Khartoum, Sudan
Janjaweed on trial: Sudan this week arrested an Arab militia leader accused of orchestrating mass murder in Darfur. Ali Kushayb, leader of the Janjaweed militia that terrorized black villages in Darfur, was charged with crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court last year, but Sudan refused to hand him over. Now Sudan says it will hold its own trial of Kushayb. Human-rights activists were dubious. “While my heart hopes that this is the start of a real Sudanese-led judicial process,” said James Smith of Aegis Trust, an anti-genocide group, “my head tells me it’s yet another ploy by Khartoum to buy some time.” The conflict in Darfur has killed at least 200,000 people and displaced 2 million.
Acre, Israel
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Jews vs. Arabs: Israeli leaders called for calm this week after four days of rioting and violence between Arabs and Jews in the city of Acre. The unrest began last week on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, when an Arab man drove into a Jewish neighborhood and was attacked by a Jewish mob that saw him as disrespectful of the holiday. A false rumor that the man had been killed sparked rioting among Israeli Arabs, who make up one-third of the Acre population. Arabs destroyed Jewish stores and Jews burned Arab houses. Israeli President Shimon Peres called on both groups to refrain from violence and to forgive each other. “There are several religions in Israel,” Peres said, “but there is only one law and one police.”
Damascus, Syria
Making nice with Lebanon: Syria and Lebanon agreed this week to establish diplomatic relations for the first time. The two have been rivals since they gained independence from France more than 60 years ago, mostly because Syria saw Lebanon as part of its historic territory. Syria has been a strong presence in Lebanese politics since 1976, when it sent troops to intervene in a Lebanese civil war. But international pressure on Syria to back off has intensified in recent years, since the 2005 assassination of Lebanon’s Rafik Hariri was widely blamed on Syria. This week’s announcement by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he will soon send an ambassador to Beirut came after intense negotiations, mediated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Madhya Pradesh, India
Malnutrition crisis: India has more hungry people than any other country in the world, according to a new international study. The Global Hunger Index, an annual joint report by several international research institutes, said that more than 200 million Indians lack adequate food. In 12 Indian states, levels of malnutrition are critical. “Despite years of robust economic growth, India scored worse than nearly 25 sub-Saharan African countries and all of South Asia, except Bangladesh,” the report said. In one state, Madhya Pradesh, 60 percent of children are malnourished. With the global rise in food prices, the situation is expected to worsen.
Mosul, Iraq
Christians flee: Masked gunman have been targeting Christians in the northern city of Mosul, leaving at least 13 dead over the past two weeks. Hundreds of Christian families crammed their possessions into their cars this week and fled the area. The local government blames al Qaida, while some Christians say the perpetrators are Kurds who want minority sects to turn against the main parties in upcoming local elections. Others say the culprits could be Shiites trying to get Christian leaders to drop their demand for a quota system giving religious minorities seats on provincial councils. The Iraqi government deployed 2,500 troops to Mosul in an attempt to stop the ethnic cleansing.
Beijing
Massive milk recall: China this week ordered a recall of all liquid and powdered milk manufactured in the past month. The products will be tested for melamine, the industrial chemical whose presence in baby formula has sickened tens of thousands of Chinese infants since the summer. Dairies across the country had been watering down their milk and then adding melamine to make it appear normal in quality-control tests. The massive recall is a drastic attempt to restore confidence in Chinese dairies, as countries around the world have halted imports of Chinese milk. Dozens of officials have been fired in the scandal. “We will strengthen our control on the food quality and supervision on food safety,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang.
