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07 Mar 2011 10:42

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World: Libya: The United Nations pushes for large humanitarian offering

  • 400k the number of people leaving Libya that the United Nations expects to need aid
  • 600k the number of people inside Libya that the UN thinks will need varying degrees of help
  • $160M the amount that the UN wants to set aside to help with the crisis in Libya source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2011 10:14

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World: Did Iraq’s al-Maliki take offices away from protest leaders?

  • cause In recent weeks, protests against Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s government have increased, along with protests across the entire Middle East. It’s a trend or something.
  • reaction? Suddenly, two of the political parties protesting were forced to close their offices by security forces controlled by al-Maliki. They didn’t explain why they took the offices from the parties. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2011 22:05

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World: Opposing Irish parties decide to share the burden of leading

Coalition government ahoy! Fine Gael’s Enda Kenny and Labour’s Eamon Gilmore will share leadership duties as Ireland tries to shake off all that economic drama they’ve had lately. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2011 10:54

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World: Libya: Pro-Gaddafi troops’ gains cheered, then disputed

  • Today, there was celebration in Tripoli by pro-Gaddafi supporters who heard that troops made significant gains over the rebel forces throughout the country. Guns were everywhere, even in the hands of little kids – as you might notice in the utterly shocking photo above. The BBC, however, reports that the excitement appears misguided, as the gains against rebel forces weren’t nearly as successful as originally reported. “Tripoli is full of rumours, and versions of the truth,” writes BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen. “Some are closer to reality than the others.The regime does appear to feel much more secure than it did 10 days ago when I arrived, even though it is more isolated. More of day-to-day life in Tripoli has resumed.” (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2011 10:29

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World: British official: Sudden drop in Libyan refugees worrying

  • That is a matter of some anxiety … Two days ago there were 10,000 or 11,000 people coming across (the border). Yesterday there were only 1,863 people who came across That is an artificial flow. Something has happened.
  • British International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell • Expressing worry over the sudden drop of refugees coming out of Libya. Mitchell expressed concern about what he saw happening in the country: “I met people on the border who had been robbed by Gaddafi loyalists…, who said they had had in some cases their papers removed, any money they had, their watches, their goods.” Mitchell says that the world at large should prepare to expand the humanitarian effort in Libya at a moment’s notice. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Mar 2011 15:07

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World: Protip to Monks in Bhutan: Don’t carry any tobacco whatsoever

  • one 23-year-old monk living in the Himalayan Kingdom of in Bhutan
  • $3 worth of tobacco (well, roughly) in Sonam Tshering’s possession
  • three years in jail for being caught with said tobacco … wow source
  • » Yes, it’s illegal: Bhutan banned the practice of smoking in the country way back in 2005, and last year tightened the grip further by working to prevent smuggling. For his part, Tshering, who was in tears after the ruling, says that he deserved punishment, “but the penalty could have been lighter. I wasn’t aware about the act.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Mar 2011 12:42

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World: China completely downplays Middle East protests’ influence

  • problem People in China are getting inspired by the wave of Middle East protests and – in small pockets, mind you – attempting protests of their own. China is hard-core communist and limits free information, so this is a problem.
  • solution An editorial! Today in the Beijing Daily (run by the Chinese Communist Party), a front-page editorial suggested that “the vast majority of the people are strongly dissatisfied” by the protests in the Middle East. You sure? source
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05 Mar 2011 10:51

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World: Hugo Chavez gains support for mission to Libya, wants all-star team

  • What do Jimmy Carter, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Danny Glover and Sean Penn have in common? Word is that they’re on Hugo Chavez’s short list of a commission to go to LIbya to mediate peace. Confused about how Danny Glover fits into that mix? Well, it’s worth pointing out that Chavez is friends with Glover and has even offered money to help pay to make a Danny Glover movie. Anyway, Chavez earned some key local support for his endeavor from ALBA, or the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our Americas. (The countries in the group include Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras and Ecuador, and the group itself was founded by Chavez.) Hugo’s all about making this happen. “We must make a very large effort, very large. We cannot lose even one day,” he said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Mar 2011 10:32

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World: Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh: I’m not leaving until 2013, guys

  • The peaceful and smooth transition of power is not carried out through chaos but through the will of the people expressed through elections.
  • An official for Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh • Explaining that Saleh will not leave his post until at least 2013, continuing to anger the people who oppose his continuing rule. Protests against Saleh, however, keep getting stronger – on Friday, 100,000 people reportedly showed up in Sanaa alone, and thousands of others showed up in numerous other cities in the region. With such a strong groundswell of popular dissent, how long is Saleh going to keep this up, anyway? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2011 10:28

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World: Roundup: Who wants Chavez to mediate in Libya (hint: just Gaddafi)

  • no The outside world has no interest in having Chavez involved in talks with Libya.
  • no The rebels have rejected talking to Chavez – Gaddafi’s ally – in any sort of negotiations.
  • no Gaddafi’s own son Saif doesn’t think bringing Chavez in to mediate is a good idea.
  • yes… However, Gaddafi thinks that Chavez would be a great fit for the negotiations. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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