Nairobi, Kenya
American expelled: The author of a book criticizing Barack Obama was kicked out of Kenya this week for not having a valid work permit. Jerome Corsi, an American neoconservative writer, was in Kenya to launch his book Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality, which alleges that the Democratic presidential candidate is a Muslim and has murky links to Kenyan politics. Such charges go over poorly in Kenya, where Obama’s father was born and where Obama is a national hero. Once government authorities learned of Corsi’s presence in the country through the newspapers, they found a pretext to deport him—saying that presiding over a book launch constituted “employment,” which requires a permit.
Tehran
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Uranium enrichment continues: Iran this week said it would not give in to foreign pressure to halt its nuclear programs. In a letter to six countries that have been trying to persuade Iran to stop enriching uranium—The U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany—Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili complained of the “lack of civilization of dialogue” on the issue. He was referring to criticism by Western powers in the wake of a new International Atomic Energy Agency report that said Iran had expanded its uranium enrichment program and blocked IAEA access to relevant sites and documents. The U.S. and Europe sought to punish Iran with more sanctions, but Russia nixed the idea.
Kabul
Talking with the Taliban? Afghan government and Taliban officials this week both denied a news report that they have been secretly negotiating a truce in Saudi Arabia. CNN reported that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah hosted four days of talks between 11 Taliban delegates and two Afghan officials. CNN also quoted unnamed sources as saying that the Taliban had agreed to sever its ties to al Qaida. But the Afghan government insisted that it had not held any such discussions, as did a Taliban spokesman. Saudi Arabia is considered a likely mediator between the Afghans and the Taliban, since it is one of the few countries that recognized the Taliban when it controlled Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
Bajur, Pakistan
Afghans out: Pakistan this week ordered the deportation of about 50,000 Afghan refugees, as it mounted a major military offensive against al Qaida and Taliban fighters in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan. “The orders have been issued to the tribal police to push all of them out,” said Abdul Haseeb, a local government official. He said many of the refugees had links to militants and their homes would be bulldozed to keep them from returning. Pakistan is home to about 2 million Afghans who fled their country over the past two decades. Pakistan officials said that so far the offensive has killed more than 1,000 militants.
Bangkok
Army intervenes in protests: Thai troops were deployed to the capital this week, after thousands of protesters surrounded the parliament building, trapping lawmakers inside. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat clambered down a ladder to escape into a neighboring royal palace. The protest turned violent as demonstrators clashed with riot police; hundreds were reported injured, including at least four people who lost limbs to flying tear gas canisters. Demonstrators have been protesting outside government buildings for months, saying the government elected last December is just a front for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006 amid allegations of massive corruption. Somchai is Thaksin’s brother-in-law.
Beijing
Anger at U.S. arms to Taiwan: China canceled military exchanges with the U.S. this week, to protest a U.S. announcement of $6.5 billion in arms sales to Taiwan. The proposed sale of weapons, which the Pentagon asked Congress to approve last week, includes advanced Patriot missile defense systems, Apache attack helicopters, and submarine-launched anti-ship missiles. China said the move to sell such weapons to Taiwan “contaminated the sound atmosphere for military relations, gravely jeopardized China’s national security, and undermined China’s interests.” The Chinese government canceled a visit to Washington by a senior general as well as low-level diplomatic exchanges, and it placed an indefinite ban on Chinese port calls by U.S. naval vessels. The U.S. called China’s reaction “unfortunate.”
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