What follows is my "PDB" from my
blog, which is similar to what George Bush gets every day, except mine is all from public sources and is a bit longer than one double-spaced page.
I believe that the best electorate is an informed electorate, and that must include a knowledge of what's going on around the world. It is for this reason that I post the PDB on DailyKos.
I read approximately 50 newspapers every morning and report what I find there, with an emphasis on foreign or international events. You will however not find information about Iraq or the Israeli/Palestinian situation, the first because it is amply reported elsewhere and the latter because it is too contentious.
Events that I feel are well-covered elsewhere are not included for brevity.
In the non-English sections, I'm going to translate the headline of the linked article. All mistakes and errors are therefore mine alone.
Ok, let's see what the world has been up to in the last 24 hours or so.
In English
Well it's been nearly 30 years since the "Fall of Saigon" (Apr 30, 1975), when the United States was completely evicted from Viet Nam. Ten years ago (July 11, 1995) the two countries normalized diplomatic relations, and as you can see from the photo, Viet Nam has become a popular tourist spot. Now for the first time since the war, Prime Minister Phan "Bran" Van Khai will visit the United States. Thanh Nien Daily spoke to Deputy Foreign Minister Le Van Bang about his recent visit to America:
While in the U.S., Mr. Bang met with senior officials of the U.S. Department of State, Department of Transportation and President Office including Republican Senator John McCain.
The U.S. side rates current Vietnam-U.S. relations as "the best in the last 30 years from all political, diplomatic and economic views," said Mr. Bang, who was the first Vietnamese ambassador to the U.S. after the Vietnam War.
During their talks, the officials also hoped that PM Khai's visit would help the two countries "create a framework for a stable, long-lasting and comprehensive relation," he stressed.
China and Japan continue their diplomatic tit-for-tat, with China now saying Japan is entirely at fault. As opposed to the fierce sentiment in China, most Japanese people seem to want PM Koizumi to work to mend relations with China.
The completely irreverant new president of Romania, Traian Basecu, has told France to lay off the lectures as he works to cement stronger ties with Great Britain and the United States. I love Basescu precisely because he always says what's on his mind and because he's the first breath of fresh air (politically speaking) my new country has seen since the Revolution.
Cuban President Fidel Castro continues to exhort the United States for allowing terrorist Luis Posada Carriles on its soil, demanding he be extradicted to Cuba:
Mr Posada, who was said to have been trained in explosives by the Central Intelligence Agency, is also wanted in Venezuela, where he escaped in 1985 amid legal wrangling over his role in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 76 people. Mr Posada turned up in El Salvador, where the Reagan administration hired him to run arms to the Nicaraguan contras. Since the 1980s and until his arrest in Panama in 2000, Mr Posada's whereabouts and activities were less clear. He claims to have masterminded attacks on Cuban civilian, commercial and diplomatic targets in the name of anti-communism and toppling Mr Castro.
In his speeches, Mr Castro repeatedly evokes the position of President George W. Bush that those harbouring terrorists are as guilty as the terrorists themselves.
For my full story on Carriles, see here.
A second leak has been reported on an offshore rig in Norway's territory in the North Sea.
More rough seas in the political waters of Lebanon as PM-designate Najib Miqati struggles to form a government before the end of the month. Should he fail to do so, then elections scheduled for May 31 will be delayed past the end of the current parliament's mandate, effectively leaving the country without any kind of government at all.
There is growing unrest in Great Britain about the case of Babar Ahmad, a man whom the United States wants extradited for allegedly support terrorism. The controversy stems from the fact that Ahmad has never been to the United States and is not being charged for any crime in Britain.
The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, was in Washington yesterday and met with George Bush. Kagame later reported that Bush had watched the movie Hotel Rwanda and "learned something from it" without specifying what.
There are reports that the President of Benin, Mathieu Kerekou, is bribing members of parliament to amend the constitution so he can run for a third term in office in 2006. You might remember Kerekou as the recipient of 2 million dollars from American megalith defense firm Titan in illegal monies to boost his re-election campaign.
The UN is reporting that a seven-hour battle between government troops and the UPC militia in DR Congo left 3 dead and caused thousands of people to flee the area. The UPC and FRPI militias remain the main armed groups in the Ituri region who battle with the UN and Congolese troops.
More political unrest in Guinea-Bissau as two former presidents battle ahead of the elections on June 19. Both Joao Bernando "Nino" Vieira and Kumba "Ya" Yala are banned from running or office again but a new bill in parliament may change all that.
