Every Wednesday you will find links and top-line summaries to current events around the globe.

Gaza flotilla: Israel starts to free foreign activists [BBC]

- Israel has deported more than 120 foreign activists detained after a deadly raid on an aid flotilla trying to break its blockade of Gaza. The activists were taken to Jordan. Another 300 people, most of them Turkish, are due to be deported soon. Israel had seized 682 people with the ships. Around 50 activists were deported early on Tuesday
- Nine activists, four of them Turkish, died when Israeli commandos boarded the six-ship convoy early on Monday. The Turkish cabinet is holding a special meeting to discuss its relations with Israel. Turkey, formerly a close ally of Israel, has been one of the states most vocal in its condemnation of the raid
- Israel has maintained control of Gaza’s airspace and territorial waters, as well as most of its land borders, since withdrawing troops and settlers from the territory in 2005. It says the blockade is necessary to avoid the risk of weapons being smuggled into Gaza. Israel and Egypt sealed off the territory after militant group Hamas seized power there in 2007.
According to the UN, Gaza receives about one-quarter of the supplies that it received in the years before the blockade was tightened in 2007

Gulf oil spill: BP hopes to cap flow ‘within 24 hours’ [BBC]

- BP hopes to contain the spill from its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico within 24 hours, its chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, has said. An operation using undersea robots to cut off the fractured pipe and seal it with a cap was launched on Tuesday. It comes as US Attorney General Eric Holder announced that officials had begun criminal and civil investigations into America’s worst oil spill
- BP’s shares fell sharply on Tuesday after the failure of its previous efforts to “top kill” the leak by pumping mud into the well. At one stage the share price hit its lowest level for 15 months, as stock markets digested the news that the US was “prepared for the worst scenario” that the leak might not be stopped before August
- Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned that winds forecast later this week could move the spill towards the Mississippi and Alabama coasts, which have been less badly affected than Louisiana’s shores. Tuesday also marked the start of the hurricane season, with NOAA predicting up to 14 hurricanes, of which between three to seven will be “major” tempests, packing winds in excess of 110 mph. At least 20 million gallons (76 million litres) have now spilled into the Gulf, affecting more than 70 miles (110km) of Louisiana’s coastline

Bank of Canada first in G7 to hike rates [Reuters]

- The Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate on Tuesday, the first G7 industrialized economy to do so after the global recession, but said the European debt crisis made its next move highly unpredictable. The rate hike, to 0.5% from 0.25%, is a response to two quarters of extraordinarily strong growth at home. But the bank cautioned investors against betting on an uninterrupted tightening campaign, due to the euro zone fiscal problems and an uneven global recovery
- The Bank of Canada has broken ranks with the U.S. Federal Reserve in the past, but generally the two policy rates move in tandem. But the U.S. Federal Reserve continues to promise to hold its rate ultra low for an extended period, depending on economic conditions. The European Central Bank, which has cut rates to 1.0%, is far from considering its exit strategy as it takes extraordinary steps to ease the debt crisis and prevent it from snuffing out a recovery on the continent
- Canada’s profile of a commodities exporter is closer to that of Australia, which held rates steady on Tuesday but had already lifted borrowing costs six times in eight months. Canada’s economy fell into mild recession last year, but its banks emerged unscathed from the credit crisis and jobless rates did not soar as high as in the United States

Honda China production still out after strike and clashes [Reuters]

- Honda Motor Co made little progress on Tuesday in resuming production at a parts factory in south China after a prolonged and high-profile strike that has highlighted growing labor unrest in the region. Japan’s No.2 automaker said most of the 1,900 workers at the wholly owned parts factory had agreed to management’s offer for a 24% wage hike, with less than 100 holdouts still refusing the terms after violent clashes on Monday
- China has been hit with a string of labor disputes at foreign companies, whose migrant workers have begun to demand better pay and conditions. Strikes are technically illegal in China, which fears any overt signs of social unrest, but have become more common as employers try to rein in rapidly rising costs, especially in southern China, dubbed “the world’s workshop”
- Honda has been unable to build cars in the country, the world’s fastest-growing car market, since last week after workers at the parts plant went on strike demanding higher pay. With few transmissions built and inventory running low, Honda said it would probably keep all four local assembly plants idle through Thursday

