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Dear reader, Here’s what you need to know about ForeignCorrespondence: The bipolar world of the local and the glibly international must converge somewhere. We cover the individual and her epic quest, fighting off unmerciful global trends, the hydra-heads of globalization, migration, AIDS, rough-neck neighbors, stinky sewers, disease, war and, of course, bad discos. Fight on, brave warrior as if the soul of the human race is at stake.

Cher writer, here’s what you need to know about ForeignCorrespondence:  The bipolar world of the local and the glibly international must converge somewhere. Fight on, brave writer as if the soul of the human race is at stake. We offer four very simple rules.

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See, we are mysterious

Some extrajudicial killings you may not have heard about

The Philippine’s fight against a communist insurgency has led to a sharp increase in extrajudicial killings. While the government blames the insurgents, The United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Summary or Arbitrary Executions Philip Altson argues that “the military is in denial concerning the numerous extrajudicial executions in which its soldiers are implicated.” Since 2000, Alston points out, between 100 and 800 have been victims of extrajudicial executions. Not only are communist leaders and leftist activists are hunted down and executed, but so are journalists, where 42 have been killed since 2001.

In Nigeria, police have shot and killed at least 8,000 people since 2000, says Human Rights Watch.

Tunisia: Got terror?

While more than 20 political prisoners were released from prisons in Tunisia in 2007, their numbers continue to grow, says Human Rights Watch. The New York-based organization alleges the Tunisian government makes use of a broad definition of terrorism to round up hundreds of young people and place them in prison.

 

 

The Saga of the Bali Nine
Very young, a little dumb, they'll most likely remain in an Indonesian prison for the rest of their lives

Is spending some good quality time in an Indonesian jail for heroin smuggling the only way to learn a little about yourself? For a few members of the Bali Nine, it may be the only way. They’ll have a long time to learn self-knowledge: They’re mostly under 30 and six of the nine are facing life in prison. Theirs is a tragic story where, it appears, the glamour of drug smuggling meets the realities of drug laws. .
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Prison Watch
In increasingly violent times, should we know a little more about what goes on in prisons?

Crime is up – nearly everywhere. So are prison populations. Is he evil? But isn’t it time we asked what goes on behind the walls of the world’s correctional institutions, easily the dreariest places on the planet. We'll peek into a couple. Since we’re thinking about it: What ever happened to prisoner rehabilitation?
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Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Busted Abroad
Will your government come to the rescue?

You’ve been apprehended in a foreign country. Of course we understand you're innocent. But will your government? That depends.
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Criminality and the State
A few things you need to know about Omar Bongo

If criminals are merely egocentrics who happen to rebel against society, what happens when a criminal (or criminals) run society? Yes, Africa has changed a lot in the past decades, but the question remains pertinent. Here's a few things you need to know about Omar Bongo of Gabon.
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The opposite of innocent
Staying out of prison is more difficult for some

Prison stories run the whole gambit. You want the sadness and drama of young people being imprisoned abroad, think the Bali Nine. You want a head scratcher, think the 44-year-old Canadian man who has spent five years in a Cuban prison – and faces a 20-year-term – for having sex with two girls, aged 16 and 15. Sex he claims was consensual. The only problem: Canada’s age of consent: 14. In Cuba: 18.

For some people, staying in prison is as difficult for others as getting out. Here’s two stories. Read More.

Travel industry tell-all
What does the future hold for travel guides?

Roll the credits, it’s the Thomas Kohnstamm story: travel writer, sexual dynamo, small-time drug dealer, admitted plagiarist (and later admitted prankster). Anyway, Kohnstamm recently wrote a tell-all about the travel industry. Many are up in arms, of course. But the majority of naysayers are employed by the guidebook industry. Which leads us to ask: What does the book – and its ensuing, some would say pre-fabricated, controversy – say about the future of guidebooks in the age of mass travel and an abundance of internet travel sites?
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What do you have for us?
How to get by in Ghana on two bribes a day

Ghana, the former Gold Coast, is well-known for its outstanding beaches, hauntingly beautiful slave castles and rich fabrics. Its police officers, on the other hand, are notorious for their fraud, shakedowns and phantom transgressions. They have perfected an intricate system of traffic stops that allow them to spin graft into profits. How does on survive?
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