United Kingdom
Nearly one million holiday travelers are at risk of being grounded this year due to an untimely British Airways strike. The strike is expected to begin on Dec. 22 and run through to Jan. 2. British Airways (BA) has promised to refund money and book alternative flights for those affected, but industry experts said that finding other flight options during such a busy time of year is highly unlikely. Over 90 percent of BA cabin crew voted to strike after the already financially endangered company imposed more changes and cutbacks on jobs and staff contracts. The announcement comes just one month after BA announced a record loss of 208 million pounds (US$338 million) in the six months ending Sept. 30.
Armenia
Explosives found near a pipeline in the region of North Ossetia, Southern Russia, caused a halt in the natural gas supply from Russia to Armenia Dec. 13. The Russian Emergencies Ministry warned that the gas supply would not be resumed until the explosives were defused, state-run news agency ITAR-TASS reported. Armenia obtains nearly two billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia through Georgia. Armenian authorities say domestic gas supply should be enough to cover the needs while sappers disarm the explosives. So far it is unknown who is in charge of the bomb planting. However, North Ossetia and mostly Muslim Ingushetia region are under regular attacks by Islamist rebels during the latest months.
Afghanistan
At least 16 policemen died in an insurgent attack in Afghanistan on Monday. Two separate ambushes took place in the northern province of Baglan and the southern province of Hemlan—yet another blow to the already disheveled Afghan police force. The Afghan police force has been at the forefront of many such attacks. Poor equipment and training along with thinly stretched fighters have left them very vulnerable to Taliban attacks. Baghlan Governor Mohammad Akbar Barakzai blamed the violence on Islamist militant group Hezb-e-Islami. Mirwais, who claimed to speak for the group told DPA by phone that his fighters were responsible for 15 deaths in the gun battle.
Africa
A former journalist on ‘hate radio’ in Rwanda, was handed a life sentence on Monday for her role in the Hutu genocide against the Tutsis in 1994. Valerie Bemeriki was a well-known voice on Radio Mille Collines, an extremist Hutu station. During her trial by a gacaca village-style court in Kigali, she admitted encouraging Hutus to find and kill ethnic Tutsis, reported AFP. Over a 100-day period in 1994, approximately 800,000 mostly ethnic Tutsis were massacred by Hutu militia. The radio station opened in 1993 and two of its founders were previously convicted of genocide by the U.N. Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
European Union
Employment dropped by 2 percent in the European Union (EU) according to Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. Compared to the previous quarter, this equates to one million job losses. The sectors hit hardest include construction, manufacturing, agriculture, financial services, business, and trade. Other types of services like administration, health, and education mark exception to the trend with a growth of 0.2 percent in the EU. According to Eurostat the total number of employed in the EU is 144.8 million.
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