US Republican candidate Mitt Romney pays 13.9% in tax

After his tax history has become a campaign issue, on Tuesday US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (photo, from aljazeera.com) has released two large sets of tax documents disclosing his multi-million-dollar income on his campaign website.

Kenya : ICC charges four officials over election violence

Charges against four out of six Kenyan officials have been confirmed by the International Criminal Court (ICC). They will stand trial over weeks of unrest following the 2007 election in which about 1,100 people died and 60,000 people were forced to flee their homes. (photo, from france24.com)

EU report wants legislation against Israeli settlements

In a confidential report sent to Brussels this week, some EU diplomats urge the European Commission to consider drafting a legislation in order to ensure that financial transactions by EU members do not support Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem.(map from bbcimg.co.uk)

Petition filed to recall Wisconsin governor

An estimated million signatures has been gathered by opponents of Wisconsin’s Republican governor Scott Walker, in order to force him to defend his seat in a special election. (photo, from aljazeera.com)

Wikipedia to join anti-piracy legislation protest

On Wednesday the popular community-edited online encyclopedia Wikipedia (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk) will take its English-language site offline for 24 hours. The aim is to protest against two US anti-piracy legislation – Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) – which are being debated by Congress.

France loses AAA credit rating

French finance minister François Baroin has confirmed that the ratings agency Standard and Poor’s intends to strip France of its AAA credit rating. (photo, from lemonde.fr)

North Korea to display Kim Jong-il’s body

The body of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will be placed on permanent display at a palace also housing the embalmed body of his father (photo, from ouest-france.fr) in Pyongyang, the country’s capital.

US military to investigate ‘abuse’ video

A video appears to show four US soldiers in Afghanistan urinating on three apparently lifeless men on the ground (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk). The soldiers seem to be aware that they are being filmed.

New Zeland : the stricken ship breaks in two

The container ship that ran aground on a coral reef off of New Zealand’s North Island on 5 October, leaking large amounts of fuel, has broken in two (photo, from aljazeera.com).

Less entertainment on Chinese satellite TV

While Chinese president Hu Jintao warned of the influence of Western culture, an order by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) to curb “excessive entertainment” came into effect on January 1st. (photo from chinahush.com)

Therefore satellite broadcasters have cut entertainment TV by two-thirds, state news agency Xinhua has reported.