News review 2005 part 6 of 6 : AOL Video feed

News review 2005 part 3 of 6

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 16:12:50 -0400

Including: Mugabe retains power in Zimbabwe; Pope John Paul II dies; Protests against Japanese history textbook; France rejects EU constitution; Khodorkovsky sentenced and more. MUGABE RETAINS POWER IN ZIMBABWE ELECTIONS CONDEMNED AS UNFAIR BY THE WEST Zimbabweans kept President Robert Mugabe in power after March 31 elections gave him an overall majority in the 150-seat parliamentary assembly. Despite turnout of less than 50 percent and accusations that the polls were flawed, Mugabe's Zanu-PF (Zimbabwe African National Unity-Patriotic Front) party took 78 seats, leaving the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai with 41 seats and one independent. 30 other seats are directly appointed by Mugabe. 81-year-old Mugabe has held power for 25 years since independence from Britain and has been isolated and criticised by the international community for misrule and wrecking the economy. POPE JOHN PAUL II DIES, CARDINAL RATZINGER ELECTED SUCCESSOR An estimated 300,000 people crammed into the Vatican city on April 8 to watch one of the most momentous funerals in recent history. Polish Pope John Paul II died on April 2nd after a 26-year papacy, after long bouts of illness and increasing frailty. He was buried a week later in a simple wooden coffin, after a huge outpouring of grief, during which millions files past his body as it lay in state. The conservative German 78-year-old Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI surprisingly quickly on April 19 and faced with the daunting task of leading 1.1 billion Roman Catholics through what some predict will be a difficult papacy. BRITAIN'S PRINCE CHARLES FINALLY MARRIES CAMILLA PARKER BOWLES AFTER 35-YEAR AFFAIR The day after attending the pope's funeral, Britain's heir to the throne, Prince Charles finally married his mistress of 35 years, Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles troubled first marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, was unable to survive his continuing affair with Camilla and they divorced before Diana's death in a Paris car crash. TOGO - VIOLENCE FOLLOWS DISPUTED POLL, KILLING AT LEAST 100 Togo voted for a new president amid opposition allegations of vote rigging and bouts of violence on April 24. Western diplomats said the rioting killed at least 100 people after the disputed presidential poll and thousands fled for neighbouring countries. The UNHCR said 20,000 refugees had left for Ghana and neighbouring Benin. Togo's constitutional court confirmed Gnassingbe as the winner of the poll with 60 percent of the vote, against 38 percent for the opposition candidate Emmanuel Akitani-Bob. PROTESTS ACROSS ASIA AS JAPAN USES CONTROVERSIAL HISTORY TEXTBOOK IN SCHOOLS Japan's use of controversial history textbook which critics said whitewashed the country's brutal colonial and wartime past provoked sometimes violent protests in South Korea and China. The New History Textbook, published in 2001, is used in only 18 of Japan's 11,102 junior high schools. The writers, the Society for History textbook reform have criticised other texts as offering a "masochistic" view of history. But the furore it created sold 600,000 copies to general readers and its approval by the Education Ministry ignited big demonstrations in China and violent protest in Seoul. The textbook reiterates Tokyo's claim to rocky south Korean-held islands known as Takeshima in Japan and Tokto in South Korea, and Japan's biggest teaching union said the text lacked an awareness of the "pain and suffering" caused to Asian people in World War II. Other critics say it does not provide enough detail of the 1937 Nanking massacre when Japanese soldiers killed civilians and does not mention "comfort women", a euphemism for women forced to become sex slave for the Japanese army before and after the war. ECUADOR CIVIL UNREST FORCES PRESIDENT GUITERREZ FROM OFFICE Street protests erupted in Quito after a Supreme Court decision to drop corruption charges against former President Abdala Bucaram, a key political ally of President Lucio Gutierrez. Within a week Gutierrez fled office after congress voted to oust him for "abandoning his post" and the state prosecutor's office ordered his arrest for two deaths during the huge demonstrations and rioting by rival groups. He was flown from the presidential palace by military helicopter and replaced by Vice President Alfredo Palacio. CALLS FOR US TO QUIT IRAQ GROW WITH VIOLENT INSURGENCY Thousands of supporters of rebel shi'ite leader Moqtada al Sadr marched on the second anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein to denounce the U.S. presence in Iraq and demand a speedy trial of their former president. The protesters marched from Sadr city to Firdos Square in central Baghdad where a statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled two years previously by U.S. troops and celebrating Iraqis. Chanting 'No America, No Saddam, yes to Islam', protesters waved flags and displayed puppets of U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and their former president. UNITED KINGDOM - LABOUR WIN HISTORIC THIRD TERM DESPITE OPPOSITION OVER WAR IN IRAQ British Prime Minister survived opposition over the Iraq war to secure a historic third straight victory, but with a slashed majority in parliament. He was third leader of three key global allies in Iraq - the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, to win re-election postwar, but admitted voters had sent a clear signal they wanted to curb his power. UZEBKISTAN PROTESTERS MASSACRE Protests sparked by the trial of 23 Muslim businessmen in the Uzbek town of Andihzan capital turned into a bloody massacre on May 13 as troops moved to suppress what was deemed by President Islam Karimov an uprising fermented by Islamic extremists. Human Rights groups and opposition leaders estimate between 500 and 745 people died as witnesses said security forces using an armoured personnel carrier's machine gun opened fire on a crowd of rebels, protesters and onlookers, among them women and children, outside a school. The official death toll was 187. KHODORKOVSKY SENTENCED Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was found guilty of six of seven charges of fraud and tax evasion on May 31 and sentenced to nine years in prison, a year short of the maximum demanded by prosecutors. FRANCE AND NETHERLANDS REJECT NEW CONSTITUTION OF EUROPEAN UNION IN REFERENDUM France voted overwhelmingly against the European Union new constitution on May 29 in rejection that could sound the death knell for the proposed charter. The resounding "No" vote sent shock waves through Europe but was seen by some analysts as a punishment for the policies of French president Jacques Chirac's conservatives which have resulted in a fragile economy and high unemployment, which at the time of the poll was at a five-year high of 10.2 percent. The Netherlands emphatically rejected the EU referendum, plunging the bloc deeper into crisis. Official results confirmed 61.5 percent voted 'NO' with a turnout of 63.3 percent. The vote effectively meant the indefinite delay of the treaty designed to make the running of the EU smoother following its enlargement from 15 to 25 states. In September the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the EU will not have a constitution for "at least two or three years", leaving the issue on ice.

