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08 Feb 2012 14:41

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World: Egypt/U.S. relations strained over detained American NGO workers

  • one As we’ve mentioned before, the Egyptian military government has barred 19 U.S. citizens from leaving the country. They worked for pro-democracy NGOs, and are being held on claim they took foreign money without official approval.
  • twoSenators John McCain, Kelly Ayotte and Joe Lieberman have warned of a potential “disastrous rupture” in U.S./Egypt relations. At risk is nearly $1.3 billion in military aid, which the U.S. has already threatened to halt. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Feb 2012 11:31

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World: Falkland Islands still major sticking point for Britain, Argentina 30 years later

  • 1982 The United Kingdom went to war with Argentina over possession of the Falkland Islands, a land of roughly 3,000 people fairly close to Antartica, claimed to be possessed by each country. The war, which killed hundreds on each side, ended without a resolution of the islands’ ownership, but the two countries later rebuilt their diplomatic relationship.
  • 2012 As the 30th anniversary of the war approaches, the two countries are arguing about the Falklands again, with Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez accusing Britain of “militarizing the South Atlantic” and promising to complain to the United Nations, and British PM David Cameron saying that “The people of the Falklands choose to be British.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Feb 2012 10:33

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Tech, World: Google, Facebook forced to block content by Indian high court

  • last month Facing legal complaints that their sites “create enmity, hatred, and communal violence” and “will corrupt minds,” Facebook and Google told an Indian court that they could not block content, and that it would be difficult to pre-screen. The complaint was filed by a journalist, Vinay Rai, who has been on a crusade over this issue.
  • this month Facing an order from the Delhi High Court to block said content from their services, Google and Facebook say they’ve already removed objectionable content, and Facebook has submitted a compliance report to the court on Monday, but not without joining Yahoo and Microsoft in having misgivings on the case. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Feb 2012 13:29

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World: Syria: Hillary Clinton says Russia was unwilling to budge on UN resolution

“I thought that there might be some ways to bridge, even at this last moment, a few of the concerns that the Russians had,” she told the Munich Security Conference. “I offered to work in a constructive manner to do so. That has not been possible.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Feb 2012 21:56

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World: Egyptian MPs accuse military of neglecting security over deadly soccer riot

  • The reason for this tragedy is the deliberate neglect and absence of the military and the police. This will not pass without punishment, a thousand punishments.
  • Essam el Erian, Egyptian lawmaker with the Muslim Brotherhood • Accusing, in essence, the Egyptian military government of taking a hands-off approach to security, allowing moments of chaos in order to justify expansive military power. The incitement of this charge came earlier today, when a soccer riot broke out which killed over eighty people — the bloodiest single incident in Egypt since the removal of Hosni Mubarak last year. Reports claim police at the soccer match were either unable or unwilling to intervene or try to stop the riot, while video of the incident showed some standing by, apparently idle. Said Mohammed Abu Trika, star of the visiting team, Al Ahly: “People here are dying and no one is doing a thing. It’s like a war. Is life this cheap?” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Feb 2012 20:12

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World: Sec. of State Clinton makes case to UN on Syria

  • Every member of the Council has to make a decision: Whose side are you on? Are you on the side of the Syrian people? Are you on the side of the Arab League? Are you on the side of the people of the Middle East and North Africa who have during this past year spoken out courageously and often for their rights? Or are you on the side of a brutal, dictatorial regime?
  • U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Stating her case to the UN Security Council, on the matter of the violent turmoil that continues in Syria. Clinton is clearly arguing on somewhat simplistic moral grounds, trying to put more pressure on Russia, which has said they’ll veto a resolution if it mandates that Bashar al-Assad step down from power. In particular, memory of the NATO mission in Libya is likely in play — Russia approved a resolution to protect Libyan civilians, only to see it broaden into a mission to depose dictator Muammar Gaddafi, which they opposed. Consequently, they’re now unwilling to agree to a resolution that carries either the overt or implied goal of regime change. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Feb 2012 15:19

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World: Soccer riot in Egypt leaves many dead, many more injured

  • 83 people killed in a soccer riot in Port Said, Egypt source
  • » Tragedy and inhumanity: A match between Egyptian soccer (or football, if you prefer) teams Al-Ahly and Al-Masry turned into a scene of violence, chaos and death, as riots broke out after the game’s conclusion. Said CNN contributor James Montague: “It’s kind of a security vacuum in the football stadium. … It’s not unheard of to have organized violence between football clubs, but something on this scale has never been seen before.” In addition to the 83 dead, Egyptian authorities estimate 180 people were injured in the mayhem.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

31 Jan 2012 14:44

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World: Former head of Royal Bank of Scotland stripped of knighthood

  • Fred Goodwin was the dominant decision-maker at RBS at the time. In reaching this decision, it was recognised that widespread concern about Fred Goodwin’s decisions meant that the retention of a knighthood for ‘services to banking’ could not be sustained.
  • A British Cabinet Office spokesman • Remarking on the decision to strip Fred Goodwin, the former chief of the Royal Bank of Scotland, of the knighthood he received in 2004. Goodwin presided over RBS during its acquisition of the Dutch bank ABN Amro in 2007, during the height of the financial and banking sector crisis; a risky move that failed utterly. The British taxpayer was forced to fund a bailout of RBN thanks to Goodwin’s aggressive acquisition, to the tune of 45 billion pounds. Said Labour Party leader Ed Milliband: “…I think it is only the start of the change we need in our boardrooms. We need to change the bonus culture and we need real responsibility right across the board.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 10:33

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World: Syria: Russia again favors Assad, bucks against United Nations resolution

  • The Western draft Security Council resolution on Syria does not lead to a search for compromise. Pushing this resolution is a path to civil war.
  • Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov • Criticizing a draft United Nations resolution which would ask Bashar al-Assad to step aside in Syria. Gatilov suggests the resolution would lead to military conflict in Syria — much like a similar resolution did in Libya. Russia, Syria’s largest ally in the current climate, has been the sticking point for the United Nations in handling the situation in Syria: Previously, they vetoed a UN Security Council attempt to condemn the crackdown in October, and they’ll likely veto the latest resolution. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 10:10

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World: With some still missing, authorities call off search in Costa Concordia wreck

  • 17 bodies recovered from the deadly Costa Concordia wreck near Italy earlier this month
  • 15 people are still missing; authorities have notified next-of-kin that they’ve called off the search source
  • » What’s the punishment? Costa Crociere, the Italian unit of Carnival Cruise Lines, will pay €11,000 ($14,500) for each person on the ship, and will still face civil suits from individual passengers affected by the January 13 incident. The lawyer who helped overturn the murder conviction of Raffaele Sollecito (Amanda Knox’s boyfriend), plans to file a criminal complaint on behalf of the people affected by the crash. Meanwhile, Francesco Schettino, the captain who allegedly caused the wreck and abandoned the ship, remains under house arrest.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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