The United Nations' human rights agency says it has received reports that Yemeni troops have killed more than 50 anti-government protesters in the city of Taiz since Sunday.
Human rights chief Navi Pillay on Tuesday condemned the government's intensified use of force on protesters, calling its acts "reprehensible"and urging the government to make sure the human rights of its citizens are protected.
She also criticized security forces for occupying a hospital in Taiz and destroying a field clinic near the protesters' camp. Pillay said medical staff and facilities should never be targeted by government forces.
Meanwhile, fighting continues in Taiz, and it restarted Tuesday in the capital, Sana'a, indicating the breakdown of a truce between tribal leaders and forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Pillay's agency said it has also received reports about the dire situation in the southern coastal town of Zinjibar, where government forces launched air strikes after it was seized by Islamist militants Sunday. More than 30 people are reported to have died in fighting there, including four soldiers.
On Monday, Yemeni forces killed more than 20 opposition demonstrators in Taiz. Republican Guard troops and plainclothes gunmen backed by tanks moved in before dawn, opening fire on crowds in the city's main square where protesters had been camped out for weeks. Witnesses say Yemeni troops shot at protesters, set fire to tents, and crushed a field hospital as they took control of the square.
The U.S. embassy in Sana'a condemned what it called the "unprovoked and unjustified attack on youth protesters."
Also Monday, Yemeni security officials said they are searching for three French aid workers who have been missing in the southeastern province of Hadramout since Saturday. The officials said investigators have located a vehicle used by the aid workers outside a town in the province.
The French Foreign Ministry says it appears increasingly likely that the aid workers were kidnapped. They were working for a France-based aid group Triangle Generation Humanitaire.
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned NATO that launching airstrikes on houses while targeting militants will not be allowed, as he continued to press U.S. and NATO forces about civilian casualties.
President Karzai said Tuesday the Afghan people can no longer tolerate the attacks, and that the U.S.-led coalition risks being seen as an "occupying force" if the bombings continue.
The comments come a day after the Afghan leader issued what he called his "last warning" about civilian casualties.
NATO has apologized for the deaths of nine civilians killed Saturday in an airstrike in Helmand province. Afghan authorities say the strike hit two houses and killed 14 people.
A White House spokesman said Sunday the U.S. shares Karzai's concern about civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, the top British general in Afghanistan has warned against any significant pullout of troops from the country until late 2012.
In an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, General James Bucknall said that, in order to hold on to recent gains against the Taliban, the U.S. troop reinforcements that arrived in Afghanistan last year should stay for two more summer fighting seasons.
General Bucknall said any significant withdrawal of troops would send "conflicting signals on commitment to the campaign" in the war-torn country.
Some argue that the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is a good reason to accelerate the pullout from Afghanistan.
Also Tuesday, Australian officials said two of the four coalition soldiers killed in Afghanistan a day earlier were Australian.
Defense Force chief Marshal Angus Houston said one of the soldiers was shot dead by his Afghan colleague, while the other died in a helicopter crash. Their deaths bring the number of Australian soldiers killed in the conflict to 26.
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The president began his day by hosting a breakfast at the White House for Gold Star Families - those who have lost loved ones in war.
As is traditional each year on Memorial Day, when the nation honors its war dead, the president and his wife then traveled the short distance from the White House across the Potomac River to Arlington National Cemetery.
There Obama took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns, followed by a Memorial Day service in a large amphitheater at the cemetery.
Saying his heart goes out to those mourning the loss of a loved one, Obama said the sacrifices of those who have been killed defending the United States must always be remembered.
"On this day we remember that it is on our behalf that they gave their lives," said President Obama. "We remember that it is their courage, their unselfishness, their devotion to duty that has sustained this country through all its trials and will sustain us through all the trials to come. We remember that the blessings we enjoy as Americans came at a dear cost; that our very presence here today, as free people in a free society, bears testimony to their enduring legacy."
Introducing the president at the Arlington memorial service was Robert Gates, the outgoing defense secretary who served not only Mr. Obama but his predecessor in the White House, former President George W. Bush.
"As I come to the end of my time in this post, I know this will be my final opportunity to stand and to speak in this hallowed place and pay tribute to the fallen," said Gates. "It is up to us to be worthy of their sacrifice in the decisions we make, the priorities we set, the support we provide to troops, veterans and their families."
Before President Obama left Arlington cemetery, he and his wife stopped at Section 60, an area containing the graves of men and women who lost their lives in wars since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. According to Defense Department figures, nearly 6,000 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, with more 43,000 wounded.
President Obama also used Memorial Day to announce new leadership changes for the military.
Earlier, in a Rose Garden ceremony, he confirmed his choice of U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
With extensive experience in the Iraq war, General Dempsey, after U.S. Senate confirmation, would replace U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush and was kept by President Obama.
