Here is the Saturday, July 19th, 2008 edition of interesting reads from around the world.
Nepal Set to Elect Its First President
Having abolished the monarchy, Nepal is set to elect its first Chief of State this week. The role of President is largely ceremonial but Nepal will choose a higly symbolic one. He is to come from the ethnic minority Madheshi ethnic group of southern Nepal. The story from Reuters.
Thai-Cambodian Border Dispute Grows
Cambodia and Thailand continued to reinforce their troops along a disputed border area near an 11th century temple Saturday, even as they prepared for talks to avert a military confrontation. A report from the Associated Press.
French Nuclear Leaks
Long seen as the world’s most effeciently run nuclear power industry, the French nuclear power industry has had an embarrassing set of setbacks. Areva confirms second leak in two weeks, this time at a nuclear plant in south-eastern France. More from the UK Guardian.
Mbeki To Heed UN and OAU on Zimbabwe
Under pressure to expand his troubled mediation efforts, South African President Mbeki agreed on Friday to work more closely with the African Union and United Nations to bring an end to the Zimbabwe crisis. More from Johannesburg’s Mail & Guardian.
Russia’s Energy Clout
The Asia Times looks at Russia’s growing clout in the world’s energy markets and how Russia is unabashedly using its energy muscle to achieve its political goals.
Credit and Energy Tight in Vietnam Thahn Nien News reports that companies in Vietnam are airing their grievances at a conference as tightened monetary policy and a power shortage have left them without money or electricity.
Spain’s Real Estate Crisis
Since the 1960s, in effect, Spain has been the centre of housing and real estate boom that has seen its warm coasts transformed with condos galore serving as second homes for cold-weary northern Europeans. And with increasing prosperity, many Spaniards too bought homes and vacation homes to boot. That boom is at an end. Germany’s Der Spiegel reports:
Spain’s economy is in trouble. Rising property values earlier this decade lured many Spaniards into the market. Now that the bubble has burst, the crisis is quickly spreading through the country’s economy.
Texas Approves Mega Wind Farm
Kudos to Texas. Texas sate regulators have approved a $4.93 billion wind-power transmission project, providing a major lift to the development of wind energy in the state.
The planned web of transmission lines will carry electricity from remote western parts of the state to major population centers like Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. The lines can handle 18,500 megawatts of power, enough for 3.7 million homes on a hot day when air-conditioners are running.
More from the New York Times. Wind power is a potent and clear-energy solution that requires full development.
Here is the Friday, July 18th, 2008 edition of news and events from the around the world.
Belgian Crisis
The King of Belgium has refused to accept the resignation of his prime minister, but has put the immediate political future of the country in the hands of three other people. More including a video report from Euro News. And Fistful of Euros offers some commentary on Belgie versus Belgique. Flanders Today offers a Flemish perspective.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia Worsen
A Cambodian general said a border standoff between his soldiers and Thai troops came close to a shoot-out overnight as the confrontation over disputed territory surrounding an ancient temple entered its fourth day Friday. Reports from Radio Australia and the BBC.
ASEAN Ministers to Meet to Discuss Oil Prices on the Region
Ministers from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to hammer out possible solutions to rising oil and food prices amid warnings inflation could threaten political stability, officials said. The problem, if left unchecked, could pose a challenge to the region’s long-term aim of evolving into a European Union-style community where goods and services are freely traded across the region by 2015, they said. At meetings to begin Sunday night, the ministers were to discuss “the growing challenge posed by rising oil and food prices, which pose a serious challenge to our people’s welfare as well as our countries’ continued economic development,” according to a draft joint communique obtained by Agence France Presse.
Guinea-Bissau and the Cashew Nut
It’s not even native to Africa (it is from the Amazon), but the Cashew Nut is the mainstay of the economy of the small West African country of Guinea-Bissau, one of the poorest countries in the world. In one survey by the United Nations, Guinea-Bissau ranks as the third poorest. World News Net looks at Guinea-Bissau and the cocktail nut.
Bali Bombers Lose Their Final Appeal
Three men convicted over the 2002 Bali bombing have no more legal avenues to appeal against their executions, the Denpasar District Court confirmed today. More from the Courier Mail of Australia.
After the Swap
After swap, Israel fears Hezbollah will escalate tensions in north. Haaretz looks at how Israel now views Hezbollah.