In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni has stated there won't be any more ceasefires and that troops will use "military means" to defeat the indefatigably ghastly Lord's Resistance Army.
Yemen and Syria have signed a number of new agreements, mostly relating to trade.
Hundreds of journalists protested in Egypt yesterday after 3 of their colleagues were sentenced to 1 year in jail for criticizing the Housing Minister:
"Where is the freedom of the press and where is the power of the word?" shouted the protesters. "How come the court supports a corrupt minister and imprisons brave journalists?" asked another group.
The invincible Taliban have launched their own radio station in Afghanistan, broadcasting soft rock hits from the 70's, 80's and today in five southern provinces.
I knew this one might be coming - the leader of the opposition party Hanrapetutyun, Aram Sarkisian, is calling for a "revolution" in Armenia.
U.S. SecDef Donald "we don't know the unknowable" Rumsfeld's recent visit to Baku has caused quite a stir in Azerbaijan:
While brief, the trip generated huge interest among Azerbaijani media, with some reports calling the visit "shrouded in secrecy."
Local analysts blamed the suspicion on recent international speculation that the United States seeks to establish a major military presence in Azerbaijan. The so-called Caspian Guard will reportedly be headquartered in Baku and comprised of American troops trained for rapid response missions for regional crises.
The guard is part of Rumsfeld's overall strategy to re-craft America's overseas military units from bulky Cold War bases to more deployable units flexible enough to put together different force packages for different operations. While specific information on the unit is hard to obtain, a recent report in the Wall Street Journal quoted Chief of U.S. European Command, General James Jones addressing the U.S. Congress about the guard. Jones said the U.S. plans to allocate some $100 million to cover the guard's first 10 years of activities.
The authorities in Venezuela have arrested at least 8 Colombian soldiers in Apure State. Reports from Colombia say the soldiers were using Venezuelan roads to return to their unit because Colombian roads are often attacked by the FARC.
The Axum Obelisk has been returned to Ethiopia nearly 70 years after Mussolini seized it.
The government of Iran has temporarily suspended Al-Jazeera, accusing the network of inflaming violent protests in the town of Ahwaz which left three dead.
Groups of people in Cambodia are leaving the jungle where they fled 25 years ago, completely cut off from the outside world and still believing Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge were in power.
More protests in Ecuador, demanding that President Lucio Gutierrez resign. I've been keeping my eye on this country for a while as it seems a number of factors are at play here.
There is a growing controversy in Australia after the government helped authorities in Indonesia arrest 9 Australians in Bali, where they could face the death penalty.
U.S. SecState Condoleezza Rice is on her way to Russia, where she will meet President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. She will later travel to Lithuania.
The United States said that it "may" try to use the UN Security Council to sanction North Korea if that country doesn't agree "sometime soon, more or less" to talk about agreeing to disarm its nuclear program "one day".
China and Australia have signed an agreement to begin negotiations on a free trade pact between the two nations after Australian PM declared China possesses a "free market economy". More on this here.
Citizens of Great Britain may be surprised to know that the plastic they put into bins for "recycling" is actually being shipped to China, where it is burned, releasing large volumes of toxic smoke:
Apart from its impact on the environment, the rise in pollution is having political repercussions. Outrage at the chemical industry on the edge of Dongyang provoked riots last week by farmers.
The village near the eastern city is still under the control of rebels, with police staying away as residents show off captured uniforms and riot shields as trophies. The protesters, led by a few elderly women, claim pollution is causing higher rates of cancer, deformed births and miscarriages.
The government of Algeria is close to passing a law which would grant amnesty to Islamic militants which have been battling the government for 13 years.
China is going to sign a deal with Indonesia, forming a "strategic partnership" with that country.
Well, well... as I reported yesterday, our old pal General David Barno was in Pakistan yesterday. Now Dawn reports what the old General was up to:
Pakistan is planning to launch an operation against terrorists in North Waziristan as US forces prepare to undertake a spring offensive in Afghanistan.
This was stated by Commander of the coalition forces in Afghanistan, Lt-Gen David Barno, while talking to journalists at the US Embassy here on Monday.
Referring to a meeting of the Tripartite Commission of the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan held earlier in the day, he said: "We collectively feel that there is a need to undertake an operation in North Waziristan. That's an area where I think the Pakistani military is about to undertake a military operation to keep pressure on terrorist networks.
