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10. april 2003
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Doctor claims Chinese authorites lying about SARS
Jiang Yanyong, a prominent doctor in Beijing, are bravely stepping forward and loudly proclaiming that the Chinese authorities are lying about the disease Sars. Health Minister Zheng Wenkang last week claimed that Beijing only had 12 Sars patients. Jiang says that he knows that one military hospital in the capital had 60 cases, another 46 cases, last week.
Chinese authorities are now being accused of covering up a dangerous epidemic, and by lying to the public people are prevented from taking the necessary precautions.
11:19:46 PM 
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Human cloning may be impossible
The nightmare of legislators and scientists worldwide may never happen, as new research published in the journal Science indicates there are crucual differences in the cells of different mammals. Attempts to clone monkeys have revealed that the procedure used to clone the sheep "Dolly" will not work on primates, because our eggs have a different biological makeup.
Of course this also means that the claims of charlatans like Raelian-owned "Clonaid" are rubbish. But we already knew that.
11:07:46 PM
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New claims about WMD finds
Breaking news on Fox News now, a possible mobile biological weapons lab is located.
The channel also reports that US marines may have found weapons grade plutonium beneath the Al Tuwaitha nuclear complex, which was inspected a number of times before the war. Two "preliminary tests" have indicated that it was weapons grade plutonium. When the marine's came close to the equipment, reportedly the radiation detectors went "off the charts."
Three cautionary words: 1) FoxNews. 2) "Possible". 3) "May."
9:47:47 PM
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It's all in the timing
Hong Kong isn't too proud of the latest advertising campaign to draw tourists to the city. Being short of breath is one of the symptoms of SARS, which people are pretty likely to associate with the city now.
8:16:22 PM
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Properly patriotic items
Flag-o-rama is marketing (well, writing about) patriotic items for very flag waving Americans.
And, nope, I didn't fall for it, and I doubt many others did either.
8:13:55 PM
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Reactions from Middle East and 'old Europe'
As I've written some time earlier, everybody loves the winner. Up to yesterday, Saddam Hussein was the hero of the Arab world. Now he's a loser who didn't even put up a proper fight.
Al Jazeera summarises some reactions from the street:
"This is a tragedy and a bloody comedy. We cannot believe what we see. What happened? It seems that the Iraqis have given up Baghdad without a fight. Where is the Iraqi army? Have they evaporated?" said Walid Salem, a Ramallah shopkeeper.
Ali Jaddah, an engineer, said: "It's a day of shame. On this day Arabs have become slaves. The only man who dared to say 'no' to the Americans' face has vanished today. What is left is a bunch of bowing and scraping Arab leaders."
We'll see how reactions change as time goes on and new developments occur. It's hard to argue with hard, cold success. Even in France, Jacques Chirac is facing criticism:
France's media suggests the government has been politically embarrassed by the warm welcome that American forces received when entering Baghdad.
It all really hinges on how well the coalition handles the last phase and the aftermath. Can they restore some sort of law and order in the conquered parts of Iraq? Can they mop up the rest of the country as easily as they did Baghdad. Will they find the elusive WMDs? And will Iraq really see a transition to a stable democracy?
7:31:42 PM
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Disbelief and denial in the Middle East
Two pretty important quotations from the Middle East today, that are reported all over the wire:
"We discovered that all that the (Iraqi) information minister was saying was all lies,'' said Ali Hassan, a government employee in Cairo, Egypt. ''Now no one believes Al-Jazeera anymore"" ...
"The Egyptian opposition newspaper Al Wafd refused to believe it. Its front page story said: ''Iraqi and Arab fighters desperately try to defend Gomhuria Bridge that the invading armies are trying to use to reach the eastern bank of the Tigris and central Baghdad.'' Nowhere did Al Wafd say that U.S. troops had overwhelmed central Baghdad." (Boston Globe)
5:39:17 PM
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Prominent Shia cleric killed
The leading Shia cleric Sayyid Abd al-Majid al-Khoei has just been reported stabbed to death in the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf.
It seems the post-war conflicts and turf wars are starting.
5:13:55 PM
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Supersonic adventure over
British Airways and Air France has announced that the Concorde project is over. The passenger number has never recovered after the 2000 disaster which killed 113 people, and the supersonic planes no longer make a profit.
2:50:54 PM
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Kirkuk falls
The oil-rich town Kirkuk in northern Iraq has reportedly fallen to Kurdish forces. The fighters entered the city in the night in disguise, and started an uprising.
1:36:05 PM
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Journalists show anger at collegues' deaths
 Journalists in Spain responded in anger to the killing of three journalists in Baghdad Tuesday, by boycotting the UK and Spainish foreign ministers at a press conference. They also put down their cameras and other tools in a protest (picture).
Some newspapers have even accused the US of targeting them deliberately, which prompted US vice president Dick Cheney to reply "you'd have to be an idiot to believe that."
Of course, Cheney is right.
Perhaps journalists who risk their necks for that pulitzer prize should do a little reality check before going completely ballistic. Nobody forced them to be there. In fact, they were warned against the risks. That newspapers show more outrage over the death of journalists who deliberately go into harms way than the innocent children who are killed or injured shows a total lack of proportions. I understand they feel for their collegues, but Journalists should report the story, not try to become the story.
3:11:14 AM
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There is some interesting symbolism here
 I heard on BBC World radio that somebody in the crowd gathering around the toppled statue of Saddam Hussein had muttered that this was just wrong. The Iraqis should have been able to bring down the statue themselves, with their hands, they argued. They should not need help from the US soldiers.
But on the other hand, this is fitting symbolism, isn't it?
The Iraqi people, or parts of it, tried to get rid of Saddam Hussein's regime themselves after Gulf War I, and the rebellion was brutally crushed. The effective state terror rendered any chances of actually bringing him down pretty slim. The Iraqi forces needed to be "liberated" by an outside force.
12:11:16 AM
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© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland.
Last update: 01.05.2003; 02:59:05.
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This is my blogchalk:
Norway, Bergen, Norwegian, English, Jan, Male, 31-35.
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