Junta tightens political grip in Burma
Hopes for a political breakthrough in Burma have begun to dwindle after the reigning military junta announced it won 92% approval on a referendum for a military-drafted constitution last weekend. Under the junta's control, international aid groups have been prevented from accessing areas hardest hit by the cyclone, including the Irrawaddy Delta, which bore the brunt of the storm. Additionally, some international aid groups have accused the military of confiscating their food, with others refusing to speak out against the government for fear of being banned from the country. In light of the junta's reluctance to work with humanitarian organizations, the UN has decided to send a top official to Burma to persuade leaders to comply with foreign aid. In the two weeks since Cyclone Nargis struck Burma, 128,000 people have been killed and entire communities have been destroyed, devastating the country's infrastructure and exposing the brutal policies of the nation's current ruling junta.
The toD verdict: In addition to wreaking havoc on Burma's population and infrastructure, Cyclone Nargis has exposed the country to a new threat: harsher government crackdowns in the wake of increased international scrutiny. In the weeks following the crisis, governments and aid organizations from all over the world have focused their attention on Burma, inundating the country with aid packages and field workers, and furthermore, threatening to destabilise the country's tightly-guarded political insularity. As a result, the government has responded with stricter controls against foreigners, and a series of measures designed to affirm its "legitimate" and "popularly mandated" authority.
In tandem with the government's efforts to consolidate their power, one of Nargis' most pronounced effects has been to pit Burma's autocratic junta against NGOs and international government. The devastation in Burma - and the government's failure to respond to it - have raised complex sets of questions about outsiders' right to intervene and at what point exactly political sovereignty must cede to the imperatives of human rights. As the death toll rises and the threat of disease grows, these are questions which cannot be put on hold.
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"Indian Mujahideen" take responsibility for Jaipur bombings
A group calling themselves the Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for a spate of bombings that took place in Jaipur this week, killing 61 people and injuring over 216. Eight bombs were strapped to bicycles and detonated in crowded shopping areas of the city, leading police to suspect the attack was orchestrated by the Bangladeshi militant group Arkat-ul-Jihad al Islami. According to Jaipur media, a local news station received an email from the Mujahideen declaring war on India and threatening to kill tourists. The email also included a video of a bicycle with a bomb attached to it. Authorities are suspicious of the credibility of this claim, and have not made any arrests.
ETA blamed in fatal attack
The Spanish government has blamed ETA for the first fatal attack since Spain's general election two months ago. The attack occurred after a bomb exploded outside a police barracks in Legutiano, a small town near the Basque capital of Vitoria, killing one policeman and injuring four bystanders. This is the sixth ETA attack since the dissolution of the ceasefire with the Spanish government in 2006.
Suicide bomber kills 18 in Afghan province
A suicide bomber killed 18 Afghans and wounded 15 others in an attack on a bazaar in the western province of Farah in Afghanistan. According to officials, the incident occurred near a police station in the Del Aram district, destroying two police vehicles in addition to killing several policemen. Violence has been steadily mounting in Afghanistan over the past two years, making this year the most violent since the Taliban were removed from power in 2001. A Taliban spokesman has since claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Japan may double aid to Africa over five-year period
According to public broadcaster NHK, Japan plans to double its assistance to developing African nations over the next five years, significantly increasing its current $1.7 billion aid package. On May 28th, Japan will host the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) and according to the broadcast, will publicly unveil the plan during the conference. While public officials have refused to comment, NHK reported that Japan intends to use the aid to set up irrigation facilities and bolster technological development, a move many suspect is tied to Japan's interest in African rare metals and increased competition with India and China.
Trial begins in Italy against US policy of ‘extraordinary rendition'
The wife of Abu Omar, a Muslim cleric kidnapped by CIA agents, was the first witness to testify in Italy against the US policy of "extraordinary rendition", or the process of capturing suspects and extraditing them to countries with laxer torture regulations. In the most public exposure of the policy to date, Italy has launched a trial against 26 Americans - who are being tried in absentia - and seven Italians accused of facilitating the policy. According to Omar's wife, Nabila Ghali, Omar was allegedly taken by CIA agents from Milan five years ago and moved to a prison in Egypt, where he was subjected to torture and electrical shocks. In a recent court decision, a judge in Milan has decreed that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi can also be called to testify in the trial.
Lebanon retracts Hizbollah targeted policies
In response to the worst domestic violence since the end of the civil war, the Lebanese government has retracted two decisions undertaken last week that targeted Hizbollah and set off riots and violence throughout Beirut. In a statement read by the information minister, the government rescinded an investigation into Hizbollah's telecommunications network and permitted the head of security at the Beirut airport, a figure with close ties to the group, to keep his job. Citing "higher national interest" as the reason for this shift, many believe the move will narrowly rescue Lebanon from a descent into chaos and violent factionalism.