Although the extent of the Haitian earthquake that took place yesterday at 4:53 pm local time is unknown, it is suspected that thousands could be dead. Up to three million people have been affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that took place ten miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince, and was followed by more than 30 smaller magnitude aftershocks rated above 4.5 on the Richter scale. Among those missing are 100 UN staff members including the head of the UN mission to Haiti and his deputy; Port-au-Prince’s Roman Catholic archbishop has been confirmed dead along with peacekeepers from China, Brazil, and France. René Preval, the Haitian president, said, “Parliament has collapsed, the tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed. There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them.” UN general secretary Ban Ki-moon has called for a major international relief effort for the “humanitarian emergency” which the United States, United Kingdom, Venezuela, and Canada have already undertaken. Additionally, the UN has released $10 million from its emergency response fund. What is already a “catastrophe” is made worse by Haiti’s history of poverty, corruption, and a number of recent natural disasters, including four hurricanes in 2008. Compounding the chaos, in utter darkness resulting from widespread power outages, there were many reported cases of looting. For more information on the current situation in Haiti from within the country, see The New York Times Lede Blog.
Following a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Google’s chief executive, Google announced this morning that it will no longer accept Chinese Internet censorship, and may consider shutting down its operations in the country entirely. Google.cn has voluntarily censored search requests that include worlds and phrases such as "Tiananmen Square massacre" or "Dalai Lama." The only official Chinese news agency that commented on the matter, Xinhua, reported that the government is “seeking more information on Google’s statement that it could quit China.” Students and other Google supporters gathered outside the company’s offices in Beijing and Shanghai bearing flowers representative of the Google emblem. Google attributes its decision to stop serving as an agent of Chinese censorship to last week’s spat of “sophisticated and targeted” cyberattacks on its computer system. Google suspects that the government is responsible for the intrusion into their confidential databases, particularly the email accounts of human rights activists.
Nigerians heard a voice recording of their president, Umaru Yar’Adua, on BBC Hausa radio early Tuesday morning—the first sign of life to surface from the ailing head of state in over seven weeks. In the recording, Yar’Adua—who was hospitalized in Saudi Arabia last month for unknown reasons—assured listeners: "At the moment I am undergoing treatment and I’m getting better from the treatment I’m getting. I hope that, uh, very soon there will be tremendous progress, which will allow me to get back home. I wish at this stage to thank all Nigerians for their prayers for my good health and for their prayers for the nation.” Over the past few weeks, Nigerians of all stripes have grown increasingly agitated about the state of their president’s health and his ability to lead the country. While Nigeria’s constitution designates a clear line of succession in the event of a president’s incapacitation, Yar’Adua’s cabinet has been reluctant to initiate this process. As the weeks tick on with Yar’Adua out of the country and out of sight, the rumor mill has gathered steam in Nigeria, with people speculating that the leader might be incapacitated, brain damaged, or worse. In the BBC radio address, however, Yar’Adua tried to put to rest the rumors about the demise of his mental fitness: “As soon as my doctors discharge me,” he said, “I will return to Nigeria to resume my duties.”
In an ever-widening diplomatic row this week, Turkey threatened to recall its ambassador to Israel in response to a “hazing” that Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon inflicted on the Turkish ambassador, Ahmet Oguz Celikkol. In a statement on Wednesday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul requested a formal apology from Ayalon: “They [Israeli officials] have been given time until tonight [Wednesday]. They either fix it or our ambassador will head for Turkey on the first flight tomorrow. After that, we will make an evaluation.” The diplomatic tussle began with a complaint from Israel about a Turkish television show, "Valley of the Wolves," that the Jewish state has deemed anti-Semitic. (Recent episodes have included Mossad agents kidnapping children and the assassination of the Israeli ambassdor.) In an attempt to broach the subject with Turkey’s ambassador, Israeli officials arranged a meeting—complete with television cameras and photographers—in which Ayalon refused to shake Celikkol’s hand and seated the ambassador in a low couch opposite Israeli officials in higher chairs, creating the impression of an asymmetric power dynamic. The footage was broadcast on Israeli television and quickly garnered international attention, with the Turkish government expressing its outrage. Avalon attempted to quell the waters early Wednesday by acknowledging his own lack of diplomacy: "[My] protest against Turkey’s attacks against Israel are still valid, but with that, it is not my custom to insult the honor of ambassadors, and in the future I will clarify my position through acceptable diplomatic means." Later on Wednesday, the Jerusalem Post reported that Ayalon had sent a formal letter of apology to Celikkol, but the incident has further strained the already tense diplomatic relations between the two nations that has persisted since the Gaza War.