World News

Palestinians fill bottles and containers with water at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in Khan Yunis refugee camp, in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 27, 2010. (Photo by Ahmed Deeb/WN)

photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb

Baptizing the Palestinian and Israeli Crisis
read more WorldNews.com

Article by WorldNews.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. Recently, news filtered out of Israel that one of Christianity's holiest sites is planning to be officially opened. The site is where John the Baptizer baptized Jesus. However, in preparations for an influx of tens of thousands of tourists and religious pilgrims, there remains a major problem....

In this image from television, foreign reporters and workers in protective gear are seen at North Korea's main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, Friday, Feb. 22, 2008.

photo: AP / APTN

North Korea has more secret nuclear sites - UN report
read more BBC News

Continue reading the main story Inside North Korea Q&A;: Inter-Korean crisis Q&A;: North Korea nuclear talks Why border hot-spot is war relic Rare peek into China-N Korea ties UN experts believe North Korea has at least one hidden nuclear site, according to leaks of a UN report....

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrives for his inauguration ceremony in Minsk, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. The authoritarian president of Belarus has taken the oath of office for a fourth term with a warning that no dissent will be tolerated. Partially visible banner in background reads, "Together for strong and prosperous Belarus."

photo: AP / Viktor Drachev, Pool

Sanctions Imposed on Leader of Belarus
read more The New York Times

MOSCOW — The United States and the European Union on Monday imposed sanctions against President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko and scores of other officials in Belarus for a broad crackdown on the opposition following fraudulent presidential elections late last year. Under the sanctions, Mr. Lukashenko and others will be prohibited from entering the...

Anti-government protesters are seen in Tahrir Square at nightfall in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. A coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to Cairo's streets Tuesday to demand the removal of President Hosni Mubarak.

photo: AP / Tara Todras-Whitehill

Egypt military promises 'no force'
read more NZ Herald

Egypt's military today promised not to fire on any peaceful protests and said it recognised "the legitimacy of the people's demands". The vow came ahead of a demonstration in which organisers aim to bring a million Egyptians to the streets to press for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. The military statement was the strongest sign yet that the...

Sarah Shourd speaks to the media, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010 in Oakland, Calif. Sarah Shourd recently freed by Iran said Saturday she is still haunted by images of her friend and fiance in their cramped jail cells and won't have her life back until they have been released.

photo: AP / Dino Vournas

Freed American hiker summoned back by Iran court
read more Hartford Courant

(Reuters) - An American woman who was freed after more than a year in an Iranian jail on suspicion of spying has been summoned back to attend trial, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday. , 32, was arrested in July 2009 along with two male friends, and who are still in jail in . Shourd, who may opt to not return, a move which would delay...

A woman makes her way up Seventh Avenue near Times Square Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005, in New York with two umbrellas, one in her hand, and another over her head, as several more inches of rain fell on an already waterlogged city. The forecast was for more of the same as the weekend approached.

photo: AP / Kathy Willens

U.S. Consumer Spending Rose in December
read more The New York Times

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Consumer spending in the United States rose more than expected in December to post a sixth consecutive month of gains as households drew down on their savings to finance purchases, government data showed on Monday. The Commerce Department said spending increased 0.7 percent after rising by 0.3 percent in November....

The engine of a cargo train stands on the track after a crash with a passenger train in Hordorf, near Oschersleben, eastern Germany on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 in Hordorf, According to German Dapd news agency, the head-on train crash killed more than 10 people and injured more than 20 people on Saturday evening. A passenger and a cargo train crashed head-on near Hordorf village, close to Saxony-Anhalt's state capital Magdeburg, and several train cars derailed and overturned, a spokesman for the district's firefighters said.

photo: AP / Markus Schreiber

Germany rail crash: goods train driver investigated
read more BBC News

Continue reading the main story Related stories German train crash leaves 10 dead German train crashes into truck A German goods train driver is being investigated for alleged involuntary manslaughter after a rail crash in which 10...

photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe

AU assigns 6 presidents to mediate in Ivory Coast
read more Herald Tribune

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The African Union has named a panel of six African presidents to mediate Ivory Coast's political crisis. The list announced Monday at the AU summit includes two leaders who came to power through elections - the presidents of South Africa and Tanzania. But the panel also includes three men who headed coups in their countries...

People pray on Tahrir, or Liberation Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. A coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to Cairo's streets Tuesday to ratchet up pressure for President Hosni Mubarak to leave.

photo: AP / Ben Curtis

Egypt Leader's Foes Try to Maintain Momentum
read more CBS News

CAIRO - A coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to Cairo's streets Tuesday to ratchet up pressure for President Hosni Mubarak to leave. American and other world leaders were also ramping up pressure for an orderly transition to a democratic system. The coalition of groups, dominated by youth movements but including the...

Wide spread flood water across South-East Queensland, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011.

photo: AP

Queensland warning over Cyclone Yasi
read more BBC News

Continue reading the main story Australia floods Bryant: Gillard's tax plan Queensland's soggy soils revealed Barrier reef braces for flood impact Brisbane calls on 'Blitz spirit' The Australian state of Queensland could be facing one of the worst cyclones in its history, as it works to recover from devastating floods....