Obama praised Mullen, citing his involvement in everything from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to revitalizing U.S. relations with NATO and resetting relations with Russia.
The president called General Dempsey one of the nation's most respected and combat-tested generals.
"In Iraq, he led our soldiers against a brutal insurgency," he said. "Having trained Iraqi forces he knows that nations must ultimately take responsibility for their own security. Having served as acting commander of Central Command he understands that in Iraq and Afghanistan security gains and political progress must go hand in hand."
Another Iraq water veteran, U.S. Army General Ray Odierno, moves from his current position as head of the U.S. Joint Forces Command, to become Army chief.
Obama said Odierno helped bring down once rampant violence in Iraq and oversaw the transfer of security responsibility to Iraqi forces, paving the way for the formal end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.
The president also announced that Admiral James Winnefeld, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, will become vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
In announcing his choices Monday, President Obama said they mark the first time that the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will have the experience of having led combat operations in the years since the September 11, 2001 al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the United States.
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South African President Jacob Zuma made little progress towards brokering a Libya peace deal in talks with leader Moammar Gadhafi as eight army officers became the latest senior figures to break with the Libyan government.
Mr. Zuma told Libyan media in Tripoli Monday that Mr. Gadhafi wants a cease-fire to include an end to NATO bombing, terms already rejected last month after an earlier mediation mission by the South African president. Mr. Zuma also did not say the Libyan leader is ready to step down, the central demand of the rebels', who quickly rejected the latest offer.
Libyan television broadcast footage of Mr. Gadhafi welcoming Mr. Zuma, the Libyan leader's first reported public appearance since May 11.
In April, Mr. Zuma led an African Union delegation to Tripoli with a truce proposal. Mr. Gadhafi said he would accept the terms, but quickly resumed his attacks, while anti-government rebels rejected the cease-fire because it did not include the Libyan leader's exit from power.
Meanwhile, eight top Libyan army officers held a press conference in Rome Monday, claiming they are part of some 120 soldiers who recently defected from Libya.
The appearance by five generals, two colonels and a major was organized by the Italian government.
The men read an appeal to fellow army officers and top police and security officials, urging them to abandon Mr. Gadhafi's government. One of the officers denounced what he said was "genocide" and "violence against women" in various Libyan cities. Another estimated that Mr. Gadhafi's military is now operating at only 20 percent capacity.
Earlier Monday, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance's nearly two-month-long campaign of airstrikes in Libya has "seriously degraded" the ability of Mr. Gadhafi's forces to kill their own people. Speaking at a NATO forum in Bulgaria, Rasmussen said Mr. Gadhafi is "increasingly isolated" at home and abroad with close allies "departing, defecting or deserting" the Libyan leader.
NATO forces have been operating under a U.N. Security Council mandate to protect civilians from Mr. Gadhafi's attempts to crush the uprising. Libya's state news agency says NATO airstrikes killed 11 people in the western town of Zlitan on Monday. There was no confirmation from NATO on that report.
Also Monday, an Internet video showed a rare anti-Gadhafi demonstration in Tripoli. In the video, protesters at a funeral were seen chanting "Moammar [Gadhafi] is the enemy of God!" Activists said the video was filmed Monday at the burial for two slain protesters in a suburb of the capital, but this could not be independently confirmed.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Syrian rights activists say a military crackdown on opposition protesters in the central part of the country has killed at least 15 civilians since Sunday and injured dozens more.
The demonstrators were killed as government forces backed by tanks, artillery and helicopters continued to attack the cities of Talbiseh, Rastan and other central communities where residents have staged anti-government protests in recent days.
Rights groups said three civilians were killed Monday in Talbiseh. Residents also found the bodies of two people thought to have been killed by Syrian troops in Homs, Syria's third-largest city.
In a new development, the Associated Press reported that residents of Talbiseh and Rastan used automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades to repel advancing troops. One activist was quoted as saying the armed resistance was not organized but rather involved individual residents protecting themselves.
Witness reports in Syria, as well as official accounts, are difficult to independently verify because the government barred most international journalists from the country soon after the unrest began in March.
Also Monday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the repression of opposition movements in Syria and Libya is "shocking" for its "brutality and magnitude." Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has been trying to suppress an opposition revolt against his 42-year rule since February.
Pillay renewed her call for Syria to allow a fact-finding mission to visit the country. She was speaking to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Earlier, Syrian state media said "terrorists" operating in Talbiseh killed four Syrian soldiers and wounded 14 on Sunday. Syria's government frequently blames the two-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad on terrorists, Islamists and foreign agitators. It says at least 140 Syrian security personnel have been killed in the unrest.
