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27 Feb 2011 11:11

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World: Middle East: Tunisia’s prime minister exits right behind Ben Ali

Ben Ali wasn’t the end of the unrest in Tunisia by a long shot. Now, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has left under the wave of popular unrest. source

26 Feb 2011 20:28

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World: Libyan envoy to U.S. drops caretaker government into suggestion box

  • He is a very honest man, a man with dignity. I hope this caretaker government will get the support of Libyans and of the international community.
  • Libyan Ambassador to the U.S. Ali Aujali • Suggesting a possible successor to Muammar Gaddafi to the international community. His suggestion, a caretaker government led by ex-Justice Minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, is notable because Abdel-Jalil is a loud-and-clear critic of Gaddafi’s recent actions who also recently claimed that he has proof Gaddafi orchestrated the Lockerbie bombing way back when. Aujali says that Abdel-Jalil “will do everything to end this regime. This government is for the whole of Libya.” But will he gain support? That’s the important part which any possible new figurehead will need. source

26 Feb 2011 17:47

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World: Britain a little late with evacuating its citizens from Libya

  • 150 stranded oil workers rescued by British military planes source
  • » Britain’s been getting criticized lately: See, many have felt that the country has been a tad, uh, slow, in getting its citizens out of the country. In response, Britain has closed its embassy and is getting its diplomats out. As for this incident, while not all of the workers were British, many of them were. (The Brits dropped them in Malta.) Britain has upwards of 500 nationals in the country, many of them oil workers, so they have their work cut out for them.

26 Feb 2011 16:56

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World: About time: Obama finally says Gaddafi must leave office

  • The President stated that when a leader’s only means of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do what is right for his country by leaving now.
  • A statement from the White House • Revealing the phrasing Obama used in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. It’s the first time Obama has addressed directly that Gaddafi is the problem. The statement continued by directly name-dropping the Libyan president: “The leaders reaffirmed their support for the Libyan people’s demand for universal rights and a government that is responsive to their aspirations, and agreed that Gaddafi’s government must be held accountable.” The two countries plan to work on a diplomatic response to the issue of Libya, which both believe is necessary. source

26 Feb 2011 10:58

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World: Iran’s long-gestating Bushehr nuclear plant delayed AGAIN

  • dreamAn Iranian nuclear power plant, long in the works since before the Islamic Revolution and currently being tag-teamed with Russia, was supposed to finally get up early this year after numerous delays.
  • reality Russia is forcing Iran to unload a bunch of nuclear fuel assemblies to test for numerous safety concerns, according to a nuclear watchdog. Maybe it’ll open after that? 36 years is a long time. source

26 Feb 2011 10:42

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World: Update: Christchurch earthquake death toll gets deadlier

  • 145 have been found dead in the rubble of the 6.3-magnitude quake
  • 200+ are still missing; most are feared dead from the quake source

26 Feb 2011 10:27

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World: Egyptian Army: Sorry our soldiers got into it with you protesters

  • What happened late Friday was the result of unintentional confrontations between the military police and the youth of the revolution. … [We] did not and will not issue orders to attack the youth, and all measures will be taken to ensure this will not happen again.
  • Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces • Apologizing for a spate of attacks against protesters at Tahrir Square last night. The army, who claims that they did not order these confrontations, nonetheless is facing the spectre of new protests today from those angry about the army’s use of force. A number of protesters were also detained in Friday’s confrontations; the number bandied about has been somewhere around 20. source
 

25 Feb 2011 21:02

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World: U.S.: We’re sanctioning the hell out of those jerks in Libya

  • closed The U.S. is closing up shop on its embassy in Libya, which is probably a good thing, considering the current situation.
  • blocked The U.S. will also put very tight sanctions on the country – including an arms embargo and a possible travel ban.
  • frozen? And to put a cherry on top of this pie, the U.S. has also told banks to watch out for shifting Libyan funds. source
  • » Oh yeah, and: U.S. spies will reportedly be keeping tabs on the situation in hopes of maybe nailing Gaddafi and the Libyan government for potential crimes against humanity. And the UN has similar plans in their sights. This, Gaddafi, is why you don’t attack your own civilians in an desperate attempt to hold onto power.

25 Feb 2011 12:43

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World: Libya: Gaddafi wants to “arm the people” to stop aggression

  • We can defeat any aggression if necessary and arm the people. … You, the youth, be comfortable … dance, sing, stay up all night.
  • Muammar Gaddafi • Speaking to a crowd of pro-Gaddafi supporters in Tripoli, because hey, that’s what he does. His last speech, made last night, was via phone, which led some to raise concerns about his health. But he was totally out today. By the way, it’s worth noting that some officials (specifically in France) are saying that the death toll could possibly be around 2,000 for this whole Libyan protest kit-and-kaboodle. Gaddafi suggesting that he’ll “arm the people” could potentially bring that death toll number way up. source

25 Feb 2011 11:58

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World: Libya throwing money around in effort to buy support from citizens

  • $400 would be given to every Libyan family; sure it’s nice, but it’d be nicer if it was to every PERSON
  • 150% the offered increase in wages for state workers; all in an attempt to appease upset people source