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14 Apr 2011 13:33

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World: Ugandan anti-gay movement still in full swing

  • David Kato was the first one who taught me to protect my human right… If I live or die, I am gay, and if I am buried, bury me gay.
  • Transgender Ugandan man George Oundo • Privately recanting his claims during a demonstration, just an hour earlier, that gay men recruited him into homosexuality at age twelve. He appeared in service of the Reverend Martin Ssempa, a virulently anti-gay crusader who goes around whipping up the Ugandan citizenry into a homophobic fervor. His preachings both fostered the current political environment that saw the brutal murder of David Kato, one of Uganda’s few openly homosexual advocates, come and go with little fanfare; he also directly influenced MP David Bahati’s legislation prescribing the death penalty for “serial homosexuality.” Oundo recanted in privacy after the event, praising David Kato and explaining that he’d been offered $42 dollars for the appearance. “I’ve always been gay, I didn’t choose it.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Apr 2011 10:44

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World: Stillborn babies: Very high rates worldwide, and even in the U.S.

  • 2.6M number of stillborn babies worldwide in 2009, according to reports published by The Lancet
  • 98% of the babies stillborn each day — roughly 7,200 — die in developing countries, some at alarming rates
  • six number of stillborn babies per 1,000 born in the United States — very high for a developed country source
  • » Controversial numbers: The numbers in the developing world are questionable simply because, being the developing world, they’re much harder to quantify. But that doesn’t make the numbers any less shocking. According to the World Health Organization’s estimates, these countries have two-thirds of the stillborn deaths worldwide: India, Pakistan, Nigeria, China, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Afghanistan and the United Republic of Tanzania. Yeah, that’s right. That’s only ten countries.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 16:22

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World: Israel’s Lieberman may face graft charges

  • Avigdor’s looming legal troubles: Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman learned from Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein today that he may face charges of graft, a tarnish that could potentially force his resignation. It’s alleged that Lieberman used shell companies, among other methods, to illictly rake in nearly $1,200,000 while serving in public office. Lieberman was already a controversial figure in Israeli politics — you may remember his proposal that all Israeli citizens pledge a loyalty oath or have their voting rights revoked. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 14:28

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World: Telecom executive gives big help to Libyan rebels

  • YES the Libyan rebels have a  mobile phone network source
  • » Welcome to Free Libyana: With international support, in particular the help of a telecom executive in Abu Dhabi named Ousama Abushagur, the Libyan rebel forces now have a hijacked mobile phone network operating within the eastern part of the country. The network, called Free Libyana, was built on the equipment foundations of a Gaddafi controlled network called simply Libyana. Mr. Abushagur, a Libyan who was raised in Alabama, led a crew of engineers and some bodyguards into Benghazi in order to secure the network for the rebel forces located there.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 20:52

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World: Experts: Forget the scale. Fukushima isn’t as bad as Chernobyl.

  • Fukushima was not as bad as Chernobyl. If Fukushima is a level 7 accident, maybe we need to go back and recalibrate the scale and add a level 8 or 9.
  • University of Southern California Prof. Najmedin Meshkati • Expressing frustration that Fukushima was rated on the same level as Chernobyl, a 7 on the nuclear accident scale. Japan’s own Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says it’s only 10 percent as bad as Chernobyl. On top of that, nobody has died from the post-quakeaccident and 21 workers have gotten minor illnesses from radiation. At Chernobyl, a number of people died — dozens immediately and many more from cancer years later. If we’re somehow putting Chernobyl on the same level as Fukushima, something’s wrong about the levels.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 16:49

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World: Heart attack may derail Mubarak corruption investigation

  • Hosni Mubarak admitted to hospital: Mubarak, who was to appear before investigators on charges of corruption (subpoenas have been issued for him and his sons), has reportedly suffered a heart attack. Reports suggest he’s receiving treatment in Sharm el-Sheikh, a resort near the Red Sea where Mubarak has lived in exile since being driven from Egypt earlier this year. The former strongman is 82-years-old, and in failing health many Egyptians fear he will die before facing justice. Journalist Jano Charbel: “The fallen dictator must be locked up in a prison cell, not placed in a five-star hospital.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 14:29

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World: Syrian security forces reportedly killing Syrian soldiers

  • issue As we mentioned yesterday, there have been reports that members of the Syrian army have been shot and killed by the government’s own security forces, because the soldiers had refused to open fire on protesting civilians.
  • example Witnesses have told Al Jazeera and the BBC that Mourad Hejjo was one such soldier; his family and a human rights monitors say he refused to fire as the army moved into Banias, and was thus killed by security force snipers.  source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

12 Apr 2011 10:56

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World: Belarus authorities lacking leads in train-station bombing

  • issue Belarus suffered its first major post-Russia terror attack yesterday at a train station in Minsk. The bombing killed 12 and injured more than 150. President Alexander Lukashenko says authorities plan to “turn everything inside out” to catch the suspects.
  • confusion The problem baffling experts? They don’t know of any major ethnic or religious divides, and most of Lukashenko’s political opponents (he’s been in office 17 years) are under constant surveillance.  So they don’t really have an idea of any sort of motive. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 10:38

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World: Ivory Coast’s Ouattara has a mess on his hands in Abidjan

  • Until we can convince the population it is not a witch hunt, they won’t come forward. We’re working on it. But once the amnesty expires, we will let the law deal with anyone who doesn’t cooperate.
  • Ivory Coast leader Alassane Ouattara • Describing some of the troubles he faces with calming down the situation in Abidjan after the capture of Laurent Gbagbo yesterday. He needs to assure that those nervous after the street violence understand that there’s a period of amnesty for those who come forward, and that things will calm down after this point. In other words: Cool your jets. It’s a pretty rough stigma to live down, as Mamadou Senogo, a person in a French refugee camp notes: “I will be staying at the French army base camp until the whole city is secure. There are too many hotheads running around with guns outside.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2011 16:10

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World: More on France’s veil ban: Who does this help, really?

  • Protests over French veil ban: As we mentioned earlier today, France has banned the full-faced Islamic veil (imposing a fine of 150 euros for violators), which is provoking some understandable dissent. A question for France: For a Muslim who wears the veil, how is this anything but crass discrimination? And for somebody without religious faith, how is this anything but the government fining people for their fashion choices? Any way you slice it, it comes out awful. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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