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Last Update: Monday, August 31, 2009 |
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World Headlines
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Chile finds swine flu in farm turkeys Swine flu has jumped to birds, possibly opening a whole new chapter in the global epidemic. New images show healthier Fidel Castro Argentina high court eyes decriminalizing drugs Swiss court says Haitian money can be given as aid A Swiss court has backed the government's plan to give aid agencies 7 million Swiss francs ($6 million) seized from bank accounts linked to Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. Controversial Mexican textbook omits conquest A new sixth-grade world history textbook is causing a stir in Mexico because it leaves out any mention of the Spanish Conquest.Brazil calls Obama over US bases Brazil's leader calls on the US president to meet regional leaders to calm fears about the US military presence in Colombia. Peru 'to be top cocaine producer' Coca eradication in Colombia may push up cultivation in neighbouring Peru. Afghan election observers report finger amputations There are reports of two voters in Kandahar being attacked and their ink-stained fingers cut off by the Taliban, which issued the threat before the vote. A third apparent case is being investigated. Karzai and Warlords Mount Massive Vote Fraud Scheme Afghanistan’s presidential election has long been viewed by U.S. officials as a key to conferring legitimacy on the Afghan government, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his powerful warlord allies have planned to commit large-scale electoral fraud that could have the opposite effect. Two U.S.-financed polls published during the past Complaint over Afghan poll ink Candidate urges voting stopped after he was able to wash "indelible ink" off his finger. "The Safe Haven Myth" - Harvard Prof. Stephen Walt Takes on Obama's Justification for Escalating the Afghanistan War US military commanders have reportedly told the US special envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, that they need more troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. Last week, President Obama defended the expansion of the war, calling it a “war of necessity.” We speak with Harvard professor Stephen Walt, who argues that the President’s “safe haven” argument for expanding the US military presence in Afghanistan should be viewed with skepticism. New Questions in Lockerbie Bomber’s Release Questions intensified in Britain as to whether lucrative Libyan oil contracts were as much a factor as compassion. |
Paper finds that Zimbabwe's Hyperinflation Second
Worst in World History Suicide bombings shake Chechnya At least four people killed in series of blasts in Russia's Caucasus region Russia Defends Soviet Pact With Nazis 70 Years Later Most of the world now condemns the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, but Russia has mounted a new defense of the 1939 treaty as it seeks to restore some of its now-lost sphere of influence. Teachers feel police stepped over the line with pro-U.S. comic South Korean police plan to distribute a comic book this fall aimed at changing the minds of elementary and middle school students who admire North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and want the U.S. military to leave their country. Urine thrown at Deshmukh in India Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was targeted by a 19-year-old youth in Kolhapur on Saturday. The youth threw a bottle of urine at the former Maharashtra chief minister alleging that politicians such as him do not keep their promises Trials due over Xinjiang riots More than 200 people are expected to go on trial in China this week, in connection the recent violence in Xinjiang. Iran-Manufactured Weapons Discovered in Yemen The website of the Yemeni ruling party reports that Yemeni army forces have found six weapon depots of the Shi'ite Houthi rebels in the 'Amran and Sa'ada districts, including rifles, mortars and short-range rockets. Rafsanjani in 'conciliatory' move Former Iranian President Rafsanjani urges political factions to follow the supreme leader, in an apparent conciliatory move. Iran allows IAEA better access at nuclear sites Iran has let U.N. inspectors access a nuclear reactor under construction after blocking visits for a year, and allowed better monitoring at another, but the moves were greeted with skepticism by the West. Iran to 'expose US abuses' $20 million effort passed to reveal human rights violations by US. Top Iraqi Intel Source: Absent US Help, In 5 Years Iraq Will Be A Colony Of Iran Shiite groups announce new Iraq alliance Major Iranian-backed Shiite groups announced a new alliance Monday but excluded the Iraqi prime minister in a rare display of disunity among the country's majority Islamic sect. Baghdad bomb 'confession' released Iraqi military airs tape of man apparently confessing to co-ordinating bomb attack.(Iraqis may not be able to stop the attacks, but they are better investigators then US troops.) Baghdad blasts 'were inside job' ....Iraqi suspect: It cost $10,000 to pass checkpoints |
