Madagascar on a tightrope
The showdown in Madagascar came to a head this Friday when opposition leader Marc Ravalomanana declared himself president in a ceremony attended by tens of thousands in the national stadium in capital Antananarivo.
The island has seen weeks of mass demonstration and general strike since the incumbent president Didier Ratsiraka refused to step down after Decembers polls. Now Ravalomanana has defied the official High Court ruling, which stated that the election had no clear winner, and taken anti-constitutional action of his own. He appears to have the widespread support of the people, who share his view that the election was rigged.
Ratsiraka himself is yet to respond, but the Senate leader Honore Rakotomanana said in a radio and TV broadcast that you cannot seize power from the streets. Power in Madagascar is in the balance ; for latest developments, view www.allAfrica.com.
Sri Lankan cease-fire
The Norwegians have been at it again. As part of a peace initiative brokered in Norway, the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels agreed this week to a permanent cease-fire due to come into force on 23 February. It could represent the first step towards ending twenty years of civil war in which 60,000 people have died.
It had to contend this week with a major sea battle off the coast of north-eastern town Mullaitivu, a major rebel base. But GL Peiris, Constitutional Affairs Minister, took a realist line: It is a utopian expectation to have a cease-fire devoid of incidents of this nature.
More peaceful was a Tiger rally in the eastern regional capital, Batticaloa, where 45,000 crowded into the Kottaimunai stadium decorated with red and gold flags and banners. www.lankaweb.com, a virtual community of Sri Lankans around the world, has a distinctive take on the conflict.
Indian polls
Voting has ended in the key state assembly elections in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh. At least ten people died in election violence in Manipur, whereas unprecedented security in Uttar Pradesh meant there were few serious incidents.
Counting is expected to take place on Sunday, but exit polls suggest no single victory for any party in either state, signalling a major setback for the ruling Hindu Nationalist BJP. The BBC reports that in Manipur there have already been allegations of vote-rigging, and election officials have said that up to fifty polling stations may have to hold another ballot. It quotes security officials in Uttar Pradesh as relieved at the lack of incident given the number of candidates with criminal records. The state is the populous and politically most prestigious in India. Meanwhile, Manipur is trying to end direct federal rule from Delhi due to tribal tensions. The rest of the country saw many old faces making fresh and controversial bids for office.
Space cuppa
Tea or coffee in the world of science. This week, the New Scientist reports two caffeine-fuelled stories that we hope will whet your appetite.
The first tells how Japans National Space Development Agency (NASDA) plans to include an original addition to the Japanese section of the International Space Station: a thirteen square foot tearoom. Launch will be served in 2004, they hope.
The journal quotes NASDA spokesperson Yoshiro Nakamura as saying, Space travel is psychologically difficult, so the idea is to provide a calm place where astronauts can relax. Well, indeed. The ceremony is likely to be pared down somewhat however, as tradition demands that perfectly presented women in kimonos elegantly serve up tea for the honoured sippers. In space, no-one can hear you steam.
And theres another problem. Making the tea in zero gravity might be a cinch, but taking it is not so easy. We dont know how they are going to drink it, Nakamura says. It is not possible to keep the tea in the cups and we cant have tea floating around. This is one of the problems we are working on. The Diary wishes them the best of luck.
and the little antimatter of coffee
Meanwhile, coffee makes another appearance on these pages. Scientists this week captured antimatter for the first time. According to the New Scientist, researchers on the ATRAP experiment at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics near Geneva claim to have stored thousands of antiatoms in a particle trap. Trouble is, their coffee remains cold.
Antimatter is seen (or not) as the most elusive building block of the universe. Scientists have long hoped to harness the energy that comes from the meeting of particles and anti-particles, which annihilate each other on contact. In 1996 seven antihydrogen atoms were found in a particle accelerator near Chicago, but could not be captured or studied as unfortunately they were travelling at the speed of light.
Gerald Gabrielese of Harvard University, who is leading the team in Geneva, explains how they caught the antimatter with the use of powerful magnetic fields. But the energy released from the collision of the antiparticles and their opposites is disappointing. Apparently, it is not even enough to warm a small cup of coffee.
Assessing 11 September
28 February sees a discussion in London on the events of 11 September. Organised by BlueEar.com, it is based on the first books to have been published in the wake of the terrorist attacks, both of them edited by BlueEar.com and the NYU Department of Journalism.
The first book, 09/11 8:48 AM; documenting America's greatest tragedy, was published soon after the attacks. It brought together eighty-five diverse writers to document the confusion and pain of that day. In the second book, Dispatches From a Wounded World, the editors at BlueEar.com provide global and human perspective on the events of 11 September with seventeen essays from professional and citizen journalists from around the world and the United States. Net profits from Dispatches From a Wounded World are also being donated to grassroots organizations that are giving aid directly to the victims of the tragedy.
Speakers at the London event include BlueEar editor Ethan Casey and contributors and Blue Ear Community members Alex Dunne, Betsy de Lotbiniere, Beena Sarwar and Roger Tatoud. It is organised by the Global Village Society, and takes place on Thursday, 28 February 2002, 7:00-8:15 p.m. at Richmond, The American International University in London, Room 216, Pacific House, 7-17 Ansdell Street, High Street Kensington, London, W8 5 BN. The event is free. And the nearest tube stations are High Street Kensington and Gloucester Road. Tel: (+44) (0)20 7 368 8400. Limited Wheelchair access.
Contact the Diary editor: dominic.hilton@opendemocracy.net
