The German parliament has started to lower the number of soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. But two years ahead of the planned complete withdrawal of troops, many questions remain unresolved.
"Davos can not afford to be a complacent club for the rich and powerful of this world," says Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International. He couples this statement with a call for a demonstration in Davos. The motto: "Companies must be kept on a tight leash." Nongovernmental organizations (NGO) have adopted a stern approach at this year's forum in the Swiss Alps, effectively forcing their topics onto the agenda. "The governments must take responsibility. We need stricter regulation of large corporations," says Shetty.
BRUSSELS - EU countries on the UN Security Council and a handful of Arab states have put forward a new resolution on Syria. But Russia - a veto-wielding country - is unlikely to let it fly. France, Germany, Portugal and the UK together with Jordan, Morocco, Qatar and Saudi Arabia unveiled the three-page text - published by Washington Post blogger Colum Lynch - in New York on Wednesday (25 January). The draft resolution calls on Syrian President Bashar Assad to "facilitate a political transition, leading to a plural political system ... and fair elections" in a process to be overseen by the Arab League.
BRUSSELS - EU countries on the UN Security Council and a handful of Arab states have put forward a new resolution on Syria. But Russia - a veto-wielding country - is unlikely to let it fly.
France, Germany, Portugal and the UK together with Jordan, Morocco, Qatar and Saudi Arabia unveiled the three-page text - published by Washington Post blogger Colum Lynch - in New York on Wednesday (25 January).
The draft resolution calls on Syrian President Bashar Assad to "facilitate a political transition, leading to a plural political system ... and fair elections" in a process to be overseen by the Arab League.
Defense agreements top the agenda during Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara's first state visit to France since French troops helped ouster his predecessor last year after a bloody standoff. Ouattara and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will sign a new security agreement Thursday ahead of a state dinner at the Elysee presidential palace. The visit marks the end of a decade of stormy relations between France and Ouattara's predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo, who currently faces war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Defense agreements top the agenda during Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara's first state visit to France since French troops helped ouster his predecessor last year after a bloody standoff.
Ouattara and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will sign a new security agreement Thursday ahead of a state dinner at the Elysee presidential palace.
The visit marks the end of a decade of stormy relations between France and Ouattara's predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo, who currently faces war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
A former leader of the House of Representatives, with a career that has vacillated wildly between impressive highs and embarrassing lows, Newt Gingrich is enjoying a sudden surge in the race for the Republican presidential nod. His decisive win in the South Carolina primary coupled with his dramatically rising poll numbers have both voters and pundits wondering if he could steal the nomination from presumptive frontrunner Mitt Romney.
AFP - Several loyalists of slain Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi have been tortured and some have even died in detention centres run by armed militias, human rights groups said on Thursday. Amnesty International said that despite promises, Libya's new rulers have made "no progress to stop the use of torture", as Doctors Without Borders suspended its work in the third-largest city of Misrata over similar claims. Their accusations come after a top UN official raised concerns that armed militias comprising former rebels who helped topple Kadhafi were posing increasing security risk as they regularly clashed with each other.
AFP - Several loyalists of slain Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi have been tortured and some have even died in detention centres run by armed militias, human rights groups said on Thursday.
Amnesty International said that despite promises, Libya's new rulers have made "no progress to stop the use of torture", as Doctors Without Borders suspended its work in the third-largest city of Misrata over similar claims.
Their accusations come after a top UN official raised concerns that armed militias comprising former rebels who helped topple Kadhafi were posing increasing security risk as they regularly clashed with each other.
REUTERS - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan challenged violent Islamist sect Boko Haram on Thursday to identify themselves and state clearly their demands as a basis for talks, while acknowledging that military confrontation alone will not end their insurgency. In an interview with Reuters at the presidential villa in the capital Abuja, Jonathan also said there was no doubt that Boko Haram had links with other jihadist groups outside Nigeria. "If they clearly identify themselves now and say this is the reason why we are resisting, this is the reason why we are confronting government or this is the reason why we destroy some innocent people and their properties ... then there will be a basis for dialogue," Jonathan said.
REUTERS - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan challenged violent Islamist sect Boko Haram on Thursday to identify themselves and state clearly their demands as a basis for talks, while acknowledging that military confrontation alone will not end their insurgency.
In an interview with Reuters at the presidential villa in the capital Abuja, Jonathan also said there was no doubt that Boko Haram had links with other jihadist groups outside Nigeria.
"If they clearly identify themselves now and say this is the reason why we are resisting, this is the reason why we are confronting government or this is the reason why we destroy some innocent people and their properties ... then there will be a basis for dialogue," Jonathan said.
AFP - Five bodies were found Thursday as rescue teams frantically searched through rubble for 16 people missing after three office buildings collapsed in the historic heart of Rio, officials said. The collapse, apparently caused by structural problems, occurred late Wednesday near the municipal theater on the city's Cinelandia square, in a historic district bustling by day but nearly deserted at night. Civil defense official Marcio Mota told AFP that two new bodies were located in the debris, bringing to five the number found so far.
AFP - Five bodies were found Thursday as rescue teams frantically searched through rubble for 16 people missing after three office buildings collapsed in the historic heart of Rio, officials said.
The collapse, apparently caused by structural problems, occurred late Wednesday near the municipal theater on the city's Cinelandia square, in a historic district bustling by day but nearly deserted at night.
Civil defense official Marcio Mota told AFP that two new bodies were located in the debris, bringing to five the number found so far.
