Morning Brief: France launches strikes in north Mali to halt Islamists' advance

Posted By Elias Groll Monday, January 14, 2013 - 10:14 AM

Top news: French fighter jets struck targets in the north of Mali on Sunday as France launched a military intervention to halt the advance of Islamist rebels. France has deployed 400 troops to the country, and seven other countries have vowed to aid the effort aimed at combating a well-armed that rebel movement that amid political turmoil has consolidated control of a swath of territory larger than Afghanistan.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that the strikes had succeeded in stemming the rebels' advance and promised that France would not get dragged into prolonged military interventions in its former colony.

The rebel movement in Mali's north, which defense officials have said has ties to al-Qaeda, has emerged as a serious challenge to the Malian government, arming itself with weapons from Libya following the fall of Muammar al-Qaddafi. French defense officials said over the weekend that the rebels were better armed than expected and that a French helicopter pilot had been killed in the fighting. In a statement, the French defense ministry said that its fighter planes had destroyed "numerous targets in northern Mali near Gao, in particular training camps, infrastructure and logistical depots which served as bases for terrorist groups." U.S. officials said that they are likely to support the French mission by providing surveillance drones and other limited assistance.

Despite pummelling by French forces, Malian militants say that they remain defiant. "Our jihadists are not a bunch of sheep waiting to be slaughtered inside a closed pen," Oumar Ould Hamaha, a rebel commander, told the Associated Press. "Listen closely to me. Our elements are constantly on the move. What they hit is a bunch of cement. France is going to reap the worst consequences possible from this. Now no French person can feel safe anywhere in the world. Every French national is a target."

Egypt: An Egyptian court overturned Hosni Mubarak's life sentence and ordered a retrial to consider charges stemming from his involvement in the deaths of protesters during the uprising against his regime.

Asia

The United Nations human rights chief called for an international commission to investigate human rights abuses in North Korea.

A roadside bomb in Pakistan's North Waziristan region killed 14 soldiers and wounded at least another 25.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that his government will reach a decision by the end of the year on whether to grant legal immunity to U.S. troops who stay past the 2014 end of the NATO mission.

Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push forward with a controversial West Bank housing settlement on a strip of land known as E-1.

A Syrian government airstrike killed at least 13 people, including eight children, in an early morning attack on a Damascus suburb.

With more than 600,000 having fled the country, the International Rescue Committee said that Syria faces a "staggering" humanitarian catastrophe.

Europe

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he did not support a referendum on the United Kingdom's continued membership in the European Union but added that he will try to renegotiate the country's membership agreement.

In an event billed as a "March Against Scoundrels," thousands of Russians took to the streets to protest a ban on the adoption of Russian children by Americans.

A protest Sunday drew over 300,000 to the feet of the Eiffel Tower to express opposition to French President Francois Hollande's plan to legalize same-sex marriage.

Africa

In a daring raid, French commandos failed to liberate an intelligence agent held hostage by Somali militants.

President Obama informed Congress that U.S. warplanes entered Somali airspace in support of the failed French raid there.

The Central African Republic reached a peace deal with rebels that will allow President Francois Bozize to stay in office until 2016.

Africa

As his supporters staged rallies across the country, the Venezuelan government announced that Hugo Chavez is responding favorably to treatment for a respiratory infection.

On Saturday, Haiti quietly marked the third anniversary of the earthquake that killed more than 300,000.

As authorities continue prepare the city for the coming World Cup and Olympic games, Police in Rio de Janeiro engaged in a tense stand-off Saturday with a settlement of indigenous people.

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Morning Brief: Islamists advance in Mali as France vows intervention

Posted By Joshua Keating Friday, January 11, 2013 - 9:46 AM

Top news: Islamist rebels are advancing into territory held by the Malian government and appear to have taken the central town of Konna, which previously represented the outer limit of the military's control. The Malian Army has now retreated to a nearby airbase. “We have taken the town of Konna. We control Konna, and the Malian Army has fled. We have pushed them back,” said a spokesman for Ansar Dine, the rebel group. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of the U.S. Africa Command, described it as a "significant change in the situation."

The U.N. Security Council held an emergency session last night, convened by France, to discuss the deteriorating situation in Mali. The U.N. approved the deployment of an African force to Mali in December, but troops are not expected to be on the group until next September. Mali's interim president, Dioncounda Traore, sent a request for more immediate assistance to French President Francois Hollande and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Speaking this morning, Hollande vowed that France would intervene to stop any further advance by rebels in its former colony. "We are faced with a blatant aggression that is threatening Mali's very existence. France cannot accept this," he said. "We will be ready to stop the terrorists' offensive if it continues." French officials declined to comment on unconfirmed reports that aircraft carrying western soldiers landed at the airbase near Konna on Thursday night.

Venezuela: Though Hugo Chavez is still being treated in Cuba and was unable to attend his inauguration yesterday, thousands of his supporters turned out for a rally in his support.

Asia

Dozens were killed in a bombing claimed by a Baluch separatist group in Quetta, Pakistan.
Japan's government approved $116 billion in economic stimulus.
China has reportedly sent troops to its border with Myanmar.

Middle East

The U.N.'s top envoy in Syria met with U.S. and Russian diplomats in Geneva.
Rebels are reportedly about to overrun an airbase in Northern Syria.
A Treasury Department point detailed ways that Iran is evading international sanctions.

Europe

The European Central Bank said the eurozone shows signs of stabilizing after keeping a key rate unchanged.
Russia says a new law banning U.S. adoptions won't go into effect for another year.
Turkey's prime minister blamed the deaths of three Kurdish activists killed in Paris this week on an internal feud.

Africa

Rebels in the Central African Republic have agreed to a one-week truce.
The Somali pirate known as "Big Mouth" has announced his retirement.
Kenyan legislators voted themselves a large pay raise.

Americas

Mexico's new ambassador to the United States said he hopes Washington will impose new gun control laws.
U.S. lawmakers have released documents showing bribery by Wal-Mart in Mexico.
Cuba's new loosened travel laws will go into effect on Monday.

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Morning Brief: Venezuelan court says delay of Chavez's inauguration legal

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, January 10, 2013 - 9:52 AM

Top news: The Supreme Court of Venezuela ruled Wednesday that the postponement of President Hugo Chavez's inauguration is legal and that the president and vice president can remain in office. Chavez, who has been in Cuba receiving medical treatment for nearly a month, was unable to return for his Jan. 10 inauguration ceremony. The ruling represents a major blow to the opposition, which had called for National Assembly leader Diosdado Cabello to take over as caretaker president and for new elections to be held within 30 days. Chavez has said that Vice President Nicolas Maduro should be his successor.

The Obama administration, meanwhile, has made an effort to open backchannel communications with Caracas in order to plan for a future without Chavez. "Regardless of what happens politically in Venezuela, if the Venezuelan government and if the Venezuelan people want to move forward with us, we think there is a path that's possible," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "It is just going to take two to tango."

Syria: Syrian authorities freed more than 2,100 prisoners Wednesday in exchange for the release of 48 Iranians who had been in rebel captivity since August. The swap was orchestrated by Turkey and Qatar and possibly indicates Iran's growing influence over the embattled Assad regime, analysts say. Also Wednesday, international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi told Reuters that Assad could not be part of a transitional government. The comments were the closest he's come to calling for Assad to step down.

Asia

The private American delegation led by Bill Richardson and Eric Schmidt urged North Korea to halt missile tests and widen Internet access.
Chinese exports rose by 14 percent last year, as opposed to the 4 percent that was forecast.
A court in Vietnam sentenced 14 bloggers, writers, and activists to jail terms that range from 3 to 13 years.

Africa

Sudanese rebels took control of two towns in the Darfur region Wednesday amid heavy fighting.
Seleka rebels and the government of the Central African Republic began peace talks Wednesday, but neither side appeared ready for a ceasefire.
South African police dispersed striking farm workers with rubber bullets in the town of De Doorns, roughly 60 miles east of Cape Town.

Middle East

Opponents of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki demanded he appear before parliament for questioning Wednesday in an attempt to force a no confidence vote.
Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas met with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Cairo in an attempt to heal the rift between the two factions.
Egypt's ultraconservative salafi Al-Nour party elected Younis Makhyoun as its new leader.

Americas

Mexico's new government introduced a new law to keep track of drug war victims and compensate their families.
A prosecutor in Brazil agreed to analyze testimony tying former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to a corruption scandal that led to several convictions last year.
Grenada's prime minister dissolved parliament on Wednesday, paving the way for a new general election.

Europe

Greek police arrested 100 squatters in Athens Wednesday, setting off protests across the city.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon urged Britain not to distance itself from the European Union.
Four Polish soldiers who were previously acquitted of killing eight Afghan civilians in 2007 went on trial for a second time in Warsaw.

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Morning Brief: Amid brewing constitutional crisis, Venezuela delays swearing in of Hugo Chavez

Posted By Elias Groll Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - 10:30 AM

Top news: Still battling complications from cancer surgery in Cuba, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will not return to his country in time to be sworn in for his fourth term at a scheduled Thursday inauguration, a delay that is likely to pitch Venezuela into a constitutional crisis.

In a statement read to the National Assembly Tuesday, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said that "the medical team working to reestablish [Chavez's] health agrees that the postoperative recovery period should extend past Jan. 10, and so he will not be able to appear before the National Assembly on that date." In response, the legislative body approved an unlimited absence for the ailing Chavez.

