THE WORLD
From Issue #7
GLOBAL ISSUES
World News Briefs
Read, contemplate, comment, discuss
CANADA
On April 5-6, up to
200,000 students will
participate in the 30 Hour
Famine to help raise
money for starving and
mistreated children in
underdeveloped nations.
The first Famine took place
in Calgary, Alberta in 1971
when a group of kids
stopped eating for 36
hours and raised $600 for
a famine in Ethiopia. Last
year, 30 years later, almost
$4.5 million dollars was
raised and put towards
making a difference in
the lives of Third World
children. Get involved by
calling 1-888-8FAMINE or
visiting www.famine.ca.
MICHIGAN, USA
Detroit-based mass retailer
Kmart declared itself
bankrupt and unable to pay
its lenders. This is the
largest case ever of a retail
chain going broke. Under
U.S. bankruptcy law, with
the support of its bankers,
Kmart will be able to try
to restructure itself and
take one last stab at
making money again.
Hundreds of the 2,114
Kmart stores are being
closed and thousands of
jobs are being cut. Kmart,
founded in 1899, has been
hurt by its battle with
market leader Wal-Mart.
Kmart had already gone
out of business in Canada
back in 1997.
EUROPE
It was a strange winter for
much of Europe. January
started with some of the
harshest winter weather in
decades (it even snowed in
Saudi Arabia). Turkey and
Greece were hit hard by
unusual snowfall. Hundreds
of people were killed by
severe cold or by weather
related accidents. Just as
everyone braced for a
long winter, the storms
were then followed by a
warm spell that set many
all-time records across the
continent, from Moscow
to Paris to Vienna. The
early thaw had flowers
blooming in early February
and had people out
sunbathing in city parks.
NIGERIA
A massive explosion ripped
through the capital city of
Lagos in this West African
nation. The blast occurred
after a military arms depot
caught fire. Over 1000
people were killed, making
it the worst manmade
accidental disaster in
almost two decades. The
explosion sent fireballs
into the night sky,
shattering windows nine
miles away. The disaster
left as many as 15,000
people homeless. To make
matters worse in the city,
dozens of people were
killed in heavy fighting
between two rival ethnic
groups while police walked
off the job in a major
nationwide strike.
ISRAEL
After nearly eighteen
months of vicious killings,
the Israelis and Palestinians
finally seem ready to
discuss plans for peace.
Both the Israelis and the
Palestinians are beginning
to realize that the escalating
game of revenge only leads
to deeper and deadlier
levels of hatred and
violence. Hundreds of
people on both sides,
many innocent, have been
killed in the ongoing
struggle by Palestinians
yearning to form their own
country or, at least for now,
gain full authority over
their lands which now are
ultimately controlled by
Israeli military forces.
INDIA & PAKISTAN
Military tensions continue
between these two nuclear
neighbours. A fifty-year-old
dispute over the Indian
state of Kashmir remains
the key dispute. India and
Pakistan have already been
to war three times but that
was before they acquired
nuclear weapons. Both
countries have massed
thousands of soldiers along
their mutual border and
sporadic gun battles have
been common. Western
leaders are working hard
to bring the two rivals
together to try to resolve
their differences. India,
however, shows little
interest in discussing
the Kashmir issue.
PHILIPPINES
American military forces
have arrived to help train
local soldiers to fight
Muslim rebels who are said
to have ties to Bin Laden’s
terrorist network. The
Philippines, once governed
by the U.S. (until 1946),
has faced escalating attacks
and hostage taking by
these terrorists over the
last several years. Thanks
to anti-terrorism training
and $150 million in
American military aid, the
violent rebel group’s days
seem numbered. Not all
Filipinos are happy,
however, with the U.S.
military presence and
“Yankee go home” protests
have taken place.
SOUTH KOREA
It’s no secret that people
in many Asian countries
eat dogs. South Korea, for
example, has thousands
of restaurants specializing
in canine cuisine. However,
with the 2002 World Cup
of Soccer coming this
summer, animal rights
groups have been using
global media attention
to highlight the cruel
treatment dogs often
receive. Based on a false
myth that dogs that are
terrified before cooking
taste better, many dogs are
beaten, boiled or burned
to death. A reluctant
Korean government is
working on laws to ensure
more humane methods
of slaughter.
