Pakistan’s beleaguered government is now under pressure on two fronts—from a mass protest on its doorstep in Islamabad and from the judges of the Supreme Court. Their order for the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf could hardly have come at a worse moment for Pakistan’s leaders. The government said it was very unexpected and the timing should be noted. An aide to the Prime Minister went further, accusing Pakistan’s powerful military of engineering both the protest movement and the court ruling.
A court in Bangladesh has formally charged the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed with corruption. The charges alleged that she abused her powers while she was in office between 2001 and 2006. If she were to be convicted, she’d be unable to contest in next year’s general elections.
New research suggests that soot or black carbon makes a much bigger contribution to global warming than previously thought. Scientists who have published a new study say particles from diesel engines and wood burning could have twice the warming effect that past estimates had indicated. The study says soot emissions from Europe and North America have been declining due to emissions restrictions but have been growing steadily in the developing world.
The mayor of a town on the Italian Island of Sicily has apologized to victims of the mafia. The town of Corleone is infamous for its gangster connections and produced one of the mafia’s most brutal bosses Toto Riina known as ‘The Beast.’ Although the mafia still has a presence in the town, it’s no longer the force it once was there.