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US Headlines |
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Oil prices rise to 10-month highs....Oil
hits 2009 high above $74, eyes Fed speech Wall Street Repackaging Risky Mortgages One Nation, Two Economies" - As Obama Nominates Bernanke to Second Term, a Look at Who Benefits from Economic "Recovery" President Obama is nominating Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke to a second term today because of his attempts to combat the financial crisis and the recession. Last week, Bernanke gave his most positive assessment of the economy yet, saying, “the prospects for a return to growth in the near term appear good.” We speak with economist Max Fraad Wolff, who cuts through the numbers to expose the deepening long-term inequality in the United States. Detainee to Question 9/11 Suspect A federal judge has granted a prisoner challenging his detention at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, permission to ask questions of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. CIA Withheld Medical Information From the Justice Department to Obtain Torture Approvals ATTORNEY GENERAL TO APPOINT PROSECUTOR TO INVESTIGATE CIA INTERROGATORS Senator seeks data on health insurer profits A U.S. Senate Democrat asked the top 15 health insurers to explain what portion of premiums go to profits versus patient care, putting further pressure on the companies to explain their business practices as Congress considers sweeping health reform legislation. McCain Defends Palin on Health Care In first comments on "death panel" claims, McCain is standing by his ex-running mate. Military May Screen Embedded Journalists' Past Work To Ensure Positive Coverage.....Man who sold Iraq war now vetting embedded reporters EPA Fails To Tell Public About Weed-Killer In Drinking Water UBS Money Laundering: What Did Phil Gramm Know? Was Phil Gramm truly unaware of the widespread efforts at UBS to defraud the US Treasury? |
Health Insurers Continue to Woo Blue Dog Democrats in
Congress Health and accident insurers,
HMOs and health services increased their contributions to Blue Dogs
by at least 15 percent between the first and second quarter of this
year (from $106,200 to $122,650), but by 3 percent to non-Blue Dog
House Democrats. Blue Dogs' stance on health care reform is more in
line with that of health insurers and pharmaceutical companies --
they oppose a public health plan unless "insurance market reforms
and increased competition don't lower costs on their own," according
to
Politico. Insurers admit 50,000 employees lobbying Congress Federal Reserve loses suit demanding transparency (it can run, but it can't hide) A federal judge on Monday ruled against an effort by the U.S. Federal Reserve to block disclosure of companies that participated in and securities covered by a series of emergency funding programs US FACES LARGEST EVER 10-YEAR DEFICIT OF $9 TRILLION WATCH: McCain Booed By Arizonans For Saying Obama Respects Constitution ...- He's President Let's Be RespectfulObama Plays Golf With Donor Whose Bank Is Being Probed For Role In Illegal Tax Shelters White House Won't Rule Out Sending Terror Suspects To Countries That Torture Some Social Security checks will shrink Millions of older people face shrinking Social Security checks next year, the first time in a generation that payments would not rise. The trustees who oversee Social Security are projecting there won't be a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the next two years. That hasn't happened since automatic increases were adopted in 1975. Federal appeals court rejects Armenian genocide case Armenian Americans descended from victims of the 1915-18 massacre by Ottoman Turks can't sue foreign insurance companies for unpaid claims because the U.S. government doesn't legally recognize that an Armenian genocide occurred, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. Judge denies challenge to overseas monitoring A judge Thursday rejected a challenge to a law letting the United States eavesdrop on overseas conversations, saying fears by Americans that their conversations will be monitored and their rights violated were “purely subjective |
