Sadly, today is our last show of the semester, so to lighten things up some of our stories will be funny or slightly outrageous.
Headline Anchors:
Heather Martino
Reina Evita Ronquillo
Americas – Matt Ausloos
Sex scandal Paraguay leader to stay in office
The Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo says he will not resign over claims that he fathered three children by different women while he was a Catholic priest. He said on television that he would remain president through 2013 regardless of “rumors of instability and conspiracy.” He asked for forgiveness from anyone offended by the revelations. Lugo ran on a campaign of honesty, and the opposition has seized on the scandal to undermine his credibility. A Paraguayan bishop has called for Lugo to resign. The Pope released the president from his vows of chastity last July, two years after he renounced the priesthood, so he could run for president.
Stray plane enters Washington, D.C.
A stray plane that flew into restricted airspace sparked a security scare in Washington. The US secret service briefly evacuated parts of the White House and US Capitol. The alert level was raised from green to orange. Within minutes two F-16 fighter jets and two Coast Guard helicopters were scrambled. Authorities gave the “all clear” ten minutes later, after alerting the pilot to turn around. The single-engine Cessna landed safely at a Washington area airport. Since 9/11 authorities have been on high alert for planes that violate the restricted airspace over Washington.“Crazy sickness” afflicts teens in Nicaragua
Grisi Siknis, which translates from the local Miskito language as “crazy sickness” has afflicted teenager after teenager in Nicaragua. It acts as a virus, sending teenager after teenager into a frenzied state. This is followed by long periods of coma-like unconsciousness. Dona Porcela is a respected traditional leader who distributes bottles filled with her secret potions. While Western doctors are at a loss for words on how to treat the illness, Dona Porcela claims she can cure people with her concoction. One girl claimed she felt giddy, then found it hard to breathe, and saw a dragon enter and possess her. People claim that those afflicted get giddy and then faint.Bra saves woman from bullet
A US woman was saved when a burglar’s bullet bounced off the metal underwire of her bra. Police in Detroit said a bullet was fired at the woman after she looked out her window and saw three intruders raiding the house next door. The bullet hit, but instead of causing serious harm or worse, it deflected off the wiring in her bra. The unnamed 57 year-old woman was taken to a hospital and released the same day. Local police Sergeant Eren Stephens Bell has been quoted as saying, “We need to get some bulletproof vests made from that. It is some strong wire.”Europe – Liz Mueller
French Migrant Camp
On Thursday, French officials said that the migrant camp in Calais known as “the jungle” would be dismantled by the end of the year. This is an effort to curb the movement of illegal migrants and refugees. The announcement also comes two days after 500 police officers and other officials rounded up 194 migrants around Calais. The French immigration minister, Eric Besson, said after listening to locals’ fears of an attack by the migrants, “the law of the jungle will not rule here in Calais or anywhere in France.”
Romanian and Bulgaria in trouble again
On Thursday, MEPs asked the European Commission to draft special reports by July 15 on the management of European Union funds in Bulgaria and Romania due to worries over judicial standards and organized crime. Parliament requested “zero tolerance” in cases of misuse of European Union money, fraud and corruption after “serious concern” was expressed over the financial interest of European Union taxpayers. On April 8, the European Union sent Parliament a document quoting the European Commission as stating “releasing funds is of course dependent on the evolution of the legislative and judiciary environment and on the progress on the specific action plans.” The European Commission spokesman Mark Gray declined to say if the executive will take up parliament’s request for special reports.Iceland to join the EU bloc
The snap elections in Iceland are set to return the governing minority red-red coalition to power but with a clean majority as voters ditch the free-market and liberalizing center-right Independence Party that are responsible for the island’s economic collapse. The question of whether to join the European Union has dominated as the main election issue. However, Iceland’s decision is far from made as the two current poll leaders share very different opinions on joining. On Monday, the interim prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, said that the country must apply for membership to the bloc immediately after the election and that if her party, the Social Democrats, won they would make such a move their top priority.Middle East – Caleb Barnhart
Netanyahu Faces Resistance from United States
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected the current position of the emerging Israeli government led by Benyamin Netanyahu. Israel hopes to garner more power within the Middle East, but could not expect to receive the needed support without entering peace negotiations with Palestine. By halting Iran’s goals of furthering its nuclear capabilities, Israel hopes to gain support from Arab nations, but Netanyahu refuses to consider peace talks without United States’ support against Iran. No further progress is expected until after Netanyahu meets with President Obama to outline his agenda as the new Prime Minister of Israel.US-Iranian Reporter Sentenced for spying
Roxana Saberi was arrested for what Iranian officials originally stated was reporting without proper credentials, but she was later sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of espionage for the United States. Saberi, who had been reporting from Iran for 6 years, recently began a hunger strike in prison after her sentencing. Since being arrested in January, Saberi’s case has gained the attention of the community at Northwestern University, where she graduated, and recently the mainstream media as her boyfriend Bahman Ghobadi, a Kurdish-Iranian film director, began speaking out against her possible mistreatment while in prison. However, in a recent interview President Ahmadinejad refused to intercede on her behalf and stressed the independence of the Iranian judiciary.Taliban militants threatening Islamabad
US officials have recently stated that the Taliban is becoming an “existential threat” as Taliban militants have taken control of Buner, a northern district of Pakistan, within 60 miles of Islamabad. The threat caused the Pakistani government to dispatch troops to the region, but is failing to quell the uprising which is lead by militants preaching Islamic law in the streets and usurping control of Pakistan’s North Western Frontier province. Such conflicts within close proximity to the capital raise questions of Pakistan’s stability and their ability to assist coalition forces in Afghanistan.Demand for civilian aid to Afghanistan
