Did you know that two people were killed and 70 injured yesterday when two subway trains collided in Cologne, Germany?

What about the fact that the new president in Nigeria, General Olusegon Obasanjo, is making moves to pacify the army of the country, in order to heighten the morale of the soldiers?

You have probably not heard that Tajik militants have taken hostage a number of Japanese geologists trying to find gold in Kyrgyzstan either.

As a matter of fact, most Iowa State students probably cannot even find any of these countries on a map or name their capitols.

This page will try to do something about this lack of knowledge. It will be published once a week, every Wednesday, with the vision of going deeper into international issues than most local media outlets do.

Last spring, the Daily was contacted by the International Student Council.

The ISC students wanted more news that would interest the nearly 2,000 international students at ISU who hail from 112 different countries.

In response to their concerns and others, the Daily is launching this page to educate students on issues that may not be discussed on the 10 p.m. news and to be a channel for a student population that enhances the diversity of this university.

Two different items will appear on this page on a regular basis.

The first will be a news brief from around the world. We’re looking for interesting bits of information from all over the world, particularly from international students who hear news from their home countries. Any tips will be accepted, although we cannot guarantee they all will be published.

Also, there are no right answers as to what is newsworthy and what is not. Sometimes curiosities make a good story.

In the city of Haditha, Iraq, for instance, people are terrified after a mysterious ghost has attacked several motorists. Is that a good story? Definitely, but not one you are likely to see on Channel 8.

Second, there will be a weekly news analysis column. Coverage of an international issue will be discussed, and feedback will be more than welcome.

With students from so many different countries, nationalities and religions, there are bound to be different attitudes toward anything that may happen.

However however hard it is to believe, there are no good, nor bad people in the world, not as a generalization anyway.

Again, this page is something that needs participation from readers. If a tribe of snow monkeys in Japan is on the verge of extinction, let the Daily know. The same applies if an election in Finland gives some unexpected results, if an old crocodile in Australia goes berserk, or if fire destroys the Canadian embassy in South Africa.

So until next week, remember that there are many shades of gray in international politics. Don’t believe everything you hear and see, but if you see something that may be of interest to the rest of the students here at Iowa State, don’t hesitate to let us know.

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Fredrik Johnsen is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Oslo, Norway.