Tbilisi, Georgia
Bombings blamed on Russia: Georgia is accusing Russia of instigating a series of bomb blasts over the past three months that killed one person and injured several. Officials said that six Georgians arrested this week for carrying out the bombings had been forced into the scheme by a Russian military officer who had threatened their families. Last month, Georgia said it broke up a Russian spy ring and arrested 13 Russian and Georgian suspects. Moscow said the spying and bombing charges were ridiculous and accused Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili of suffering from “chronic spy mania.” Georgia and Russia fought a brief war in August 2008.
Seoul
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This means war: Facing severe criticism for its tepid response to North Korea’s recent artillery attack on a South Korean island, the South Korean government said this week that another such “provocation” would be answered by airstrikes. The new defense minister, Kim Kwan-jin—named to the post last week, after predecessor Kim Tae-young quit in disgrace—said he was also considering revising military guidelines to designate North Korea as the South’s “main enemy.” The term was dropped in 2004 under the “Sunshine Policy” of engagement with North Korea. “There is no doubt North Korea’s leadership and military are our main enemy,” Kim said. “The enemy will attempt more provocations. I will make sure the enemy doesn’t even dare to think about it.”
Shanghai, China
Smartest high schoolers: Survey results released this week revealed that Shanghai students ranked first in the world in reading, science, and math. The international survey, which is done every three years by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, ranks 15-year-olds in some 60 countries. This was the first year that three Chinese locations—Shanghai, Macau, and Hong Kong—were assessed. The U.S. ranked 17th in reading, 23rd in science, and 31st in math. “I’m kind of stunned,” said Chester E. Finn Jr., a deputy secretary of education in the Reagan administration. “I’m thinking Sputnik,” he said, referring to the 1957 Soviet satellite launch that inspired renewed efforts in U.S. math and science education. “If they can do this in Shanghai in 2009, they can do it in 10 cities in 2019, and in 50 cities by 2029.”
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Killer sharks: A German woman was killed and four other tourists were mauled last week by sharks at Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. After three Russians and a Ukrainian were attacked, two of them losing limbs, authorities closed the beaches, killed two sharks—a mako and a whitetip—and declared the area safe. But a few days later, a 70-year-old German snorkeler was killed when a shark ripped her arm off. “The water was churning like I was in a washing machine,” said witness Ellen Barnes, a British tourist. “The shark was thrashing and tearing at this poor woman.” Experts are investigating what could be causing sharks in the area to turn on humans.
Abuja, Nigeria
Cheney charged with bribery: Nigeria this week filed charges against former Vice President Dick Cheney and others in a bribery scandal involving Halliburton, the oil-services company Cheney led prior to serving as vice president. The charges stem from the period 1994 to 2004, when executives from Halliburton subsidiary KBR and other companies allegedly gave Nigerian government officials $180 million in bribes to win a $6 billion contract to build a natural-gas plant. KBR has already pleaded guilty to the charges in U.S. federal court, but it said it would fight the Nigerian charges. In any case, Cheney is unlikely to be extradited for trial. “The current administration will not send a former American vice president to a foreign country for trial,” an unnamed Obama administration official told Nigeria’s Daily Independent.
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Stolen election: Côte d’Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo threw out election results naming opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara the winner of last month’s presidential election and had himself sworn in for a new term. The move heightened political chaos in the capital, raising fears that the country could revert to civil war. Gbagbo has accused Ouattara of masterminding the 2002 civil war, an allegation Ouattara denies. African and Western leaders called on Gbagbo to honor the vote results and step down. “There are two paths that he can take: one that leads to continued progress for his country and its people,” said U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, “and one that leads to isolation from the global community.”
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