In a new approach to Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan, military reservists may be recruited to fill hundreds of U.S. civilian positions within Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last month, at the announcement of his plan, President Obama called for a drastic increase in civilians working in Afghanistan for aid and development. This was further supported by an $80 million funding bill passed by Congress in order to supplement the requested increase in civilian positions. However, some officials are skeptical that enough civilians could be recruited for the positions. Despite this supplemental funding, many governmental agencies have lacked the required funding to recruit and train personnel for future placement for Obama’s “civilian surge.” Instead, the Pentagon will offer nearly 300 reservists in specific careers positions necessary for placement within Afghanistan and Pakistan in order to ensure sufficient U.S. assistance to the region.United Arab Emirates Sheikh caught in torture scandal
Recent video footage of an assault against an Afghan man has made Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, half brother to the President of the United Arab Emirates, the main suspect in human rights violations. The Sheikh is alleged to have assaulted and tortured an Afghan citizen due to unfair business transactions between the two. The victim was Mohammed Shah Poor, a grain dealer, who was suspected of robbing the Sheikh of about $5,000 worth of grain. The forty-five minute video shows the Afghan citizen being fed sand, shot at with an automatic weapon, and finally crushed by what appears to be the Sheikh’s silver Mercedes-Benz SUV.Africa – Andrea Borelli
Victory in South Africa brings forth cheers of joy
On Wednesday, South Africa held its fourth and most competitive general election since the end of apartheid. With only half the ballots in, the ANC had about 66% of the vote. At this point, it is clear that Jacob Zuma will be the next president of South Africa, but it is not clear whether the party will hold the 2/3 majority needed to push through the constitutional changes they are looking to make. Formal results are still yet to come.
Foreigners abducted in Niger freed Wednesday
A UN special envoy to Niger formed in July 2008 was released Wednesday. The envoy consisted of two Canadians, Robert Fowler and his aide, Louis Guay. A German tourist and a Swiss tourist have also been held captive since January. Both parties have been released, but two other foreigners remain captives. Some say that the captives were originally abducted by Tuareg rebels. It is believed that their captors were members of al-Qaeda.Ethnic conflict stirs up more deaths in Sudan
Fighting over last weekend in southern Sudan left over 100 people dead. The attack was retaliation against the Lou Nuer headed by the Murle tribe, which suffered over 400 deaths in a March attack. There is only one UN peacekeeping unit in the region at this time and there are fears that the back and forth fighting will continue. The violence is aided by the weapons left over from Sudan’s long lasting civil war which ended in 2005.Asia – Heather Martino/Reina Evita Ronquillo
Two US reporters indicted in North Korea
The two American journalists who have been detained in North Korea are now facing charges of illegal entry and committing "hostile acts". The official news agency of Korea KCNA stated that they had confirmed criminal data on the two reporters, Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Ling and Lee both work for Current TV, a media company based in San Francisco. They had been arrested in North Korea last month while reporting on North Korean refugees at the border of China and North Korea.Tibetan Abbot charged with weapons possession and embezzlement
A Tibetan abbot will be sentenced next week on charges of weapons possession and embezzlement. Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche is the leader of two convents in Ganze in the Szechuan province and is considered to be a living Buddha. Rinpoche was detained after a protest staged by more than 80 nuns from his convents. Reports say that police found a pistol and bullets in his living quarters. Prosecutors are also accusing him of trying to illegally take possession of the home for the elderly which he runs. The abbot could be sentenced to 15 years in prison.Taliban insurgency in Pakistan
On Thursday, the Taliban took a strong hold of the strategic district in Pakistan know as Buner, just 70 miles shy of Islamabad, the nation’s capital. The Pakistani government responded by deploying just several hundred poorly paid and equipped constabulary forces to Buner, who were repelled in a clash with the insurgents, leaving one police officer dead. Pakistani politicians and American officials questioned the government’s willingness to deal with the insurgents, as the Pakistani military has yet to make any major intervention. In the meantime, the Taliban have already begun setting up checkpoints and negotiating a truce similar to the one that allowed the Taliban to impose Islamic law in the neighboring Swat Valley. The words “Shave is strictly forbidden” were written on the window of a shop in Buner, signaling the Taliban’s control in the region. Pakistan has come under scrutiny for failing to deploy its nearly 500,000 soldiers and equal number of reservists to deal with the issue. This is especially controversial for American interests in the area, as Pakistan receives $1 billion in American military aid each year but has repeatedly declined to confront the Taliban-led insurgency. Pakistan remains committed to training and deploying its soldiers to conquer enemy India, while ignoring its own problems at home, which has forced desperate residents in Buner to form their own militias to keep out the Taliban. That effort, however, has now failed. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who also recently returned from his 5th trip to Pakistan, had this to say of the region: (quote) “It illustrates there is a lack of political will in the Pakistan civilian leadership to confront these Pakistan Taliban” adding that “The Taliban sense this huge vacuum that they can pour into.”In-Focus:
Anchors Mason Robbins, Noah Rothman, and special guest Seton Hall University diplomacy student Luke Sikorski speak their opinions on a survey of news from around the world.
Special Thanks to all those graduating this semester. You have all greatly contributed to The Global Current in countless ways, and it will not be the same without you next year!
Executive Producer- Reina Evita Ronquillo
Investigative Reporters:
The Freedom Report- Kevin Waterman
Sports Update- Natasha Triplett
Lisha Arino
Alia Felton
Sarah Kessler
Linda Manus
