jailed for 45 years for crimes committed during the Bosnian war.

Asia

A suicide bomber killed 10 people in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Buddhist monks led a mob attack on a Muslim-owned warehouse in Sri Lanka.
Chinese police have arrested the brother-in-law of jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiabo.

Americas

Thousands of student protesters clashed with police in Santiago, Chile.
Argentina may be preparing to defy a New York court order on its sovereign debt.
President Barack Obama is planning a visit to Mexico for May.

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Morning Brief: North Korea severs military hotline with South

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, March 28, 2013 - 8:42 AM

Top news: North Korea severed its only line of communication with the South Korean military on Wednesday, saying that north-south military communication is unnecessary when "a war may break out at any moment." The announcement, carried by the official news agency, comes only one day after Pyongyang ordered its rocket and artillery units to be combat ready, targeting U.S. bases on the mainland, Hawaii, and Guam.

North Korea previously cut off communications with the Red Cross and the U.S. military over the international response to its third nuclear test in February. According to the New York Times, however, the joint industrial park at Kaesong remains open, with workers and trucks continuing to cross the border.

"There do not exist any dialogue channel and communications means between the DPRK and the U.S. and between the north and the south," said the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. "Not words but only arms will work on the U.S. and the South Korean puppet forces."

North Korea last severed all military communication in 2009, when the United States and South Korea conducted joint military drills.

United Nations: The final draft of an U.N. arms trade treaty was sent to member governments Wednesday, bringing the goal of an international treaty regulating conventional weapons sales one step closer to fruition. According to analysts, however, several countries may still block approval by consensus, in which case negotiators would most likely seek two-thirds majority approval in the General Assembly next week.

Middle East

The opposition Syrian National Coalition opened its first embassy Wednesday in Qatar.
A court in Egypt challenged Islamist President Mohamed Morsy Wednesday by annulling a presidential decree that appointed a top prosecutor.
An appeals court in Bahrain overturned the conviction of 21 medics arrested at a hospital during anti-government protests in 2011.

Africa

Kenya's Supreme Court opened a hearing Wednesday to evaluate Prime Minister Raila Odinga's claims of vote rigging and resolve the country's disputed presidential election.
Ethnic clashes in Nigeria's central Plateau state left at least 27 people dead on Wednesday.
The U.N. Security Council may authorize a so-called "search and destroy" brigade to carry out "targeted offensive operations" against rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Asia

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi attended a military ceremony in the Burmese capital Wednesday, flanked by the generals previously responsible for her house arrest.
The Thai government began peace talks with Muslim insurgents in Kuala Lumpur.
The United States flew a pair of B-2 stealth bombers over South Korea in a move intended to showcase "extended deterrence."

Europe

Talks between center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani and representatives of Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement broke down Wednesday, deepening Italy's post-election political stalemate
Russian authorities searched the Moscow offices of Human Rights Watch and four other non-governmental agencies Wednesday.
Banks in Cyprus are scheduled to reopen Thursday, but authorities have placed severe capital controls in place to prevent depositors from fleeing with their money.

Americas

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced Wednesday that she will run in the country's November presidential election.
Hundreds of armed vigilantes seized control of the southwestern Mexican town of Tierra Colorada and detained 12 police officers.
Brazil's Health Ministry reported Wednesday that a doctor arrested last month in the southern city of Curitiba may have killed as many as 300 of her patients.

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Morning Brief: Rebels patrol streets of Central African Republic capital

Posted By Elias Groll Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - 8:30 AM

Top news: Rebel troops are patrolling the streets of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, after a group of rebels overthrew the government earlier this week. Late Monday, the rebel leader, Michel Djotodia, announced via radio that he has dissolved the country's constitution and that he plans to stay in power until at least 2016.

Reports indicate fierce fighting preceeded the fall of Bangui, and the clashes claimed the lives of 13 South African soldiers part of a mission sent to the country to help train the CAR national army. Their deaths have sparked outrage in South Africa and pointed questions toward the South African government over why they weren't better prepared and got caught in the crossfire of a rebel attack.

The country's ousted president, François Bozizé, fled the capital via a helicopter that spirited him away from the presidential mansion to neighboring Senegal, where is he said to be holed up in a hotel plotting his next move. Bozizé, who also gained power by marching into the capital with a rebel force in 2003, is accused of cronyism and doling out positions in the government to members of his family and his mistress.

International Criminal Court: Bosco Ntaganda, the brutal Congolese warlord, made his first appearance before the International Criminal Court at the Hague, where he denied the charges brought against him that include rape, murder, sexual slavery, and the use of child soldiers. Ntaganda, whose alleged campaign of terror earned him the nickname "the Terminator," had evaded authorities for many years until he unexpectedly showed up at the U.S. embassy in Rwanda last week, leading many observers to speculate that a split within the M23 rebel movement had left him fearing for his life.

Asia

North Korea cut off the last remaining military hotline with its southern neighbor, the latest escalation in a series of bellicose moves by the North.
Chinese courts sentenced 20 members of the Uighur minority group to stiff prison terms on charges related alleged separatist activities in Xinjiang province.
The head of the Burmese military said his force would remain heavily involved in his country's politics as it transitions to democracy.

Middle East

The head of the U.S. military command in Africa warned that al Qaida is attempting to gain influence and strength in Tunisia, a country led by a moderate Islamist government.
An Egyptian appeals court overturned President Mohammed Morsy's decision in November to fire the country's top prosecutor, a move that sparked outrage among the country's judiciary.
Two bombings in separate parts of Iraq killed five and wounded at least 25.

Africa

The countries of the BRICS group -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa -- said during a summit in South Africa that they plan to form a development bank to rival Western institutions.
Nigerian police announced that a British businessman was kidnapped Saturday in Lagos but declined to give details as to who was behind the abduction.
Women who have fled to refugee camps in and around the Somali capital Mogadishu face rampant sexual violence, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch.

Europe

The head of Cyprus' biggest bank abruptly resigned Tuesday amid reports that he had been forced out by the chief of the Cypriot central bank.
Senior EU officials are voicing concern over recent raids carried out by Russian authorities targeting prominent NGOs in the country, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty, and Memorial.
Declines in exports and industrial production resulted in a .3 percent contraction in the British economy during the last quarter of 2012, raising fears of a "triple-dip" recession.

Americas

Rio de Janeiro's Olympic stadium -- set to feature in the 2016 games -- has been closed indefinitely due to a problem with its roof.
According to Havana Cardinal Jaime Ortega, hours before being elected as pope then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio delivered a speech before the church's cardinals that included a ringing critique of the church.
Brazil and China signed a $30 billion currency swap deal to guard against a future financial crisis.

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Morning Brief: Syrian opposition takes seat at Arab League summit

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - 8:47 AM

Top news: Representatives of the Syrian opposition took Syria's place at an Arab League summit in Doha on Tuesday, filling the seat for the first time since President Bashar al-Assad's government was suspended in November 2011. The decision to elevate the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces came after Qatar's emir, Hamad bin Khalifah Al Thani, appealed to other Arab leaders to make a formal invitation.

Heading the Syrian delegation, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib delivered an emotional speech in the name of 100,000 people he said had died in the conflict so far. Replacing Assad's representatives at the Arab League, he said, amounted to "part of the restoration of legitimacy" his countrymen had "long been robbed of." Al-Khatib has said he plans to step down as head of the opposition coalition because of the international community's unwillingness to arm the rebels.

Inside Syria, troops loyal to Assad reportedly seized control of the Baba Amr district of Homs, following two weeks of heavy fighting.

Central African Republic: Seleka rebel leader Michel Djotodia promised to name a power-sharing government in Central African Republic, following Sunday's coup that forced Francois Bozize into exile. Djotodia has since suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament.

Africa

Congolese rebel commander Bosco Ntaganda is expected to appear before the International Criminal Court on Tuesday.
The European Union suspended sanctions against a number of officials and companies in Zimbabwe following the country's "credible" constitutional referendum.
Former Zambian President Rupiah Banda pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to abuse charges stemming from his time in office.

