Annan hopes for direct approach in Kenya
A frustrated Kofi Annan broke talks with representatives of the Kenyan opposition and government this week (AFP, 02/27/08). He is hoping to deal with the leaders on both sides directly (International Herald Tribune, 02/26/08). Pressure is being applied from the U.S. as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticized both sides (Reuters, 02/26/08), and made it clear that the U.S. would take action against those obstructing the peace talks (Nation Media, 02/27/08). Britain looks to the Kenyan army to keep order and stop sectarian violence from consuming the country as talks drag on (The Guardian, 02/27/08).

Sudan bans Danish goods over Prophet cartoon (Al Arabiya, 02/26/08)
Several Danish papers reprinted cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammad in solidarity with the original publishers. Sudan responded by banning all Danish goods from being sold in that country; this may be a difficult law to enact considering the vast amount of dairy products that come into Sudan from Denmark.

MDC houses burned and officials arrested in Muzarabani (SW Radio Africa, 02/25/08)
The ruling Zanu-PF and its leader, President Robert Mugabe, must be scared. Opposition candidates have reported being attacked and even arrested without reason as the March 29th elections draw close.

Congo: Arms destruction and collection under way (IRIN News, 02/27/08)
President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s plan to make 2008 the year that illegal weapons no longer exist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is an ambitious one. Nevertheless, armed forces have begun collecting weapons that have been left around since the 1997 civil war for destruction. With dissident General Laurent Nkunda still ignoring the government’s offers for talks, the less guns that are left lying around, the better.

Nigeria court upholds Yar’Adua electoral victory (AFP, 02/26/08)
Opposition petitions launched against Nigerian President Umar Yar’Adua have been dismissed by a panel of five judges. The judges rules that although the former military leader may not have fully complied with the law, there was no evidence that it was in doing so that Yar’Adua cinched victory.

Israel’s prerogative
Israel this week banned the Nazi party within its borders, citing a surge in neo-Nazi gatherings all over the country as a deep concern (UPI, 02/26/08). The nation is looking to nip all other supposed problems in the bud this week. Tougher immigration laws were cited as around 200 immigrants from areas such as the Ivory Coast and Eritrea were detained in the country for processing and possible deportation (BBC News, 02/26/08). A United Nations report this week pointed to Israeli occupation as being the foremost cause of Palestinian terrorism (Yahoo! News, 02/26/08). Israel’s latest blockade has brought ambulances to a halt (Electronic Intifada, 02/22/08), as security forces attacked and closed down a charity under claims that it was using money to recruit fighters for Hamas (Yahoo! News, 02/26/08). Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert even boasted that the building of settlements would not be halted despite Palestinian outrage (Al Arabiya, 02/25/08). Olmert’s chummy counterpart in the Palestinian Territories is being accused by Hamas of allowing the torture of prisoners (Al Jazeera, 02/26/08). The Arab League is already reconsidering its offer to recognize Israel in return for Palestinian statehood (The New York Times, 02/22/08).

Suicide blast kills 40 Shiite pilgrims in Iraq (02/24/08)
Violence erupted afresh in Iraq this week, when a suicide bomber targeted Shiite pilgrims attending Arbain Hussain festival in Kerbala, killing 40 and wounding 46. On the western border, Iraq decried the Turkish incursion into its borders under the claim of tracking down Kurdish Worker’s Party (PKK) fighters native to the region (AFP, 02/26/08).

Iran sitting pretty
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert can call Iran a threat to Asia’s security as many times as he wants (Reuters, 02/26/08); there is little the international community can do about it. With a global heavyweight like Russia signing a monumental gas pact with the Iran’s National Gas Company, the nation is set to supply as much as 10% of the world’s oil over the next 20 years, up from the current 1% (Asia Times Online, 02/27/08). Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is additionally celebrating Iran’s handling of accusations over its nuclear program (BBC News, 02/16/08). Iran has claimed that all documents regarding its post-2003 nuclear program are forgeries (Yahoo! News, 02,26,08). Europe is reconsidering its approach with Iran, planning to switch to the carrot by offering incentives rather than sanctions for stopping its nuclear enrichment program (International Herald Tribune, 02/26/08). The U.S. has simultaneously not been able to sever ties that Iran has been building with GCC nations since the last OPEC meeting, the latest of which involved talks to strengthen economic relations with the United Arab Emirates (Asia Times Online, 02/27/08).

