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Merkel Determined to Keep Greece in Line, and in Euro

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:10:08 +0000

European finance ministers signed off on a $172 billion second rescue package for Greece yesterday to save the country from the first default in the euro's history, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she'll keep the pressure on Athens to keep its promises to keep chipping away at its debt with unpopular austerity measures. More from Bloomberg:

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Judgment Day for Greek Default

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:13:48 +0000

Several thousand Greeks protested painful austerity measures Sunday as officials prepared to meet in Brussels for talks that will mean the difference between bailout and bankruptcy. The $171 billion rescue package, Greece's second bailout since 2010, is needed to stop the downward spiral. But along with a Greek populace weary of cuts, the European Union and IMF will have to weigh whether Greece is doing enough to get its financial house in order. From Reuters:

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Can the Security Council Crack Down on Assad?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:08:04 +0000

As I write this, the UN Security Council is making statements about the situation in Syria in the face of a draft resolution put forth by the Arab League, which demands that President Bashar al-Assad step down within 15 days or face further measures. The plan was backed by the U.S. and the UK, but faces a hurdle from veto-wielding member Russia. More:

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Armenian Genocide Law Delayed in France

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:30:03 +0000

Much to the delight of Ankara, some French lawmakers have gathered enough signatures to spark a constitutional court review of the law passed last week by the French Senate that would make a crime denial of the killing of some 1.5 million Armenians during World War I as genocide. More:

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Merkel to Hit Campaign Trail for Sarkozy

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:02:14 +0000

They've been besties in the unenviable quest to get Europe to right its economic ship, and now German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be giving French President Nicolas Sarkozy a hand on the campaign trail in what promises to be a challenging campaign for her European counterpart. From Deutsche-Welle:

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Gilani: U.S. Drone Strikes Adding to 'Trust Deficit'

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:22:29 +0000

Relations between love-hate allies Pakistan and the United States have always been tense, but not like since Osama bin Laden was found tucked away in a compound in Pakistan last year. The killing of bin Laden brought questions forth about long the terror leader had received refuge there in the decade since 9/11 and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and who in Islamabad knew what. But a continuous source of tension has been U.S. drone strikes at terror targets inside Pakistani borders. Islamabad knows that it must support Washington picking off radical Islamists who are a threat to the country's democracy, but the act of the strikes ignites anger from Pakistanis that also threatens the ruling government.

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Bye-Bye, Mugabe? Read the Fine Print

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:37:05 +0000

After a year that wasn't kind to dictators -- Moammar Gadhafi, Kim Jong-il -- another one may be ready to bite the dust, and not a moment too soon as his country needs a chance of economic and social recovery from decades of brutal rule. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, now 88 years old, said in 2005 that he would remain ruler until the ripe old age of 100. Now he's talking about retiring amid talk of health concerns linked to his advancing age. But don't get too excited -- this is Bobby Mugabe we're talking about, and he'll want to exit HIS way. More:

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Arab League Gives Assad Another Month of Monitoring

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:49:49 +0000

So much for the Arab League monitor mission in Syria, which seems to have done nothing but buy time for the Bashar al-Assad regime to continue its brutal campaign against civilians. After last month's incident of the head of the mission saying that he found "nothing frightening" in the city of Homs -- the bloody flashpoint of the 10-month uprising -- regime opponents lashed out online at the Arab League for basically observing with their eyes closed. Saudi Arabia pulled out of the mission on Sunday, arguing that Assad had clearly not followed the Arab League's peace plan. "We are calling on the international community to bear its responsibility, and that includes our brothers in Islamic states and our friends in Russia, China, Europe and the United States," Prince Saud al-Faisal said.

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Captain's Behavior in Italy Cruise Ship Wreck Questioned

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:13:42 +0000

Rescue crews continued today to search the wreckage of a luxury cruise liner that ran aground late Friday off the Tuscan coast. The death toll stood at five in the Costa Concordia tragedy, with at least 15 people still missing. A South Korean couple on their honeymoon and a crew member were rescued from the capsized vessel and added to the survivors' list on Sunday. Amid complaints from passengers that they were not let through evacuation procedures by the crew are fresh suspicions about the conduct of the ship's captain. More from the Associated Press:

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World Says Goodbye to 2011

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:53:15 +0000

It's still more than two hours until 2012 here in Washington, but as you can see Berlin rang in the new year in colorful style at the Brandenburg Gate. Here' s an update from around the globe from the Associated Press:

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