Archive | June, 2007

The chief war crimes prosecutor for the United Nations, Carla del Ponte, said that the European Union should not proceed on negotiations with Serbia until all war crimes suspects have been arrested.  Del Ponte has stated that, despite positive assessments by the EU, Serbia should not be perceived as meeting …

This past year the media brought one particular issue of child trafficking and slavery to the public’s attention, camel jockeys. This year alone 43 children have already been recovered in the Middle East. Many of the children have been taken from poorer areas of Pakistan and many …

No drugs, no gala pageants, more military reform, and no Trust of Saparmurat Niyazov: This is a thrilling article for those of us who have been watching Turkmenistan over the years.  Mr. Berdymuhammedov is making several initiatives that indeed have been crying out to be made:  The article says it all …

Five weeks into his presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy – the new French premier – hosted an international conference on Darfur in Paris.  Among those in attendance was U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleeeza Rice, who spoke of the need for a renewed effort at the crisis in the troubled region in Sudan …

I received an e-mail from the Eurasian Transition Group that a newpaper interview between Dr. Rakhat Aliev and Vremya newspaper on June 16 is actually a fictional account.  Confirmation that the interview was comes from RFE/RL Newsline of June 19.  Several of us in the Central Asia blogosphere have reported …

Last month, the World Bank approved a USD 2.96 million loan to help Uzbekistan address the problems of Avian Influenza.  Though most of the other states of the Caspian region have reported bird flu incidence, Uzbekistan has had no recorded cases.  This could either be good luck or …

I'm on a short vacation now between the end of my daughter's school year and the beginning of day camp.  We're in the Florida Keys and the whole experience makes one mindful of a number of things:  technology, for one thing.  Checking destinations and flights out on the web, making …

Charles Taylor once again boycotted his trial at The Hague today.  He is claiming that he is not given fair representation for his trial after sacking his legal consul, claiming he was ‘outgunned’ by the prosecution.  He is charged with 11 counts of war crimes for atrocities committed during the …

A recent LA Times article examines the alleged judicial activism of the Mexican Supreme Court, which has recently created a committee to investigate the political violence in Oaxaca. The Court made news earlier this month for overturning the anti-competitive “Televisa Law,” impacting Mexico's two leading media conglomerates. Next …

The Gods of sport can be cruel; they surely have a well-developed sense of timing. A week after South Africa came from behind to beat a surprisingly game Australia team in their first meeting in this year's rugby Tri-Nations competition, the Springboks succumbed to a resilient New …

Education is a basic right for all children around the world, yet in the developing world there are almost two billion children, most of which are not receiving an a proper education, or any education at all. According to the Global Fund for Children one in five children, 120 …

The New York Times is reporting a wonderful story about a satirical column by Gustavo Arellano, which runs in the alternative Orange County, CA. newspaper. The friendly advice column Ask a Mexican! has dedicated itself to openly addressing stereotypes that often plague the relationship between the large …

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Saddam Hussein's cousin, known as “Chemical Ali”, was sentenced to death by hanging on Sunday for masterminding genocide against Iraq's Kurds in the 1980s, an Iraqi court said.

Much happened in migration related matters across the globe this week. Following the conservative victory in the parliamentary elections, the French president moved ahead on realizing his new restrictive immigration policies, while at the same time creating the most inclusive government in the country's history. Elsewhere, US conservatives are stepping …

Isaac Kamali, a former senior member of the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND) in Rwanda, was arrested trying to enter the United States. Kamali, who was detained in Philadelphia, is suspected of participating in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda where roughly a half-million Tutsi minorities were …