Cuba condemns new videogame

CUBA: Cuban officials believe that a new videogame recently released in the U.S. will turn American children into sociopaths, the BBC reported last week. The game, titled Call of Duty: Black Ops, allows players to assassinate a young Fidel Castro, former leader of the Communist nation. The Cuban state-run media condemned the game’s exploitation of violence to achieve entertainment. It also accused the game of attempting to accomplish a virtual assassination of Castro because all actual attempts – more than 600 according to some sources – have failed. Black Ops is expected to achieve the highest sales of any game this year.

Tutankhamun’s things will be returned

UNITED STATES: The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art is set to return 19 artifacts from a famous Egyptian pharaoh to their rightful home in Egypt, the BBC reported. The artifacts date back more than 3,000 years to the reign of Tutankhamun. According to agreements made during Howard Carter’s 1922 excavation of the pharaoh’s tomb, all items recovered from the dig were the property of the Egyptian government. The items found at the Metropolitan Museum were illegally exported from Egypt between the 1920s and 1940s. The museum will show the artifacts at various locations around New York before they return to Egypt in June 2011.

Gaza aid mission ends in drama and confusion

GREECE: Several hostages were safely rescued after Greek soldiers boarded an aid vessel that was docked in the Greek port of Pireaus, CNN reported. The ship and crew, organized by British charity Road to Hope, were taken hostage by its captain in Libya after an argument with an Egyptian broker. The aid and volunteers, which were to be bound for Gaza, were abandoned in Libya and 17 people were taken hostage before the ship headed towards international waters. Libyan naval and air forces escorted the ship to Greece where the rescue was completed.

The ‘Bulldozer’ sent home from hospital

ISRAEL: Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon was returned home despite his comatose state after spending five years in hospital, Reuters reported. Sharon, who has been semi-conscious since he suffered a stroke in 2006, will continue to receive care at his desert ranch. Doctors hope the familiar surroundings will aid Sharon’s recovery, but are predicting only modest progress. Sharon was nicknamed the “Bulldozer,” and was known for both his military and political achievements in Israel. Some hope the 82-year old will recover and return to public life. Sharon’s sons refused to cut off their father’s life support after the stroke.

Opposition leader loses appeal, still goes free

MYANMAR: The leader of Myanmar’s political opposition was freed on Saturday when a recent extension of her sentence expired, Al Jazeera reported. Aung San Suu Kyi spent the last 20 years under house arrest after she won a national election in 1990, but was prevented from taking power by military officials. An appeal to prove the political prisoner’s innocence was rejected by a Myanmar court prior to her release. Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest was set to end in 2009 but was extended after an unauthorized visit, preventing the opposition leader from participating in a general election earlier this month.

Published in Volume 65, Number 12 of The Uniter (November 18, 2010)