Mexican Cartel Leaves 2 Bodies Hanging from a Bridge.

A terrifying message was sent to social networkers who are critical of Mexican cartel violence, two bodies hanging from a bridge. The two bodies were left with a note threatening a similiar fate of those who report violence on the internet. Authorities are not clear on who exactly is repsonsible for the gruesome murders but they convinced it was done by a cartel. This violence occured in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico which is only a short distance away from Laredo, Texas. It is suprising that this story is not getting more media attention because it happened so close to the American border. Sadly, the bodies have no been identified yet and there appears to be no leads on the case. However, it seems one possibly positive thing has come from this incident. Bloggers, twitter users, and social media users seem to have become more vocal about their opposition to cartel violence and letting other internet users know that they are not afraid. These anonymous writers are the only ones able to show the true terror of every day life for Mexicans, they will not be silenced.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/09/14/mexico.violence/index.html?iref=storysearch

Posted by: Kendall Bilbro

Famine Hits Somalia in a World Less Likely to Intervene

The United Nation's warnings could almost be considered a cry for help. The drought-induced famine is slowly taking over Somalia, and with an Islamist group guarding the borders, it is seeming nearly impossible to get the country help. We all know that it will eventually begin to rain, but it will be too late. Diseases are expected to spread throughout Somalia as well. This is not the first time that Somalia has experienced such disaster, however, in the 1990's when it happened the world was more than willing to step in and help out. That is not the case this time. Analysts say that military forces have attempted at fixing Somalia's problems before and have failed, and the same thing would happen this time around. According to Ken Menkhaus, we are too late.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/world/africa/famine-hits-somalia-in-world-less-likely-to-intervene.html?hp
Alison Ortscheid

London Police Arrest Man Over Rogue Deals

Kweku Adoboli was arrested today for fraudulent trading, losing the Swiss bank accounts $2 billion (£1.3 billion). According to officials, none of the money was taken from normal customer accounts. Adoboli was believed to work within the European equities division, and after the UBS (Swiss banking company) noticed an 8% drop in its shares, they had discovered it was because of rogue trading. The matter is still being investigated and so far the money is only estimated to have cost the company $2 billion. Adoboli still remains in custody and more information is developing to this case.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14927432

Julian Connell

Dissident Chinese Artist Defiant In First Interview Since Release

Emily Canaday

9/15/11

The saga of Ai Weiwei occasionally runs cold, and followers need wait months to hear the latest of this prominent Chinese liberal. Following his release on bail in July, the controversial artist has been limited to a single interview with outside media sources, besides being prevented from using social networking means like Twitter, his preferre dmethod of contact with the wider world and his many fans. The ‘tax evasion’ accusation by which Chinese police conveniently detained Ai (for 43 days, without allowing him to contact a lawyer or his family) is finally being contested in higher courts by a company owned by the artist. Ai Weiwei’s records of colleagues being interrogated for their connection to him, the continued blocking of his access to the Internet, never mind the realities of internet supervision for the Chinese public, must apparently be resolved in the good old way: The People demanding that their will be heard and lauded by the government they have (at least partially) chosen to protect it. What is the purpose of government if not to do just that?, Weiwei asks through his staunch advocacy of governmental criticism.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-10/world/china.ai.weiwei.remarks_1_dissident-artist-tax-evasion-tweets?_s=PM:WORLD

25 Protesters dead in Syrian city over the weekend

The information this article was given was from activists from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syrian security forces opened fire on protesters this past weekend, killing 25. This protest brought out at least 1,000 people to join the fight. The article also claims that 2 policemen were killed and at least 20 other people were injured by "armed terrorist groups" that attacked buildings. Throughout these uprisings, the government has called the protesters "terrorists" and armed criminals"; a report written about the protest stated, "The terrorist groups spread fear in the hearts of citizens who called upon the competent authorities to interfere forcefully to protect them and bring back security and stability." The article also claims that since these protests have been occurring, the government has made many crackdowns, causing at least 1,000 deaths (says the United Nations). The article ends by stating that, "despite international calls to halt it's aggressions and sanctions by the United States, Syria has shown no signs of backing down."