Chavez has not been seen or heard from in nearly a month and is reportedly battling a respiratory infection stemming from an operation to treat cancer. In his absence, Chavez's allies have moved to consolidate control of the government. Earlier this week, the legislature elected Diosdado Cabello, a Chavez ally, as the head of the National Assembly. If Chavez is unable to return, Cabello will temporarily assume power and be charged with setting up new presidential elections.

The dispute now turns on two differing interpretations of the Venezuelan constitution. Chavez's allies claim that a provision of the constitution allowing the president to be sworn in before the supreme court as an alternative to the national legislature indicates that there is no hard deadline for the president to assume office. The opposition disputes that interpretation and has called for the country's supreme court to step in and settle the matter. "There is no monarchy here, and we aren't in Cuba," Henrique Capriles, a state governor who was defeated by Chavez at the polls in October, said Tuesday.

Syria: In the largest prisoner swap since the start of the Syrian conflict, the government began releasing more than 2,000 prisoners in exchange for a group of 48 Iranians held by Syrian rebels.

Asia

A tentative deal has been reached to end a newsroom strike over censorship controls at a southern Chinese newspaper.
The White House said that it is considering not leaving a residual force in Afghanistan following the end of the NATO mission in 2014.
One of two Indian soldiers killed in an attack by Pakistani forces was beheaded.

Europe

Amid a debate over the United Kingdom's future in the European Union, business leaders are urging Prime Minister David Cameron not to "risk" the country's membership.
Business morale rose for the second straight month in the eurozone, which also saw rising unemployment.
Polish prosecutors opened an investigation to examine allegations that a Swedish artist used ashes from a Nazi deathcamp in Poland in a painting.

Africa

Ahead of peace talks with the government, M23 rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire.
Police arrested 50 striking farm workers amid a confrontation between laborers and police in an area of South Africa vital to the country's wine production.
A massive fire struck a waterfront slum in Lagos, Nigeria.

Americas

Colombia's attorney general reopened an investigation into former President Alvaro Uribe's ties to right-wing paramilitary groups during his time as a state governor.
According to a domestic newspaper report, former Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva will be investigated over allegations that he knew about a cash-for-votes scheme.
Four people were mauled to death by wild dogs in Mexico.

Middle East

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsy will mediate talks between Fatah and Hamas aimed at implementing a unity pact between the two groups.
A winter storm has brought miserable conditions to refugee camps for those who have fled the war in Syria.
With Egypt rapidly running out of cash amid efforts to prop up its currency, Qatar stepped in to offer the country an additional $2.5 billion in aid.

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Morning Brief: Private American delegation arrives in North Korea

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, January 8, 2013 - 9:58 AM

Top news: A private American delegation that includes former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Google executives Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen arrived in North Korea Monday for a controversial four-day visit. Richardson, who called the mission a "humanitarian private visit," intends to try to secure the release of Korean-American Kenneth Bae, a tour guide who was taken into custody last November. Why Google has chosen to send a delegation to the notorious Internet black hole remains something of a mystery, though Richardson said that Schmidt was "interested in some of the economic issues there, the social media aspect."

The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, called the trip "ill-advised," coming as the international community considers how to respond to Pyongyang's Dec. 12 rocket launch. "We are in kind of a classical provocation period with North Korea," an anonymous U.S. official told Reuters. "Usually, their missile launches are followed by nuclear tests." North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency confirmed that the group arrived Monday, but provided no further details.

In 2009, a delegation including former President Bill Clinton and John Podesta managed to secure the release of U.S. journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling.

Afghanistan: President Hamid Karzai is expected to arrive in Washington Tuesday for a series of meetings with top U.S. officials about the United States' long-term role in the region. He will meet with President Barack Obama on Friday.

Middle East

A court in Kuwait sentenced a man to two years in prison Monday for insulting the country's emir on Twitter.
The Liberal National Forces Alliance, Libya's main liberal coalition, withdrew from the national assembly Monday to protest delays in drafting a new constitution.
A Bahraini court upheld life sentences for eight opposition members accused of plotting to overthrow the state.

Asia

Hundreds of protesters rallied in Guangzhou against the censorship of an influential liberal newspaper.
An Indian military spokesman claimed that Pakistani troops killed two Indian soldiers on the Indian side of the border in Kashmir.
Japan's new government announced a review of its five-year military spending plan on Monday, a move that could presage the country's first military spending hike in a decade.

Africa

Malian troops clashed with Islamist rebels Monday, after they tried to enter the southern portion of the country.
Talks between the government of the Central African Republic and Seleka rebels who now control much of the country are expected to start before Friday.
South Sudanese officials said Monday that they expect to establish a buffer zone with Sudan within a month.

Europe

Greece's Democratic Left party expelled two MPs for backing an investigation into a ruling party leader over the so-called "Lagarde list," which names tax evaders.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi agreed not seek reelection as part of a pact between Berlusconi's People of Freedom party and the Northern League.
Police clashed with rioters for the fifth night in a row in Northern Ireland, following a decision by the City Council to stop flying the British flag.

Americas

The head of the Venezuelan Conference of Bishops said Monday that delaying President Hugo Chavez's inauguration would be "morally unacceptable" and a violation of the constitution.
A gunman injured six people in the Chilean port city of Valparaiso before being brought down by a bystander.
A new report showed that the development of oil sands in Alberta, Canada has increased the level of carcinogens in surrounding lakes.

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Morning Brief: Brennan and Hagel to round out Obama national security team

Posted By Elias Groll Monday, January 7, 2013 - 10:29 AM

Top News: President Obama is expected to announce Monday that he will nominate Chuck Hagel, the former Republican senator from Nebraska, as secretary of defense and that he will tap his chief counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, as the next director of the CIA.

The two key personnel decisions -- in addition to the earlier nomination of Sen. John Kerry to head the State Department -- round out Obama's second term national security team, but the selection of Hagel is likely to set up a tough confirmation fight in the Senate. After backing down on his preferred candidate for secretary of state, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, after she came under withering criticism for her initial comments on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Obama will now have to take up the kind of battle in the Senate he shunned for his earlier nominee. Hagel has come under attack for his comments on the influence in Washington of the "Jewish lobby," allegations that he has been far too critical of Israel, and votes against some sanctions on Iran.

Obama's decision to install Brennan as the head of the CIA comes after he passed him over for the job in 2009, when human rights groups were able to torpedo his candidacy after arguing that Brennan had supported so-called enhanced interrogation techniques while serving as a high-level CIA official in the Bush administration. Brennan denied the charges but withdrew his nomination and took on a more low-key, if still highly influential, post in the White House. There he has served as one of the architects of the Obama administration's expanded use of drone strikes to target terrorist groups around the world and has become one of the president's most trusted advisers.

Syria: In his first public address in six months, Bashar al-Assad delivered a defiant rejoinder to his domestic and international critics, denouncing the country's rebels and offering a new peace plan that was immediately rejected as a non-starter by rebels.

Middle East

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy reshuffled his cabinet and brought in additional Islamist politicians.
Following partial recognition at the U.N., Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has decreed that 'State of Palestine' will now be used in official documents.
Benyamin Netanyahu said he plans to build a fortified fence along Israel's border with Syria.

Asia

A censored New Year's editorial at a southern Chinese paper has sparked a protest for increased media freedom.
Chinese authorities plan to reform the country's forced labor camps, according to state media.
Bill Richardson and Google chairman Eric Schmidt arrived for a four-day visit to North Korea.

Europe

Silvio Berlusconi has allied himself with a controversial right-wing party in next month's Italian elections.
Demonstrations in Belfast continued over the weekend in a dispute over the British flag.
European bank regulators reached an agreement on minimum capital requirements for banks.

Africa

John Mahama was sworn in as the president of Ghana.
Rebels in the Central African Republic are headed toward peace negotiations with the government this week.
The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan pledged to set up a demilitarized buffer zone along their disputed border.

Americas

Venezuela's attorney general said that Hugo Chavez's inauguration could be postponed as a continues to battle complications from cancer surgery.
Allies of Hugo Chavez re-elected his party's legislative boss.
Arson attacks continued over the weekend in an ongoing land dispute in Chile between landowners and the native Mapuche Indians.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to Chuck Hagel as a former Democratic senator. He is, in fact, a former Republican senator.

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Morning Brief: Obama signs defense bill restricting Gitmo transfers

Posted By Joshua Keating Friday, January 4, 2013 - 9:34 AM

Top news: President Barack Obama put aside his threat of a veto and signed a Defense Authorization bill that severely limits the administration's ability to move detainees out of Guantanamo Bay, but included a signing statement suggesting he might challenge the provisions.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 places new limits on the repatriation of detainees to countries like Yemen, where the majority of transfers have taken place, and also limits the Pentagon's ability to transfer detainees from Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base.

Obama signed the bill, saying its other provisions on military funding couldn't be delayed, but included a signing statement suggesting that if its provisions were being implemented “in a manner that violates constitutional separation of powers principles, my administration will implement it to avoid the constitutional conflict”. Obama issued a similar statement on the 2012 version of the act, but did not follow on challenging that law.

Obama still claims that his administration aims to close the Guantanamo detention center, where 166 men remain in custody, but his failure to do so in his first term, as promised, has angered human rights groups. “President Obama has utterly failed the first test of his second term, even before Inauguration Day,” said Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, responding to the new bill.

The bill may also have the unintended effect of reducing the number of prosecutions by military commission carried out at Guantanamo, as it makes it more difficult for prosecutors to offer plea deals.