Syrian opposition activists have been protesting almost daily since March for democratic reforms and an end to Mr. Assad's 11-year autocratic rule. Rights groups say Mr. Assad's security forces have killed more than 1,000 people and arrested 10,000 more in a campaign to crush the uprising.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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The lawyer for war-crimes suspect Ratko Mladic says the former general has serious health problems and could die before the start of his trial on genocide charges. For that reason, attorney Milos Saljic said he will appeal the planned extradition of Mladic to the Netherlands-based U.N. War Crimes Tribunal.
Monday was the last day that Ratko Mladic could appeal a court decision to extradite him to the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.
Standing outside a court in Belgrade, Saljic told reporters he would file Mladic's appeal against extradition by mail. He said his client has suffered several strokes and is too ill to face trial in the Netherlands.
He said Mladic's health situation "is alarming" and that he demands an investigation by independent medical experts. Saljic added that Mladic is so ill that he will not be alive when the trial starts.
But prosecutors called the appeal on medical grounds "delaying tactics" and said they expected Mladic's extradition within four days.
Prosecutors said the 69-year-old former general, who was detained last week in a village north of Belgrade, is fit enough to face trial on several charges, including genocide.
Troops under his command allegedly killed up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995. He also has been accused of overseeing the 43-month siege of the Bosnian city of Sarajevo when troops fired from nearby mountains, killing more than 11,000 people, including many children.
Mladic has denied wrongdoing and there have been protests against his arrest.
Protesters throwing stones and bottles clashed late Sunday with baton-wielding riot police in Belgrade. About 180 people were detained and dozens injured in the clashes.
The opposition Serbian Radical Party said the pro-Western government is bowing to pressure of the United States and European Union as it seeks EU membership.
In an interview with Dutch public broadcaster NOS, however, Serbian President Boris Tadic denied these accusations.
"This is not because of pressure of politicians from Holland, from European Union, from everywhere," he said. "This is because of us. This is because of [our] values. We are living in these region in which we have to reconcile to each other. We are living in a country in which we have to establish [the] rule of law."
Tadic also wants to know how Mladic managed to escaped detention for 16 years.
"How he organized the network of protection? For me it is very important to extend the investigation right now about who protected him. To investigate people that were involved in the protection," said Tadic. "Are they from the state structure, from the military, police? I am sure that in the beginning of his efforts he has been protected by those kind of people. For example, retired officers and the police people."
And that investigation has just begun.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her government's decision to shut down all its nuclear power plants within the next decade could serve as an example to other countries, but industry leaders are criticizing the decision.
Germany announced Monday that it would phase out all 17 of its nuclear power stations by 2022 and generate electricity from other sources. The decision was made in response to the public concern about the safety of atomic power following Japan's nuclear disaster this year.
Chancellor Merkel said Germany could serve as a global trailblazer for renewable energy. The implementation plan hammered out by the ruling coalition during a 12-hour meeting is expected to meet with fierce resistance from energy companies, as well as from some members of her own party.
Businesses and utility companies warn of increased costs of energy, especially in the regions that depend on nuclear power plants for electricity supplies.
There is also a concern that relying on renewable power sources, such as sun and wind and fossil fuels, could lead to power shortages.
Monday's decision reverses Germany's 2010 plan to extend the operation of the nuclear power facilities by another decade.
The government plan calls for closing most facilities by 2021. Only three of the 17 generating stations would be left in operation for an additional year, to ensure there is energy if shortages develop.
Germany's public has largely welcomed the decision. Environmentalists, including the Green Party, wanted the nuclear power industry shut down sooner, but pro-business groups say possible power shortages and increased energy costs could cripple German industry.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Bloomberg.
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A U.N. special investigator is accusing the Sri Lankan government of serious crimes against Tamil civilians in the last phase of the country's civil war that ended in 2009. The investigator has presented his report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Special Investigator on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Christof Heyns said a video broadcast last year of the final stages of the civil war in Sri Lanka presents credible evidence of crimes committed by the government against the Tamil people.
He said the video, which was broadcast by a British TV channel, shows naked people with their hands tied behind their backs being executed. He said these scenes were shot against the backdrop of corpses of other men and women, with similar head wounds.
Heyns said an investigation into the authenticity of the video has resolved a number of so-called unexplained elements.
"I believe that the prima facie case of serious international crimes have been made by the video that I examined," said Heyns. "I can obviously not make findings of guilt as would a court of law do. But the inquiry should now be taken to a further level on the international, as well as domestic, level."
Special Investigator Heyns said extensive evidence obtained from independent experts show what is depicted in the video happened. He says he is concerned the government has not produced evidence of an independent study into what appears to be very serious crimes.