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Connecticut |
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CT Drug War Conn. police seize 30 pounds of marijuana Big Brother is Watching in the Elm City Thirty surveillance cameras could be installed in high crime areas in New Haven. It's still in the planning stages but if approved police would have a constant eye on certain areas of the Elm City. How many of these cameras will end up broken like this one.....The Wire - Bodie Breaks the Camera Budget and Taxes Rell: No Budget Accord In Sight For Connecticut She has countered with a package that would raise taxes and fees by more than $500 million, including pushing the state's cigarette tax to $3 per pack |
Union blasts AT&T on billboards
With contract
talks between
AT&T and Local
1298 of the
Communications
Workers of
America moving
at a crawl,
union leaders
are spending
more than $5,000
on billboard
messages over
the next two
weeks to try to
attract support
from Interstate
91 commuters
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| United States | |
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Security Issues Navy removes top nuclear weapons facility officer The Navy dismissed the commanding officer of a Washington state-based nuclear weapons facility Friday, citing a loss of confidence in his ability to lead, the Pentagon said. Michael Steele Claims VA Encouraging Vets To Commit Suicide Courts Another Abramoff associate indicted A former top official for Voice of America was indicted Friday on corruption charges, accused of taking thousands of dollars in concert and sports tickets in exchange for favors to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.... In 'Hillary: The Movie' case, Supreme Court considers major shift in election law President Theodore Roosevelt campaigned as a trust-busting reformer, but was embarrassed by revelations that his 1904 campaign had received secret contributions from New York insurance companies. At his urging, Congress passed a law to keep corporate money out of political races. Jury awards $13.8 million in punitive damages from Philip Morris to smoker's daughter Federal appeals court rejects Armenian genocide case Armenian Americans descended from victims of the 1915-18 massacre by Ottoman Turks can't sue foreign insurance companies for unpaid claims because the U.S. government doesn't legally recognize that an Armenian genocide occurred, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. Judge denies challenge to overseas monitoring A judge Thursday rejected a challenge to a law letting the United States eavesdrop on overseas conversations, saying fears by Americans that their conversations will be monitored and their rights violated were “purely subjective SIBEL EDMONDS' DEPOSITION: VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT RELEASED Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against AIG A federal judge has thrown out one lawsuit against American International Group Inc. alleging it defrauded about 600 workers compensation insurance companies but another case, which is seeking class-action status, will move forward. Education
Boys get better grades at all-boys schools: study
Media Military May Screen Embedded Journalists' Past Work To Ensure Positive Coverage.....Man who sold Iraq war now vetting embedded reporters FCC to Analyze Mobile Billing Practices Tech giants unite against Google Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon are to join a coalition against Google's efforts to scan millions of books for a huge virtual library. Europe Divided on Google Book Deal Outed blogger who trashed model is angry at Google A blogger who called a magazine cover model offensive names on a Web site says Google failed to protect her right to privacy AT&T can block cheap net calls on iPhone The terms in AT&T’s exclusive US contract to provide connections for Apple’s iPhone give the telecommunications giant the power to veto online store applications that use AT&T to launch cheap calls through the Internet, the companies disclosed Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People Official tells Google to erase Swiss street views A Swiss government official is demanding that Google Inc. immediately take off the Internet any image of Switzerland in its "Street View Maps," and the company said Monday it would discuss the matter with the privacy rights regulator. F.T.C. to Assess Business of News The commission is planning two days of workshops addressing the question of how journalism will survive the Internet age. |
Greed UBS Money Laundering: What Did Phil Gramm Know? Was Phil Gramm truly unaware of the widespread efforts at UBS to defraud the US Treasury?