Syria: U.S. troops have reportedly landed in Turkey to man Patriot missile defense batteries near the Syrian border.

Asia

Charges were filed against the 5 suspects in the gang rape and killing of a woman on a New Delhi bus.
A drone strike killed Pakistani Taliban commander Maulvi Nazir in Northwestern Pakistan.
Japanese President Shinzo Abe has sent a special envoy to meet with South Korea's incoming president.

Middle East

32 Shiite pilgrims were killed by bombings in Central Iraq.
Fatah staged a large rally in Gaza.
A man was charged with spying for Israel in Yemen.

Americas

The Venezuelan government says President Hugo Chavez encountered complications after his latest surgery but would not say if he would be able to be sworn in on Jan. 10.
A Spanish politician is calling for an inquiry into the car crash that killed Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya.
Britain's Sun newspaper took out an ad in an Argentine paper defending Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands.

Europe

Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old girl shot by the Pakistani Taliban, was released from a London hospital.
Switzerland's oldest bank is closing after being fined in the U.S.
Hungary's constitutional court voided a controversial election law.

Africa

The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan are due to meet in Ethiopia.
The DRC's M23 rebels are threatening to pull out of peace talks unless the government agrees to a ceasefire.
Ethiopia claims to have arrested 15 members of an al Qaeda-linked terror cell.

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Morning Brief: U.N. says more than 60,000 dead in Syria

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, January 3, 2013 - 9:44 AM

Top news: At least 60,000 people have been killed in the 22-month-long conflict in Syria, a new report by the United Nations said on Wednesday. According to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who issued the report, both rebels and government forces are at fault, as is the international community, which has "fiddled around the edges while Syria burns." A previous estimate by a Syrian opposition group put the death toll at 45,000.

On Thursday, fierce fighting continued in and around several airports in northern Syria, following one of the deadliest days in recent memory, in which more than 100 people were killed in Damascus alone. Rebels attempted to take over the Taftanaz base in the northwestern Idlib province Thursday, as well as the airport in Deir Ezzor. The Aleppo airport, meanwhile, is under siege and has been closed since Tuesday.

War in Afghanistan: Gen. John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, outlined three possible plans for residual U.S. troop levels in the country after Dec. 31, 2014, when Afghan security forces are scheduled to take over. The three plans, submitted to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, call for 6,000, 10,000, or 20,000 troops to remain on the ground after the scheduled exit date.

Africa

Seleka rebels in Central African Republic agreed to start peace talks with the government.
The two Jordanian peacekeepers abducted in the Darfur region of Sudan in August were released Wednesday.
The death toll from the New Year's Eve stampede in Luanda has risen to 13, according to the Angolan media.

Middle East

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak ordered the vicious response to protests in Feb. 2011, a new report found.
Algerian forces killed two Islamist insurgents Wednesday in Boulzazene, bringing the total to nine this week.
Iran has captured two small U.S. surveillance drones, according to the state news agency.

Europe

Russia plans to conduct its largest naval exercise in decades at the end of the month.
Italian technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti launched his election campaign Wednesday with a radio interview.
A gunman killed three people and injured two others Wednesday in Switzerland's in Valais canton.

Americas

Guatemala's homicide rate fell by 8.9 percent since 2011, authorities said Wednesday.
A judge in New York refused to require the Justice Department to disclose a memo detailing the legal justification for the targeted killing of U.S. citizens.
The Colombian military killed at least 13 FARC rebels in an airstrike amid ongoing peace talks in Cuba.

Asia

Gunmen kidnapped seven Pakistani soldiers Wednesday as they traveled by bus to the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Myanmar's military acknowledged carrying out airstrikes against ethnic Kachin rebels in the north of the country.
India plans to charge the five men suspected in the deadly gang rape of a medical student last month.

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Morning Brief: Putin signs ban on U.S. adoptions

Posted By Ty McCormick Friday, December 28, 2012 - 9:55 AM

Top news: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill that makes it illegal for Americans to adopt Russian children. Russian lawmakers had initially drafted a law that mirrored the U.S. Magnitsky Act -- which bars entry to officials accused of involvement in the death of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky -- but additional restrictions on adoption and NGO activity were tacked onto the bill. The law, which goes into effect on Jan.1, is likely to strain the already rocky relationship between Russia and the United States.

Last year, Americans adopted close to 1,000 Russians, according to U.S. State Department figures, and the new law would halt the pending adoption of 46 children. A State Department spokesman said the United States was "concerned" by the new law, while U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tweeted that it "saddens" him.

China: The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress issued new regulations on Friday, further restricting Internet use. The new rules require websites to assume responsibility for deleting forbidden content and compel Chinese citizens to give their real names to Internet providers.

Middle East

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sacked his only female cabinet minister on Thursday.
Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was moved from prison to a military hospital because of concerns about his health.
Iran started six days of naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the state news agency.

Africa

Nigerian security forces detained two journalists without charge after they published an article alleging military abuse.
An explosion at a warehouse in Lagos, Nigeria killed at least one person.
The president of Central African Republic called for international help to fend off rebels who are rapidly approaching the capital city.

Asia

The Pakistani Taliban captured at least 22 men from a regional paramilitary force in northern Pakistan.
The son of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto launched his political career with a speech commemorating his mother's death.
A spokesman for Japan's new government hinted that it may reverse a decades-old apology to women forced into sexual slavery during World War II.

Europe

The Vatican newspaper lauded Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's potential bid to seek a second term as "an appeal to recover the higher and more noble sense of politics."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he is willing to hold talks with the Syrian opposition.
The Belgian king drew sharp criticism for his Christmas speech, in which he compared contemporary populist rhetoric to the rise of fascism in the 1930s.

Americas

A court in Argentina sentenced former finance minister Felisa Miceli to four years in prison for corruption.
Brazil plans to require doctors to report every HIV case to authorities in an effort to strengthen its anti-AIDS program.
Argentina's Federal Court of Cassation unanimously ruled to dismiss criminal charges against former President Fernando De la Rua for his role in the deadly 2001 riots.

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Morning Brief: U.N. envoy calls for transitional government in Syria

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 9:37 AM

Top news: After meeting with President Bashar al-Assad and other top Syrian officials in Damascus, international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi called for the establishment of a transitional government in accordance with the Geneva communiqué, a plan that was endorsed by world leaders in June. But little is known about the actual substance of Brahimi's negotiations with Assad and Russia's foreign ministry denied the existence of a specific plan to form a transitional government. Brahimi is headed to Moscow this week to meet with Russian officials as part of his diplomatic push to end the 21-month civil war.

At least 35 people were killed Thursday as fighting continued near the international airport in Aleppo. The violence comes a day after Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Jassem al-Shallal, the chief of the military police, became the highest-ranking police official to defect since the war began. Ironically, Shallal had been in charge of preventing military defections. In a video broadcast by Al Arabiya, the general said he abandoned his position because the Syrian military had become little more than "a gang for killing and destruction."

Iraq: Tens of thousands of Sunni protesters blocked trade routes to Syria and Jordan in the fourth day of protests against Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The protests erupted last week after the military arrested 10 bodyguards assigned to Sunni Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi.

Africa

The Central African Republic called on French soldiers stationed in Bangui to intervene as rebels advanced toward the capital city.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela was discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for a lung infection.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said Wednesday that he is prepared to meet with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir to attempt to restart oil transportation.

Middle East

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates arrested a militant cell that was planning attacks in multiple countries.
Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby will visit Ramallah on Saturday with a delegation of high-ranking Arab officials to discuss aid for the Palestinian Authority.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy took responsibility for "mistakes" that were made prior to the ratification of the new constitution, but called for unity going forward.

Asia

China opened the world's longest high-speed railway, linking Beijing and Guangzhou.
Following a spate of self-immolations, Chinese authorities confiscated televisions and dismantled satellite equipment in a heavily Tibetan part of western China.
A suicide bomber killed three Afghans on Wednesday as he tried to enter Forward Operating Base Chapman, located outside Khost in eastern Afghanistan.

Europe

Russia's parliament passed a bill banning the adoption of Russian children by Americans.
Gunmen in North Ossetia killed Islamic cleric Ibragim Dudarov, Russian authorities said Thursday.
Spanish authorities arrested 35 people and confiscated 11 tons of hashish in a major drug bust.

Americas

Fighting between rival drug cartels left 9 people dead in the western Mexican state of Sinaloa.
Nicaraguan authorities evacuated roughly 400 people living near the San Cristobal volcano after it began spewing ash on Tuesday.
Uruguay's Senate postponed a vote on the Marriage Equality Law, a bill that would make Uruguay the second Latin American country to legalize gay marriage.

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Morning Brief: Syrian rebels gain ground in Hama province

Posted By Ty McCormick Friday, December 21, 2012 - 9:30 AM

Top news: Syrian rebels gained ground in the central Hama province on Thursday, taking control of parts of the strategic town of Morek, which lies along the route from Damascus to Aleppo. Victory over President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Morek would allow the rebels to cut off government supply lines into the northern Idlib province, where rebels have made sizeable gains. Rebels also laid siege to the Alawite town of al-Tleisia, contributing to fears that the conflict could become even more deeply sectarian.