Jen Crawford

Celebrations in Yemen

The Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh has departed Yemen for Saudi Arabia to be treated for severe wounds that were inflicted during an extensive attack on his presidential compound. This has led to large numbers of citizens to flood the streets in the capital of Sana and Change Square where protesters have been encamped since February. There was dancing, celebrating, flag waving to the point where even uniformed military men joined in. Dozens of gunmen attacked the presidential compound in Taiz avenging Mr. Saleh's security force's attacks on civilians. Mr. Saleh's departure has allowed the country to become easy pickings for Al-Qaeda, which has placed the United States in something of a pickle. The New York Times believes that Saudi Arabia will not allow Mr. Saleh to return to Yemen as president, an arrangement that many Arab countries have been hoping for for weeks. With the power vacuum opening up, this places Saudi Arabia and the United States in an uneasy position, and will lead to difficult decisions in the coming weeks.

by Margaret Nunne
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/world/middleeast/06yemen.html?_r=1&hp

Rape Victim Accuses Libyan Leader and Forces

Eman al-Obeidy is a young woman who is accusing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces of gang-raping her. Al-Obeidy left Libya and went to Qatar to seek shelter as a refugee, but was reportedly beaten and then deported back to Libya on Thursday. Al-Obeidy told CNN that while in Qatar, guards were blocking a UN refugee officer from entering her hotel room to provide her with papers that he had prepared for her. When she was deported from Qatar, the guards had taken all of her belongings and had beaten her, her sister, and her parents then handcuffed them and put them on a military plane back to Libya. In regard to al-Obeidy's experience, the United States has claimed that this is a "breach of humanitarian norms." Senator Hillary Clinton has been following her case.

Click here to read more.

Summarized by: Heather Krizka

Kenya Looks to Appeal ICC Ruling

The request by the Kenyan government to have the six men suspected to be responsible for the mass violence that swept the country last year to be tried in Kenya was rejected by the ICC. According to the ICC, there is not a sufficient amount of evidence for the trial to be conducted in Kenya. The violence seen last year led to the rape and murder and a severe amount of strife enveloped the country. The charges facing these men include: crimes against humanity, torture, persecution, the forceful transfer of the population, rape and murder.What will be very interesting is to see how the country and its people will react to the actual rulings that will be issued as the country has a long history of political violence.

Matt Boguslawski

Pakistani Militant Leader Reportedly Killed by U.S. Strike

In Islamabad, one of Pakistan's most wanted militant commanders, Ilyas Kashmiri, was reportedly killed in an American drone strike on Friday. There were nine people killed in the strike, and witnesses claim that Kashmiri was one of them, although officials have not been able to confirm this. U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials say that Kashmiri is among the most dangerous militant leaders in Pakistan today because of his training skills, commando experience and strategic vision to carry out attacks against Western targets. He was formerly a member of Pakistan's special forces but he was suspected of being behind several attacks and has been implicated for a 2008 attack in Mumbai, India. In light of this, Kashmiri's death would certainly be welcomed by Pakistan and the United States since he was wanted in both countries and could have been a good target for renewed intelligence sharing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/world/asia/05kashmiri.html?hp

Megan Borows

When Sports Mirror Politics

There have been several anthropologists and sociologists that have noticed general similarities between sports and warfare, but yesterday in Israel, a soccer game reflected a real political divide.

Bnei Sakhnin, which is the only Arab-Israeli team in Israel's first division was playing Beitar Jerusalem. These two teams are rivals, as one represents the Arab population and the other is associated with right-wing politics in Israel and is the only team in the division never to have enlisted an Arab player. Rock-throwing fights often result from the matches between the teams, and this game could easily be no exception.

Why? If Bnei Sakhnin loses, it will drop to the second division, and so winning this game is essential to Arab fans. One fan, Ali from Tamra, explained that for Arabs, soccer is "the only place where [they're] equal in this stinking country."

After an intense game, Sakhnin ended up winning 1-0 in the 85th minute. A few fans were injured, but to the Arabs, the athletic and political victory was well worth it.

To read the original article click here.

-Gracie Hollister

Brazil launches scheme to lift millions out of poverty

Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's current president, has made it her priority to eradicate extreme poverty in Brazil by 2014, becoming the first developing country to do so.  Over the last decade, 20 million Brazilians were taken out of poverty; however, there are still 16.2 million people, roughly 8.5% of the population, living on less than 70 reais ($44) each month.  Because Brazil's economy has grown so much in the last decades and such a large middle class has emerged, the gap between the haves and have-nots is growing.  Therefore, the Brazilian government is planning to increase its efforts to combat poverty.  In the next few years, they hope to expand education and health programs, as well as Bolsa Familia, Brazil's social welfare program.  In addition, they will focus more on Brazil's poorest regions, with an understanding that the state must reach out to the impoverished, rather than expect the impoverished to come to the state for help.