Obama promises clear mission to troops

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:47:23 -0500

(NECN: Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska) - President Barack Obama spoke at an Air Force base in Alaska as Air Force One refueled for his first trip to Asia. Obama addressed more than 1,000 troops and their families at Elmendorf Air Force Base....

Democratic Senate Debate: Military base closings

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:36:58 -0400

(NECN: Boston, Mass.) - The Democratic candidates for Massachusetts Senate met for their first televised debate at the JFK Library in Boston. Attorney General Martha Coakley, Congressman Michael Capuano, businessman Steven Pagliuca and City Ye...

News review of 2005 part 2 of 6

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 16:11:36 -0400

Including: Lebanon - Hariri Assassination; Bird flu; Kyoto pact comes into effect; Iraq violence - insurgency continues; Global flyer world record; Indonesia earthquake; and more. LEBANON - HARIRI ASSASINATION February was marked by the assasination of former Lebanese President Rafik Al Hariri on Valentine's day (February 14). A massive car bomb in Beirut's waterfront district killed the ex-premier and 19 others in an attack that would reverberate through the following months and leave an indelible change in the Lebanon's political landscape. The explosion gouged a huge crater out of the road, ripped facades from luxury buildings and left cars ablaze on the rubble-strewn street. At least 150,000 people attended his funeral including French President Jacques Chirac. Sixty-year-old Hariri had held office for most of the previous 12 years before quitting in October 2004 amid a bitter rift with President Emile Lahoud. A direct consequence of the attack was the removal of 14,000 Syrian troops from Lebanon, which Hariri had been calling for in the run up to a May general election. Syria had been a major power broker in its smaller neighbour since the civil war when it was credited with helping to bring the conflict to a close in 1990. A U.N. report issued in late October accused high-ranking Syrian security officials and their allies in Lebanon of involvement in the plot to kill Hariri. The United States and France threatened economic sanctions if Syria did not cooperate in the probe and detain officials for interviews with U.N. investigators. BIRD FLU PANDEMIC FEARS IN YEAR OF ROOSTER Earlier in the month, fears of a bird flu pandemic emerged as the Chinese celebrated the start of the Year of the Rooster. In Vietnam, where 41 people have died of bird flu, over half of the country's 64 provinces are infected despite ruthless measures to stop the spread of the H5N1 strain, including the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of poultry. The World Health Organisation has said the lethal virus is endemic in poultry across much of Asia and it could only be a matter of time before it develops the ability to jump the species barrier and mutate into a form that could pass easily from human to human, triggering a pandemic that could kill millions. The disease has so far killed 62 people and infected 122 in four Asian countries, and caused 125 million bird fatalities across South-East Asia. Most human cases have been linked to contact with sick birds. The strain first surfaced in humans in Hong Kong in 1997, re-emerged in 2003 in South Korea and has reached as far west as European Russia, Turkey and Romania, tracking the paths of migratory birds. In October Europeans were advised not to eat raw eggs and cook chicken carefully and the European Union banned imports of pet birds after a parrot died of the H5N1 strain in Britain and halted some imports of live birds. KYOTO PACT COMES INTO EFFECT After years of delays, the United Nations (U.N.) Kyoto protocol on curbing emissions of heat-trapping gases blamed for disrupting the climate took effect on February 16 with muted celebrations. Washington has dismissed the deal as an economic straitjacket, but 141 nations have signed up to a first step to halting global warming by imposing legally binding caps on greenhouse gas emission, mainly from burning fossil fuels in power plants factories and cars, in 35 developed nations. But the protocol excludes until at least 2012 major developing nations India, China and Brazil which comprise a third of the world's population. Environmentalists celebrated the pact, but many think it is not enough. Climate experts fear temperature rises will disrupt farming, raise sea levels by melting icecaps, cause more extreme weather like hurricanes or droughts, spread disease and wipe out thousands of plant and animal species by 2100. IRAQ INSURGENCY CONTINUES WITH