Burma: Sen. Jim Webb to meet military leaders

Sen. Jim Webb is due to embark on a diplomatic mission this weekend which is reminiscent of Bill Clinton's recent stint in North Korea. Webb has an appointment to meet Than Shwe, the country's military ruler. He is also expected to request visits with famed democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi and John Yettaw, an American who recently swam to Suu Kyi's home and was sentenced to seven years of hard labor earlier this week. While Yettaw is unlikely to be released immediately, Webb's visit is being watched closely for signs of change in the US government's attitude towards Burma's military dictatorship.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6794748.ece

Brazil: Murder to boost TV ratings?

Wallace Souza, state legislator for Brazil's Amazon region, is already charged with several crimes, including drug trafficking and gang formation. Due to legislative immunity, Souza has not been jailed. Now, new allegations are entering the fray: Souza is suspected of having commissioned several murders to eliminate drug trafficking rivals and boost ratings for his real crime TV show.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-08/12/content_8557961.htm

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5idUVrpqMbnY0Jrp_U1UbCGuiKebgD9A100N80

Cyprus: Remains of missing Greek soldiers found

The Greek Cypriot population expressed outrage yesterday after the remains of five missing Greek soldiers were found in an abandoned well. The well is situated in Northern Cyprus, claimed by Turkey after its 1974 invasion of the island. The issue of the island's division has been among potential obstacles to Turkey's bid for EU membership, and tensions over Cyprus continue to flare up between Turkey and Greece. The internationally recognized Southern part of the Cypriot nation, inhabited mostly by Greeks, gained EU membership in 2004.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1179789.html

Botswana: The Bushmen dilemma

Botswana, among the most prosperous and best-developed sub-Saharan nations, provides a fascinating study as other countries follow suit: How do countries improve their citizens' lots and present an image of prosperity to potential trading partners, while still allowing rural tribes to pursue their traditional way of life? Botswana's way, thus far, is unlikely to please anyone: The Bushmen's right to live in their territory has been affirmed by the courts, as has their right to hunt there. Yet, the government has failed to issue hunting permits, turning the country's Bushmen into de facto outlaws as they pursue their livelihoods.

http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14183069

Guatemala: Fighting "Femicide"

Guatemala's pattern of brutal violence against women has been making negative headlines for several years. This Al Jazeera article mentions a recent law designed specifically to punish what has been termed "femicide." The piece describes Guatemalan society's paternalistic structure as the underlying evil and argues that much work remains to be done to address violence against women in a country whose most famous citizen, indigenous rights activist Rigoberta Menchu, is female.

Warning: The article contains graphic descriptions of violence.
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/08/200984134334229388.html

China: A new poll reveals mistrust of party cadres - or does it?

The Irish Times reports that a new online poll of 3,000 Chinese citizens shows sex workers and students, among others, enjoy higher levels of trust in the population than do party cadres. However, the methodology of the poll remains unclear, and doubts remain as to whether a poll of a random sample of internet users can be representative of the Chinese population. For your consideration: Internet users in China still tend to be relatively wealthy, well-educated city dwellers.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0805/1224252011160.html

Trinidad and Tobago: British tourists hospitalized after machete attack

A second serious attack on European tourists occurred in the Caribbean island nation after October's killing of a Swedish couple.
Trinidad and Tobago are two islands off the coast of Venezuela. Formerly British colonies, the islands became an independent nation in 1962.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/britons-attacked-with-machete-in-tobago-1767154.html

Kenya: All death sentences commuted to life in prison

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki announced today that all 4,000 death row inmates in the country will have their sentences commuted to life in prison. Kibaki cited the fact that no death sentence has been carried out in 22 years, as well as the "undue mental anguish" associated with life on death row.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1169152.html