"We are in the middle of beginning a spring offensive and the Pakistani forces are busy moving troops to North Waziristan to continue to put pressure on terrorist networks," he said.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has somehow managed to barely hang onto power in Italy. He's not out of the woods yet as cabinet must be reshuffled and he's yet to face parliament.
Billionaire media owner Rupert Murdoch gave a speech on a number of issues, including the American education system:
Mr Murdoch said the biggest crisis facing the US is its secondary education system.
"It's a crime against young people that we are turning out of high schools millions of illiterate people every year, which the Chinese and Indians are certainly not doing," he said.
The volcano at Mount Karthala erupted on Sunday and Monday in the Comoros, causing hundreds to flee their homes.
Police in France have arrested a woman in connection with the fatal hotel fire in Paris last week that killed 22 people.
The war in the North Caucuses region of Russia continues as a car was blown up outside of Makhachkala, Dagestan, killing an official.
Pakistani General President Musharraf is in the Phillipines for a three day state visit.
It looks like the American ban on carrying cigarette lighters aboard planes is also in effect for members of the military because of its potential as a "terrorist weapon". Meanwhile matches are still perfectly legal to carry on board despite the fact that "sneaker bomber" Richard Reid used them and not a lighter to try and blow up a plane in 2001.
The regions of Krasnoyarsk, Taimyr and Evenkia have agreed in a referendum to merge, forming Russia's second largest region (after Sakha).
The government of Israel says it will add another year to Morchecai Vanunu's restriction from leaving the country because he could "harm national security" despite the fact he was in solitary confinement for almost 20 years.
It looks like Kazakhstan will sign an agremeent this year to connect their field at Aktau up to the Baku (Azerbaijan) Tblisi (Georgia) Ceyhan (Turkey) oil pipeline.
Six men from tiny Pitcairn Island have filed a challenge to their convictions, saying British law does not apply on the island. You may remember my story on this from last June.
As expected, David Wilkins, a long-time friend of George Bush, has been named as the new American Ambassador to Canada.
After years of court pleadings and procedures, it looks like Zacarias Moussaoui will plead guilty to having some connection to the 9/11 attacks. You might remember that Moussaoui is the only person ever charged in connectionwith the 9/11 attacks and now it's starting to look like he's a complete nut as he is agreeing to possibly being executed!
Government troops in Colombia have their hands full battling the FARC in the tiny town of Toribio in the south.
The Seattle Times today has an article from a man who recently visited Haiti and his story is well-worth reading.
And last but not least, Norway has once again opened commercial whaling.
I'll conclude by reminding everyone that April 19 is a strange day in American history. A couple of historical notes:
Spanish - En castellano
Los ataques y hostigamientos no han cesado desde el pasado jueves en Toribio, Cauca, en el sur del país, cuando centenares de guerrilleros de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC, principal guerrilla izquierdista del país, intentaron tomarse el pueblo. The attacks have not stopped since last Thursday in Toribio, Cauca, in the south of Colombia after hundreds of FARC guerillas, the main leftist insurgency, tried to take the town
En diálogo con BBC Mundo, Lisardo Domicó, secretario general de la Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia, ONIC, refutó las declaraciones del ministro Uribe.
"Rechazamos los señalamientos por parte de la fuerza pública que está haciendo de la población civil, planteando que está infiltrada con los actores, eso en ningún momento es cierto, como movimiento indígena, como ONIC, rechazamos rotundamente esa situación", dijo el líder indígena.
"La carretera está totalmente minada por las FARC y no hay posibilidades de subir al territorio, hay enfrentamientos, hay hostigamientos continuos de parte de los actores hacia la población", relató Domicó.