Big changes in Pakistan
When the two main opposition parties – the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won this weekend’s elections, the result was monumental (The New York Times, 02/22/08). When they decided to work together against Musharraf, said result was even more instrumental to Pakistan moving forward from semi-military rule. PML leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to run as an MP in a by-election to ensure his attendance in Parliament (BBC News, 02/26/08). A coalition may also bring some stability to the country, which has been in an uproar since PPP leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Pakistani security forces this week arrested Qari Saifullah Akhtar, an extremist leader mentioned in Bhutto’s accusations, and a man with notable links to Osama bin Laden (AFP, 02/26/08). A probe is also in effect regarding the recent killing of the army’s surgeon general Lt. General Mushtaq Baig (The Times of India, 02/26/08). Acts as daring as this indicate that the Taliban and al Qaeda are planning something major – most likely a path all the way from their Swat Valley strongholds to Kabul (Asia Times Online, 02/27/08). The U.S. may be getting in the way of progress, however, by coaxing the two opposition parties to not remove Musharraf because of his alliance with the War on Terror (The Times, 02/26/08). Some things do stay the same in Pakistan – Youtube has just been unbanned in the country after removing cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad (AFP, 02/26/08).

All Putin in the upcoming elections
With ideas that include increased freedom of the press and a liberalized market economy, Russia’s prime presidential candidate Dmitry Medvedev may look more attractive than heavy-handed Vladimir Putin. Even if he is, his ideas may be for naught as Putin tries to maintain a tyrannical hold through the prime ministerial chair (Der Spiegel, 02/26/08). Mevdev looks to be have the election already wrapped up, having been hand-picked by Putin to lead the country once he reluctantly is no longer president (The Times, 02/24/08). Amnesty International has already noted that there is no chance for free debate as elections loom, Putin having silenced the press for the most part (Al Jazeera, 02/26/08). Russia itself is becoming a place where opinion is not voiced without legal repercussions – human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov was the latest to be charged with extremism for accusing a prison official of using torture (UPI, 02/26/08).

Bloggers test their popularity in Malaysia election (Yahoo! News, 02/26/08)
Three well-known political bloggers are standing for general election in Malaysia, hoping that their Internet exposures will carry them to Parliamentary seats. Jeff Ooi, Tony Pua and Badrul Hisham Shaharin are all hoping that their blogs have spread their message enough that they do not need to deal with expensive campaigns.

US imposes new Myanmar sanctions (Al Jazeera, 02/26/08)
The U.S. Treasury department banned American citizens from doing business with Asia World – a company that has deep links with Myanmar’s generals and their rule. The military government has announced that it has set rules for a referendum on its new constitution. Critics of the Myanmar government see such plans as being part of a sham (Yahoo! News, 02/26/08).

Philippine church gives Aroyo breathing space (Reuters, 02/26/08)
The church has not asked President Gloria Macapagal Aroyo to resign, but has urged her to not obstruct officials from conducting their inquiry into accusations of corruption set against her. Aroyo has lost a great amount of support over this kickback scandal that has been raging through Manila over the past few weeks.

Khmer Rouge leader ‘enacts role’ (BBC News, 02/26/08)
Kaing Guek “Duch” Eav ran Tuol Sleng jail in Phnom Penh, and oversaw the torture and executions of around 16,000 inmates. The re-enactment was closed to the public and media, but showed in intricate detail the workings of the infamous prison.

New book details Chinese spy effort ahead of Olympics (Yahoo! News, 02/25/08)
French writer Roger Faligot, who specializes in intelligence-related non-fiction, claims that China’s two million intelligence operatives and contractors are preparing to catalog and observe sports journalists entering the country for the upcoming Summer Olympics. A purported USD $1.3 billion has been allotted to the group handling Olympic security to watch out for troublemakers in the form of journalists, human rights activists and extremists such as al Qaeda members. Though an International Olympic Committee member assured the world that human rights in China could only improve with the Olympics being held there (Yahoo! News, 02/16/08), the only visible quasi-improvement so far lies in China’s scrambling to pretty up the area ahead of the games. The latest such effort came in the form of the government banning ultra-thin plastic bags used by large stores (The Guardian, 02/27/08).

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For more of GNN’s exclusive news roundups, check out mwm’s If you knew…, Nathan Coe’s Labor News Roundup, and Alfonzo Torrez’s The Rebel Communique.