February 24, 2012
1,500-year-old gospel kept in Ankara excites Vatican, report claims
The photo shows a Bible found in Hagia Sophia, a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica which is now a museum, soon after the conquest of İstanbul by the Ottoman Empire. (Photo: AA) The Vatican has requested that Turkey allow it to examine a 1500-year-old copy of an apocryphal gospel that was discovered by Turkish police during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000 and handed over to the Ankara Ethnography Museum, the Turkish Bugün daily reported on Thursday. (READ MORE from Today's Zaman)
Wave of militant attacks in 12 Iraqi cities kill dozens
Iraqi firefighters try to extinguish a burning bus at the scene of a car bomb explosion in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP / Hadi Mizban)A rapid series of attacks spread over a wide swath of Iraqi territory killed at least 50 people on Thursday, targeting mostly security forces in what appeared to be a vicious strike by al-Qaida militants bent on destabilizing the country. (READ MORE from CTV)
Leaders gather in London for Somalia talks
Conference to focus on international response to poverty, famine, piracy and Horn of Africa nation's ongoing civil war. World leaders are meeting with members of the Somali government to co-ordinate efforts against piracy, poverty and famine, and to discuss the country's civil war. Forty countries are represented at Thursday's conference in London, and attendees include Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general.
U.S. pushing for humanitarian aid, not arms, to Syria opposition
U.S. officials steered away Thursday from any commitment to help arm Syrian opposition forces, insisting that the current focus should be on funding humanitarian aid, unifying the political opposition to President Bashar al-Assad and increasing the world’s diplomatic and economic stranglehold on his government. (READ MORE from The Washington Post)
Journalists Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik die in Homs
On Tuesday, Marie Colvin said the bombardment of Baba Amr had been "unrelenting" (BBC)Two prominent Western journalists have been killed in the Syrian city of Homs in the latest violence in the besieged city which left 20 people dead. (READ MORE from the BBC)
Key town recaptured from Somalia's militant group, al-Shabab
Ethiopian and Somali troops seize control of Baidoa from radical Islamist group in joint operation, reports say. Somalia's government has retaken control of the town of Baidoa from the radical Islamist group al-Shabab. The group controlled the town for two years, and it was the second largest one under al-Shabab's control. Ethiopian and Somali troops captured the town in a joint operation on Wednesday. Government forces have increased their pressure on the group after it gave up control of the country's capital, Mogadishu, in August. (Agencies)
Fitch downgrades Greece
Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos speaks during a press conference in Athens on Tuesday. (EPA)Fitch Ratings has downgraded Greece's credit rating to C from triple-C Wednesday after confirmation of the second bailout package that includes a debt exchange which will force bondholders to take a loss on their holdings of Greek debt. (READ MORE from the Wall Street Journal)
Risking It All - Bolivia: The flying men of Yungas Valley
Bolivia's coca farmers make a living criss-crossing deep valleys on a web of makeshift cables high above forest canopy. (CONTINUE WATCHING PROGRAMME from AlJazeera)
ECOWAS Officials to Meet Senegal Party Representatives
(PHOTO: Ivory Coast President Alassane Quattara, Chair of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State & Government/Presidence ivoirienne)An official of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said the sub-regional bloc’s poll observer mission to Senegal is scheduled to meet with leaders of the ruling party & the opposition Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s presidential vote in which 14 candidates will also run alongside incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade who has faced violent opposition protests in his bid for a court-approved 3rd term, despite a 2-term constitutional limit. On January 27 the Constitutional Court of Senegal approved a 3rd term run ruling his first term did not count under the new constitution. Also, singer Youssou N'Dour was disqualified from the election.
(PHOTO: Singer Youssou N'Dour/muslimvoicesfestival.org)The poll observer team, which will be led by Togo’s former PM Koffi Sama, comprises members of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, the ECOWAS parliament, legal & civil society & electoral experts & representatives of the National Electoral Commissions of member states, ambassadors & experts from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana. Estimates project more than 5 million Senegalese have registered to vote in Sunday’s presidential poll in the country’s 14 regions. At least 6 people have been killed in recent demonstrations.
