Politics

On Friday, a strong earthquake in Japan triggered a massive tsunami throughout the Pacific Ocean. Chilean President Sebastián Piñera declared a "preventive tsunami warning" that morning. "I want to express my, and Chilean people's solidarity with the Japanese government and people, who were hit by one of the worse earthquakes and tsunamis in the history of mankind," Piñera said. Later that day, the tsunami first reached Chilean territory in Easter Island, without causing any damage. Meanwhile, in Pichilemu, O'Higgins Region, the tsunami warnin

A relative of the Afghan president Hamid Karzai has been mistakenly shot dead by NATO troops, according to officials. Yar Mohammad Khan, who was in his 60s was killed during a night raid in the Dand district. Khan, who also possibly used the surname of Karzai, was believed to have been a cousin of either the president or a cousin of the president's father. The president's brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, released a statement over the shooting. He said, "It was a mistake. The forces conducted an operation, he was at his home, he came out and was sho

France became the first country to formally recognize a newly formed Libyan opposition council as the "legitimate representative of the Libyan people." The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday it will send ambassadors to the rebel stronghold in Benghazi, and in return the Libyan opposition council will set up an embassy in Paris. The decision was made after President Sarkozy met with two representatives of the opposition group, the National Transitional Council, in Paris. Mustafa Gheriani, a representative for the Li

Alberto Granado Jiménez, the Argentinian biochemist who was Che Guevara's companion on his transformative motorcycle trip through South America, died in Havana on Saturday, reported Cuban state television. He was 88 and died of natural causes. The politically active Jiménez met Ernesto "Che" Guevara, then a medical student, in Hernando, Argentina where Guevara had gone to play rugby. Both were intellectually curious and interested in exploration. In 1951 they set out on an eight-month motorcycle trip through South American that exposed the

Ahmed Shafik, Egypt's acting prime minister, has resigned, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, now in control of the country, announced yesterday. Shafik was appointed to his position by then Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak during the 2011 Egypt anti-government protests, not long before Mubarak decided to resign as president on February 11, 2011. Meanwhile, a number of his cabinet ministers have retained their positions. Shafik had received criticism for his negative attitude towards young protesters and his "inadequate vision", accordin

Leader of the Federal Opposition in Australia Tony Abbott has made claims Thursday during Question Time in parliament that a 'people's revolt' is looming based on the Prime Minister Julia Gillard's proposal for a 2012 carbon tax. In what Mr. Abbott describes as a "betrayal of the Australian people", Ms. Gillard announced Thursday that a price for carbon will be put back on the national agenda, for several years, to be followed by the formation of an emissions trading scheme. In the lead up to the 2010 Federal Australian Election, Ms. Gillard c

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has stated during a news conference that Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi "must leave," calling the leader to step down. His comments were made during a press conference with the Turkish president Abdullah Gül in Ankara. Sarkozy also stated that military action to remove Gaddafi isn't ruled out. "Our stance is clear. Mr Gaddafi must go. The systematic violence against the Libyan people is unacceptable and will be the subject of investigations and sanctions. Regarding a military intervention ... France would con

A week after Sunni and Shi'ite youth protesters marched on the capital city of Manama, the Bahrain government informed Formula One Management that it would withdraw from hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix. The decision was made in an effort to focus on the pressing national issues facing the country. Demonstrators, who are still holding Pearl Square, had threatened to target the Media attention if the event went ahead as scheduled. The race is the opening event of the 2011 Formula One racing season. Bahrain's Crown Prince, HRH Sheikh Salman bin Ha

Today, a British court ordered Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, to be extradited to Sweden. Assange, a 39 year old Australian, has been accused by two Swedish women of sexual assaults against them. Assange's lawyers have the option of appealing against this decision, and have decided to do so. Assange has denied the claims of sexual abuse, claiming the allegations to be politically motivated because his website recently published secret US diplomatic cables. Earlier, during the hearing, Assange claimed that rap

An Egyptian man in his early twenties has named his newborn daughter 'Facebook' following the 2011 Egyptian Revolution which was almost solely organized on the social-networking site Facebook. The father, Gamal Ibrahim, told the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram that he gave his child the name to "express his joy at the achievements made by the January 25 youth." The protests, which were largely organized on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, began on January 25 and led to the end of Hosni Mubarak's 30-year reign as president of Egyp

The runways at Benina International Airport in Benghazi, Libya have been destroyed according to an Egyptian government minister. Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that the runways had been destroyed during the violence that is currently taking place. Protests have spread to Tripoli as Muammar Gaddafi has made no signs of stepping down from his 35-year rule as leader of Libya. Aboul Gheit told media at a news conference "Regarding east of Libya, the Benghazi airport runways have been destroyed. It is not possible for Egyptair flights or a

US President Barack Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to fifteen people Tuesday, including former US President George H. W. Bush and current Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. The award—the US's top civilian medal—is given to those who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." The fifteen medal recipients were chosen in 2010, but not all of them were present to receive the award at the W