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Latest Articles: International News
Bush Cancels Switzerland Visit Under Threat Of Protests, Efforts To Arrest Him
Post Date: 2011-02-05 12:56:26 by Brian S
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By Bridget Johnson - 02/05/11 09:59 AM ET President George W. Bush has canceled an event in the famously neutral country Switzerland because of expected protests to his presence there. Bush was supposed to give the keynote address at a Jewish group's charity gala on Feb. 12 in Geneva. Leftist groups had planned to protest the visit, according to news agencies. But several human rights groups had also filed criminal complaints against Bush, demanding that he be taken into custody if he stepped on Swiss soil and investigated for allegations of ordering torture. A right-wing member of the Swiss parliament also demanded last week Bush's arrest on war crimes allegations if he came to ...
Crisis in Egypt Tests U.S. Ties With Israel
Post Date: 2011-02-05 01:01:31 by Brian S
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WASHINGTON — The demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak’s government in Egypt are rocking the relationship between the United States and its most important Arab ally. But they are also rocking an even more fundamental relationship for the United States — its 60-year alliance with Israel. Obama administration officials have been on the telephone almost daily with their Israeli counterparts urging them to “please chill out,” in the words of one senior administration official, as President Obama has raced to respond to the rapidly unfolding events. But the crisis raises many questions about how the United States will navigate its relationship with Israel ...
Frigid U.S., warm Arctic — what gives?
Post Date: 2011-02-04 21:21:19 by go65
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While much of the U.S. is seeing a wicked winter, the Arctic is going through just the opposite: January saw the least amount of sea ice for that month on record, plus the region's air temperatures are way above normal. So experts are asking themselves: are these two events intertwined? La Nina, the naturally occurring (i.e., not manmade) ocean cycle, is certainly a factor in terms of the precipitation coming off the Gulf of Mexico that's colliding with the cold Arctic air. But what's rare is the Arctic air moving so far south and in several rounds this winter. It's well documented that the Arctic has been warming much faster than other parts of the world in recent years, ...
Pro- and anti-regime gangs clash in streets off Cairo's Tahrir Square
Post Date: 2011-02-04 15:07:23 by Hondo68
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Government backers, left, holds signs in front of anti-government protesters, foreground, at Cairo's Talaat Harb Square.STORY HIGHLIGHTSBattles break out offstage on Egypt's "Day of Departure"Opponents and supporters of the president clash on side streetsSoldiers protect captured prisoners from angry protestersCairo, Egypt (CNN) -- What a difference a few city blocks can make. Crowds of thousands upon thousands of Egyptians demonstrated peacefully Friday, filling most of Cairo's sprawling and once besieged Tahrir Square. They played music on loud speakers, danced and chanted "down with the dictator" in a rally dubbed "Day of Departure." But down the ...
The Egyptian Uprising Is a Direct Response to Ruthless Global Capitalism
Post Date: 2011-02-04 14:43:27 by Ferret Mike
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Economic decline at the hands of 'hot' money has driven Egyptians' discontent. February 4, 2011 | The revolution in Egypt is as much a rebellion against the painful deterioration of economic conditions as it is about opposing a dictator, though they are linked. That's why President Hosni Mubarak's announcement that he intends to stick around until September was met with an outpouring of rage. When people are facing a dim future, in a country hijacked by a corrupt regime that destabilized its economy through what the CIA termed, "aggressively pursuing economic reforms to attract foreign investment” (in other words, the privatization and sale of its ...
US Plan: Replace Mubarak With Torture-Linked ‘CIA Point Man’
Post Date: 2011-02-04 11:48:08 by Brian S
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A US plan to see Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak leave office immediately is reportedly in the works and would see a transitional government formed by Mubarak's vice-president, a former head of Egypt's spy agency and an alleged "CIA point man" who facilitated the "extraordinary rendition" of terrorism suspects. US officials are discussing a plan with Egyptian officials that would see Mubarak quit immediately and hand over power to a transitional government run by Vice President Omar Suleiman, the New York Times reported Thursday. Even though Mr. Mubarak has balked, so far, at leaving now, officials from both governments are continuing talks about a plan in ...