Nigeria market bombing kills 30
(PHOTO: Baga Market, Maiduguri, Nigeria/Canada.com)Security forces patrolled a huge market in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri on Tuesday where an assault by suspected Islamists killed some 30 people on Monday. Gunmen believed to be members of the Islamist sect Boko Haram stormed the fish section of Baga market Monday afternoon & sprayed stallholders & vendors with bullets & set off bombs in what appeared to be a retaliatory attack for the arrest of a suspected Islamist inside the market last week. The market opened on Tuesday but security forces shut all entry gates except one directly overlooking a police station.
(PHOTO: Baga market, Nigeria/Naharnet)Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state & the home base of Boko Haram, has seen some of the worst violence blamed on the extremist sect, which has focused its attacks on the mainly Muslim north; killing more than 200 people already this year, including at least 185 in coordinated gun & bomb attacks in Nigeria's second city of Kano on January 20, its deadliest ever strike. BH has said it wants to create a Islamic state across Nigeria's deeply-impoverished mainly Muslim north & some analysts believe the Islamists are tied to like-minded extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda. (READ MORE HERE)
Afghans protest over handling of Korans
(PHOTO: An Afghan man aims a sling shot toward soldiers during a protest outside Bagram Air Base on Tuesday/Shah Marai, AFP)The NATO commander in Afghanistan issued an apology on Tuesday after troops were said to have “improperly disposed” of religious materials. (READ MORE from the NYTIMES)
Senegal opposition calls for new anti-Wade protest
(via EuroNews)
Related - Election anger mounts in Senegal
The president's decision to run for a third term was met by anger in one of Africa's most mature democracies. ( 30-Jan-2012 )New round of protests called against Abdoulaye Wade's controversial move to seek third term of office in Sunday's vote. Senegalese are continuing their protests against incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade's decision to seek a third term in office, erecting barricades and pelting police with rocks just days before a presidential election. The state-owned news service confirmed the death on Monday of a young man in a suburb of the capital Dakar as demonstrations intensified, and the opposition said they would organise more protests. (READ MORE from AlJazeera)
Boats sink in Belgrade as thaw causes Danube ice chaos
Piles of ice could be seen on the Danube at Belgrade on MondayA rapid thaw has brought chaos to the River Danube in the Serbian capital Belgrade, where ice damaged boats, pontoons and floating restaurants. (READ MORE from the BBC)
Carnival begins in Rio and goes worldwide
(PHOTO: Rio Carnival goers celebrate during the Banda de Ipanema street parade on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro/AFP)Brazil's Carnival season came alive on Saturday with more than 2 million people attending the seasonal celebration, wearing festive outfits & staging a huge dance driven street festival in Rio. On Friday the legendary King Momo declared the Carnival officially open. Some 171 street parties were scheduled across the "Marvellous City" this weekend & 400 during the 5 day Carnival. Other Brazilian cities, including Sao Paulo, the country's economic capital & Salvador de Bahia, the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture, also celebrated the annual pre-Lent festival in style. The Carnival of Rio is the biggest Carnival celebration in the world. (READ MORE from the Sydney Morning Herald)
(PHOTO: Carla del Ponte as witch at the Rijeka Carnival/Wikipedia)Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February & typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask & public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life. (via WIKIPEDIA)
(PHOTO: Masquerade ball at the Carnival of Venice/Wikipedia)The festival of Carnival is celebrated worldwide in nations including: Andalusia, Angola, Antigua, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Azores, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Catalonia, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, England, France, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Macedonia, Madeira, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands-Antilles, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saba, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, the USVI, & Venezuela.
