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the mass protests that followed the disputed June 12th presidential election. An
opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi, claimed that both female and male prisoners
suffered brutal and repeated sexual torture. See article
The first party congress for 20 years held by the Palestinians’ Fatah party
ended with the election of a majority of new people to its most important
executive committee. Beset by cronyism and corruption, delegates hope the new
leadership will reform the party and make it more competitive with its Islamist
rival, Hamas. See article
On her seven-country tour of Africa, a tetchy Hillary Clinton snapped at a
student who asked her what Mr Clinton thought about a loan to Congo. Mrs Clinton replied, “My husband
is not the secretary of state. I am,” perhaps feeling a bit bruised at the praise lavished upon Bill Clinton
after his mission to free two American journalists in North Korea. See article
The dog days of summer
The debate in America over health-care reform turned rancorous. Congressmen were shouted down by
opponents of Barack Obama’s plans as some town-hall meetings held to discuss the plans became
disruptive. Democrats claimed the protests were organised by Republican groups. See article
Mel Martinez said he would step down as a senator for Florida before the autumn. Mr Martinez, a
Republican, had already declined to seek re-election next year. His decision to retire sooner complicates
things for Charlie Crist, the governor, who is running for the seat and must now appoint someone to the
vacancy.
Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice after the Senate voted 68-31 to confirm her
nomination. Ms Sotomayor, the first Hispanic judge on the court, picked up the support of nine Republican
senators.
Goods neighbours
Barack Obama expressed support for Mexico’s fight against drug gangs at the
annual summit of North American leaders. But he disappointed Stephen
Harper, Canada’s prime minister, and Felipe Calderón, Mexico’s president, by
parrying their calls to scrap “Buy American” provisions in his fiscal stimulus law.
AFP
A meeting of South American presidents called for Mr Obama and Colombia’s
Álvaro Uribe to give reassurances that an agreement under which the United
States will gain increased access to Colombian military bases for surveillance of
drug-traffickers would not threaten other countries. Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez
claimed that “winds of war” were blowing. See article
Manuel Zelaya, Honduras’s ousted president, urged Mr Obama to do more to restore him to power. In
Tegucigalpa, the capital, 55 people were arrested in clashes between police and Zelaya supporters.
Police in Brazil accused Wallace Souza, a television presenter and local politician in the city of Manaus, of
drug-trafficking and ordering killings of rival traffickers to boost ratings. Mr Souza said the claims were
smear attempts.
A prosecutor in Peru filed charges of murder against two police generals and 15 other officers over the
crushing of protests by Amazonian Indians in which 23 police and ten civilians were killed.
Óscar Arias, Costa Rica’s president, became the first head of state to be taken ill with swine flu.
Copyright © 2009 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved.
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