Syria has "descended into hell," Archbishop Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio in Syria, described on Monday the situation in the country. Meanwhile, Faisal Mikdad, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister, warned of terrible and more global chaos should the U.S. send troops or launch airstrikes to control the recent Aug. 21 savage chemical weapons attack in the Syrian capital.
In news that could further embarrass the U.S. Administration and strain its relations with allies, the Germany weekly Der Dpiegel, on Sunday, citing documents obtained by fugitive former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, reported that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) wiretapped the United Nations (U.N.) Headquarters in New York.
In brazen attacks carried out by insurgents, on Sunday, in Iraq, at least 47 people were killed across the country. This is the worst spate of killing since 2008 and is seen as part of a month-long wave of attacks. The killing has brought the focus back on the country's security forces' ability to protect the country against insurgent groups. It raises fears that Iraq's ethnic divide and sectarian violence may push the country back towards a civil war.
As New Zealand Prime Minister John Key faced a Labour leadership challenge from Grant Robertson, Shane Jones and David Cunliffe, a poll said New Zealanders do not believe in what he says.
Right-wing Hindu organisation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that demonstrations would be held across the country on Monday to protest against the ban on its 'Chaurasi Kosi Parikrama Yatra' (pilgrimage) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). This comes after the state government foiled, on Sunday, the proposed ‘yatra’ of the VHP demanding a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
In swift action that has earned them accolades; the Mumbai Police has arrested all the 5 accused in the gang-rape of the young photojournalist in Mumbai. As reported earlier, on Thursday, 5 men accosted the 22-year-old photojournalist and took turns to rape her. She and her male colleague were on an assignment at an abandoned mill compound in Mumbai. Her male colleague was beaten and tied up during the incident.
Drawing a parallel between Iraq in 2003 and Syria today, Russia warned the U.S. against taking unilateral action in Syria. The Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday said such action will be a repeat of past mistakes of the U.S. in the region. This warning from Russia came amid reports of U.S. and UK were contemplating options for military strike against government forces in Syria on complains of chemical weapon use.
New Zealand is not yet ready for a gay prime minister, Georgina Beyer, the world's first transsexual mayor and MP, said. The former Carterton District mayor has warned the Labour party to be realistic with appointing a gay leader because the country isn't ready yet to be ruled by a homosexual.
Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar has opened this week above 0.9000 as US new home sales for July fell well short of expectations.
Australia Federal Election 2013: Julia Gillard snubs ALP; Tony Abbott’s daughters were good luck charms and Voters’ support for ALP up says Newspoll
Bob Filner will resign on Friday, Aug 30, as mayor of San Diego, California. He was actually forced to leave office after less than nine months on the job when the city council, in a 7-0 vote, pressured him to step down over sexual harassment complaints.
The President May Be Accused of Inaction
He called on Allah’s wrath to be on others and now the police have expressed concerns about his safety. In his March sermon, the Tunisian-born Mosque Preacher Sheikh Sharif Hussein Sheikh who is said to be a leading member of the Adelaide Islamic community, attacked Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, US President Barack Obama and called Australian soldiers in Iraq as "Crusader pigs”.
Lebanon Has Allegedly Launched a Rocket Attack on Israel on Thursday
Amid cheering crowds at the Chinese-built National Sports Stadium in Harare and to the chagrin of the west, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe began a new five-year stint in office on Thursday. At 89, he is Africa's oldest yet defiant leaders. In his inaugural address, he, dismissed charges of election fraud, called the West "vile," promised to push further for black ownership of white and foreign-owned companies and attacked homosexuality.
A Maldivian court quashed a public flogging sentence of a 15-year-old girl convicted for having premarital sex. The high court issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the girl, whose step-father is on trial for raping her, had been wrongly convicted by a juvenile court of having pre-marital sex with another man. The February conviction of the girl sparked international outrage and focused attention on treatment of women in Maldives, which is a favourite holiday destination.
Monitoring developments over at Japan concerning the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility is like waiting for the ticking bomb to explode anytime. On Thursday, Japan's nuclear regulator Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) disclosed, or rather confirmed fears of experts all along - a new radioactive water leak has been found at the plant.
Syria Chemical Attack: heartbreaking videos of victims emerge – a mother saying goodbye to her dead child, a girl convincing aid she is alive, and a baby in diaper among the dead bodies found.
The Freedom Flotilla, a convoy of three yachts carrying approximately 50 West Papuan and indigenous Australian protestors bound for the Indonesian territories of West Papua, reached Cooktown, Queensland on Friday morning. It was welcomed by indigenous elders and locals, a media release issued by the organisers said.
A group with Sri Lankan government affiliations protested in front of New Zealand's Fonterra local office and demanded that the dairy giant follow a court order to withdraw the supposedly contaminated milk products from the market. Meanwhile, the New Zealand government was still working on restoring Chinese relations after China issued an import ban on some of contaminated milk products.
Kevin Rudd News: PM Kevin Rudd cancelled last minute schedule in Griffith while he was seen campaigning early morning Friday.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee criticised Australia for its "cruel and inhuman" treatment of asylum seekers and demanded their immediate release from detention. A UN watchdog pressed the Australian government to free the refugees who were placed on indefinite detention.
Bradley Manning is gone. The U.S. soldier convicted of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has revealed that he now wants to be called Chelsea Manning, and has launched a bid to begin hormone therapy in prison as soon as possible.
Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar has been boosted by yesterday's stronger-than-expected Chinese manufacturing data.
The Australian Labor Party, allegedly, draws campaign budget through capitalizing on gay marriage
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday criticised the state government of Uttar Pradesh for banning a ‘yatra’ (pilgrimage) planned by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the communally sensitive city of Ayodhya. It is a move that can be politically precarious for the Indian right-wing BJP in an election year, as it seeks to regain power in the 2014 election under its controversial but popular development mascot Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
President Obama’s “red line” statement last year on Syria has come to haunt him. On Wednesday, as reports of a horrific chemical attack by the Syrian army that killed hundreds on the outskirts of Damascus poured in, the US and global media screamed that Syria may have finally crossed the “red line.” However, the U.S. avoidance became evident, as it indicated reluctance to take direct action that could embroil America in an open-ended Syrian civil war.
The Government Has Apparently Suggested a Ban on Religious Headwear in Quebec
As the election date nears, Australia will have a new First Lady. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's wife, Therese Rein or Tony Abbott's marital partner Margie Abbott will soon become the Australia's First Lady.
It is a bit of news that Edward Snowden will be watching very closely. Like Snowden, who could not in his “good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, Internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world,” - Bradley Manning, 25, sentenced to prison for 35 years, on several charges of espionage, said he leaked the secret files in the hopes of sparking a public debate about U.S. foreign policy and the military.