RELATED:
(PHOTO: Revellers at the modern Goan Carnival/FILE)Carnival parade in Panaji cancelled as Goa mourns tragedy - PANAJI, GOA: The Calvim bus tragedy in which 7 passengers, including 4 school children, drowned, cast a pall of gloom over the state & the government immediately cancelled Carnival celebrations in the capital city, Panaji, minutes before the floats' parade was to commence. (Read More at The Times of India)
(PHOTO: Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay/Jakarta Post)Rice party: Hundreds of residents queue for a portion of `tumpeng' (cone-shaped yellow rice dish) during a `tumpeng party' in Solo on Sunday. The party was held to celebrate the 267th anniversary of Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia.
Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran vow to stand ‘united’
(PHOTO: The Pakistan Daily Times) Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad put their heads together at the third trilateral summit to forge regional cooperation in multifaceted areas. The 3 neighbours declared they would not allow any threat emanating from their respective territories against each other. Addressing a press conference together Zardari vowed to fight external pressure on the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline, saying that the “external forces can’t undermine bilateral relations”. The 3 sides also agreed to broaden cooperation in political, security, economic, cultural, social & educational fields & enhance people-to-people contacts. They also favour visits of parliamentarians, academicians & journalists from the 3 countries & to enhance connectivity by launching projects to improve infrastructure, road and rail links, transport and communications. (READ MORE at The Pakistan Daily Times)
Broadsides sink South China Sea peace As Southeast Asian countries lined up against China in the South China Sea sign pacts with extra-territorial powers like Russia and India to redress the strategic balance, Beijing can only respond with more aggression. A better solution lies in the way in which the scourge of piracy was tackled. By Chietigj Bajpaee
Hidden war in the South Caucasus As Iran and Azerbaijan trade barbs over allegations of assassination plots, many worry that these and other incidents mean the countries in the South Caucasus region - American-backed Georgia and Armenia too - have become an espionage no-man's-land in the conflict between the Iranian and Israeli intelligence services. By Nicholas Clayton
Delhi dances, Tehran wants to talk India is resisting pressure from the United States and Israel to stop buying oil from Iran, despite Delhi signing on to various United Nations sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program. Iran says all it wants to do is talk, even if nuclear inspectors say it is being less than cooperative. By Kaveh L Afrasiabi
US torn over arming Syrian rebels As the "Friends of Syria" coalition lays an international path for ending a conflict that has claimed more than 6,000 lives, debate is raging over whether the United States should arm Syria's untested opposition. Meanwhile, military and logistical assistance is likely to come from other state and non-state actors. By Samer Araabi and Jim Lobe
Dreaming of a Syria beyond Assad The Syrian National Council, initially wary of the Free Syrian Army, came to the realization that the rebels "are a reality on the ground inside Syria", says Khaled Khoja, a key member of the council who lives in exile in Turkey. As a result, the groups decided it was in their mutual interest to unify their disparate agendas. By Derek Henry Flood
Thailand's Thaksin prepares for war As Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra attempts to gain control over senior military appointments and neutralize the army's ability to stage another coup after it toppled her brother in 2006, loyalists to the fugitive former premier plan to reprise Thailand's 2010 "red-shirt" secret command. The "war room" plan signals how seriously Thaksin Shinawatra views the potential for renewed open conflict. By John Cole and Steve Sciacchitano
Do you have your eye on the world? Help us expand the global perspective and tell the stories that shape your world. SHARE what's happening locally, globally wherever you are! Upload your videos, pictures & articles HERE & we'll post them on MY HUM PLANET CONNECT. Learn something NEWS every day!
Look for HUMNEWS in the News Section of pulse @www.pulse.me. For iPad, iPhone and Android-recently launched on deck for Samsung’s Galaxy tab.
HUM QR CODE
If you are interested in sharing your stories with us and becoming a HUMNews Student Journalist please fill out the form below. Please be sure to read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy before submitting any information or content on our site.
;)