Mark Zajac

Japan Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote

Thursday was a day to rejoice and relax for Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan after he survived a no-confidence vote in the Parliament. It didn't come easily though. The Prime Minister faced a lot of criticisms from the public as well as form within his party and the opposition about his government's ineffective handling of the nuclear crisis. He was also accused of his indecisive response to one of the country's deadliest disaster. In the midst of mounting pressure, the Prime Minister promised to step down once his government makes some progress in overcoming the crisis. If he resigns from the office, he will be the sixth prime minister to resign within the last five years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/world/asia/03japan.html?ref=asia


By: Namgyel Dorji

Yemen: 'Thousands' of tribesmen march on Sanaa

The more I read about Yemen, the more worried I get. I feel that Yemen isn't being reported on as much as it should. Especially since the situation is becoming just as bad at the situation in Syria."Witnesses say thousands more fighters are on their way to Sanaa to boost the tribal forces. Flights at Sanaa airport were disrupted due to the fighting, but officials say operations have returned to normal. President Ali Abdullah Saleh is refusing to step down despite months of opposition to his 33-year rule. Fighters loyal to powerful tribal leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar have been battling government troops in Sanaa since last week. Sheikh Ahmar heads the Hashid tribal confederation that has declared its support for the Yemeni opposition movement. A ceasefire agreed on Friday broke down two days ago and street battles have raged since, leaving scores dead or injured." 


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13625811

Post by Rima

Outbreak is new form of E. coli

This is completely frightening considering that the outbreak is centralized in Germany and they have no idea where it is coming from. The infection can cause the deadly complication - haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS) - affecting the blood and kidneys.More than 1,500 people have been infected and 18 have died: 17 in Germany and one in Sweden. In the UK, three British nationals have been infected - all had visited Germany. The World Health Organisation said the variant had "never been seen in an outbreak situation before."Scientists at the Beijing Genomics Institute in China are also reported as saying the new form was "highly infectious and toxic."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13626499

post by rima

Global war on drugs 'has failed' say former leaders

The Global Commission's 24-page report argues that anti-drug policy has failed by fuelling organised crime, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and causing thousands of deaths. It cites UN estimates that opiate use increased 35% worldwide from 1998 to 2008, cocaine by 27%, and cannabis by 8.5%. "Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately: that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem, and that the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won," the report said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13624303

Post by Rima

Nigeria cracks down on possible baby traffickers

A police raid on a hospital in Aba, Nigeria, rescued 32 young women between the ages of 15 and 17. The girls were all pregnant and found in what police have deemed a "baby farm." They had been locked up and used to produce babies, which were then sold for witchcraft purposes or put up for adoption illegally. The rate for babies in Nigeria can go up to $6,400, depending on the sex of the baby. Boys are prized more highly. UNICEF has estimated that at least 10 children are trafficked daily across Nigerian borders. Human trafficking is Nigeria's third most prevalent crime, falling behind only economic fraud and drug trafficking. However, there are groups in the country trying to fight this trend. One such organization is the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.

-Abbey Smith

Germany to go Nuke-free by 2022

Germany has decided to be nuclear-free by 2022. The Christian Democratic Union party on Monday, agreed to shut down all of the nation's nuclear power plants by 2022. Minister of Ecology Norbert Roettgen of the Christian Democratic Union party said, "The decision looks like this, seven older nuclear power plants ... and the nuclear plant Kruemmel will not go back online ... a second group of six nuclear reactors will go offline at the end of 2021 at the latest, and ... the three most modern, newest nuclear plants will go offline in 2022 at the latest." To make up for the loss of nuclear energy, the German government will begin to switch to renewable energy and increase investments in energy research. They realize that they will not be able to do without conventional power plants, especially gas power plants for a long time. But they new research should hopefully make the energy transition more efficient and easier on the ecology.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/05/30/germany.nuclear.plants/index.html?hpt=wo_bn6

