President Barack Obama is calling for “the strongest” sanctions against Iran for its alleged involvement in a plot to kill Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States. Obama says the US has strong evidence to support claims that Iran was involved. The president elaborated on what specific sanctions he might support.
The fighting continues in Libya, as NATO has stated that it is still unwilling to withdraw its military operations in the region. Citing the fighting surrounding the Libyan city of Sirte as an example, the American Defense Secretary has said that NATO is being very careful so as to flush out all the remaining loyalist forces before giving their political leaders official consent to pull out.
An al-Qaeda leader of American birth was killed by a predator drone strike in Yemen last week, marking the first time in the war on terrorism that an American has been directly targeted. The leader in question was Anwar al-Awlaki. Born an American and an outspoken al-Qaeda activist, he was considered by the Central Intelligence Agency to be the most dangerous English-speaking propagandist working for al-Qaeda.
Stocks fell following an announcement by the US Federal Reserve concerning an unconventional $400 billion treasuries trading plan that is supposed to boost the economy. Worldwide, many are concerned that their governments are not taking the right actions necessary to fix the job markets, and consequently are not willing to take risks on the trading floor.
Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestine, has said that he will push for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations this week. This move is being strongly opposed by Israel and the United States, who see it as having the potential to greatly destabilize the Middle East.
Stocks dropped in all sectors of the US economy last week, amidst worries that Obama does not have a good plan for spurring job growth. European debt concerns also influenced the drop, as a key member of the European Central Bank stepped down.
Interpol has issued a warrant for the arrest of Col. Muammar Qaddafi, the deposed dictator of Libya. Ever since the Libyan rebels have taken Tripoli, the capital city of Libya, they have been searching for Qaddafi and his son.
Libyan rebels in Tripoli have uncovered a collection of documents that appear to link the Central Intelligence Agency with Colonel Qaddafi’s intelligence service. These documents reveal information about the ties between the Bush administration and Libya’s state intelligence agency and appears to shows that the two agencies collaborated to a much greater extent than previously known. The ties apparently extended even to the US sending suspected terrorists to the Libyans for interrogation purposes. The authenticity of these documents cannot be verified at this time.
The worst storm cluster to hit the south in nearly four decades had finally left the area Thursday, and many are beginning to rebuild their lives. Massive tornadoes swung across six southern states last week, killing nearly 300 people and causing millions of dollars worth of damage. The city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was hit hardest by the storms, with a massive one-mile-wide tornado carving a seven-mile-long swath through the city.
Unrest still persists in the Middle East, as Syrian protesters continued to chant anti-regime slogans. Syrian security forces fired upon the crowds of people, killing dozens and injuring hundreds more. The protests, which began over a month ago and have killed 113, are rapidly spreading across Syria.
The House of Representatives has passed a bill outlining the Republican’s plan for spending that claims it would cut federal spending by more than $6 trillion over the next ten years. The House passed the bill in a 235 to 193 vote, with all but four Republicans voting for the bill. The goal now is to cut government spending to avoid reaching the debt limit of $14.294 trillion. The bill is not expected to pass the Democratic-controlled senate.