Germany—Spain
Germany and Spain Seek to Cancel H1N1 Vaccine Order
Germany and Spain announced on Thursday that they want to reduce deliveries of H1N1 vaccines as a result of low turnout for the shots. So far the talks with the vaccine producer, Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline, have not led to results, according to a Reuters news report. Officials from the Ministry of Health expect that a surplus of vaccines will be returned to suppliers, in order to be sold at pharmacies, according to the report. In total, Germany had ordered 50 million, and Spain 37 million doses of vaccine.
United Kingdom
British Airways Christmas Strike Blocked
A planned strike by British Airways cabin staff during the Christmas period has been declared illegal by a High Court ruling on Thursday, rendering the strike unable to go ahead. British Airways had filed a complaint saying that the organizing union, “Unite,” had problems with its ballot, including around 1,000 staff who were not working at the company anymore. The strike, which was planned to go from Dec. 22 to Jan. 1 could have affected up to one million travelers. Unite announced plans to hold a new ballot for cabin crew if the dispute was not resolved, calling the court ruling “a disgraceful day for democracy,” according to a BBC report.
Pakistan
Pakistan President Under Pressure to Resign
Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, is facing pressure to resign following a Supreme Court ruling, declaring an amnesty protecting him illegal. The 2007 “National Reconciliation Ordinance,” had blocked corruption investigations of Zardari and other officials. Pending cases that were previously covered under the amnesty will now be revived. Opposition leaders have called upon the president to resign, but is unlikely to happen. In response to the court decision, a spokesperson of Zardari said the president respected the decision but there was no question of the president resigning, according to a Reuters report.
Mexico
‘Boss of Bosses’ Drug Lord Killed
Mexican special military forces killed one of the country’s most wanted drug lords Wednesday evening, officials said. Known as the “boss of bosses,” Arturo Beltran Leyva was killed after a four-hour gun battle between military forces and cartel gunmen, who used grenades in their defense. Four suspected drug traffickers and three navy forces were killed in the fight. The Beltran Leyva cartel has been a major trafficker of cocaine to the United States. Mexican President Felipe Calderón has deployed around 45,000 military troops across the country in an attempt to crackdown on the influence of drug traffickers.
Cambodia
Khmer Rouge Leaders Charged With Genocide
Two former Khmer Rouge leaders have been charged with genocide at a U.N.-assisted tribunal in Cambodia. The two men, Ieng Sary and Nuon Chea, were high-ranking members of the Maoist regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975–1978 under the rule of Pol Pot. In four years, the Khmer Rouge killed more than two million people in Cambodia, which at that time had a total population of just over eight million people. Pol Pot had been to China four times to listen to Mao Zedong’s teachings in person. After returning from China, he changed the name of his party to the Cambodian Communist Party.