-Kristine Zizis

Italy Supports Rebels of Libya

Italy gave funds consisting of hundreds of millions of euros to Rebels of Libya to fight against Moammar Gadhafi. The funds were to be used for fuel supplies and cash. The funds made possible were ENI SpA (Italian Oil Company) and UniCredit SpA (italian bank). Libyan Rebel's assets are currently frozen but will be made available in a couple of weeks. Italy has had an extensive history with Libya, being a former colonial power in Libya.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303745304576357294173075536.html

-Richard (RJ) McNichols

Mubarak on Trial

Former Egyptian president Mubarak will be tried on August 3rd in Cairo under charges of killing protesters during the countries recent uprising. In addition to the trial, Mubarak was reportedly fined more than $90 million for restricting internet and cell phone usage during the uprising. This tactic has been used across the world to squelch protests, which might change after a presidence is set in this case. However if Mubarak is found guilty for all the charges, totaling 800 counts of murder, he could very likely fact the death penalty. It is safe to say that how Egypt handles this case will set the bar for their new government.

Megan Smith

Argentina's Presidential Race

The presidential elections in Argentina are coming up this year in October and the current president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, has yet to announce whether she will be running for re-election or not. Given her 25 point increase in approval rating, most Argentinians are assuming that President Fernandez will not just run for office, but that she will also win the election. Her increased approval ratings are mainly a consequence of the strong economy and the wave of sympathy that she has received as a result of, Néstor Kirchner, her husband's death. Mr. Kirchner was also her predecessor which makes the people more sympathetic towards the widowed current president. Nevertheless, there are those critics who claim that her indecision is a political tactic dubbed as a "clamour operation", which would allow her to maintain her high approval ratings for as long as possible. According to the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Argentina’s GDP expanded by 8.4% last year, which is yet another incentive for Ms. Fernandez to run. In addition, she does not face strong opposition from any particular groups. Several potential candidates for the presidency have dropped out, leaving only a few who currently poll in the single digits.

-Gilberto Perez

Zimbabwe's Dollar and Sweets

I'm including this article in our NCC post because we had just talked about it in class. Zimbabwe gives out sweets in the place of coin change because their smallest denomination is a U.S. dollar bill. My question is, if they do not have a smaller denomination than $1, why do they even have a concept for coin change? And if people are so unhappy with being shortchanged or having to pay extra for the reason of not receiving sweets, why do they not begin a coin denomination? It seems so unnecessary to have a coin concept, with no coins to put into rotation.

Jen Crawford

Egyptian general admits to performing 'virginity checks' on protesting women

This is the first admission coming from Egyptian generals to any accusations, all others have denied performing 'virginity checks' after being accused. An Amnesty International report, published a few weeks after protests earlier in spring, claimed that women protestors were arrested, beaten, given electric shocks, strip-searched, threatened with prostitution charges, and forced to allow virginity checks. The article claims that these 'checks' were done to keep their good name; they were done so that women couldn't later claim that (while camping) they had been raped by the Egyptian authorities. A general -who remained anonymous- claims that these checks were performed so they could prove these women were not virgins to begin with, and "none of them were".

I found this article to be so harmful and abrasive to these women. This is what we try to figure out when we deal with human rights; these women were beaten until they submitted to these tests that only harmed these women. One of the captured and tested women came forward and stated that, "they wanted to teach us a lesson... They wanted us to feel that we have no dignity." It's pathetic what happens to people when they feel they have no rights. They're taken advantage of daily. For a country that is pushing and fighting for democracy, they are still behind years in practice of human rights.


Jen Crawford

UN seeks probe after torture-killing of Syrian boy

The U.N. is talking with Syria about possible violent acts against children during the commotion throughout the state. An online video surfaced that showed a 13-year-old boy, who had been arrested at a protest on April 29, and said to had been tortured, mutilated and killed before his body was returned to his family. "The video shows his battered, discolored face. His skin is scrawled with cuts, gashes, deep burns and bullet wounds that would probably have injured but not killed, The New York Times reported. According to an unidentifed narrator, his jaw and kneecaps are shattered, and his penis chopped off."Human rights activities are saying that 1,000 civilians have been killed and 10,000 arrested in a government crackdown. Read more

