28 Mar 11 Russia: Anti-Qadhafi raids not sanctioned by U.N. Astronaut hopes Giffords will be at shuttle launch U.N. rights body ditches religious 'defamation' idea Iron Dome Defense To Start Working Sunday in Southern Israel As Austerity Bites, the Mood in Europe Turns Ugly Tensions growing in Russia's ruling tandem Energized Muslim Brotherhood in Libya eyes a prize Blasts at Yemen weapons factory Syria protests: Army deploys in Latakia after 12 killed Israel questions Argentina over Buenos Aires attacks Syria: dozens more dead, US and France divided NATO backs up Libyan rebels, bombing Gaddafi hometown
Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that strikes on forces loyal to Col. Qadhafi would amount to interference in what he called Libya’s civil war, and thus would breach the U.N. Security Council resolution that envisaged a no-fly zone only to protect civilians.-Moscow has been voicing concern about civilian casualties and excessive use of force since the operation began.
NASA astronaut Mark Kelly said Thursday there was "a pretty good chance" his wife, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, critically injured in a shooting in January, will attend his space shuttle launch in Florida next month.
The United Nations' top human rights body has replaced its traditional condemnation of religious "defamation" with a resolution supporting an individual right to freedom of belief. The unanimous vote Thursday by the U.N. Human Rights Council was welcomed by free speech advocates. Previous resolutions backed largely by Muslim countries sought to criminalize any criticism of religion that believers found offensive.
“This week we held several trials to check the system’s preparedness and their success has resulted in our being able to operate the system, starting tomorrow.”
There is little doubt that pressure is building up in Europe and it will require a combination of persuasion, political acumen and responsibility to prevent a degeneration of the system back to the worst periods of the 20th Century. The demonstrators and the unions feel that they are being betrayed to pacify the bankers and investors.
Tensions are growing within Russia's ruling tandem of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin, with their teams scheduling competing meetings to stir up trouble, a report said Monday.
Dr. Abdulmonem Hresha knows first hand how Moammar Gadhafi's regime works. He says the seeds of his opposition were sown when he was age 10. He and classmates were taken to witness the public execution of a political opponent of Gadhafi. ...The prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood now lives in London, and anticipates the group could become an important player in a post-Gadhafi environment.
A blast at an ammunition factory in southern Yemen has killed at least five people and wounded 50, reports say. The explosion shook the southern Yemeni town of Jaar and could be heard up to 10 miles (15km) away. Reports said the plant had recently been seized by militants who, on Sunday, clashed with government forces in the town.
Officials blamed foreign forces for the violence, but residents said pro-government gangs started the clashes. The authorities said on Sunday they would end decades of emergency rule, after protests erupted in at least six cities on Friday. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is expected to address the nation soon.
Israel has demanded an explanation from Argentina over reports it proposed to Iran it would stop investigating two bombings if trade ties improved. Argentina, Israel and the US have blamed Iran for the bombings of the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in the 1990s. Iran has denied involvement in the bombings, which killed 114 people.
Syrian President Bashir al-Assad's forces killed at least 20 more protesters over the weekend. But the US gave him credit for reforms and ruled out intervention, in contrast to hawkish French rhetoric. Pro-Assad militias used sniper rifles, machine guns and swords against protesters in the northern town of Latakia on Saturday (26 March) killing at least 12 people and injuring over 150.
Western forces backed up rebels in Sirte, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's birthplace, on Monday, bombing the town from the air and leading to several casualties, according to Libyan state news agency Jana. "The crusader and colonial bombing targeted inhabited areas in the city of Sabha at dawn on Monday, causing the destruction of several houses," the agency reported. "Ambulances and firefighter teams rushed to those areas."
