Goodbye Mandela, my first black President

A woman stands next to flowers near the statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg on Saturday, December 7. Mandela, the revered statesman who emerged from prison to lead South Africa out of its dark days of apartheid, died on Thursday, December 5. He was 95.

Get over there, girl, can't you read? Stand in this line," the customs agent, armed with a machine gun, barked at me while pointing her finger in my face.

The female Afrikaans custom agent was apparently upset that I wasn't moving along quickly enough. It was clear that she didn't like the looks of me because she refused to look me in the eye or answer my questions about where to go next.

Jordan takes UN seat rejected by Saudi Arabia

Jordan will join four other newcomers to the Security Council on January 1 [EPA]

The UN General Assembly has elected Jordan to the Security Council to replace Saudi Arabia, which had rejected the seat in an unprecedented act to protest the council's failure to end the Syrian and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
Arab countries chose Jordan on Friday as a replacement, and Asian nations endorsed it to take the traditional Arab seat on the UN's most powerful body.
The Security Council consists of 15 members, five of which - US, Russia, China, Britain and France - are permanent members while the rest are elected to serve for two-year terms.
Jordan received received 17 "yes" votes in Friday's election.
Saudi Arabia got one vote, and four countries in the 193-member world body abstained. The 10 other countries were either absent or unable to vote because of unpaid dues.

Air Traffic Control Problem Delays UK Flights

A number of airports have reported delays

Flights at airports across the UK - including Heathrow and Gatwick - have been delayed or cancelled by an air traffic control system problem.

Thousands of passengers have seen their flights delayed by a "technical problem" at southern England's main air traffic control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire.
Gatwick Airport tweeted: "Due to air traffic control systems issues some flights may be delayed. Please check with your airline."
A Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said: "We are currently experiencing some delays."

Nelson Mandela death: World mourns South Africa's first black president

Mourners gather outside former South African President Nelson Mandela's Johannesburg home on Friday, December 6. Mandela, the revered statesman who emerged from prison to lead South Africa out of its dark days of apartheid, died on Thursday, December 5. He was 95.

A woman prays at the Central Methodist Church as people remember Mandela on December 6 in CapeTown, South Africa.

British Prime Minister David Cameron signs the book of condolence at the South African Embassy in central London following the announcement of Mandela's death.

A group of mourners sing and dance outside Mandela's Johannesburg home on December 6.

A woman cleans up outside the South African Embassy in Beijing where portraits of Mandela and flowers offered by people are placed on December 6.

Members of the public lay tributes to Mandela in London outside South Africa House near Trafalgar Square on December 6.

A man looks at a wreath of flowers and a picture of Mandela displayed inside the embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 6.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden pays a silent tribute to Mandela before his speech at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, on December 6.

A man wearing a T-shirt with a portrait of Mandela leads a group of mourners as they sing and dance outside Mandela's Johannesburg home on December 6.

South Africans hold pictures of former South African president Nelson Mandela as they pay tribute following his death in Johannesburg on Friday, December 6.

The South African flag is flown at half-staff at the Union Buildings on December 6 in Pretoria, South Africa.

A news channel display in Sydney on December 6 shows a message following Mandela's death.

A small crowd gathers in front of a statue of Nelson Mandela at Parliament Square in London, on December 6.

A man lights a candle for Nelson Mandela outside the South African High Commission in London, on December 6.

A bunch of yellow roses is left as tribute to Mandela outside the South African embassy in Berlin, Germany, on December 6.

Australian and English cricket fans in Adelaide, Australia, observe a minute of silence December 6, to mark the passing of Nelson Mandela.

A woman cries outside Mandela's house in Johannesburg after Mandela's death on December 5.

South Africans sing as they pay tribute to Mandela in Johannesburg on December 5.

U.S. President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks about Mandela in the briefing room of the White House on Thursday, December 5. Obama said he was one of the "countless millions" who drew inspirations from Mandela's life.

The marquee at New York's Apollo Theater honors Mandela on December 5.