Posted by Christine Steinbeiss

Saudi prince calls for lower oil prices

Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal said today that he wants oil prices to drop so that they United States and Europe don't accelerate efforts to wean themselves off his country's supply. In an interview broadcast today on "CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS," the grandson of the founding king of modern Saudi Arabia said the oil price should be somewhere between $70 and $80 a barrel, rather than the current level of over $100 a barrel.A major investor in the United States, the prince said the country remains a desired investment target because of stability. Talal also said Saudi Arabia needs to "enact some new laws whereby the participation of the people has to be done, one way or another."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/05/29/us.saudi.prince.oil/index.html?hpt=T1

-Tharryn Wright

Boundless Loyalty to Mao Zedong in China, but liberals are fighting back

On May 23rd a petition containing 10,000 people's names was delivered to a police station in Beijing. This petition demanded justice, accusing liberal economist Mao Yushi of slandering the late chairman Mao Zedong and attempting to overthrow the Communist Party. This is a relatively uncommon action taken by the Maoists because it is typically victims of government wrongdoings who make petitions. Lately, there has been some unrest between the two parties causing the authorities to increase the number of arrests and/or vanishings of government critics. Mr. Mao relayed his message through typical liberal outlets such as blogs and other websites. A similar situation also arose with the arrest of artist Ai Weiwei in April. The basis of Mr. Mao's criticism stems from the millions of deaths that can be attributed to Mao Zedong's time in office in the 1950's and Mr. Mao believes that now is the time to end the "idolization" surrounding Mao. The Communist Party is becoming increasingly aware of this "jasmine revolution" that has spread in China offering harsh words to those who disagree stating, “The whole nation is waiting for the dawn, the dawn of a day when Mao Yu-Shit (sic) and other anti-Mao reactionaries who vilify Mao are annihilated.” The future implications of this controversy could have some interesting outcomes. First, in the next few days the country will celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party and Maoists do not want any revolutionists to dirty the name of the man that led them to power. Second, Bo Xilia, a Maoist favorite, is in position to take control of a powerful seat in the coming year. One such possibility is becoming the head of domestic security which would likely lead to even less tolerance of the liberal party. Time will tell.

By Tommy Walker

Airstrike by NATO

NATO attempted an airstrike against Taliban fighters in the Kabul, Afganistan on Sunday. Unfortunately, their attack resulted in the death of 14 civilians living inside the targeted compund. The targeted persons were five insurgents that had previously "attacked a coalition foot patrol and killed a Marine." General David H. Petraeus, coalition commander in Afghanistan, spoke out on behalf of the military ensuring that amends would be made with the families of those who lost their life in the attack. With continuous fatalities of civilians the realtionship between the NATO-led militarycoalition and the Afghan government has been comprimised.

Ana Foster

Trouble Around Sudan's Border

In a not so surprising twist, the Northern Sudanese army is threatening to occupy two territories along the volatile border that separates the north from the south. Governments of both sides are contesting a region that straddles the border called Abyei, and earlier this week the northern forces pushed their way in to the area causing tensions to rise just weeks before the country splits. In a note from the Northern Sudanese army, the high command plan on taking over the Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan areas in coming days. This act of aggression could set off a war between the North and the South which both have extensive stockpiles of firearms. The border itself is disputed because of tribal rivalries, ethnicities, and religions. It also happens to have Sudan's largest reserve of oil as well as being the most fertile part of the country. The Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan regions along with the rest of the Abyei area were meant to hold informal referendums as to whether they would decide to join the south or the north in the split, as per a compromise between the North and South. With Northern aggression that has failed to happen according to the Southern leadership. This is becoming an explosive and tense situation that possibly could spark another civil war in northern Africa.

by Margaret Nunne

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/30/world/africa/30sudan.html?_r=1&ref=world

Goodluck Jonathon sworn in as president

After a violent election process, and amidst current rioting, Goodluck Jonathon was sworn in as Nigeria's president today. Jonathon, a Christian from the southern part of the country, won 60 percent of the vote in what has been deemed a fair and free election by the international community. However, this has not deterred his opponents, those who supported his Muslim contender from the north of the country. In Nigeria's history presidents usually alternate every four years from Muslim northerner to Christian southerner. Jonathon's reelection, however, has upset this process, which has sparked much of the outrage in the country. Jonathon first assumed the presidency in 2010 when as vice president, he was the next in line when the former President Umaru Yar'Adua died. Hopefully things will settle down in the country once the president gets down to business and begins fulfilling his campaign promises. However, with the amount of resentment directed at him despite the fair election, this will be a daunting process of the new president.

