World News

SIRTE Libya (Oct 20, 2011) - The circumstances of his death are still unclear but the outcome is that Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled Libya with a dictatorial grip for 42 years until he was ousted by rebels in a bloody civil war, was killed Thursday when revolutionary forces overwhelmed his hometown, Sirte, the last major bastion of resistance two months after the regime fell.

NAGS HEAD, N.C. Aug 28, 2011 (AP) — Weaker but still menacing, Hurricane Irene knocked out power and piers in North Carolina, clobbered Virginia with wind and churned up the coast Saturday to confront cities more accustomed to snowstorms than tropical storms. New York City emptied its streets and subways and waited with an eerie quiet.

The celebration of the 26th World Youth Day (WYD) officially ended last August 21, 2011, Sunday. A solemn celebration of the Holy Eucharist at ten o'clock in the morning officiated by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, capped the momentous event. Attended by more than two million pilgrims from all over the world, the mass was held at Cuatro Vientos Air Base, Madrid, Spain.

Electrifying atmosphere erupts again in Benghazi tonight as celebration erupts in reaction to two pieces of information released by no less than the Transitional National Council (TNC): one, that the Presidential Guards of Moammar Gadhafi have surrendered to the rebels and, secondly, that Gadhafi's son, Seif al Islam, was captured by the rebels in the in the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli.

The trial of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak began Wednesday in Cairo. Mubarak and his two sons pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and corruption. Mubarak's former interior minister, Habib el-Adly, and six former Mubarak aides were also on trial. Businessman and Mubarak confidant Hussein Salem is being tried in absentia.

The US congress passed a debt ceiling bill, signed by Barack Obama on Tuesday, that will permit the US government to borrow more money, preventing a default on bond payments. The bill passed the House of Representatives by 269-161, and the Senate by 74-26, with opposition from Tea Party Republicans and liberal Democrats.

The bill calls for $2.1 trillion in spending cuts over the next ten years, and stipulates that a 12-member committee that will identify ways to reduce spending by November. No new revenues will be raised.

Syrian troops stormed the restive city of Hama on Sunday, the day before the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Tanks have now been shelling the city for three days. A human rights organisation reported 136 people were killed across the country on Sunday. Syrian protestors have vowed to demonstrate every night during Ramadan.

OSLO Norway (July 23, 2011) - Two massive explosions in succession rocked central Oslo and in seconds the area looked like a war zone. Seven deaths were immediately confirmed after the blasts but this number is expected to rise. Dozens were injured, 11 very seriously.

CANBERRA (Xinhua) -- An Australian woman is being investigated by police after she offered her children for sale on the Internet, local media reported on Sunday. The woman placed an auction on eBay offering to sell two children, her son and daughter, both under the age of 10, to the highest bidder. Several people placed bids on the auction, which has alarmed authorities. Police has closed the auction and tracked the woman down, but she told detectives she was only joking. Bill Muehlenberg from the Family Council of Victoria said it is no laughing matter.

KHARTOUM, Sudan (July 11, 2011) - African clergy say the Republic of South Sudan, which gained independence on July 9, must take steps to resolve an increasingly violent conflict in the troubled border region of South Kordofan.

“If the Government of South Sudan does not sit down to address the issues raised by the militia groups, it could become a nightmare with no stability for the South,” said Bishop Daniel Adwok of Khartoum in a recent interview with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.