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Latest Articles: International News
Lithuanian Court: Swastikas A ‘Historic Legacy’ And Not A Nazi Symbol
Post Date: 2010-05-22 12:24:42 by Brian S
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(JTA) -- A Lithuanian court has ruled that a swastika is a part of the country's historic legacy and not a Nazi symbol. The ruling on Wednesday capped a three-month case involving four men who displayed swastikas at Klaipeda's national independence parade. “It is not a Nazi attribute, but a valuable symbol of the Baltic culture, an ancient sign of our ancestors, which had been stolen from them and treacherously used by other peoples,” one of the defense witnesses said, according to RT, Russia's English news channel. Efraim Zuroff, the Simon Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi hunter and Israel director, called the decision “outrageous” and likely to lead to ...
Singapore, Hong Kong surpass US in competitiveness [ Venezuela ranked last for the fifth year in a row ]
Post Date: 2010-05-21 17:53:19 by WhiteSands
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GENEVA (AP) - Singapore and Hong Kong are the world's most competitive economies, an annual survey said Friday, demoting the United States from the top spot for the first time since 1993. The study lists 58 economies according to 328 criteria that measure how the nations create and maintain conditions favorable to businesses - a formula that had favored the U.S. for 16 years. "They are so close in the rankings, that it would be probably better to define them as a leading trio," said Stephane Garelli, professor at the Lausanne, Switzerland-based IMD business school, publisher of the World Competitiveness Yearbook. Despite high unemployment and debt, and continued market ...
Obama: Stupidest President Ever
Post Date: 2010-05-21 12:00:23 by no gnu taxes
6 Comments
On eight occasions, the occupant of the White House referred to the Spanish model as an example to follow. The paradox is that it is a model that Obama himself wants Spain to abandon, as made clear in his call to Zapatero last week in which he asked him to change his strategy on the crisis. The US President Obama has bought into Spain's "green economic miracle" lock, stock, and barrel. According to Mr. Obama, the way of the "Spanish green" will be the path to widespread economic prosperity, employment, and well-being for all. Unfortunately for the US president, the Spanish green has proven to be a mass delusion of lies, incompetence, and criminality. The ...
Shortages hit Venezuela (The future of America under Obama and the Democrats)
Post Date: 2010-05-20 16:51:31 by no gnu taxes
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Venezuela has the largest oil reserves outside the Mideast and some of the largest known natural gas deposits. Yet the country is an economic shambles thanks to the mismanagement of its buffoonish and authoritarian president, Hugo Chavez. This past week he further crippled the economy by effectively banning private bond trading to stop Venezuelans from sequestering savings in dollar accounts. He instituted currency controls of 2.60 bolivars to the dollar for priority goods and 4.30 for nonessential items. The black market rate is 8.20 bolivars to the dollar. Not surprisingly, there is a thriving black market, widespread shortages and soaring inflation of over 30 percent. In 2003, when ...
Iranian Nuclear Power Plant Will Be Ready Regardless Of Sanctions In August, Says Russia
Post Date: 2010-05-20 15:28:30 by Brian S
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Iran’s first nuclear power plant will start up in August regardless of possible sanctions against the country, the head of Russia’s nuclear corporation Rosatom told the Interfax news agency on Thursday. “We are expecting the nuclear power plant in Bushehr to start operations in August, if everything goes according to plan,” Sergey Kiriyenko was quoted as saying. Russia has indicated that it will support the new sanctions against Iran which are currently being examined by the United Nations Security Council. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized during a visit to Italy on Thursday that more work had to be done on finding a solution to the conflict over ...
North Korea Threatens 'All-Out War' Over Warship Sinking Report
Post Date: 2010-05-20 12:49:39 by Brian S
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In the most serious attack for over 20 years, a North Korean torpedo was found to be responsible for the sinking of the Cheonan, a 300-ft South Korean warship, which sank on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives. An official report, carried out by South Korean investigators together with teams from the United States, Britain, Australia and Sweden, said the evidence pointed "overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine." It added: "There is no other plausible explanation." South Korea vowed "resolute countermeasures" against the North and is likely to appeal to the United Nations for further sanctions on the rogue state. ...