MASSIVE SUICIDE BOMB In Iraq the violence continued. A massive suicide bomb on February 28 killed at least 115 near the marketplace in Hilla, 100 kilometers south of the capital. It was the single bloodiest attack in the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The bomber drove a car into a crowd of people queuing outside a government building, apparently to get health certificates needed to apply for government jobs. Insurgents fighting to drive U.S. troops from Iraq and wreck the transition to democracy have often targeted people looking for state jobs or army and police recruits. GLOBAL FLYER WORLD RECORD At the beginning of March adventurer, Steve Fossett became the first person to make a solo, non-stop flight around the world. After three days in the air his single-engine jet-powered experimental plane sponsored by Virgin Atlantic touched down smoothly in Kansas 67 hours after he left the same airstrip. The first non-stop flight around the world without refueling was made in 1986 by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan, who completed the 26,366 miles (42,430 km) in nine days. ITALIAN JOURNALIST RELEASED BY IRAQI INSURGENTS, FRENCH JOURNALIST AND IRAQI DRIVER RELEASED TWO MONTHS LATER Italy celebrated and mourned after Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was released by Iraqi militants. But her freedom was tainted by the death of the secret agent, Nicola Calipari who negotiated her release. He was killed by U.S forces who shot at the car in which they were travelling. Calipari's death fuelled calls by anti-war activists to withdraw Italian troops from Iraq. Later in the month Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced a progressive planned reduction of the 3,000 serving soldiers from September. Two months later France was welcoming home another journalist held hostage for five months by Iraqi Sunni insurgents. Aubenas' driver, Hussein Hanun al-Saadi, who was kidnapped with her, was also released and returned home to music and celebration at his Baghdad home. Al-Saadi looked pale and withdrawn and later stated his intention to leave Iraq following his ordeal. The pair were snatched after leaving their Baghdad hotel on January 5th. The French governemnt denied a ransom was paid to secure their sudden release KYRGYZSTAN - POPULAR REVOLT UNSEATS PRESIDENT AFTER OPPOSITION ALLEGATIONS OF VOTE RIGGING On March 24, violent anti-government protests led to the storming of government buildings in the capital Bishkek and the eventual downfall of veteran Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev. Protesters were demonstrating against elections results which handed Akayev overwhelming control of government, but which international observers said were flawed. Akayev refused to resign, but after protesters seized control of the seat of state power, he fled the country with his family for Russia where he tendered his resignation. The Kyrgyz Parliament accepted on April 11, having first stripped him and his family of special privileges granted by the previous parliament. INDONESIA EARTHQUAKE Whilst political upheaval threatened to split Kyrgyzstan, four days later a natural one was compounding the misery of Indonesia, recovering from the December 26th tsunami. An earthquake measuring 8.7 devastated Nias island, killed at least 800 people and left thousands injured and homeless. About 700,000 people live on the island which escaped major damage in the December tsunami. Large parts of the island, famed as a surfing paradise, were damaged and much of the regional capital, Gunungsitoli was flattened.

Obama praises Iraq’s new election law

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:14:26 -0500

Nov. 8: President Obama congratulates the Iraqi parliament’s for passing a much-delayed election law.

Eye To Eye With Katie Couric (CBS News)

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 04:30:53 -0400

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tells Katie Couric that his country does not support terrorism, and criticizes the US for mistakes made in Iraq. (CBSNews.com)

Alleged Fort Hood shooter paralyzed

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:35:03 -0500

(NECN/ABC News: Fort Hood, Tx.) Soldiers at Fort Hood military base were preparing for deployment Thursday afternoon. They were not prepared for a gunman --one of their own — armed with two handguns, who opened fire, killing 12 and injuring 31. ...

Iraq's constitution deadline nears

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:07:12 -0500

Aug. 12: The deadline for Iraq's new parliament to approve a draft constitution is less than three days away, but as NBC's Richard Engel reports, there are still major differences.