Jul 10: South Sudan Marks First Anniversary

South Sudan became the youngest country in the world when it gained independence from Sudan last year. We had written about it here. On July 9, the country marked its first anniversary with plenty of fanfare. Crowds took to the streets of the capital Juba on Monday, with people crammed into cars driving around the city and honking horns.

However, not all is rosy. The impoverished country has spent the past year wracked by border wars with Sudan (whom it gained independence from) and internal violence between warlords. Sudan's claims over oilfields that border the two has resulted in a shutdown of oil production and loss of revenue. South Sudan remains one of the world's poorest countries, where even the most basic infrastructure, such as roads, electricity and water distribution networks, is lacking

The country president Salva Kiir is hopeful his country will be in a better shape by this time next year. 

Jul 9: Egypt's President vs. Military

Egypt's new President Mohamed Mursi in his first major act as the new leader is already challenging the country's military. We had written here about how Egypt's military, which has ruled the country virtually for decades, had dissolved the country's elected Parliament in June -- just before the presidential elections. They had contented that the Muslim Brotherhood party (to which Mursi belongs) had won seats reserved for independent candidates. 

Mohamed Mursi has ordered the parliament to reconvene and set a date for new elections. Egypt's military had opposed Mursi's decree as a violation of the Supreme Court's decision. But in a show of support for the President, the Parliament did meet for an hour. It will be interesting to see how this power struggle will play out in the future. Democracy can certainly be a messy affair as U.S Secretary of State Hillay Clinton put it.