A report recently released from the Pew Center on the United States has determined that one in every 100 American adults is incarcerated, the highest rate in history. About 1.6 million citizens are in prison and 723,000 are in smaller jails. Last year the country spent $44 billion on prison costs. The Pew Center has suggested turning to alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent crimes.

In Maputo, Mozambique 75 members of the Coalition of African Lesbians demanded equal rights for homosexuals. Homosexuality is illegal in 38 African countries and typically punished by arrest even in South Africa, where it isn’t technically a crime.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Thailand after leaving 17 months ago as a result of a military coup. He was immediately taken into custody, facing charges of abuse of power but was later released on bail. He previously said he was going to stay out of politics, but some people contend he has returned to the country to covertly manipulate the political situation.

On Monday night the New York Philharmonic Orchestra played a concert in North Korea, marking the largest company of Americans in the country since the end of the Korean War. Both countries’ flags were shown and both anthems were played. The concert coincided with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s trip to North Korea to discuss its nuclear program.

Britain’s Defense Ministry confirmed on Thursday that Prince Harry has been serving with the Army in Afghanistan for the past two and a half months. It was rumored that Harry was going to serve in Iraq, but he did not end up there due to threats made against him. Britain must consider whether to recall Harry now that the public knows of his deployment.

Six people were arrested on Thursday in Sweden and Norway on charges of funding terrorist activity. They were identified as members of the Somali communities in Stockholm and Oslo. Several Internet cafés were also raided in Oslo in conjunction with the arrests. There is no connection between this incident and the widespread Muhammad caricature.