Greece on Friday banned vessels from leaving its shores to join a planned flotilla aimed at breaking Israel’s sea blockade of the Gaza Strip. Organizers say they hope to sail to Gaza in coming days with at least nine boats loaded with humanitarian aid for the Palestinians. Israel vows to prevent the flotilla from reaching […]
Greece Bans Ships From Leaving Its Ports in Gaza Flotilla
Nigerian Workers Threaten to Strike
Workers in some of Nigeria’s biggest unions are threatening to walk off the job unless the government implements a year-old agreement to raise their pay. Nigerian Labor Congress President Abdulwaheed Omar issued an ultimatum Friday saying public and private sector workers were prepared to launch a nationwide strike in two weeks. The NLC and the […]
US Stocks Rise
U.S. stock market indexes rose in Friday’s morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced nine-tenths of one percent, the S&P 500 rose seven-tenths of a percent and the NASDAQ gained eight-tenths of a percent. European stock markets were higher in afternoon trading. London’s Financial Times 100 index and the CAC-40 in Paris moved up […]
Bus Hits Roadside Bomb, 13 Afghans Killed
A roadside bomb has hit a bus in southwestern Afghanistan, killing at least 13 people. Police say the late Thursday attack in the Khash Rod district of Nimroz province was the work of the Taliban. At least 18 people were wounded in the roadside bombing. NATO joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday in condemning […]
Clinton Attacks Belarus Repression
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has condemned the repression of peaceful protests in Belarus. At a pro-democracy conference Friday in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, Clinton said that every democracy “should stand up and be counted” and needs to speak out when “countries like Belarus brutally repress” the rights of its citizens. Authoritarian Belarussian […]
Gadhafi’s Son Denies Ordering Libyan Troops to Kill Civilians
The son of embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi says that neither he nor his father ordered the killing of civilian protesters during Libya’s ongoing pro-democracy rebellion against 42 years of autocratic rule. In an interview with the Russian news channel RT posted online Friday, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi defended the actions of Libya’s military, saying troops […]
Tens of Thousands Stage Opposing Rallies in Yemen’s Political Crisis
Tens of thousands of Yemenis staged opposing rallies Friday for and against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is recovering from injuries suffered during an attack last month. Opponents of President Saleh packed areas of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, while supporters publicly pledged their loyalty in separate demonstrations elsewhere in the city. Earlier this week, Yemen’s […]
Overcrowding Sparks Violence at Kenyan Refugee Camp
Clashes between police and refugees in one of the world’s largest refugee camps turned deadly, leaving two dead and dozens injured. A spokesman for the United Nations’ refugee agency spoke to reporters Friday in Geneva. He said rioting broke out Thursday at the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya. Spokesman Adrian Edwards said the fighting began […]
Hundreds of Protesters Converge on Cairo’s Main Square
Hundreds of protesters are rallying in Cairo’s Tahrir Square demanding quick trials for ousted figures from the former regime of President Hosni Mubarak. Egyptian media say organizers are calling the gathering “Friday of Retribution” – a reference to their perceived slow pace of justice in Egypt under interim military rulers. The demonstrations come after violent […]