Problems in Fallujah

After one of the worst outbreaks of violence in Iraq since the war began a ceasefire is holding in Fallujah, though Al-Jazeera has reported United States forces engaging Iraqi militants despite the implementation of a ceasefire. It must be noted though that Al-Jazeera is currently in a dispute with the American military who it accused of pressuring journalists to provide a positive outlook on the war effort, but the New York Times independently verifies that military engagements continue as American troops are shot at. As many as 60 000 refugees have poured into Baghdad to flee from the violence that left over 600 Iraqis killed in the last week, many of the men stating that they were only there to drop off their families before returning to join the resistance. The 600 figure is apparently difficult to confirm though, as American reporters are unable to independently verify the numbers. The United States military in the meantime has stated that at least 73 of its troops have been killed since the beginning of the month as of April 12th. The city itself is apparently strengthening a sense of nationalism among Iraqis who want to see the United States leave their country. As the conflict continues, it appears that his sentiment is increasing, with even moderate Shiite leaders stating that the fighting in the Sunni region is moving the public against the Americans. This situation could become increasingly dire in the coming days if a resolution is not found, as US Marines have found evidence of organized suicide squads. There has been some high level opposition to the way the United States is conducting itself in Fallujah -- senior British officers have spoken to the Telegraph about the military action, condemning the tactics as heavy-handed and disproportionate and Islamic Scholars in Saudi Arabia have declared it a 'great injustice.' The special Iraqi advisor to Secretary General Kofi Annan has also criticized the events in Fallujah, offered a withering analysis of America's Iraqi governance, and slammed the occupied forces for detaining prisoners without trial or charge.

Back to the man who is seen to be at the center of this affair after the United States took a risky move to try and politically alienate him several weeks ago, though being constantly pursued by the United States who has threatened to either capture or kill him, Sadr has continued to be defiant in the face of American pressure, stating that he is ready to die in order to end the occupation of Iraq, but did propose a peace process in an attempt to resolve the situation and has since dropped many of his conditions.

Facing a round of hostage taking and kidnapping, Japan has urged any of its citizens to leave the country and Russia has offered to airlift 800 of its citizens out of Iraq to escape the danger. The United States government has urged its citizens to leave Saudi Arabia because of the threat of future terrorist attacks. The New York Times has run a story about how American civilians, lured over to Iraq by either money or patriotism, are now facing some grim realities. Bush, however, stated at his news conference that his resolve remains firm, vowing to provide any troops and services necessary to do the job. Blair is taking the other side at the same time, attempting to garner an increased United Nations role for the country.

The new Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was sworn in, vowing to crack down on terror and push for social and political reforms such as the legalization of gay marriage. Spain declared that the core group responsible for the devastating attacks on the rail system has been neutralized. King Abdullah of Jordan reported that this intelligence agency has prevented a massive attack in the country that could have killed thousands of people. European nations have rejected a 'truce tape' that was reportedly sent from Osama bin Laden asking them to pull their troops out of the Muslim world.

Ariel Sharon is looking for American approval of his disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip, though the Bush administration's reaction to this idea has traditionally been somewhat cool. Bush however decided to hail the plan and support Israel in its implementation, leading to a Hamas statement condemning the move and reiterating how armed struggle is the only option for the Palestinian people. Yasser Arafat also denounced the plan, stating that Palestinians will never give up the right to return to their homes in the West Bank as the plan outlines. The United Nations human rights body has independently called on Israel to halt settlement activities and stop work on its West Bank barrier, which Ha'aretz reported on how the current construction has actually increased the military burden on the IDF.


The 9/11 commission received testimony from CIA director George Tenant, who admitted that the agency made mistakes before the terrorist attacks occurred and stated that it will take another five years to develop the kind of intelligence agency that the country needs to combat external threats.

As the ANC walks to what looks like an easy victory in South African elections, the Christian Science Monitor put together a little expose on the leader, Thabo Mbeki, as well as outlining the chronic problems facing the country.

China has slammed the proposed meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and the Dalai Lama, likening him to a Quebec separatist. The Canadian government in turn, and quite properly, basically told them to shove off, stating that they were meeting the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader, although the Tibetan government in exile is apparently concerned that the meeting might not be good for tentative negotiations with China. Canada is also under fire from the US 'drug czar,' who is accusing the country of being the primary supplier of high-grade marijuana.

The Atlantic Monthly has a couple of articles that you might want to check out. First is one about American's supposed obsession with rose-colored politics, a piece on Democratic speechwriter Bob Shrum, a piece on how American should begin to take its international treaty obligations seriously, and how being funny affects your chances as the Presidency.

