Tag Archives: transition
U.N. report finds torture of Afghan detainees, secret sites
KABUL (Reuters) – Almost a third of all detainees recently transferred to Afghan control have been tortured and Afghanistan's spy agency is operating secret facilities to avoid international scrutiny, a United Nations report released on Sunday said. The findings could complicate the already thorny issue of how to manage the security transition ahead of the withdrawal of NATO-led troops from Afghanistan by the end of next year. Continue reading
Exclusive: Brazil wants Venezuela election if Chavez dies – sources
SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil is urging Venezuela's government to hold elections as quickly as possible if President Hugo Chavez dies, senior officials told Reuters on Monday, a major intervention by Latin America's regional powerhouse that could help ensure a smoother leadership transition in Caracas. Brazilian officials have expressed their wishes directly to Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro, the officials said on condition of anonymity. Chavez has designated Maduro as his preferred successor if he loses his battle with cancer Continue reading
Syria rebels seize base as envoy holds talks
BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) – Rebels seized control of one of Syria's largest helicopter bases on Friday, opposition sources said, in their first capture of a military airfield used by President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Fighting raged across the country as international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi sought a political solution to Syria's civil war, meeting senior U.S. Continue reading
Vinny from ‘Jersey Shore’ — I Wanna Be a Politician
With “Jersey Shore” officially in the history books … Vinny Guadagnino says he’s looking to transition into a career with even more sex, booze and drama … Continue reading
Egyptian factions stage final rallies before referendum
CAIRO (Reuters) – Supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi stage final rallies on Friday before a divisive referendum on a new constitution championed by the Islamist leader as a way out of the worst crisis since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. Cairo and other cities have seen a series of often violent demonstrations over the past three weeks since Mursi assumed sweeping new powers to push through the constitution, which he sees as a vital element of Egypt's transition to democracy. … Continue reading
A look at powers decreed by Egypt’s president
Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi issued decrees giving himself broad powers and effectively neutering the judiciary. Morsi, an Islamist hailing from the Muslim Brotherhood, defends the step as necessary to clear obstacles holding up Egypt's transition, particularly from judges who could have disbanded a controversial assembly writing the constitution or overturned his decisions. Critics say Morsi, who already holds both executive and legislative powers, is setting himself up as a new dictator. Continue reading
AP PHOTOS: Myanmar ready for historic Obama visit
President Barack Obama's historic visit to Myanmar on Monday is meant to show America's support for the country's transition to democracy. Continue reading
At China party congress, allegiance trumps reform
BEIJING (Reuters) – As the senior Communist Party official in one of China's most prosperous regions, Wang Yang is often cast as an agent of change, a potential force for economic and even political reform should he gain promotion to the party's highest rung later this week. But the chief of the southern province of Guangdong appears to be distancing himself from that role while attending the party congress that will usher in China's once-in-a-decade top leadership transition. When Wang spoke to reporters on Friday, he stuck to a well rehearsed script that could have come from any apparatchik Continue reading