Meanwhile, additional reports emerged detailing the use of cluster bombs by government forces, including a Dec. 12 attack on the town of Marea, which deliberately targeted civilians. The Syrian army has also resumed firing Scud ballistic missiles at rebel strongholds, the New York Times reports. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin, long a stalwart ally of Assad, further distanced himself from the Syria government, saying Russia would not defend it "at any price." Putin remained steadfastly opposed to foreign intervention, but told journalists, "We are not concerned with the fate of Assad's regime."

Benghazi: Deputy Secretaries of State William Burns and Thomas Nides testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday, following the release of a damning independent report on the 9/11 Benghazi attack. The report, authored the Accountability Review Board appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, placed most of the blame on midlevel officials for "systemic and leadership and management deficiencies" and "grossly inadequate" security. Nides told senators he accepted all 29 of the review board's recommendations.

Africa

The U.N. Security Council unanimously authorized an African-led military force to oust Islamist militants from northern Mali.
Thousands of people took refuge in a U.N. compound in Wau, South Sudan, after deadly clashes broke out between armed youths and the police.
Fighting between tribes in Kenya's coastal Tana River Delta left at least 40 dead on Friday.

Middle East

Security forces clashed with armed demonstrators outside a police station in Benghazi, leaving four dead.
Supporters and opponents of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsy clashed in the coastal city if Alexandria on the eve of the last round of the constitutional referendum.
Turkey plans to start transporting troops to and from domestic military bases by air, following a string of deadly attacks on convoys by the PKK.

Americas

House Republicans cancelled a vote on the so-called "Plan B," which would have raised taxes on Americans making more than $1 million, leaving the fiscal cliff unresolved.
Pedro Delgado, governor of Ecuador's central bank, resigned after admitting that he lied about having a degree in economics.
More than 20,000 people have disappeared in Mexico over the past six years, according to a new report.

Asia

India and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations vowed to step up maritime security cooperation as tensions rise with China.
Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi won a fourth successive term as chief minister of India's Gujarat state.
North Korea indicated Friday that it intends to try Kenneth Bae, an American tourist detained last month, on unspecified criminal charges.

Europe

A Russian court reduced oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky's prison sentence by two years, paving the way for his release in 2014.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Thursday that it would be "morally questionable" for incumbent Prime Minister Mario Monti to run in the coming election.
In retaliation for the Magnitsky Act, the lower house of Russia's State Duma approved a law banning Americans from adopting Russian children.

AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: South Korea elects first female president

Posted By Joshua Keating Thursday, December 20, 2012 - 9:43 AM

Top news: Park Geun-hye, daughter of former authoritarian leader Park Chung-hee, was elected president of South Korea. She will be the country's first female president and is expected to take office in February.

Park pledged to work for reconciliation and to "reflect various opinions of the people" after a divisive race. Though, with 51.6 percent of the vote, she is the first democratically elected president to win an outright majority in South Korea, she is widely mistrusted who remember her father's 33 years of autocratic rule. Park has apologized for her father's repression of students and democracy activists but credits him with modernizing South Korea's economy.

Though her father was an anti-communist hardliner and her mother was killed by a North Korean sympathizer during an assassination attempt on her father, Park has pledged to reach out to Pyongyang and increase humanitarian aid to the North.

Benghazi: Four U.S. State Department officials were removed from their positions after an independent report criticized the security arrangements in Benghazi, Libya as "grossly inadequate."

Middle East

A new U.N. Human Rights Council report warns of widening sectarian conflict in Syria.
Iraqi president Jalal Talabani was flown to Germany for treatment after suffering a stroke.
An Egyptian court ordered a retrial of two policemen in the Khaled Said case.

Europe

A report criticized BBC leaders for their handling of the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse crisis.
Russia's State Duma approved a bill to ban the adoption of Russian children by U.S. parents.
The Irish government is introducing a law that would allow abortion when the mother's life is in danger.

Africa

The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote in favor of deploying a multinational security force to Mali.
Armed gunmen abducted a French engineer in Northern Nigeria.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda issued a conviction in its final case.

Americas

18 Mexicans were convicted of money laundering in Nicaragua.
The Argentine Navy ship impounded in Ghana last October is now heading home.
A prison in Northern Mexico was closed after 24 people were killed in a jailbreak.

Asia

Pakistan reported a ninth death from attacks on U.N.-backed anti-polio teams.
China arrested 1,000 members of a doomsday cult.
Widespread demonstrations have been held in India demanding government action over the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a New Delhi bus.

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Morning Brief: Israel approves 1,500 new settler homes in east Jerusalem

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, December 18, 2012 - 9:44 AM

Top news: Israel gave preliminary approval Monday for the construction of 1,500 new homes in east Jerusalem, only weeks after it announced plans for 3,000 new settler homes in retaliation for the Palestinian Authority's unilateral statehood bid at the United Nations. Monday's decision revives plans to build ultra-Orthodox neighborhood Ramat Shlomo -- the settlement plan that Israel announced during Vice President Joseph Biden's 2010 visit, but ultimately called off because of pressure from the United States.

The settlements, which are to be built on land captured by Israel during the 1967 war, are seen as obstacles to peace by the Palestinians and not recognized by most of the international community. Israel, however, claims there is "consensus" that it should keep three main settlements in the West Bank, as well as the controversial E1 parcel of east Jerusalem, seen as a critical link between east Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement in the West Bank. Until recently, plans to build in E1, which the Palestinians regard as vital if they are to establish a viable independent state, were on ice, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's decision to seek U.N. recognition has set them in motion once again.

The decision to move forward with the Ramat Shlomo settlement has prompted harsh condemnation from the Palestinians. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms these Israeli actions and the determination of Israel to continue expanding settlements and in the process undermining the two-state solution," said Saeb Erekat, the top Palestinian peace negotiator. The U.S. State Department condemned the previous settlement plan as "especially damaging to efforts to achieve a two-state solution," but has yet to issue a statement on yesterday's developments.

Egypt: Talaat Ibrahim, Egypt's recently appointed public prosecutor resigned Monday, as tensions mount between the country's executive and judicial branches. Meanwhile, anti-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators are expected to take to the streets today to protest the constitution, which is set to be approved in the second round of balloting next weekend.

Middle East

A series of car and truck bombings in Iraq killed at least 25 people on Monday.
Iran plans to hold military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz sometime before next March.
Hundreds of Palestinian refugees fled Damascus Monday, taking refuge in Lebanon.

Asia

A car bombing in northwest Pakistan on Monday left at least 17 people dead and more than 70 wounded.
Chinese authorities detained more than 100 people for spreading doomsday rumors.
The Pentagon notified Congress that it plans to reimburse the Pakistani military $700 million for stationing troops along the Afghan border.

Africa

Sudanese rebels claimed to have downed a government Antonov plane in the South Kordofan state.
Police in South Africa foiled a plot to bomb an African National Congress conference attended by President Jacob Zuma.
At least 18 people drowned in a boating accident north of Cotonou, Benin.

Europe

Romanian President Traian Basescu reappointed his rival, Victor Ponta, as prime minister on Monday.
Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russian arms exports reached $14 billion in 2012.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he expects the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution backing a multinational African force to intervene in Mali.

Americas

Ecuador's government evacuated areas close to the Tungurahua volcano after gas and ash was seen rising from the crater.
Mexico's new interior minister criticized former President Felipe Calderon's security strategy for causing an escalation in violence.
Brazil opened its first World Cup stadium in preparation for the 2014 football tournament.

AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Japan's Liberal Democratic Party returns to power

Posted By Elias Groll Monday, December 17, 2012 - 11:12 AM

Top News

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party won a landslide victory in national polls on Sunday, returning to power a party that held a near monopoly on power in Japan's post-war political order until its defeat three years ago. With the LDP's victory, Shinzo Abe, a nationalist and China hawk, is set to become Japan's next prime minister.

Together with its parliamentary ally, New Komeito, the LDP now controls over two-thirds of seats in Japan's lower house, which will allow the two parties to together overrule the upper chamber. Abe has promised to embark on a bold program of economic reform, saying that he will press the Bank of Japan to take steps to increase inflation and end the decades of stagnant growth that have become a hallmark of the Japanese economy. Abe has said that he plans to force the BoJ to raise its inflationary target and push it to engage in "unlimited" quantitative easing, in addition to passing a stimulus bill.

Abe's election has also raised the prospect of increased tensions between China and Japan, which have spent much of the past the year sparring over disputed island claims. Though he declined to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, a memorial to Japanese soldiers who died in World War II that includes the remains of some executed war criminals, during his previous term as prime minister, Abe said on Monday that he experienced the "deepest anguish" over that decision. Abe, 58, also supports revising Japan's constitution, which renounces war, to allow for a more robust defense.

Egypt: Egyptians took a first step toward approving their country's controversial draft constitution during the first round of voting over the weekend. The Muslim Brotherhood said that about 57 percent of ballots cast Saturday supported ratification of the new constitution, the drafting of which critics say was controlled by Islamists. But turnout was low, and members of the opposition said that voting was marred by widespread irregularities and abuse.

Americas

Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, is expected to be named the next secretary of state.
Speaking at a vigil for the victims of a Connecticut school shooting, U.S. President Barack Obama called for "meaningful action" against gun violence.
The party of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won a landslide victory in gubernatorial elections.

Asia

A car bomb set off at a market in Pakistan's northwest tribal region killed 17 and wounded over 40.
North Korea unveiled the embalmed, khaki-clad body of its deceased leader, Kim Jong Il.
China will continue a "pro-active fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy in 2013," according to an official news agency report from an annual policy conference.