Has The US Stopped Arms Sales to Taiwan?
If so, it is a huge mistake. The top US military commander in Asia acknowledged Wednesday that US arms sales to Taiwan had been frozen, amid warming ties between Beijing and Taipei and concerns expressed by China.
“There have been no significant arms sales from the United States to Taiwan in relatively recent times,” said Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of the Hawaii-based US Pacific Command.
Keating told a forum of the Washington-based Heritage Foundation he was aware of a freeze on US arms sales to Taiwan, saying it was “administration policy.”
UK Natural Gas Prices Could Rise 70%
The UK Guardian reports that natural gas prices are set to soar in the UK and then remain high for the foreseeable future, a report has revealed. The independent report commissioned by Centrica, which owns British Gas, warns that prices could increase by 70%. Jake Ulrich, managing director of Centrica Energy, admitted that gas price rises were likely to lead to a “potentially significant” rise in the number of people in fuel poverty. He also predicted that people would have to change their habits to deal with higher prices.
Here is the Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 edition of interesting reads from around the world.
ICC Warrant for Omar al-Bashir
Egypt, China and Algeria voiced concerns over the warrant for the arrest for the Sudanese President on charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. “China expresses grave concern and misgivings about the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s indictment of the Sudanese leader,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regularly scheduled news conference in Beijing. The Washington Post covers the Chinese response while Xinhua Net covers Algeria’s. Lastly, an op-ed from the Wall Street Journal.
Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim Arrested
Police arrested Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday, less than an hour before a deadline for him to appear at police headquarters to answer allegations that he sodomized a male aide. Details from Al Jazeera.
Chávez-Correa-Ortega Summit in Manta, Ecuador
The Presidents of Venezuela, Ecuador and Nicaragua are meeting in Manta, Ecuador (home to a US military base slated to close in 2010) this week. Their gathering is to celebrate the beginning of construction of the Refinería del Pacífico, the largest oil refinery on the west coast of South America. Chávez has made clear that he wants to increase Venezuela oil sales to Asia and diminish sales to the United States. More (in Spanish) from Noticias 24.
Egypt After Mubarak
The Los Angeles Times has a feature on Omar Suleiman, the head of Egypt’s foreign intelligence service. The article ponders whether Suleiman may be the next in line for Egypt’s Presidency. Not that Mubarak is going anywhere. Elections, such as they are in Egypt, are not due until 2011 on the one hand and on the other, we may yet see a Mubarak dynasty rise in the land of the Pharoahs. Gamal Mubarak is also being groomed for the Presidency.
Japan-Korea Squabble over Islets
Korea’s Ambassador to Japan Kwon Chul-hyun temporarily returned to Seoul yesterday in protest over Tokyo’s claim that the Dokdo islets in the East Sea belong to Japan. The Korea Herald covers the story from Seoul while the Japan Times takes up the story from Tokyo. The story has great importance in Korea than in Japan. However, there are plans for demonstrations later this week in Seoul and South Koreas has cancelled a cultural exchanged slated for August.
Fishermen Strike in Tokyo
The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations and 16 other fishing industry bodies launched a strike involving some 200,000 fishing boats Tuesday to protest against the fuel price increases. Japanese fishermen’s one-day strike cut Wednesday’s fish supplies on the Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market in Tokyo’s Tsukiji by 20 percent from the previous day to 401 tons, prompting wholesalers to warn further strikes would induce a serious supply disruption, market officials said. “Prices of some fish underwent increases of some 10 percent” due to supply decreases, a market source said after morning auctions. Such fish included flatfish and sea bream from Japan’s home waters. They are often used by up-scale sushi shops.
Indian No Confidence Vote Scheduled for July 21
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s UPA government will introduce a measure of confidence on July 21, 2008 over the US-India Nuclear deal according to The Hindu. This article from The Hindu lays out the government’s case why the pact should be approved. Opposition to the deal is coming largely from leftist parties, including the Indian Communist Party, that feel that the deal impinges on India’s sovereignty.
