World News Desk – September 5, 2008
Posted/Updated: 2008-09-08 09:24:47
INTERNATIONALThe World in Review
A snapshot of events around the world | Updated each Friday
1. Canada:
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The Canadian Senate released a report, titled Emergency Preparedness in Canada, stating that the country’s ability to deal with a national emergency is still “thin and fragmented.”
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A chunk of ice shelf the size of Manhattan broke away from Ellesmere Island in Canada’s northern Arctic. The 4,500-year-old Markham Ice Shelf began to break free in early August. The 19-square-mile shelf is adrift in the Arctic Ocean. (See related article: “Global Warming – Reason For Alarm?”)
2. United States:
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The federal government has announced it would give $1 billion of aid to Georgia after the conflict with Russia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the aid would be used to rebuild houses and infrastructure, but not for military purposes.
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First-term Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin formally accepted the Republican Party’s Vice Presidential nomination during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. (See news brief: “U.S. Politics History in the Making”)
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association released a report early last month predicting a busier than usual hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean. With Hurricane Gustav passed and Hanna making her way up the east coast, the eastern seaboard is currently waiting to see what effect storms Ike and Josephine will have. (See related article: “The Winds Blew and the Rains Came…”)
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St. Paul's Ramsey County Sheriff’s department raided two houses belonging to members of the “Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee,” a known anarchist group. According to authorities, the group had been planning to disrupt the Republican National Convention—possibly kidnapping delegates.
3. Paraguay: In a historic reversal of foreign policy, President Fernando Lugo will no longer recognize Taiwan or support it in voting to admit it into the United Nations. Paraguay has recognized Taiwan since 1957.
4. United Kingdom:
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With the pound sterling pushed to its lowest level against the euro in two years, the UK economy is likely to fall into recession this year, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
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The proportion of those under age 18 in England and Wales who commit further offences within a year of their release from custody has risen. Ministry of Justice figures indicate that 77% of the 817 youths aged 10 to 17 released in the first quarter of 2006 were convicted of a crime with 12 months. (See related news brief: “UK: Disenchanted Youth Cost Government Billions”)
5. Belgium: By 2015 the European Union’s birth rate will officially be surpassed by the death rate of Europe’s population, according to a Eurostat report. The study revealed large variations between the birth rates in each country and showed evidence of an aging population.
6. Netherlands: The Dutch intelligence agency AIVD reported it would discontinue an espionage operation conducted against Iranian weapon production facilities, due to AIVD’s assessment that a U.S. attack upon the facilities is imminent.
7. South Africa: Public Enterprises Minister Alec Irwin stated a desperate need for one trillion rand’s ($125 million USD) worth of investment in the country’s power infrastructure. Suffering from massive blackouts that have crippled business and industry across the nation, South Africa has struggled to keep up with increasing energy demand. (See related article: “African Continent Handcuffed by Power Shortages”)
8. Russia: The Russian Navy is expanding to the size it was during the Cold War. Increased revenues from the high price of oil have allowed Moscow to begin building new ships and to refit old ones with new technologies. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said, “We are already building practically as many ships as we did in Soviet Times” (G2 Bulletin). (See related article: “Unveiling the New Russia”)
9. Iran: Owing to the sharp drop in the price of crude oil from July’s high of $147 dollars per barrel to this week’s low of $105 dollars, Iran and Venezuela are demanding that all OPEC member nations cut production by at least half a million barrels per day.
10. Pakistan: An unknown gunman fired upon the motorcade of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, hitting the driver’s side window twice. The attack represents a large gap in security measures for the Pakistani government.
11. Thailand: Prime Minster Samak Sundaravej faced protestors against his regime in the streets of Bangkok after declaring a state of emergency. Violence ensued between demonstrators and government supporters, resulting in one death and dozens injured.
12. Japan: Five groups of Nagasaki atomic-bomb survivors asked six member nations of the Nuclear Suppliers Group to oppose a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation pact. The deal would allow the United States to transfer uranium fuel and nuclear technologies to India, which has not signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. (See related article: “India—A Superpower in the Making?”)
13. Australia:
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The nation swore in its first female governor general, Quentin Bryce. Many Australians hope that, by the end of her five-year term, Australia will become a republic with an Australian as head of state, rather than the British monarch.
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A leaked confidential report stated that Melbourne’s water supply will run out if measures other than usage restrictions and conservation efforts are not immediately put into place. (See related article: “Earth’s Dwindling Water Supply”)
