Palaver

If you do not know Mohamed Bouazizi and the Werther Effect, please stop reading this. For those that recall the hero of Tunisia who set himself on fire to protest against frequent arrest by kanjo askaris in Tunis. His sacrifice sparked off riots and protests that toppled the then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January. Bouaziz’s fiery gesture was so successful it led to protests in Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Yemen in protest against rising food prices and unemployment. This week has been the turn of Americans seeking to overrun Wall Street, while Tibetan monks are also torching themselves to demand an end to "perceived religious repression". Tough call.

For some of you, a dog is just a dog, right? Wrong! In Vietnam, professional dog thieves, now termed "dognappers" are registering roaring business selling man’s best friend to restaurants. Dog restaurants are all over the capital, Hanoi, specialising in barbecue dog, that keeps bad luck away. In New Delhi, the canines are being hunted down and sterilised to stop their growing population. But in San Fransisco, Vancouver Canada, LA, Ireland, and Germany, dogs are particularly loved with some really fabulous boarding facilities for them, pet-friendly hotels complete with grooming, shampooing, and even a sleep-over deal.

Last week, police in Taita-Taveta arrested 12 Ethiopian nationals "lying low" in Voi as they planned to sneak out of the country to Tanzania through the Kenya-Tanzania border. Hundreds are in custody, ferreted out of guesthouses in Garissa, Eastleigh, and others along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway packed in lorries. Granted that majority of illegal immigrants are Ethiopians and Somalis, is Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Giorgis aware of the great southerly exodus of his people?

And finally,

Who made the rules that allow Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland to field separate teams to the Rugby World Cup, but in sports like Olympics and marathon, they ambush the Tergats, Rudishas, Jepkosgeis, and Mutais as ‘Great Britain’? Unfair! Review the rulebook.