Middle East

Egyptian authorities on Monday arrested five anti-Islamist rioters on charges of inciting violence against the Muslim Brotherhood.
Syrian rebels shelled Umayyad Square in central Damascus Monday, killing at least one person.
Jordan closed the Jaber border crossing with Syria Monday, following two days of fighting there between Syrian rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Asia

North Korea ordered its rocket and artillery units to be combat ready on Tuesday, targeting several U.S. bases.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai heaped praise on the United States Monday after U.S. forces handed control of most of the prisoners in Bagram Prison to the Afghan government.
Australia's defense minister announced Tuesday that most Australian troops will withdraw from southern Afghanistan at the end of the year, shutting down a major NATO base.

Americas

Peru declared an environmental state of emergency on Monday in the remote Pastaza River, where the country's most productive oil fields are located.
A mine collapse in Chile's northern Atacama region left a miner trapped roughly 1000 feet underground.
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook the outskirts of Guatemala City on Monday, but authorities reported no damage or deaths.

Europe

The U.S. State Department urged the European Union on Monday to follow the United States' lead and impose sanctions on North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank.
Silvio Berlusconi's demand on Monday to be included in a coalition government with Pier Luigi Bersani's center-left Democratic Party failed to end Italy's post-election stalemate.
All banks in Cyprus will remain closed until Thursday, despite the new bailout deal secured on Monday.

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Morning Brief: Cyprus reaches new bailout deal with European regulators

Posted By Elias Groll Monday, March 25, 2013 - 8:43 AM

Top news: European financial regulators struck a last-minute deal with the Cypriot government in the early hours of Monday that will prevent Cyprus' exit from the eurozone and scraps a politically toxic proposal to tax small bank deposits in order to fund the bailout. But the new deal still imposes steep requirements on the Cypriot economy and will likely bring to an end its highly lucrative, if volatile, position as an off-shore tax shelter.

The new agreement, hammered out during marathon negotiatons, will impose significant fees -- the exact size of which remain to be determined -- on deposits above 100,000 euro in Laika Bank, the country's second largest, and will drastically reduce the size of the country's banking sector, which had expanded to several times the size of the entire Cypriot economy. Under the agreement, Laiki will be wound down and split into two entities. Deposits under 100,000 euro will be spun off and moved to the Bank of Cyprus, which will help support that bank's survival, while deposits over that amount will be used to finance the bailout. Laiki bondholders are also expected to absorb large losses under the deal. Additionally, Cyprus agreed to cut government spending, carry out privatizations, and trim the size of the banking sector.

The agreement ends a week of fraught negotiations and panicked bank runs in Cyprus, and while the agreement ensures Cyprus' continued membership in the eurozone, it is no major victory for any of the parties involved. "It's not that we won a battle, but we really have avoided a disastrous exit from the eurozone," Cypriot Finance Minister Michalis Sarris said in Brussels.

Central African Republic: Rebel forces seized control of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, amid reports that the country's president had fled. President François Bozizé had attempted to buy off the militia and stall their advance through aborted peace talks, and their seizure of the capital represents the most significant escalation in violence in a rebellion that has been brewing for several years.

Middle East

Moaz al Khatib, the moderate head of the Syrian Opposition Council, resigned in protest of the selection of Ghassan Hitto to lead the interim Syrian government.
The head of the Free Syrian Army was injured in a bomb blast, resulting in his foot to be amputated.
In a surprise visit to Baghdad, Secretary of State John Kerry lobbied the Iraqi government to prevent Iran from sending arms to the Syrian regime but failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough.

Asia

Pervez Musharraf, the exiled former president of Pakistan, returned to his country, where he faces myriad legal challenges and a highly uncertain political future.
The U.S. military transferred control of the last detention facility under its control in Afghanistan to the Afghan government, ending a long-standing dispute.
Sectarian violence in Burma spread to at least two additional cities over the weekend and saw tensions between Buddhists and Muslims boil over, leading to the burning of several mosques.

Europe

Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in Paris against a law that would legalize same sex marriage, which has been passed in the lower house and is set to be taken up by the French Senate next month.
In what will be his first overseas trip, Pope Francis announced that he will visit a youth festival in Brazil in July.
After searching for chemicals and radiation at the home of deceased Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, British police said hey had found no trace of such materials or evidence of outside involvement in his death.

Africa

Radical Islamists infiltrated and attacked the city of Gao in Mali but were repulsed by Malian forces.
In his second overseas trip since taking power, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised<> Africa as a continent "of hope and promise" during remarks in Tanzania.
Zambia's former President Rupiah Banda was arrested on charges he had stolen $11 million in connection with an oil deal.

Americas

Police in Rio de Janeiro forcibly evicted a group of indigenous people who had been squatting in an old museum that authorities want razed in advance of next year's World Cup.
Salvadorans marched through the streets Sunday urging sainthood for the slain archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, who was killed in 1980 by a gunman believed to be working on behalf of El Salvador's military government.
The bodies of seven men placed in plastic chairs near a traffic circle were found in Michoacan, and another seven, including three federal agents, were killed in Guerrero.

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Morning Brief: Obama appeals to Israelis and Palestinians to put pressure on leaders

Posted By Joshua Keating Friday, March 22, 2013 - 8:38 AM

Top news: Speaking to an Israeli crowd in Jerusalem as well as Palestinians in the West Bank on Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama urged the people of the region to push their leaders for peace. "Speaking as a politician, I can promise you this: political leaders will not take risks if the people do not demand that they do. You must create the change that you want to see," he said in a speech at the Jerusalem convention center, echoing themes from his own campaign rhetoric.

He also said, "Just as Israelis built a state in their homeland, Palestinians have a right to be a free people in their own land." Obama criticized Palestinian rocket attacks on Southern Israel, on of which took place just hours before his meeting in the West Bank with President Mahmoud Abbas. He also said that Israeli settlement projects made a two-state solution "very difficult," but stopped short of calling for an immediate halt to their construction.

In his final day in Israel today, Obama toured the Holocaust memorial at Yad Vashem and visited the graves of Theodor Herzl and Yitzhak Rabin. Obama's next stop is Jordan, for talks with King Abdullah about the deteriorating situation in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry will return to Israel this weekend for additional talks.

Syria: An explosion at a central Damascus mosque killed at least 42 people, including the country's most prominent pro-Assad Sunni cleric.

Asia

Myanmar has declared martial law in four towns after riots between Buddhists and Muslims.
Four people were killed in a U.S. drone attack in Northwest Pakistan.
India's parliament passed a new bill to deter crimes against women.

Europe

Cyprus' parliament is preparing to vote on a controversial European bailout deal.
Italy has agreed to return two marines accused of murdering two Indian fishermen to India for trial.
Portugal's government will face a symbolic vote of no confidence.

Middle East

Jailed P.K.K. leader Abdullah Ocalan called for a ceasefire by the Kurdish rebel group.
Oman's sultan has reportedly pardoned all jailed political activists.
Algeria's government says members of Muammar al-Qaddafi's family are no longer in the country.

Americas

Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez gave a press conference at the United Nations despite complaints from Cuban diplomats.
A U.S. agency says it found no evidence that military drills on the island of Vieques caused illness in the population.
An active duty U.S. marine killed two fellow service members and himself at a base in Quantico, Va.

Africa

The U.S. designated Mali's Ansar Dine as a foreign terrorist organization.
Central African Republic rebels rejected an offer from President Francois Bozize.
Nigerian author Chinua Achebe has died.

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Morning Brief: Obama meets with Palestinian President Abbas on second day of Israel visit

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, March 21, 2013 - 8:48 AM

Top news: In a joint news conference in the West Bank with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S. President Barack Obama reaffirmed his commitment to a two-state solution, saying the Palestinians deserve an end to occupation and the "daily indignities that come with it." Obama also said that Israeli settlement activity is "unhelpful" and reiterated that direct negotiations are the only path to an agreement: "There's no short cut to a sustainable solution."