Drug Gangs Blamed in Guatemalan Lawyer’s Killing
President Elias Antonio Saca of El Salvador blamed drug gangs for the killing of a Guatemalan state prosecutor who was investigating the murder of three Salvadoran deputies to the Central American Parliament. Juan Carlos Martinez was shot Monday while driving near his home southeast of Guatemala City. The three Salvadoran deputies were killed in February 2007. Eduardo D’Aubuisson, William Pichinte and Jose Ramon Gonzalez were deputies in the Guatemala-based regional Central American parliament from El Salvador’s conservative ruling ARENA party. The remains of a fourth man were found with them. Villagers discovered their bodies in a blazing car up a dirt track an hour’s drive east of Guatemala City. The suspected murderers are members of Guatemala’s police force but they are being protected by Guatemala’s military establishment. None have been charged.
Russia’s Medvedev Criticizes the West
President Dmitri A. Medvedev chided the West for paternalism in a foreign policy speech in which he criticized the United States and Western Europe for creating a missile defense shield and for recognizing Kosovo’s independence. More from the New York Times.
Here is the Monday, July 14th, 2008 edition of interesting reads from around the world.
A Deadly Day in Afghanistan
Nine US soldiers and several militants were killed after rebels stormed a remote outpost in Afghanistan in one of the deadliest attacks on international forces in years. Another 15 US soldiers were wounded. It was the deadliest day for US troops in Afghanistan in over three years. A video report from the Associated Press:
Fighting in Sri Lanka Intensifies
Fighting along the front lines in northern Sri Lanka killed 31 Tamil Tigers on Sunday as the civil war between the rebels and government forces continued to escalate. Over the weekend, at least 60 rebel were killed. Reports from the International Herald Tribune and Reuters India.
Sarkozy’s Club Med
President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday sought to shift Europe’s strategic focus towards the Middle East, north Africa and the Balkans, hosting 42 heads of state and government at a summit in Paris to launch a new Mediterranean Union. Initially concentrated on infrastructure and energy projects such as making north Africa a hub for solar power, Sarkozy’s grand initiative is acutely political, claiming a pole position for France in European foreign policy-making after years of drift and seeking to redirect policy from the east of Europe to the south. From the UK Guardian. I am often perplexed by Sarkozy and I am cautious on this initiative but the Financial Times does note that Sarkozy managed to get Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Syrian President Assad to sit down in the same room, though Assad did leave the room for Olmert’s speech. And then there is this:
After meeting Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, on the sidelines of the Paris summit, Mr Olmert declared: “It seems to me that we have never been as close to the possibility of reaching an accord as we are today.”
In concrete terms, however, the most striking outcome of the weekend’s diplomatic activity appeared to be the announcement that Syria would open an embassy in Beirut and Lebanon an embassy in Damascus for the first time since Lebanese independence in 1943.
Such a step would imply Syrian acceptance of the sovereignty of Lebanon, a state where Damascus has always sought to exert influence and where Syrian troops were stationed for almost 30 years after 1976.
“We can say that Lebanon has moved from being a zone of turbulence, a war zone, to a more pacified zone where the Lebanese, and only the Lebanese, have the right to determine their own future,” Mr Assad said after talks on Saturday with Michel Suleiman, Lebanon’s president.
Since taking power in 2000, Mr Assad has on several occasions dangled the prospect of diplomatic recognition of Lebanon. If there is a difference this time, it may rest in Mr Sarkozy’s statement on Saturday that he intends to visit Syria in September – a gesture that the French leader could withdraw, if by then Mr Assad has not fulfilled his promise to open an embassy in Lebanon.
I still don’t fully trust Sarkozy but this is an achievement that is worth underscoring and I congratulate him on his success.
Seoul Demands Investigation of Shooting Death of Tourist in the DPRK
Last week’s shooting death of a female South Korean tourist who wandered off a resort and into a military installation is raising question. Apparently, tourists have wandered off before and none had been shot. The government yesterday urged North Korea to allow in South Korean investigators to learn the details of the killing of a South Korean tourist at the Mount Geumgang resort. The Unification Ministry also demanded the North take “responsible measures” to prevent a recurrence of the shooting death, which it said “cannot be justified under any circumstances.” More details from the Korea Herald.
An Update on Malaysia
The Asia Sentinel looks at Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s decision to step down in 2010 in favour of his deputy Najib Tun Razak, who is scandal-riddled. All in all, it has been a topsy turvy year in Kuala Lumpur.