U.S. Increases Pressure on Egypt Military to Accelerate Mubarak Departure
Post Date: 2011-02-04 11:41:51 by Brian S
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Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration is increasingly counting on the Egyptian military to contain violence in the country and help accelerate President Hosni Mubarak’s departure, as the U.S. braces for growing protests. President Barack Obama’s advisers have concluded that the longer Mubarak remains as Egypt’s head of government, the more strident the political opposition will become, according to specialists on the region consulted by the administration. The U.S. is pressing for a demonstration that Mubarak will surrender power soon as European leaders stepped up rhetoric warning the government against using supporters to intimidate protestors. Vice President ...
Iceland did it the Right Way
Post Date: 2011-02-03 21:09:23 by jwpegler
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Iceland did not bail out the banks or the bank investors and its economy is thriving, proving that the the US-Irish model of bailing out the banks with taxpayer money was harmful unless you were a wealthy bank investor On his second day as head of Iceland's third-largest bank, Arni Tomasson faced a crisis: The bank was out of cash. "Everybody was panicked -- depositors, creditors, banks around the world." Unlike other nations, including the U.S. and Ireland, which injected billions of dollars of capital into their financial institutions to keep them afloat, Iceland placed its biggest lenders in receivership. It chose not to protect creditors of the country's banks, whose ...
Syria Again Holds The Strings In Lebanon
Post Date: 2011-02-03 19:39:32 by Brian S
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Lebanon's former powerbroker Syria has edged its way back into the heart of local politics, analysts say, after the militant Hezbollah and its allies toppled the Western-backed government of Saad Hariri. "Over the past six years, Syria has sought to regain its influence, step by step, until the time came when it could announce to the world that Lebanon was once again squarely in its hands," said Marwan Rowayheb, political science professor at the Lebanese American University. "The rift between the (Hariri) alliance in Lebanon and Syria all these years did not prevent the latter from retaining its political hegemony over Lebanon." Syria's political tug-of-war ...
Jordan Rediscovers Its Islamists As Potential Govt Partner
Post Date: 2011-02-03 19:38:22 by Brian S
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AMMAN - Jordan's new premier started consultations on Wednesday to form his government charged with passing reforms and meeting the demands of popular protests, despite objections from the Islamist opposition. "Maruf Bakhit will meet today and Thursday with Senate President Taher Masri and Lower House Speaker Faisal Fayez as well as heads of parliamentary blocs and committees," a member of his entourage said. "He will also hold discussions with heads of all political parties," mainly Islamist leaders as well as trade unions, the source added. "The composition of the new government should be announced Saturday or Sunday if the consultations go well," he ...
WikiLeaks Cables: Planned US Missile Shield Blind To Nuclear Weapons
Post Date: 2011-02-03 16:49:35 by Brian S
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A 2007 briefing by General Patrick O’Reilly, director of the US Missile Defence Agency, disclosed that the radar system would be unable to detect long-range missiles in the launch phase because it could only see in a straight line, not over the horizon. By the time the radar "saw" the missile, it would be too late to launch an interceptor in time to stop it striking its target. The Czech radar system was the lynch-pin of George Bush’s “son of star wars” missile defence plans, ostensibly intended to intercept missiles launched from North Korea and Iran. Russia reacted furiously to the proposed system, which it claimed could threaten its own defences and be ...
US Response To Egypt Draws Criticism In Israel
Post Date: 2011-02-03 16:48:20 by Brian S
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JERUSALEM (AP) - President Barack Obama's response to the crisis in Egypt is drawing fierce criticism in Israel, where many view the U.S. leader as a political naif whose pressure on a stalwart ally to hand over power is liable to backfire. Critics - including senior Israeli officials who have shied from saying so publicly - say Obama is repeating the same mistakes of predecessors whose calls for human rights and democracy in the Middle East have often backfired by bringing anti-West regimes to power. Israeli officials, while refraining from open criticism of Obama, have made no secret of their view that shunning Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and pushing for swift elections in ...