Obama's trip to the West Bank comes on the second day of his visit to Israel, where on Wednesday he expressed unwavering support for the Jewish state during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In addition to taking questions on Syria and Iran, the president announced that he and Netanyahu had begun talks on extending the defense assistance agreement between the United States and Israel, set to expire in 2017.

Obama also pledged to investigate the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria, saying proof that such weapons had been deployed by the Syrian military would be a "game changer" for American involvement in the conflict.

War on terror: Overemphasis by U.S. spy agencies on drone strikes and other paramilitary operations has resulted in intelligence blind spots in China and the Middle East, according to a previously undisclosed report by the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

Middle East

Kuwaiti lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that grants citizenship to 4,000 "stateless" people, of whom there are some 106,000 in the tiny Gulf emirate.
Egypt's strategic wheat reserves have dwindled to roughly 2.4 million tons, or less than a three month supply, amid increasingly dire economic conditions.
Two rockets fired Thursday from the Gaza Strip landed in the southern Israeli town of Sderot as U.S. President Barack Obama met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Africa

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson called Wednesday for Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda to be transferred to the ICC "as quickly as possible."
The ICC's chief prosecutor said Wednesday that the trial of Kenyan President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta on charges of war crimes will go ahead, though the timing remains up in the air.
In an interview published Wednesday, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said he will not seek reelection in 2015.

Asia

The Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Wednesday that a rat may have caused Monday's power outage at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Afghan Presidents Hamid Karzai signed a deal with Turkmenistan and Tajikistan Wednesday to build a railway linking the three countries.
North Korea on Thursday issued a fresh threat to attack U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam.

Americas

Venezuela severed an informal channel of communication with the United States Wednesday over comments made by a U.S. diplomat about presidential candidate is Henrique Capriles.
The trial of the former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt, who stands accused of genocide and crimes against humanity, got underway Wednesday in Guatemala City.
Chilean authorities are investigating the mysterious death of thousands of prawns that have washed ashore Coronel city.

Europe

Germany's government dropped a bid to outlaw the country's far-right National Democratic Party, characterized by intelligence agencies as "racist, anti-Semitic and revisionist."
Banks remained closed in Cyprus Wednesday as the government proposed an emergency bond sale, among other measures, as part of a plan to reassure international lenders.
French police searched IMF chief Christine Lagarde's Paris apartment on Wednesday as part of an investigation into her role in a 2008 financial scandal.

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Morning Brief: Obama arrives in Israel for two-day trip

Posted By Elias Groll Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - 8:38 AM

Top news: President Barack Obama arrived in Israel today for his first visit to the country and the first overseas trip of his second term. But after four years of strained relations between Obama and his counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the trip is not expected to produce any major breakthroughs on the peace process and is instead expected to focus on regional security issues, including the conflict in Syria and Iran's nuclear program.

The trip's centerpiece will be a speech to a group of Israeli youth, and as the rest of his trip's itinerary indicates -- stops at the grave of Theodor Herzl, father of modern Zionism, and a viewing of the Dead Sea Scrolls -- Obama's trip is perhaps aimed more at mending fences with a country he has at times had a testy relationship with and that has exasperated him than producing diplomatic breakthroughs. "I see this visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our two nations," Obama declared upon stepping off Air Force One in Tel Aviv.

Obama will also meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but he will arrive in the West Bank without any new peace initiative in hand. White House advisers have said that the trip will seek to encourage the Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table, but with enduring tensions over Israeli settlement activity, a deep rift between Hamas and Fatah, and recent fighting between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, officials in Washington have made no indication how they plan to overcome these serious obstacles.

At the conclusion of his trip to Israel, Obama will travel to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah.

Cyprus: The Cypriot parliament rejected a 10 billion euro bailout package for the country's banks that would have required a levy on Cypriot bank deposits, a component of the measure that had caused widespread outrage on the tiny island nation. The rejection of the measure forces President Nicos Anastasiades to return to the drawing board and find a way to tweak the measure to save his country's banking system.

Asia

A computer virus shut down the networks of a series of major South Korean banks and broadcasters, sparking speculation that North Korea may have launched a cyber attack in retaliation for recent sanctions.
The Philippine Supreme Court delayed the implementation of a law that would provide free contraception to poor women.
Afghan and NATO officials reached an agreement on the gradual withdrawal of U.S. special forces from Wardak Province, where allegations of human rights abuses have led to discontent with the U.S. military's presence.

Middle East

A senior Israeli official said that it is "apparently clear" that chemical weapons were used in a recent attack on a village in northern Syria.
An umbrella group of militants that includes al Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for a series of bombings that killed more than 50 people earlier this week.
The Saudi Arabian government arrested 18 individuals involved in what it said was a spying operation for another state.

Europe

French President Francois Hollande's budget minister, Jerome Cahuzac, resigned amid allegations he has an undeclared Swiss bank account, dealing a defeat to Hollande on the same day his government faces its first confidence vote.
British Finance Minister George Osborne is set to unveil his government's new budget today and is expected to continue his efforts aimed at broad deficit reduction.
Germany's interior minister said he supports an effort by German states to ban the country's largest far-right party but said he would not seek to have the party banned at the national level.

Africa

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the group's North Africa affiliate, said it had killed a French hostage captured in Mali in 2011.
The death toll in a suicide bombing in a busy Nigerian commercial center rose to 41, the deadliest attack so far attributed to the country's Islamist militants.
Voters in Zimbabwe overwhelmingly approved their country's new constitution in a referendum held last weekend, election authorities announced.

Americas

The trial of U.S.-backed Guatemalan strongman Efrain Rios Montt began with testimony describing a brutal military attack on an indigenous village, kicking off a trial that is unprecedented in Latin America's history.
An Argentine Catholic activist group said Pope Francis I, while the head of the church in Argentina, reacted slowly in moving against priests guilty of sex abuse.
The number of inmates on a hunger strike in the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay has risen to 24.

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Morning Brief: Bombs kill at least 50 on 10th anniversary of Iraq invasion

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - 8:37 AM

Top news: A series of bombings in Shi'ite neighborhoods in and around Baghdad left at least 50 people dead on Tuesday, which marks the 10th anniversary of the United States invasion of Iraq. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni insurgents linked to al Qaeda have ramped up their campaign against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government in recent weeks, killing 30 people in an attack on the Justice Ministry as recently as March 14.

Overall, the level of violence in Iraq has declined from its peak in 2006-2007, but the insurgency continues to claim roughly 300 lives per month, according to the BBC. Because of the fragile security situation, the government announced Tuesday that it will postpone provincial elections in the Anbar and Nineveh provinces for up to six months. The elections were set to begin on April 20.

Cyprus bailout: Cyprus's government proposed Tuesday to exempt savings under 20,000 euros from a planned 6.7 percent levy on bank deposits under 100,000 euros, but the parliament is still expected to vote down the measure. The EU has said it will withhold bailout funds until Cyprus accepts a tax on depositors.

Middle East

The opposition Syrian National Coalition elected Ghassan Hitto, a U.S. citizen, as its provisional prime minister in a vote in Istanbul on Tuesday.
A Syrian state news agency on Tuesday accused rebel forces of firing a chemical weapon in the northern province of Aleppo, a charge that rebels quickly denied.
U.S. President Barack Obama sent a video message to the leaders and people of Iran marking the Persian Nowruz, or new year, and expressing willingness to resolve the nuclear standoff "peacefully" and "diplomatically."

Africa

Bosco Ntaganda, a Congolese rebel leader wanted for war crimes, turned himself in to the American embassy in Rwanda on Monday and asked to be transferred to the International Criminal Court.
Lawyers representing Uhuru Kenyatta argued on Monday that the charges against the Kenyan president-elect should be dropped because they are based on hearsay.
A series of explosions at a bus station in northern Nigeria killed at least 20 people.