An artist who goes by the name Franco the Great stands beneath a Mandela mural that he painted in New York's Harlem neighborhood more than 15 years ago. He later added Obama to the mural.

Keaton Anderson, 10, poses for a photograph while he and his father visit Mandela's statue at the South African Embassy in Washington on December 5. The statue is under renovation.

South Africans pay tribute to Mandela in Johannesburg following his death December 5.

A candlelight vigil is held December 5 outside Mandela's Johannesburg home.

People light a candle for Mandela outside his home in Johannesburg on December 5.

HIDE CAPTION

Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN) -- South Africans mourned the death of their first black president Friday, weeping, singing and gathering near Nelson Mandela's homes and landmarks linked to him nationwide.

Nelson Mandela, 95, died Thursday in Johannesburg.

French army kills fighters in CAR

French troops entered Central African Republic on Friday, trying to stop violence in the capital [Reuters]

French soldiers have killed unidentified fighters in the capital of the Central African Republic near the airport, a French army spokesman told the Reuters news agency.

EVOLUTION OF NELSON MANDELA

Freedom fighter, prisoner, moral compass and South Africa's symbol of the struggle against racial oppression.

That was Nelson Mandela, who emerged from prison after 27 years to lead his country out of decades of apartheid.

He died Thursday night at age 95.

His message of reconciliation, not vengeance, inspired the world after he negotiated a peaceful end to segregation and urged forgiveness for the white government that imprisoned him.

"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison," Mandela said after he was freed in 1990.

Mandela, a former president, battled health issues in recent years, including a recurring lung infection that led to numerous hospitalizations.

Despite rare public appearances, he held a special place in the consciousness of the nation and the world.

BBC'S HISTORY FOR MANDELA

Nelson Mandela

Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on 18 July 1918 and was given the name of Nelson by one of his teachers. His father Henry was a respected advisor to the Thembu royal family.
ANC involvement
Mandela was educated at the University of Fort Hare and later at the University of Witwatersrand, qualifying in law in 1942. He became increasingly involved with the African National Congress (ANC), a multi-racial nationalist movement trying to bring about political change in South Africa.
In 1948, the National Party came to power and began to implement a policy of 'apartheid', or forced segregation on the basis of race. The ANC staged a campaign of passive resistance against apartheid laws.
In 1952, Mandela became one of the ANC's deputy presidents. By the late 1950s, faced with increasing government discrimination, Mandela, his friend Oliver Tambo and others began to move the ANC in a more radical direction. In 1956, Mandela went on trial for treason. The court case lasted five years, and ended with Mandela being acquitted

NELSON MANDELA HISTORY

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]) (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who was imprisoned and then became a politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully representative, multiracial election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as the President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was the Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.
A Xhosa born to the Thembu royal family, Mandela attended the Fort Hare University and the University of Witwatersrand, where he studied law. Living in Johannesburg, he became involved in anti-colonial politics, joining the ANC and becoming a founding member of its Youth League. After the South African National Party came to power in 1948, he rose to prominence in the ANC's 1952 Defiance Campaign, was appointed superintendent of the organisation's Transvaal chapter and presided over the 1955 Congress of the People. Working as a lawyer, he was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and, with the ANC leadership, was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the Treason Trial from 1956 to 1961. Although initially committed to non-violent protest, he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1961 in association with the South African Communist Party, leading a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government. In 1962 he was arrested, convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the government, and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial.

In Mandela's own words

UN passes resolution on CAR military action

The resolution authorises the deployment of an African Union-led force with a mandate to protect civilians [AFP]

The UN Security Council has authorised increased military action by France and African troops in the Central African Republican to try to end unrest.
The council's unanimous approval of a French-sponsored resolution on Thursday came amid reports that at least 100 people have died in Bangui, the capital of the former French colony, in the heaviest clashes in the city in months, according to Al Jazeera's correspondent.
The Central African Republic has been rocked by Muslim-Christian violence after an alliance of Muslim rebels, originally from neighbouring Chad and Sudan, ousted former president Francois Bozize in March.