Global arms spending hits record despite downturn [Reuters]

- Worldwide military spending surged to a record $1.5 trillion last year, defying an economic downturn caused by the global financial crisis, a leading think tank said on Wednesday. Military spending last year rose 5.9% in real terms compared to 2008 with the United States accounting for more than half of that increase
- Although the USA led the rise, it was not alone. Of those countries for which data was available, 65% increased their military spending in real terms in 2009. The figures demonstrate that for major or intermediate powers such as the USA, China, Russia, India and Brazil, military spending represents a long-term strategic choice which they are willing to make even in hard economic times
- U.S. military spending, burdened by huge costs for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, rose 7.7% in real terms to hit $661 billion, more than six times as much as China, the second biggest spender ahead of France, Britain and Russia. But China’s rise as a global military power becomes clearer when viewed over the past decade. During that period its military spending has surged 217% compared to a 76% rise for the United States and an increase of 49% globally

Fallen bridges hamper Guatemala storm rescue [Reuters]

- Collapsed roads and highway bridges complicated rescue efforts in Guatemala on Tuesday after Tropical Storm Agatha drenched Central America, burying homes under mud and killing at least 178 people. Dozens of people were still missing and rescue teams struggled to reach remote rural communities after the storm cut off roads and destroyed up to 18 major road bridges and dozens of smaller footbridges
- Some 35,000 people remained in emergency shelters three days after Agatha, the first named storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season, hit western Guatemala, dumping more than 3 feet (1 meter) of rain in places and raising concern over the coffee crop there and in El Salvador
- Central America is vulnerable to heavy rains because of its mountainous terrain, and poor communications in rural areas hamper rescue efforts. Hurricane Ida killed at least 150 people as it pounded through the region in November. Guatemala has warned that flooding from Agatha could be worsened by ash from the Pacaya volcano blocking drains

Japanese PM Yukio Hatoyama resigns amid Okinawa row [BBC]

- Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has announced his resignation after just eight months in office. It comes after he broke an election pledge to move an unpopular US military base away from the island of Okinawa. Mr Hatoyama’s Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is struggling to revive its chances in an election due in July
- He said he had also asked DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, who has been embroiled in a funding scandal, to step down to “revitalize” the party. The center-left DPJ’s election landslide last year ended half a century of conservative rule in Japan. Mr Hatoyama, 63, was Japan’s fourth prime minister in four years. He will remain in office until his successor is appointed at a meeting of the DPJ on Friday
- Announcing his decision to the country in an emotional televised address, he said he had “tried to change politics in which the people of Japan would be the main actors” but had not succeeded. Mr Hatoyama also cited funding scandals involving government aides as a reason for his departure

US hails ‘death’ of al-Qaeda chief Mustafa Abu al-Yazid [BBC]

- The White House has said it “welcomes the demise” of al-Qaeda number three and Afghan operations chief Mustafa Abu al-Yazid. US officials say they believe he was killed recently in the tribal areas of Pakistan in an American drone attack. Mr Yazid, also known as Sheikh Said al-Masri, died along with his wife and three children, Islamist websites said, quoting a statement from al-Qaeda
- White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said it was “a severe blow” to al-Qaeda. Mr Gibbs said Mr Yazid was one of the biggest targets to have been killed or captured in five years. American officials often refer to the Egyptian-born militant as the main conduit to al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. As al-Qaeda’s operational commander in Afghanistan, Mr Yazid is believed to have had a hand in everything from finances to operational planning
- Mr Yazid is thought to have climbed to the number three position in al-Qaeda in 2007, when his predecessor, Abu Ubaida al-Masri, died of hepatitis in Pakistan. He is reported to have managed the finances for the 11 September 2001 attacks in New York and Washington. In a rare interview with Pakistan’s Geo TV in 2008, he said al-Qaeda was “properly involved” in those attacks, as well as the 1998 attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania

Colombia’s Santos win boon for Wall St and Chavez? [Reuters]

- Conservative Juan Manuel Santos is well placed to win Colombia’s presidency after a first electoral round victory that pleased investors but which may also help a foe, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez. Santos, a Harvard and LSE-trained economist was only around three percentage points short of the majority needed to win the election outright on Sunday, and his 25 point lead will make it very difficult for his rival Antanas Mockus to catch up. The two face off in a June 20 runoff
- A victory in June for the wealthy scion of Bogota’s political elites will likely inflame already high tensions with neighboring Venezuela — possibly benefiting Chavez who is beset by economic woes and often thrives on external conflict. Former Defense Minister Santos has for years verbally sparred with the socialist leader, who is beefing up his armed forces. Officials have said Colombia’s military needs to prepare itself for an “external threat
- A seasoned warrior of Colombia’s internal conflict, Santos, 58, is the anointed heir to Uribe, who cleared much of the country of leftist rebels and multiplied investment five-fold with security and low taxes in eight years in office. The son of one of the country’s most influential families who for years owned top newspaper El Tiempo, Santos proved his steel in the fight against FARC guerrillas, overseeing the dramatic rescue of hostages and a 2008 bombing raid that killed the insurgents’ No. 2 commander

Cage-fighter jailed over $77.6 Million Kent Securitas raid [BBC]

- A cage-fighter has been jailed in Morocco for his part in the UK’s biggest cash raid at a Securitas depot. Lee Murray, 30, originally from south London, was named during the trial of other gang members as the “mastermind” of the $77.6m raid in Kent in 2006. Kent Police said Murray must serve 10 years in jail in Morocco for his involvement. A spokesman for the force said Murray was deemed to be Moroccan and could not be extradited to the UK
- More than 13 people were charged with offences in connection with the robbery. Six people were convicted. Depot manager Colin Dixon and family were kidnapped at gunpoint by men posing as police officers to allow the gang to gain entry. On the night of the raid, 14 Securitas staff members were terrorized and tied up at gunpoint as the robbers loaded cash on to a lorry. Police have recovered £21m of the £53m and have still to uncover the rest
- Four days after the robbery in February 2006, Murray fled to Morocco. Murray inadvertently provided key evidence for police when he crashed his car shortly before the robbery, and fled the scene leaving his mobile phone in the vehicle. He had accidentally pressed the record button on the handset during a conversation about the robbery with fellow plotter Lea Rusha, which was later recovered and used by prosecutors

Virus Ravages Cassava Plants in Africa [New York Times]

- Although it has been seen on coastal farms for 70 years, a mutant version emerged in Africa’s interior in 2004, “and there has been explosive, pandemic-style spread since then,” said Claude M. Fauquet, director of cassava research at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis. “The speed is just unprecedented, and the farmers are really desperate.”
- After rice and wheat, cassava is the world’s third-largest source of calories. Under many names, including manioc, tapioca and yuca, it is eaten by 800 million people in Africa, South America and Asia. The danger has been likened to that of Phytophthora infestans, the blight that struck European potatoes in the 1840s, setting off a famine that killed perhaps a million people in Ireland and forced even more to emigrate
- Even if the brown streak virus is contained in Africa, Dr. Fauquet said, donors may eventually be forced to spend billions of dollars on food aid to prevent starving populations from going on the move, which could set off ethnic fighting. Donations by the Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development and a foundation run by Monsanto, the crop technology company, have totaled about $50 million thus far, but compared with the threat, “that’s a droplet in the ocean,” Dr. Fauquet said

- In the Koreas, Five Possible Ways to War [New York Times]
- China aims to become supercomputer superpower [BBC]
- Apple Sells 2 Million iPads Since April Debut [New York Times]
- Cancun mayor Gregorio Sanchez faces drugs charges [BBC]
- U.S. Opens Criminal Inquiry Into Oil Spill [New York Times]
- Jamaica Strains to Fill Void Left by Gang Bosses [New York Times]
- The Hard Sell on Salt [New York Times]