Mexico pulls the plug on Texas
Post Date: 2011-02-03 16:16:30 by Happy Quanzaa
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Mexico cancels offer to send electricity to Texas MEXICO CITY — Mexico said Thursday it was temporarily suspending an offer to provide electricity to Texas to help the U.S. state weather an ice storm that forced rolling blackouts, because of severe cold in Mexico's own territory. Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission had said Wednesday it had agreed to transmit 280 megawatts of electricity to Texas. But on Thursday, the commission said it was temporarily suspending the transfer because below-freezing temperatures in northern Mexico had affected the generating capacity of some its own plants, causing a reduction of about 1,000 megawatts in generation. The commission also ...
Danger of E.U. and North Africa Bank Runs 2011
Post Date: 2011-02-03 14:34:48 by Capitalist Eric
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This is a warning to prepare for potential stealth bank runs cascading from North Africa and Ireland through to EU regional banking centers. Stealth bank runs are the unrecognized and perilous serpent lurking presently below the European financial surface. They prey on slower moving archaic bond vigilantes and anyone else swimming in these dangerous uncharted waters. Investors need to fully appreciate that a modern bank run looks and operates differently than what is depicted in the movies and what we most likely expect to occur! For starters, it isn't the individual depositor lining up, it's now Corporate CFOs or Treasurers at their terminal en masse! Secondly, it isn't ...
IMF raises spectre of civil wars as global inequalities worsen
Post Date: 2011-02-03 14:14:46 by Capitalist Eric
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that "dangerous" imbalances have emerged that threaten to derail global recovery and stoke tensions that may ultimately set off civil wars in deeply unequal countries. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the IMF's chief, said the economic rebound across the world is built on unstable foundations, with many rich nations still strapped in job slumps while the rising powers of China, India and Brazil already facing the threat of overheating. "It is not the recovery we wanted. It is a recovery beset by tensions and strain, which could even sow the seeds of the next crisis," he said. "Global unemployment remains at record ...
Cairobama square chaos intensifies, violence spreads
Post Date: 2011-02-03 12:38:58 by Happy Quanzaa
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CAIRO – Another bout of heavy gunfire and clashes erupted Thursday around dusk in the Cairo square at the center of Egypt's anti-government chaos, while new looting and arson spread around the capital. Gangs of thugs supporting President Hosni Mubarak attacked reporters, foreigners, and human rights workers and the army rounded up foreign journalists. Another round of heavy gunfire rang out in central Tahrir Square, where Mubarak supporters and opponents have been fighting for more than 24 hours. At least one wounded person was carried out. At least eight people have been killed since the clashes erupted Wednesday afternoon. Security officials said a fire is raging in a major ...
Yemenis Flood Capital in Day of Protest After President Makes Concessions
Post Date: 2011-02-03 12:25:01 by Brian S
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Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Tens of thousands of Yemeni protesters, inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, rallied in the capital a day after President Ali Abdullah Saleh tried to defuse tensions by agreeing to step down at the end of his term. Shops and banks closed as part of a nationwide protest the opposition dubbed a “Day of Rage.” Pro-government demonstrators also gathered in the city, chanting slogans in support of stability. The two crowds in Sanaa were of similar size and began to disperse by midday. For the past several weeks, protesters have been holding rallies against Saleh’s three-decade rule. The president yesterday told parliament that he won’t seek to ...
Egypt's Opposition Rejects Mubarak Talks, Urges Supporters to Hold Ground
Post Date: 2011-02-03 12:24:07 by Brian S
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Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Egypt’s largest opposition group rejected talks with President Hosni Mubarak after at least six protesters were killed in Cairo’s Tahrir Square overnight, and vowed to stay at the scene of the fighting until he steps down. The violence was “under the direct supervision” of the government and the protesters plan to “hold our ground,” Mohamed El-Beltagy, a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, said in a phone interview in Cairo. “After yesterday’s events, we refuse to negotiate with this regime.” Beltagy is on the 10- member opposition committee that includes former United Nations nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who has ...
Arctic Ice Extent Reaches Record January Low [Full Thread]
Post Date: 2011-02-03 09:02:49 by go65
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Arctic sea ice extent averaged over January 2011 was 13.55 million square kilometers (5.23 million square miles). This was the lowest January ice extent recorded since satellite records began in 1979. It was 50,000 square kilometers (19,300 square miles) below the record low of 13.60 million square kilometers (5.25 million square miles), set in 2006, and 1.27 million square kilometers (490,000 square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average. Ice extent in January 2011 remained unusually low in Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait (between southern Baffin Island and Labrador), and Davis Strait (between Baffin Island and Greenland). Normally, these areas freeze over by late November, but this year Hudson ...