The Sri Lankan government denies charges that it committed violations of human rights and humanitarian law during its military offensive against the Tamil Tiger rebels. It accuses the United Nations and International community of being duped by a disinformation campaign orchestrated by the remnants of the Tamil Tigers.
Sri Lanka Minister of Plantation Industries Mahinda Samarasinghe vigorously defended his country's record at the U.N. Human Rights Council. He said his government committed no crimes against the Tamil people.
On the contrary, he argued the government's military action in May 2009, liberated his people from the clutches of terrorism.
"It is undeniable that the humanitarian operations in Sri Lanka resulted in the rescue of over 290,000 persons-innocent civilians-held hostage by a terrorist organization proscribed in over 30 countries," said Samarasinghe. "It is well to remember that in the wake of the September 11th tragedy, the U.N. invoked the right of self defense and called upon the international community to neutralize or combat such terrorism by non-state actors by its resolutions 1368 and 1373 of September 2001."
The Sri Lankan minister said his country is taking steps at great cost to resettle and rebuild the lives of the people in the conflict-affected areas. He said charges that his government committed crimes against the Tamil population under the so-called guise of fighting terrorism are misplaced.
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A draft report commissioned by the U.S. government says far fewer people died or were left homeless following Haiti's January 2010 earthquake than had been previously reported.
News agencies, which obtained a copy of the document, say it estimates that the death toll was between 46,000 and 85,000 people, far below the Haitian government's figure of more than a quarter million people. The report also questions official United Nations figures that around 680,000 people remain homeless. There has been no comment from the government of new Haitian President Michel Martelly.
The report was prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development, but has not yet been publicly released.
On Monday, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman told the Associated Press the report has inconsistencies and will not be made public until they are resolved.
The report was commissioned through a Washington-based consulting firm, LTL Strategies. The lead author, Timothy Schwartz, said in a blog post that no one should be surprised about a revised death toll. He said no one had any idea as to how many people were killed. The research for the document was conducted in January.
Last year, international donors pledged billions of dollars to help the Western Hemisphere's poorest country recover from the quake. Some donors have withheld aid until the new government can address the country's deep poverty, earthquake-shattered infrastructure and a cholera outbreak.
Reconstruction is estimated to take 10 years and cost $11.5 billion.
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Zimbabwe's Supreme Court heard a case on behalf of three farmers who claimed the constitution excluded confiscation of their land because they bought their properties after the colonial era ended with independence in 1980.
The Supreme Court did not agree and quickly dismissed their application.
One of the farmers, Colin Cloete, a former president of the Commercial Farmers' Union at the height of often violent land invasions seven years ago, was one of the applicants.
He, like many of his colleagues, has been arrested, harassed and appeared in court many times, to try to stay on his farm.
Like most surviving white farmers, the cost of going to court to try to fight his eviction has been unaffordable.
Looking back over the long and difficult years, Cloete, now 58, said his struggle to remain on his farm did not make economic sense.
"Economically we should have moved off then, at the beginning, as we would have been 10 years younger and that much more energetic," said Cloete.
Cloete said he had begun looking looking for a house in Harare, not least so he could move his possessions to safety.
He said the land invasions launched after Mr. Mugabe lost a referendum in 2000 had hurt him and Zimbabwe's economy, and no one had benefited from this except the elite in the ZANU-PF Party.
"We are treated like second-class citizens, we are treated like we are still just visitors to this place. My father was born in this country, before Mr. Mugabe, but I am still a visitor," said Cloete.
Farmer Ken Bartholomew, who was born on his farm, said if he had known what the future held in 2000, after land invasions began, he would have quit farming immediately.
"I would have moved off and done something else, not what I have gone through, with the stress and the amount of finance we have used to fund courts, lawyers. I would have left,"said Bartholomew.
Commercial Farmers' Union President Deon Theron said the group has warned farmers of their bleak prospects.
"The writing is pretty much on the wall for us. We have been fighting for how many years now to try and continue to try and find a way of dialoguing to resolve the conflict in an amicable way, but all the doors have been closed on us," Theron said.
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Mr. Mugabe and his ZANU-PF Party changed the constitution in 2005 to make all white farms named for acquisition in local newspapers, state property.
Very few evicted white farmers have received compensation for the loss of their homes and businesses on the farms.
Most of Zimbabwe's top politicians and public servants, including judges, among them those presiding at the Supreme Court are beneficiaries of white-owned farms.
Most farmers say that without dramatic and urgent political change, the only white farmers who will survive in the short term are those who have made private arrangements with district political warlords loyal to ZANU-PF.
The 27-month-old inclusive government, which includes the majority party, the Movement for Democratic Change, has failed to rescue any white farmers from eviction.
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In Eastern Congo, rape can be an act of war or revenge, or a response to extreme poverty, ignorance and fear.
