World Blog

Ghana goes ga-ga for Obama

Petra Cahill — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:20:00 GMT

By Anthony Galloway, NBC Nightly News Producer

ACCRA, Ghana – The last stop on President Barack Obama’s week-long trip may prove to be his most historic and newsworthy. Just one day before Obama arrives in Ghana, the significance of his trip is the topic of conversation among most Ghanaians.

In this country, even though Obama’s father hailed from Kenya, the president is considered “from the soil,” a man with an African bloodline, who is now returning home as leader of the free world.

Luc Gnago / Reuters

A street vendor sells American and Ghanaian flags along a street in Accra on Wednesday.

But even as Ghana waits expectantly, many here are wondering why Obama chose this country for his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa

“Part of the reason is because Ghana has now undergone a couple of successful elections in which power was transferred peacefully, even a very close election,” Obama said in an interview last week with reporters for the news website allAfrica.com.

“Countries that are governed well, that are stable, where the leadership recognizes that they are accountable to the people and that institutions are stronger than any one person have a track record of producing results for the people. And we want to highlight that," said Obama.

Asked if he would like to see a lot more countries like Ghana in Africa, the president replied, “Absolutely.”

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Anger and hatred on the streets of Urumqi

Petra Cahill — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:25:00 GMT

By NBC News' Bo Gu

URUMQI, Xinjiang – As we drove through the empty streets of Urumqi, I was immediately reminded of the unrest in the Tibetan capital Lhasa last year – but with one key difference.

Here, in the remote capital of China’s northwestern Xinjiang province, there were few pedestrians, truckloads of armed police, smashed windows, and lots of scared people – just like in Lhasa in March 2008 when 22 people were killed, according to official numbers.

In Urumqi, officials have said that 156 people were killed and more than 1,100 injured as a result of the violent ethnic riots between the Uighurs and Han Chinese on Sunday.

VIDEO: Tensions high in Western China

But what separates Urumqi from Lhasa is the deep sense of hate between this region’s two majority ethnic groups: the Turkic-speaking Muslim Uighurs and the Han Chinese, the dominant ethnic group in China as a whole.

"I’d like to kill some Uighurs too! They’ve killed so many innocent Hans!" said one Han passerby when were filming in a downtown street.

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Chinese open up – slightly – over Uighur riots

Petra Cahill — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:59:00 GMT

By Ian Williams, NBC News correspondent

URUMQI, China – Thousands of riot police have descended upon the Western city of Urumqi as Chinese authorities try to control the ethnic tensions that sparked riots on Sunday and left at least 156 dead. Fears of further violent clashes between the local Uighur population and Han Chinese in the oil-rich Xinjiang province forced Chinese President Hu Jintao to cut short his visit to the Group of Eight summit so he could address the situation.

NBC News’ Ian Williams arrived in the city on Wednesday and reports on the mood in the city and government efforts to control the local Uighur population, as well as the media.

What’s the mood like in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province?
Well the city is very, very tense. There aren’t many people on the streets, there is very little traffic.

The city has been flooded with riot police and members of the security forces. They have blocked most of the junctions downtown. There are police and security forces everywhere. They have really locked the place down.

SLIDESHOW: Clashes erupt in China's West

All the shops are closed. One or two are open, but most of the shops are shuttered. There are people just lingering on the corners, watching the riot police. But it does seem that the authorities have the center of town under control at the moment.

It’s very, very tense and you can feel it. There is a sense that without the massive police presence, violence could flare up again at any time.

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Putin: prime minister or puppet-master?

Petra Cahill — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:47:00 GMT

By Jim Maceda, NBC News Correspondent

MOSCOW – So who is really in charge in Russia? Prime Minister Vladimir Putin or his boss on paper, President Dmitri Medvedev?

A foreign Russia-watcher offered the best answer I've heard.

"When we negotiate with Russia we deal with a leadership," said E. Wayne Merry, a former U.S. State and Defense Department official and a senior associate at the American Foreign Policy Council. ''The senior person in that leadership is Putin. The second person in that leadership is Medvedev.''

There you have it. Or do you?

VIDEO: Putin: Prime Minister or puppet-master?

‘Much more complicated’
If Medvedev is the official leader while Putin acts as paramount leader, that would explain why, after summiting with Medvedev for hours on an array of important initiatives, President Barack Obama still felt the need to get Putin's blessing over a power breakfast Tuesday morning. Otherwise, Obama risked finding out that the United States had made commitments to a front man, not the main man.

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Who are the Uighurs?

Petra Cahill — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:24:00 GMT

Riots and street battles killed at least 156 people in China's western Xinjiang province and injured 828 others on Monday in the most violent ethnic unrest in the region in decades.

NBC News' Adrienne Mong explains the roots of the discord between ethnic Muslim Uighurs who live in restive province and China's Han majority.

VIDEO: Who are the Uighurs

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Gearing up for a grand arrival in Ghana

Petra Cahill — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:49:00 GMT

By Mara Schiavocampo, NBC News Digital Correspondent ACCRA, Ghana - I just landed in Ghana's capital city, Accra. On Friday, President Barack Obama will also touch down here, for his first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa (he was in Egypt last month). If history is any guide, he will be greeted like a rock star, times ten. When Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush visited this country (in 1998 and 2008, respectively), thousands swarmed the streets to welcome them. Because Obama...(read more)

‘The new New York is Beijing’

Petra Cahill — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:34:00 GMT

By Adrienne Mong, NBC News Producer

BEIJING – By all rights, Beijing should be suffering the post-Olympic hangover anticipated by skeptics and cynics.

