World Lens — Week in Review: Feb. 29
Unrest and protests hit Syria, China, India and Iran.
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Amnesty International: Iran Steps Up Repression Before Polls - Iran has "dramatically escalated" its crackdown on dissent as the country prepares to vote in parliamentary elections, human rights watchdog Amnesty International said in a new report. "In Iran today you put yourself at risk if you do anything that might fall outside the increasingly narrow confines of what the authorities deem socially or politically acceptable," said Ann Harrison, an Amnesty Middle East expert. (Photo: REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi)
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China Riots Leave 12 Dead - Chinese state media reports 12 people have died in riots near the northwestern city of Kashgar in Xinjiang province. While China claims it faces an organized terrorist threat from radical Muslims in Xinjiang, local activists say citizens are lashing out against Beijing's oppressive rule in the region. Also, the World Bank recently warned that China could face an economic crisis in the next 20 years if Beijing does not quickly overhaul its development model. (Photo: REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)
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Israel Won't Warn U.S. Before Iran Strike - Israeli officials say they won't warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. The officials said they would keep the American government in the dark to decrease the likelihood that the U.S. would be held responsible for failing to stop Israel's potential attack. The U.S. has been working with the Israelis for months to convince them that an attack would be only a temporary setback to Iran's nuclear program. (Photo: Jim Hollander - Pool/Getty Images)
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England to Offer Foreign Nationals Free HIV Treatment - The British government announced its new plan to offer free HIV treatment for foreign nationals in a move to reduce the risk of Britons being infected and cut the costs of more expensive later treatment.(Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
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NATO Afghanistan Quran Burning Causes Deadly Attacks - A rash of protests and violent attacks have raged since it was discovered that the Qurans that were burned were among religious materials seized from a detainee facility. President Obama apologized to Afghan president Hamid Karzai last week, calling the burning an inadvertent error.(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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U.N. Rights Chief Calls for Syria Ceasefire - Amid increasing violence between government forces and opposition-aligned civilians in Syria, the United Nations human rights chief declared the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Millions of Indian Workers Strike - Millions of Indian workers, in conjunction with the country’s 11 major trade unions, are staging a 24-hour strike to demand improved rights for employees and to protest over rising prices. (Photo: REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui)
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Guyanese Sex Workers Offered Mining Industry Training - Commercial sex workers in Guyana will soon have the opportunity to receive training for careers in the country’s mining industry in positions ranging from heavy-duty operations to business management. (Photo: REUTERS/Paulo Santos)
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Mugabe Vows to Stay in Power, Claims More Resilience Than "Christ" - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe celebrated his 88th birthday during his 32nd year in power, and made sure to let the world know that he has no plans of letting his age slow him down."I have died many times. That's where I have beaten Christ. Christ died once and [was] resurrected once," the Catholic Mugabe told a radio host. "I am as fit as a fiddle."(Photo: EPA/JASON SZENES /LANDOV)
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Nelson Mandela Receives Surgery for Stomach Ailment - Former South African president Nelson Mandela, 93, was released from the hospital Sunday after an overnight stay for minor diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of an abdominal complaint, a spokesman for the country's current leader said.(Photo: AP/File)
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Haiti's Prime Minister Resigns After Just Four Months - Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille resigned last week after just four months in office, leaving the country without critical leadership amid rebuilding efforts. Conille's decision came during a political battle with President Michel Martelly over $300 million in earthquake reconstruction contracts awarded by Martelly that Conille planned to audit. (Photo: AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File)
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Study: Black People “Least Satisfied of U.K. Population” - Black and multiracial Britons are less satisfied with their lives on average than the United Kingdom population as a whole, says a new survey.(Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
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U.S. Troops Now in 4 African Countries to Fight LRA - U.S. troops helping in the fight against a brutal rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army are now deployed in four Central African countries, the top U.S. special operations commander for Africa said. Rear Adm. Brian L. Losey, the top U.S. special operations commander for Africa, said the U.S. troops are now stationed in bases in Uganda, Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic.(Photo: REUTERS/Jim Young)