Moscow
Generals purged: Fifty of Russia’s 249 generals failed a pop quiz and will be fired, Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said this week. “We do not intend to keep officers who are not up to par for their positions and high titles in the armed forces,” Pankov said. The proficiency test and subsequent firings are part of a general downsizing of Russia’s military. When the Soviet army shrank and became the Russian army after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, most officers were retained, resulting in a top-heavy military. An additional 133 generals will be forced to retire this year because of poor health or old age. Ultimately, the number of officers will be more than halved, to 150,000, for an army of about 1 million.
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Colombo, Sri Lanka
Backlash against humanitarians: Angry over European Union calls for a cease-fire in the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels, the Sri Lankan government has refused to allow Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt into the country. Bildt was planning to take part in an EU humanitarian mission that has been criticized by the government. The pro-government newspaper Daily News railed against the cease-fire demands in an article titled “Get your humanitarian paws off my country.” The article argues that the Europeans aren’t the ones who have to live with Tamil terrorist attacks. A piqued Sweden recalled its ambassador from Sri Lanka. “You just don’t act this way,” said Bildt.
Off the coast of Somalia
Cruise ship battles pirates: An Italian cruise ship successfully fought off a pirate attack this week. The MSC Melody, carrying about 1,000 passengers and 500 crew members, was on a 22-day luxury cruise from South Africa to Italy when nine pirates charged up in motorboats. Passengers began throwing plastic deck chairs at the pirates, but had to take cover when gunfire broke out. Captain Ciro Pinto zigzagged the ship at high speed, while Israeli security guards—hired specifically to protect against such attacks—returned fire. “It felt as if we were at war,” said Pinto. “We even sprayed them with water from the fire hose.” After about 20 minutes, the pirates sped off but were later apprehended by the Spanish navy.
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