Africa A US Congressman’s plane was nearly destroyed by mortar attacks in Somalia this week. Rep. Donald Payne’s plane came under mortar fire while taking off from the Somali capital. An Islamic fundamentalist group, Al Shabab, took responsibility. The attack came the day after US Navy snipers killed 3 Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Rep. Payne was in Somalia for meetings with the new government.

Middle East

In an unprecedented event, several hundred Afghan women protested a new conservative law in Kabul this week. The law, which affects only the Shiite minority, makes it illegal for a woman to refuse sex to her husband. It also requires that a woman get permission from her husband in order to work or attend school. The protestors, mostly younger women, faced a large counter-protest, causing tensions in the city.

Asia

Anti-whaling activists have successfully derailed a Japanese whaling campaign in Antarctic waters. The whalers fell short of their projected kill number due to the activists. The activists used tactics such as colliding into boats and throwing chemicals on the whalers. While environmental groups decry whaling, the Japanese see it as a major part of their culture having been in existence for centuries.

Americas

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison for human rights abuses last week. Fujimori led Peru between 1990-2000 during a period of war with Maoist rebels. Fujimori was convicted of a plethora of crimes including murder and crimes against humanity. Dozens of civilians died at the hands of military death squads, which were created by Fujimori to fight the rebels.