May 29, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

YEONPYEONG, South Korea — North Korea defiantly test-fired another short-range missile Friday and warned it would act in “self-defense” if provoked by the U.N. Security Council, which is considering tough sanctions against the communist regime for conducting a nuclear test.

The North fired the missile from its Musudan-ni launch site on the east coast, a South Korean government official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter. It is the sixth short-range missile North Korea has test-fired since Monday’s nuclear test.

The official did not provide further details. But the Yonhap news agency cited an unidentified South Korean government official as saying the missile is a new type of ground-to-air missile estimated to have a range of up to 160 miles (260 kilometers).

With tensions high on the Korean peninsula, Chinese fishing boats left the region, possibly to avoid any maritime skirmishes between the two Koreas. But U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the situation was not a crisis and no additional U.S. troops would be sent to the region.

North Korea, meanwhile, warned it would retaliate if provoked.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522783,00.html?test=latestnews

“If the U.N. Security Council makes a further provocation, it will be inevitable for us to take further self-defense measures,” the North’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

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May 29, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

On 28 May 2009 four bombs were detonated in Peshawar, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 70 others as militants targeted a busy market and a military checkpoint within the city. The bombings occurred in two separate attacks that were spaced hours after each other. The Taliban had previously warned of more attacks, following a bombing at a police station in Lahore, perpetrated less than 24 hours before the Peshawar attacks. According to reports, in the first attack explosives-laden motorcycles were detonated via timer, and as police officers arrived at the scene they were met by a Taliban ambush. The second attack occurred when a suicide bomber drove his car into a checkpoint on the outskirts of Peshawar. Pakistani officials have banned all public gatherings in the city and have placed restrictions on motorists in order to prevent additional attacks. The coordination of the attacks and the fact that they occurred only 24 hours after the Lahore incident raises some concern that a new wave of Taliban attacks may be launched against Pakistani cities.

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May 28, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

North Korea continued to increase tensions on 27 May 2009 after launching another short-range missile overnight. According to local media in South Korea, the North launched the ground-to-ship missile from the east coast of the country at approximately 2100 local time. Some officials believe that the North is attempting to prevent other governments from verifying the nuclear test that took place on 25 May.

In addition, North Korea warned South Korea of the possibility of a military attack after Seoul stated that it was joining the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative on 26 May, which Pyongyang views as a declaration of war. North Korea warned on 28 May that it could potentially intercept foreign warships if they attempted to stop, board or inspect its ships in the adjacent waters. Pyongyang also stated that it will no longer be bound by the 1953 armistice accord. In response to the increasing tensions, South Korea elevated its alert status on 28 May. The alert level for U.S. troops stationed in South Korea was also increased.

Comment: Reports indicate that day-to-day activities in South Korea are proceeding as normal despite North Korea’s hostile rhetoric and the increased alert level. The latest developments will likely not have a direct impact on travelers to South Korea at this time, as there are no indications that military conflict is immediate; however, there is an increased potential for limited naval engagements and border skirmishes in the near future.

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May 1, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

Demonstrations and labor stoppages are occurring in many countries worldwide to mark May Day. Some of the protests have caused few disruptions, while others turned violent.

Protests have been reported in several European countries, including Germany, where protesters in Berlin’s eastern Friedrichstain district vandalized vehicles and threw bottles and rocks at passing cars and trams, as well as security forces. More than 2,000 people participated in the protest, which the authorities dispersed. In Hamburg, at least three people were injured during a protest. Authorities anticipate further unrest in the course of the day. Violence also occurred in Istanbul, Turkey, near the city’s Taksim Square, which police officers had closed off to demonstrators. Protesters broke windows at banks and supermarkets, and police officers responded with water cannon and tear gas to disperse rioters. Many businesses were closed, as 1 May was declared a public holiday due to “pressure from labor unions.” In Greece, labor actions by unions forced the national air carrier Olympic Airways to cancel approximately 100 flights. The strikes also disrupted bus, train, subway and ferry services. In the United Kingdom, a rally is scheduled to begin shortly after 1700 local time (1600 UTC) outside the Bank of Englad building in London. The focus of the rally will be to protest police behavior during the G20 meeting that took place in London on 2 April.