Asia

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday as part of his first major trip abroad as secretary.
Pakistani authorities arrested Qari Abdul Hai, a former leader of the militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, in connection with the 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
The DMK party withdrew from India's coalition government on Tuesday after it failed to condemn alleged atrocities committed by Sri Lanka against minority Tamils.

Americas

Landslides caused by heavy rain killed at least 16 people in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro.
The trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity is set to begin Tuesday.
Pope Francis did not apologize or offer financial restitution to those who were molested by clergy under his watch as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Europe

Pope Francis called on world leaders to serve "the poorest, the weakest" in his inaugural mass on Tuesday in Rome.
British newspapers on Tuesday pushed back against a new press code agreed to by lawmakers in the wake of the country's phone hacking scandal.
Russia closed its investigation into the death of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky after finding that no crimes were committed during his arrest or imprisonment.

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Morning Brief: Cyprus bailout sparks new round of economic turmoil in Europe

Posted By Elias Groll Monday, March 18, 2013 - 8:43 AM

Top news: With the decision to require Cypriot depositors to pay for a bailout of the country's ailing banking sector, European regulators may have set off a new phase in the eurozone crisis as outrage mounted over the weekend against the plan and some analysts warned that a run on Cyprus' banks may spread to Italy and Spain.

In Cyprus, political support for the 1 billion euro bailout package is now crumbling. The Cypriot parliament has delayed a key vote to approve the measure after people flocked to ATMs over the weekend to remove cash from their accounts before the tax was implemented. Under the terms of the current deal, accounts with under 100,000 euros would be taxed at a rate of 6.75 percent and accounts over 100,000 at a rate of 9.9 percent. Cyprus' president, Nicos Anastasiades, tried to to sell his country on the deal, which was largely forced on him by European financial mandarins, in an address to the nation, arguing that without the deal the country's financial system would completely collapse, the economy would be crippled, and the country would likely exit the eurozone.

Under previous bailouts, bond holders have been forced to take losses on their holdings in order to finance loan packages, but individual depositors have so far been exempt from having their savings raided to bail out banks. The reversal of that policy has led to fears that depositors in Spain and Italy may move quickly to remove their savings from banks, a move that would devastate those countries' financial systems. The new policy is the result of two main factors: Germany's unwillingness to finance further bailouts out of its own pocket and the presence in the Cypriot banking system of large deposits held by Russians, who have taken advantage of the country's lax banking rules to park their money there. Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the measure, calling it " "unfair, unprofessional and dangerous."

Anastasiades is now attempting to renogotiate the terms fo the deal to shift the rate at which deposits would be taxed to more heavily affect larger deposits, a move that would place the burden more heavily on the large foreign deposits which currently reside in Cypriot banks.

China: Speaking on the final day of the People's National Congress, China's new prime minister, Li Keqiang, presented a reformist vision for his country's future, arguing that growth must occur within the parameters of environmental protection.

Middle East

With the amount of territory under its control steadily growing, the Syrian opposition is attempting to form an interim government capable of dispensing basic services.
Israel released Ayman Sharawneh, a Palestinian man who has been on a hunger strike for several months, in a deal that will require him to be confined to Gaza for the next 10 years.
Days ahead of the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a car bomb struck just north of the southern city of Basra, killing at least 10 and wounding several others.

Asia

Afghan opposition politicians have opened negotiations with the Taliban ahead of next year's election, which will determine the sucessor to Hamid Karzai.
Five men were arrested in connection with the gang rape of a 39-year-old Swiss woman travelling by bicycle through central India together with her husband.
When the clock hit midnight on Saturday, Pakistan's government became the first in the country's history to serve out its full term, a crucial milestone for a democracy with a history of coups and instability.

Europe

A top Russian diplomat said that the United States' decision to move parts of its missile defense system out of Europe did not address Russia's concerns on the issue.
Britain's three main political partise reached an agreement over how to regulate the British press, an initiative put forward after revelations of wide-spread phone hacking.
The Italian parliament elected speakers in both its houses, but it is likely Italians will have to return to the polls in order for a government to be put in place.

Africa

One day after a referendum on the country's new constitution, Zimbabwean security forces arrested three prominent opposition politicians and a renowned human rights lawyer.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga filed a brief with Kenya's supreme court to overturn the decision that handed a narrow victory to Uhuru Kenyatta in the recent presidential elections.
A massive car bomb struck the center of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, killing at least 8 with casualties expected to rise.

Americas

Lima's first elected female mayor, who has launched an effort to tackle corruption in the city, will likely survive a recall vote, according to exit polls.
Venezuelan opposition politician Henrique Capriles launched a nation-wide tour as part of his effort to unseat Hugo Chavez's chosen successor, Nicolas Maduro.
A fireworks explosion in rural Mexico during a religious procession killed at least 17 people.

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Morning Brief: Netanyahu reaches agreement to form coalition government

Posted By Elias Groll Friday, March 15, 2013 - 8:42 AM

Israel: Following weeks of negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached a coalition agreement with two first-time politicians to set up a government that will contain a mix of secular and nationalist groups but not any ultra-orthodox political parties, which is only the third time since 1977 that such a party will not be included in the governing coalition.

While Netanyahu has made waves in recent weeks for his bellicose statements on the Iranian nuclear program, his new government likely portends a returned focus to domestic political issues. Yair Lapid, one of the political newcomers with whom Netanyahu brokered the agreement, campaigned on a platform that centered on reintegrating the country's ultra-orthodox population into Israeli political life, which currently exempts them from military rule and provides generous subsidies in order for ultra-orthodox men to continue religious study. Lapid will serve as finance minister in the new government, a role which will grant him wide control over the country's budget and places him in a key position to deliver on his promise to end subsidies to the ultra-orthodox.

Given the government's composition, it also appears unlikely that Netanyahu will be able to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. His other major coalition partner, Naftali Bennet, a nationalist who campaigned on a hard-line platform on Jewish settlements, will lead the economy of ministry and trade, and his party will control the Construction and Housing Ministry, which is a key post in the settlement question and one that carries an outsized role in laying the groundwork for talks to restart. Tzipi Livni, a veteran of Ehud Olmert's government, will serve as minister of justice and will head up peace talks with the Palestinians should they resume.

With control over 68 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, Netanyahu's coalition is a fragile one, cementing what was largely seen as a humbling election result for a man who had sought to consolidate power in elections earlier this year. "This coalition is a humiliating defeat for Netanyahu," Eytan Gilboa, an Israeli political scientist, told the Washington Post. "He wanted a very different coalition but couldn't break up the Lapid-Bennett axis. He has a narrow-based government, and at any point Lapid, Bennett, or both, could bring it down."

U.S./Finance: A new report from the U.S. Senate alleges that J.P. Morgan ignored internal risk controls and tampered with documents filed to regulators as the bank racked up staggering losses -- estimated at about $6 billion -- centered around the investment activity of one trader in its London office, a man better known as the "London whale."

Asia

Charged with carrying out economic reform, Li Keqiang was approved by the National People's Congress as China's number two leader.
Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was heckled during a visit to a copper mine, the latest incident in the Nobel laureate's rocky transition from dissident to mainstream politician.
The U.N. special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism said that U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan violate that country's sovereignty and that Pakistani authorities had told they had logged at least 400 civilian casualties caused by such strikes.

Middle East

U.S. President Barack Obama said in an interview with an Israeli television station that it would take Iran "over a year or so" for it to develop a nuclear bomb.
Gunmen disguised as police carried out a carefully planned raid on Iraq's Justice Ministry that included the use of car bombs and at least left 24 dead.
Thousands of protesters in Bahrain clashed with police to mark the two-year anniversary of a Saudi-led intervention to quell the uprising.