A new study published by the American Journal of Public Health indicates that nearly 2 million women in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been raped. Many rapes are a part of military operations, designed to terrorize and control the population. Rates of domestic rape and rape by civilians, however, appear to be growing rapidly in the DRC.
This child was born a week and a half ago, almost nine months after his 14-year-old mother was raped. When asked why the soldier living in her house raped her, Amina shook her head and said she had no idea.
Dr. Guylain Mvuama, who heads the worn hospital where Amina had her baby said the main reason rural Congolese women are such frequent victims of rape is simple. It is part of the war.
Mvuama said armed groups raid and loot villages, raping women, children and sometimes babies or men to control the people though terror. The doctor says deep in the bush, what better way is there to keep everyone subdued, than to rape every man's mother, sister or wife?
But in the regular Congolese Army, rape is considered a crime, with the first-ever high-ranking officer sentenced to 20 years in jail in February. The following month, 11 other officers were convicted, all given at least the maximum sentence of 20 years for rape. Activists and army officers say the prosecutions appear to have reduced the incidents of rape considerably, but rape is still common.
Congolese Army Colonel Seraphin Mirindi is formerly an officer in one of the country's many armed militias that now are attempting to merge into the regular army as per a 2008 power-sharing agreement. Mirindi said soldiers still rape as a direct result of extreme poverty. Between low pay, and corruption among commanders, soldiers take home between $17 and $55 a month.
About 30 percent of soldiers desert their posts, he said, and since they receive hardy any salaries, they also are immune from punishment when they leave. Most deserters, he said, also take their gun with them when they go.
Mirindi said with almost no money, soldiers and deserters are tempted to rape because they are isolated deep in the forest, and cannot afford wives or prostitutes. He works with international organizations like Human Rights Watch, the United Nations and the Red Cross to educate soldiers about the dangers of rape for them and the victims. And while he said education is effective, he thinks higher salaries would be more useful in reducing the number of rapes.
Attorney and victim's rights activist Gilbert Kasereka said that while soldiers do rape because they are isolated, poor or as part of an attack, many rapes also occur in Congo for more unusual reasons. With the absence of regular, informed medical care, many people believe they can gain power or good health by raping the young.
Kasereka said some people believe military prowess can be derived from raping a teenager or someone who is an ethnic minority, like Congolese Pygmies. Others believe the rape of a baby will cure AIDs.
Rape in Congo also is increasingly common at home. Last year, a study commissioned by Oxfam showed that incidents of domestic rape grew 17-fold between 2004 and 2008. In the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health, researchers recommended that future programs against sexual violence in Congo focus on "abuse within families," in addition to ending impunity for rapists and improving security in the countryside.
But for some activists, no programs will be completely effective without ending the conflict for good. They say as long as much of Eastern Congo continues to be overrun with militias fighting each other and the government, and battling for control of what is believed to be $24 trillion worth of mineral wealth under the ground, sexual violence will continue to be a fact of life.
The president of the civil society in the eastern province of North Kivu, Jason Luneno Maene, said neither the government, nor NGOs can provide educational anti-rape programs to rebel militias who live beyond the reach of Congolese law. Even in government-controlled areas, he said, rapists often are caught and then released a few days later.
But Luneno said the recent convictions of Congolese Army soldiers and officers could affect the rest of society. If the army stops raping, he said, civilians may follow their lead.
In a hospital in Goma, 50-year-old Mawazo, a rape victim and mother of 10, said that national laws have no impact in her village.
Mawazo says rebel soldiers live near her village, and they raped her while she was searching for food for her youngest children. She says she is safe inside the hospital in the city, but she can never go home. If they catch her again in the forest alone, she says, she will be raped again, and this time she may not survive.
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Life on the International Space Station requires intense concentration, critical thinking skills, and strategic contemplation of what could come next, because hundreds of kilometers above the Earth, there is a lot at stake. With one wrong move, you could lose your queen.
Hal Bogner is a chess master who lives in the southwestern U.S. state of California. Last week, shortly after U.S. astronaut Greg Chamitoff completed a seven-hour spacewalk, Bogner said he imagined the astronaut floating in space, contemplating a chess board. "I don't know if he had a moment to think about it, but here he is, the first person in space to threaten to checkmate an entire planet in one move," he said.
Bogner is the match director for the Earth versus Space chess match that is being waged between U.S. astronauts Greg Chamitoff and Gregory Johnson and, well, Earth. Or anyone on Earth with access to the Internet who wants to join in the game.
Astronauts Chamitoff and Johnson are both crew members on the current space shuttle Endeavour mission, and they played their match against Earth until they undocked from the International Space Station Sunday.
Bogner noted that both sides, Earth and Space, missed opportunities to make aggressive moves. And, more than two weeks in, neither side has won.