Police/Prison
Rioting Inmates Set Kentucky Prison Ablaze 4 Youth Prisons in New York Used Excessive Force NY mom Tasered at traffic stop files notice to sue A mother who was zapped with a stun gun in front of her children during a New York traffic stop has filed notice she'll sue the sheriff's department. NY man beaten in racially charged robbery A Hispanic man has told police he was beaten and robbed in a racially charged attack in a Long Island community Civil Rights Union Workers Pay More State Taxes: NBER Study Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor? If you're living on the streets, engaging in the biological necessities of life -- like sitting, sleeping, lying down or loitering -- will get you in jail. Rules on fliers' rights may take off Ordeal in Minnesota renews push to protect passengers from lengthy delays on planes Half of US employers scan candidates' online profiles, shows survey Employees in the US should watch out for what pictures and information appear in their public Facebook, Linkedin and Myspace profiles after a survey revealed almost half of employers research social networking sites before taking on staff. Lutherans accept noncelibate gay clergy NY vigil marks 20 years since Yusuf Hawkins murder In 1989, after a white mob attacked and killed a black teenager in Brooklyn, the Rev. Al Sharpton led black demonstrators down streets where angry whites confronted them, yelling obscenities and throwing bricks and watermelons their way AG rejects state same-sex law Wisconsin's attorney general said Friday he would not defend a new law that grants same-sex couples spousal benefits such as hospital visitation and inheritance, saying lawmakers went against a voters' decision not to extend such privileges. Environment EPA Fails To Tell Public About Weed-Killer In Drinking Water Illinois pollution enforcement hampered by politics Toxic sludge oozed out of rusty barrels, soaked through cardboard boxes and spilled over frothy vats inside a west suburban warehouse raided by state inspectors in January 2008. Wind farm debate splits property owners Landowners and governments across the West are wrestling with how to balance private property rights against the far-reaching visual impact of wind turbines and transmission lines. Drug War Study Shows Massive Rise In ADHD Drug Abuse Among Teens Arizona Border Town Flush With Drug Tunnels Agents discover more dozens of tunnels used to run drugs under Nogales.
New Meth Formula Skirts Drug Laws New Meth: two-liter soda bottle, cold pills and some noxious chemicals Marijuana Is Safer, But Students Are Pushed to More Dangerous Booze |
| Science | History Resources |
| World's ocean temps warmest recorded | Scientists develop high-yield deep water rice |
| Politics | Political Resources |
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Some
Social Security checks will shrink
Millions of
older people
face shrinking
Social Security
checks next
year, the first
time in a
generation that
payments would
not rise. The
trustees who
oversee Social
Security are
projecting there
won't be a cost
of living
adjustment
(COLA) for the
next two years.
That hasn't
happened since
automatic
increases were
adopted in 1975.
Former Dem Strategist Connected To Missouri Bombing
Did Rand Paul's
campaign manager
threaten town
hall violence?
Congressman to Gaddafi: Keep Out Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) tells The Daily Beast that Muammar Gaddafi’s plans to stay in New Jersey are unacceptable—"He has American blood on his hands. Obama White House Won't Rule Out Sending Terror Suspects To Countries That Torture Obama vacations where the elite meet Obama to reappoint Fed Chair Bernanke White House: Unemployment, Deficits To Be Far Worse Than Previously Stated Obama Plays Golf With Donor Whose Bank Is Being Probed For Role In Illegal Tax Shelters Baraknaphobia GOP Rep. may sue over Obama birth Rep. Franks wants birth certificate; says Americans 'will wish Bush was back WATCH: McCain Booed By Arizonans For Saying Obama Respects Constitution ...- He's President Let's Be Respectful Stimulus Cash for Refrigerators: Appliance Trade-Ins Are Latest Stimulus Idea Treasury/Federal Reserve/Bailouts/SEC/IRS IRS Could Target Off-Shore Hedge-Fund Investors Next
NY labor union chief to chair New York Fed The Federal Reserve
Bank of New York has named a top state labor union official its
chairman, the bank announced Monday.
How banks really used TARP money
If you're looking for the most detailed
look yet about how banks have used funds
from the $700 billion bailout, you're in
luck.
Federal Reserve loses suit demanding
transparency (it can run, but it can't
hide) A federal judge on Monday
ruled against an effort by the U.S.
