World News Forecast
Sun, Aug 15 2010
Aug 15, Victory over Japan Day, also known as Victory in the Pacific Day, is the 65th anniversary of Japan's acceptance of the demands of Allied forces for an unconditional surrender. Though the surrender ended WWII, VJ/VP Day evokes touchy issues and the observance has lost ground to other national salutes to war veterans. The 65th will see low-key observances across the region, scattered veterans' parades and a ceremony aboard the Battleship Missouri Memorial in Hawaii.
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Sat, Aug 14 2010
Singapore hosts the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. The brainchild of International Olympics Committee chief Jacques Rogge, the Games will see 3500 athletes, aged 14 to 18, competing in 26 sports. These include traditional sports such as athletics and swimming, and also some innovative events such as beach-wrestling and BMX bike riding. Put off by rules that limit the number of competitors for each sport, some countries have decided not to sent young athletes to YOG 2010.
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Fri, Aug 13 2010
Iconic nurse Florence Nightingale died on 13 Aug 2010, and organizations and places linked to her life and legacy plan centenary events throughout 2010. A high point is a service in Westminster Abbey on 12 May, International Nurses Day, which is also Nightingale's birthday. Nightingale, in charge of nursing British and allied soldiers in Turkey during the Crimean War, spent many hours in the wards. From her night rounds she became known as The Lady with the Lamp.
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Wed, Aug 11 2010
Nippon Issuikai, a Japanese extreme right group that denies Japanese wartime atrocities, is hosting a controversial gathering of far right political groups from Japan, the European Union and other places around the world. The European Observer, which reported the story, notes that Nippon Issuikai founder Mitsuhiro Kimura has long wanted to build an international alliance of far-right parties. The theme is The Future of Nationalist Movements.
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Mon, Aug 9 2010
President Paul Kagame is widely expected to win a second seven-year term on Aug 9. He is credited with establishing stability, rebuilding the small central African nation after the 1994 genocide and for an economic growth rate that makes the landlocked central African nation the envy of the continent. Alleged moves by his ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front to shut down dissent and potential rivals, who include opposition leader Victoire Ingabire, could taint his win and revive tensions.
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Sat, Aug 7 2010
Colombian President-elect Juan Manuel Santos takes over from President Álvaro Uribe on Aug 7. In a sign he intends to mend fences with neighbors, he has invited Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to the inauguration. Ecuador President Rafael Correa is also expected. A former minister of defence, Santos shares some credit with his predecessor for reducing Colombia's Marxist and rightwing violence. Santos says he plans to capitalize on improved security by addressing problems such as poverty.
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Fri, Aug 6 2010
The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on 6 Aug 1945, and a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki on Aug 9. Japan surrendered on 15 Aug, ending WWII. If it concentrates on the future and not the attacks, the anniversary message of the new Japanese government could reset the tone in the 65-year-old debate about whether the nuclear attacks were a war crime or a defensive necessity. It could also influence whether the United States is represented for the first time at the Hiroshima ceremony.
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Thu, Aug 5 2010
Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, turns 80. The former NASA astronaut will be feted officially on his birthday, but the low-profile life he has chosen for himself in Lebanon, Ohio, since 1971 suggests he will shun a fuss. The day is likely to see a re-examination of his "That's one small step for a man ... " proclamation during the 1969 moonwalk, a sales run on his 2005 authorized biography, and a new round of honors: Sites on both the Moon and Earth have been named after Armstrong.
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Wed, Aug 4 2010
Violently disputed results from the Dec 2007 Kenyan election led to a power-sharing deal. It mandated a constitutional referendum, which now is set for Aug 4. The president is both a legislator and the head of state and government under the present constitution, a situation blamed for post-election violence that marred Kenya’s image as an African success story. The draft constitution is designed to trim the president's powers. The draft proposes a Supreme Court and dual citizenship.
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Wed, Aug 4 2010
Barack Obama, born 4 Aug 1961 in Hawaii, was elected the 44th President of the United States in 2008. Though his rankings have dropped since he became the country's first African-American president, he is certain to be feted on his birthday in the United States and around the world. The capping of the leaking BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico and passage of financial reform legislation in both houses of Congress would rank as valued birthday gifts, but only one of them is likely.
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