As match director, Bogner keeps track of the moves the astronauts post on Twitter and the moves people around the globe vote for on the U.S. Chess Federation website.
Although the game is hosted by a U.S. organization, Bogner says the Earth versus Space match has captured the attention of people all around the world. "South Africa, in Belgium, in Iraq. Somebody in Iraq described himself as a computer repair shop manager," he said.
Astronauts Chamitoff and Johnson talked about the game's universal appeal in a video they produced while on the International Space Station. "One of the great things about chess is that it brings people together from all walks of life people from different cultures, [with] different languages, [from] different countries," said Johnson.
Floating in microgravity as they posed with a magnetic chess board before them, the astronauts said the match was both fun and challenging. Then, they issued a challenge of their own.
"It's your move," they said.
In fact, it is no longer just Earth's move, but Earth's decision. Bogner says, given that neither side won while the astronauts were in space, the public will have a chance to vote for the team that played the better game.
Hard to believe, but this is not the first match of its kind. Chamitoff represented Space in a similar match-up in 2008, a game Earth won.
The World Health Organization says progress is being made in the fight against the widespread use of tobacco. However, as it marks this year's World No Tobacco Day May 31, WHO warns much work, remains to be done to reduce the millions of premature deaths that occur every year from tobacco-related illnesses.
The Convention
The World Health Organization says there are indications the global use of tobacco is beginning to plateau and even decrease. It attributes this success largely to the implementation of WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The Convention, the first public health treaty ever adopted, entered into force in 2005. So far, 173 countries have ratified it.
Watch a related report by Vidushi Sinha
The Head of the Convention Secretariat, Haik Nikogosian, says 80 percent of the parties either have adopted or strengthened legislation on tobacco control after joining the Convention. He calls this a very strong global achievement.
"I think we are winning the battle. Yes, this is a long battle. It will take many, many years, but the tobacco epidemic, including in some countries where it was a big challenge, is starting to curb," said Nikogosian. "It will take a very long time. They are still taking millions of lives. But, the good news is that it seems that it is curbing."
Incremental successes since inception
WHO figures indicate a significant drop in the prevalence of smoking since enforcement of the Convention began six years ago.
For example, smoking in Australia, Norway and Mexico has dropped by five percent during this period. An even more dramatic result is found in Uraguay, where smoking has declined from 46 percent to 31 percent over the past three years. Tobacco, one of the biggest contributors to non-communicable diseases
Nevertheless, Armando Peruga, WHO's Program Manager for Tobacco Free Initiative, says the public health effects of tobacco use are still devastating.
"This year, the tobacco epidemic will kill nearly six million people, including more than 600,000 non-smokers that will die from exposure to tobacco smoke," said Peruga.
By 2030, Dr. Peruga warns, tobacco could kill eight million people, of whom more than 80 percent will live in low and middle-income countries. "As you know, tobacco is one of the biggest contributors to the epidemic of non-communicable diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, cancer, emphysema, which accounts for about two-thirds of all deaths of NCD (non-communicable diseases) and about one in eight of the total deaths. That is about 13 percent," he explained.
WHO says the tobacco industry's marketing tactics is becoming more aggressive as more people give up smoking. It says the industry is mainly targeting young people and women in poor countries.
The Framework Convention contains a number of non-smoking measures countries are obliged to implement over time. WHO officials say the most effective one is increasing tobacco taxes.
Other measures include banning tobacco advertising and sales to minors, placing large health warnings on packages of tobacco and making public places smoke free.
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Pro-Palestinian activists on Monday vowed to send a new flotilla of aid to Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory.
A previous flotilla from Turkey was stopped at sea by Israeli commandos one year ago, on May 31, 2010. Nine Turkish activists were killed and seven commandos were wounded in the encounter.
The activists gathered Monday on the same ship where the fight took place, the Mavi Marmara, and said they would sail again in late June, carrying humanitarian aid. The flotilla is expected to total 15 ships with passengers from a number of countries.
Greek activist Vangelis Pisias said Monday that despite Egypt's opening of the Gaza-Egyptian border crossing at Rafah, the Israeli sea blockade continues to restrict the flow of goods into the Palestinian area.
The Rafah crossing is the only entry point into the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel.
Israel said last week that it would enforce its naval blockade on Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is concerned that the ships could also deliver weapons to Palestinian militants.
The May 2010 clash severely strained relations between Turkey and Israel. Israel has refused to apologize for the deadly incident.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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The top British general in Afghanistan has warned against any significant pullout of troops from the country until late 2012.
In an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, General James Bucknall said that, in order to hold on to recent gains against the Taliban, the U.S. troop reinforcements that arrived in Afghanistan last year should stay for two more summer fighting seasons.
