By Keating Smith, Contributor
Africa: (Nigeria) The Dutch petroleum corporation Shell has rejected its liability for the environmental disaster created in the Niger Delta, claiming that rampant criminal activity in the region is to blame for the disaster and damages and that clean up is not the corporation’s responsibility. According to the BBC, “farmers are suing the company in a civil court in The Hague, claiming oil spills ruined their livelihoods.”
Americas: (Venezula) Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has secured a fourth term in office after defeating his opponent Henrique Capriles by winning 54 per cent of the votes in a turn out with roughly 81 per cent of the country participating. Mr. Chavez recognized that his new government would need to “respond with greater efficacy and efficiency to the needs of our people” adding, “I promise you I’ll be a better president.”
Asia- Central & South: (Pakistan) Police in Pakistan have arrested several teenage suspects related to the shooting of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai. Yousafzai, a women’s rights activist in Pakistan, was attacked by the Taliban in her city after promoting education rights for women to the public in the Northwestern region of the country. The young girl still remains in critical condition after being rushed to a military hospital in Rawalpindi after she was shot in the head and neck while on a school bus.
Asia- Pacific: (Australia) Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard has verbally lashed out against opposition leader Tony Abbott, labeling him as a “hypocrite” and a “misogynist,” in a fierce tirade which caught the international media’s attention. Gillard was quoted saying “If [Abbott] wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn’t need a motion in the House of Representatives; he needs a mirror.”
Europe: (Norway) In a unanimous decision, the European Union has been awarded this year’s Noble Peace Prize. According to Thorbjørn Jagland, President of the Nobel Committee, the EU “contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.”
Middle East: (Israel) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for early elections in the Jewish state roughly eight months ahead of schedule. According to Al Jazeera, “re-election could grant him a fresh mandate to continue his tough stance toward Iran’s suspect nuclear program, put the already deadlocked peace process with the Palestinians further into deep freeze and complicate relations with the US if President Barack Obama is re-elected.”