Global Update

Welcome back to International Update, TDI's original global NewsWire. This is not meant to be a comprehensive summary of all the day's top news. And any inclusion or ommissions should not be read into as a sign of "bias", for one political party or another. Quite simply, International Update is a glance at the world around us. It's an oppertunity to find out what's happening in these uncertian times, to better inform ourselves. The world always moves, even if we stand still. So instead of running, trying to catch up, why don't you let TDI bring the world to your fingertips?

The French Riots are starting to die down, reportedly. But violence still persist, with cars and schools being set ablaze. The European Union may be asked to give $58 million to France to help the affected towns recover. The riots have been going on for over 18 nights. But there are signs of fading interest... Friday night into Saturday morning, 502 cars were burned. The next night, it was 374. The next night, it was 208. The peak of the car arsons was 1,400 cars in a single night. A state of emergancy was declared on Wednesday for the worst unrest in France since the 1968 student-worker protest.

In the next few days, France is expected to start deporting foreigners implicated in the violence - a plan by law-and-order Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy that has caused divisions in the government. A poll in the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche suggested Sarkozy is the politician that French people trust most to deal with the troubles. Some 53 percent said they supported him, while about 71 percent said they lacked confidence in President Jacques Chirac. (source)

The Ivory Coast is beginning to rebuild its air force, the UN reports, one year after it was mostly destroyed by French forces in retaliation for an air rade that killed 9 French soldiers. Officially, Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo says that only civilian aircraft are under repair. But the Defense Ministry has acknowledged hiring technicians help to aid in rebuilding the air squad. It is unclear if the air force is in violation of a U.N. arms embargo. (source)

Indian police announced that they made a major breakthrough in the investigation into the triple bombings in New Dehli last month that killed 60 people by arrested Tariq Ahmed Dar. Tariq planned and funded the attacks for the Laskhar-e-Tayyaba militant group. He was arrested in Srinagar on Thursday, and brought to New Delhi for questioning. The police are now searching for the bombers, after obtaining their identities through the Tariq Ahmed Dar investigation. Two of the bombers were from Kashmir, the others are "foreign nationals." (source)

Australia will strengthen the number of Australian Defense Forces (ADF) personnel in Afghanistan early next year. According to Defense Minister Robert Hill, the brigade being sent over will be based in Kandahar. This new deployment brings the total number of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan to around 200. (source)

In April, Abigail Witchalls was pushing her oldest son in a buggy in a country lane near her home. She went to open a gate, turned around, only to see a attacker holding a knife to her son's throat. She walk towards the man, who then stabbed her in the back of the neck, leaving a three-inch wound. When this attack occured, she was in the early stages of pregnancy. Well, this past Friday, just days after leaving the hospital for partial paralysis treatment, Abigail gave birth to a healthy baby boy. (5 lbs, 6 oz.) The proud mother said: "I have found great strength and comfort in carrying this child over the past few months and it is such a blessing and a joy to now finally see him face to face." (source)

Two U.S. Marines were killed in combat, and another American soldier died in a vehicle accident in Iraq. The 2 Marines were assigned to Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, when their vehicle was bombed in Al-Amiriyah. The traffic accident happened near Rawah. (source)

It's almost 2006, and Cubans are just learning about the census they took in 2002. According to the Cuban government, in 2002, Cuba was home to 11.2 million residents, 3/4's of whom live in urban areas. The population grew by 1.5 million since the last census in 1981. The average age in Cuba is 35. 15% of the population is 60-years or older. Right now, there's about an equal number of men and women, but women will probably be the majority in a few years, according to Juventud Rebelde, a communist youth paper in Cuba. Most households have more than three people living in them. And there is electriticy in about 95% of all homes. (source)

Today, on state-run Jordan TV, a stunning confession was read. Sajida Mubarak Atrous, 35, from Ramadi, Iraq, confessed to being part of the Black Wednesday attacks. The Associated Press has the transcript:

"On Nov. 5, I accompanied my husband to Jordan with a forged Iraqi passport, under the name of Ali Hussein Ali and Sajida Abdel Qader Latif.

We waited and a white car arrived with a driver and a passenger. We rode with them and entered Jordan (from Iraq). My husband arranged our trip from there, I don't know.

In Jordan, we rented an apartment. He had two explosive belts. He put one on me and wore the other. He taught me how to use it, how to pull the (primer cord) and operate it.

He said it was to carry attacks on hotels in Jordan. We rented a car and entered the hotel on Nov. 9. My husband and I went inside the hotel, he went to one corner and I went to another.

There was a wedding at the hotel with children, women and men inside.

My husband detonated (his bomb), I tried to explode (my belt) but it wouldn't.

I left, people fled running and I left running with them."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says that they expect to stabilize any weak areas of the New Orleans levee system before the 2006 hurricane season. Construction will probably continue throughout the year, but the levees will be "capable of protecting from a hurricane." Meanwhile, the FBI is conducting a criminal investigation, looking into the possibility of corruption in the design, construction and maintenance of the levees. (source) (additional source)

And that's the International Update for now. Hope you enjoyed the fresh new look! I'll try to alternate between the red and blue, for variety's sake. Until the next update, stay safe!