Rwanda plus 10

It has been 10 years since the ethnic genocide in Rwanda, and the Economist marks the occasion by looking back on what happened and postulating how one of the greatest war crimes since 1945 could have been prevented had the rest of the world even taken some small steps of deterrence. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said that he should have done more to prevent the genocide as head of UN peacekeeping at the time, though Canadian Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, the commander of the UN forces in Rwanda before and during the genocide, noted that the UN at the time didn't think Rwandans were worthy of casualties. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham co-chaired the memorial conference at UN headquarters, stating that the international community must learn from what happened in Rwanda to prevent future genocidal actions. The Washington Post published an article about how the society tries to deal with les enfants de mauvais souvenir, as over 250 000 women are estimated to have been raped by Hutu militia groups.

The hunt for the perpetrators of the Spanish bombings continue as investigators have found what they believe to be the workshop where the bombs were constructed. It has also been discovered that some of the suspected bombers were pulled over by the police over traffic violations while travelling in a vehicle packed with explosives. German police investigating the background of a Moroccan student arrested by Spanish authorities who previously lived in Germany. The new Spanish socialist government has come out swinging against allegations that its victory signalled an appeasement to terrorists, and has promised to double the number of troops it has currently stationed in Afghanistan. In France authorities are detaining three suspects they believe to be involved in the plot to destroy a rail line.

A new al-Qaeda tape broadcast by al-Jazerra urges Muslims in Pakistan to overthrow President Pervez Musharraf over recent attacks on Taliban and al-Qaeda positions by Pakistani troops. Pakistan believes that this fighting has led to the wounding of a prominent Uzbek al-Qaeda leader who is now forced on the run. Musharraf followed up be declaring that his government would work to eliminate al-Qaeda from its borders. For these troubles the US has agreed to wave sanctions levied against Pakistan when then General Musharraf overthrew the democratically elected government in a military coup.

The Australian government has come out against an opposition plan to bring troops home from Iraq by Christmas, while at the same time signalling that it intends to bring back at least a 1/3 of the troops by the middle of the year, causing the opposition Labour party to call the government hypocritical in its Iraq policy.

In Iraq, there has been an attempt on the life of the only female member of the Governing Council in Northern Iraq. This comes as the United States begins to hand over the control of government ministries to the Council, starting with the health ministry. The US is also ensuring that there are strong ties between the Iraqi Defence Ministry and the American military after control is fully handed over to the Council on June 30th. There are still vast internal political problems as Shiite clerics organize against the US-approved constitution. American-Shia relations continued to degrade today after the US banned a Shia newspaper for inciting violence, though supporters of the paper see it as an attack over freedom of expression. The Christian Science Monitor published a story on the rare but high-exposure human rights abuses carried out by American soldiers in Iraq. The soldiers are clearly feeling the pressure of the situation, as 23 of them have committed suicide in the last year, over a third higher than the proportion in the US army overall.

The trial of Saddam Hussein is going ahead, with French lawyer Jacques Verges offering to defend the former dictator. He has already pronounced his concern that the trial will not be fair to the defendant. It has since come out that Saddam was betrayed by a bodyguard and relative, who after capture and interrogation gave US forces the location of the dictator.

The New York Times questions whether the proposed Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip will be better for Israel or Hamas. In other Israel-related stories, the EU has warned Israel against using the construction of the security fence as a land grab from the Palestinians. Israel is going through a similar intelligence review to the United States, with a Knesset inquiry slamming Mossad for not properly assessing the threat of Libya and Iraq.

An Imam in Cairo has called upon God to 'strike down the Jews,' as about 25 000 people attended services in his Mosque. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa is quoted as saying, "The current regrettable circumstances in the Palestinian occupied territories indicate that there is no partner for peace in Israel now. It is not only the criminal incident but also all these statements coming from Israel which indicate that they have no concern for peace, none whatever," as an Arab forum on regional reform and moderation opened in the wake of the Yassin assassination. Palestinian groups have come out against the use of children as suicide bombers, including the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade which is seen as behind the attempted terrorist attack involving a 14-year-old. al-Jazeera, however, goes as far as to call the whole story a fabrication, while noting that Israel has killed 263 Palestinian children under the age of 14 since the current Intifada started over 3 years ago.