In Russia, demonstrations have been reported in several locations, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, over economic issues and high unemployment. In Moscow, where 33 events were planned, thousands of people marched through the city and called on the government to step down. Events were also organized by Russia’s ruling United Russia party. In total, approximately 25,000 people are said to be participating in the various actions in the city. There were no reports of major incidents, although police officers detained several people. In St. Petersburg, police officers arrested approximately 120 protesters affiliated with antifascist, anarchist and nationalist groups, claiming that they were in possession of weapons, including knives and rubber-bullet pistols. In Kiev, Ukraine, the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine and the Communist Party of Ukraine organized two rallies on Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti), which drew approximately 7,000 people. Traffic along Khreschatyk Street in the vicinity of the square was blocked; no incidents of violence were reported. Approximately 2,000 supporters of various leftist parties are also planning to rally in the square later in the day following a march from Arsenalna Square. According to reports, more than 300 separate rallies are planned to occur at various times across France. Thousands of people were expected to stage street demonstrations in Paris. May Day marches were also scheduled to take place in Spain, the Czech Republic, Belgium and Italy.

In the Americas, several demonstrations are scheduled to take place later in the day. In Bolivia, members of various social organizations and political opposition groups will organize a protest march against the government through the center of La Paz, the capital; thousands are expected to participate, and disruptions are expected. In Uruguay, a large labor union will organize a demonstration in Montevideo beginning at the Plaza 1 de Mayo at 1500 local time, from where participants will march to the city center. In addition, two other labor unions will organize demonstrations in Montevideo. The first will meet at 1200 local time at the corner of Agraciada and Aguilar streets, before joining the above demonstration at 1500. The other demonstration will take place at 1300 local time in Plaza Cagancha. In Venezuela, the political opposition movement headed by Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma will meet at 1000 local time at Plaza Venezuela before marching to the seat of the National Assembly in downtown Caracas. The group is protesting President Hugo Chavez’s increasing centralization of power. Ledezma claims that the protest will be peaceful; however, political protests in Venezuela often devolve into violence. Travelers should avoid all protest areas to the extent possible. In the U.S., major transportation disruptions are expected in downtown Los Angeles, where officials expect that between 20,000 and 60,000 people will attend at least seven marches or rallies scheduled throughout the day. Travelers should especially anticipate disruptions near City Hall in the afternoon; Almadeda, Grand, Ora and 11th streets will be closed. Other rallies are planned in most major U.S. cities, including Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Miami, Seattle, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C. No major protests are expected in Mexico, where a ban on public events remains in effect due to the outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu virus.

In the Middle East region, May Day-related protests are known to have occurred in at least Iran. A demonstration took place in Sanandaj, a predominantly Kurdish city in the northwest; at least five labor union activists were detained, but there were no reports of significant violence. In Tehran, the capital, unions were anticipated to stage demonstrations to protest against the economic problems that Iran is currently experiencing.

Demonstrations have also occurred in Asia. In the Philippines’ capital city of Manila, hundreds of protesters marched in the early morning from Morayta Street to Mendiola Bridge near Malacanang Palace at approximately 0400 local time. The protest march began Labor Day protests throughout the country. Protesters, led by the group Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), marched peacefully through the streets; police officers were deployed throughout the capital to prevent protesters from disturbing the peace. Gatherings were also reported elsewhere in the Philippines, including a government sponsored job fair in Pasay City. Other protest actions focused on the alleged corruption of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s administration. No violence was reported. Thousands of protesters gathered in Taipei, Taiwan, to demonstrate against the increasingly deteriorating job market and the high level of unemployment. The May Day protest saw more than 12,000 Taiwanese rallying in the streets; reports indicate that more than 100 protesters clashed with police when they tried to forcefully enter Cabinet buildings. Several police officers and demonstrators were injured in the protest. In Cambodia, more than 1,000 workers protested in Phnom Penh to demand higher wages. The demonstrators, largely consisting of textile and hotel workers, marched from a park near the royal palace to the Parliament building, expressing dissatisfaction with the government over the global economic crisis. The protesters demanded the establishment of a labor court, an increase in the minimum wage and a reduction in working hours; there were no reports of violence.

In Africa, protests have thus far been reported In South Africa, where the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is hosting 36 rallies nationwide. The umbrella union’s main rally is being held at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in East London, where approximately 150,000 workers and African National Congress (ANC) supporters are expected to gather. COSATU added that approximately 10,000 buses and taxis will transport people to the venue. ANC President Jacob Zuma and the COSATU secretary general will address the crowd. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has deployed extra security to the area in order to manage crowds and deal with traffic congestion.