Middle East

Syria's veteran vice president called for a settlement of that country's civil war that would lead to the formation of a "national unity government with broad powers."
Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, announced that he would resign after prosecutors said they would charge him with fraud.
A series of bombings in Iraq targeting ethnic minorities and Shiite pilgrims killed 17 and wounded dozens.

Africa

Commenting on an anti-homosexuality bill, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said that "if there are some homosexuals, we shall not kill or persecute them."
South African police have foiled a plot to bomb the national conference of the African National Congress.
Nelson Mandela is recovering after having successfully undergone a procedure to remove gallstones.

AFP/GETTY

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Morning Brief: Egypt braces for contentious referendum

Posted By Joshua Keating Friday, December 14, 2012 - 9:22 AM

Top news: Supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy are holding rival rallies ahead of tomorrow's referendum on a new draft constitution. Opponents say the Islamist-backed draft would leave too much power in the hands of the president and allow religious authorities to infringe on civil liberties.

Cairo, Alexandria, and eight other provinces will vote on the draft tomorrow. The rest of the country will vote a week later. Tens of thousands of troops and police have been deployed to maintain order. Some opposition groups may boycott the referendum, which say they is being rammed through by the ruling Muslim Brotherhood.

A Cairo prosecutor is also accusing the president of applying political pressure in the investigation of deadly clashes outside the presidential palace last week.

U.S. politics: Amb. Susan Rice has ended her bid to become secretary of state.

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel has reportedly emerged as the leading candidate to be the next secretary of defense.

Asia

The Taliban has taken credit for a bombing that killed three people at the Kandahar airfield.
A group of Chinese academics and activists signed a letter urging senior officials to disclose their wealth.
A mass rally was held in Pyongyang to celebrate Wednesday's rocket launch.

Middle East

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order deploying U.S. troops to man Patriot missile batteries in Turkey.
Hamas held a rally in the West Bank to mark its 25th anniversary.
Israel's attorney general is planning to charge Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman with fraud.

Europe

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of a former CIA detainee who had sued the Macedonian government for turning him over the U.S. custody, where he was tortured.
European leaders agreed on new measures to tackle the debt crisis amid renewed tensions between France and Germany.
President Vladimir Putin is supporting a bill that would penalize U.S. judges for the abuse of adopted Russian children.

Africa

Mali swore in a new interim prime minister just days after his predecessor was arrested by the military and forced to resign.
A car bombing in Mogadishu targeted an African Union peacekeeping convoy.
The mother of Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was freed, five days after she was kidnapped.

Americas

Software tycoon John McAfee, wanted for questioning over a murder in Belize, arrived back in the United States after being deported from Guatemala.
Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush has he will not resign after being arrested on corruption charges.
Cuban lawmakers are discussing economic reforms at their twice-annual assembly.

PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Syrian forces launch Scud missiles at rebels

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, December 13, 2012 - 9:51 AM

Top news: The Syrian government has fired several short-range ballistic missiles at rebel forces in recent days, unnamed U.S. officials said Wednesday. U.S. military satellites were reportedly able to pick up the infrared signature of the missiles -- most likely North Korean-made Scuds -- which were fired into northern Syria from the capital. Without confirming the reports, White House spokesman Jay Carney called the development a "completely disproportionate military escalation."

Last week, NATO agreed to deploy Patriot anti-missile systems on the Turkish border in what was thought to be a largely symbolic gesture, but the use of longer-range weapons by Syrian forces will likely hasten preparations to get the batteries in place. In the next few days, CNN reports, the White House is expected to determine the number of Patriot systems and personnel to be sent to Turkey.

Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that Syrian forces have prepared chemical weapons so that they could be used at a "moment's notice." In August, President Obama warned that the movement or use of chemical weapons would be a "red line" for the United States, but the administration has since softened its position, saying that by "movement" the president meant "proliferation."

Egypt: The opposition National Salvation Front announced Wednesday that it will campaign for a "no" vote in the constitutional referendum, scheduled to take place over the next two Saturdays. The announcement reverses a previous decision to boycott the referendum.

Middle East

An Egyptian court sentenced blogger Alber Saber to three years in prison for blasphemy.
Four police officers were killed in a bombing in Benghazi.
Clashes broke out in the West Bank city of Hebron after a Palestinian teenager with a fake gun was shot and killed by Israeli troops.

Africa

South Africa launched a fresh investigation into the plane crash that killed Mozambican President Samora Machel in 1986.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela is reportedly responding positively to treatment for a lung infection.
The speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives threatened to arrest the head of the country's central bank over $8 billion that is reportedly owed to the treasury.

Asia

Almost 70 percent of Pakistani lawmakers and ministers did not file tax returns in 2011, according to a new report.
A Chinese court sentenced three ethnic Uighurs to death for attempting to bomb a commercial airliner in June.
The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launch as a "clear violation" of Security Council resolutions.

Europe

Bosnian Serb former general Zdravko Tolimir was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Wednesday that France is not ready to arm the Syrian rebels.
Thousands of Hungarian students rallied in Budapest to protest higher education spending cuts.

Americas

Guatemalan authorities deported software tycoon John McAfee to the United States.
Lawmakers in Honduras voted to oust four Supreme Court judges after they struck down a law designed to fight police corruption.
Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday that Hugo Chavez faces a "complex and difficult" recovery from cancer surgery.

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Morning Brief: North Korea launches long-range rocket

Posted By Uri Friedman Wednesday, December 12, 2012 - 9:08 AM

Top news: On Wednesday, North Korea and its new leader Kim Jong Un followed up on a failed rocket launch in April with the successful launch of a long-range Unha-3 rocket. Japan, South Korea, and the United States have opposed the action, arguing that Pyongyang is testing missile technology to deliver a nuclear warhead.

After the launch, North Korea's KCNA news agency reported that the country's "scientists and technicians brilliantly carried out [Kim Jong Il's] behests to launch a scientific and technological satellite in 2012, the year marking the 100th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung."

In response, Japan has called for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council and South Korea has convened an emergency meeting of top government officials. The United States has condemned North Korea's "highly provocative act" while China, North Korea's closest ally, says it "regrets" the launch, in what the New York Times claims is the first time Beijing "has used that word in the context of Pyongyang's rocket program."

Syria: Representatives of more than 100 countries and organizations are participating in a Friends of Syria meeting in Morocco, a day after U.S. President Barack Obama formally recognized the top Syrian opposition group. "We've made a decision that the Syrian Opposition Coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in opposition to the Assad regime," he told ABC News.

Asia

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to discuss future U.S. troop levels in the country.

Malaysian officials seized 1,000 smuggled elephant tusks in cargo headed from Togo to China.

An Australian court dismissed a sexual harassment case against former parliamentary speaker Peter Slipper.

Americas

Venezuela's vice president announced that President Hugo Chavez's cancer surgery in Cuba had been completed successfully.

Uruguay's lower house of Congress passed a law to legalize gay marriage.

The Cuban government authorized the creation of more than 200 cooperative businesses.

Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced foreign interference in Russian politics during a state-of-the-nation address.

The European Parliament approved a common patent system for Europe.

Pope Benedict XVI sent his first tweet from his new Twitter account.

Middle East

Voting on Egypt's constitutional referendum has begun in overseas embassies.

Israel's foreign minister said the government will withhold tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority until March in retaliation for the Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations.

A Bahraini appeals court shortened the jail sentence of activist Nabeel Rajab from three years to two.

Africa

Mali's interim president appointed Django Sissoko as the country's new prime minister.

Police and soldiers in Ghana raided an opposition office after a contentious presidential election.

Election officials in Guinea recommended that long-delayed legislative elections take place on May 12.

JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Syrians no longer preparing chemical weapons

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, December 11, 2012 - 9:23 AM

Top news: U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters on Tuesday that the Syrian government no longer appears to be preparing chemical weapons for use against the rebels. "At this point the intelligence has really kind of leveled off," he said. "We haven't seen anything new indicating any aggressive steps to move forward in that way." Reports last week indicated that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad may have been loading sarin gas onto bombs.

Meanwhile, the United States officially designated the Nusra Front, one of the leading Islamist rebel militias, a foreign terrorist organization. The move, which was widely anticipated, makes financial dealings with the group illegal and could prompt similar sanctions from other countries.

Since the conflict in Syria began nearly two years ago, the UNHCR has registered or is in the process of registering more than 500,000 refugees in neighboring countries.

Egypt: Masked gunmen fired on protesters camped in Cairo's Tahrir Square, injuring nine ahead of planned demonstrations on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but supporters as well as detractors of President Mohamed Morsy are expected to demonstrate today.

Middle East

A Bahraini court sentenced pro-democracy activist Zainab al-Khawaja to one month in prison for entering the "prohibited area" surrounding Pearl Roundabout in Manama.
Clashes Monday between Tunisian police and suspected Islamic militants left one officer dead near the Algerian border.
Yemen's military launched airstrikes against al Qaeda militants suspected in an ambush that killed 17 army officers over the weekend.

Africa

Ghana's main opposition party may challenge the results of last Friday's presidential election in court.
Sudanese security forces broke up demonstrations outside a university in Khartoum on Monday.
Military officers arrested Mali's recently appointed prime minister on Monday.

Asia

Police in Baku, Azerbaijan cracked down on protesters calling for the resignation of President Ilham Aliyev.
A new Pentagon report found that only one of the Afghan National Army's 23 brigades is capable of operating without U.S. military support.
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is expected to take the lion's share of seats in this Sunday's election.

