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Latest Articles: International News
Troubled Sears closing U.S. stores
Post Date: 2011-12-28 00:44:57 by A K A Stone
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Shares of Sears Holdings Corp. plunged more than 27 per cent to their lowest levels in three years Tuesday after the department store announced it was closing as many as 120 stores after a miserable holiday shopping season capped several years of strategic blunders amid intensifying competition. Sears shares fell $12.47 U.S., or 27.20 per cent, to close at $33.38 U.S. on the Nasdaq in New York, the lowest the shares have been since the financial crisis and the biggest one-day decline since 2003. Canadian markets were closed for the Boxing Day holiday. Shares of Sears Canada Inc. closed at $11.56 C on Friday, down 40 per cent so far this year. A spokesperson for Sears Canada, which ...
Iran Threatens to Block Oil Shipments, as U.S. Prepares Sanctions
Post Date: 2011-12-27 21:24:52 by We The People
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WASHINGTON — A senior Iranian official on Tuesday delivered a sharp threat in response to economic sanctions being readied by the United States, saying his country would retaliate against any crackdown by blocking all oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for transporting about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. The declaration by Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, came as President Obama prepares to sign legislation that, if fully implemented, could substantially reduce Iran’s oil revenue in a bid to deter it from pursuing a nuclear weapons program. Prior to the latest move, the administration had been laying the groundwork to ...
Ancient Seal Found in Jerusalem Linked to Ritual
Post Date: 2011-12-26 18:07:51 by A K A Stone
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JERUSALEM – A rare clay seal found under Jerusalem's Old City appears to be linked to religious rituals practiced at the Jewish Temple 2,000 years ago, Israeli archaeologists said Sunday. The coin-sized seal found near the Jewish holy site at the Western Wall bears two Aramaic words meaning "pure for God." Archaeologist Ronny Reich of Haifa University said it dates from between the 1st century B.C. to 70 A.D. -- the year Roman forces put down a Jewish revolt and destroyed the second of the two biblical temples in Jerusalem. The find marks the first discovery of a written seal from that period of Jerusalem's history, and appeared to be a unique physical artifact ...
The European Central Bank Loses Its Virginity [And it means more than is apparent]
Post Date: 2011-12-23 15:00:27 by Capitalist Eric
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This post is adapted from analysis which appeared in The Strategic Planning Group. Mario, relax . . . So yesterday, the European Central Bank (ECB) doled out €489 ($639) billion in loans to the European banking sector. Why’d they do it? ‘Cause Europe’s banks are broke: That is, if all the crap they collectively hold on their books were marked to market, their liabilities would be greater than their assets. American banks shouldn’t smirk: The only reason they aren’t declared bankrupt for the same reason is because of the suspension of FASB 157 back in March 2009. The ECB lent out the €489 billion against any and all collateral the European banks ...
Arab League Delegates Arrive in Syria
Post Date: 2011-12-22 22:12:44 by A K A Stone
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BEIRUT, Lebanon — As violence continued around Syria, delegates from the Arab League traveled to Damascus on Thursday to start monitoring the government’s promise to end its violent suppression of the nine-month-old uprising. The visit is intended to set the ground rules for a mission that is supposed to bring hundreds of observers to Syria in the coming weeks. Human rights activists said the government was continuing its assault on the Jebel al-Zawiyah area of northwestern Syria, near Turkey’s border, where at least 160 people have reportedly been killed over the past four days. The assault, using helicopters and tanks, appeared aimed at army defectors trying to create a ...
Time to Attack Iran - Why a Strike Is the Least Bad Option
Post Date: 2011-12-22 22:11:10 by A K A Stone
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Global Arab Network - In early October, U.S. officials accused Iranian operatives of planning to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States on American soil. Iran denied the charges, but the episode has already managed to increase tensions between Washington and Tehran. Although the Obama administration has not publicly threatened to retaliate with military force, the allegations have underscored the real and growing risk that the two sides could go to war sometime soon -- particularly over Iran’s advancing nuclear program. For several years now, starting long before this episode, American pundits and policymakers have been debating whether the United States ...
Iran’s war games could force U.S. into aggression
Post Date: 2011-12-22 21:53:49 by A K A Stone
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Iran’s nuclear push is rapidly turning into a game of chicken with the world’s economy. Faced with the threat of growing international sanctions and unprecedented economic uncertainty that has seen the value of its currency halved in recent weeks, Iran announced Thursday its navy will stage a 10-day exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, starting Saturday. The move, which increases the risk of military confrontation with the United States, has the potential to temporarily choke off oil exports from the Middle East, drive up international energy prices and damage the global economy. Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, head of Iran’s navy, said submarines, destroyers, missile-launching ...
US missiles 'hit Iranian village'
Post Date: 2011-12-22 19:03:43 by A K A Stone
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Two American missiles struck a village in south-west Iran early today. The news was given in a report by the country's Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). IRNA had said yesterday that three people were injured when an earlier US missile struck an oil depot in Abadan. The state-run news agency also said British and American jets had entered Iranian airspace several times. The two rockets hit Manyuhi village near the border with Iraq's Al-Faw Peninsula, an Iranian military commander told IRNA. He gave no details of casualties or damage. "In the border city of Arvand-Kenar, the invading American and British airplanes violated the airspace of the Islamic Republic of Iran ...