Thailand’s Temple Row
A dispute Khmer temple along the Thai-Cambodian border has become a major issue in Thai politics. More from the Straits Times.
Iran Executes Six In Public Reuters reports that Iran has executed six people in public in the northeastern city of Sabzevar, state radio said on Monday, the second report of a public execution in the Islamic Republic in less than a week. Iranian radio reported the execution but did not offer details. Execution is by hanging in Iran. In Saudi Arabia, beheadings still occur. Amnesty International in April listed Iran as the world’s second most prolific executioner last year, with at least 317 people put to death, trailing only China which carried out 470 death sentences.
Here is the Friday, July 11th, 2008 edition of events and news from around the world.
UK Housing Prices Tumble
Negative equity is when you owe more on an asset than what it is worth. In the UK, negative equity fears grow as house prices take record tumble. Negative equity is one of the reasons for increased foreclosures or defaults on loans. More on the situation in Britain from the UK Guardian.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to Face War Crime Charges
The UK Guardian is reporting that the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is likely to face war crime charges at the International Crime Court.
The prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, issued a statement yesterday announcing that he would be submitting evidence “on crimes committed in the whole of Darfur over the last five years”. The statement said he would then publicly “summarise the evidence, the crimes and name individual(s) charged”.
Moreno-Ocampo told the security council last month that he intended to go after top Sudanese officials, saying the “entire state apparatus” was involved in systematic attacks on civilians.
Long over due and we will see where it goes. Another report on this development from the New York Times.
China and the US Presidential Election
The Asia Sentinel looks at the US Presidential contest and how each candidate might handle US ties with the People’s Republic of China.
Radical Islam in Indonesia
Under Suharto, the radical fringes of Islam were kept under tight wraps but with Indonesia’s nascent political liberalization, there has been a proliferation of Islamic groups across the political spectrum. The Asia Sentinel looks at some of the more radical groups.
India Debates Its Nuclear Agreement with the US
India’s politics is not for the feign of heart. It’s not easy running a nation of nearly a billion people who speak some 700 different languages to boot. It is amazing to watch to India’s political scene. First of all, Prime Minister Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will seek a confidence vote in the Lok Sabha next week. The Indian Communist Party will vote against the agreement. The four Left parties formally withdrew their support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, they sharpened their offensive and vowed to make it “politically impossible” for the Manmohan Singh government to go ahead and clinch the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear deal. The General Secretary of Indian Communist Party called the agreement a “shocking betrayal”. Meanwhile the opposition Hindu Nationalist Party BJP seems amused by the whole debate. Its leader and likely the next Prime Minister of India should Singh’s government falter said he had “never seen so many people in despair” over an issue. Indian politics. All stories are from the Hindu Times.
Pyongyang Remembers Kim Il-Sung
In case you have ever wondered what a news release from North Korea looks like, here is your chance. Today’s feed from the Korean Central News Agency of the DPRK. Some tidbits:
A delegation of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League headed by Kil Chol Hyok, secretary of its Central Committee, left here today by air to attend the meeting of the Coordinating Council of the World Federation of Democratic Youth to be held in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the State Academy Beryozka Dancing Troupe of Russia Named after N.S. Nadezhdina headed by Mira Koltsova arrived here today.
Big news I suppose but not a word on the six party talks under way in Beijing on the North Korean nuclear talks. For news on this subject, coverage from Reuters.
Chinese Polar Exploration Sets off from Shanghai
The race for polar resources is on. With hundreds waving goodbye on the dock, an ultra-modern icebreaker left the eastern Shanghai port on Friday morning, marking the start of China’s third scientific expedition to the North Pole. The full story from Xinhua Net.
Sarkozy Lectures The Irish
Ever the diplomat, Nicholas Sarkozy yesterday told “our Irish friends” to get going and not to wait to long to make a decision about how to get out of the mess created by the No vote. Le Monde reports that he, as rotating president of the EU, wants to propose a solution either at the October or the December EU summit. More from Euro Intelligence.
Those of us old enough to have lived through the 1980s remember Bhopal as a major industrial disaster. On December 3, 1984, an accident at the Union Carbide pesticide plant (UC was bought by Dow Chemical in 2001) released poisoned gas that killed an official estimate of approximately 3,800 people (actually doctors on site claim that 15,000 died within a month). Over 500,000 have been affected by inhaling the gas.
