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

Zimbabwe: MP arrested for allegedly stealing cell phone

Mugabe and his party, Zanu-PF, continue what Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC describes as a campaign of intimidation: The latests MDC MP to be arrested, Zanu-PF alleges, stole a 15-year old cell phone from Mugabe ally Joseph Chinotimba while Chinotimba wasn't looking.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6732466.ece

China: CCTV to launch Arabic channel

China's state broadcaster, CCTV, seems to plan on becoming a global media presence to rival the BBC. Having already launched international channels in English, Spanish, and French, CCTV now aims to bring "the real China" to Arabic-speaking populations in North Africa and the Middle East. Africa and the Middle East have already seen considerable economic investment come their way from the Middle Kingdom in recent years. This fall, CCTV is set to begin broadcasting in Russian.
Ostensibly, CCTV wishes to counter what it describes as the 'distorted views' of China presented by foreign media.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8166486.stm