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05 Jan 2012 14:20

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World: Bloody day in Iraq as sectarian tensions deepen

  • 72 killed in Iraq by bombings in various Shia provinces source
  • » Danger and strife: Provincial government sources suggest grimly conventional tactics being used — a suicide bomber detonated himself amidst a group traveling to Karbala, and in Sadr City a man parked a motorbike near a group of day laborers seeking work, which exploded minutes after he left. The upheaval is both lethal and political; an arrest warrant is out for Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi (a Sunni) on terrorism charges, which he denies. In response, the Sunni bloc of parliament has accused Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of power monopoly and abuse, and threatens to boycott the assembly.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jan 2012 10:51

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World: Syria says it has freed political prisoners detained during revolt

  • 552 prisoners freed, according to Syrian state television source
  • » The second round of prisoner releases: Last month, the Arab League made a deal to free 755 detainees as part of a peace plan. Now it seems to have gone further, as the Arab League said on Monday it had secured the release of 3,500 total prisoners. However … it’s possible they may just be getting detained outside of the view of Arab League observers. Last week, Human Rights Watch accused Syria of moving prisoners to military facilities, where observers are not allowed to go. Syria hasn’t proven the most trustworthy government during the conflict.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jan 2012 10:38

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World: Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party can run in elections

Suu Kyi, shown with British Foreign Secretary William Hague, spent most of the past two decades under house arrest. It’s not clear if she will run in the highly-anticipated elections herself, however. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 21:34

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World: Protesters in Syria mock Arab League monitors

  • Parody finds a place in Syria: In what would seem to be video taken from the Syrian city of Homs, one of the principle hotbeds of governmental violence against protesters and the general citizenry, a mocking performance of the Arab League’s recent monitors plays out. The final line, spoken by the rag-swaddled man representing the AL’s delegation: “There is nothing frightening in Homs.” This echoes the words of the delegation’s (highly criticized) leader, a Sudanese General named Mohammed al-Dabi, upon his visit to the devastated city. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 15:09

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World: British researchers discover array of new sea life

  • Undersea majesty: Researchers have discovered a hitherto unknown group of sea creatures, living nearly 2,000 meters beneath the southern ocean near Antarctica. Displayed above are a new type of “yeti crab,” the stocky, white, thick-clawed little fellas, as well as a pale sort of octopus. Said researcher Alex Rogers, of Oxford University: “Hydrothermal vents are home to animals found nowhere else on the planet that get their energy not from the Sun but from breaking down chemicals, such as hydrogen sulphide. The first survey of these particular vents, in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, has revealed a hot, dark, ‘lost world’ in which whole communities of previously unknown marine organisms thrive.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jan 2012 14:30

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World: Arab League monitors leave Syria, violence ensues

  • The beat goes on: It wouldn’t exactly be accurate to suggest that Syrian security forces have been waiting until the delegation of monitors from the Arab League (with its very controversial leader) leave areas before continuing violence against the citizenry, sadly. Indeed, attacks and killings of civilians brazenly went on throughout the delegation’s visit to Douma. The monitors left Homs today, spurring another outburst of violence; the Arab League plans to review the work of the delegation, and their ongoing role amidst vocal criticisms from foreign governments, France among them. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jan 2012 11:09

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World: Daughter of Iranian ex-president jailed for fomenting political dissent

Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, will spend six months in jail ahead of Iranian parliament elections for “propaganda against the Islamic system.” She will also be barred from political activities for five years. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

02 Jan 2012 11:21

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World: Global warming e-mail whodunit heats up as new e-mails surface

  • It smells a lot like a certain quadrant of the denier community. They pretend to be concerned that we are impeding development in poor countries. Only certain think tanks think that way and play that way.
  • Greenpeace research director Kert Davies • Discussing who he thinks might be behind an infamous 2009 hack that led to the distribution of over 1,000 e-mails from the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, timed in such a way to undercut research being done on global warming. The story, on the backburner for nearly two years, is suddenly starting to simmer again as a result of further e-mail releases and word of an investigation in Britain. During the most recent leak of e-mails, the leaker offered up just enough details in cryptic messages to give investigators something to grasp onto. Many in the climate change community — skeptics, activists and so on — have different views on the motives of the person who released the e-mails, but it’s a whodunit which should keep things interesting in the coming weeks. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jan 2012 15:31

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World: Syria: Arab League-tied group recommends observers leave Syria

  • The killing of children and the violation of human rights law is happening in the presence of Arab League monitors, raising the fury of Arab people. The mission of the Arab League team has missed its aim of stopping the killing of children and ensuring the withdrawal of troops from the Syrian streets, giving the Syrian regime a cover to commit inhumane acts under the noses of the Arab League observers.
  • The Arab Parliament’s Kuwaiti head, Ali Salem al-Deqbasi • Strongly suggesting, along with the rest of Arab Parliament, that the Arab League’s observers should leave Syria, as the deaths of Syrians continue despite their presence. The 88-member Arab Parliament, while a sister organization of the Arab League that makes recommendations to the higher-profile group, its recommendations are non-binding. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Dec 2011 14:23

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World: Arab League monitors witness to gunfire in Homs

  • Not so “quiet”: As we mentioned yesterday, the leader of the group of monitors from the Arab League currently visiting Syria is a Sudanese general named Mohammed al-Dabi (whose record in that capacity has led human rights activists to denounce his role). Yesterday he insisted the violence stricken city of Homs was quiet, and that the monitors had not witnessed anything “frightening.” Today brought reports that, heading to the city hall in the capitol suburb of Douma, the monitors arrived as security forces opened fire on “tens of thousands.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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