Europe

A New York judge announced that Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn agreed to a confidential settlement with the hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault in 2011.
Malta called an early election after the ruling party lost its one-seat majority.
In retaliation for the Magnitsky Act, Russia's parliament introduced a bill Monday that would bar entry to Americans accused of unspecified crimes against Russians.

Americas

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Cuba for another round of cancer treatment after naming Vice President Nicolas Maduro as his successor.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed sweeping educational reforms on Monday, challenging the country's powerful education-worker's union.
Dissidents accused the Cuban government of detaining more than 100 activists on Monday in order to prevent them from marking International Human Rights Day.

AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Egyptian president tasks military with security ahead of referendum

Posted By Uri Friedman Monday, December 10, 2012 - 9:34 AM

Top news: On the orders of Mohamed Morsy, the Egyptian military has assumed responsibility for maintaining security, protecting state institutions, and arresting civilians if necessary in the run-up to a Dec. 15 referendum on the country's new constitution. The Egyptian president's decree comes as his opponents call for more protests against the referendum and the constitution, which was adopted by an Islamist-dominated constituent assembly.

Over the weekend, Morsy attempted to defuse Egypt's political crisis by rescinding a controversial Nov. 22 decree expanding his powers and suspending a tax increase on consumer goods. But he has not walked away from his plan to hold the constitutional referendum on Saturday.

Opposition groups have not yet announced whether they will boycott the vote. The country's judges, meanwhile, have expressed a willingness to oversee the vote under certain conditions.

Italy: European shares are falling and the euro is declining after Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti announced over the weekend that he would resign once the country's 2013 budget is approved. Silvio Berlusconi, who stepped down as Italy's prime minister in November 2011 over the country's economic woes, declared that he will run for office again next year.

Americas

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to Cuba for cancer surgery after endorsing Vice President Nicolas Maduro as a potential successor.

The Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera died in a plane crash in northern Mexico.

Puerto Rico's governor said he will continue the island's statehood bid through a special legislative session.

Asia

Afghan and coalition forces rescued a kidnapped American doctor in eastern Afghanistan during an operation that left at least six people dead, including an American soldier.

North Korea announced that it may have to delay a rocket launch because of technical difficulties.

A U.S. drone strike in Pakistan reportedly killed a senior al Qaeda commander.

Europe

Prime Minister Victor Ponta's center-left alliance won parliamentary elections in Romania.

EU leaders arrived in Oslo, Norway to receive the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.

Germany's Social Democratic Party nominated Peer Steinbruck to run for chancellor next year against Angela Merkel.

Middle East

Sectarian clashes in the Lebanese city of Tripoli have left 19 people dead since Tuesday.

The Institute for International Finance estimated that Syria's economy will contract by a fifth in 2012.

Iran said it decoded all the data from a CIA drone captured last year.

Africa

Ghana's electoral commission declared President John Dramani Mahama the winner of the country's presidential election amid protests by the opposition.

The mother of Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was kidnapped.

Somali and African Union troops captured the town of Jowhar from the militant group al-Shabab.

GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Russia and the United States meet on Syria

Posted By Uri Friedman Friday, December 7, 2012 - 9:31 AM

Top news: Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. envoy to Syria, met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Dublin on Thursday night as part of an effort to outline a Syrian peace deal that would involve President Bashar al-Assad ceding power to a transitional government. On Friday, Russian officials announced that they planned to hold "brainstorming" meetings with their U.S. counterparts in the coming days on how to resolve the 20-month-old conflict.

The talks between Russia and the United States, who have long staked out opposing positions on the Syrian crisis, come soon after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that "events on the ground in Syria are accelerating" and that "the pressure against the regime in and around Damascus seems to be increasing." The United States has expressed concern that an increasingly desperate Syrian government could use chemical weapons against its opponents.

On Friday, as fighting raged around the Syrian capital of Damascus, the Syrian rebels warned civilians and airlines that Damascus International Airport, which is controlled by the Syrian military, has become a battle zone.

Japan: A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Japan -- the site of last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami -- on Friday, reportedly causing small tsunamis but little damage. Japanese authorities have since lifted a tsunami warning.

Americas

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made his first public appearance in three weeks after returning from medical treatment in Cuba.

The U.S. Senate passed the Magnitsky Act, which normalizes trade relations with Russia but calls for sanctioning Russian officials who have violated human rights.

Guatemala refused to grant asylum to anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee, who is a "person of interest" in a murder investigation in Belize.

Asia

The death toll from a typhoon in the Philippines has surpassed 450.

Asadullah Khalid, the new head of Afghanistan's intelligence service, survived an assassination attempt by a Taliban suicide bomber in Kabul.

Authorities in Thailand announced murder charges against former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for his involvement in a crackdown on protesters in 2010.

Middle East

Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshal is visiting the Gaza Strip for the first time to celebrate the group's 25th anniversary.

In a nationally televised address, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy promised to proceed with a referendum on the country's new constitution despite violent protests against his government.

Jordan's King Abdullah II visited the West Bank after the Palestinian Authority's successful statehood bid at the United Nations.

Africa

Congolese rebels and government officials are preparing for peace talks in Uganda.

Ghana is holding presidential and parliamentary elections.

Gunmen killed the South Sudanese blogger and government critic Diing Chan Awuol in his home.

Europe

Germany's central bank cut its growth forecast for the country to 0.4 percent in 2013.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Northern Ireland amid sectarian tensions in the country.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "agreed to disagree" about settlements after meeting in Berlin.

ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Egyptian military clears protesters from presidential palace

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, December 6, 2012 - 10:01 AM

Top news: The Egyptian military deployed tanks to the area in Cairo around the presidential palace on Thursday, following overnight clashes that left seven dead and more than 600 injured. The two-week-long crisis, sparked by a controversial decree issued by President Mohamed Morsy, has pitted Islamists against a fractious opposition of liberals, secularists, and supporters of the old regime.

So far, six members of Morsy's staff have resigned over the decree, which drastically expanded the president's powers. Al-Azhar, the country's top Islamic body, also called on the president to cancel the decree and engage in dialogue with his opponents.

Morsy's office has announced a deadline of 3:00 p.m. local time for all protesters to leave the area around the presidential palace.

Afghanistan: The Obama administration is scaling back plans for its civilian presence in Afghanistan after combat troops withdraw in 2014, the Washington Post reports. "As we saw in the Iraq exercise, you need to be very tough on the numbers going in," an anonymous administration official told the Post. "We need to have enough civilians to achieve the goals we've laid out," he said, but there is "a finite amount of money we have to spend."

Middle East

Khaled Meshaal, the exiled chairman of Hamas' political bureau, is expected to visit the Gaza Strip on Friday for the militant-Islamist organization's 25th anniversary.
Weapons supplied to Libyan rebels by Qatar with U.S. approval fell into Islamist hands, administration officials said.
Clashes in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli left one dead and 11 injured on Wednesday.

Africa

Fighting on Wednesday between al-Shabab fighters and troops from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region left 31 dead or wounded.
A bombing in Nairobi injured at least eight people in a predominantly Somali neighborhood on Wednesday.
The M23 rebels plan to send a delegation to negotiate with the Congolese government in Uganda on Thursday.

Asia

The death toll from a typhoon that struck the southern Philippines on Tuesday has reached more than 270, with hundreds more missing.
NATO issued a statement Wednesday calling on North Korea to cancel a rocket launch scheduled for later this month.
Suicide bombers killed three Pakistani soldiers at a military base in South Waziristan.

Europe

The Serbian ambassador to Nato committed suicide Wednesday by jumping from a multi-story building in Brussels.
Riots in Northern Ireland left 15 police officers injured just two days before U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to visit.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi hinted that he may run in Italy's upcoming election.

Americas

FARC rebels and the Colombian government resumed peace talks in Cuba.
Norway announced plans to close its embassy in Venezuela because of security concerns.
Famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer died in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.

AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Protesters challenge new Egyptian constitution

Posted By Joshua Keating Wednesday, December 5, 2012 - 9:33 AM

Top News: Tens of thousands of protesters again filled Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest Egypt's Islamist-backed draft constitution, which they say leaves too much power in the hands of the president and could allow religious authorities to restrict individual liberties. Eleven newspapers stopped publication to protest the constitution's lack of protection for freedom of expression.

Crowds clashed briefly with riot police outside the presidential palace, when President Mohamed Morsy left in a motorcade for his suburban home, but there was reportedly little violence. The president has now returned to the palace.

The Muslim Brotherhood is planning its own rally in support of the president today with leftists planning counterdemonstrations. A referendum on the new constitution will be held on Dec. 15.

Syria: NATO foreign ministers endorsed a plan to send Patriot missile batteries to Turkey while expressing concern over reports of activity at Syria's chemical weapons sites.

Asia

Hundred of people were killed by a typhoon that struck the Philippines.
South Korea has discovered more fake certificates at nuclear power plants.
Campaigning has begun for Japan's parliamentary elections.

Middle East

Iran claims to be extracting data from a U.S. spy drone it captured.
The U.S. State Deparment may designate Syria's Nusra Front as a terrorist group.
Imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has ended a 49-day hunger strike.

Africa

A militant attack killed 11 soldiers in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region.
Mali's government is holding direct talks with Tuareg and Islamist rebels from the country's north.
Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan urged Kenyans not to vote for indicted politicians.

