World

Sri Lanka War Nearing End?

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One of Asia’s longest-running wars could soon be over if Sri Lanka’s government is to be believed. Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the BBC on Friday that government forces will soon recapture the rebel stronghold city of Kilinochchi, in the far north of the island nation. “Our numbers are very much greater than theirs, our firepower is much greater. We are very confident we can win and we want to finish this very soon,” the BBC quoted him as saying. The 25-year-old war between government forces and the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tamil Tigers, has killed 70,000 people, and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, according to news reports.

Democracy & Civics

Women on Top in Rwandan Parliament

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Women will form the majority in Rwanda’s national parliament, making it the first country in the world to have more female legislators than men. According to the Independent, women have won around 56 percent of the seats in parliament after four days of peaceful elections. Women will have at least 44 of the 80 total seats. “The problems of women are understood much better, much better by women themselves,” one female voter said. President Paul Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front secured a majority in the elections — only the second since the 1994 genocide that killed 800,000 people there.

Environment

Can 'Geo-Engineering' Save the Earth?

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Perhaps recycling and compact fluorescent lights aren’t exciting anymore — but media have recently latched onto the concept of geo-engineering as a means of combatting climate change. For now, geo-engineering remains theoretical, and imagines large- scale projects such as man-made volcanic eruptions and giant algae farms.
Shell Oil is already exploring the field, according to the environmental Web site Mongabay, by investing in a project that adds lime to seawater as a means of increasing carbon dioxide absorbtion by the world’s oceans. At least some climate scientists are apparently excited about the field, too. British science group the Royal Society this month published a special collection of papers on geo-engineering, and the Economist magazine published a run-down of some of the most elaborate ideas. One of the better received plans appears to be that of Jonathan Latham of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, who proposes a fleet of unmanned ships that would pump seawater vapor into the atmosphere in order to make that clouds reflect sunlight back into space.

World

Heavy Spin Cycle on Iran Reporting

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s annual visit to the United Nations General Assembly has brought the usual round of troubling stories about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and his anti-Israel views. But a glance at the world’s press offers some less-expected — and sometimes less credible — angles. Hong Kong’s Asia Times newspaper gives a new image for the country, that of Iran the diplomatic power. According to contributor Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, Iran has recently helped to reduce tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in post-war Georgia and Russia. This is not entirely selfless, however.

Economy

'Fair Trade' Cola Gains Ground in Europe

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A British cola called Ubuntu is said to be the first of its kind to follow “fair trade” practices, including ecological sustainability, equal market prices and improved work conditions for bottom-rung producers and laborers. Africa’s Business Daily reports that the soft drink, named after a Bantu word meaning “humanity,” has had success in cafes, shops and grocery stores throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and Norway. “Our mission is to propel fair trade into iconic and mainstream markets,” said co-founder Miranda Walker. The fair trade label, often found on basic commodities like tea and coffee, has become increasingly popular in recent years and appeals to consumers who want to buy ethically — something seven out of ten Europeans say is important to them at least part of the time. Ubuntu Trading Company will use fair trade sugar sourced from Africa, and says it plans to invest some of its profits back into sugar-producing communities.

World

Slight Freedoms for Suu Kyi

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Myanmar’s military junta recently gave the imprisoned opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi access to letters from her family and some international news magazines. According to the International Herald Tribune, for the past three weeks Suu Kyi has refused food deliveries to the villa where she is under house arrest, leading to speculation she may have mounted a hunger strike. Her National League for Democracy — which won a landslide election in 1990 but was shut out of power by the military junta — said she rejected the food “to denounce her continuing detention, which is unfair under the law.” Suu Kyi, who has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest, will be allowed to receive mail from her two sons and to read magazines like Newsweek and Time. The junta will also loosen limitations placed on Suu Kyi’s daughter and housekeeper, the article said.

World

'English Only' No Longer Par for the Course

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The leading women’s golf association is backtracking on a policy mandating that foreign golfers must speak English at tour events. The California-based newspaper AsianWeek reports that the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association is rescinding a policy after two California lawmakers threatened legal action. Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) and Assemblyman Ted Liu (D-Los Angeles) decried the English-only policy as discriminating against Korean golfers, 45 of whom play on the circuit. They vowed to challenge the legality if the policy were found to violate state or federal anti-discrimination laws. Initially, the LPGA announced that effective next year, English would be required for media interviews, pro-am events and acceptance speeches, and players would be fined or suspended if they fail an oral English exam.

Economy

Mind the (Wealth) Gap in the U.K.

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A Cambridge University professor said economic disparity between London and the rest of Great Britain is at its widest since World War II, the Telegraph reports. Citing a recent study, Prof. Ron Martin announced at the Royal Geographic Society that household income levels in the London area are 25 percent greater than the rest of the country. This contrasts with the rest of Europe, where he wealth gap has been narrowing. Martin indicts the ruling Labour Party for not living up to its promise to correct these inequalities. He also said the north lagged far behind in boom times and is doing worse since the housing market failed.

World

Bottled Water May Be Tapped out in Toronto

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Toronto, Canada, is considering a ban on the sale of bottled water in city-run buildings, community centers and arenas in order to reduce the amount of garbage in local landfills. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Company, Toronto Mayor David Miller said the city’s water is just as safe as bottled water, and tap water is far more economical. At the center of the issue are environmental concerns about the fossil fuels used to produce and transport plastic bottles, and the overall impact on local landfills. But many companies in the refreshment industry argue that such a ban could be a step backwards in terms of recycling, and would lead consumers to buy other beverages other than water. “So they’ll have the same amount of plastic to recycle,” Elizabeth Griswold, spokeswoman for the Canadian Bottled Water Association, told the news service.

Public Health

PTSD Hits the British Armed Forces

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Roughly 24,000 British veterans returning from duty in Iraq or Afghanistan are now battling the UK’s criminal justice system and constituting nine percent of the prison population, according to reports. The U.K.’s Telegraph reported the findings of three separate studies sponsored by the National Association of Probation Officers and other veteran support groups. Research from 2001 to 2004 along with the case histories of 74 veterans showed that the majority of violent offenses committed by veterans is fueled by drug and alcohol abuse, the result of untreated post-traumatic stress disorder. With 8,000 veterans currently in custody, concerned citizens argue that the Ministry of Defense is doing too little to screen recently discharged servicemen and women for early signs of mental illness. The Ministry says it utilizes “robust systems” to treat and prevent PTSD with pre- and post-deployment screenings, and subsequent access to counseling.