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05 May 2011 20:37

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World: Libyan rebels get Robin Hood-style help from Gaddafi’s coffers

  • request Libyan rebels asked for a funding to help them continue their military campaign to beat Gaddafi’s forces — they wanted cash from the $40 billion frozen from both the country’s and Gaddafi’s accounts.
  • resultsWhile they got a decent chunk of change — in part thanks to the U.S. agreeing to unfreeze some funds — it reportedly wasn’t the $2 to $3 billion they asked for. Will it be enough to topple Gaddafi? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 May 2011 11:08

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World: Workers reenter Fukushima’s damaged No. 1 reactor for first time

  • Things were so dangerous after a blast at Fukushima Daiichi reactor No. 1 that workers didn’t enter the building at all afterwards. Until today. Nearly two months after the hydrogen explosion that greatly damaged the plant on March 11th, NHK reports that workers re-entered the building housing the reactor for the first time since the initial blast. The workers plan to install an air purifier in the plant, reportedly “aimed at preventing workers from suffering internal radiation exposure when they work on setting up a new cooling system at the No. 1 reactor.” That must be a really good air purifier. (Above: A pic of a robot working in the plant, via TEPCO) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 May 2011 10:41

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Politics: Journalists dropped everything after Osama bin Laden’s death

  • Where were you when you found out Osama bin Laden died? If you were anything like us, you were sitting in a bar in Virginia Beach, having your birthday weekend abruptly ended by a historic news story, reblogging and retweeting stuff on your phone and taking grainy photos of the bar’s TV screen when something notable happened. (We have the photos to prove it.) Maybe you might’ve been watching “The King’s Speech” on pay-per-view and had to pause it in the middle. Or perhaps you were getting off a plane when your phone started buzzing with all sorts of crazy crap. Or about to get on one — to Afghanistan — when you suddenly had to jump off and cover a major story at home. Or maybe you were sitting in bed, reading a book about Bob Dylan. Or maybe you were actively ignoring the news, only to have your daughter call you to point out that all hell was breaking loose. All of these scenarios happened to journalists. All of them stopped what they were doing and got directly to work. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 May 2011 10:25

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World: Some of Gaddafi’s frozen assets could go to Libyan rebels

  • $30 billion in frozen assets; some could go to Libyan rebels source
  • » The need is there: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other officials were in Rome, discussing ways to help the Libyan rebels continue their fight against Gaddafi. The rebel government says it needs about $3 billion to continue its push against Gaddafi and to pay for essential services for military forces. Clinton says the U.S. wants “to tap some portion of those assets owned by Gadhafi and the Libyan government in the United States, so we can make those funds available to help the Libyan people.” Better them than Gaddafi, right?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 May 2011 10:07

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World: Israeli ambassador to the U.S.: We gotta deal with Hamas? Ugh

  • There is no indication that Hamas is willing to give up terror, recognize Israel or recognize the peace process.
  • Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren • Expressing his country’s frustration with the recent unity deal struck between Hamas and Fatah, the two main political sects in Palestine. Oren makes it clear that he considers Hamas’ new role a major setback for Israel. “Hamas has fired thousands of rockets at Israeli citizens, at our towns, at our farms,” he noted, “and Hamas is one of the only elements in the Middle East to condemn the US’s action against [Osama] bin Laden.” While he emphasizes that peace is the goal for Israel, Hamas’ new seat at the bargaining table “is extremely difficult for us.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 May 2011 09:55

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World: Syrian unrest: Troops move into other towns, arrest protesters

  • The mess in Syria stays messy: While troops recently started pulling out of the city of Daraa — a flash point for the initial unrest in the country — after doing what it could to “crush” the protesters (though some protesters deny that they’ve left), it appears troops are moving elsewhere. In the clip above, Syrian troops appear to be moving into the Damascus suburb of Saqba. Hundreds were reportedly arrested. A protest took place there last Friday after residents’ weekly prayer, so the timing is of note. Troops also moved into the coastal town of Banias, home to one of Syria’s oil refineries. This is far from over. source
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