U.S. citizen killed in Libya, State Department official says

(CNN) -- A U.S. citizen has been shot and killed in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, a U.S. State Department official confirmed to CNN Thursday.

The official did not identify the slain citizen. The news came after other reports that gunmen killed an American chemistry teacher working at an international school in the city of Benghazi.

Reuters reported the teacher was slain Thursday, citing medical and security sources.

"He was doing his morning exercise when gunmen just shot him. I don't know why. He was so sweet with everyone," Adel al Mansouri, the director at the school in Benghazi, told Reuters.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the killing, Reuters said. CNN is working to get details on the incident.

The U.S. State Department official told CNN that "we offer our condolences to the victim's loved ones."

"We are in contact with the family and are providing all appropriate consular assistance," the official said. "Out of respect for the privacy of those affected, we have no further comment."

Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, is where militants attacked a U.S. diplomatic mission in September 2012, killing four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

More than two years after the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's regime, the Libyan government has been struggling to control the country, which is awash in weapons and armed groups. The security situation has deteriorated over the past year, especially in Benghazi, which was the cradle of the 2011 revolution.

The United States blames one of the armed groups, Islamist militant group Ansar al-Sharia, for the deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.

Autopsy blames impact and fire for actor Paul Walker's death

Los Angeles (CNN) -- "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker may have initially survived a horrific car crash but died moments later due to a combination of injuries from the impact and the resulting fire, according to a coroner's report.

The one-page preliminary report released by the Los Angeles County coroner's office Wednesday listed the cause of the actor's death as the "combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries."

An autopsy concluded that Roger Rodas, who was driving the red Porsche Carerra GT, suffered "multiple traumatic injuries," but it was not clear in the report if he was still alive when the car burst into flames soon after the wreck.

Since two different doctors did the separate autopsies, the difference in the description of their injuries does not mean there deaths were significantly different, Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told CNN.

It is not known how long each man lived after the crash as the fire began, Winter said. That information may be included when full autopsy reports are released in several weeks, he said.

Photos show scale of North Korea's repressive prison camps -- Amnesty

(CNN) -- North Korea is showing no signs of scaling back its fearsome labor camp system, with torture, starvation, rape and death a fact of life for tens of thousand of inmates, according to human rights group Amnesty International.

The rights group released satellite images, purportedly showing evidence of expansion, including the construction of new housing blocks and production facilities, at two of the isolated regime's largest camps or "kwanliso" --15 and 16 -- used to hold political prisoners.

"The gruesome reality of North Korea's continued investment in this vast network of repression has been exposed," said Rajiv Narayan, Amnesty International's East Asia Researcher.

"We urge the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those prisoners of conscience held in political prison camps and close the camps immediately."

Orphaned and homeless: Surviving the streets of North Korea

Amnesty commissioned the images from DigitalGlobe, a commercial satellite imagery vendor. In their release, Amnesty claims that up to 200,000 prisoners, including children, are being held "in horrific conditions in six sprawling political prison camps."

Survivor recounts escape from camp

Pyongyang denies their existence, despite satellite images and testimony from witnesses. Amnesty claims many prisoners are allegedly being held for nothing more than watching foreign soap operas or holding a particular religious belief, while others are incarcerated simply for having a family member deemed politically undesirable.

Camp 16, which is located near Hwaseong in North Hamgyong province, housed an estimated 20,000 people, according to previous analysis by Amnesty in 2011. But the group claims the latest images, taken in May this year, indicate a slight increase in population with the new housing blocks clearly visible. They also appear to show significant economic activity -- including mining, logging and agriculture.

Amnesty said the camp covered an area of around 216 square miles (560 square km), or three times the size of America's capital, Washington DC.

Camp 15, also known as Yodok, is located in the river valleys of central North Korea just 75 miles (120km) from the capital Pyongyang. In 2011, Amnesty reported that around 50,000 people were imprisoned there, though it said 39 housing blocks have since been demolished with only six new blocks built. While Amnesty conceded this might indicate a reduction in prisoner numbers, it said significant industrial activity was visible in the area, including logging.