Worldwide: As of 1 May 2009 more cases of H1N1 swine flu have been reported in multiple locations throughout the world, including Japan, Spain and Canada. Although there have been no additional reports of deaths in Mexico, health officials in the country confirmed 52 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 312. Mexico’s Health Secretary Jose Cordova expressed optimism, based on the fact that the number of hospitalizations for the illness has decreased since 20 April, although World Health Organization (WHO) officials have cautioned that it is too soon to determine any trends. On 1 May the country began a planned five-day suspension of all non-essential business; schools and many businesses remained closed. There have been no reports of plans to close Mexican airports. As doctors are screening passengers for symptoms of swine flu on international flights prior to departure, travelers should arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flights. Long lines have been reported in the commercial terminals at many Mexican airports. No U.S.-based airlines have suspended flights to Mexico, though several have temporarily reduced the number of Mexico-bound flights in response to a precipitous drop in demand for tickets. Most U.S. airlines are providing flexible options for passengers wishing to postpone or cancel flights to Mexico.

In the United States, the number of suspected and confirmed cases rose, although the reported cases have been less severe than in Mexico. Health officials reported that the United States will receive new flu tests that will provide faster results. Schools across the U.S. continued to close in order to prevent an outbreak. The most recent report from the U.S. Department of Education stated that the number of school closures totaled 298.

On an international level, many countries continued to enact measures to control the spread of the flu virus, with airports and border patrols stepping up the screening of passengers arriving from countries where infections have been reported. Peru has canceled all flights to and from Mexico, although officials retracted an earlier report that the first H1N1 case was detected in the country. Although travelers may experience delays due to the increased number of screenings, there are no plans to close the U.S.-Mexico border.

In response to growing reports and global reactions concerning an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico City, ASI Group has activated the World Watch® Monitor Web site http://monitor.asigroup.com/. The Monitor site is designed to consolidate raw information and more detailed reports in a single location for easier tracking and updates.

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April 14, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

On 14 April 2009 anti-government protesters in Bangkok ended their siege at the Government House complex. Protest leaders stated that the demonstrators were encouraged to disperse amid fears that the situation would again become violent as troops surrounded the complex. According to reports, approximately 2,000 protesters were gathered at the Government House before the protests ended. The protesters used trees and natural gas tanker trucks to blockade the entrances to the complex so that troops would not interfere. Protest leaders eventually called off the demonstration, and the protesters were allowed to peacefully vacate the premises. A state-owned transport company is providing free buses to transport the protesters to their various home provinces. Protesters were instructed to gather at the Equestrian Statue in the Royal Plaza to be picked up. Numerous banks, shopping malls and markets have begun to reopen as of 14 April, and the Songkran New Year Holiday for civil servants has been extended until 17 April in order to repair and clean up areas in the capital that were affected by the violent protests that have occurred in the capital for three weeks. Authorities advised state enterprises, financial institutions and private firms to make their own decisions regarding a possible holiday extension beyond the evening of 15 April. Transportation services and routes have returned to normal (aside from some bus routes being detoured due to debris in the streets) and the airports continue to operate without disruption. Although the state of emergency remains in effect for now while authorities evaluate the security situation, it will likely be lifted within the next 24-48 hours.

ASI Comment: As the crisis has abated for the present time, non-essential travel to Bangkok can resume as planned after the state of emergency is lifted. Despite this, travel to the country should be undertaken with caution, as the situation in the capital remains fluid.

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April 8, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

Somali pirates on Wednesday hijacked a U.S.-flagged cargo ship with 20 American crew members aboard, FOX News has learned.

The 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama was carrying emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya at the time it was hijacked, said Peter Beck-Bang, spokesman for the Copenhagen-based container shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk.

A Kenya-based diplomat identified the vessel and told the Associated Press all crew members are American. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The U.S. Navy confirmed the hijacking early Wednesday off the eastern coast of Somalia and said it is monitoring the situation with its own ships.

Spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said the attack happened in the early hours of the morning, about 280 miles northeast of Eyl, a town in the northern Puntland region of Somalia.

“The area, the ship was taken in, is not where the focus of our ships has been,” Christensen told The Associated Press on the phone from the 5th Fleet’s Mideast headquarters in Bahrain.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513183,00.html

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January 28, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

Anti-government protests continued in Antananarivo on 28 January 2009. Approximately 40,000 demonstrators reportedly gathered in May 13 Plaza, the capital’s main square, to protest President Marc Ravalomanana’s alleged misuse of public funds and undemocratic policies. Anti-riot police officers were deployed to the rally as a precaution, but no violence was reported. The peaceful rally comes one day after Antananarivo Mayor Andry Rajoelina and the capital’s security forces instituted a daily 2100-0400 curfew in an effort to prevent additional violence.

At least 35 people have been confirmed dead since the anti-government riots began on 25 January. Authorities believe that most of the dead were looters who became trapped in burning buildings when they collapsed. African Union (AU) diplomat Jean Ping has voiced the organization’s deep concern over the island’s current unrest, which he stated could risk destabilizing the country. Ping and the French government — which governed Madagascar until 1960 — have both urged the parties to engage in dialogue, but Rajoelina continues to refuse to negotiate with Ravalomanana under the current conditions.