- New software uploaded to the Mars rovers will help them travel longer distances and possibly extend their missions until September.
- Now that we've found evidence of water on Mars, National Geographic takes us through the many questions that arise from this discovery.
- The Cassini probe has found two moons of Saturn that appear to keep one of the planet's rings in check with their gravitational influence.
- Observing over 14 000 stars over a 1000 night period has led astronomers to create a map of our solar system.
- Other astronomers have hypothesized that we live in a funnel shaped universe.
- An international team of astronomers have used a method called gravitational microlensing to discover a new planet orbiting a distant star.
- Scientists in Florida are looking for a better theory on how the Earth's magnetic field flips periodically.
- Astronomers have come up with a theory on why intermediately-sized black holes exist. The answer turns out to be due to colliding stars.
- Astronomers have found that Sedna, the newest candidate to be a planet, has no moons.
- Scientists working for Tyco have created water that isn't wet.
- Time to turn the radio down -- a Canadian study found that listening to loud music can hamper reaction times by up to 20%.
- Honey is being studied by an Australian company for its medicinal properties.
- Researchers in Sweden may have found a theory that explains how cell phone use is bad for your health.
- Not only does eating chocolate during pregnancy keep the mother happy, it may keep the baby happy as well.
- Scientists are working on using a type of bacteria to clean up areas polluted by uranium and other toxic compounds.
- But if the bacteria doesn't work out, you could always try plants.
- Greenland's melting ice cap has the capacity to raise sea levels by up to 7 meters (23 feet), submerging major cities now at sea level. Global temperatures have already increased almost 2 Fahrenheit degrees over the last 100 years, raising the sea levels between 4 to 8 inches.
- The deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is decreasing slightly after a record high year. The Economist takes a look at the development issues surrounding the deforestation of the Amazon.
- According to a recent study, scientists believe that migrating birds rely on the sunset to navigate.
- Scientists at Cornell have created software that could allow blind people to 'see' color.
- The seal hunt has begun in northern Canada, sparking the usual protests from animal activists.
- Australia is reportedly on track to meet its Kyoto Treaty commitments.
- Another article about our relationships with our pets.
- Researchers have discovered what part of our brain controls insight and our aesthetic sense.
- The death of all the alpha-males in a baboon colony has caused a dramatic and seemingly permanent transformation in their culture.
- The whole Terminator battle scenes might be a reality in a few years, as researchers continue to improve the battle robot.
- The government of the United States has proposed strict spam sentencing.

- The Pope, fatigued by his busy Easter schedule, is told by his doctor to skip his speech at his Wednesday general audience.
- Catholic bishops mull over what to do about John Kerry's votes against church teachings, although the Campaign Desk notes that they might be the ones who are out of touch with Catholics.
- The Church is also throwing its weight around in Poland's upcoming elections.
- Inflation in the United States is growing faster than expected, raising fears that the Federal Reserve might increase interest rates.
- Some Democrats are worried that Bill Clinton's memoirs will overshadow John Kerry's presidential campaign.
- African Anglican bishops have decided that they will not agree to receive funds from Western churches that ordain gay bishops.
- There are growing signs that China's economy might be overheating.
- Amazon has now come out with their own search engine and its getting a good deal of praise from experts.
- A Slate writer defends Google's new email system.
- The average PC has 28 items of spyware on it -- have you used Adaware lately?
- Real Networks and Apple are in talks about a partnership to go against Microsoft in the digital music business.
- An ABC article on an artist known for her outback paintings.
- A New York Times story on the large impact microfinance operations have for poor women in developing nations.
- Another New York Times story on how Columbia's youth are using hip-hop to express themselves.
- Oxfam has come out slamming the EU for its policy of sugar subsidies which it says benefits large firms to the detriment of developing countries.
- One of Tony Blair's senior advisors has stated that the Bush administration has had a 'devastating impact' on global sustainable development, setting the world back at least ten years.
- One third of Brazlians are living on less than $1/day.
- Western notions of body image are effecting Zulu women, who traditionally have seen fuller figures as desirable.
- The UN has passed a motion censuring Cuba for human rights abuses. China, however, avoided the same fate.
- The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has issued a report citing the growing disparity between the rich and the poor as being the main component causing a drop in the overall quality of life in Canadian cities.
- A Brisbane native has set the Guinness World Record for the highest note ever sung by a male. You should check out the audio on this one.
- Astronomers are worried about undetectable asteroids that are capable of destroying cities. Wonder what the effect of the next big meteor to hit the Earth will be? Now you can find out.