Federal Reserve to block disclosure of
companies that participated in and
securities covered by a series of
emergency funding programs
US FACES LARGEST EVER 10-YEAR DEFICIT
OF $9 TRILLION
Lobbying
Health Insurers Continue to Woo Blue Dog
Democrats in Congress Health and
accident insurers, HMOs and health
services increased their contributions
to Blue Dogs by at least 15 percent
between the first and second quarter of
this year (from $106,200 to $122,650),
but by 3 percent to non-Blue Dog House
Democrats. Blue Dogs' stance on health
care reform is more in line with that of
health insurers and pharmaceutical
companies -- they oppose a public health
plan unless "insurance market reforms
and increased competition don't lower
costs on their own," according to
Politico. |
Health Insurance Joe Lieberman Sees No Reason For Health Care Reform McCain Defends Palin on Health Care In first comments on "death panel" claims, McCain is standing by his ex-running mate. Coburn tells Weeping Woman The Government Can't Help Her Senator seeks data on health insurer profits A U.S. Senate Democrat asked the top 15 health insurers to explain what portion of premiums go to profits versus patient care, putting further pressure on the companies to explain their business practices as Congress considers sweeping health reform legislation. Dean: Health Co-Ops Just Political Theater Same Skewed Thinking Behind Saddam-9/11 Link Explains Power Of Health Care MythsDefense Spending The Defense Industry's Secret Weapon In July, to great fanfare, the Obama administration finally killed the F-22 fighter jet—an underperforming, overpriced Cold War relic that has never flown a combat mission over Iraq or Afghanistan. But all the breathless talk of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' "sweeping reforms" obscures an unpleasant truth. While the rare defeat of congressional porkmongers offers a ray of hope, real reform will require a far more ambitious, persistent effort. And standing in the way is the Pentagon's No. 2 civilian official—handpicked by Gates and coming directly from a lobbying job for the giant defense contractor Raytheon. GITMO/Bahgram/Blacksites Torture Memos Used "Overstated" And "Exaggerated" Information From CIA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO APPOINT PROSECUTOR TO INVESTIGATE CIA INTERROGATORS Probe Won't Look At Yoo, Bybee, Other DOJers.... Report: CIA Used Power Drills, Guns, Threats Against Children Panetta Threatened To Quit, Got In "Screaming Match" Over Torture Probe CIA Accused of Third Torture Prison in Europe Obama Approves New Elite Team Of Interrogators To Question Terror Suspects CIA Documents Don't Back Up Cheney Claims On Waterboading CIA Withheld Medical Information From the Justice Department to Obtain Torture Approvals Lebanese man is target of first rendition under Obama A Lebanese citizen being held in a detention center here was hooded, stripped naked for photographs and bundled onto an executive jet by FBI agents in Afghanistan in April, making him the first known target of a rendition during the Obama administration. Rendition to Continue, but With Better Oversight, U.S. Says Detainee to Question 9/11 Suspect A federal judge has granted a prisoner challenging his detention at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, permission to ask questions of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. No immunity in any CIA abuse cases-UN rights chief
Panetta defends CIA's post-9/11
methods CIA Director Leon E.
Panetta on Monday supported the
agency's interrogation methods on
accused terrorists following the
Sept. 11 attacks, as more documents
on the issue are being made public.
"This much is clear: The CIA
obtained intelligence from
high-value detainees when inside
information on al Qaeda was in short
supply," Mr. Panetta said in a memo
to employees. "The use of enhanced
interrogation techniques, begun when
our country was responding to the
horrors of September 11th, ended in
January."
