Things were heating up and transitioning in the world this week. The Philippine Elections got started on Friday. The Thai protests turned deadly. The British elections drew a collective question mark and further advanced the drama with the resignation of Gordon Brown. The Australian Economy was juggling and the Canadian Navy was facing huge cutbacks (which, by the end of the week, didn't happen despite the cliff hangers). All in all, your typical non-dull week.

(Gordon Brown - capping a weird week with an abrupt departure)

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Starting off the week was news of the abrupt departure of Prime Minister Gordon Brown amid a somewhat baffling election. As this segment of the BBC World Service Newshour from May 10th illustrates. Politics is far from dull in the UK.

(Money, it would appear, is the root of all money)

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From ABC Radio National in Australia on May 11th, news from PM of the economic situation in Australia and what the government was doing to try and make sense out of it. Also included is some lively discussion on the current state of Australian affairs.

(Contrary to jokes about a guy in a rowboat with a shotgun . . .)

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There was serious cause for alarm earlier in the week that the Canadian Government would be forced to make drastic cuts in it Navy, including eliminating training programs. As the CBC's World At Six from the 13th explained, it could have been disastrous. Luckily though, rumors of the Canadian Navy's death were premature as the feared cuts didn't materialize.

(Five deaths after the first day)

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And finally, from the English Service of Radio France International on May 15th. As the elections began in the Philippines fears rose about potential violence and voter fraud as the country geared up for the first election using electronic voting. After the first day a reported five deaths resulted from election violence and by last check-in it looks like there may be another Aquino in the Presidential Palace.

So that was the week that was. If you weren't wild about this one, there's another one coming up in a day or two.

(People who normally would not mix)

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With the elections in Britain less than a week away, and the latest gaff on Gordon Brown's part, BBC Radio 4 produced a documentary which aired last week about the Class System in Britain.

We may find that odd (although ours is probably more subtle) that the subject of ones class is such an important issue with many people in the UK. The extent of the cultural/class divide is quite large and in this documentary it's addressed and explored and brought to light.

Like I said, we might find it odd that being born into one economic/social family or another has great implications on what you are going to achieve in your later life - it would probably not occur to most people here that being included or excluded because of your social standing, or what your parents did for a living is a relevant issue and colors what you are slated to achieve in this life.

If you aren't familiar with the subject, or have heard about the Class System by all means check out the above documentary and think about the upcoming election and realize we're not talking about 40 or 50 years ago but this past week.

Another week of non-stop events. Between Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visiting Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe to drum up support against U.N. Sanctions, to the upcoming British elections and the latest turn of events for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the ongoing situation in Thailand, Belgium's ruling on the Burqua, the financial crisis in Greece and the ongoing situation in the Gulf of Mexico and the looming environmental catastrophe.

(Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - suddenly Robert Mugabe is his BFF)

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Beginning with this report from Sunday the 25th, Talk Radio 702 in South Africa ran this recap of the visit from Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Zimbabwe and the political ramifications.

(The Whale, it would appear, has no say in the matter)

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On Monday the 26th, ABC Radio National's AM Program ran an item on financial reform going on in Australia (strange, aren't we doing the same thing?) and the continuing negotiations over commercial Whaling in Japan.

(It seems the phrase "vote early-vote often" applies here too)

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Also on Monday, the BBC Africa Service via their program Africa Today took a look at the recently held elections in Sudan and charges of voter fraud.

(Gordon Brown - putting ones foot squarely in ones mouth)

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From the CBC's World At Six on the 28th, news of the ongoing Canadian bribery scandal, the worsening situation in the Gulf of Mexico and Prime Minister Gordon Brown's embarrassing moment with an open microphone.

(Not a great week for Greece)

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Also on the 28th, the BBC World Service's Newshour devoted a good portion of their program to the financial crisis in Greece. A crisis that, at last report, is now spreading to Portugal and Spain.

(How to turn a political campaign into a Mea Culpa tour)

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The Gordon Brown story won't go away. The BBC's 5Live dedicated their Story Of The Day to the Gordon Brown fiasco and the effect it's having on potential voters - not to mention bringing up the old "class differences" argument.

(The Oil Rig fire - rapidly becoming a disaster of epic proportions)

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And finally, the Friday April 30th edition of Global News covers the worsening story in the Gulf Of Mexico as well as Belgian Government rulings on banning the Burqua and the implications the ban will have on the 1/2 million Muslims living in Belgium.

And no doubt a lot more, and probably a lot more developing at this very moment.

Thanks to the overwhelming response to last weeks feature, it's going to be a weekly post. I've had some requests to do this daily, but sadly there's not enough of me to do it. But I will try and add things on a daily basis when time permits. So here we go with the past week as the world saw it:

(Bibi Netanyahu - sensitive. Who knew?)

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Starting off with breaking news (as of Friday morning), Kol Israel reported that Isreali PM Benyamin Netanyahu has abruptly canceled a U.S. visit for the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit to be held next week. News also includes an Israeli Real Estate scandal and security leaks to an investigative journalist.

(Cardinal Angelo Sodono - Cast in the role of Bad Cop)

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Back to the beginning of this last week - from the CBC Program The World This Weekend from April 4th. Reports from Rome and the Pope's avoidance of the sex scandal during Easter services - the job left up to Cardinal Angelo Sodono to perform hatchet work. Other reports cover the unrest in Krygyzstan.

(The subject was Tulips)

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From BBC World Service, the Global News Podcast of April 8th is juggling two major stories - the Nuclear Arms Reduction treaty signed by President Obama and Russian President Medvedev and the rapidly unfolding story in Kyrgyzstan, as well as elections in Sri Lanka.

(Eugene Terreblanche - old mummies Leaping out of closets)

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The other big news story this week, covered by most of the world's press was the story of the murder of South African White supremacist Eugene Terreblance whose alleged murder by two of his employees sparked protests, counter-protests and the feeling that the ugly specter of racism had never been far from the surface in South Africa. Here two reports - one via the BBC World Service's Africa Today program and the other, from South African Talk Radio 702 in Capetown.

Talkradio 702: The tiny farming town of Ventersdorp is preparing itself for tomorrow’s funeral of murdered AWB leader, Eugene Terrre’Blanche, who was allegedly killed by two farm workers, security is tight in the town.

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The BBC Africa Today program also reports on the elections in Sudan and allegations of "side deals" between SPLM leader Salva Kiir and the President of Sudan.

(Politics - it's the same all over)

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Earlier this week (April 6), British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced elections to be held in May 6th, kicking off what promises to be an insane election, highlighted by the first-ever Political Debates to be televised live in Britain (send them good thoughts, they'll need them). As reports on BBC5 Live, the prospects of another lively election are pretty much a done-deal as the campaign officially kicks off.

(It could have been worse - but it's far from over)

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From ABC Radio National in Australia, the PM program of April 8 gave a lengthy report on the tanker Shen Neng 1 running aground on the Great Barrier Reef and the efforts to prevent a 950,000 ton oil spill from turning an accident into a major ecological catastrophe. Also featured are news reports on the ongoing health care debate in Australia (yes, they're having one too) and the mortgage crisis in Australian Real Estate (yes, they're having one of those too) as well as reports on the first parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka since the end of the Tamil Tigers opposition a year ago.

( . . .and lest we all forget)

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And finally, from Friday morning - BBC World Service reports on the situation as it stood earlier in the morning in Kzrgyzstan, a rare interview with a Mexican drug lord, the Eugene Terreblanche funeral in South Africa and a remembrance of the Godfather of Punk, Malcolm McClaren who passed away this week from Cancer at the age of 64.

And as they used to say; that was the week that was.