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January 23, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

Anne Wortham is Black, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Illinois State University and continuing Visiting Scholar at Stanford University ’s Hoover Institution.  She is a member of the American Sociological Association and the American Philosophical Association.  She has been a John M. Olin Foundation Faculty Fellow, and honored as a Distinguished Alumni of the Year by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.  In fall 1988 she was one of a select group of intellectuals who were featured in Bill Moyer’s television series, “A World of Ideas.”  The transcript of her conversation with Moyers has been published in his book, A World of Ideas.  Dr. Wortham is author of The Other Side of Racism: A Philosophical Study of Black Race Consciousness which analyzes how race consciousness is transformed into political strategies and policy issues.  She has published numerous articles on the implications of individual rights for civil rights policy, and is currently writing a book on theories of social and cultural marginality.  Recently, she has published articles on the significance of multiculturalism and Afrocentricism in education, the politics of victimization and the social and political impact of political correctness.  Shortly after an interview in 2004 she was awarded tenure.

This article by her is another point of view……

No He Can’t
by Anne Wortham

Fellow Americans,

Please know: I am black; I grew up in the segregated South.  I did not vote for Barack Obama; I wrote in Ron Paul’s name as my choice for president.  Most importantly, I am not race conscious.  I do not require a black president to know that I am a person of worth, and that life is worth living.  I do not require a black president to love the ideal of America .

So you have made history, Americans.  You and your children have elected a black man to the office of the president of the United States , the wounded giant of the world.  The battle between John Wayne and Jane Fonda is over – and that Fonda won.  Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern must be very happy men.  Jimmie Carter, too.  And the Kennedys have at last gotten their Kennedy look-a-like.  The self-righteous welfare statists in the suburbs can feel warm moments of satisfaction for having elected a black person.  So, toast yourselves: 60s countercultural radicals, 80s yuppies and 90s bourgeois bohemians.  Toast yourselves, Black America .  Shout your glee Harvard, Princeton , Yale, Duke, Stanford, and Berkeley.  You have elected not an individual who is qualified to be president, but a black man who, like the pragmatist Franklin Roosevelt, promises to – Do Something!  You now have someone who has picked up the baton of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society.  But you have also foolishly traded your freedom and mine, – what little there is left, – for the chance to feel good.  There is nothing in me that can share your happy obliviousness.

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January 23, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

Rwandan troops arrested the Tutsi National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) rebel leader Laurent Nkunda on 22 January 2009. Nkunda was arrested in the rebel stronghold of Bunagana at approximately 2230 local time after attempting to resist a joint Rwandan-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) military operation to apprehend him. The rebels who were with Nkunda were also encouraged to disarm. The DRC issued an international arrest warrant for Nkunda following accusations that his forces were committing atrocities against civilians during their offensives. However, it is unclear if Rwanda will agree to extradite Nkunda to the DRC.ASI Comment: Nkunda’s arrest indicates that the rebel leader has lost critical support from both his senior rebel leaders and his former Rwandan ally. The Rwandan government previously supported Nkunda’s efforts to fight Hutu militias in the DRC. However, when Nkunda refused to support Rwandan efforts to ally with the Congolese government to begin a joint military effort to eradicate the Hutu groups, Rwanda stopped backing his forces. A recent fracturing in the CNDP, followed by the splinter group’s ceasefire with the Congolese government, also signaled that Nkunda no longer enjoyed unified support from his senior command.

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December 4, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

 A Lego-style Islamic terrorist figurine has sparked outrage among Muslims and others.

The controversial toy mini-figure, made by American Will Chapman as part of his BrickArms line, is a masked militant with an assault rifle, grenade launcher and belt of explosives. The character is called “Bandit — Mr. White” and sells for $14.

Shocked by the plaything, British Muslim organization the Ramadhan Foundation has branded the figurine “absolutely disgusting.”

Chief executive Mohammed Shafiq said the toy is “glorifying terrorism.”

“I don’t think there’s any difference between someone that shouts hatred through a megaphone and someone that creates a doll that glorifies terrorists,” he said. “As a parent myself, I’m going to teach my children respect for the law and respect for each and every community.

“These are the lessons parents should be giving to their children — not lessons about weapons and violence.”

Father-of-three Chapman, whose company is based outside of Seattle, boasts on his Web site that his 9-year-old son gave him the idea for the toy line, which includes 31 different Lego-style weapons and 10 miniature militant figurines.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,461647,00.html

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