-Abbey Smith

South Tyneside Council 'gets Twitter data' in blog case

History is being made in Cyber law enforcement. South Tyneside Council of UK brought a case against a blogger to California. The UK blogger "Mr Monkey" is said to have made numerous libelous statements about council members and their friends and families. Twitter opened up Independent South Shields councillor, Ahmed Khan's Twitter account to investigate his association with the blog.

While Khan and his Twitter followers are calling this an invasion of privacy and a violation of their human rights, those on the other side of the conflict see it another way. David Potts, a member of the council, calls the allegations he has endured disgusting and completely false. He claims he and those around him have suffered. The question them becomes, where is the line drawn for free speech? Experts do not think this suit will go far since it is being sought in the United States and Twitter operates under USA laws. Still, this may make some think twice before falsely (or truthfully) accusing those in power, even in the USA.

Renee Hessing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-13588284

Egyptian court fines ousted government officials $90 million

In what appears to be the first charge against the former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his top officials, a Cairo court has slammed them with a substantial fines. The court accused them of cutting internet and mobile network off during the uprising occurred earlier this year. According to the spokesperson for the general prosecutor, Mr. Mubarak was fined $34 million, former Interior Minister Habib El-Adly $50 million, and former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif $6 million respectively. The payments are due immediately according to the statement released by the court. It also said that the fines will be deducted from their personal account which are already frozen. Follow more at: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/28/egypt.mubarak.fines/index.html?hpt=T1


By: Namgyel Dorji

Canadian Moose Hazard

Over a century ago local leaders of Newfoundland introduced the moose to the island with the hopes of attracting more hunters and tourists to help what was then a struggling colony. The moose has become known as a Canadian icon and it is of no surprise that moose roam freely in many parts of the country. However, the uniqueness of Newfoundland is that it lacks natural predators of the moose. Consequently, the moose population has increased immensely, numbering in the hundred thousands. Although this may appear to be a hunter's paradise, this is not the case because moose like to roam around the highways. Their half a ton bodies have cause roughly 700 collisions a year, most of which occur at night. In an attempt to control the moose population and reduce road hazards, the government will grant an additional five thousand hunting licenses this year and extend the moose season by one week.

-Gilberto Perez

Obama wraps up Europe trip with visit to Poland

Today marked the end of President Obama's week-long tour of Europe.  On Monday, Obama visited Ireland, where he made a stop at Moneygall, the town where his Irish ancestors once lived.  Then on Tuesday the president visited the UK, where he enjoyed a state dinner hosted by the queen and became the first US President to address a joint session of the British Parliament.  His tour then continued on to France, where the G8 Summit was held in Deauville.  During this summit, the G8 discussed economic and security matters and issued a statement praising the revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East.  They also released the Deauville Partnership, which is a new effort to help Middle Eastern economies better integrate into the regional and world markets, and announced that they would assist Egypt and Tunisia in recovering stolen assets.  President Obama also met individually with French President Srakozy, Russian President Medvedev, and Japanese Prime Minister Kan, to whom he stressed America's commitment in helping Japan recover from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.  To close out his tour, Obama stopped in Poland, where he visited the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial and had a dinner with Polish President Komorowski and other Central and Eastern European heads of state.  Although defense was one of the main issues the president hoped to discuss in Poland, he also made an effort to praise the political and economic progress of Poland and all of Eastern Europe following the fall of communism, and stressed America's desire to help them to continue to progress.

Mark Zajac 

Ferrari Zooms into India

Ferrari zooms into India. It's as simple as that. "Now India's burgeoning super-rich are sharing in the dream, with the opening of the country's first official Ferrari dealership in New Delhi." This is the 58th market for Ferrari, and it has continued to show steady growth throughout Asia. In the 1990s, Ferrari was mainly dominated in the U.S., Germany, Italy, and the UK, which represented about 90% of their markets. Today, China shows for Ferrari's second largest market, but they also have representation in Emirates, Singapore, Hong Kong, and now India. What strikes me about this move is the disparity of wealth in India. According to the World Bank, 27.5% of the population lives below the national poverty line and 16% do not have access to an adequate supply of clean water. "There is a big gap between rich and poor, and inequality is increasing," said Dr Tirthankar Roy, a reader in economic history at the London School of Economics. How can't the rich do something about this problem. If they can afford a Ferrari, I'm sure they have some pocket0change saved up somewhere that they can do a little something to help out those in poverty in their own country.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/26/ferrari.india.launch/index.html