The gruesome reality of North Korea's continued investment in this vast network of repression has been exposed.
Rajiv Narayan, Amnesty

Amnesty said its analysis of the images pointed to tight security at both sites with perimeter fences and security points clearly marked. "Movement appears to be restricted and controlled through secured entrance gates, guard towers and internal check-points," its report read.

Veteran POWs recall misery of North Korean captivity

Suicide attack rocks Yemen's defence ministry

The Yemeni Defence Ministry said the attack on its compound had targeted a hospital [EPA]

A suicide bombing has rocked Yemen's defence ministry complex in the heart of the capital Sanaa, followed by a gun battle that left many casualties, according to the Yemeni Defence Ministry.

Pope sets up panel to fight child sex abuse

The committee aims to improve measures to protect children against sexual abuse within the Church [AFP]

Pope Francis has set up a committee to fight child sex abuse in the Catholic Church and give pastoral care to victims following a recommendation from a council of cardinals he has asked to advise him.
The announcement was made on Thursday by US cardinal Sean O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston and one of the eight members of the council, who said the precise composition of the new committee will be announced "in the near future".

China stands firm on air defence zone

Biden reiterated the US stance opposing China's air defence zone in the name of preserving regional stability [Reuters]

China's Foreign Ministry has said that visiting US Vice President Joe Biden was told that Beijing's decision to set up an air defence identification zone in the East China Sea accorded with international law.
"During the talks, the Chinese side repeated its principled position, stressing that the Chinese move accorded with international law and practice and that the US side ought to take an objective and fair attitude and respect it," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a brief statement on Thursday.
US Vice President Joe Biden said that China's announcement of an air defence identification zone over the East China Sea had caused apprehension in the region, and that he was clear about the US stance on the move during talks in Beijing.

Heavy arms fire rocks CAR capital

Heavy weapons fire has rung out near Central African Republic capital of Bangui, as former rebels controlling the city scrambled fighters in the direction of the gunfire.
Blasts from heavy weapons rocked several districts of the Central African capital.
The automatic gunfire, whose origin was not immediately clear, started around 5:30 am (0430 GMT) in the north of Bangui and then spread to other neighbourhoods not far from the city centre.
It was not immediately clear who was involved in the shooting, which came as the UN Security Council was due to vote on Thursday on dispatching French reinforcements.
The UN was expected to discuss giving existing African Union and French troops a stronger mandate to operate in in the country, which has slipped into chaos since rebels seized power in March, leading to tit-for-tat sectarian violence.
Human rights groups have been pushing for a peacekeeping mission.
Activists say it is necessary to end a wave of sectarian violence since a coalition of rebel groups overthrew the government in March.

UN forces introduce drones in Congo

United Nations forces in Democratic Republic of Congo have launched unmanned aircraft to monitor the volatile border with Rwanda and Uganda, the first time UN peacekeepers have deployed surveillance drones.
The aircraft will be used to look out for threats from a host of local and foreign armed groups in the mineral rich east where Congo and UN experts have accused Rwanda and Uganda of sending arms and troops to back the recently-defeated M23 rebels, something both countries deny.
"The drones...will allow us to have reliable information about the movement of populations in the areas where there are armed groups," UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous, said at the launch of the drones in Goma.
"We will survey the areas where there are armed groups, and we can control the frontier," he added.
The UN mission has deployed two Falco drones manufactured by Selex ES, a unit of Italian defence group Finmeccanica.
UN peacekeepers have received widespread criticism for doing too little to end fighting in eastern Congo, a hilly and thickly forested region that Kinshasa has struggled to control during two decades of conflict.
But the drone deployment comes after the peacekeepers helped defeat M23, the most serious rebellion of President Joseph Kabila's 12-year rule.
General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, commander of the UN force in Congo, said the drones would only fly over Congolese territory, as UN peacekeepers have no mandate to operate in neighbouring countries.

