Eleven people are killed in a car bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan, the latest is a series of attacks that have killed at least 150 people this month. The Pentagon ramps up delivery of nearly $200 million worth of military equipment and services to aid the Pakistani army in its fight against militants.

Sixteen people are killed when a gunman attacks worshipers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Northern Iraq.

Ali Bongo is sworn in as President of Gabon. Ali’s father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, had ruled the country for 41 years before his death in June.

As its presence in Africa grows, so has criticism of the methods China uses to secure the continent’s wealth. Western governments have criticized China for ignoring gross human rights violations and securing exploitative terms in its trade deals. And African governments have criticized China for giving overwhelming preference to Chinese workers at the expense of locals when hiring for the many infrastructure projects funded by China.

Despite the criticism, China appears to be in Africa to stay. It will become the continent’s largest trading partner by 2011, and China now depends on Africa for 30% of its oil. But oil is just the tip of the iceberg. Click on the map icons below to see where China is active on the African continent, what it hopes to get in return, and the inevitable tensions that have arisen as its footprint gradually grows. Where icons overlap, zoom in on the map to see further details. All statistics refer to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Note: While Western governments have expressed concern about China’s expansion into Africa, China still remains a relatively small player compared to the West. In 2008, it exported only 9 percent of Africa’s oil while Europe and the U.S. exported 36 percent and 33 percent respectively. And China’s investment of $10 billion in African oil infrastructure is less than one tenth of the $168 billion spent by other international companies, such as Exxon Mobil, Shell and Total.

The first Guantanamo detainee to face charges in a U.S. civilian court arrives in Manhattan. Indicted for his role in the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Ahmed Ghailani is expected to appear in court later this afternoon.

Oil-giant Shell agrees to pay a $15.5 million settlement in the case of nine environmental and human rights activists who were hung in Nigeria in 1995. Shell allegedly hired government troops to shoot protesters opposed to the construction of an oil pipeline in the Niger Delta.

Zimbabwe could be heading for a new wave of violence in the lead up to elections scheduled for 2010. Opposition leaders have been receiving threatening phone calls saying that their names are being added to an assassination list.

HIV-prevention interventions appear to be paying off in South Africa — a new study shows that infection rates in children have declined, while rates have leveled off at 10.9 percent among the general population.

In a symbolic gesture of good will France agrees to take one prisoner from Guantanamo Bay. French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, also expresses support for Obama’s plan for Afghanistan.

Suspected Taliban militants attack NATO vehicles in Pakistan.

Zimbabweans seeking asylum in South Africa are to be given a special six-month residence permit.

Nigerian president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua promises amnesty to militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta if they lay down their arms.

]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/uncategorized/world-links/4512/feed/ 0 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/blog/world-links/4348/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/blog/world-links/4348/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:46:09 +0000 lauren feeney http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/?p=4348 In Iraq, a suicide attack in a crowded market in the city of Abu Ghraib kills 33. The target appears to have been a group of tribal leaders and security officials who were touring the market, and tribal leaders, soldiers and journalists were among the dead and injured.

Ten civilians are killed and at least 20 others injured in a suicide attack on a mosque in Sri Lanka during the holiday of Milad-un-Nabi, the prophet Mohammed’s birthday.

In a speech marking the anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising that led to his exile, the Dalai Lama says that the Chinese Communist Party had turned Tibet into “hell on earth,” but says he’s still committed to his “middle way” approach to dealing with China.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe speaks at a funeral service for his rival Morgan Tzvangirai’s wife, who died in a car accident last Friday.

North Korea’s military has been ordered to be combat-ready, as the U.S. and South Korea begin annual joint military exercises.

China deploys additional troops along the Tibetan border ahead of tomorrow’s 50th anniversary of the failed uprising that led to the Dalai Lama’s exile.

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says that there is only a “one in a thousand” chance that the car crash that killed his wife was anything other than an accident.

NATO revives full diplomatic relations with Russia, which were cut off in August 2008 on account of Russia’s war with Georgia.

The wife of Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is killed in a car accident; the prime minister himself suffers slight injuries.

Mauritania expels its Israeli ambassador in response to the recent military offensive in Gaza.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffery Feltman is expected to arrive in Syria tomorrow, for the highest-level diplomatic talks between the two nations in the past four years.

President Obama announces that he’ll pull most troops out of Iraq by August 2010; his former opponent Sen. John McCain supports the plan.

Forty-two bodies are found in a canal and mass grave in Bangladesh Friday, after 33-hour mutiny.

South Africa will provide bulk of US $2 billion for Zimbabwe recovery; newly sworn-in Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai says US $5 billion is required.

At least 30 people are killed and over 50 injured when a suicide bomber attacks the funeral procession for a slain Shia leader in the city of Dera Ismail Khan, in northwest Pakistan.

In her first trip as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, visiting Seoul, urges North Korea to suspend its ballistic missile program, and broaches the taboo subject what comes after Kim Jong-il, the 67-year-old dictator who allegedly suffered two strokes last year.

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says it could cost $5 billion to rebuild his country’s economy, and asks for aid from neighboring South Africa.

Zimbabwe is suffering from hyperinflation, chronic food shortages, and a cholera epidemic that has infected almost 70,000 people and killed more than 3,000 since August. Education is in a disastrous state, with 94 percent of rural schools closed as teacher’s complain that their meager salaries don’t even cover the cost of the bus ride to work. Unemployment is estimated at 90 percent. Tsvangirai and his arch-rival Mugabe must now work together to confront the massive humanitarian and economic crisis facing their country.

Underground Zimbabwe, a two-part FOCAL POINT feature, goes undercover with independent journalist and native Zimbabwean Robyn Kriel as she surreptitiously films what life has been like under President Robert Mugabe for activists, journalists, and the millions of Zimbabweans who go to great lengths to get food staples everyday.

In Zimbabwe’s Life Lines, Kriel examines Zimbabwe’s devastating food crisis. She meets with shop owners whose stores are empty and those who try to make a living from Zimbabwe’s thriving black market. In Demonstrating Under Dictatorship, Kriel follows the non-violent street protests of the 40,000 member strong activist group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA).

Last October, subsequent to Robyn Kriel’s filming, WOZA leaders Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu were arrested at a protest and charged with disturbing the peace. They may remain in custody until their trial date on February 26, 2009.

Here, Mamdani reflects on how President Robert Mugabe has stayed in power for close to three decades, the land reform program Mugabe launched in 2000 to both maintain popularity and redress racial inequalities in farm ownership, and the subsequent collapse of Zimbabwe’s agricultural system. Mamdani also explains why he believes that the new power-sharing agreement between President Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is the best way forward.