Around 65 military recruits and 15 civilians were killed in the twin bombing of the military training centre in Shabqadar, Charsadda – the first attack in Pakistan since the announcement of Osama bin Laden’s death. The Pakistani Taliban claims to have carried out the attack to avenge bin Laden’s killing.
Brazil’s Supreme Court last night ruled unanimously that civil unions between same-sex couples were to be allowed – which is a big deal, what with Brazil being home to the world’s largest Roman Catholic population and all. The vote stopped short, however, of legalizing gay marriage.
In what’s been the most radical political shift in about a century, Canadians yesterday voted the Conservative Party into a 100-seat majority – meaning first time in history, the New Democratic Party will form the Official Opposition. Former Prime Minister Harper’s government was forced into an election after a no-confidence vote in parliament.
British filmmaker and photojournalist, Tim Hetherington, who co-directed the Oscar-nominated documentary on the Afghanistan War, Restrepo, was killed yesterday in Misrata, Libya, following the firing of an RPG at a group of journalists. He was 41 years old. Three other journalists were injured in the attack.
A prominent US politician, Marilyn Davenport, is in trouble for sending out an email with a photo of chimpanzee parents and their infant. Barack Obama’s face is superimposed on the chimpanzee infant, and the caption reads: “Now you know why no birth certificate.” Her response to the whole matter, however, is even spicier.
Which puts us behind Iran. The Global Peace Index, put together by the Institute for Economics & Peace, is apparently made up of a couple of factors – including levels of democracy and transparency, education and national wellbeing. Top three are New Zealand, Iceland and Japan, with Iraq coming in last (149th place).
Following a military assault on his residence in Abidjan, Ivory Coast politician Laurent Gbagbo has surrendered and been placed under UN guard, thus ceding power to his UN-recognised successor, Alassane Ouattara; this after Gbagbo’s refusal to accept defeat in November’s presidential poll.
Government has decided that we need a new nickname for our national soccer team. The affectionate monicker Bafana Bafana was a nice idea at the time, says Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, but now we need ‘lions that will roar’.
Fidel Castro has popped up in public to remind us that he isn’t dead yet, and to let us know that he isn’t in charge of the Cuban Communist Party. And hasn’t been since 2006, when he let his brother take over. Fidel didn’t realize that it might be cool to let people know that it was permanent.
Donald Trump running for the American presidency might sound like a bad idea to some – just like his haircut. Say what you will about his political ambitions, but I actually think Trump embodies the American ideal, which is perfectly encapsulated in this reminiscence of how he screwed one Muammar Gaddafi over in a property deal.
Politicians cheat on occasion, and I don’t just mean at cards. Sometimes they sleep with people that they’re not married to. Sometimes politicians condemn their peers for adultery, only to be caught in the very same act some time later.
Anonymous, the online sort-of-anarchic sort-of-activist group, forced Aaron Barr, head of HBGary Federal, the massive American tech security company, to resign. Which is sort of a huge deal in the way that Charlie Sheen isn’t. Even though I love everything that Charlie Sheen touches.
It’s sort of hard to be on the internet right now without hearing about protests from whichever North African/Middle Eastern country is falling under the ‘freedom’ bandwagon, but this Google Maps/Twitter mashup contextualizes the online protest movement nicely – and in real time.
Here is a tip for becoming a successful politician: When you write newspaper columns criticising your own political party, they will be upset and invite you to a disciplinary. Logging onto Facebook and calling them “dickheads” will only make the situation worse.
It’s Thursday. Look at this video. It’s partially a rant on nanny-state politics, so you can watch it and act like you’re smart and politically engaged, and it also has footage of ladies in lingerie playing American football, which is relevant to the debate at hand, but also good for its own sake. SFW
Much has been reported recently about the American political landscape. Sure, they don’t have “politicians” like Julius Malema to dominate the headlines with nonsense but the likes of Christine O’Donnell and the Teaparty are making a damn fine effort.
5fm’s Gareth Cliff’s letter to the government has attracted quite a bit of attention over the past few days, with only an excerpt published here and there. We have managed to get hold of the entire letter and thought you would like to see it in its entirety – especially those of you who struggle with searching on the internet. Bless you. Gareth’s letter after the jump.
Two French students, calling themselves the ‘Niqabitches,’ have posted a video of themselves strolling through Paris wearing the niqab with hot pants and high heels, in protest of France’s recent burka ban. They seem like very nice young ladies.