Here is the Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 edition of interesting reads from around the world.
US-Czech Missle Defense Shield Plan Signed
The Czechs are against it. The Russians are upset. I am not sure it works. But this is the first that I have seen of my former professor in months. I suppose I am glad she is still on the job. She was a great professor. Secretary of State, not so much. A video report from the Associated Press:
Corruption Trial of former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra Begins
The former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra today went on trial in Bangkok’s supreme court accused of corruption. The criminal trial is the first against Thaksin, the billionaire owner of the Manchester City football club, since he was ousted from office in a pro-royalist military coup in 2006. The former prime minister is accused of having corruptly used his position to help his wife, Pojaman, to buy land. The full report in the UK Guardian.
Qatar Emerges as a Regional Broker
I was very close friends with Daniel Pearl. We were fraternity brothers at Stanford. We last saw each other in August 2001 in India and we had a conversation about how the Middle East was changing. Danny said, watch Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. That’s the future of Arab politics. Danny, as always, was ahead of his times. He was a brillant journalist even at the Stanford Daily. I miss him. This story in today’s New York Times highlights Qatar’s emergence as a mediator of disputes. It is not by coincidence either that Al Jazeera is based in Doha. In terms of liberalism, Qatar is hardly liberal but it is opening up.
Canada to Deport Robin Long
Canada as a haven for conscientious objectors may be ending. Canada intends to deport Robin Long. 25, a US Army deserter as early as Monday. There are approximately 200 Americans seeking refuge in Canada at the moment. More from Toronto’s Globe and Mail.
Germany Ponders Giving the Children the Right to Vote
Every German citizen should have the right to vote in national elections, even those under the age of 18, says a group of parliamentarians. They’ve proposed a law that would allow parents to vote for their children. Deutsche Welle covers the latest German lunacy.
Germany Detains Rwandan Genocide Suspect
Callixte Mbarushimana has been arrested in Frankfurt attempting to fly to Russia. He is wanted in Rwanda and France on charges of genocide. More from Deutsche Welle.
Iran Tests Its Missiles
Iran has test fired nine long- and medium-range missiles, including one which it has previously said could travel as far as Israel and U.S. bases in the region, state media reported on Wednesday. Separately, the Israeli media reports that the Saudis are not opposed to an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. More from Haaretz.
Slovakia To Join EuroZone in January 2009 Fistful of Euros reports on Slovakia’s official ascension into the EuroZone of common currency. Europe as an economic concept gains greater currency but it is in the political unity realm where citizens retain mistrust of Brussels. The Slovak krona will convert to euros at 30.126 to 1 — which is the current rate.
Male-Female Pay Gap in the Netherlands
Men still earn an average of 11.8% more than women doing the same job, according to research by Mercer and ADP in a report from Dutch News. However, in some industries women earn more than men.
Mexico’s Drug Wars Cost Two Officials Their Jobs
The capital city’s police chief and head prosecutor resigned Tuesday amid growing public outrage over a bungled bar raid that resulted in 12 deaths. The resignation of Police Chief Joel Ortega and prosecutor Rodolfo Felix came the same day the city’s Human Rights Commission issued a scathing denunciation of the deadly law enforcement crackdown last month on a club packed with teenagers celebrating the end of the school year. The full story in the Los Angeles Times.
Here is the Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 edition of interesting reads from around the world.
Iraq Calls For US Pullout Timetable
Iraq’s prime minister has for the first time publicly called for a US troop withdrawal timetable. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday that a military agreement the two countries are negotiating should include provisions for the withdrawal of American troops. More from Al Jazeera. It should be interesting to see how this plays in the US Presidential election.
G-8 Agrees Climate Change Deal to Halve Emissions
Leaders of G-8 agree to adopt goal of at least halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. 2050? And they are calling this a breakthrough. I shudder to think what their definition of failure is. The UK Guardian has all the bloody details.
Meanwhile, African leaders have pressed the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations to control oil and food prices. This story from Al Jazeera. And a video report on the summit from the Associated Press:
India Won’t Accept Carbon Emissions Targets
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said emphatically that India would not accept any targets that may be set by international bodies reducing its carbon emissions. Full details in The Hindu. Prime Minister Singh is to meet with US President Bush and other G-8 leaders tomorrow. On the table for US-India talks is the US-India Nuclear Agreement. More this story also from The Hindu.