Meet the Republican Chickenhawks
Post Date: 2011-12-22 13:36:49 by Capitalist Eric
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by Philip Giraldi via theuglytruth.wordpress.com Nearly all the Republican presidential candidates are showing their muscles, supporting the war on terror and a robust military while also vowing to do whatever it takes to disarm Iran. They know that it is essential to play the jingoistic“American exceptionalism” card, and they understand that being president also means becoming commander in chief of America’s armed forces with the responsibility for committing U.S. soldiers to die for their country. But how are they qualified to do that? Of the sorry lot on display, only Ron Paul and Rick Perry have ever served in the military in any capacity, Paul as a U.S. Air Force ...
The Chicken Theory of Islamist Parties
Post Date: 2011-12-21 22:53:41 by CZ82
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The Chicken Theory of Islamist Parties By Shoshana Bryen The "pothole theory" is time-honored in the U.S.; if a party doesn't meet local needs, it will be ousted in the next election. It is a hopeful theory, because it is self-correcting. With Islamic conservatism sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, the administration has been portraying the Muslim Brotherhood as a service provider responsive to "the people" and thus to the pothole theory. The underlying assumptions are: a) The Brotherhood will submit itself to "the people" periodically for reelection. b) Other parties will be able to criticize the Brotherhood and offer an alternative. c) The ...
Arrested Indonesian youths defiant: ‘Punk will never die!’
Post Date: 2011-12-20 22:27:28 by A K A Stone
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SEULAWAH, Indonesia — Mohawks buzzed and noses free of piercings, dozens of youths march in military-style for hours beneath Indonesia’s tropical sun — part of efforts by authorities to restore moral values and bring the “deviants” back into the mainstream. But the young men and women have shown no signs of bending. When commanders turn their backs, the shouts ring out: “Punk will never die!” Fists are thrown in the air and peace signs flashed. A few have managed briefly to escape, heads held high as they are dragged back. Sixty-five young punk rockers arrived at this police detention center last week after baton-weiling police crashed a concert in Aceh ...
South Sudan claims death of rebel leader
Post Date: 2011-12-20 22:07:33 by A K A Stone
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(CNN) -- The newly independent Republic of South Sudan has announced the death of a prominent renegade rebel leader. Lt. Gen. George Athor and one of his soldiers were killed in a clash with the country's military, Vice President Riek Machar told reporters Tuesday. He said they had infiltrated South Sudan on their way out of Rwanda via the eastern border area of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The claim has not been verified by an independent body. A dissident commander of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, or SPLA, Athor rebelled after losing a gubernatorial election in the spring of 2010. He called for numerous orchestrated clashes after the announcement of his ...
Top general says Iran shouldn't 'miscalculate our resolve'
Post Date: 2011-12-20 22:05:57 by A K A Stone
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KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- As Gen. Martin Dempsey toured around the globe over the last eight days, one issue was prominent -- Iran's nuclear intentions. Dempsey, in an exclusive interview with CNN, warned that Iran is playing a dangerous game that could ensnare the Middle East, the United States and others into conflict and a renewed nuclear arms race. From Iraq to Afghanistan, Kuwait to Saudi Arabia, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff heard about growing concerns about Iran's ambitions. "My biggest worry is they will miscalculate our resolve," Dempsey said in an interview conducted during a stop in Afghanistan. "Any miscalculation could mean that we are ...
IRAQ Vice-President denies he ran Sunni hit squad
Post Date: 2011-12-20 21:52:30 by A K A Stone
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Iraq's Sunni Vice-President yesterday denied accusations he ran a hit squad that killed government officials during the nation's wave of sectarian bloodletting, accusing the Shia-led government of waging a campaign of persecution. Acting just a day after American forces completed their withdrawal, the government issued an arrest warrant on Monday for Tariq al-Hashemi. The step risks exacerbating the same sectarian divisions that pushed Iraq to the edge of civil war just a few years ago. Mr Hashemi described the charges as "fabricated". He accused the Shia Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, of being behind a plot to smear him and declared that efforts at national ...
Syria brings in death penalty for opposition State TV announces punishment on day that 100 die in clashes with regime troops
Post Date: 2011-12-20 21:49:28 by A K A Stone
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In a new development in Syria's uprising, the Assad regime has introduced a law recommending the death penalty for anyone found arming "terrorists". State-run television announced the edict as human rights agencies said more than 100 people, mostly defecting soldiers, were killed on Monday in the bloodiest day so far in nine months of protest. President Bashar al-Assad, facing international condemnation for his brutal crackdown on opposition to his rule, has accused demonstrators of being foreign-backed "armed terrorists", and not the peaceful protesters that the West and human rights organisations say they are. The uprising has become increasingly violent in ...
