Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Saturday 24 December 2011


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December 24, 2011

Today from VOANews.com

Tens of Thousands Protest Alleged Election Fraud, Putin's Rule in Moscow

Organizers say more than 100,000 people joined the rally in below-freezing temperatures; police estimate turnout at about 28,000
Demonstrators hold a rally protesting against election fraud in Moscow, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. Tens of thousands of demonstrators on Saturday cheered opposition leaders and jeered the Kremlin in the biggest show of outrage yet against Prime Minister Vla

North Korea Hails Late Kim's Son as 'Supreme Commander'

State media's use of the title is a sign that the Stalinist nation's second generational transition of power is going smoothly
 Kim Jong Un (File)

Syrians Hold Funerals for 44 Blast Victims

Thousands gather at funeral for victims killed in twin suicide blasts in the capital Friday
Mourners bow in prayer at a mass funeral Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 for 44 people killed in twin suicide bombings that targeted intelligence agency compounds in Damascus, Syria.

60 Killed in Clashes Between Nigerian Security, Boko Haram

Military spokesman says radical Muslim sect began clashing with security forces Thursday in Damaturu and Maiduguri
People stand near a damaged wall of a church after an explosion in Jajeri district in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri, December 23, 2011

Pilgrims, Tourists Descend on Bethlehem for Christmas Celebrations

Thousands began arriving Saturday to spend Christmas in the town believed to be Jesus' birthplace
A Christian pilgrim lines up to go inside the Grotto, at the Church of Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Dec. 24, 2011.

US Money Transfers to Somalia at Risk

Last week, small US bank said it would stop wiring cash to companies in Somalia because it feared violating US counter-terrorism laws
Internally displaced women wait to receive relief food from a distribution center in Hodon district in the south of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, August 25, 2011 (file photo).

Rwanda Criminal Tribunal Pleased With Progress

In its 17-year history, the tribunal has achieved a number of firsts
Yves Kamuromsi - only 13 when the Rwandan genocide occurred - now heads the documentation center at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center in Rwanda, and said sharing the experience with other survivors helps everyone, November 2011.

Iraq Struggles to Create Jobs and Wealth

Despite its remarkable oil wealth, the country is beset by high unemployment, war damage and the lingering effects of sanctions
A worker adjusts the valve of an oil pipe in Tawke oil field near Dahuk, 400 kilometers north of Baghdad, November 14, 2011.

Asia Pacific Region Faces Rising Costs From Storms, Disasters

World Bank says region bears brunt of natural disasters, accounting for 80 percent of lives lost globally
A backhoe performs flood recovery work in Muang Ake, Bangkok.

Arab Spring Brought Major Change, Challenges to Middle East in 2011

Long-reigning rulers fell, others teeter on the brink, region is forever changed
Arab Spring

US Illegal Immigrants, Mass Deportations Face New Scrutiny

Review comes as lawmakers in more US states are passing tough anti-immigration laws
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office jail officers, who lost their federal power to check whether inmates are in the county illegally, give Sheriff Joe Arpaio a standing ovation, in Phoenix, Arizona, December 21, 2011.

Turkey Blocks Web Pages Touting Darwin's Evolution Theory

Issue exemplifies concerns by academics that ideas of Darwin increasingly are being undermined by the Islamic-rooted government
Demonstrators protest against the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey [TUBITAK] over the exclusion of articles commemorating Charles Darwin's 200th birthday from a scientific journal published by TUBITAK, in Ankara, Turkey, March 2009.
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