Cuba charges American aid worker

CUBA: Last week, Cuban officials charged a U.S. aid worker with subversive activities after he was held without charges for 14 months, the BBC reported. Alan Gross, 61, was incarcerated after he was found to have distributed satellite phones within Cuba’s Jewish community under the U.S. government’s Cuban Democracy Program. Prosecutors in the trial will seek the maximum 20-year sentence despite previous speculation that Gross would be returned home following trial. U.S. officials emphasized that no improvement to relations between the two countries could occur while Gross remained in Cuban custody. Five Cuban citizens have been held in the U.S. on spy charges since 1998.

Japan observes Chinese actions nervously

JAPAN: Japanese officials expressed concern last week over Chinese military aircraft flying near disputed islands in the East China Sea. Though the two Chinese planes did not enter Japanese airspace, two jet fighters were scrambled to confront the Chinese aircraft, which then moved off, according to a report from the BBC. The incident follows recent talks between the nations that attempted to repair diplomatic ties that were damaged over arguments about the same islands last year. Japan is also among many nations in the region that responded worriedly to news that China’s military spending will increase by more than 10 per cent in 2011.

Americans most wanted

ARGENTINA: One of the U.S. Marshal Services’ “15 Most Wanted” criminals was apprehended last week in Buenos Aires, CNN reported. Paul Eischeid had been on the run since 2007 when he fled the U.S. where he faced murder, drug and organized crime charges dating back to 2001. The former stock broker was released and was being electronically monitored before his trial when he broke conditions and became an international fugitive. The U.S. federal marshal worked in cooperation with Interpol and Argentinean security services to locate Eischeid. Five of the 15 most wanted have been captured in the last year.

Afghan children slain

AFGHANISTAN: International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) killed nine Afghan boys as they were collecting firewood last week, the CBC reported. Another boy was wounded but survived. Two ISAF helicopters came across the boys and fired on them with machine guns, according to the surviving witness. General David H. Petraeus, the American leader of the Afghan mission, apologized to the victims’ families and promised a thorough investigation. He also said helicopter crews would be re-briefed with an emphasis on minimizing civilian losses. Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who was in London at the time, responded harshly to the attack while the boys’ village held anti-American demonstrations.

Political giant weighs in

RUSSIA: Mikhail Gorbachev publicly warned Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to not run in the upcoming presidential elections, Al Jazeera reported. The former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner criticized the Russian system as merely an imitation of a democracy and advised both Putin and current president Dmitry Medvedev not to get too comfortable in their positions of power. Gorbachev was the last Soviet leader and implemented many political and economic reform policies to move Russia towards democracy. Putin, who served as president from 1999 to 2008, has been criticized for working counter to the reforms begun under Gorbachev.

Published in Volume 65, Number 22 of The Uniter (March 10, 2011)