Syrian opposition groups from the entire Middle East region have plans to gather this week in an effort to unify the opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s government. UN agencies, aid workers, Arab League members, and the Friends of Syria movement all gathered to reach an agreement on how to deal with Syria, where humanitarian aid organizations say that some 35,000 people have been killed since the fighting began.
Tensions are on the rise in the areas surrounding Iran, as reports have come out that Iranian fighter jets fired upon a US reconnaissance drone flying over the Arabian Gulf. The Department of Defense said that the drone was performing a routine surveillance mission over international waters, and never entered Iranian airspace.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the producer of the anti-Islam film that caused massive riots in much of the Middle East two months ago, has been sentenced to 12 months in jail with two years of probation after that. His official sentence is for parole violations. The film he released criticizing Islam caused the deaths of dozens of people when protests erupted across much of the Arab world in response to the film.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he is is ready and willing to initiate military action against Iran if the trade sanctions leveled against the country do not force it to abandon its nuclear program. Netanyahu is at odds with the President Barack Obama over his willingness to resort to nuclear force.
Seven active-duty Navy Seals have been reprimanded for their involvement in the development of the new “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” video game. The official report from the U.S. Navy says that the seven Seals involved gave away military secrets and classified information to Electronic Arts in the development of the game.
President Obama is scheduled to visit Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia over the next two weeks, as part of a tour to encourage the transition to a democratic form of government. Obama will be the first US president to visit the country of Burma. The most senior US official that has visited Burma is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who made her trip to in December of 2011.