El presidente de Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, calificó ayer de ''cobardes'' a los rebeldes de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) que asesinaron a la hacendada Ligia Calderón de Solano, de 72 años, a la que tenían secuestrada en el departamento del Huila The President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, called the FARC rebels "cowards" after they killed 72-year old Ligia Calderon de Soldano, whom they had been holding kidnapped in Huila
El Ejército de Liberación Nacional rechazó la facilitación que cumplía México para el inicio de una eventual negociación de paz con el gobierno de Alvaro Uribe en represalia por el apoyo que dio ese país a una resolución de condena contra Cuba. The [Colombian guerrilla group] ELN rejected Mexico's offer to host peace talks with [Colombia's president] Alvaro Uribe because of his country's support for the [UN] resolution against Cuba
Miles de manifestantes se lanzaron de nuevo a las calles de Quito para pedir la renuncia del presidente Lucio Gutiérrez, mientras que legisladores de la oposición anunciaron que intentarán revocar su mandato. Thousands of protestors took to the streets of [Ecuador's capital] Quito to demand that President Lucio Gutierrez resign. Meanwhile opposition legislators announced they will try to revoke his mandate ["impeach" him]
El bloque Pachakutik tiene lista una resolución para declarar cesante al presidente de la República, Lucio Gutiérrez, y dejar vacante el cargo. El documento empezó a difundirse en el Parlamento el domingo pasado. El argumento de Pachakutik es que Gutiérrez ha demostrado su incapacidad mental para el ejercicio de la función. The Pachakutik block has authored a resolution to remove the President of the Republic [Ecuador], Lucio Gutierrez, from office. The bill was introduced in Parliament last Sunday. Pachakutik's argument is that Gutierrez has demonstrated his "mental incapacity" for the position
Los cancilleres sudamericanos llegaron ayer a Brasilia para avanzar en la formación de un organismo que los represente y dé al continente las características de un bloque político y económico. South American Foreign Ministers arrived yesterday in [Brazil's capital of] Brasilia to work on the formation of an organization that will represent the continent as a political and economic bloc
El presidente chileno Ricardo Lagos inicia [ayer] una gira por Brasil, Venezuela y Colombia, donde buscará la mediación del presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva para lograr el voto de Paraguay en la postulación de José Miguel Insulza a la OEA. Yesterday Chilean President Ricardo Lagos began a tour of Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, where he will ask for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's support in getting Paraguay's vote to support Jose Miguel Insulza as the next Secretary General of the OAS
Mientres que el canciller mexicano, Luis Ernesto Derbez, aseguró en Honduras que está confiado en que ganará las elecciones para secretario general de la Organización de Estados Americanos (0EA) que se realizarán el 2 de mayo. The Mexican Foreign Minister, Luis Ernesto Derbez, stated from Honduras that he is confident he will win the election for Secretary General of the OAS which will take place on May 2
El presidente del Gobierno, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, rechaza la posibilidad de que el PSE pacte con el 'lehendakari' en funciones, Juan José Ibarretxe, un Ejecutivo autonómico liderado por éste.The Prime Minister [of Spain], Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, rejected the possibility of the PSE signing a pact with the "lehendakari" [Basque word for PM], Juan Jose Ibarretxe, the head of the autonomy.
El director gerente del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI), Rodrigo Rato señaló que el organismo que dirige no reclama la reapertura del canje para la reestructuración de la deuda en default y consideró que las relaciones con Argentina "marchan hacia la normalidad". The Director General of the IMF, Rodrigo Rato, signaled that his organization will not ask for the re-opening of the debt exchange in order to restructure the country's defaulted debt, and stated that he considers relations with Argentina to "be on the way to normalizing"
El presidente cubano Fidel Castro exhortó al gobierno de Estados Unidos a arrestar al criminal de origen cubano Luis Posada Carriles como único modo de hacer creíble hoy una supuesta lucha antiterrorista Cuban President Fidel Castro urged the government of the United States to arrest the Cuban Luis Posada Carriles if it wants to maintain credibility in its supposed War on Terrorism
Italian - In italiano
"Non mi dimetto, e adesso vediamo come reagirà il Parlamento". Silvio Berlusconi ha deciso di giocare il tutto per tutto. "I'm not resigning and now we'll see how Parliament reacts". Silvio Berlusconi has decided to go for broke:
Con Casini e Pera il Cavaliere ha concordato i tempi e i modi delle sue comunicazioni. Alla fine di una giornata frenetica, cominciata a metà mattinata, a Palazzo Grazioli, con Fini, Letta e Pisanu. Poi il faccia a faccia con Follini. Due ore di summit, al termine del quale - c'è anche una lettera del leader centrista - sembra tutto a posto: dichiarazione di fedeltà dell'Udc, dimissioni, reincarico Berlusconi bis con nuova squadra e nuovo programma. Seguono altri incontri, e alle 15.30 un vertice di tutta la Cdl. "Crisi vicina alla soluzione", dicono dall'Udc. Ma la Lega avverte: "Non c'è alcun accordo".
