Russian Reporter Describes Terrorist Attack

How to hold a trial against a judge...wanna know?

Spanish judge Baltazar Garzon is standing trial. Why is this important? Those who may be familiar with Garzon know that he has become famous in cases dealing with terrorism and forced disappearances. He is the judge responsible for indicting Osama bin Laden and former Chilean leader, Pinochet. The question is, why would Spain allow a court case against a judge of such influence? Garzon has recently requested a dismissal of the current proceedings against him. Conservative groups say that he abused his powers by investigating crimes during the Franco era, including the forced disappearance of approximately 100,000 people. Crimes commited during this dictatorship are normally covered by amnesty. However, Garzon claims that crimes against humanity are not covered by amnesty.

Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1936, and was recognized as dictator by various world powers from 1939 to 1977. Many conservative groups said Garzon overstepped his boundaries and abused the powers of his office by investigating crimes that were commited during the Franco era. Garzon requested the proceedings be dropped, his request was denied.

If indicted, Garzon will be suspended definitively. As if this couldn't be enough, Garzon is also being tried in two additional cases...that's right. One for money collected during a lecture series in New York and the other for tapping phonecalls between jailbirds and their lawyers...
DANG... Why do I feel like he just might be clutching his Bible a little tighter tonight...why do things like this happen to human rights heroes? Well..all the best. In the meantime I'll keep my ear on the ground.

When will they learn?

Image courtesy of Isuto Inouye, Associated Press

So it has been noted that Japan will not be able to compete economically in the future unless it relaxes its negative attitude towards immigrants. The immigrants in Japan make up for 1.7 percent of the population. According to The Washington Post this means 2.2 million people. A majority of the immigrants are from neighboring countries like Korea, Vietnam, China, and the like. There are also immigrants from Brazil and Peru who were able to trace their Japanese ancestry and were "allowed" back into the country in 1990. However, the attitude towards these immigrants makes you wonder why they stay. Many Koreans who have lived in Japan for generations have not been naturalized as citizens and are not allowed to vote. Many of the immigrants are workers and/ or students. There are horrifying stories of farmers who "feared the nwcomers would steal their crops, built a separate dorm for the students and surrounded it with barbed wire." When speaking of their racially homogenous society and how it will not benefit the country in the future, a government official was quoted as saying, " This isn't America. When we go to the hospital to have a baby, we know what we'll get: black hair, dark eyes, skin more or less the color of mine." Japanese are said to intermarry very rarely.

That's okay, because the UN has conducted a report in 2001 that found for Japan to keep a population level close to 125 million people, Japan has to allow net migration of 17 million immigrants over 50 years. To keep the working age where it was in 1995, they would have to allow over 33 million immigrants into their country during the same time span.

Yes Japan, that's your reward for closing your iron gate all this time. If Japan doesn't allow this mass immigration (which it probably won't) then, according to Lee Hockstader of The Washington Post, there won't be enough people to take care of the elderly, nor will their be enough people to work in the agricultural sector...Oh well what will Japan do?.......

Diarrhea of the mouth

So we all know how I fel about Zuma, well there's someone who feels the complete opposite but dang he didn't have to let his view be known as much as he did. Insulting the women who were raped by President Zuma, he said that the women "must have had a nice time." Malema is now a former ANC official because of comments like these. In addition to saying that they must have enjoyed being raped, he explained that "If a woman doesn't enjoy it, she leaves early, if she does, she stays until the sunlight."....Really? hmm I guess I'll keep that in mind, but how far can these kind of comments go, before cultural sensitivity classes are given?

Who got in the middle of Libya and Switzerland? It sure wasn't me!

Okay, so you know how I feel about Gaddafi and his politics, but it seems that this time the whole world knew that he deserved an apology. The melodrama that unfolded between Libya and the Swiss government intensified, after the Swiss government voted against the construction of minarets claiming they'd obstruct its sky line. Colonel Gaddafi then called for all Muslims to boycott Switzerland, an action CJ Crowley, spokesman for the US department of state called "lots of words not necessarily lots of sense." Ms. Crowley has since apologized for her statements saying they were not reflective of US policy.

LANDSLIDE IN UGANDA

On the heels of Haiti and Chile, it has been reported that a massive landslide has hit Bududa, Uganda. The landslide was triggered by heavy rains. The body count is still being analyzed. The latest count was over 100 people, there are also at least 70 people (according to BBC) said to be missing. Prayers for the families of these individuals, may those who were found dead Rest in everlasting Peace.

Former Rwandan first Lady. Why was she arrested?

Agathe Habyarimana, widow of former President Juvenal Habyarimana was arrested in France after an international warrant had been issued for her arrest from the Rwandan government. Habyarimana had accused the present Rwandan government of her husband's assassination (which sparked the Rwandan genocide in 1994). It is still unclear whether Habyarimana will be extradited to Rwanda.

El Baradei for Egpyt? Can he do it?

Well just when Egypt laid low in terms of Foreign Affairs scandalous behavior, the newest self proclaimed political candidate, El Baradei, has created a political scandal. Dr. El Baradei Nobel Prize recipient and former director general at the IAEA, has proven to be a threat for President Hosni Mubarak's upcoming elections. Though he is 67 years old, he has succeeded in targeting himself toward younger and more culturally mainstream intellectuals in Egpyian society. Government programs that formerly shunned him and poked fun at him through the television medium now simply ignore him. However, he remains a star on independent television stations and independent written material. For current President Hosni Mubarak, this means that he will actually have to run for office (it must be nice...), because originally it was rumored that his son was being groomed to follow in his footsteps. The rumor was immedately crushed when it came to light that his credentials do not match those of Dr. El Baradei. Previously, Mr. Mubarak ran in single party "referendums" until he was "pressured (hmmm)" to run in a political election in 2005. Lets sit back and watch, this is going to be interesting, to say the least.