U.S. Wants To Build Up Hezbollah Moderates: Adviser
Post Date: 2010-05-19 14:05:18 by Brian S
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(Reuters) - The Obama administration is looking for ways to build up "moderate elements" within the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla movement and to diminish the influence of hard-liners, a top White House official said on Tuesday. John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, met with Lebanese leaders during a recent visit. "Hezbollah is a very interesting organization," Brennan told a Washington conference, citing its evolution from "purely a terrorist organization" to a militia to an organization that now has members within the parliament and the cabinet. "There is certainly the elements of Hezbollah that are truly ...
Gulf Oil Now In Powerful Loop Current, Scientists Say
Post Date: 2010-05-19 12:46:02 by Brian S
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The first oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill has entered an ocean current that could take it to Florida and up the east coast of the US, scientists say. The European Space Agency said satellite images suggested oil could reach the coral reefs of the Florida Keys within six days. "We have visible proof that at least oil from the surface... has reached the current," said Dr Bertrand Chapron. The ESA images show a stream of oil extending south into the Loop Current. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard said tests showed that tar balls that washed up on Florida beaches in recent days did not originate from the oil spill off Louisiana. It is unclear where the tar balls came ...
Iran Hits Back As US Snubs Brazil-Turkey Nuclear Deal
Post Date: 2010-05-19 11:35:41 by Brian S
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Iran voiced exasperation Wednesday at US-led international rejection of a hard-won nuclear fuel deal, saying major powers would be "discrediting" themselves if they pressed for fresh UN sanctions. Washington on Tuesday announced that it would submit a resolution at the UN Security Council for a fourth round of sanctions, a day after the Brazilian and Turkish leaders forged a compromise agreement they hailed as a step towards a resolution of Iran's years-old standoff with the West. Under the deal, Iran agreed to ship out much of its stockpile of low enriched uranium (LEU) to Turkey in exchange for fuel for a research reactor. "(Talk of) imposing sanctions has faded and ...
South Korea: North Korea Responsible For Torpedo Attack On Warship
Post Date: 2010-05-18 19:51:08 by Brian S
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South Korea will formally blame North Korea on Thursday for launching a torpedo at one of its warships in March, causing an explosion that killed 46 sailors and heightened tensions in one of the world's most perilous regions, U.S. and East Asian officials said. South Korea reached its conclusion that North Korea was responsible for the attack after investigators from Australia, Britain, Sweden and the United States pieced together portions of the ship at the port of Pyongtaek, 40 miles southwest of Seoul. The Cheonan sank on March 26, following an explosion that rocked the vessel as it sailed in the Yellow Sea off South Korea's west coast. The officials, who spoke on the condition ...
Five Americans Among 18 Killed In Afghan Suicide Attack
Post Date: 2010-05-18 11:43:05 by Brian S
1 Comments
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A suicide bomb in Afghanistan's capital killed at least a dozen civilians and five U.S. troops on Tuesday -- a bloody strike claimed by the Taliban and deplored by the NATO coalition. The blast, which occurred on a busy road near a NATO-led military convoy and a registration center for the Afghan Army, rocked an area close to government buildings fortified with security. Officials were still trying to sort out the casualty numbers. Local medical officials said at least 12 civilians were killed and 48 others were injured. The British Foreign Office put the civilian death toll at 19. Along with the five American troops, a Canadian service member died, ...
CLAIM:Despite Knowing It Had a Damaged Blowout Preventer, BP STILL Cut Corners By Removing the Single Most Important Safety Measure
Post Date: 2010-05-18 07:26:52 by A K A Stone
5 Comments
Several weeks before the Gulf oil explosion, a key piece of safety equipment - the blowout preventer - was damaged. As the Times of London reports: [Mike Williams, the chief electronics technician on the Deepwater Horizon, and one of the last workers to leave the doomed rig] claimed that the blowout preventer was then damaged when a crewman accidentally moved a joystick, applying hundreds of thousands of pounds of force. Pieces of rubber were found in the drilling fluid, which he said implied damage to a crucial seal. But a supervisor declared the find to be “not a big deal”, Mr Williams alleged. UC Berkeley engineering professor Bob Bea told 60 Minutes that a damaged blowout ...
