World News

Pakistan’s Minister of Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti,has launched a public campaign aimed at annulling controversial blasphemy legislation amid concerns Thursday, February 12, over Islamic extremism against Christians and other minorities in the country.

Poland confirmed Monday, February 9, the authenticity of video footage showing the beheading in Pakistan of a Polish engineer abducted over four months ago by Islamic militants linked to the groups Taliban and possibly Al-Qaeda.

Ukraine says a cargo ship laden with weapons, which was held by pirates off the coast of Somalia since September, has been freed, Worthy News monitored Friday, February 6.

One of Britain’s most wanted men has been detained in the Hungarian capital Budapest on suspicion of massive tax fraud, police told Worthy News Friday, February 6.

Russia’s nuclear power chief said Thursday, February 5, that his country plans to start up the Bushehr nuclear reactor in Iran this year, despite international concerns the project is part of a wider nuclear program.

Britain’s government adviser on the environment says abortions should be part of a policy against global warming and that couples who have more than two children are being “irresponsible.”

After years of diplomatic isolation by the West, Libya’s leader Moammar Gadhafi was spending his first full working day, Tuesday, February 3, as the newly elected chairman of the African Union, pledging to unite the continent into the “United States of Africa.”

Iraq’s Shi’ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made a strong showing in Saturday’s provincial elections, but it was unclear whether life would improve for the country’s embattled Christian minority.

Amid a major global financial crisis, Eastern European governments were anxiously awaiting Thursday, January 29, if and when European Union funding will come for the Nabucco pipeline, in hopes of making Europe less dependent on Russian natural gas.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany has urged all political parties to urgently implement strict legislation against hate speech amid concerns over far right groups in the country. He made the comments over the weekend in Budapest at an international conference on combating racism in Hungary and elsewhere in Europe.

Cheer, hope, and optimism seemed the main emotions during the historic inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama as the United States’ first African-American president.

Russian natural gas destined for Europe was flowing through Ukraine’s pipeline system Tuesday, January 20, raising hopes of an end to a two-week blockade that impacted nearly 20 countries, officials said.

With freezing temperatures across most of Europe, there was heated anger, Thursday, January 15, especially in Eastern Europe about the suspension in natural gas deliveries from Russia through Ukraine. The gas crisis comes at a difficult time for leading politicians, especially in Bulgaria, where some 2,000 people have demanded the government’s resignation over allegations of corruption.

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has warned that the world economy will decline more than previously anticipated.

With the death toll of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip reportedly rising to over 900 and Hamas militants firing rockets deep into Israel, anti and pro-Israel protests have spread throughout the world, with some of them turning violent.

Eastern Europe was anxiously awaiting the resumption of natural gas deliveries from Russia Monday, January 12, after Russian energy giant Gazprom said Ukraine signed a fresh copy of a gas transit monitoring agreement.

Russia said late Sunday, January 11, that a deal to resume the supply of natural gas to Europe is off, crushing hopes of Europeans suffering without heat this unseasonable cold winter.

European Union monitors arrived in Kyiv Saturday, January 10, amid international pressure on Ukraine and Russia to settle their dispute over natural gas prices that has effected shipments to some 20 countries.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin asked state-run energy giant Gazprom to cease all deliveries of natural gas into Ukraine, destined for Europe, Russian state media reported Wednesday, January 7, despite reports that over a dozen people in Europe already froze to death as temperatures dropped.

Amid tight security, the United States embassy in Iraq’s capital Baghdad was open for business Tuesday, January 6, after a dedication ceremony to open what is the largest embassy compound in the world.