-Kristine Zizis

G8 leaders call on Gaddafi to go

World leaders at the G8 summit in France have issued a joint call for the embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to step down. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and U.S. President Barack Obama were among those in attendance, and all agreed that they could not allow Gaddafi to stay in power any longer. The communique issued at the end of the G8 summit says, "Gaddafi and the Libyan government have failed to fulfill their responsibility to protect the Libyan population and have lost all legitimacy. He has no future in a free, democratic Libya. He must go." The communique was issued as NATO reported that government forces had laid landmines in the rebel-held western Libyan city of Misrata.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13572830

Megan Borows

Italy and Spain are exploring in investing in Bonds

Italy and Spain are testing the waters to see if they want to invest in bonds. They are looking at bonds as a source to improve their economy to prevent future european bailout situations. I don't this is the best way to go. With recent countries having to be bailed out, other ways to secure a bailout is better than no way.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110527-706624.html

-Richard (RJ) McNichols

U.S. American Freed from North Korea

North Korea announced that it would release a U.S. American who has been detained there for about six months. Apparently the detainee, Eddie Yong-su Jun, had been visiting the country on a valid and legal business visa, but was then forced to stay because he had allegedly engaged in inappropriate religious behavior.

Why did North Korea decide to free him, then? Robert R. King, the American special envoy for human rights issues in North Korea visited the country and expressed regret over the incident. He was evidently more successful than former President Jimmy Carter was. Earlier this year, Carter and a group of world leaders called the Elders had attempted to get Jun released on humanitarian grounds, but failed.

To read more, click here for the original article.

-Gracie Hollister

Yemen: Air strikes 'target tribal fighters'

As I currently have a friend in Yemen who is covering the revolution, I find it surprising that most of the attention has been focused on Syria. Saleh is just as bad as Assad. In this article, BBC covers the story on airstrikes being carried out by the Yemeni government against the tribes that are revolting. The human rights abuses currently being endured by the people of Yemen is a big problem. I do not think it is fair to only focus on a handful of countries. Sanctions also should be imposed against Saleh.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13574277

post by Rima

Explosion in Afghanistan

On Thursday a bomb exploded in a field in Afghanistan, killing 9 NATO officers of which 7 were U.S. troops. Just 12 miles from the Pakistan border, others were also killed and injured. Afghan forces thought they had cleared all terrorists from the area, but a spokesperson for the Taliban confirmed that they were indeed responsible for the explosion and that it was intentional. This attack is said to be the worst single attack on NATO forces since October of 2009. With the increasing number of U.S. troops being attacked over the recent years in the provinces of Afghanistan, the Pentagon has spent a reported $495 million in surveillance blimps as well as 5,000 hand-held bomb detectors and other equipment to assist the U.S. troops advance in their missions while in Afghanistan.

Click here to read more.

Summarized by: Heather Krizka

Sex Trafficking of Americans: The Girls Next Door

Remember how we were talking about how we have no idea that sex trafficking goes on in our backyard? Well this Vanity Fair article definitely takes a stab at describing it.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/05/sex-trafficking-201105?fb_ref=social_fblike&fb_source=home_multiline

Amy Fine Collins shows, human trafficking is much closer to home than you think; victims, younger than ever, are just as likely to be the homegrown American girl next door as illegally imported foreigners. Having gained access to victims, law-enforcement officials, and a convicted trafficker, Collins follows a major case that put to the test the federal government’s Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

Post by Rima

Ivory Coast Inaugurates New President

With the formal inaguration of Ivory Coast President Allasane Ouattara there is strong hope for a new page after all the turmoil that the country has faced in recent months as well as the past. Hundreds were killed following the vote that took place in November and it is said that 10 mass graves have been found outside the comericial capital city of Abidjan. This country has had a long standing ethnic and tribal divide that has sustained itself since the end colonialism in the country, which has led to the death of a great deal of people. With all this in minds of the people of the country there is definetely a strong positive hope that is seen in the newly inagurated President that will hopefully bring peace.

Matt Boguslawski