Sony's energy saving TVs watch you while you sleep
Post Date: 2010-05-18 07:14:41 by A K A Stone
1 Comments
The next time you fall asleep in front of the TV, someone, or rather something, could be watching you – and all in the name of saving energy. Sony last year launched a new addition to its Bravia range of TVs, which features facial recognition technology similar to that found in the electronics giants' most advanced cameras. As a result, the TV is able to "watch" you and can turn the picture off if you nod off in front of Match of the Day, saving the energy used by the backlight. The Bravia WE5 also features a heat and motion sensor that similarly allows the system to turn off the picture if it is left playing to an empty room, and an ambient light sensor that reduces ...
Turkey, Brazil Seal Deal On Iran Nuclear Fuel Swap
Post Date: 2010-05-16 19:43:07 by Brian S
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Sun May 16, 2010 5:06pm EDT TEHRAN (Reuters) - Turkey said on Sunday Iran had agreed on a nuclear fuel swap deal which could help end Tehran's stand-off with the West over its atomic programme. Full details of the agreement were not immediately released by Turkish and Brazilian officials mediating in Iran's dispute with leading world powers, who suspect Tehran of covertly developing a nuclear bomb. Turkey's foreign ministry said a formal announcement might be made on Monday after any final revisions by the Brazilian and Iranian presidents and the Turkish prime minister. "Yes, it has been reached after almost 18 hours of negotiations," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet ...
Fox News Analyzes the Leading Republicans for 2012 [Full Thread]
Post Date: 2010-05-15 15:19:00 by Skip Intro
41 Comments
J Street Smashmouths The "Israel-Can-Do-No-Wrong" Boys
Post Date: 2010-05-15 13:06:06 by Brian S
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This week Jeremy Ben Ami addressed an open letter to the head of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. The Conference -- along with AIPAC, ADL and the American Jewish Committee-- essentially constitute the "Israel is always right" lobby. Right now the lobby is engaged in a struggle to force the Obama administration to blink in its battle with the Netanyahu administration over settlements. The lobby fears that Obama not only is resistant to caving in to Bibi but is about to commence a full-fledged drive to end the occupation and establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. That could lead to....peace. And God only knows where ...
IRAQ: Are The Bombers Al-Qaeda, The CIA Or Israel?
Post Date: 2010-05-14 19:28:44 by Brian S
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On 10 May there were more than two dozen bombings and shootings in Iraq that killed at least 85 people and injured at least 300.These were coordinated attacks, clearly by the same organization. The American response to this and other recent attacks is to delay plans for withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Obama’s election promise was to withdraw troops from Iraq by May this year. Not only is that obviously not going to happen but we learned after his election that “withdrawal” meant leaving 50,000 troops as ‘trainers’ as well as 4,500 special forces and tens of thousands of para-military contractors. Now, the US is reviewing even the slipped drawdown schedule out of ...
Russia Sells Syria Warplanes, Air Defence Systems: Official
Post Date: 2010-05-14 19:27:08 by Brian S
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MOSCOW — Russia is supplying Syria with warplanes, armoured vehicles and air defence systems under existing contracts, ITAR-Tass news agency quoted the head of the country's state military agency as saying. Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said Russia was selling Syria MiG-29 fighter jets, Pantsir short-range air defence systems and armoured vehicles. No further details were provided. President Dmitry Medvedev this week paid the first-ever visit by a head of state from Moscow to Damascus, where he said the use of nuclear energy "may get a second wind" in Syria -- a remark that prompted concern from Washington. ...
