Another Week in the World

Kurdish activist hanged in Iran

Ehsan Fattahian, a 28-year-old Kurdish activist, was executed in Iran Wednesday. Fattahian was arrested for “armed struggle against the regime” more than a year ago and was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison. An appeals court changed his sentence, and his execution is seen as part of the government’s attempt to quell opposition to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ethnic groups in Iran have been especially active in the opposition movement since the contested presidential election in June.

Car bomb explodes in Pakistan

A car bomb killed at least 34 civilians in northwestern Pakistan Tuesday. The bombing took place in a marketplace in Charsadda, a town near Peshawar. The city area has seen a rise in violence and bombings recently. Around 100 people were wounded in the blast. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Korean ships exchange fire

North and South Korean naval ships had a brief scuffle in disputed waters Tuesday. The debacle ended with the North Korean ship on fire and one North Korean sailor reported dead. The exchange of fire was the first border fighting between the Koreas in seven years. North and South Korea are technically still at war, as the Korean War in the 1950s ended in a truce, not an official treaty. Both nations accuse the other of violating border agreements and provoking fire.

Brazil experiences blackout

A failure at the Itaipú power plant on the Brazil-Paraguay border caused widespread blackouts in both countries Tuesday. Some of Paraguay was in the dark for about 20 minutes and much of Brazil, including the major cities Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, was without power for more than two hours. Electricity systems operators do not suspect deliberate harm. They said the more likely cause was heavy wind or rain in the area, which has experts concerned about possible weaknesses in Brazil’s transmission systems.

Palestinian officials recommend delaying elections

Election officials from the Palestinian Authority announced that presidential and parliamentary elections cannot be held on the originally scheduled date in January. The voting will be delayed because Hamas has not allowed election preparations to begin in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has said that it will not allow voting to occur in Gaza until it and Fatah have reconciled a 2007 fight. The delay may also give President Mahmoud Abbas more time to decide whether he will seek reelection.

Information compiled from nytimes.com