General Bucknall said any significant withdrawal of troops would send "conflicting signals on commitment to the campaign" in the war-torn country.
Some argue that the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is a good reason to accelerate the pullout from Afghanistan.
Also Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan who will soon end their combat mission and transition to a training role.
During the unannounced visit, Mr. Harper said Afghanistan does not represent a geostrategic risk to the world and is no longer a source of global terrorism.
Meanwhile, Australian officials said Tuesday two of the four coalition soldiers killed in Afghanistan a day earlier were Australian.
Defense Force chief Marshal Angus Houston said one of the soldiers was shot dead by his Afghan colleague, while the other died in a helicopter crash. Their deaths bring the number of Australian soldiers killed in the conflict to 26.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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The government of north Sudan is demanding the south withdraw its troops from two key border states by Wednesday.
The demand, reported in Sudanese media, concerns the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.
Both sit along Sudan's north-south border, like the disputed and oil-rich Abyei region, which northern forces occupied a little more than a week ago.
The two states are currently under northern control but were battlegrounds during Sudan's long north-south civil war.
The south is due to declare independence July 9 after voting to split from the north in a January referendum.
Analysts warn the south may choose to fight for Blue Nile and South Kordofan, after saying it would not allow the Abyei dispute to drag it back into war.
On Sunday, an international monitoring group warned that northern Sudanese forces appear to be destroying Abyei's main town in a possible act of war crimes.
The Satellite Sentinel Project also said it had photos showing a buildup of tanks, trucks, artillery, and infantry fighting vehicles in Abyei. It said the forces are "all capable of rapid forward movement."
The inauguration of President Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria Sunday marks the country's third civilian government since the end of military rule in 1999.
President Jonathan first came to power following the death last year of leader Umaru Musa Yar'adua. Ascending from the vice presidency, Jonathan vowed to continue the Yar'adua administration's commitment to electoral reform.
So having won his own four-year mandate in elections last month, President Jonathan says he understands well what that vote means for Nigerian democracy.
"Over 72 million eligible Nigerians endured all manner of inconveniences just to secure their voters' cards in order to exercise their right to choose those who will govern them. At the polls, we saw the most dramatic expression of the hunger for democracy, stories of courage and patriotism," said Jonathan.
In his inaugural address, President Jonathan vowed to work with the legislative and judicial branches of government to strengthen the electoral process.
The executive director of Nigeria's Center for Democracy and Development, Jibo Ibrahim, says the three branches have had their difficulties since 1999 but have all risen to the occasion at critical times, especially the judiciary.
"They have made considerable contributions toward sustaining the political order in a context where elections have been very problematic, unstable, and characterized by fraud. So the judiciary has been able to step in to at least sustain some level of electoral justice," said Ibrahim.
Ibrahim says lawmakers have worked hard to keep their distance from the presidency. "That is very important in a functional democracy. So I think the institutions all have their problems, but they have been able to sustain their roles over the last 12 years," he added.
Hussein Abdu, Nigeria's country director for the anti-poverty group Action Aid, says President Jonathan must strengthen the institutions of democracy. He says much of the credit for April's vote went to electoral commissioner Attahiru Jega, not the institution of the commission itself.
"Yes, we did better than where we were coming from in these last elections. That is quite good. It is quite commendable. But what I hear people saying is about the role of the chair of the electoral commission, the person of Attahiru Jega and the role that he played," said Adu. "So we don't actually want individual-driven institutions. We want institutions that are strong enough that even if you bring the worst person, the institution will discipline that person to do the right thing."
Yobe State Senator Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan says the experience of last month's nationwide vote should improve the next election.
"I think we can build on a fairly solid and sound foundation the way of electing our leaders and representatives. In 2015, by the grace of God, from our experience of 2011 elections we should be able to conduct even better and more transparent and credible elections than 2011. And everybody will have known by then - politicians, electors, and everyone - that you need to perform in office before you are returned," he stated.
Electoral observers from the group of Commonwealth nations recommend that the electoral commission improve communications with poll workers. In their final report on the vote, the Commonwealth observers are calling for timely prosecution to end the culture of impunity for those who commit electoral offenses.
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A Pakistani newspaper says Pakistan has decided to launch a "careful and meticulous" air and ground offensive in the North Waziristan tribal region, known as a sanctuary for al-Qaida and the Taliban on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
The News International reported Monday that "highly placed sources" say an understanding had been reached on the operation during U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Pakistan last week.
Theunnamed sources told the newspaper the offensive would begin with the Pakistani air force "softening" the determined targets, before ground operations were launched.
The newspaper says NATO leaders, especially Washington, have long insisted Pakistan conduct a military offensive in the tribal region.
The publication reports Pakistan will decide on the mode of action and its scale.