Europe

In his first public mass as the head of the Catholic Church -- delivered in Italian, not Latin -- Pope Francis I urged the church to return to its roots in the gospel.
French President Francois Hollande said that his country and Britain are pushing the EU to lift its arms embargo so that arms may flow to Syrian rebels.
An influential British parliamentary committee said that it is not necessary to institute a ban on banks trading with their own money, a measure commonly known as the Volcker rule.

Americas

Testimony resumed in a high-profile case against former Haitian strongman Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier on charges related to human rights abuses and financial misdeeds.
Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez arrived in New York for the U.S. leg of her international tour.
The leader of Mexico's best-known vigilante group said that his group would no longer participate in masked, armed checkpoints.

Africa

A Malawian court granted bail to 11 men accused of plotting a coup following the death of the country's former president, Bingu wa Mutharika
Botswana's foreign minister apologized after for saying that Kenya's newly elected president, Uhuru Kenyatta, would not be welcome in his country unless he cooperates with the International Criminal Court.
A consortium of countries issued an ultimatum to the worst offenders in the illicit ivory trade to crack down on the industry or face sanctions.

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Morning Brief: Cardinals select Argentine pope

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, March 14, 2013 - 8:44 AM

Top news: After just two days of balloting, the cardinals gathered in Rome selected Jorge Mario Bergoglio, former archbishop of Buenos Aires, as the next leader of the Catholic Church. The first pope from Latin America -- and the first Jesuit -- Bergoglio has taken the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. His election is widely seen as a reflection of the church's ascendance in Latin America -- where 40 percent of all Catholics reside -- and its relative decline in Europe. As the new pope put it in his first address, "My brother cardinals have chosen one who is from far away, but here I am."

Though he is considered less aloof than his predecessor, Benedict XVI, Francis is not expected to push the church into new territory when it comes to controversial doctrinal issues like the ordination of women as priests or support for gay marriage. Francis did, however, break with tradition in his first act as pope, declining to bless the crowd gathered at St. Peter's and asking them to pray for him instead: "Let us say this prayer, your prayer for me, in silence," he said.

Libya: President Barack Obama named Deborah K. Jones as the new U.S. envoy to Tripoli, replacing Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, who died in the Sept. 11 consular attack in Benghazi. The president also met with Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan at the White House, urging him to help identify and bring to justice the attackers behind the Benghazi attack.

Middle East

Tunisia's parliament on Wednesday approved a new cabinet proposed by Islamist Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh.
Kurdish militants released eight Turkish captives on Wednesday, signaling progress in negotiations between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish government.
The United States extended waivers on Iran sanctions to Japan and 10 European Union countries on Wednesday.

Africa

A court in Malawi charged former Foreign Minister Peter Mutharika and 11 others with treason for allegedly attempting to prevent Joyce Banda from succeeding Bingu wa Mutharika as president.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan pardoned Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, a former state governor convicted of corruption and money laundering in 2007.
South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said that at least 28 percent of the country's school-age girls are HIV positive, as opposed to 4 percent for boys.

Asia

Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., the top American commander in Afghanistan, advised his forces to take additional security measures after President Hamid Karzai made a series of anti-American remarks.
A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people at a traditional game of buzkash in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz.
Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng said his family remains under surveillance almost a full year after he fled to the United States.

Americas

Acting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro backed off his earlier statements, suggesting that the body of the former president Hugo Chavez would be embalmed.
A court in Chile ordered the remains of Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda exhumed on April 8 as part of an investigation into the cause of his death in 1973.
Acting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused "far right" actors in the United States of plotting to kill opposition leader and presidential hopeful Henrique Capriles.

Europe

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called Wednesday for Europe to drop its ban on supplying arms to Syrian rebels.
German authorities outlawed three Salafist Muslim groups Wednesday on the grounds that they are "incompatible with our free democratic order," in the words of Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich.
A Bulgarian man set himself alight in Sofia Wednesday, marking the country's fourth self-immolation this month.

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Morning Brief: Karzai again suggests U.S.-Taliban cooperation after deadliest day for American forces this year

Posted By Joshua Keating Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - 8:30 AM

Top news: In a speech to tribal leaders and elders on Tuesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai repeated his assertion that the Taliban is working in cooperation with foreign militaries to maintain an international presence in the country.

"You announce that you show your power to America by killing an 8-year-old Muslim child and civilians," he said. "I don't think so. You are serving for them."

Karzai, who had made similar remarks last weekend before meeting with visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, also blasted secret talks between Taliban leaders and Western governments.

The U.S. addressed Karzai's statements last weekend with U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham saying "the thought that we would collude with the Taliban flies in the face of everything we have done here."

The latest round of tension between Karzai and the U.S. government comes as American forces in the country suffered their deadliest day so far this year. On Tuesday, officials confirmed that five American soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash in Southern Afghanistan on Monday. The crash followed the killing of two American troops along with three policemen and two Afghan Army officers by a gunman in an Afghan Army uniform at a base in the Eastern Wardak province earlier that day.

Pope vote: The College of Cardinals have not yet come to an agreement on the second day of balloting for a new pope.

Africa

Sudan and South Sudan reached an agreement to resume oil production.
The Nigerian government pardoned a key ally of President Goodluck Jonathan who had been convicted of corruption.
At least six people were killed in clashes between police and a Catholic sect in Burundi.

Americas

Falkland Islands voters nearly unanimously approved maintaining their ties with Britain.
A U.S. general acknowledged that the country has the capability to launch offensive cyberattacks.
The Mexican government launched a proposal to break up the country's telecoms monopolies.

Asia

Five people were killed in a militant attack on a military compound in Kashmir.
Officials say a soldier was stoned to death in Northwest Pakistan.
The latest statement from North Korea attacked South Korean President Park Geun-hye's "venomous swish" of skirt.

Europe

The Netherlands has raised its terrorism alert level.
A member of the EU's delegation to Syria was killed in a rocket attack.
The eurozone's industrial production fell by .4 percent in January.

Middle East

A new report by Save The Children documents the killing and torture of children in the Syrian conflict.
A Tunisian man has died after setting fire to himself in central Tunis.
The PKK has released eight Turkish hostages.

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Morning Brief: Cardinals gather to select next pope

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - 8:26 AM

Top news: The Roman Catholic cardinals who have gathered in Rome to elect the next pope filed into St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday for the final Mass before the conclave. There, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the college of cardinals, used his homily to appeal for unity within the Catholic Church. "St. Paul teaches that each of us must work to build up the unity of the church," the New York Times quoted him as saying. "All of us are therefore called to cooperate with the pastors, in particular with the successor of Peter, to obtain that unity of the holy church."

Unlike the last papal election, in which Cardinal Ratzinger was one of a few leading candidates, this conclave is thought to be wide open, with many of the 115 age-eligible cardinals considered to be in the running. At most one round of balloting will take place on Tuesday, however, and there is virtually no chance that any of the candidates will receive the requisite two-thirds majority to be selected in the first round.

The papal election was triggered by Pope Benedict XVI's abdication last month, the first such resignation in nearly 600 years.

Energy: A Japanese oil company reported Tuesday that it had successfully extracted natural gas from offshore methane hydrate -- or clathrate -- deposits, marking the first time in history this process has been completed. The Nankai Trough gas field, located a little more than 30 miles offshore, could provide an alternative energy source for the island nation, the BBC reports.

Middle East

Kuwait submitted a memorandum to the U.N. over a border incident in which stone-throwing Iraqi protesters prompted Iraqi security forces to fire in the air, leading Kuwaiti border guards to believe they were under fire.
Egyptian lawmakers decided Monday to draft a new election law aimed at circumventing a court-ordered delay for upcoming parliamentary elections.
A U.N. agency reported that the son of a BBC journalist killed last November in Gaza may have died from a Palestinian rocket, not an Israeli airstrike as originally reported.

Africa

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf reshuffled her cabinet on Monday, replacing her ministers of labor, commerce, and transport.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir ordered his soldiers to withdraw from buffer zone along the border with Sudan.
The International Criminal Court on Monday dropped war-crimes charges against Francis Muthaura, a co-defendant in the case against Kenyan President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta.

