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11 Apr 2011 14:45

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World: Hundreds protest Syrian crackdown at Damascus University

  • The scene in Syria: Hundreds of students have begun protesting, rallying around Damascus University in support of those shot and killed by Bashar al-Assad’s government in its violent response to pro-democracy protests. In past days, there have been many hectic reports of government forces firing on and killing both civilians, as well as military personnel. Al Jazeera reports that many present have said the government’s security forces fired upon the Syrian Army because the army wouldn’t open fire on civilians. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2011 10:59

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World: Key differences in style: The Bush CIA vs. the Obama CIA

  • Bush The CIA became known for its heavy detention and interrogation policies — and drew lots of controversy for some of them, like bringing detainees to Guantanamo Bay and stuff.
  • Obama Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan, the CIA has largely left this strategy behind. “The CIA is out of the detention and interrogation business,” said one U.S. official not speaking on the record. source
  • » Whaddya mean you don’t want to talk? A great example of this is the case of Umar Patek, the main suspect in a 2002 nightclub bombing in Indonesia that killed 202 people. Seven of those people were Americans — and Patek himself possesses a wealth of knowledge about groups linked to al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia. But the CIA has taken a hands-off approach to Patek. They haven’t even bothered to interrogate him. That’s the key thing here — while the CIA certainly has a bunch of detainees from the Bush era that they don’t know what to do with, they’re not actively trying to pick up any new ones, it seems.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2011 10:21

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World: Ouattara’s spokeswoman: How Gbagbo’s capture went down

  • There [was] heavy fighting involving French soldiers, the United Nations and our forces against Mr. Gbagbo’s forces. Once all heavy weapons were destroyed, Mr. Gbagbo was there and we arrested him.
  • Paris-based Alassane Ouattara spokeswoman Sogona Bamba-Arnault • Explaining how Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo was captured, after months of conflict over an election that didn’t go Gbagbo’s way. The conflict pushed the world’s largest cocoa producer in a direction towards civil war. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2011 21:09

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Biz, World: Exports: China’s focusing less outward, more inward

  • $1.02B China’s trade deficit in the first three months of 2011
  • $140M the trade surplus China had in March alone, which is tiny, by the way
  • seven years since China last had a quarterly trade deficit source
  • » Less global, more domestic: You can blame the decline on two things. First, as global economies (particularly the U.S. and Europe) start to improve, there’s less of a need to import things, creating lower demand. And secondly, in the face of criticism about its exports-first economic policy, China is giving its own domestic economy a little more love. So exports are down in China, but that’s because they’re becoming less reliant on exports.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2011 20:34

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World: Jacob Zuma throws himself head-first into Gaddafi dramarama

  • The brother leader’s delegation has accepted the roadmap as presented by us. We have to give cease-fire a chance.
  • South African President Jacob Zuma • Pushing to get folks to back a peace plan that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has agreed to. The plan, which could lead to a cease-fire, may be just what Libya needed. Now we’re sure Zuma, representing the African Union, probably has a better handle on Gaddafi than most, but we’re going to say that this probably isn’t going to be particularly effective. And Zuma has a history of backing a soft-pedal approach to leaders that probably don’t deserve it. Robert Mugabe for starters. We’re sure Morgan Tsvangirai feels pretty good about Zuma’s help in that situation right now. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2011 12:17

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World: Human Rights Watch: Both sides commit abuses in Ivory Coast

  • The group wants Alassane Ouattara to investigate. With incredibly high stakes at play, the situation in the Ivory Coast certainly had the potential to get very bad very quickly, and that’s exactly what Human Rights Watch claims has happened. “While the international community has been focused on the political stalemate in Abidjan over the presidency,” said Human Rights Watch Africa director Daniel Bekele, “forces on both sides have committed numerous atrocities against civilians, their leaders showing little interest in reining them in.” On Alassane Ouattara’s side, the group claims supporters “summarily executed and raped perceived Gbagbo supporters in their homes.” On Laurent Gbagbo’s side, supporters reportedly retaliated by killing more than 100 civilians. In case you haven’t been watching this story, now might be the time to use your non-blind eye. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2011 11:31

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Tech, World: Fukushima now has its own unmanned remote-controlled mascot

  • This little guy right here? He’s a T-Hawk drone, a little unmanned remote-controlled flying thingamajig, built by Honeywell, that engineers used to get an up-close view of the situation inside the damaged Fukushima reactors. It can shoot both normal pictures as well as infrared shots. Plus, if you own one of these, you’ll be the coolest kid on your block. Engineers say that they’ll have some photos to share with the world on Monday. But we want them now! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

10 Apr 2011 10:41

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Biz, World: How the Japan quake and tsunami has affected the auto industry

  • parts Many auto manufacturers — especially in Japan — are struggling to return to their normal level of production after last month’s earthquake hurt numerous key factories in Japan.
  • labor Manufacturers at Toyota, Nissan and Honda plan to get their workers back on the job very soon — but only at half-time. Toyota’s U.S. factory workers also haven’t had as much work lately.
  • colors Ford, which isn’t Japanese, has its own problems — see, a key metallic pigment they use comes from a factory near Fukushima. Good luck getting a “tuxedo black” car. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2011 10:24

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World: Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara reelected despite epic gaffe

This dude’s thanking his lucky stars today. See, he suggested that the tsunami was “divine punishment” for the people of Japan. (Ouch!) He still got re-elected. Shockingly. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Apr 2011 12:10

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World: News of the World hacks their way into journalism scandal history

  • You know, bad journalism is bad journalism. But occasionally, someone manages to open up a new tier of bad journalism, one that not even Jayson Blair or Stephen Glass could even imagine. Such is the case of News of the World, Rupert Murdoch’s downmarket British tabloid, best-known in the States for revealing that Michael Phelps likes doing bong hits at college parties. The paper just admitted, after days of denials, that it is responsible for a scheme wher a bunch of its reporters hacked the mobile phones of many potential sources — including members of the Royal Family, actresses, politicians and sports stars. The scandal has already cost a member of David Cameron’s staff his job, and now News of the World is finally admitting their reporters screwed up. Stephen Glass looks professional in comparison. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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