Leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Joseph Kony, answers journalists' questions in Ri-Kwamba, southern Sudan, Nov. 12, 2006.
Jungle Manhunt – The Washington Post reports on the U.S. military’s bid to capture messianic warlord Joseph Kony in the Central African Republic six months after President Barack Obama ordered 100 elite troops to spearhead the search. Commanders say they’ve been unable to pick up his trail, but believe he’s hiding in the jungle, “relying on Stone Age tactics to dodge his pursuers’ high-tech surveillance tools,” the paper writes.
Tackling Deniers – Australia-based Global Mail examines why fewer people believe that climate change is a problem today compared to three years ago, including the country’s former prime minister, John Howard, who now considers himself a “climate-change agnostic.” “Climate change was once a scientific issue prompting relatively universal concerns. How did it get labeled left-wing?” the online magazine asks.
Deep South – Thailand’s The Nation reports on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s weekend visit to the country’s southern provinces, where a seven-year insurgency has killed more than 5,000 people. She pledged the government would restore peace through “understanding, reaching out and development,” and emphasize “local participation, create jobs for local people and rely on peaceful ways to contain violence,” the paper says.
Practice and Malpractice – In the wake of Rupert and James Murdoch’s appearances before the Leveson inquiry into press standards, Reuters investigates how the media mogul and his son prepared for the inquiry, spending days working with Gerson Zweifach, News Corp.’s chief legal counsel, and Joel Klein, an ex-White House lawyer and company board member. It notes that Rupert Murdoch “gave the impression of having paid little attention to his coaching,” whereas James appeared “more polished but sometimes mechanical.”
Blind Diplomacy – Following last week’s escape by blind Chinese lawyer, Chen Guangcheng, from house arrest to the likely safety of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the Washington Post questions whether the U.S. will live up to its reputation as having “credibility as a defender of freedom,” arguing the Obama Administration should “stand firmly” with this figure, in order to “help the dictators of Beijing unclench their fist.”
Strangers to Change – Libya’s Tripoli Post argues that “change has stopped” in the country following last year’s dramatic revolution. The newspaper places blame on the “random” choices made by Dr. Abdul Rahim Elkeeb, the interim head of government, when choosing his cabinet members, many of whom it describes as “scandalously unqualified” for the job of running Libya.