DRC wants to finish talks with M23 rebels

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) president wants to urgently end talks with rebels in the country's east, Ugandan and Congolese statements have said, despite no deal being reached.
DRC President Joseph Kabila and Uganda's Yoweri Museveni met on Monday in Uganda's capital to discuss the deal, but there was no sign of a breakthrough on the wording of the accord that scuppered a signing last month over the DRC's M23 rebels.
"The two presidents agreed that the Kampala dialogue between the government of the DRC and M23 should be brought to a conclusion as soon as possible," the said DRC in a written statement on Tuesday.
The Ugandan announcement repeated the message, with minor variations in the text. They did not say what a final deal should look like.
Kinshasa and the M23 rebels failed to seal an agreement last month after squabbles over what it should be called. The insurgents were ready to sign a peace agreement but the DRC wanted to call it a declaration that reflected the rebels' military defeat.

Libya assembly votes for Sharia law

Libya has been without a new constitution since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi two years ago [AFP]

Libya's National Assembly has voted to make Sharia, Islamic law, the foundation of all legislation and state institutions in the country.
The immediate scope of the General National Congress''s (GNC) decision on Wednesday was not clear, but a special committee will review all existing laws to guarantee they comply with Islamic law.

Analysts: Here’s why Opposition is troubled

Mr Zitto Kabwe (right) and Dr Kitila Mkumbo address a news conference in Dar es Salaam last week after the Chadema top brass stripped them of leadership positions within the party. PHOTO | FILE  

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s opposition politics is weak, analysts have asserted, claiming that two decades after the re-introduction of multiparty democracy, no political outfit has emerged as a credible, strong alternative to the ruling CCM.

Power struggles have bedevilled the country’s major opposition parties since the maiden multiparty General Election of 1995, they say. The current crisis in the main opposition party, Chadema which has led to demotion of Zitto Kabwe, the fiery MP for Kigoma North, is no exception. It follows the common scrip already played in other parties, namely NCCR-Mageuzi, CUF and TLP.

Mr Kabwe has been removed from the posts of deputy secretary general, deputy leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament and shadow minister for Finance following accusation of sabotaging the party. He is awaiting the final verdict that could see him being stripped of his Chadema membership

Hizbollah Leader 'Assassinated' In Lebanon

Hizbollah says one of its commanders has been assassinated outside his home in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The militant Shi'ite group said Hassan al Laqqis was killed as he returned from work at around midnight in the Hadath district of the city.
It has not confirmed how he was killed but said: "The accusation is directed at the enemy, Israel."
The group claimed Israel had tried to kill the commander several times before.
                     
                                   CNN

Thai protests ease ahead of King's birthday

Demonstrators joined Bangkok authorities to clean up the area around Democracy Monument [AP]

Thailand's anti-government protesters and security forces have observed a temporary truce as the nation prepares to mark the birthday of the revered king, after police stepped back in a dramatic move to calm violent clashes.
Demonstrators joined Bangkok authorities to clean up the area around Democracy Monument on Wednesday, where tens of thousands have camped out in more than a month of rallies against the embattled government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Five Arab states top the most corrupt list

Five Arab countries are ranked among the top 10 most corrupt nations, according to Transparency International's newly released annual Corruption Perceptions Index, as instability in the region has profound effects on governance.
The list, published on Tuesday, ranks countries on an index score that relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by country analysts and business people, and ranges between zero, which is highly corrupt, and 100, which is very clean.

Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Sudan all scored less than 20, as their governments deal with massive instability in the face of civil war and armed groups, or nations where the lead researcher of the study said the regime is not "functioning effectively".
"Corruption is very much linked to countries that fall apart, as you see in Libya, Syria, two of the countries that deteriorated the most," Finn Heinrich told AFP news agency. "These are not countries where the government is functioning effectively, and people have to take all means in order to get by, to get services, to get food, to survive."

