Moscow
Mass exodus: Muscovites scrambled to flee this week as peat bogs surrounding the capital continued to smolder, blanketing the city in poisonous smog. Poor visibility led to cancellation of many flights and forced drivers to use their car headlights even in broad daylight. Forest fires have begun to retreat elsewhere in Russia, although they still cover more than 300 square miles. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin this week sought to deflect mounting criticism of the government’s slow response by personally piloting a plane dumping water over a hard-hit region. But bloggers and opposition politicians called his action a cynical stunt, noting that earlier, President Dmitri Medvedev had warned politicians against trying to “score political points” off the fires.
Seoul
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Tax toward unification: South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has proposed a new tax to help his country integrate North Korea in the event of regime collapse in Pyongyang. North Korea’s economy has been spiraling downward for years, most of its people are malnourished, and with dictator Kim Jong Il in poor health, tensions over succession are ratcheting up. Given the dire situation in the North, “unification will happen,” Lee said. Previous governments in Seoul have prepared contingency plans for absorbing refugees in the event of regime collapse, but none ever publicly announced such explicit plans. North Korea, meanwhile, responded furiously to this week’s U.S.–South Korean military exercises, saying that it will launch “the severest punishment” the world has ever seen.
Kunduz, Afghanistan
Couple stoned to death: Taliban militants this week stoned to death a young couple for adultery, the first confirmed use of stoning in Afghanistan since the Islamist regime was ousted by the U.S. invasion in 2001. A single woman, 20, and her married lover, 28, ran away together last week, but were tracked down at a friend’s house in the northern province of Kunduz. They were stoned to death, separately, by a crowd of about 150 men, including some of their own family members. “It is against all human rights and international conventions,” said Kunduz government spokesman Mabubullah Sayedi. “There was no court. It was cruel.” The stoning came just two days after Afghanistan’s highest religious body, the Council of Ulema, called on the government to enforce Islamic punishments more strictly, as a concession to the Taliban.
Kabul
Security firms closing: President Hamid Karzai has ordered all private security contractors—most of them Americans—to cease operations in Afghanistan by December. Tens of thousands of people are employed by both international and Afghan private security firms. Karzai spokesman Wahid Omar said the president believes the contractors undermine the state by performing duties that should be undertaken by the Afghan army and police. The contractors provide security for embassies, aid groups, and even NATO convoys. Afghan authorities say too many security guards are trigger-happy and have killed many civilians. The U.S. government said that given the widespread use of contractors, the December deadline was unrealistic. “We believe that there is still a need for private security companies,” said State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley.
Tehran
Nuclear plant readied: Russia will start loading uranium rods into the Bushehr reactor in southwestern Iran this week, a key step toward powering up Iran’s first nuclear power plant. The plant, which will generate electricity, is not considered a proliferation risk, since Russia will retrieve the spent fuel rods that, theoretically, could be used by Iran to make weapons. The U.S. is not happy about the startup, but has not formally objected to it. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the existence of a foreign-run plant “underscores that Iran does not need its own indigenous enrichment capability.” Iran is under international sanctions for enriching uranium, a process that can generate the material needed for nuclear bombs.
Jerusalem
Uproar over detainee photos: An Israeli soldier’s Facebook photos, showing her posed in uniform and smiling next to handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainees, have sparked public outrage in Israel. The photos that former soldier Eden Abergil posted to her Facebook wall are labeled “The best time of my life.” In an accompanying comment, Abergil jokes that she should find out if one of the prisoners has a Facebook account so she can “tag” him. The Israeli army condemned Abergil’s behavior as “base and crude.” An Israeli human-rights group, Breaking the Silence, posted examples of similar photos of soldiers and detainees it had found on Facebook.
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