Asia

U.S. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon demanded Monday that China cease its cyber espionage activities and agree to "acceptable norms of behavior in cyberspace."
Two American soldiers died Monday in a "green-on-blue" attack by an Afghan soldier in the Jalriz district of Wardak.
Pakistan began construction Monday on a natural gas pipeline that links to Iran.

Americas

The United States expelled two Venezuelan diplomats on Monday in retaliation for the expulsion of two U.S. military attaches from the Bolivarian Republic last week.
A newspaper in the northern Mexican city of Saltillo announced Monday it no longer plans to cover the drug war because of threats to the paper's staff.
Acting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and challenger Henrique Capriles kicked off the country's presidential race Monday even as the country remains in mourning for Chavez.

Europe

Dozens of MPs from former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party protested Monday outside the Milan courtroom where he is on trial for having sex with an underage prostitute.
Hungary's parliament passed a controversial set of constitutional amendments despite a boycott by members of the opposition.
A British judge sentenced former Energy Minister Chris Huhne and his wife to eight months in prison for lying about who was at the wheel during a 2003 speeding incident.

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Morning Brief: Kenyatta scores narrow victory in disputed Kenya election

Posted By Elias Groll Monday, March 11, 2013 - 8:43 AM

Top news: Uhuru Kenyatta, indicted by the International Criminal Court for bankrolling election-related violence in 2007, won a narrow victory in Kenya's presidential election, securing 50.07 percent of the vote election authorities announced Saturday. Clearing the 50 percent mark with about 8,000 votes of over 12 million cast, Kenyatta, who is the son of Kenya's first president, will avoid a run-off, though his challenger, Raila Odinga, vowed to challenge the results.

Odinga maintained that the election was marred by fraud, refused to concede defeat, and said that he would challenge the election results before the Kenyan supreme court, saying Saturday that "democracy is on trial." With a mere 8,000 votes separating Odinga from a one-on-one rematch with Kenyatta, the stakes in the coming legal battle will be high, which is likely to focus on the many problems that bedeviled the country's election, including problems with the initial tally, overloaded servers, and a scrapped national ID system.

Should Kenyatta hold on to power, his ascension to the presidency is likely to create a difficult diplomatic situation for the West, which will have to balance the interests of maintaining relations with a key African ally and their commitments to the ICC. In a message Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry congratulated Kenyans for voting peacefully but pointedly omitted Kenyatta's name.

Afghanistan/U.S.: Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused the United States of being in collusion with the Taliban to maintain a military presence in the country, remarks that coincided with newly minted Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's visit to the country.

Asia

The United States and South Korea began a military exercise amid increasing tensions with North Korea, which has upped its bellicose rhetoric and threatened to strike the South with nuclear weapons.
Japan is marking the two-year anniversary today of the earthquake that led to a devastating tsunami, the subsequent meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, and the deaths of 19,000 people.
The ringleader of the men alleged to have gang-raped and killed a 23-year-old Indian woman aboard a bus in New Delhi hanged himself in his jail cell, sparking allegations that police killed the man.

Middle East

An Iraqi group affiliated with al Qaeda claimed responsibility for an attack on Syrian soldiers in Western Iraq that left 48 Syrian soldiers dead.
Syrian rebels freed 21 U.N. peacekeepers taken hostage near the Golan Heights.
The Tunisian prime minister-designate submitted a reshuffled cabinet lineup that includes key concessions by Islamist parties to the country's president.

Africa

Radical Islamists in Nigeria executed seven construction workers, including several Westerners, who had been taken hostage.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said his country's forces had found weapons "by the ton" belonging to radical Islamists and stockpiled in caves.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela returned home after being admitted to a hospital overnight for medical tests.

Americas

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles announced that he will run for president and challenge Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor, Nicolas Maduro, in elections set for April 14.
Lauded as a reincarnation of the famed revolutionary, Simon Bolivar, Hugo Chavez was given a state funeral Friday that served as a political hand-off to his chosen successor, Nicolas Maduro, who was sworn in as president shortly after.
The residents of the Falkland Islands are voting in a two-day referendum on whether to remain a British territory.

Europe

Cardinals gathered in the Vatican for the papal conclave are carrying out their final meetings today before going behind closed doors Tuesday afternoon for the start of the election.
Hungary's right-wing ruling party is attempting to push through a slate of changes to the country's basic law that critics charge will undermine democracy.
Amid criticism from European human rights officials, the trial of the dead lawyer Sergei Magnitsky has been delayed.

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Morning Brief: Maduro to be sworn in as leaders gather for Chavez funeral

Posted By Joshua Keating Friday, March 8, 2013 - 9:47 AM

Top news: More than 30 world leaders, including Raul Castro and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have arrived in Venezuela for the funeral of Hugo Chavez. The government has announced that Chavez's body will be embalmed for public view. The late president's body is already lying in state and officials say more than 2 million people have viewed it since Wednesday.

Legislature chief Diasdado Cabello announced that Vice President and Chavez's chosen successor Nicolas Maduro will be sworn in as acting president today. He will also be the ruling party's candidate in upcoming elections, which the constitution says must be held within 30 days. The opposition has objected, saying the constitution specifies Cabello should be the acting president.

Maduro appears likely to face Henrique Capriles, the Miranda state governor who lost to Chavez in last year's election.

Terrorism: Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, who was arrested in Turkey last week, will appear in a New York courtroom today. Sulaiman Abu Ghaith will be charged with conspiracy to kill Americans, though officials say he has not played an operational role in Al Qaeda for many years. He was first arrested in Turkey last month and was then detained by American officials during a stopover in Jordan after Turkish authorities deported him to Kuwait.

Asia

North Korea responded to new U.N. sanctions by saying it would nullify all nonaggression agreements with South Korea.
Five Afghan police were killed by an IED during a poppy eradication campaign in the west of the country.
Malaysia rejected calls for a ceasefire as the military killed 31 gunmen loyal to a Filipino sultan in Borneo.

Middle East

Syrian rebels are claiming they rescued, rather than kidnapped, a group of 20 Filipino U.N. peacekeepers, but are still holding them.
Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque.
The U.S. State Department has withdrawn an honor from an Egyptian activist over anti-Semitic and anti-American tweets.

Africa

Uhuru Kenyatta's lead over Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Kenya's presidential election is narrowing, raising the possibility of a runoff.
Nine South African police were charged with murder for dragging a man behind a police van.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan rejected calls to grant amnesty to the leader of Boko Haram.

Europe

Russian police detained several supporters of Pussy Riot who were demonstrating on International Women's Day.
The last of the 115 cardinals who will elect the next pope has arrived in Rome.
Two British police officials admitted to selling information to the Sun tabloid.

Americas

Mexican police detained 34 vigilantes.
Two men testified about their imprisonment under Jean-Claude Duvalier at his human rights trial.
Brazil's congress overrode a presidential veto of a law to divide the country's oil revenues.

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Morning Brief: Syrian rebels seize 21 U.N. peacekeepers near Golan Heights

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, March 7, 2013 - 9:21 AM

Top news: Syrian rebels seized 21 U.N. peacekeepers from the Philippines on Wednesday in a bid to convince President Bashar al-Assad pull back from a rebel-held village near the Golan Heights. In a video posted to the Internet, a man claiming to be the spokesman for the rebel Martyrs of Yarmouk Brigades said that his men will hold the peacekeepers until Assad's forces withdraw from Jamlah, which has seen heavy fighting in recent days. A later message on the Yarmouk Brigades' Facebook page hinted that Assad would bear responsibility for any harm to the prisoners, who had been on patrol in the disputed Golan region between Israel and Syria.

The incident marked a worsening of the conflict in the Golan region, where occasional mortar and artillery bombardments have stoked Israeli fears about a possible spillover of the conflict -- even inspiring plans to build a fence along its border with Syria. Fighting between government and rebel forces near where the peacekeepers were abducted continued on Thursday, with little sign of abating.