China’s exports-driven economy has taken a big hit from the global recession. Millions of college graduates are still unemployed. Newly built shiny commercial buildings stand unoccupied. And in recent weeks the Chinese government has stepped up its ongoing efforts to control the flow of information on the Internet.

If anything, however, the Chinese capital is enjoying a renaissance in the arts and culture – normally what would be the first casualty in a climate of recession and censorship. And it’s attracting a growing number of people from around the world who want to be part of the scene.

VIDEO: Beijing is one of the world's most 'vibrant places'

"Beijing has that combination of optimism, possibility, opportunity, as well as being an interesting city in its own right," said Aric Chen, a freelance writer, curator and design consultant who recently moved here from New York City.

The 34-year-old is juggling several international projects – a book on Brazil, an exhibition in Israel, and a biennale in South Korea – any of which could be launched from another base.

But in Beijing, he found that "there is still a hunger and openness for new things, so there’s room for people like me." Within China, he helps to oversee projects like the "100% Design Shanghai," a major industry fair that he hopes will help to elevate the discourse on design in the country and nurture homegrown designers and artists.

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Cubans on Jackson: ‘Magnificent talent … strange personal life’

Petra Cahill — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:39:00 GMT

By Mary Murray, NBC News Havana Bureau Chief

HAVANA – As news of the death of the "King of Pop" spread last Thursday night, a group of fans and Jackson impersonators gathered in a tiny Havana living room in disbelief. They huddled around a shortwave radio and tuned to Florida stations, hoping someone would say it was all a hoax.

"We’re stunned and heartsick. For us, Michael was the sun," said Nestor Hernandez. "All of a sudden, the skies darkened."

VIDEO: Cubans pay tribute to Jackson

For the most part, Michael Jackson’s controversies didn’t tarnish his fame in Cuba. As Cuba’s state-run media is devoid of celebrity gossip, many fans know all about his talent but nothing about his troubles.

After his death on Thursday, Cuban radio and TV hosts paid tribute to the American pop star and his musical creations with scant references to his excesses with drugs, spending or sexual molestation charges.

The daily Granma, published by Cuba’s ruling Communist Party, reported on Jackson’s death, describing him as a "magnificent talent with a strange personal life," without providing any further explanation.

"Radio Rebelde," the island’s main radio station, abandoned regular rush-hour programming Friday morning to run news of Jackson’s death and play some of his most popular hits from decades ago while fans called in with accolades and requests.

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Cautious optimism as U.S. troops withdraw

Petra Cahill — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:24:00 GMT

By Tom Aspell, NBC News Correspondent

BAGHDAD – No American military vehicles patrolled Baghdad’s streets for the first time in six years on Tuesday morning, as U.S. forces in Iraq finished withdrawing from towns and cities to bases in the countryside.

Iraqi army troops and police manned checkpoints in the Shiite area of Sadr City, searching cars for explosives and weapons. They can still call for American support if necessary, but Iraqis are hoping they can cope with the ongoing insurgency alone from now on.

As the midnight deadline for the handover of security in towns and cities drew nearer, Iraqis gathered in a park near the Baghdad Zoo for an outdoor concert to celebrate.

Pop singers entertained the crowds and there was a modest firework display. For many present it was the first outdoor celebration of its kind in recent memory.

VIDEO: Iraq violence mars celebration of U.S. pullback

In the Shiite slums of Sadr City, many greeted the departure of American forces with optimism. But Fouad Mohsen, who is 40 years old and unemployed, was cautious.

"I'm not too happy because the security situation is not ideal," said Mohsen. "I think the Iraqi forces are 70 percent capable of protecting us."

Taleb, 27, and also unemployed, said he already sees a decline in the security situation compared with just two months ago.

"I don't think it is the right time for U.S. forces to leave the cities," said Taleb, who declined to give his last name. "We still don't think the government is doing enough to help us. There is no work and no money."

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Loving leeches’ medicinal merits

Petra Cahill — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:28:00 GMT

By Yonatan Pomrenze, NBC News Producer

MOSCOW – When I first heard about the International Medical Leech Center from a colleague, my reaction was probably a typical one for an American: Yuck. Gross.

A breeding center for 150,000 leeches in a small village just outside Moscow did not sound like my ideal location for a story. But when I heard the center’s claims that they raise and sell 10 times the number of leeches than the rest of the world combined, curiosity overcame my initial disgust.

Natasha Lepyoshkina is one of the 29 leech breeders at the center, all of whom are women. According to her, the gender choice is no accident. "You need to have patience with the leeches. You have to be industrious and patient. A man couldn’t do that," she said.

VIDEO: Medicinal leeches, fresh blood for Russia's economy

Most of the breeders live in the local village and take shifts on weekends to check on the leeches, lending the center a family-like atmosphere. "They won’t ever bite us – they know us too well," said one breeder as I prepared to dunk my hand in a jar full of hungry leeches. (Maybe it was leech breeders who coined the phrase about biting the hand that feeds you?)

The breeders often referred to the leeches as their children. "Just like a child – we raise them and love them, and once they grow up they leave us," said Lepyoshkina, as she prepared a batch of 1,000 live leeches to be shipped from the center.

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