India Suspends Maize Exports Until October 15, 2008
The Indian Government has already banned exports of wheat, non-basmati rice, edible oil and pulses. This just further puts pressure on global food markets but India is thinking of its own food security. To me, this reads as a repeat of the 1930s when countries acted to protect their own interests and thereby exacerbated the Stock Market Crash of October 1929 and turned it into a world-wide depression that lasted over a decade. India is the sixth largest supplier of corn in the world so its retreat from the global markets is not insignificant. Couple this with the mess in Argentina and we have a real crisis on our hands. This follows a very worrisome report out of China earlier this week that China faces a grain shortage. All About Feed has the details on this story.
China faces serious challenges in ensuring it will have enough grain to feed its population in the decades to come, according to Premier Wen Jiabao.
Industrialisation, urbanisation and a growing population are boosting grain demand while “shrinking arable land, water shortage and climate change is an increasing constraint on output,” Wen told a cabinet meeting.
“The long-term demand and supply will be balanced but tight and ensuring grain security faces serious challenges,” he said.
The meeting approved a mid- and long-term grain security plan that aims to keep the nation’s annual grain output above 500 million tonnes by 2010 and increase production to more than 540 million tonnes a year by 2020.
Litvinenko Murder Intrigue Resurfaces
The murder of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko was carried out with the backing of the Russian state, Whitehall sources have told the BBC.
Sondhi Limthongkul’s Corporatist Vision for Thailand
With Thailand now of its second month of intense political protests, opposition leader Sondhi Limthongkul is proposing reforms that to me sound rather corporatist. Sondhi Limthongkul, the core leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, has called for a “New Politics.”
The New Politics turns out to be a startlingly reactionary proposal to move Thailand’s parliamentary system towards a form of appointed corporatism, or what might be called a selectoral democracy. Thirty percent of MPs would come from elections, perhaps one per province, and the rest of MPS would derive from various occupations and associations. Sondhi says the proportion is not fixed, it’s up for debate.
The rationale for wanting to dismantle Thailand’s electoral system is evident: pro-Thaksin forces keep winning elections. And as Thaksin is said to represent everything bad about Thai politics, he can not be allowed to wield power directly or indirectly. Thus, for Sondhi, and it would seem the PAD leadership as whole, there is now a need to bring about a revolution in political representation.
Taiwan Exports Rise to Record Levels
Taiwan’s exports in June rose 21.3% from a year earlier to a record high of US$24.35 billion on rising demand from parts of Asia and Europe, the government said July 7. The June figure compared with a 20.5% rise to $23.60 billion recorded in May. More from Industry Week.
11 Bodies Found in Tijuana Over 3 Days
As a Colombian, I have seen this all before and it is worrisome that it is happening now in Mexico. What we have endured in Colombia is not something that I would wish on anyone. It is thus that I say with alarm that Mexico’s drug wars require serious attention. We will see bombings. Drug mafias will stop at nothing and only a strong response from the state and civil society can stop them. They will infiltrate politics. They can buy anything and anyone. Act now.
Police discovered the tortured and burned bodies of six men in an empty lot Monday morning, ending a period of relative calm in this border city beset by drug war violence.
Eleven bodies have been discovered since Saturday in violence believed to be drug-related, including the corpse of a woman found in a barrel, state and federal authorities said.
The weekend tally pushed the city’s death toll this year to more than 260, compared with about 152 homicides at this time last year, and underscored authorities’ difficulties curbing organized crime.
The full story from the Los Angeles Times. A 71% rise in drug-related homocides in Tijuana is not something to be taken lightly.
Syria To Restore Diplomatic Ties with France
Syria’s top diplomat in London says Damascus will soon send a new ambassador to Paris and end a freeze on diplomatic ties. Sami Khiyami says a new representative will likely be sent to France in the very near future. Syria has not had an ambassador in Paris since 2006. The report is from Haaretz.
Here is the Saturday, July 5th, 2008 edition of what is making news around the world.
UK Guardian Exclusive On Fraud in Zimbabwe
The UK Guardian has exclusive report on the fraud committed in Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe’s henchmen have long been suspected of stealing civil servant postal ballots. This GuardianFilms exclusive provides the first evidence of how they
