A Deal and Then No Deal on Iraq Oil Law; Freedom, at Long Last, for a Reporter; Overcounting an Epidemic in India; A Fierce Fight Over a Wine Tradition; A Holy Sacking, Without Benefits
A Deal and Then No Deal on Iraq Oil Law
For U.S. officials desperate for any hints of progress in Iraq, the news that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's cabinet had approved long-awaited draft laws last Tuesday to regulate the oil industry and govern oil revenue distribution was a welcome glimmer of hope. As usual, however, any relief was short-lived. The next day, Iraq's parliament failed to begin debate on the legislation. Sunni and Kurdish members in Maliki's coalition said that they never agreed to the deal, and the Association of Muslim Scholars, a leading Sunni group, declared it "religiously forbidden." The oil law is contentious because it affects the balance of power between Baghdad and Iraq's regions, which are largely divided along sectarian and ethnic lines.
Some sort of deal is viewed by many U.S. and Iraqi officials as an essential step to help ensure the unity of Iraq. Passage of an oil bill would also help the Bush administration convince its many critics that its controversial "surge" plan can create enough political space for Iraqis to negotiate the kind of political deals that have so far been elusive.
Freedom, at Long Last, for a Reporter
It was a long, "appalling" 16 weeks in captivity for kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who was released last week by his captors in the Gaza Strip. Ironically, it took sustained pressure from one extremist group (Hamas, which seized control of Gaza last month) to force another, even more radical, group (known as the Army of Islam) to free Johnston. Hamas, which has been working to re-establish order after ousting its more moderate Fatah rivals, appears to be trying to curry favor with western countries, who have refused to deal with it. But Hamas officials also pledged that there would be no crackdown on the Army of Islam.
Hamas has largely refrained from attacking Israelin recent weeks, but other groups continue to fire into Israeli towns. Last week, Israel launched airstrikes and a brief incursion into Gaza, targeting rocket squads and killing 11 militants. Meanwhile, for the first time in nearly two years, Israel held security talks with the moderate Palestinian government that retains control of the West Bank. The meeting was aimed at preventing a Hamas victory there as well.
Overcounting an Epidemic in India
After years of reporting that India had the highest number of HIV infections in the world, the United Nations admitted last week that its estimates had been dramatically overstated. New surveys suggest that some 2.5 million Indians carry the virus, fewer than half the number of earlier estimates. After the revision, India now ranks behind South Africa and Nigeria in the number of HIV cases.
Experts had been warning that some of the U.N. estimates might be high. The new data come from more thorough surveys of the population that also encompassed a larger number of clinics. Early studies tended to concentrate on higher-risk populations, particularly in urban areas.
A Fierce Fight Over a Wine Tradition
Winemakers may have a laid-back reputation in many parts of the world, but French vintners are up in arms over a proposal by the European Union to—quelle horreur—reform their deeply traditional industry. Some are even taking up arms; two bombs exploded at wine cooperatives in the south of France last week as part of a protest against a reform plan that is at least well-intentioned. Wine consumption is dropping in Europe, cheap imports are flooding in, and Europe spends over $700 million a year to distill unsold wine into industrial alcohol. EU officials want to halt the distillation and instead pay farmers to dig up as much as 5 percent of Europe's grapevines.
That's not even the most controversial part. What really has some winemakers and oenophiles agitated is a plan to loosen the long-standing stringent labeling restrictions. The change would bring Europe more in line with the rest of the world and permit broader marketing of midlevel wine of single-grape varieties. But some producers fear that premium wines, which bear prestigious geographical labels like Saint-Emilion or Sancerre, could lose some of their cachet.
A Holy Sacking, Without Benefits
Is it really possible to fire a living goddess? Apparently. Last week, the government of Nepal stripped 10-year-old Sajani Shakya of her status as a "kumari," or living goddess, after she traveled to the United States and elsewhere last month to promote a British documentary about the ancient tradition. As one of Nepal's top three kumaris, she is forbidden to leave the country. Officials said that the trip, which included a tour of the White House, rendered her "impure."
Both Hindus and Buddhists worship the living goddesses, who are selected very early in life. Requirements are strict: They must have perfect skin, hair, and teeth, without any scars. They always wear red and have a "third eye" painted on their forehead. Kumaris take part in religious festivals but otherwise live a secluded life until they reach puberty, when they must retire. The search is on for a replacement for Sajani.
With Associated Press
This story appears in the July 16, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.