Fierce fighting in northern Syria before Arab mission
Post Date: 2011-12-20 21:46:29 by A K A Stone
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(Reuters) - Fierce fighting has continued in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, with activists saying 50 people were killed there and elsewhere on Tuesday, shortly before officials arrive to prepare for an Arab League effort to end nine months of bloodshed. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 23 people were killed in fighting with President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the northern province of Idlib and 14 members of his security forces died in a rebel ambush in the south. The overall death toll on Tuesday was at least 47, it said. Idlib, on Syria's northern border with Turkey, has seen fierce fighting recently. The Observatory reported that security ...
U.S. Officials Consider Release Of Taliban Members As Part Of Peace Talks
Post Date: 2011-12-20 19:41:44 by CZ82
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U.S. Officials Consider Release Of Taliban Members As Part Of Peace Talks December 20, 2011 by Sam Rolley A diplomatic plan is emerging which involves measures like the release of many Taliban prisoners. After 10 months of largely secretive talks between U.S. officials and the Taliban, officials say a diplomatic plan is emerging which involves measures like the release of many Taliban prisoners into Afghan government custody. According to Reuters, the United States is considering the transfer of an unknown number of Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay into the custody of the Afghan government. U.S. officials have asked the Taliban to meet the release with confidence-building measures ...
Residents of another south China town protest development plans
Post Date: 2011-12-20 19:38:23 by A K A Stone
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Residents block a highway in Haimen, China, to protest a proposal to build a second coal-fired power plant in the seaside town. (AFP/Getty Images / December 20, 2011) Reporting from Shenzhen, China— Residents revolted Tuesday against development plans in yet another town in Guangdong province, redoubling the challenge to the Communist Party in China's most affluent and open-minded region. The newest uprising involved as many as 30,000 people protesting plans for a coal-fired power plant in the southern seaside town of Haimen. Residents stormed local government offices and blocked a busy highway that runs from the manufacturing hub of Shenzhen to the city of Shantou. Although ...
Secrecy defines serial killer Obama’s drone war
Post Date: 2011-12-20 15:32:28 by A K A Stone
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Since September, at least 60 people have died in 14 reported CIA drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal regions. The Obama administration has named only one of the dead, hailing the elimination of Janbaz Zadran, a top official in the Haqqani insurgent network, as a counterterrorism victory. The identities of the rest remain classified, as does the existence of the drone program itself. Because the names of the dead and the threat they were believed to pose are secret, it is impossible for anyone without access to U.S. intelligence to assess whether the deaths were justified. The administration has said that its covert, targeted killings with remote-controlled aircraft in Pakistan, Yemen, ...
Guess who isn't afraid to wish you a merry Christmas?
Post Date: 2011-12-20 12:42:35 by A K A Stone
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Václav Havel obituary Czech playwright and former dissident who led his nation after the collapse of communism
Post Date: 2011-12-19 23:23:47 by Mad Dog
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When, to the surprise of western chancelleries, central Europe changed utterly in the autumn and winter of 1989, it was a stocky Czech dramatist lately released from prison who produced the abiding metaphor for what had happened. In 1947, after Yalta and Potsdam, said Václav Havel, who has died aged 75 after a long illness, the clock of history had been stopped in his half of Europe – and now it had started again. Havel's own career might resemble the very incarnation of that metaphor – of the notion it encapsulates of communism as no more than a bracket in history, a long deviation from the onward march of capitalism's permanent revolution. The son and grandson of ...
Vaclav Havel, former Czech president, dies aged 75 Dissident playwright who led velvet revolution and became first post-communist Czechoslovakian president dies
Post Date: 2011-12-19 23:17:32 by Mad Dog
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Václav Havel, the dissident playwright who led the Czechoslovakian "velvet revolution" and was one of the fathers of the east European pro-democracy movement that led to the fall of the Berlin wall, has died aged 75. Reports quoted his assistant, Sabina Tan evová, as saying Havel died at his weekend house on Sunday morning, and the news was announced on Czech television during an interview with the current prime minister, Petr Necas. Necas called Havel "the symbol of 1989" and said he did "a tremendous job for this country". Havel's state funeral is likely to draw a crowd of leaders, artists and intellectuals from around the world. Havel ...
North Koreans weeping hysterically over the death of Kim Jong-il
Post Date: 2011-12-19 19:35:38 by A K A Stone
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Poster Comment:They look really really sad.
Thousands of rare documents burned in Egypt clash
Post Date: 2011-12-19 18:56:40 by A K A Stone
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CAIRO (AP) -- Volunteers in white lab coats, surgical gloves and masks stood on the back of a pickup truck Monday along the banks of the Nile River in Cairo, rummaging through stacks of rare 200-year-old manuscripts that were little more than charcoal debris. The volunteers, ranging from academic experts to appalled citizens, have spent the past two days trying to salvage what's left of some 192,000 books, journals and writings, casualties of Egypt's latest bout of violence. Institute d'Egypte, a research center set up by Napoleon Bonaparte during France's invasion in the late 18th century, caught fire during clashes between protesters and Egypt's military over the ...
Revealed: Kim Jong-un the schoolboy
Post Date: 2011-12-18 23:56:28 by A K A Stone
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Poster Comment:So the heir apparent spent some time in the West. Maybe he can change his country for the better. Time will tell.
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