Americas

59 police officers were arrested in Rio de Janeiro for ties to drug dealers.
The presidents of Argentina and Ecuador held talks over resisting pressure from so-called "vulture funds."
The U.S. Senate voted against ratifying a U.N. disability rights treaty.

Europe

Chancellor George Osborne warned that British economic growth will be slow for several years.
Serbia's ambassador to NATO died in an apparent suicide in Brussels.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged European governments to follow through on their Afghan security funding pledges.

GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Obama warns Assad over chemical weapons

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, December 4, 2012 - 9:49 AM

Top news: Fighting in Syria intensified on Tuesday as the government of Bashar al-Assad pounded the southern suburbs of Damascus with artillery fire in an effort to control the vital airport road. Heavy fighting in the last five days has forced the United Nations and European Union to scale back their aid operations in Syria, raising additional concerns about food insecurity. To date, eight U.N. workers have been killed in the conflict, which has claimed some 40,000 lives.

Meanwhile, reports that the Syrian government has begun moving its chemical weapons stockpile prompted warnings from President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen that the use of such weapons would carry consequences. "The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable," Obama said Monday in a speech at the National Defense University in Washington.

NATO is expected to endorse a plan to deploy Patriot missiles along the Turkish border later this week.

Egypt: President Mohamed Morsy plans to move ahead with a constitutional referendum on December 15 now that the country's Supreme Judicial Council has agreed to supervise the balloting. In response, members of the opposition called for mass protests today in Cairo.

Middle East

Israel vowed to move forward with its new settlement plan despite international criticism.
Severe human rights violations occurred in Yemen's Abyan region during the 2011 and 2012 conflict with al Qaeda militants, according to a new report.
Iran said it captured a U.S. intelligence drone, a claim the U.S. Navy denies.

Africa

In the last three months, 164 people have died of yellow fever in the Darfur region of Sudan, according to the World Health Organization.
Congolese troops returned to Goma on Monday following the withdrawal of M23 rebels.
Sierra Leone's main opposition party conceded defeat to incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma.

Asia

India announced that it is prepared to deploy naval vessels to the South China Sea if necessary.
Eight Burmese protesters appeared in court on charges of incitement after demonstrating outside a copper mine.
A shipyard accident in Singapore left 89 workers injured.

Europe

Police in the Netherlands raided a Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) meeting on Monday and detained 55 people.
President Obama called on Russia to renew the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.
A bomb exploded at the office of a far-right Greek political party on Tuesday.

Americas

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will travel to Brazil for a regional summit this week even though he is currently receiving cancer-related medical treatment in Cuba.
Peru appealed to the International Court of Justice to settle a maritime border dispute with Chile.
Two Mexican men were indicted in Los Angeles for the killing of U.S. Coast Guard officer Terrell Horne.

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Morning Brief: Egypt's constitutional crisis deepens

Posted By Uri Friedman Monday, December 3, 2012 - 9:35 AM

Top news: Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court suspended its operations on Sunday, delaying a ruling on the legitimacy of two Islamist-dominated bodies: the constituent assembly that recently drafted a controversial new constitution and the upper house of parliament. The country's highest court blamed the work stoppage on protests outside the institution by supporters of President Mohamed Morsy, who sparked the latest political crisis by issuing a decree to expand his powers.

Describing Sunday as "a dark black day in the history of the Egyptian judiciary," the Supreme Constitutional Court accused Islamists of preventing judges from entering the courthouse. Islamists, in turn, claimed that the judges were simply making excuses for deferring a decision that could further destabilize the country.

Hours later, the Judges Club, an organization that represents judges across the country, announced that it will not oversee the national referendum Morsy has scheduled for Dec. 15 on the draft constitution, though the association's decisions are not binding for members. Opposition groups, meanwhile, called for protests against the referendum on Tuesday.

Climate change: As climate talks continue in Doha, Qatar, a study in the journal Nature Climate Change has found that global carbon dioxide emissions hit a record high in 2011 and that an international goal of limiting global warming to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit may be out of reach.

Asia

China and Russia urged North Korea not to go ahead with its second rocket launch this year.

Taliban fighters wearing coalition uniforms attacked a coalition base in eastern Afghanistan, killing four Afghan guards and at least four civilians.

A tunnel collapse in eastern Japan killed nine people.

Europe

France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom summoned the Israeli ambassadors in their countries to protest Israel's decision to approve the construction of new settlements.

Borut Pahor, Slovenia's former prime minister, won the country's presidential election.

The Vatican announced a Twitter handle for Pope Benedict XVI.

Middle East

The United States and its allies issued warnings to the Syrian government over detected activity with the country's chemical weapons stockpiles.

The controversial World Conference on International Telecommunications has begun in Dubai.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Turkey in his first trip in two months.

Africa

Suspected Boko Haram militants killed 10 Christians in an attack on a village in northeast Nigeria.

M23 rebels withdrew from the Congolese city of Goma but are still considering retaking the regional capital.

Two Kenyan political leaders facing trial at the International Criminal Court formed an alliance ahead of elections in March.

Americas

The Colombian military killed 20 FARC rebels in a bombing raid amid ongoing peace talks between the two sides.

Enrique Pena Nieto was inaugurated as Mexico's new president.

Gunmen killed peasant leader Vidal Vega at his home in eastern Paraguay.

MAHMOUD KHALED/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: General Assembly votes to upgrade Palestine

Posted By Joshua Keating Friday, November 30, 2012 - 9:44 AM

Top news: The U.N. General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine's status to nonmember observer state against strong opposition from Israel and the United States. 138 voted for the motion with 8 opposed and 41 abstentions on the 65th anniversary of the vote that divided the British mandate of Palestine, creating the state of Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas personally addressed the meeting, saying, “the General Assembly is called upon today to issue a birth certificate of the reality of the state of Palestine.” Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor accused the president of failing to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, saying, "the Palestinian leadership has never recognized that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people.”

Canada, Panama, the Czech Republic and four small Pacific island countries joined the United States and Israel in opposition to the measure. The vote also showed increasing support for Palestinian statehood in Europe.

Syria: Syria's internet was shut down while the Damascus airport was closed because of nearby fighting.

Middle East

Egypt's Islamists approved a new draft constitution.
At least 33 people were killed by car bombings in the Iraqi cities of Hilla and Karbala.
A Qatari poet was sentenced to life in prison for insulting the emir.

Asia

Myanmar security forces violently broke up a protest over the expansion of a copper mine.
A Chinese government delegation reportedly met with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang.
ASEAN is protesting a plan by China to board ships within what it considers its territorial waters.

Europe

German lawmakers approved a new round of aid for Greece.
A Moscow court banned an online video of Pussy Riot's church performance.
The Eurozone unemployment rate hit a new high.

Americas

Farc and the Colombian government concluded the first stage of peace talks.
Cuban dissidents report increased harassment from authorities.
New Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto will be inaugurated tomorrow.

Africa

Congo's M23 rebels have delayed their withdrawal from Goma.
Britain has suspended aid to Rwanda.
Botswana may ban commercial hunting.

STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: U.S. considers deeper involvement in Syria

Posted By Ty McCormick Thursday, November 29, 2012 - 9:55 AM

Top news: The newly formed National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces met in Cairo on Wednesday to begin the process of forming a shadow government, a step that would pave the way for additional funding and international recognition. At the same time, rebel forces inside Syria reportedly shot down a government aircraft for the second consecutive day. Also on Wednesday, a pair of car bombs detonated in a pro-Assad neighborhood killed at least 34 people.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that Washington is considering a range of options to speed the departure of embattled President Bashar al-Assad. According to an anonymous administration official, several alternatives are under consideration, including directly arming rebels, deploying CIA operatives on the ground, and stationing surface-to-air missiles in Turkey. All these options have been discussed before, but according to the unnamed source quoted by the Times, rebel military success "has given this debate a new urgency, and a new focus."

Environment: This year was the ninth warmest on record, the World Meteorological Organization reported on Wednesday at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Doha. "It confirms the trend towards a warmer planet," WMO head Michel Jarraud told the New York Times. Records have been kept for more than 160 years.

Middle East

A resolution that would change the Palestinian Authority's U.N. observer status from "entity" to "non-member state" is expected to pass the U.N. General Assembly.
The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization said Iran will continue to enrich uranium "with intensity."
The constituent assembly tasked with drafting Egypt's new constitution convened to vote on a final draft of the document.

Africa

The M23 rebels announced that they will begin to withdraw from the eastern city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Five of South Africa's nine provinces have backed Jacob Zuma to stay on as leader of the ANC, heading into the party's conference in December.
The U.N. Security Council extended an arms embargo against armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and threatened additional measures against the M23 rebels.

Asia

Authorities arrested two men suspected of beheading a teenage girl in the Kunduz province of Afghanistan.
A new report detailed how political interference thwarted efforts to investigate the collapse of the Kabul Bank in 2010.
Security forces clashed with students at Jaffna University in northern Sri Lanka.

Europe

A U.N. tribunal cleared Kosovo's former prime minister of war crimes committed in the late 1990s.
Russia reported a 12 percent increase in HIV cases since last year.
The European Commission approved Spain's plan to restructure four recently nationalized banks.

Americas

The trial of 68 former Argentine officials accused of crimes in the so-called "Dirty War" (1976-1983) began on Wednesday.
Colombia withdrew from the Bogota Pact, which binds it to the International Criminal Court, after the court ruled in favor of Nicaragua in a territorial dispute.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced that BP has been temporary suspended from bidding on new contracts in the United States.

AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Protests persist in Egypt

Posted By Uri Friedman Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - 9:03 AM

Top news: Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Wednesday in the sixth straight day of protests over President Mohamed Morsy's decree expanding his powers and barring other authorities from overturning his decisions. Police clashed with protesters on Tuesday after tens of thousands of people took to the streets, in scenes that recalled the revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak last year.

The country's Cassation and Appeals courts have suspended their work until the Supreme Constitutional Court issues a ruling on Morsy's decree -- a decision that could come in a matter of days.

Egypt's prime minister is convening the cabinet to discuss the crisis, while Morsy's opponents are calling for a mass demonstration on Friday. The Muslim Brotherhood postponed a planned rally on Tuesday so as not to stoke more "public tension."

Afghanistan: An independent report on fraud at Kabul Bank found that bank officials smuggled hundreds of millions of dollars out of Afghanistan and called the collapse of the institution "one of the largest banking failures in the world." The study also claimed that Afghan political figures have interfered in the criminal investigation into the scandal.

Europe

The European Commission approved a $48 billion bailout for four Spanish banks.

A growing number of European countries have expressed support for a Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations.

More than 80 lawmakers in the United Kingdom defended press freedom in a letter published in two British newspapers.

Americas

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to Cuba for more medical treatment after struggling with cancer.

Mexican President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto met with Barack Obama at the White House.

Four military servicewomen filed a federal lawsuit to overturn the Pentagon's ban on women assuming direct combat roles.

Middle East

Two car bombings outside the Syrian capital reportedly killed 34 people.

Gunmen reportedly killed a Saudi Arabian diplomat and his Yemeni bodyguard in Yemen's capital.

Saudi Arabian security forces detained protesters who staged a demonstration outside the offices of the Human Rights Commission.

Africa

Congo's M23 rebels have pledged to retreat from the captured city of Goma.

Sierra Leone's main opposition party threatened to boycott parliament and local councils over concerns about fraud in the country's recent election.

Four Ugandan terrorism suspects accused the FBI of physically abusing them.

Asia

Police in Bangladesh arrested three managers at a garment factory that suffered a deadly fire.

At least five Tibetans have self-immolated in the past few days.

The Philippines joined several other Asian countries in opposing a controversial new Chinese passport.

AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Egypt's president backs off earlier claim to absolute power

Posted By Ty McCormick Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - 9:56 AM

Top news: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy appears to have backed down somewhat from a decree issued last Thursday granting himself immunity from judicial review. In the absence of a parliament, Morsy already wields executive as well as legislative power, but after brokering a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel last week, the president seized the moment to complete the trifecta. Following four days of intense street protests, however, Morsy appeared to capitulate somewhat, meeting with the judges of Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council and backing off his earlier claim to be above the courts.

In an "explanation" read by his spokesman, Morsy clarified his earlier decree, saying that he intended only to assert pre-existing presidential powers, not establish new ones. Most importantly, he sought to prevent Mubarak-appointed judges from dissolving the constituent assembly that is tasked with drafting Egypt's new constitution. Morsy did not rescind the original decree, however, and it's not clear whether or not his "explanation" will be enough to defuse the tension in Cairo, where demonstrations and clashes with the police are ongoing.

Syrian conflict: The Syrian government bombed rebel strongholds in the border towns of Atima and Bab al-Hawa, prompting hundreds to flee into Turkey. Meanwhile, France announced that it plans to give $1.5 million in emergency aid to the newly formed Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces.

Middle East

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced on Monday that he plans to "leave political life."
The body of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed on Tuesday in order to determine if his death in 2004 was caused by poisoning.
Police in Bahrain dispersed thousands of protesters on Monday in the capital city, Manama.

Africa

Gunmen attacked a police station in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, killing two officers and freeing five detainees.
Provisional results indicate that Sierra Leone's ruling party won a majority in the country's Nov. 17 parliamentary election.
Sudan has added new conditions for opening its oil pipeline to South Sudan, further delaying production in the cash-strapped country.

Asia

Satellite images of a North Korean missile launch site suggest that Pyongyang may be planning a long-range ballistic missile test.
Thousands of Bangladeshi textile workers protested in Dhaka on Monday after a factory fire killed more than 100 workers.
At least 16 people died in Lahore, Pakistan after consuming tainted cough syrup.

Europe

Eurozone finance ministers and the IMF reached an agreement Monday to reduce Greece's debt by 40 billion euros.
The European Union urged Georgia not to selectively prosecute former officials from ousted President Mikheil Saakashvili's government.
Fourteen people died in a fire at a workshop for disabled people in Titisee-Neustadt, south-western Germany.

Americas

FARC rebels bombed two electricity pylons in Reposo, Colombia one day after their leaders declared a ceasefire from peace negotiations in Havana.
Venezuelan judge María Lourdes Afiuni, who was imprisoned by President Hugo Chavez after she issued a controversial human rights decision, was raped in prison.
Thousands rallied in Rio de Janeiro to protest a new bill that would share petroleum revenues across the country.

Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Syrian rebels report advances

Posted By Uri Friedman Monday, November 26, 2012 - 9:30 AM

Top news: The Syrian opposition is reporting that rebel fighters captured a military air base outside Damascus on Sunday and a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates River on Monday, in what the New York Times is calling a "monthlong string of tactical successes" that illustrate the rebels' "ability to erode the government's dominance in the face of withering aerial attacks."

Activists claim that the Syrian military unleashed one such aerial attack on Sunday, dropping a cluster bomb on a playground in a village east of Damascus that killed 10 children. The Syrian government has denied using cluster bombs in the past.

Meanwhile, the violence in Syria has once again spilled over into Turkey, as Turkish and NATO officials explore where to deploy Patriot missiles along Turkey's border with Syria. The Turkish military says the missile system is for "defensive purposes" rather than a no-fly zone.

Egypt: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy is meeting with top judges in an effort to defuse a political crisis that erupted after he assumed new and expansive powers by decree.

Asia

Thousands of people protested in Bangladesh's capital after more than 100 people died in a fire at a garment factory.

A bombing by the Taliban at a Shiite religious procession in northwestern Pakistan left at least six people dead.

The Chinese military landed a fighter jet on its first aircraft carrier.

Europe

Separatist parties won elections in Spain's Catalonia region, though the main separatist party lost seats.

Eurozone finance ministers are engaged in a third attempt to unlock emergency aid for Greece.

A British regulator fined the Swiss bank UBS $47.5 million for failing to stop a rogue trader from losing $2.3 billion.

Africa

Gunmen attacked a police base in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

The advancing M23 rebels have reportedly sent their leader to Uganda for talks with the Congolese government.

Two suicide bombings at a church inside a Nigerian military base killed at least 11 people.

Middle East

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced that he is leaving politics ahead of elections in Israel.

Representatives from nearly 200 countries are gathering in Doha, Qatar for a new round of U.N. climate talks.

Talks are resuming in Cairo, Egypt regarding the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Americas

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff dismissed several top officials facing corruption allegations.

Mexican officials discovered 19 bodies in the northern border state of Chihuahua.

Members of Colombia's FARC rebel group said they carried out an attack after their leaders declared a ceasefire because they had not heard about the truce.

John Cantlie/AFP/Getty Images

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Morning Brief: Bus explodes in Tel Aviv as Israeli strikes continue in Gaza

Posted By Uri Friedman Wednesday, November 21, 2012 - 9:19 AM

Top news: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are meeting with Egyptian, Israeli, and Palestinian leaders in an effort to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, amid ongoing fighting that has reportedly killed 140 Palestinians and five Israelis in the past week. Reports suggest that sticking points in negotiations include a Hamas demand for an end to the blockade on the Gaza Strip and an Israeli demand for a temporary ceasefire.

An explosion on a bus in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv injured at least 10 people on Wednesday, in what the Israeli prime minister's office described as a "terrorist attack." Loudspeakers in the Gaza claimed that Hamas had carried out the bombing -- the first in Tel Aviv since 2006.

The Israeli military says it conducted airstrikes on more than 100 sites in Gaza overnight, including a Hamas compound, smuggling tunnels, and underground rocket launchers.

East Asia summit: Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 10 Southeast Asian countries announced plans for a new trade bloc -- the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership -- that would include China but not the United States and represent a rival to the Obama administration's Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Africa

The presidents of Congo and Rwanda are meeting in Uganda for crisis talks after M23 rebels seized the Congolese city of Goma.

The United Nations reported that new H.I.V. infections are falling particularly dramatically in Southern Africa.

Thirteen people were shot in the Kenyan town of Garissa amid Somali-Kenyan tensions.

Asia

India hanged the surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack.

A South Korean judge sentenced activist Park Jung-geun to a suspended 10-month prison term for retweeting North Korean posts.

Two suicide bombers killed two Afghan security guards in Kabul.

Europe

Eurozone finance ministers failed to reach a deal on providing more aid to Greece.

The Church of England's synod rejected the appointment of female bishops.

A British court sentenced UBS trader Kweku Adoboli to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of fraud.

Middle East

An Amnesty International report accused Bahrain of failing to implement reforms and increasing repression.

Gunmen assassinated the police chief of the Libyan city of Benghazi.

A military plane crash in the Yemeni capital killed 10 people.

Americas

Bolivia enforced a curfew as part of its first census in more than a decade.

Mexico and the United States struck a deal to share water from the Colorado River.

Trade unions in Argentina held their first general strike against President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images

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