The bloodshed in the Central African Republic continues, as rival militias continue to carry out atrocities. The Seleka, a Muslim group, has been attacking Christian communities for the last few months, but the tide of violence has recently shifted and the Seleka have left many of their established positions in the country. The retreat of the Seleka has left Muslim communities exposed to extreme violence carried out by Christian groups. Apparently, the French humanitarian intervention has failed to stem the violence, but also seems to have shifted the balance of power in the country.
The documents leaked by Edward Snowden continue to embarrass the US Government. The latest batch of leaked memos show that the National Security Agency (NSA) spied on delegate conversations at the Copenhagen climate talks in 2009. These discussions could hardly be considered absolutely essential to the national security of the country. Interestingly, the revelations seemed not to shock many of the delegates, who simply assumed that the Americans (and the Chinese) were spying on them.
Ukrainian President Yanukovich went on sick leave today, claiming an illness prevented him from carrying out his daily duties. His absence leaves Ukraine essentially rudderless, and it is not clear how either the government or the protesters can negotiate while he is indisposed. The power vacuum is perilous: the Ukrainian economy looks increasingly fragile, and outsiders (the IMF, Russia, or perhaps the EU) will be reluctant to help the country out if they believe that the government is incapable of implementing any necessary reforms.
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