The Guardian 8 November, 2006
Global briefs
CONGO: Millions of people turned out to vote on October 29 in a presidential runoff marking the official completion of a transition from war to peace that began in 2003. Incumbent President Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba had swept aside a field of 33 candidates in the July 30 first round. Kabila won 45 percent of the vote and Bemba 20 percent. A candidate needed 51 percent plus one vote to be declared the outright winner in the first round. The winner of the second round will be decided by a simple majority. Kabila and Bemba pledged to respect the results, which were expected in about a week. The Congo, with large mineral resources, making it potentially Africa’s wealthiest nation, has had a turbulent history. For five years, it experienced a civil war that eventually involved several African countries. The war killed four million people, mostly through hunger and disease, and displaced five million. This has presented the country with a huge humanitarian challenge.
ISRAEL: Israeli missile and bomb attacks on Palestinians in Gaza on October 18-21, which killed 23 people and injured many more, resulted in bizarre wounds apparently caused by a radically new type of weapon, the French newspaper L’Humanité reported. Gaza surgeons detected "microscopic shavings" in some of the victims and said it was "as if a saw had been used to cut the bone." Wound sites showed burned tissue but, surprisingly, no metal fragments. Military analysts have noted this effect previously with a US-engineered "dense inert metal explosive". Over 5400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military raids since 2000. Israel’s Cabinet also admitted in mid-October that the Israeli Army used white phosphorus bombs against "military targets" in Lebanon during July and August. People hit by incandescent particles of white phosphorus typically suffer severe chemical burns, often leading to fatal complications. Its use against civilians is banned under some international conventions.
NORWAY: The Norwegian Government has announced cancellation of debt worth $80 million owed by five developing nations. On October 2 it relieved Egypt, Ecuador, Peru, Jamaica and Sierra Leone of interest payments on debts incurred for purchases over 25 years ago of ships built in Norway. Government spokespersons indicated that debt cancellation would not affect developmental aid from Norway. In a first for creditor nations, Norway based its action on a reappraisal of the original decision to lend money. The impetus to sell ships came from a need to prop up a dying shipbuilding industry, not from consideration of benefits for poor nations. Action Africa sees Norway’s action as significant for African nations. Co-Executive Director Ann-Louise Colgan, quoted on AllAfrica.com, said Norway’s "willingness to accept responsibility for illegitimate lending set an important precedent that other international creditors must heed. [They] can no longer turn a blind eye to their own historically unfair and corrupt lending practices."