Global Week in Review: U.N. Reports Rise in Afghan Civilian Deaths
Plus, Russia rejects gay athletes for 2014 Winter Olympics.
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U.N. Reports Rise in Afghan Civilian Deaths - The challenger in Zimbabwe's presidential election calls farce, gay athletes might not be allowed at the 2014 winter Olympics, plus more in this week’s global news. — LaToya Bowlah and Patrice Peck A recent United Nations report revealed a spike in violence against civilians in Afghanistan as international forces withdraw from the area, according to Al-Jazeera. The mid-year death toll totaled more than 1,300 dead civilians and 2,533 injured. A majority of the deaths have been linked to bomb attacks, suffered mostly by children.(Photo: AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid)
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Zimbabwe Presidential Candidate Cries Election Fraud - Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai — President Robert Mugabe’s most viable presidential opponent — has denounced Wednesday’s voting process, calling it “null and void.” "The shoddy manner in which it has been conducted and the consequent illegitimacy of the result will plunge this country into a serious crisis," Tsvangirai warned.(Photo: AP Photo/Skyler Reid)
3 / 20
Egypt’s Ousted President Morsi “Sends His Best,” Says EU Official - A top E.U. diplomat confirmed that Egypt’s ex-President Mohamed Morsi is in good health and sends his best wishes to the outside world. He also has access to television and newspapers. On Tuesday, Catherine Ashton met with the ousted leader, marking his first known contact with foreign spokespersons since being overthrown on July 3.(Photo: AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)
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Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws May Not Be Suspended for 2014 Olympics - Russia refuses to ditch its anti-gay laws when hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. As a result, visiting gay athletes and attendees and gay advocates could face getting arrested, detained or deported. Gay- and human-rights activists have begun encouraging Americans to boycott the annual competition and Russian vodka, according to the Daily Beast. (Photo: AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File)
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Israel and Palestine to Restart Peace Talks - After meeting on Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian envoy Saeb Erekat agreed to resume long-stalled direct peace talks that will “seek to give birth to an independent Palestinian state,” the Washington Post reported. “Each side has a stake in the other’s success, and everyone can benefit from the dividends of peace,” Kerry told the press.(Photo: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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6 / 20
Explosions in Nigerian Christian City Kills 24 - At least 24 people were killed and 11 seriously injured in Nigeria on Tuesday when a series of explosions were detonated at a bar and entertainment area located in the Christian section of Kano, a predominantly Muslim city. Military officials accused the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram of the attack.(Photo: AP Photo/ Muhammed Giginyu)
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Twitter Rape Threats in U.K. Lead to Arrest, Online Petition - A 21-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the Twitter abuse aimed at feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez, reported BBC News. Perez was flooded with threats of rape and abuse after she successfully campaigned for a woman to feature on U.K. banknotes. A Change.org petition calling for Twitter to introduce a “report abuse button” has received more than 100,000 signatures.(Photo: Chris Ratcliffe - Pool/Getty Images)
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Pro-Morsi Groups Plan March Following Massacre - Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi have called for a “million-person march” against the country’s security forces to demand Morsi’s reinstatement. At least 70 were killed as pro-Morsi protesters marched on military buildings over the weekend. The E.U.’s foreign policy chief is scheduled to hold crisis talks in Cairo on Monday.(Photo: Hiro Komae/AP Photo)
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Pope Says He Won’t “Judge” Gay People - Pope Francis recently told reporters, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” The pope’s predecessor Pope Benedict XVI held a more stringent view. In 2005, the former Pope signed a document that said men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be priests.(Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo)
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Deadly Wave of Iraq Car Bombs Kills Dozens - More than a dozen coordinated car bombs were detonated in mainly Shia neighborhoods near Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, on Monday morning. Reports of the estimated death toll have varied, with Reuters reporting at least 60 deaths and Al-Jazeera reporting 33. The clashing between the country’s Kurds, Shia and Sunni Muslim groups have led to more than 810 deaths in July, reported Al-Jazeera.(Photo:Nabil al-Jurani/AP PHOTO)
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11 / 20
Italy Coach Crash Leaves at Least 38 Dead - A coach bus carrying about 50 passengers plunged off an overpass in southern Italy, killing at least 38 people. At least 10 people were injured, including those cars caught in the collision. The cause of the crash remains unknown, although a punctured tire may be to blame.(Photo: Salvatore Laporta/AP Photo)
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Spanish Train Driver Charged With Homicide - Francisco Jose Garzon, the conductor of the Spanish train that derailed last week killing 79 people, has been charged with 79 counts of homicide by professional recklessness and an undecided number of counts of causing injury by professional recklessness. An eyewitness reported overhearing Garzon admit that he had been driving the train too fast and tried to slow down, but “it was too late.”(Photo: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
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Cambodian Opposition Party Cries Election Fraud - Cambodia’s long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen won a reelection after voting was held on Sunday, but the opposition party is alleging widespread voting fraud and calling for an investigation. The party and opposition leader Sam Rainsy made claims of removable ink, used ballots and an electoral list missing at least 1.3 million voters’ names.(Photo: Heng Sinith/AP Photo)
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China Orders a National Audit - China’s National Audit Office will conduct a nationwide audit of all government debt. Due to heavy borrowing after the global financial crisis, China may experience a financial slowdown.(SUDAN-RAILWAY)
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Apple Looks Into Worker Rights’ Violations - China Labor Watch has accused Apple factories ran by Taiwanese supplier, Pegatron Corp., of worker rights violations. Both Apple and Pegatron said they would immediately investigate the allegations, which include underage labor, contract breaches and excessive underpaid working hours.(Photo: Bobby Yip/Reuters)
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16 / 20
Nigerian Vigilantes Clash With Boko Haram - A clash between Nigerian vigilantes and Boko Haram extremists resulted in at least 20 deaths. The Civilian Joint Task Force vigilante group was formed in May to help the government end Boko Haram's opposition.(Photo: Joe Brock/Reuters)
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Protests in Burkina Faso Decry the New Senate - Thousands in Burkina Faso are protesting the president’s creation of a new Senate which allows him to appoint 29 of the 89-member body himself. President Blaise Compaore has been in power for 26 years and protesters fear that he may use his grip on the Senate to amend the constitution’s two five-year term limit.(Photo: JOE PENNEY /LANDOV)
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South Africa Fights to Protect a Native Tea Name - A French company’s bid for the South African tea-name “Rooibos” may threaten the tea’s exclusivity. The South African Rooibos Council requested clarification on the bid from French authorities. Rooibos ("red bush" in Afrikaans) is unique to South Africa and is currently worth an estimated 600 million rand.(Photo: NATHALIE BARDIN/AFP/Getty Images)
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Britain Confirms Cash Bond Scheme - Britain’s Home Office confirmed that it will demand a 3,000-pound ($4,630) refundable bond from “high-risk” visitors from Nigeria, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Outraged travel agency owners have charged the scheme as discriminatory.(Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)