Cellular insurgency

AFGHANISTAN: Taliban forces have ordered civilians living in parts of northern Afghanistan to limit their cellphone use to two hours each day, Reuters reported. Residents of Badghis province said they were told by Taliban leaders that cellphones were being used to betray the position of Taliban fighters to western forces. Local cellphone coverage providers said they have no choice but to comply or risk Taliban attacks on their cellphone infrastructure. Violence recently reached its highest level since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and Taliban control has spread even to historically peaceful regions.

“Laundry Women” returns to France

UNITED STATES: A painting by renowned French artist Edgar Degas that was stolen in 1973 was returned to the French government last week, CNN reported. The 19th-century piece called “Laundry Women with Toothache” was taken from an exhibition in Normandy and recently resurfaced on an auction list at Sotheby’s in the U.S. The painting’s owner said he inherited the piece from his father and was unaware of its origins. A repatriation ceremony was held at the French ambassador’s house in Washington, D.C., but no further plans have been announced for either display or restoration.

Jordanians demand food and freedom

JORDAN: More than 4,000 protestors took to the streets of Amman for the second week in a row to denounce political oppression and demand poverty relief, Al Jazeera reported. Official unemployment in the Middle Eastern country is at 14 per cent, but some estimates put it closer to 30 per cent. Meanwhile, about a quarter of the total population lives in poverty. The government implemented an increase to minimum wage and pension salaries for government employees, but many say the measures are not enough and have demanded that the government step down. Similar protests also occurred in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.

Atlantis will fly once more

UNITED STATES: NASA announced last week the addition of one final mission for the Atlantis Space Shuttle this summer before it retires its fleet, the CBC reported. A total of three missions are now in preparation with Discovery blasting off in late February and Endeavour scheduled for April. However, though the U.S. Congress gave the green light to an additional final mission for Atlantis, the necessary budget for the mission has not been confirmed. Atlantis was originally scheduled to remain grounded except in an emergency rescue situation, but will now take supplies to the International Space Station and bring a faulty pump back to Earth.

Retired Greek athletes face charges

GREECE: A trial began last week for two Greek sprinters on charges of lying to officials to avoid doping tests, the BBC reported. The charges stem from a motorcycle accident that the two athletes allegedly faked prior to the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. Olympic officials and Greek authorities investigated the incident at the time and laid charges of lying against the runners and charges of providing banned substances against their coach. Both athletes withdrew from those Olympics and have since retired from athletics. They previously won gold and silver medals in the 200m and 100m respectively at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Published in Volume 65, Number 17 of The Uniter (January 27, 2011)