18 developed countries have announced a deal that would erase $55 billion of African debt from the books. This will have a large impact on the budgets of many African countries who are currently facing large, unsolvable crises. President Bush has added to the dialogue the need for additional governmental reform and free trade, parroting the line that got most of these countries in this mess in the first place. Name me one underdeveloped country that achieved development through free trade and not protectionism and I'll buy you a beer. The Bush administration is also under fire for the paltry amount they plan to personally write off for poor African countries, only a little more than half a billion dollars, most of which won't be in the form of new spending, but will come from existing budgets. The Christian Science Monitor has a pretty good overview of the deal, what it means and the various ideologies surrounding the decision.
A large battle is taking place in Australia over a Chinese diplomat, Chen Yonglin, who is attempting to defect over China's treatment of the religious group Falun Gong and pro-democracy advocates. Chen has already stated that he would rather die than return to China, given what would likely happen to him if he was returned. China has come out denying his claims of repression, saying that he would be treated fairly if returned. All evidence though shows that this is likely not the case. To quote the introduction of Amnesty International's latest report on China:
"Despite a few positive steps, no attempt was made to introduce the fundamental legal and institutional reforms necessary to bring an end to serious human rights violations. Tens of thousands of people continued to be detained or imprisoned in violation of their rights to freedom of expression and association, and were at serious risk of torture or ill-treatment ... Restrictions increased on the cultural and religious rights of the mainly Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang, where thousands of people have been detained or imprisoned for so-called “separatist” or “terrorist” offences. In Tibet and other ethnic Tibetan areas, freedom of expression and religion continued to be severely restricted. China continued to use the international “war against terrorism” as a pretext for cracking down on peaceful dissent." (italics mine)
Pro-democracy advocates have rallied in Australia in support of the defection of Chen Yonglin and another diplomat, but after appealing to both Australia and the United States, it is unlikely that they will be granted asylum. All of this comes as China has issued an additional clampdown on expression on the internet, setting up a program that will monitor all internet activity for voices of political dissent against the government. They have also set up a host of pro-government sites and commentators to combat any non-sanctioned expression. In addition, Microsoft has agreed to censor any reference to democracy or freedom from their Chinese website. Oh, and I almost forgot, the two also reported that the government of China has over 1000 spies in Canada.
With the widest range of candidates since the Islamic Revolution, The Presidential election in Iran has turned violent, as some candidates, including the leading reformist Behzad Nabavi, have been physically assaulted. Nabavi was quoted as saying that he hasn't "been beaten like this since the days of SAVAK." In addition to physical assaults, Iranian candidates also have to deal with a number of bomb attacks that have killed at least 10 people. Hundreds of women protested in Tehran, the largest public display of women since the revolution, over the discrimination they face in their day-to-day lives. Despite all of these events and what will likely be a tight race, the largest problem that election officials will likely face on election day is the apathy of the electorate.
Life for the political opposition in Ethiopia is getting tougher, with many now subject to house arrest. The government is defending its crackdown, one that resulted in the deaths of dozens protesters. As if that wasn't enough, the government then went about arresting over 3000 people and beating journalists.
A couple of human sexuality reports have come out this week. The first shows that men engaged in watching mixed-gender pornography produce more sperm, possibly because the presence of other males engaged in sexual activity boosts the competitive side of male sexual physiology. The second is about females, specifically that there is a genetic component to whether or not they can achieve orgasm. Traditionally, social or psychological problems have been associated with female sexual problems of this nature.
Also:
- A group of astronomers have found a rocky planet orbiting a star 15 light years away that has 7 1/2 times the mass of earth, the smallest discovered to date.
- A view from the inside of a tornado, caught for the first time ever.
- Global Warming only exists if you let it exist; the Bush administration is caught editing scientific documents to downplay the link between fossil fuels and climate change. Oh, and while your at it, you can then quit your job and get one with ExxonMobil.
- Global military spending is approaching Cold War highs, with the USA accounting for 47% of it.
- New buzzword of the moment: "terabyte-lifestyle."
- The latest version of OS X might show that using folders to organize a computer system is a thing of the past.
- StatsCanada released a report showing that having less than a high-school education is very detrimental to your chances of getting married.
- Having good friends will help you live longer.
- Stem cell treatment for brain disorders has made another major advance.
- There is a very good chance that the UN Security Council will be reformed to include 10 extra members.
- CNN shocks the world by airing a program in the United States that reports actual news.
- An autopsy done on Terri Shiavo is putting Republican tactics on the issue into question.
- South Africa reinvents the chastity belt with its latest efforts to catch rapists.
- The enormous impact of Robert Mugabe's decision to evict all urban poor from Zimbabwean cities.
- The Christian Science Monitor asks an important question: How can the conflict in the Congo which kills 1000 people a day not be a news story?
- An overview of the new way pro-choice groups plan to sell abortion to the general public.
- Wal-Mart is banned from preventing employees from having relationships in Germany.
- Professional wrestling and British football are growing closer together -- both now feature fans shouting "USA! USA!" The latter though, use it as an insult.
- How to cook salmon in your dishwasher. Not for the cooking neophyte.
- A collection of insulting and prejudiced quotes from the American right.
- Taking DDR to the next level.
- An article on why learning Arabic is harder than you might think.
- A new Japanese-built robot shows the impact of the uncanny valley effect.
- A collection of works by black and white photographer Ansel Adams.
- A video of Tom Lehrer on mathematics.
- What colour eyes will your children have?
- 4-dimentional objects visualized in 3-D.
- A link to the site of Dave Devries, and artist who takes pictures of monsters drawn by children and then redraws them artistically.
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