Planet Watch

Still no 50 million climate refugees, skeptics gloat

Right-wing websites are jumping on a 2005 UN report predicting that climate change would create 50 million refugees by 2010—and gloating that it hasn’t come to pass. But maybe we are closer to the 50 million than they think.

North Africa

Libya: Misrata siege politicized; Qatar arming rebels

Foreign workers are desperately trying to flee the besieged Libyan city of Misrata—but they may be fleeing attacks by the rebels as well as Qaddafi’s forces. Qatar now acknowledges it is arming the rebel forces.

North Africa

Morocco claims: Polisario rebels fight for Qaddafi

The Moroccan media are making much of a report in Italy’s Corriere della Sera that Western Sahara guerillas are fighting for Qaddafi—as well as claims from the Tripoli regime that they are fighting against Qaddafi!

East Asia

China: where is Ai Weiwei —and his website?

Dissident artist Ai Weiwei is being held incommunicado by Chinese authorities after posting a coded protest image to his website. The website remains online, but practically devoid of content—suggesting it has been heavily censored.

North Africa

Libya: African migrants caught between both sides

AlJazeera reports from a refugee camp in Tunisia, where African migrants who have fled Libya tell both of being expelled from the country by rebels—and being press-ganged into Qaddafi’s military.

North Africa

US military advisors arrive in Libya: reports

Reports are emerging of US and British military advisors arriving in Benghazi, as a Qaddafi spokesman said the regime is open to reform—but that “the leader has to lead this forward.”

Afghanistan

Afghanistan: clash of fundamentalisms in round two of Koran wars

Wacky extremoid Christian fundi Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, apparently followed through on his threat to burn a Koran on March 20. This prompted wacky extremoid Muslim fundis in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, to storm a UN compound, killing as many as 20 employees and setting fire to several buildings.