Meanwhile, Pakistani officials say a blast Monday in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan has wounded at least 10 people.
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Representatives of the International Criminal Court were in Kenya on Monday to seek answers regarding Kenya's commitment to justice for victims of the 2007-2008 post-election violence.
At the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the case against six Kenyans suspected of planning and financing the country's post-election violence appears to be faltering. Against his objections, judges ordered Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo to disclose key evidence and witnesses to the suspects.
The Kenyan government also is questioning the admissibility of the case, pointing to local efforts being put in place to deal with the suspects.
On Sunday, Moreno-Ocampo hit back at the Kenyan government, expressing doubts over Kenya's commitment to properly investigate the violence.
"On Monday a team from my office will be in Kenya to discuss protection of witnesses with Kenyan authorities," said Moreno-Ocampo. "We will assess not just the protection program for witnesses, but we also want to understand the current position of the government of Kenya in relation to the post-electoral violence."
In a taped address, the prosecutor accused the government of attempting to sabotage the ICC investigation. Both President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have in the past expressed commitment to the ICC process, but Ocampo said the government position has shifted since the announcement of the six suspects in December.
Early this year, Kenya attempted to stall the case through diplomatic efforts in both the African Union and the United Nations Security Council. Ocampo highlighted these efforts as evidence of the country's indifference to the victims of the violence.
"Our question to the Kenyan government is: does the government of Kenya want justice for the victims? We need a clear answer, an answer that Kenyans and the world will understand," said Ocampo. "Is the government of Kenya protecting the witnesses or is it protecting the suspects from investigations? That is the question."
The Kenyan government swiftly denied any allegations of obstruction in the ICC investigation. Government spokesman Dr. Alfred Mutua called Moreno-Ocampo's charges "wild allegations" and challenged him to present any evidence of wrongdoing to judges at The Hague.
ICC officials are now looking into the suitability of Kenya's witness protection program. While a witness protection bill was passed in 2010, the program has yet to be funded.
Some 1,300 people were killed, and more than 300,000 displaced, following the 2007 presidential election between President Kibaki and current Prime Minister Odinga. Kibaki's victory set off claims of fraud and sparked two months of ethnic clashes countrywide.
The ICC has named six suspects it believes to have funded and planned the violence, including Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Former Higher Education Minister William Ruto and head of civil service Francis Muthaura.
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French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde is in Brazil Monday to solicit support from emerging economies for her bid to be the next head of the International Monetary Fund.
With solid backing for her IMF candidacy from Europe, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde is off to conquer a more skeptical audience - emerging countries who have been calling for the next head of the International Monetary Fund to be one of their own.
Lagarde's first stop is Brazil. But in an interview Sunday with France's Europe 1 radio, she outlined plans to also visit China, India and several African nations.
Lagarde said she was visiting these emerging countries because they have expressed anxiety and frustration over having their interests recognized at the highest levels of multilateral organizations, and about the fact the IMF directorship has traditionally gone to a European.
But the only declared emerging country candidate to date is Mexico's central bank governor Agustin Carstens, who visits Brazil on Wednesday.
Europeans argue a fellow national at the head of the IMF right now is critical, as the 17-nation eurozone struggles to cope with the financial problems in Portugal, Greece, Spain and Ireland.
French officials also say they received the backing of all G8 leaders who attended last week's summit in the Normandy coast town of Deauville. While Washington has not publicly backed a candidate, French President Nicolas Sarkozy broadly suggested President Barack Obama was behind Lagarde.
Speaking to reporters in Deauville on Friday, Sarkozy said he was not President Obama's spokesman but that he saw Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's statement welcoming Lagarde's candidacy, and said he doubted there was a disagreement between the two American officials.
If picked, Lagarde would replace another Frenchman, Dominique Strauss Kahn, who resigned earlier this month over charges of sexual assault. Lagarde faces criticism here in France over a 2008 legal settlement favoring a French businessman. She says she did nothing wrong.
The IMF is expected to announce the candidates for its top post by June 17 and select its next managing director by June 30.
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A United Nations human rights expert says video footage from the final days of the Sri Lankan war proves that war crimes did take place.
Christopher Heyns, the U.N. investigator on extrajudicial killings, says what is reflected in the video are crimes of the highest nature.
The video, obtained by Britain's Channel 4 in 2009, shows blindfolded prisoners being shot at close range by what are believed to be Sri Lankan army troops.
Heyns told the U.N. Human Rights Council Monday that he examined the video along with a technical and forensic expert to determine its authenticity.
Sri Lankan authorities have rejected his findings.
More than 7,000 civilians are believed to have died during the Sri Lankan army's final offensive against the Tamil Tigers. At least 80,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed during the 25-year civil war that began in 1983.
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