The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Lorin Maazel, will visit Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea in February. This is one positive step in the complex relationship between the US and North Korea. The New York Times has a much more detailed report here.
Results should be released Monday of a vote to change Venezuela's constitution, removing term limits from the presidency, and allowing the president to declare states of emergency of indeterminate length. Opinions are mixed, with many of president Chavez's strong supporters against the change. The New York Times article here explains things quite well.
Pakistan's President Musharraff refuesd again on Saturday to give in to the US's demands that he end emergency rule, and release several thousand of his political enemies. Musharraff has been a strong ally against extremism in the past, but the future of the relationship looks grim unless something changes.This Times of London article is very informative.
About 1000 tons of fuel oil were spilled in the Black Sea after the tanker Volganeft split open in a storm. The extent of the ecological damage from the spill remains to be seen, but because it is thick fuel oil, it will probably be severe. The sailors were later rescued, The New York Times reported.
A police officer was trying to break up a scuffle, between fans of two soccer teams, when his gun when off, killing one of the fans. This sparked riots, an attack on a police station, a bridge was blocked off, and cars were set on fire. The Star Tribune picked up the brief.
Chaos reigns in Mogadishu, Somalia after a US supported Ethiopian invasion threw the city into chaos. Food is scarce, and both sides are using violence to get it. A new violent trend is the assassination call. You recieve a call from an unavailable source, they tell you that you are going to die, or something similar, and then you are killed in the next couple of days. This information is from a larger article found on TwinCities.com.
Al Qaeda supporters have begun to increase the production quality of their Internet propoganda and training videos. Many of these sites are English language, and run by supporters in the United States. One of these supporters is Samir Khan of North Carolina his story is detailed in a New York Times article.
Russia, who had been previously selling arms to Iran according to The New York Times, ceased those activities in 2006. Though this seems to indicate a falling out of some kind, Russia still vetoed the United States' proposal for new sanctions against Iran according to McClatchy Newspapers. This opposition shold slow US efforts for some time to come.
Iran held its annual arms display Saturday, putting on a display of their technology and military prowess. According to a Los Angeles Times article, Iranian officials made a point of mentioning that all the arms were Iranian made, and that economic santions would be ineffective. Meanwhile, the Times of London reported that the U.S. Air Force has a committee whose job is to find ways to "fight the next war."