Thai tensions ease as police lift barricades

Anti-government protesters in Thailand have crossed heavily fortified barriers and reached the gates of the prime minister's office without resistance from the police.
Hundreds of protesters poured onto the lawn of Government House in Bangkok, waving Thai flags and blowing whistles.
The surprise development eased the tensions in the Thai capital following three days of clashes between the security forces and demonstrators who seek to overthrow Yingluck Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister.
Earlier on Tuesday, police said they would no longer use force to defend their Bangkok headquarters from protesters.
Kamronwit Thoopkrajang, the Metropolitan Police Chief Lieutenant General, told AFP news agency that his officers would no longer try to fend off protesters at the police base.
"The Metropolitan Police Headquarters belongs to the public," he said.
"There will be no use of tear gas today… Last night a police officer was injured by a gunshot so if we resist there will be more injuries, and we are all Thais."
Police used cranes to remove concrete slabs and barbed wire barricades on a road leading to the city police headquarters.
Al Jazeera's Scott Heidler, reporting from Government House, said that there was a carnival atmosphere around the building. He added that protest leaders called on the demonstrators not to enter the office yet.
He also said that Suthep Thaugsuban, the prominent opposition leader, said the recent development was not an overwhelming victory. Addressing the demonstrators by Government House he added the job was not done until Shinawatra regime was overthrown.
Thaugsuban escalated his campaign to topple the government and ordered his followers to storm the police headquarters in a defiant speech on Monday, hours before police took the initiative in question. The remarks came amid skirmishes between Thai security forces and opposition demonstrators.
Bill triggers demos

The protests were ignited by an amnesty bill, which opponents feared would have allowed Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister and Yingluck Shinawatra’s brother, to return to the country. He was removed from his seat in a 2006 coup.

Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra talks to Al Jazeera

Yingluck Shinawatra told Al Jazeera on Sunday that the government was no longer trying to pass the controversial bill that would have pardoned many people involved in corruption.

The latest conflict in Thailand put Bangkok's urban population against the rural supporters of Shinawatras.
The country has been politically unstable since the 2006 coup.  In 2008, anti-Thaksin protesters occupied Bangkok's two airports for a week after taking over the prime minister's office for three months. In 2009, the office was held for 19 days by pro-Thaksin supporters.
A military crackdown on pro-Thaksin protests in 2010 resulted with death of 90 people. The current government came to power with a landslide election victory in 2011.

Researchers in Hawaii find lost Japanese WWII mega-sub

In this 1940s photo provided by PBS, U.S. Navy personnel inspect the watertight hangar of the I-400 Japanese aircraft carrier submarine, which could hold three bombers with folded wings.

(CNN) -- Researchers in Hawaii have found a mammoth World War II-era Japanese submarine scuttled by the U.S. Navy in 1946 to keep its advanced technology out of the hands of the Soviet Union.

The Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii discovered the I-400 in 2,300 feet of water off the southwest coast of Oahu, according the school.

"Finding it where we did was totally unexpected," lab director Terry Kerby said in a university statement. "All our research pointed to it being further out to sea."

Piece of Civil War ironclad brought to surface in Savannah

At nearly 400 feet long, the I-400 and its two sister ships were the largest submarines ever built before the nuclear age.

Deadly suicide bombing hits central Damascus

The bomber was wearing an "explosive belt" and blew himself up, state television reported [Syrian State TV]

A suicide bomber blew himself up in central Damascus, causing deaths and injuries, Syrian state television reported, with at least four reported killed and 17 injured. "A terrorist suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt blew himself up in the Jebbeh district of the Jisr al-Abyad neighbourhood, causing deaths and injuries," state television said on Tuesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said that the target appeared to be a government building. Suicide bombings have repeatedly targeted the capital in the bloody 33-month conflict pitting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad against rebels seeking his ouster.

North Korean leader's uncle probably ousted, South Korean lawmakers say

(CNN) -- It's "very likely" that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful uncle, Jang Sung-taek, has been removed from his top-level position in government, two South Korean lawmakers said 

Tuesday, citing a briefing from their county's intelligence service.

And two close allies of Jang -- Lee Yong-ha and Jang Soo-kee -- have been publicly executed, one of the South Korean lawmakers said at a news conference.

The lawmakers, including Cho Won-jin of the governing Saenuri Party, said this after receiving what they said was a briefing from South Korea's National Intelligence Service.

CNN has not been able to independently confirm the report.