Rights Group: Israel's Gaza Destruction In 2009 'Unlawful'
Post Date: 2010-05-14 19:06:08 by Brian S
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LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Human Rights Watch has urged Israel to investigate "the unlawful destruction of civilian property during the 2009 Gaza hostilities." In a report published Thursday, the campaign group also urged Israel "to lift the blockade that hinders residents from rebuilding their homes." The report documents 12 separate cases during the military offensive in which Israeli forces "extensively destroyed civilian property...in areas under their control, without any lawful military purpose." Full story: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/05/12/israel-investigate-unlawful- destruction-gaza-war
Obama Rolls Out Red Carpet For Karzai After Netanyahu Snub
Post Date: 2010-05-14 13:03:34 by Brian S
2 Comments
He stuffed the ballot box, his brother is a powerful warlord with reputed drug ties and when pressed on his government’s rampant corruption, he reportedly threatened to join the Taliban. But Afghan President Hamid Karzai is getting the royal treatment from President Obama in his U.S. visit. This week Karzai is receiving the same diplomatic rollout he enjoyed during the Bush administration, when he was considered one of the country’s key allies: a one-on-one meeting with the president, a sit-down with the secretaries of state and defense, a joint news conference and a dinner with the president and vice president. This is understandable. President Obama has doubled down on ...
British Politician Stabbed in Stomach by Female Constituent
Post Date: 2010-05-14 12:20:13 by Brian S
2 Comments
A British member of Parliament was stabbed in the stomach Friday by a crazed constituent, the U.K. Sun reported. Labour's Stephen Timms, former senior government finance minister, was attacked during a meeting with constituents at his East Ham constituency in London's East End. As an appointment with a 21-year-old woman ended at 3.20pm, she produced a knife and plunged it into the 54-year-old MP. Police were called and the young woman was arrested. She is being assessed by doctors over her mental state. Timms was taken by ambulance to the hospital. His condition is not said to be life-threatening.
Venezuela is Crumbling
Post Date: 2010-05-14 10:36:06 by no gnu taxes
2 Comments
Recent weeks have brought more depressing economic news from Venezuela, where populist leader Hugo Chávez seems intent on destroying not only democracy but also the last remaining vestiges of private enterprise. On April 21, the Latin Business Chronicle predicted that Venezuela would post the world’s highest inflation rate in 2010, ahead of even the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. On May 5, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reported that foreign direct investment (FDI) in Venezuela dropped from $349 million in 2008 to negative $3.1 billion last year, “mainly as a result of nationalizations.” In other words, the ...
US Joins Alliance of Civilizations
Post Date: 2010-05-13 15:48:11 by Brian S
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The Obama administration said Thursday it has decided to join the UN Alliance of Civilizations aimed at fostering greater cross-cultural understanding but shunned by the previous Bush administration. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters that the United States will, for the first time, attend an alliance gathering when Brazil hosts the next forum in Rio de Janeiro on May 28-29. "The United States has decided to join the Alliance of Civilizations," Crowley said. "We recognize the value of the Alliance of Civilizations as an important initiative seeking to improve understanding between cultures and peoples," Crowley said. The United States is the ...
The Kenyan Speaks With Forked Tongue on Afghanistan
Post Date: 2010-05-13 15:17:43 by no gnu taxes
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Yesterday the president spoke at a press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and reaffirmed U.S. commitment toward Afghanistan or at least until July 2011 troop withdrawal date. In the press conference president Obama stated, “ When I came into office, I made it absolutely clear that I intended to resource an effective strategy in Afghanistan and work with the Afghan government so that we have a strong, stable, prosperous Afghanistan. And I've used whatever political capital I have to make the case to the American people that this is in our national security interest that it's absolutely critical that we succeed on this mission.” In the same press conference he ...
Russia Warns U.S. Against Unilateral Iran Sanctions
Post Date: 2010-05-13 13:22:30 by Brian S
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(Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the United States and other Western nations on Thursday against imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Interfax news agency reported. The European Union has said it may impose unilateral sanctions if a U.N. Security Council resolution fails. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has been lobbying Western companies not to do business with Iran, but has not imposed sanctions against them. Countries facing Security Council sanctions "cannot under any circumstances be the subject of one-sided sanctions imposed by one or other government bypassing the Security Council", Lavrov was quoted as ...
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