Pilgrims celebrate Christmas in Palestinian city of Bethlehem

Some improvements, but not the ideal Christmas spirit

Zimbabwe judge orders immediate release of activist while Myanmar sycophant judges ordered half century sentences to activists

Zimbabwe judge orders immediate release of activist

while Myanmar sycophant judges ordered

half century sentences to activists

 

HARARE (Reuters) – A Zimbabwean High Court judge ordered the immediate release on Wednesday of local human rights campaigner Jestina Mukoko and nine other activists charged with plotting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe’s government.

Pope urges end to ‘hatred and violence’ in Mideast

During the Christmas Midnight Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican today. — AP pic

 CITY (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI urged Thursday an end to “hatred and violence” in the Middle East during his midnight mass Christmas homily ahead of a planned trip to the region.

“Let us pray that peace will be established there, that hatred and violence will cease,” he said in his homily, referring in particular to Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

Bethlehem pilgrims mark Christmas

Thousands of pilgrims have been celebrating Christmas with a mass in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, amid tight security.

They include about 200 Christians from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, whom Israel granted permission to make the journey to Bethlehem.

Pope Benedict XVI has been leading the traditional celebration of Midnight Mass at the Vatican.

Most of the world’s 2.1 billion Christians mark Christmas this week.

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African students blamed the hostile Malaysian environment

African students blamed the

hostile Malaysian environment

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s efforts to be an international education hub by first attracting African students has hit a snag.

The Botswana government will reduce the number of students sent to study in Malaysian universities and colleges next year.

Its Education and Skills Develop-ment Minister, Jacob Nkate, said Botswana students who accounted for over 20% of the African students here had trouble acclimatising to the Malaysian culture.

Is it true that this is the time to go beyond blogging?

 

Blogging is for the oldies, it’s fashionable now to Twitter, maybe even to podcast. And anyone not on Facebook is Luddite.

WHEN I started socio-political blogging on Jan 1, 2003, I had all of one peer: Jeff Ooi who began blogging the day after. I stopped blogging six months later when I joined a mainstream news media company while Jeff continued full steam ahead. And the rest, as they say, is history.

AP:UN condemns human rights violations in Myanmar

UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday strongly condemned widespread human rights violations in Myanmar and called on the government to halt politically motivated arrests and free all detainees and political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

The sharply worded resolution, sponsored by the United States, Australia, South Korea, Israel and many European countries, was approved by a vote of 80-25 with 45 abstentions.

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