Politics

United States President Barack Obama announced Sunday night that an agreement between Republican and Democratic leaders has been reached that, if passed by Congress, will allow the government to raise its debt limit before it begins to default on its debt on Tuesday. The deal has yet to be approved, with a vote by lawmakers in Congress not likely until Monday at the earliest. Some lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties have previously said that they will not vote for the agreement in question. According to Obama, the deal,

Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of News International, has resigned after two weeks of growing pressure over allegations of phone hacking at British tabloid newspaper the News of the World. “I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the people we have hurt and I want to reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place," Brooks, who formerly edited the NotW, said in a statement. Her resignation came amid mounting pressure from politicians for her resignation, and after Rupert Murdoch dropped his bid to take full control of

Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas announced Tuesday that he will end his twelve-term career in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013 when his current term expires. He will not seek re-election in 2012, but rather will focus fully on his campaign to win the presidential nomination of the Republican Party. He previously mounted two unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 1988 and 2008. Paul, 75, has held his House seat for Texas's 14th congressional district since 1997, and previously held another House seat for Texas from 1976 to 1

Former First Lady of the United States Betty Ford died Friday at the age of 93. Ford died of complications following a stroke in Rancho Mirage, California. She was the wife of former U.S. President Gerald Ford. Ford was born Elizabeth Ann Bloomer on April 8, 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the First Lady from 1974 to 1977. She also founded the Betty Ford Center in 1982, where more than 90,000 patients were treated. Her husband Gerald Ford died in December 2006. She was survived by four children, Michael, Jack, Steven, and Susan. Funera

Syrian forces have raided the city of Homs, and has killed at least one civilian and injured twenty from machine gunfire and armor activity in heavily populated areas. This raid is reportedly the heaviest since troops were deployed to the city two months ago in an effort to crush dissent against the country's President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has ruled the country for 41 years, from ongoing protests. In Hama, which is 50 km north of Homs, Security forces made arrests, and gunshots were reported by activists in the area. No causalities we

At 0000 EAT Saturday (2100 UTC Friday), the Republic of South Sudan achieved independent recognition, becoming the newest country on the planet. The parliament speaker for the new country recited a formal independence declaration. After independence was declared, the South Sudanese flag was lifted for all to see, with Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement secretary general Pagan Amum stating: "Today we shall raise the flag of South Sudan to join the nations of the world". Thousands of jubilant people celebrated in the new country's capital

British tabloid newspaper the News of the World has been axed after a week of devastating allegations about phone hacking in the paper that has struck at the heart of News International, the media giant owned by Rupert Murdoch. The announcement that the paper will close came after advertisers backed out of the publication due to emerging allegations that journalists at the paper may have hacked into the voicemail messages of missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler, victims of the 7/7 terror attacks and families of servicemen killed in Afghanistan. The

Aides from U.S. President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign rejected predictions published in the New York Post on Monday that Obama was looking to replace Vice President Joe Biden with New York governor Andrew Cuomo as his running mate. The aides repeated that Biden would be on the ticket as the vice presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, just as he was during the 2008 election. According to the Post, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown made the claim earlier in the year. He characterized Cuomo as "a big name, a big-state

The US Senate has postponed voting on a resolution to authorize limited US military operations in Libya, after Republican politicians said they wanted to focus on the national debt. The resolution would have authorized a supporting role in the Libya conflict for up to a year. It specifically prohibited the deployment of US ground forces, and the use of US resources in reconstruction efforts. The administration of President Barack Obama has argued that congressional authorization is not needed, but welcomes a statement of support from the legi

The former President of Brazil, Itamar Franco, has died at the age of 81. Franco died at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. The cause of death was announced as complications from leukemia. Franco officially became President of Brazil in December 1992 and held the role until January 1995. Dilma Rousseff, the current President of Brazil has announced seven days of mourning in honour of Franco. She said in a statement that "[i]t was with great sadness that I received the news about the death of Senator and ex-President Itamar Franco. The

Workers in Greece have gone on strike in protest against the government's second round of austerity packages. Greek prime minister George Papandreou announced €28 billion in cuts Monday; loans worth up to €155 billion from the European Union and International Monetary Fund depend on the measures passing. Tens of thousands of workers are planning to march through Athens and five thousand police officers have been brought into the capital to supervise the strike. Most public services in Greece are affected, including hospitals, ambulances, train

Frederick Chiluba, former President of Zambia, has been laid to rest in the capital, Lusaka. Chiluba is credited with introducing democracy to the nation. Chiluba led protests that caused then-President Kenneth Kaunda to agree to an election, which Chiluba won in 1991. During his two terms in office he allowed foreigners to invest in the nation. He relinquished his post in 2001 after attempts to modify the constitution to allow a third term saw his turn to face protests. Chiluba was a figure of some controversy, being implicated in various c