Good morning/evening, here is my
World Roundup for
December 14, 2003
my apologies as an alcohol-induced event kept me from posting yesterday
Legend:
fr = French language
it = Italian language
ro = Romanian/Moldovan language
es = Spanish language
de = German language
pt = Portuguese language
is = Icelandic language
su = Suomi language (Finnish)
nl = Dutch language
Everything else in English language
Note: That which you can see on your evening news will (usually) not be covered here.
A planning meeting just ended in Ethiopia of the Chinese-run "Senior Officials Meeting". More than one dozen African heads of state will meet the Chinese head of state on December 15, 2003 to discuss trade and other issues. While the rest of the world generally ignores Africa, the Chinese are busy making new strategic partnerships.
Years ago I saw the Eddie Murphy movie "The Golden Child" where he rescued a tiny child of Tibetan descent who will bring peace to the world. Well, it seems fact is stranger than fiction, as the reincarted version of the Tibetan Lama is a 10-year-old boy who was born in New Zealand. The new lama spends his days conducting religious ceremonies and boning up on his responsibilities to come.
The president of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri, is in Pakistan for a 3 day official state visit.
The producer of the British show "Survivor" (a nature show) was arrested in Australia when 217 (living!) frogs, lizards and snakes were found in his suitcase.
Again, fact is stranger than fiction. I seriously wonder what went through this asshole's head when he decided to jam hundreds of living animals in his Samsonite. Did he think they wouldn't notice his suitcase was squirming and hissing and croaking? Next time play it smart and limit yourself to 5 frogs per smuggle.
A huge embarassment for the very self-conscious nation of China as 14 people are on trial for throwing a party for horny Japanese businessmen. While I often think of Japanese people as reserved people, 400 businessmen all flew to China to engage in a mass gangbang with Chinese women. The 14 on trial are Chinese citizens who facilitated this "party".
Next time fellas, try something a little less morally reprehensible, like drinking yourself unconscious or something.
A new report blasts human rights abuses and torture in Mabeuge Prison in France(fr). The reported incidents include beatings, breaking of fingers and in one incident, a man was stripped naked, hosed down and left for 24 hours to sleep on the flooded floor.
In an act of utmost irony, a priest, 5 children, 2 men and 1 woman were killed by lightning while attending church in the African kingdom of Swaziland. This incident occurred at the Zionist Church in the town of Mankayane.
The main opposition leader, Lamine Was Juwara, was arrested in the tiny West African nation of Gambia again after his bail was "revoked". Mr. Juwara was arrested and charged with "sedition" for giving an interview published in the newspaper in September, accusing the current dictator, President Yahya Jammeh, of incompetence and corruption.
[Juwara] told reporters on Friday as he was being led out of court: "I have always complied with the conditions of my bail, so I don't understand the judge's decision to rescind it. Anyway, this latest decision doesn't ruffle me since I have been subjected to routine arrest and detention and even torture, by this regime."
Juwara was charged in 1998 with damaging construction work at Brikama mosque, but the case was dismissed by the trial judge. He was also beaten up by an unidentified assailant that year while police looked on and failed to intervene. In October 2001 his house was set on fire. No-one has ever been arrested in connection with the arson attack.
The current dictator, Jammeh, has ruled since 1994 when the Army overthrew the last dictator, Dawda Jawara, who had ruled since 1965. Lamine Was Juwara worked for the old dictator Juwara when he was in power.
A court in the US-supported dictatorship of Pakistan has ruled that acid be used to blind a man convicted of blinding his fiancee with acid when her parents had called off the wedding. "An eye for an eye" is taken very seriously under Muslim law.
In other news, Pakistan is now in the submarine making business. Pakistan has built and launched its first submarine after receiving extensive help from French companies.
The former dictator of Azerbaijan, Haidar Aliyev, died in Cleveland (USA) of massive heart failure. The current dictator of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, is his son.
Not only has the US supported and financed these two butchers, but the background of the elder Aliyev is quite bloodthirsty as well - Haidar Aliyev served during WW2 as a SMERSH agent. The SMERSH was a division of the NKVD, or Army "intelligence", which went behind regular soldiers and shot them if they tried to retreat or didn't fight "hard enough". SMERSH agents also arrested the famous author Solzhenitsyn (see World Update Dec 12) during World War 2.
A second day of protests and a second day of brutal police repression as thousands demand the resignation of the US-installed dictator in Haiti. The United States has closed its embassy there in response to the complete breakdown of law and order in the country.
The head of state in China, Wen Jiabao, is in Mexico, meeting with President Fox about increasing economic and political ties between the two nations.
As China and Mexico are both important developing countries, forging an enduring and friendly cooperation partnership not only conforms to the fundamental and long-term interests of the two peoples, but also contributes to boosting the South-South cooperation, enhancing the overall national strength of the developing countries, and promoting establishment of a fair and rational new world order, [Wen Jiabao] added.
Life keeps getting worse for American soldiers in Iraq as the Pentagon discovered that the food served to troops was dirty and/or rotting. The military no longer provides the food to America's troops abroad, but is instead contracted out to a subcontractor of the nefarious Halliburton corporation.
The Pentagon reported finding "blood all over the floor," "dirty pans," "dirty grills," "dirty salad bars" and "rotting meats ... and vegetables" in four of the military messes the company operates in Iraq.
Georgian TV is reporting that one man died and others were injured as someone with a machine gun opened far on a car traveling near the city of Chuburkhinji in the breakaway republic of Abkhazia in the Republic of Georgia. The men in the car were apparently on their way to buy oranges. Security in this area is provided by Russian troops.