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| Economy | Click for Economic Statistics |
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Goldman's (Sachs) Trading Tips Reward Its Biggest Clients
Oil prices rise to 10-month highs....Oil hits 2009 high above $74, eyes Fed speech Gasoline prices slip in most of the U.S. Unemployment dips in 17 states, rises in 26 One Nation, Two Economies" - As Obama Nominates Bernanke to Second Term, a Look at Who Benefits from Economic "Recovery" President Obama is nominating Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke to a second term today because of his attempts to combat the financial crisis and the recession. Last week, Bernanke gave his most positive assessment of the economy yet, saying, “the prospects for a return to growth in the near term appear good.” We speak with economist Max Fraad Wolff, who cuts through the numbers to expose the deepening long-term inequality in the United States. |
Wall
Street Repackaging Risky Mortgages
News Corp considers selling Dow Jones index business News Corp is examining the potential sale of its Dow Jones Indexes business, two years after Rupert Murdoch’s $5.6bn bid for the Wall Street Journal’s publisher gave him control of the sister division behind the Dow Jones Industrial Average Arrest Over Software Illuminates Wall St. Secret Ultrafast computerized trading has become one of the most competitive and controversial techniques on Wall St. Data hints consumers handling credit cards better Rise of the super-rich hits sobering wall The rich have been getting richer for so long that the trend has come to seem almost permanent. But economists say that a significant change may in fact be under way. The rich, as a group, are no longer getting richer. |
| Iraq | Map of Iraq |
|
Baghdad bomb 'confession' released Iraqi military airs tape of
man apparently confessing to co-ordinating bomb attack.(Iraqis may
not be able to stop the attacks, but they are better investigators
then US troops.)
Baghdad blasts 'were inside job' ....Iraqi
suspect: It cost $10,000 to pass checkpoints Fresh violence strikes Baghdad Two killed in bicycle bombing, a day after blasts left 101 dead in Iraqi capital. Baathists Use Muslim Mystics to Trouble Restive Iraqi North Fugitive henchmen of Saddam Hussein have adopted the cover of influential Muslim mystic groups to pose a real threat to stability in ethnically divided northern Iraq, Iraqi and US commanders say. Shiite groups announce new Iraq alliance Major Iranian-backed Shiite groups announced a new alliance Monday but excluded the Iraqi prime minister in a rare display of disunity among the country's majority Islamic sect. Iraq, Syria Recall Ambassadors In Deepening Rift Over Attacks |
Markets hit in
southern Iraq At
least seven people
killed in Babel a
day after twin truck
bombings in Baghdad.
US: 4 American troops in Iraq charged with cruelty Top Iraqi Intel Source: Absent US Help, In 5 Years Iraq Will Be A Colony Of Iran Fuel Consumption Soars As Power Supplies Dwindle in Iraq Sunnis, Shia trade blame over deadly truck bombings Shia politicians and Iraq's leading Sunni insurgency group are trading mutual accusations over the massive truck bombings that killed 95 people in Baghdad on Wednesday in what was the country's bloodiest single day in 18 months |
| Middle East | Map of the Middle East |
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Iran discovers vast new oil reserves Iran defence nominee 'a wanted man' Argentine prosecutor complains that Ahmad Vahidi is a suspect in a 1994 bombing. Rafsanjani in 'conciliatory' move Former Iranian President Rafsanjani urges political factions to follow the supreme leader, in an apparent conciliatory move. Iran allows IAEA better access at nuclear sites Iran has let U.N. inspectors access a nuclear reactor under construction after blocking visits for a year, and allowed better monitoring at another, but the moves were greeted with skepticism by the West. Slave labor Israeli agricultural firm charged with severe maltreatment of Thai workers. Iran-Manufactured Weapons Discovered in Yemen The website of the Yemeni ruling party reports that Yemeni army forces have found six weapon depots of the Shi'ite Houthi rebels in the 'Amran and Sa'ada districts, including rifles, mortars and short-range rockets. |
Iran to
'expose US
abuses'
$20 million
effort passed to
reveal human
rights
violations by
US.
