News in Making

Afghan NATO compound attack

At least two people have been killed in a suicide attack on a NATO supply compound in Kabul, police announced Tuesday. It is alleged that gunfire followed after the explosion which occurred at 04:30 local time. The target of the attack was a composite used by foreign firms supplying NATO forces in 

Morales says Bolivia has not received asylum request from Snowden

Speaking to RT Spanish from Moscow, Bolivian president Evo Morales has said that Edward Snowden has not requested political asylum from his country. “If there were a request, of course we would be willing to debate and consider the idea,” said Morales. The president further explained that Bolivia was prepared to assist the whistleblower. “Why not? Well, he’s left much to be discussed … and a debate on the international level, and of course, Bolivia is there to shield the denounced, whether it’s espionage or control, in either case, we are here to assist.”

India's first navigation satellite into orbit

India has placed the country’s first navigation satellite in orbit. This is the first of seven satellites planned to orbit the Earth under the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). The network plans to become operational by 2015, with the second launch planned in three months. The satellites plan to cover the entirety of India with pin-point precision readings of about 10 meters. India started its space journey in 1975 and to date has completed over 100 space missions.

Catholic Church forced to release 6,000 pages of child rape records

Thousands of documents were released Monday revealing how deep the child sex abuse scandal has become in the Catholic Church, and the strains top-level clergy took to cover up allegations of rape and molestation. The 6,000 pages were disclosed by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin as part of a deal with sex abuse victims suing the church, which is accused of transferring priests to different parishes throughout the country to hide claims they had abused children. The personnel files of 42 priests known to have sexually abused minors, plans to pay abusive priests up to $20,000 to leave the church, and depositions from clerics worried about how the scandal would hurt the Vatican’s public image are among the files released Monday. Perhaps most shocking, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, are the files of Father Lawrence Murphy, who is alleged to have molested 200 deaf boys during his tenure.

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Nelson Mandela remains critical 

Former South African President Nelson Mandela remains "criticalbut stable" in hospital, the South African government said on Monday . Mandela has been in a Pretoria hospital for more than three weeks receiving treatment for a recurring lung infection, his fourth hospitalization in six months. While he is in hospital , many South Africans are looking ahead to his 95th birthday on July 18 “to do something good for humanity ….in tribute to our former President,"President JacobZuma said . During his visit to South Africa, President Obama intendedto visit Nelson Mandela, but , as the patient was critical,Obama met the Mandela family on Saturday instead, offering words of comfort.

Protests disrupt Libyan oil output

Protests have shut down several Libyan oilfields, cutting output by around a third, industry sources said. Workers calling for management change shut down production at several fields belonging to Zueitina Oil Company on Monday, Reuters reported. Closing down oil exports would affect other fields that pump to Zueitina’s export terminal in eastern Libya, such as Abu Attifel. A Zueitina official said that there were “demonstrations in Zueitina’s fields.” A separate security dispute closed the Sharara field.

UN takes over from African troops in Mali mission

A force of African soldiers that helped France take back northern Mali has officially been transformed into a UN peacekeeping mission. About 6,000 African troops from countries bordering Mali will be folded into the Integrated United Nations Mission for the Stabilization of Mali, or MINUSMA. The mission is expected to grow to more than 12,000 soldiers. The mission’s goals are to stabilize Mali, protect human rights and preserve cultural sites, the head of the peacekeeping force, Bert Koenders, said Monday.

Media agencies