Meanwhile, the United Nations began negotiations with rebel fighters Thursday in a bid to secure the peacekeepers' release. "The negotiations are ongoing," a spokesman for Philippines Foreign Ministry told reporters Thursday at a press conference. "This is between the U.N. peacekeeping force and the group leader of this rebel force. We have been informed that they are unharmed and for the time being they are being treated as visitors and guests."

War on Terror: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) led a spirited filibuster to block a confirmation vote on John Brennan, President Barack Obama's pick to lead the CIA. In what was a multiple-hour speech, aided by senators on both sides of the aisle, Paul voiced his concern with the administration's use of unmanned drones to fight terrorists. Since he most likely has 60 votes, however, Brenan will probably be confirmed.

Middle East

Egypt's top administrative court on Wednesday cancelled the country's upcoming parliamentary election, slated to begin in April.
Jordan is considering building two one-gigawatt nuclear reactors near Amman.
The trial of Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, a member of Hezbollah accused of plotting attacks against Israelis in Cyprus, concluded Thursday, though a verdict is not expected until March 21.

Africa

Sudan and South Sudan are set to resume talks on Thursday over a possible demilitarized border zone between the two countries.
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Wednesday to temporarily loosen the arms embargo on Somalia.
Kalonzo Musyoka, the running mate of Kenyan presidential hopeful Raila Odinga, called Thursday for the vote count to be halted, throwing the future of the largely peaceful election into doubt.

Asia

Families of those who disappeared in Sri Lanka's 26-year war with Tamil separatists protested Wednesday in the capital, Colombo.
Malaysian forces killed at least 13 Filipino militants seeking to reclaim part of the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah for the Sultanate of Sulu.
The Taliban killed as many as 17 Afghan troops in the typically peaceful northern Badakhshan Province.

Americas

Thousands turned out to pay tribute to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, following his death on Tuesday.
The number of gun deaths in Brazil has remained stable over the last decade, according to a new report.
Chavez's death has left many Cubans worried about their economic future, should the next Venezuelan president decide to scale back oil subsidies.

Europe

Foreign Minister William Hague on Wednesday promised to expand British aid to the Syrian rebels, but played down the possibility of foreign intervention.
A Greek prosecutor charged three former ministers Wednesday with failing to properly declare their wealth while in office.
A court in Italy sentenced former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to one year in prison for releasing a taped confidential phone call. He still faces two other trials for fraud and sex with an underage prostitute.

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Morning Brief: Hugo Chavez has died, Venezuela in mourning

Posted By Elias Groll Wednesday, March 6, 2013 - 9:46 AM

Top news: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died Tuesday afternoon, succumbing to a long battle with cancer and bringing to a close a tumultuous political career that reshaped Latin American politics. Speaking through tears, Chavez's hand-picked heir, Vice-President Nicolas Maduro, announced the news on state television.

Capitalizing on an ingenious combination of anti-imperialist rhetoric and massive social spending underwritten by his country's huge oil revenues, Chavez placed his country's poor at the center of his political program, and with his death, Venezuela became consumed with grief. Crying supporters stammered disbelief at his death, at a loss to explain how a politician with such dynamism could be felled by disease. "I can't believe that he's dead," said Corinna Perez, a 30-year-old nurse in Caracas. "What's going to happen to us now? Chavez was Venezuela."

The country now enters what is likely to be a tumultuous political transition. Maduro will serve as interim president until new elections can be held, which, according to Venezuelan law, should take place within 30 days. The opposition candidate will likely be Henrique Capriles, a regional governor who lost to Chavez in last fall's presidential election. Barring an internal power-struggle within the Chavista movement, Maduro will be the government's candidate and attempt the difficult task of continuing Chavez's Bolivarian revolution.

Chavez leaves behind a country fraught with deep political divisions, and the path forward for the country's two political movements will be extremely difficult. A complete lack of information about Chavez's health prior to his death created a constitutional crisis of power that left the opposition incensed. Meanwhile, Chavez's death is likely to plunge his own political movement into despair, as a movement built around a personality cult has suddenly been left without its rudder. Police and army were quickly deployed onto the streets of Caracas Tuesday, but unrest still plagued the capital as the tents of anti-Chavez student demonstrators were lit on fire.

Kenya: Election authorities in Kenya have abandoned an electronic system of counting votes and are tabulating votes by hand, causing delays that are raising serious concerns about the integrity of the election. Uhuru Kenyatta, a deputy prime minister who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for his role in orchestrating violence following the 2007 election, leads in the early returns. But delays with the system and a large number of void ballots are making it likely the eleciton will head to a run-off.

Middle East

The number of refugees who have fled Syria now exceeds 1 million, U.N. officials announced.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the United States supports efforts by other countries to send arms to Syrian rebels as long as they are channeled to U.S.-approved factions.
The final major report from the Iraq special inspector general found that the $60 billion American aid effort in Iraq focused excessively on large projects that were never completed, failed to account for Iraqi needs, and included large amounts of wasteful spending.

Asia

China's government said that it would work to improve the country's environment and improve public services in a statement of the priorities of the country's new leadership delivered at the Communist Party congress.
The South Korean military said that if seriously provoked by North Korea, it would strike at its northern neighbor's "command leadership," a major escalation in rhetoric on the Korean peninsula.
The Pakistani military denied that it had tried to use the U.S. drone program in the country in order to provide cover for one of its own military operations.

Africa

The U.N. human rights chief condemned a series of attacks on people with albinism in Tanzania that included the killing of a young boy.
The father of Oscar Pistorius said that his son needed several guns because of the government's failure to protect whites against crime, comments from which the Olympic athlete accused of killing his girlfriend is distancing himself.
An attack carried out by the Islamist group Boko Haram left eight dead in Nigeria's north; meanwhile, the country's top spiritual leader appealed for an amnesty deal for members of the group.

Europe

European anti-trust regulators fined Microsoft $731 million for failing to provide its user with a range of choices in which web-browser to use.
Britain failed to secure support within the European Union to water down strict rules set to take effect that will severely limit bonuses paid by banks to their employees.
A dancer at the Bolshoi Ballet admitted to hiring two men to carry out an acid attack on the company's artistic director, according to Russian police.

Americas

A Dominican judge ruled that he must hear testimony from U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and his associates before ruling on a motion to protect from arrest a woman who says she was offered cash in exchange for claiming that she was paid to have sex with Menendez.
A highly anticipated human rights trial began in Argentina that will investigate allegations that Latin American dictators conspired with one another during the 1970s to arrest, torture, and silence their leftist critics.
A British firm was fined for exporting and illegally dumping waste in Brazil.

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Morning Brief: Kenyatta takes early lead in Kenyan election

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - 9:51 AM

Top news: Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta jumped out to an early lead in the country's first presidential election since 2007, though 60 percent of polling stations have yet to report and the official results may not be tabulated until Wednesday. With around one-third of the votes counted, Kenyetta leads second-place candidate Raila Odinga 55 percent to 41 percent, despite facing indictment by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Fears that this election could turn out to be a rerun of Kenya's tragic 2007 poll, when ethnic violence left more than 1,200 people dead, have so far proved unfounded. Millions of people turned out to vote -- mostly along ethnic lines -- but violence has been fairly limited, with 15 people reported dead after a pair of polling-station attacks near the border with Somalia. The atmosphere remains tense, however, and many fear that a disputed result could plunge the country into another round of chaos. "Nobody should celebrate, nobody should complain," Reuters quoted election commission chairman Isaac Hassan as saying. "We therefore continue to appeal for patience from the public."

Syria: The Syrian crisis spilled over into Iraq on Monday, when a convoy of soldiers loyal to president Bashar al-Assad was ambushed on the Iraqi side of the border. At least 40 Syrian solders and 7 Iraqis died in the attack, which Iraqi officials said was coordinated by "armed groups" on both sides of the border. Also on Monday, Syrian rebels captured the provincial capital of Raqqa.