The United States is in diplomatic hot water over its veto of the UN Security Council resolution last week condemning the assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Ahmen Yassin, with Russia calling the action 'regrettable,' and the Palestinians pointing out that it gives Israel a carte blanche to kill at will. The new leader of Hamas, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, has denounced George Bush as an enemy of Muslims over the veto. Israel, needless to say, was quite happy with it.

Tony Blair's Labour government has passed the Civil Partnerships Bill, effectively giving all homosexual couples equal rights as heterosexual couples. The British Conservative party in response is holding a 'gay summit' today to improve their relations with the gay community. Back in Massachusetts state representatives and senators have come up with a similar arrangements, agreeing on a state constitutional amendment that will ban same-sex marriage but legalize civil unions. Of course there is always the option taken by officials in Benton County, Oregon, who have banned all marriages altogether until it is clear to officials there who can and can't be legally married.

Howard Dean has officially endorsed John Kerry for president at a rally at George Washington University. That's OK, because Bush got Don King's endorsement at the same time. Yes, that Don King. Slate explores the issues surrounding whether going to war during a President's term makes it more or less likely for him to be re-elected. The Christian Science Monitor points out how abortion is becoming more of an election issue. The 9/11 commission has come to the conclusion that the Clinton and Bush strategies for dealing with al-Qaeda were almost identical pre-9/11, bringing into question the Bush administration's long standing claims that they developed a superior system. The White House has also finally admitted that the President asked Clarke to look into links between Iraq and the 9/11 bombings on September 12th. The Christian Science Monitor points out how all the continued criticism is damaging the Bush administration's 'aura on terror,' causing his approval rating to fall, and the Economist looks at what went wrong and what can be done about it. In what has to be the biggest irony ever though, the Bush campaign blasted the John Kerry for using scripture to justify his points. I think the far more interesting point that seems to be missed by the article is over which quote Kerry used -- "The Scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" -- which is a very Catholic theological viewpoint as opposed to Bush's evangelical Protestant background. Very interesting...

Also:
- Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory are exploring ways to use the immune system of the mosquito to fight malaria.
- Researchers in India have obtained results showing that circumcision reduces the risk to contract AIDS.
- The Economist writes on the increasing popularity of gastric bypasses.
- Despite all of the international funding associated with it, 90% of the world's poor with AIDS have no access to retroviral drugs. This comes as human rights activists warn that the Bush administration could obstruct access to generic HIV/AIDS drugs in order to protect domestic drug companies.
- Thought olives and plum juice had to be relatively good for you? Probably overall, but according to the FDA they are not risk free.
- A team of international scientists have found that low levels of electrical activity in the brain cause some people with epilepsy to have seizures.
- The Republic of Ireland has banned smoking from all restaurants, pubs and workplaces, but it apparently won't stop the manufacturers of herbal cigarettes.
- The Mekong River in China is undergoing unusual fluctuations in its flow and scientists believe it may be caused by China's dam project.
- The United Nations Environment Program is raising the alarm on the number of dead zones in the ocean caused growths of algae.
- The Montreal Protocol, the international treaty that limits or bans the use of ozone destroying substances, is facing challenges from developing countries who want to retain the right to use a pesticide outlawed under the treaty.
- The United Nations Environment Programme has issued a report showing that the amount of plant life in the world has actually increased in the last 25 years.
- First there was ethanol in gasoline, now there might be soya oil in jet fuel.
- The government of Canada is calling on all Canadians to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels by one tonne every year.
- Canadian astronomers are looking for the remains of a meteor that lit up the prarie sky last week.
- Thought we only had one moon? Turns out that we may have, well... 1 1/2... or something.
- A geomorphologist (which is one occupation I've never heard of before) at the University of Arizona has explained by the icecaps of Mars exhibit a spiral pattern.
- Unexplained results from recent particle physics experiments may have been caused by the presence of more WIMPS than usual.
- The detection of methane in the Mars atmosphere by the NASA landers may further indicate the past presence of life.
- You can't knock them for never thinking big -- NASA scientists are looking into ways to terraform Mars, while in their free time they're trying to come up with the 'Theory of Everything.'
- A NASA jet, using a scramjet engine, has broken the world speed record with a maximum speed of 4 780 mph (Mach 7).
- In a small setback to nanotechnology, buckyballs have been found to cause brain damage in fish.
- The ABC presents a transcript from a show discussing the history of how we think about light.
- The only Hebrew relic thought to be from the First Temple might be a fake.
- Thought spam was bad? Just wait until spim really catches on.
- The BBC discusses the popularity of digital cameras.
- The Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that Apple drop its marketing claim that the G5 processor is 'the world's fastest, most powerful personal computer.'
- Congress might be looking into criminalizing peer-to-peer networks.
- Elections in Afghanistan are being delayed as expected over security concerns and delays in voter registration.
- The Israeli army has unveiled tiny drone planes outfitted with cameras that can be used for instant aerial intelligence.
- Over 1000 laptop users are expected to converge in a flashmob to create the world's fastest supercomputer.

- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has met with Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in Libya, ending 30 years of international isolation.
- The United States senate has passed a bill making it a separate offence to harm a foetus during an attack on a pregnant woman.
- Looking for the model egalitarian Islamic society? According to the CSM, you should check out the Saharawis of Algeria and the Western Sahara.
- The poor inhabitants are increasingly looking towards a new saint to help them with their problems, although I'm fairly sure that it's not one condoned by the Catholic Church.
- China has announced that it will intervene in Taiwan if the political crisis continues.
- Tensions between China and Japan have increased slightly over 7 protesters who attempted to reclaim a Japanese island for China.
- The organization Transparency International has released its list of top 10 most corrupt world leaders.
- It doesn't take rocket science to know that certain parts of the United Nations should be overhauled. The Atlantic Monthly has an article about one of the proposals -- a democracy caucus.
- The Guardian explores why Americans are on average more wealthy than Brits.
- The Economist explores the limits to reform in Saudi Arabia.
- The pro-Western Justice and Development Party has held onto power in Turkish elections.
- The Socialist Party in France has made large gains in recent local elections winning over 50% with its coalition partners, much to the dismay of President Chirac.
- The party of President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia has won 78.6% of the popular vote and has taken all of the seats in parliament, spurring fears of a one-party state.
- With about 70 people already killed in clashes between government forces and opposition supporters in the Ivory Coast, opposition parties are urging further protest against President Laurent Gbagbo's government.
- Cherie Blair, Tony Blair's wife, is speaking out against the number women incarcerated for petty offences in Britain.
- Mexican authorities have arrested six British cavers, accusing them of looking for radioactive materials.
- The effects of differing political traditions through colonial rulers are showing up in the new African Parliament.
- An Italian government worker strike is paralyzing the country.
- The Venezualan ombudsman has accused security forces of abusing human rights after allegations of them torturing detainees.
- The Russian military is planning on launching its own television channel.
- The New York Times discusses how reality show casting has become a science unto its own.
- You hear a lot of rhetoric about how Wall Street supposedly doesn't care about the average worker. Turns out it just might be correct.
- Seven new eastern European countries are being added to NATO today.
- Iran has allowed UN nuclear inspectors back into the country to inspect nuclear facilities, while apparently at the same time resumed some uranium-enrichment activities.
- Talks between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus are almost complete over the reunification of the country

- Stats Canada has released a report revealing that most people with low-paying jobs never graduate to higher-paying ones. At the same time, minimum-wage jobs are primarily held by teenagers or young adults.
- National Geographic Traveller has ranked Cape Breton Island as the world's second best tourist destination. (pdf)
- Point Pleasant Park in Halifax has temporarily reopened for the first time after the exceptional damage caused to it by Hurricane Juan.
- Paul Martin must be more important than we thought, as his plane was buzzed by a UFO.
- A website for the Trudeau foundation has been blocked in China, apparently because it contained references to rights and democracy.
- A court threw out the case of three Jewish brothers who were attempting to have The Passion of the Christ banned from French theatres.
- A Moscow judge has banned Jehovah's Witnesses from operating in the capital city.
- The last instalment of the Left Behind series is going on sale Tuesday.
- The Pope has issued a statement reminding Catholics that Sunday is for God, not sports.
- A slightly humorous take on the comparison of same sex unions to bestiality from the Village Voice.
- A picture tour through the former Chernobyl site.
- What is the most logical thing to do with 780 gallons of red paint, three fire hoses and a 20-member crew at your disposal? Paint an iceberg, of course!
- If you've got a little time, have some fun with optics.
- A little flash animation on how the world is going to end, just in case you’re interested.