Headlines: Mugabe's Enforcers Are Also Victims
Mugabe's Enforcers Are Also Victims
In most cases, those enforcing the Mugabe regime by beating up opposition supporters are only doing so to avoid being beaten themselves. Showing even the smallest amount of sympathy in front of the ruling party youth militia leaders will lead to themselves becoming victims.
North Korea Destroys Tower at Nuclear Site
South Korean and U.S. officials welcomed the early demolition of the cooling tower as an encouraging sign of North Korea's commitment to a broader deal under which Washington hopes to eradicate all the North's nuclear assets.
Black Clergy Demand Candidates Reject Planned Parenthood Money
On Wednesday, a group of African-American pastors met in Washington to demand that both parties reject campaign funding from Planned Parenthood, claiming that they promote a racist agenda by targeting black babies for abortion.
Zimbabweans Ordered to Vote
Despite his only opponent having dropped out of the election, President Mugabe of Zimbabwe is continuing to campaign, after announcing he would be ignoring pleas from neighboring African leaders to postpone the election. The government added that voting would be mandatory, and all citizens who did not vote would become the targets of violence.
Complex Ties Lead African Ally to Avoid Condemning Mugabe
South African President Thabo Mbeki is finding himself under increasing scrutiny for his close relationship to Mugabe, and his non-aggressive methods of "quiet diplomacy." Unlike former President Nelson Mandela, who this week cited a "tragic failure of leadership" in Zimbabwe, Mbeki's foreign minister told reporters they would only recognize failure "if we reach a situation where Zimbabwe totally gets engulfed in a state of civil war."
Niger: Former Premier Arrested in Corruption Case
Police arrested Hama Amadou, a former Nigerian prime minister and governing party chief, on corruption charges. A conviction could bar him from running for president next year, when President Tandja will be ineligible to run again due to term limits.
Bishop Ready to be Noticed
Reverend Eugene T. Sutton, elected the 14th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, says he's not only glad to fill the important role as "a leader of the people," but that he's also "proud and humbled," as a great-great-grandson of slaves, to achieve this honor in a state whose first bishop, Rev. Thomas Claggett, was a slaveowner.
Sports
Study: Newspaper Sports Departments Mostly Male, White
A report by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports surveyed 378 AP Sports Editors member newspapers and Web sites, and says they earned a "C" for racial hiring practices, and an "F" for gender hiring practices.
Power Surge Comes From the Pac-10
Though this year's NBA draft doesn't change the balance of power in the NBA, it certainly does in college basketball. The Pacific 10 Conference saw the best player drafted into the NBA on Thursday. UCLA saw their stars go at the 4th, 5th, and 37th slots, while USC lost their freshman celebrity O.J. Mayo to Minnesota in slot No. 3.
Entertainment
As Africa's Horrors Rage, Suffer the Little Children
Uwem Akpan's debut collection of short stories, Say You're One of Them, features a number of heartbreaking stories that reveal the dire conditions of African poverty and strife, from a child's point of view. In each of the tales, a protagonist's childlike innocence is ultimately savaged by the facts of African life.
Tags: North Korea | Planned Parenthood | Zimbabwe elections
5:29 PM ET | 06-27-2008 | permalink
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