Mentre è al Quirinale, tutti aspettano la notizia delle dimissioni. Ma è lo stesso Berusconi, un'ora dopo, a dire che non ha lasciato. Tutti capiscono che l'accordo del primo pomeriggio - se accordo c'è mai stato - è rapidamente naufragato. Ai cronisti che gli chiedono se ci sono sorprese, risponde sorridendo: "Stavolta la sorpresa ve l'ho fatta io...".
Piu informazione qui.
Stele di Axum, il lungo viaggio verso casa. Dopo una girandola di ritardi, l'obelisco è in partenza. Grande attesa in Etiopia: «Il suo valore è inestimabile, è la nostra anima» The Axum Obelisk has begun the long voyage home. After a long delay, the obelisk has left. There is a great celebration in Ethiopia "It's value is incalculable, it is our soul"
'Un saluto dalla Stazione Spaziale" da parte Roberto Vittori. E stato lo stesso astronauta italiano dell'Agenzia Spaiale Europea (ESA) a mandare i suoi saluti in collegamento diretto dalla Stazione Spaziale Internazionale e a raccontare la sua prima giornata di lavoro a bordo della casa-laboratorio degli astronauti. "A big hello from the Space Station", said Roberto Vittori. The Italian astronaut of the European Space Agency also sent greetings from his colleagues from aboard the International Space Spation and recounted his first day of work on board the house/laboratory for the astronauts
Le dichiarazioni della neo boss pentita, Giusy Vitale, hanno portato all'emissione di alcuni ordini di arresto. Statements from the repentant ex-Mafia boss Giusy Vitale have led to more arrest warrants (for more mafia members)
Romanian - În limba româna
Peste patru milioane de pensionari aşteaptă să-şi primească pensiile, iar distribuţia a milioane de plicuri de corespondenţă - facturi, acte pentru declararea impozitului pe venit, presă - este sistată, în condiţiile în care poştaşii au oprit total lucrul Close to 4 million retired people are waiting to receive their Social Security checks and millions of letters, bills, tax forms and even the newspapers are all undelivered because the postal workers (nationwide) are on strike
Guvernul iranian a decis, luni, să închidă temporar filiala de la Teheran a postului de televiziune Al-Jazeera, acuzat, în urma unor confruntări etnice care s-au soldat cu trei morţi, de "acţiuni subversive", relatează AFP The AFP is reporting that the Iranian government on Monday decided to temporarily close Al-Jazeera's office in Tehran, accusing it of "subversive activities" after ethnic confrontations left 3 people dead
Judecatoria sectorului Buiucani a decis, luni, sa mai prelungeasca cu 25 de zile termenul de arest al ex-ministrului Apararii si ex-directorului SIS-ului Valeriu Pasat, dupa ce la 21 martie hotarise sa-l stabileasca pentru 30 de zile. Judges from Buican decided on Monday to add another 25 days to the preventative arrest term of former Minister of Defense and former SIS [intelligence agency] chief Valeriu Pasat. On March 21 he was given a 30 day preventative arrest sentence [in some countries, like Moldova, "preventative arrest" is equivalent to denying someone bail]
Aeroportul Internaţional Timişoara "Traian Vuia" va fi închis, în noaptea de luni spre marţi din cauza inundaţiilor Traian Vauia Timisoara International Airport will be closed Monday night and Tuesday because of flooding
Pe fondul crizei ostaticilor din Irak ies la iveala detalii despre conexiunile lui Omar Hayssam in Romania, inclusiv in serviciile secrete. Cozmin Gusa, liderul Partidului Initiativa Nationala, sustine ca mai multi oameni de afaceri de origine araba aflati la noi in tara au finantat terorismul. After the [Romanian journalists] hostages in Iraq, many details have come out about Omar Hayssam's activity in Romanian, including his connection with members of the intelligence service [equivalent to American FBI]. Cozmin Gusa, leader of the National Initiative Party, has stated that many Arab businessmen in our country have financed terrorism
La doar 100 de zile dupa ce a fost numita la conducerea Ministerului Mediului si Gospodaririi Apelor, Sulfina Barbu face Romania de ras in fata conventiilor si organizatiilor internationale cu neprofesionalismul sau. Just 100 days after she was named head of the Ministry of Environment and Water Stewardship, Sulfina Barbu has embarassed Romania at international conventions and meetings by her complete unprofessionalism
Pax