China Erects 15 Story Hotel in Less Than 6 Days
Post Date: 2011-02-02 21:08:32 by jwpegler
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There are many ways to get your message out to people, but one of the most impressive has to be making a building magically appear in less than a week. China’s Broad Group wanted to showcase the speed and efficiency of its new construction technology, so it constructed the Ark Hotel in Changsha in record time. A team of 200 workers erected the 15 story internal structure in just 46.5 hours! External construction took another 90 hours, for a total of less than 6 days. According to Broad, the hotel is built to withstand a 9.0 earthquake while using one sixth the material and costing 20% less. They plan on constructing 15 similar structures in China and 30 more abroad. If successful, ...
US: Muslim Brotherhood Could Play Role In Egypt
Post Date: 2011-02-02 18:26:01 by Brian S
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(02-02) 13:53 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) -- The United States is acknowledging that the hardline Muslim Brotherhood may play a role in Egypt's transition from autocracy if it agrees to a peaceful, democratic process. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says the U.S. isn't dictating Egypt's shift from President Hosni Mubarak's three decades in power. He says it is up to Egyptians to determine the process, but he called on the Muslim Brotherhood — which is a banned group — to respect democratic processes. Crowley said U.S. officials haven't met with members of the Muslim Brotherhood though they've spoken to other opposition groups. He acknowledged Wednesday ...
Three Decades of Weapons Sales and Training for Egypt Keep U.S. In Loop
Post Date: 2011-02-02 18:23:02 by Brian S
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Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The open dialogue between the U.S. and Egyptian militaries may be pivotal in the coming days and weeks, as public unrest grows over President Hosni Mubarak’s plan to stay in office until September elections. Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, President Barack Obama’s top military adviser, spoke today with his Egyptian counterpart for a second time in the past week and urged him to ensure a “return to calm.” U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke to Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi yesterday, also for the second time in recent days. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “expressed his confidence in the Egyptian military’s ...
Hosni Mubarak Must Go By Friday, Says Mohamed ElBaradei
Post Date: 2011-02-02 18:10:16 by Brian S
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FRIDAY is set as D-Day - departure day - for Egypt's embattled President, Hosni Mubarak, Mohamed ElBaradei, who is emerging as a leader of anti-regime protests, declared last night. Dr ElBaradei asked for a "safe exit" for Mr Mubarak."What I have heard (from protesters) is that they want this to end, if not today, then by Friday maximum," he said, adding that Egyptians have marked Friday as "Departure Day"."I hope President Mubarak goes before this and leaves the country after 30 years of rule . . . I don't think he wants to see more blood."At least 300 people have died in eight days of protests, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, ...
Hosni Mubarak, Please Enjoy Your Retirement
Post Date: 2011-02-02 16:03:52 by jwpegler
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Hosni Mubarak stepped in to take charge in Egypt after Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981. Mubarak was an invaluable ally in our fight against the communists, who at that time enslaved half the world, where on the march in Afghanistan, and had thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at the United States. The world should always remember the courageous job Mubarak did in helping us draw a line in the sand against communist aggression. However, the Cold War has been over for 21 years. The world has moved on. Most of the anti-communist strong men in Asia and Latin America are gone. In their place, democracy and markets are flourishing. Unfortunately, the Mideast seems trapped in the 1980s, ...
Mubarak Strikes Back: Thugs Attack
Post Date: 2011-02-02 15:38:07 by Brian S
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1:15 pm: Supposedly, talks are going to be held between Vice President Omar Suleiman, the former intelligence chief appointed by Mubarak this week, and representatives of the opposition groups opposing Mubarak. But I’ve seen nothing to indicate that any talks have started. Meanwhile, Mohammad ElBaradei, the former IAEA chief who’d lead the talks for the opposition, said that he has proof that the thugs attacking protesters are police. And he called on the army, which has so far stood by idly as the thugs went on the attack, to intervene. “"I ask the army to intervene to protect Egyptian lives," he told Al Jazeera. And, according to a report in the Arab press, ...
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