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World News Once a Week |
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| Published Thursday, March 6, 2008 |
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| Reuters/Thomas Peter: A protester holds pictures of Garry Kasparov in front of Moscow police. |
Issue 89
Remember the '90s mantra: never underestimate a Clinton on the run. In spite of all the primary votes cast since January,
the Democratic hamster wheel has not produced a candidate. (Americans took sides with even greater fervor when a divisive
op-ed about politics and women popped up in the Washington Post, drawing more than 1,000 reader comments.) Elsewhere, regional wars flared: Colombia vs Chávez and Co. got nasty over a border skirmish, while an eruption on the Gaza-Israel line put peace talks on hold. On Dmitry Medvedev's second day on the job, meanwhile, his former employer put the screws to a neighboring republic causing angst throughout western Europe.
Scottish politicians kept a stiff upper lip when forced to reconsider how to define someone as a witch (no wood needed); and in the world of pain, the more you spend, the better you feel — even when the treatment is little more than a vitamin.
- Catherine New |
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| Top Stories |
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Gaza-Israel battles threaten peace talks
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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted that a Middle East peace deal is still on track, in spite of this week's rocket
fire from both sides of the Israel-Gaza border, which killed at least 125 Palestinians and four Israelis. The year's worst fighting between Hamas and Israeli troops
erupted after Palestinian militants fired long-range missiles into the city of Ashkelon; Israel responded with air and ground strikes. In January, Israel stopped fuel shipments to Gaza, prompting residents to break through the Egyptian border for supplies.
Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas agreed to a framework for talks last November. Since the latest fighting, however, Abbas retreated from negotiations; he said he will only continue if there is a cease-fire. (CN)
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Tensions mount over Colombian border raid
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Colombian forces attacked a FARC rebel encampment located across the Ecuadorian border on Saturday, killing 17, including prominent guerilla leader Raúl Reyes. Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa — along with Venezuelan ally Hugo Chávez — condemned the incursion, deploying troops
to the border in response. Chávez expelled the Colombian ambassador from Caracas, while Correa has severed all diplomatic
relations.
Colombia accuses Ecuador of negotiating concessions to the FARC, a Marxist revolutionary group that has waged a 40-year guerilla
war against the Colombian government. Both Correa and Chávez have advocated communicating with the FARC to resolve the bitter
conflict. Last week's intervention by Chávez resulted in the release of four hostages held by the group for more than six years. (ED)
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Democrats brace for long, strange trip
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While John McCain celebrated his coronation as the Republican presidential nominee, the Democratic picture went from muddy to muddier. Hillary Clinton's victories over
Barack Obama in Ohio (resounding) and Texas (narrow) undoubtedly recharged her flagging campaign. However, Clinton stands
to gain only a few delegates from Tuesday's wins; even in a best-case scenario going forward, she has little chance of catching up to Obama in the pledged delegate count.
That's why those pesky super-delegates become ever more important, and why the Clinton campaign may float the idea of re-votes in Michigan and Florida. Tuesday's results made one thing certain: this drama won't be resolved any time soon. (BH)
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| Newswire |
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Iran extends a hand to Iraq
In a first for an Iranian leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad paid a two-day visit to Iraqi president Jalal Talabani on Sunday. By extending
a $1 billion loan to Iraq, Tehran appears to be pushing its influence with its neighbor, a historical rival. (ED)
| Christian Science Monitor | Times, UK |
Armenians riot over controversial election
In the Armenian capital of Yerevan, at least nine people were killed in riots stemming from February's disputed presidential election. Protestors contend that the election was rigged to favor current prime minister Serzh Sarkisian over his challenger, former
president Levon Ter-Petrosian. (BH)
| Sydney Morning Herald | Radio Free Europe |
Will the real Macedonia please stand up?
NATO has asked a reluctant Greece to allow Macedonia's membership bid, which will be considered at a summit next month. The
long-running dispute between the two nations stems from the shared name between the former Yugoslav republic and the region of northern Greece. (CN)
| BBC | International Herald Tribune |
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Gazprom closes tap on Kiev's pipeline
Russia energy giant Gazprom resumed gas shipments to Ukraine — after
cutting supplies by 50% earlier this week — in an ongoing debt and contract
dispute. Kiev said European supplies would be endangered if the cuts continue, fostering worry in the EU of a domino effect. (CN)
| Financial Times | Moscow Times |
Orange jumpsuit for Black
Conrad Black, a member of the British House of Lords, reported to a Florida federal prison to begin serving his six-and-a-half-year sentence.
Black was convicted of defrauding Hollinger International, the media company he once ran, out of millions of dollars. (BH)
| BusinessWeek | Guardian |
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Whistle-blower website back online
In a reversal of his own decision, District Judge Jeffrey S. White has ruled that the website Wikileaks, which is devoted to anonymous whistle-blowing, could continue to operate. White's original opinion last week provoked the ire of free-speech advocates. (BH)
| San Francisco Chronicle | PC World |
Pay the pain away
Patients claim placebos described as expensive painkillers work better than those labeled as inexpensive alternatives, according
to a new study. The results underscore the importance of patients' perception — and the placebo effect — in the treatment of pain. (CN)
| WebMD | MSNBC |
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| The Week in Pictures |
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Click to see the full-size image and caption.
 Reuters/Erin Siegal
 Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
 Reuters/Amit Dave
 Reuters/Toru Hanai
 Reuters/Vincent West
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*Unless otherwise noted, all photos are courtesy of Reuters.
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| Local Stories |
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Eco-extremists tied to arson
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Authorities suspect the Earth Liberation Front, a radical environmentalist group, of burning down three high-end model homes in a Seattle suburb. Signed graffiti at the
scene mocked eco-friendly claims by developers, who have drawn criticism for building next to a wetland. (BH)
| Seattle Post-Intelligencer | USA Today |
Scotland won't pardon its last witch
A petition to exonerate Helen Duncan, who served jail time on witchcraft charges in 1944 under an 18th-century law, was rejected by the Scottish parliament. Full Moon Investigations, the group spearheading the effort, sought to legitimize paranormal activities. (CN)
| BBC | Scotsman |
Nepali goddess steps down
Nepal's most controversial Kumari — a "living goddess" — has retired from her position, which is revered throughout the country. The 11-year-old girl caught
flak last year after becoming the first Kumari to leave home. (ED)
| Times, UK | BBC |
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| Masthead |
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Editors
Anna Balkrishna
Eli Dvorkin
Benjamin Hart
Doug Levy
Catherine New
Contributors
Mark Mangan
Production
Anjuli Ayer
Morgan Croney
Andrew Steinmetz
Design
Nicholas Feldman
Jessica Bauer-Greene
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