Egypt 'Hezbollah cell' on trial A group on trial in Cairo pleads not guilty to plotting attacks in Egypt for Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah. Yemen renews ceasefire conditions In Iran, report of secret burials brings call for inquiry Reformist lawmaker Majid Nasirpour vows to examine allegations that 44 unidentified bodies were buried in a cemetery amid heavy security after post-election unrest. Did Mossad hijack Russian ship to stop Iran arms shipment?Officials deny Russian paper's report that pirates acted on Israel's behalf. (The Media Line) IAF strikes smuggling tunnel in Gaza Executed But Not Forgotten: Iran's Farrokhroo Parsay Host Liane Hansen interviews Mahnaz Afkhami, a former Minister of State for Women's Affairs in Iran, about Farrokhroo Parsay. Parsay was the minster of education from 1968 to 1977 and was executed after the revolution for corruption. Parsay was one of Iran's most important advocates for women's rights. |
| Afghanistan | Map of Afghanistan |
|
Video Captures Taliban Targeting Afghan Voters Who 'Stand In Line
With The Jews' Complaint over Afghan poll ink Candidate urges voting stopped after he was able to wash "indelible ink" off his finger. Afghan Bomb Strikes Near UN Offices, At Least 31 Killed.... 5 Car Bombs ... Foreigners Targeted ... Karzai, Rival Running Neck And NeckKarzai seeks Pakistan talks on Taliban U.S. Fears Rifts if Afghanistan Vote Goes to Runoff Rather than demonstrate stability justifying an expanded American commitment in Afghanistan, the election underscored the challenges that the country faces "The Safe Haven Myth" - Harvard Prof. Stephen Walt Takes on Obama's Justification for Escalating the Afghanistan War US military commanders have reportedly told the US special envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, that they need more troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. Last week, President Obama defended the expansion of the war, calling it a “war of necessity.” We speak with Harvard professor Stephen Walt, who argues that the President’s “safe haven” argument for expanding the US military presence in Afghanistan should be viewed with skepticism. |
Karzai and Warlords Mount Massive Vote Fraud Scheme
Afghanistan’s presidential election has long been viewed by U.S.
officials as a key to conferring legitimacy on the Afghan
government, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his powerful
warlord allies have planned to commit large-scale electoral fraud
that could have the opposite effect. Two U.S.-financed polls
published during the past U.S. officials eye hanging chads -- in Afghanistan Poll workers at a Kabul school didn't seem too alarmed Thursday to see voters struggling to mark their ballots by punching out the tiny paper circle called a chad. Afghan election observers report finger amputations There are reports of two voters in Kandahar being attacked and their ink-stained fingers cut off by the Taliban, which issued the threat before the vote. A third apparent case is being investigated. Afghan media refuse to censor election reporting Afghan journalists charged Wednesday that their government was violating the constitution by trying to censor reports of violence on election day, and they vowed to flout the order issued by an administration that appears increasingly hostile toward the media. With 4 U.S. Deaths, Grim Milestone in Afghan War The 2009 death toll for foreign forces in Afghanistan is the highest since the war began nearly eight years ago. |
| Pakistan | Map of Pakistan |
|
Deaths in Peshawar
suicide bombing
Sri Lanka to train Pakistani army Sri Lanka's army says it will offer training in counter-insurgency to members of the Pakistani military. Pakistani journalist held in U.S. is released U.S. immigration officials released a visiting Pakistani journalist employed by the U.S.-run Voice of America news service Wednesday, 10 days after taking him into custody on his arrival at Dulles International Airport. |
Deadly 'US drone raid' in Pakistan At least 10 people killed in North Waziristan in attack by suspected US
aircraft.