Middle East

A court in Oman ordered the retrial of 11 demonstrators convicted of forming an illegal gathering, after they staged a prison hunger strike last month.
Protesters torched part of the security headquarters in Port Said, Egypt on Monday amid ongoing clashes stemming from the death sentences handed down to 21 soccer fans earlier this year.
Saudi Arabia postponed the execution of seven men convicted of robbery, while a court considers their appeal.

Africa

The head of France's joint chiefs of staff said Monday that Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, one of Al Qaeda's top commanders in Africa, has most likely been killed in Mali.
Clashes over upcoming legislative polls in Guinea spread from the capital, Conakry, to the inland city of Labe.
A trial in Africa of three different methods for protecting women against HIV failed, according to researchers, because of "very low" adherence by participants.

Asia

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao opened the annual session of the National People's Congress with a speech that touched on the need for stable growth, job creation, and anti-corruption measures.
U.S. officials denied carrying out two drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal region, raising the possibility that Pakistani authorities blamed the United States for their own actions in order to avoid public criticism.
The United States and China reached a tentative deal for new sanctions against North Korea, according to U.N. diplomats.

Americas

Venezuelan officials said Monday that Hugo Chavez has developed a severe respiratory infection stemming from his cancer surgery in Cuba.
President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Gina McCarthy to head the EPA and Ernest J. Moniz to head the Department of Energy, suggesting that he may make a major push to address climate change.
Venezuelan authorities have begun investigating the assassination of Sabino Romero, a well-known indigenous leader.

Europe

The Czech Republic's senate on Monday impeached President Vaclav Klaus in what was a largely symbolic gesture given that his second and final term comes to an end on Thursday.
Police in Northern Ireland foiled an attempt to bomb a Londonderry police station on Sunday, preventing what would have been the first attack of its kind since 1998.
Roman Catholic cardinals from around the world held their first pre-conclave meeting on Monday in preparation for electing the next pope.

AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Kenyans head to the polls in key election

Posted By Elias Groll Monday, March 4, 2013 - 9:40 AM

Top news: Kenyans are heading to the polls today in a hotly anticipated presidential election. Fears that this year's election may bring a return to the brutal communal violence that marred the 2007 election and left over 1,000 dead and displaced 600,000 has made this year's election a bellwether for the country's democratic future.

Early reports Monday indicated that turn-out was high but also included reports of overnight violence. In the coastal city of Mombasa, a machete-wielding gang attacked a group of police officers, killing nine. Across the country, long lines were reported as Kenyans waited up to six hours in line to cast their ballots. Ahead of the election, the country's outgoing president, Mwai Kibaki appealed for peace. "I also make a passionate plea for all of us to vote peacefully," he said. "Indeed, peace is a cornerstone of our development."

It is unclear whether Monday's election will lead to a decisive outcome, and the race may be determined by a run-off election between the top two candidates. The two front-runners in the race are Raila Odinga, the prime minister, and Uhuru Kenyatta, a deputy prime minister. The ICC has charged Kenyatta for his role in the 2007 violence, alleging that he bankrolled groups behind the violence.

Middle East: Having secured promises from Mohammed Morsy's government that it will move ahead with IMF-mandated reforms, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the United States will provide Egypt a $250 million aid package. Continuing his swing through the region, Kerry met Monday with Saudi diplomats who staked out a more aggressive posture on providing arms to Syrian rebels, exposing a rift in policy between the two regional allies.

Middle East

Iranian state television announced that the country's nuclear authority is building 3,000 advanced centrifuges for uranium enrichment.
The exiled leader of the Syrian opposition, Moaz al-Khatib, visited his country for the first time since fleeing last year, meeting with rebel groups to shore up support for his coalition.
In an interview with the Sunday Times of London, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad lashed out at Western leaders, accusing them of hypocrisy as they publicly seek to end the conflict while at the same time "militarize the problem."

Asia

China is defending what is expected to be an increase in defense spending in a budget to be unveiled at the National People's Congress set to begin Tuesday.
A powerful car bomb targeting Shiites leaving a Karachi mosque killed at least 45 and wounded another 149, the latest in a string of sectarian violence to hit the country.
Cambodian translators at a tribunal charged with prosecuting members of the Khmer Rouge went on strike after not being paid for three months, delaying the proceedings.

Africa

Fighters believed to be affiliated with the militant Islamist group Boko Haram attacked a military base in Nigeria killing 20 as the group's leader denied that he is willing to enter into peace talks with the government.
Congolese government troops, citing the need to preserve a fragile peace process, returned control of two towns to the M23 rebel group, which had withdrawn in order to put down a factional dispute that has split the rebel movement.
The Chadian general overseeing the operation alleged to have killed the militant leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who is believed to have orchestrated the attack on a gas refinery in southern Algeria, said he can not confirm that the militant leader has been killed.

Europe

Cardinals convened in the Vatican for a series of meetings ahead of the conclave that will select the next pope.
Swiss voters overwhelmingly enacted measures -- known as the "fat cat initiative'' -- that will impose strict limits on executive compensation.
Germany threatened to veto the inclusion of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen-zone, which allows for passport-free travel for citizens of member states.

Americas

Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolas Maduro said the country's ailing president, Hugo Chavez, has been receiving chemotherapy since battling back from a respiratory infection.
The Brazilian economy posted anemic economic growth for 2012, growing by just 0.9 percent -- compared to 2.7 percent in 2011 -- according to government figures released Friday.
Mexico's ruling party amended its party platform to allow for private investment in the state oil company, which may lay the groundwork for energy sector reform.

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Kerry heads to Turkey for Syria talks

Posted By Joshua Keating Friday, March 1, 2013 - 9:43 AM

Top News: Syria will be on the agenda as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Ankara, though the meeting has been overshadowed by recent comments about Israel made by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. After several stops in Europe, Kerry is beginning his first visit to the Middle East.

Kerry pledged in Rome on Thursday that the United States would more than double its aid to the Syrian opposition and directly provide them with non-lethal aid, but stopped short of announcing military assistance.

Turkey, which is hosting an increasing number of Syrian refugees and has traded fire on several occasions with Syrian forces during the ongoing conflict, would like more active support for the rebels, including the creation of a buffer zone. Turkey is thought to be providing the Free Syrian Army with arms. Turkey is also hosting a NATO Patriot missile defense battery to prevent a spillover of violence.

Kerry has also said that he will criticize Erdogan for recent comments comparing Zionism to fascism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia.

North Korea: Former NBA star Dennis Rodman attended an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang with Kim Jong Un, becoming the first high-profile American to meet with the North Korean leader.

Asia

At least 42 people were killed in violent protests over a cleric's conviction for war crimes in Bangladesh.
South Korea has pledged to support an investigation into human rights abuses in the north.
Malaysian security forces clashed with an armed Filipino group.

Middle East

Iraq's finance minister resigned in support of more than two months of Sunni protests.
A Bahraini pro-democracy activist was sentenced to three months in prison.
Muslim-Chritian fighting has reportedly broken out in a town in Southern Egypt.

Europe

Croatia is withdrawing its troops from the Golan Heights after reports that it is selling weapons to Syrian rebels.
Pope Benedict XVI has left the Vatican. The College of Cardinals will meet on Monday to decide the date of the conclave to select the next pope.
Italy's center-left leader ruled out forming a coalition with Silvio Berlusconi.

Americas

Pfc. Bradley Manning admitted providing diplomatic and military files to WikiLeaks.
Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier appeared in court to answer charges of human rights abuses.
Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro says Hugo Chavez is "battling... for his life."

Africa

South Africa suspended eight police officers accused of killing a man by dragging him from the back of a police van.
Two suicide bombers struck a restaurant in Mogadishu.
The Ethiopian Orthodox church has elected a new pope

JACQUELYN MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images

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