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4. mars 2005
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A freed Italian hostage was wounded and a secret service agent killed at a US checkpoint in Baghdad, threatening Italian support for the US led coalition in Iraq:
Freed Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena has been hurt by US troops firing at a car taking her to Baghdad airport soon after her release.
An Italian secret service agent was killed in the shooting at a checkpoint.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi summoned the US ambassador demanding an explanation for what he called "such a serious incident".
The US military in Baghdad confirmed that forces shot at a vehicle and said an investigation had been launched.
"About 2100 [1800 GMT], a patrol in western Baghdad observed the vehicle speeding towards their checkpoint and attempted to warn the driver to stop by hand and arm signals, flashing white lights, and firing warning shots in front of the car," it said in a statement.
"When the driver didn't stop, the soldiers shot into the engine block, which stopped the vehicle, killing one and wounding two others."
Obviously, if the events unfolded as described by the US military, it is impossible to blame the soldiers for opening fire. Yet, this incident is obviously not what Silvio Berlusconi needs locally!
PS: Sgrena was a left-wing journalist. It is interesting to note that many journalists abducted in Iraq (French Jacqueline Aubenas is stil being held) are communist (or close) reporters very sympathetic to the so-called insurgency. One can wonder whether they are very naive, or if they fake the kidnapping with "insurgency" groups because they know what effect it has on the home opinion.
11:39:17 PM 
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Al Jazeera, not normally very pro-democracy, has an interesting article about the high turnout in the Saudi local elections among the marginalised Shia minority.
Seizing the chance to make a mark in Saudi Arabia's first, limited nationwide vote, many were queuing long before election stations opened in the country's eastern and southern regions.
"We are voting here to show we exist," said Faleh al-Dajani, a Shia electrical engineer near the end of a queue of 250 people waiting outside a converted primary school in the eastern city of Dammam
Few expect any immediate improvements due to the limited local elections, but persecuted citizens are still very happy to have their say about something.
"I'm a human being now, because I'm voting," said one elderly man.
This descartian statement is something to remember next time you wonder if you should be bothered to vote in your local elections.
Hat tip to Spartacus.
4:13:07 PM
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Yahoo! is ten years old these days, and they have created a compact "netrospective" on online developments over the last decade.
3:22:32 PM
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Canadian scientists say the length of fingers relative to each other can tell how aggressive a man is:
The shorter the index finger is compared to the ring finger, the more boisterous he will be, University of Alberta researchers said.
But the same was not true for verbal aggression or hostile behaviours, they told the journal Biological Psychology after studying 300 people's fingers.
The trend is thought to be linked to testosterone exposure in the womb.
Hmm. My ring finger is just a little bit shorter than my index finger.
4:47:03 AM
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Fidel Castro's worker's paradise is cracking down on the tourism industry, effectively banning Cubans working in it "from having personal contact with foreigners."
Resolution 10, issued by the Tourism Ministry, forbids employees -- from waiters to high-level executives -- from accepting tips, gifts and invitations from foreigners and demands that Cubans' contact with non-Cubans be restricted "to that which is absolutely necessary."
The new law also requires a witness to be present during business negotiations with foreigners.
The segregation rules go far beyond norms applied in most of the rest of the world. For example, any non-professional contact with a foreigner, not just by an employee but also by any member of his or her family, must be reported to a superior within 72 hours.
Staff members are now required to report any foreigner whose behavior or comments are considered offensive to the Cuban government.
They are further instructed to "be vigilant at all times of any deed or attitude that could be harmful to the State." The norms also apply to Tourist Ministry employees who work abroad.
Personal friendships with foreigners are forbidden for the more than 100,000 Cubans who work in tourism, Cuba's largest industry.
Staff members are also instructed to refuse all personal invitations from diplomats, business associates and even colleagues, if they are foreigners.
And this is the regime leftists around the world see as a great example.
PS: Incidentally, this is pretty much how Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to behave towards "worldly" people. A weird comparison, I know, but this just popped into my mind for some reason. Totalitarian systems may choose similar ways to deal with outside threats.
1:02:13 AM
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© Copyright 2005 Jan Haugland.
Last update: 01.04.2005; 01:56:53.
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