New Leader of Pakistan’s Taliban Is Named, Though Officials Believe He Is Dead Pakistan's Military Accused Of Summary Executions In Swat Valley |
| North&South Asia | Map of Asia |
|
Beer-drinking Muslim model wins caning reprieve
New lead poisoning case hits China "More than 1,300 children ill" in Hunan province in country's second case in a week.Two held in China lead poison case Trials due over Xinjiang riots More than 200 people are expected to go on trial in China this week, in connection the recent violence in Xinjiang. Beijing frees legal activist Xu Zhiyong Chinese authorities, facing scathing criticism at home and abroad, on Sunday released from prison a celebrated legal scholar and two other activists. Teachers feel police stepped over the line with pro-U.S. comic South Korean police plan to distribute a comic book this fall aimed at changing the minds of elementary and middle school students who admire North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and want the U.S. military to leave their country. |
Indonesia denies Obama assassination plot
Four killed in rebellious Thai south Three civil servants were killed in a gun and bomb attack and a Muslim rubber tapper shot dead by suspected insurgents in Thailand's deep south on Saturday, police said. Asian shares up on recovery hopes Philippine police arrest alleged terror leader Manila police arrest alleged terror leader Urine thrown at Deshmukh Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was targeted by a 19-year-old youth in Kolhapur on Saturday. The youth threw a bottle of urine at the former Maharashtra chief minister alleging that politicians such as him do not keep their promises NZ voters to overturn law that bans hitting kids -- New Zealanders voted overwhelmingly to overturn a law that prohibits parents from hitting children, according to the results of a nationwide referendum released Friday, but the government says the law is working and won't be changed. |
| Europe | Map of Europe |
|
Suicide bombings shake Chechnya At least four people killed in
series of blasts in Russia's Caucasus region Russia dismisses dam blast claim Chechen group says it used anti-tank grenade to destroy hydroelectric plant. Swiss government makes more than $1 billion on UBS stake sale The Swiss government said on Thursday that the sale of its 9% stake in banking giant UBS had garnered it more than a billion dollars profit. New Questions in Lockerbie Bomber’s Release Questions intensified in Britain as to whether lucrative Libyan oil contracts were as much a factor as compassion. |
Russia Defends Soviet Pact With Nazis 70
Years Later Most of the world now
condemns the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, but
Russia has mounted a new defense of the 1939
treaty as it seeks to restore some of its
now-lost sphere of influence.
Putin orders probe of creaking infrastructure Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called for a sweeping probe of Russia's creaking Soviet-era infrastructure on Thursday after a disaster at its largest hydroelectric power station. French police finds suspected ETA arms cache |
| Map of Africa | |
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Dozens killed in Mogadishu fighting Fighting
between al-Shabab, Somali and African Union troops
enters second day.
|
Libyans celebrate al-Megrahi return
Convicted Lockerbie bomber gets warm welcome
in Tripoli after compassionate release.
Paper finds that Zimbabwe's Hyperinflation Second Worst in World History |
| The Americas | Map of North America and South America |
|
Peru 'to be top
cocaine producer'
Coca eradication in
Colombia may push up
cultivation in
neighbouring Peru.
Peru's Amazon Indians warn of renewed protests Peruvian Amazon Indian leaders are warning of renewed protests, alleging Friday that the government has not honored promises made in the aftermath of June violence that left at least 23 police and 10 Indians dead. Venezuela helps US seize cocaine-laden ship Controversial Mexican textbook omits conquest A new sixth-grade world history textbook is causing a stir in Mexico because it leaves out any mention of the Spanish Conquest.
By Degrees: In Brazil, Paying Farmers to Let the Trees Stand In an effort to prevent farmers from cutting down rain forest, environmental groups are offering money.
Argentina high court eyes decriminalizing drugs Swiss court says Haitian money can be given as aid A Swiss court has backed the government's plan to give aid agencies 7 million Swiss francs ($6 million) seized from bank accounts linked to Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. |
Protests held against Venezuela law Police face off with critics of policy ordering schools to push "Bolivarian Doctrine". Brazil calls Obama over US bases Brazil's leader calls on the US president to meet regional leaders to calm fears about the US military presence in Colombia. In Brazil, you've got mail -- and possibly an STD The Brazilian Health Ministry has created a Web site to let people inform partners they've got a sexually transmitted disease via an e-mailed virtual postcard. Colombia nabs guerrilla tied to American's killing Colombian police have captured a guerrilla suspected of killing a U.S. military contractor and a Colombian soldier after their surveillance plane crashed in the jungle in 2003, authorities said Saturday. Chile finds swine flu in farm turkeys Swine flu has jumped to birds, possibly opening a whole new chapter in the global epidemic. |