Master of evil, US ambassador Dick Miles is currently meeting with the head of the breakaway republic of Adjaria, Abashidze, trying to get him to allow his people to vote in the January 4, 2004 presidential elections. Abashidze has previously announced his autonomy will boycott the elections, expected to be won by US-backed Mikhail Saakakashvili. Georgian TV is reporting that Dick Miles is promising Adjaria that "no major changes" will take place when, I mean if, Saakashvili is elected.
Abashidze does not recognize the current authority in Tbilisi as legitimate and is opposed to conducting presidential elections scheduled for January 4 on the territory of Adjaria. If Miles' guarantee satisfies Abashidze, then Government Minister Zurab Zhvaniya will continue consultations with Abashidze. Saakashvili says that if elected president he will overthrow Abashidze as he overthrew former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze.
For a more in-depth article about Georgia-Russian politics, click here.
In one of the few democratic countries in the world that have not abolished the death penalty, Iran has hanged 4 men to death for raping a woman. Rape and murder are both punishable by death in Iran.
The noose is tightening around the political neck of President Paksas of Lithuania as a new poll shows that 57.3% of the people think he should resign. A similar poll from November had 56% saying he should stay. Paksas is facing allegations that he gave citizenship and a promise of a cabinet member to one of his major financial backers, a Russian businessman.
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war, as Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) slips into further chaos as 19 people killed in shootouts between protestors and government troops. The protestors, oddly enough, are upset that President Gbagbo isn't doing more to attack the rebels in the north, whom with he has signed a peace deal.
Ironically, in the north, the rebels have begun to withdraw their big guns and other armaments on their border with government-held territory. Peace between the two sides is currently being enforced by 4,000 French troops and 1,200 troops from neighboring nations.
Many of the fighters in Cote D'Ivoire, Liberia, Afghanistan and in other conflicts around the world are child soldiers. Children under 18 are forced to fight in dozens of armed conflicts worldwide, including the ghastly Lord's Resistance Army. For a full report of Child Soldiers worldwide, click here. More than 300,000 children are fighting in armed conflicts worldwide.
A sweep of the "red light" district in Nairobi Kenya netted one cabinet minister, one assistant minister and one other member of Parliament.
58 out of the 102 of the prostitutes arrested in the sting were college students. One was seven months pregnant.
Close to 100,000 people protested in San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain against the "Ibarretxe Plan"(es). The Basque governor, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, has put forth a plan to be voted upon in the 2004 legislative session, calling for greater autonomy for the Basque region. The protestors in San Sebastian were upset that greater independence for the Basques would be a shot in the arm for ETA, the armed wing of the Basque resistance that is called a terrorist organization. More information here (in English).
For what it's worth, I was in Sevilla, Spain a couple of years ago when an ETA car bomb went off just a few blocks from where I was.
Update on the Staheli case in Brazil, where the Shell Oil executive and his wife were hacked to death on November 30, 2003(pt). Police have been searching the nearby lake for the murder weapon, but so far have only found some old cans. Nothing was stolen from their home during the attacks, and police are still trying to find a motive. Police are asking for specific details from Shell Oil on what Mr. Staheli, who had only been in the country a few weeks, was doing in the country.
In other news, President Lula da Silva has successfully garnered the passage of a bill that curbs public spending on retirement plans for government workers. The government currently spends 4.3% of its GDP on paying retirement benefits.
Brazil's Senate voted by 51-24 to give final approval to proposals to raise the retirement age to 60 for men and 55 for women, phased in over seven years.
If you've got nothing to do next Friday, head on down to the Indian state of Goa as the millionaire Minister of Tourism is throwing a huge birthday party for himself. About 15,000 people are expected to attend the fiesta of the rap-loving 38-year-old businessman Francisco "Mickey" Pacheco.
In other more serious news, rebels from neighboring Nepal are infiltrating India to evade government troops and to seek medical treatment. More than 8,000 people have died in the civil war in Nepal that began 8 years ago.
Tragedy in Peru as a bus drove off a mountain, killing 24 people and wounding 53.
Elsewhere, President Toledo has asked his allegedly lesbian Prime Minister Beatriz Mereno and the entire cabinet to resign after a series of scandals.
The reshuffle comes as polls show 80% of Peruvians are disillusioned with Toledo, criticising his record on creating jobs and fighting poverty.
It looks like being America's lapdog has its benefits as Uganda is officially welcome to compete for Iraqi rebuilding contracts. The impoverished country sent neither troops nor money to support the war in Iraq, but President Museveni has collaborated with the US on a number of key issues, including the US-supported peace dealings in The Sudan.
President Museveni won't go away empty handed either, as the US has promised him a "big UN job" if he retires, as promised, in 2006.
Museveni would enjoy full diplomatic immunity from prosecution against past crimes if he accepts the offer.
More suspicious political gifts from the US, as America has officially lifted the travel ban against the political party UNITA in the oil rich nation of Angola. The country is now well on its way to a peaceful transition into a participatory democracy.
In a totally unrelated coincidence, the US oil giant ExxonMobil has its new Xikomba oilfield online and pumping petroleum.
[The oilfields] are a welcome additional source for countries such as the United States who are keen to diversify their oil supplies away from the political and religious hotspot of the Middle East.
Boggon at Wood Mackenzie estimates that production from Angola's prolific reserves will double to more than two million barrels per day by 2008. "... this growth in deep-water production could generate over $7 billion per year for the Angolan government by 2009, with this plateau forecast to be maintained for several years," she said.
Believe it or not, this monkey is one of two used by the Salvation Army to raise funds during the Christmas season.
Updates and other oddities on ye olde blog.
Peace on Earth