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30 Mar 10
G8 ministers urge world to take stronger action on Iran
Top diplomats from the world's leading economies are ramping up pressure on Iran to prove its nuclear ambitions are peaceful or face tough new sanctions. Opening a conference of foreign ministers from the Group of Eight main industrialized nations on Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Iran must halt its nuclear enrichment activities and comply with international demands to come clean about its atomic program. On behalf of the ministers, Harper urged the world to adopt a heightened focus on the Iranian nuclear issue and take stronger coordinated action against Iran.
SKorean president orders military on alert
South Korea's president ordered the military on alert Tuesday for any moves by rival North Korea after the defense minister said last week's explosion and sinking of a South Korean ship may have been caused by a North Korean mine.The blast ripped the 1,200-ton ship apart last Friday night during a routine patrol mission near Baengnyeong Island, along the tense maritime border west of the Korean peninsula. Fifty-eight crew members, including the captain, were plucked to safety; 46 remain missing with dim prospects for finding any further survivors.-"Neither the government nor the defense ministry has ever said there was no possibility of North Korea's involvement,"
Man arrested for Eric Cantor death threat
Federal authorities have arrested a Philadelphia man and charged him with threatening to kill House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and his family. Norman Leboon will be charged with two federal counts: threatening to kill a member of Congress and interfering with his federal duties, and posting video online containing such threats. He is scheduled to appear in federal district court in Philadelphia on Monday afternoon.-The arrest is the most serious in a string of threats of violence against lawmakers in wake of the divisive health care vote.
Supreme Court may weigh coverage mandate
The same Supreme Court justices whom Obama blasted during his State of the Union address this year may ultimately decide the fate of his crowning achievement as more than a dozen states have called on the courts to strike down the health insurance mandate of Democrats' health care overhaul - a move that would threaten the entire law.
Syria and Libya Urge End to Talks with Israel; Return to Armed Struggle
Host Libya and Syria have told fellow participants at the Arab summit to end peace talks with Israel and return to violence. The call to arms comes as the summit prepares to back a conditional return to talks; specifically, indirect negotiations brokered by the United States.
The Forgotten Famine
"The majority of the Eritrean households have been suffering from hunger and do not have the means to cope with the effects of drought and other economic and social problems."
'Terrorists will be destroyed'
Vladimir Putin vowed a fierce response Monday after two female suicide bombers blew themselves up in twin attacks on Moscow subway stations, killing at least 37 people and wounding 102. Officials blamed the carnage on rebels from the Caucasus region.
The government plantation forever?
Democrats have just committed multitrillions of our money, and, as a bonus, sold a big chunk of American freedom down the road, betting that everything a college freshman learns in basic economics is not true. Or, that healthcare doesn't follow the rules of economics.
'Reform' is bad news for Medicare patients
Jim Martin, chairman of the 60 Plus Association, explains the healthcare reform plan approved and signed into law last week will mean cuts in services for seniors, especially those on Medicare. He says proposed cuts will lead to rationing of care, which will spell trouble for senior citizens.
'Life-threatening' floods drench East Coast
A second major storm in less than a month continued to drench the East Coast as meteorologists predicted "very dangerous" flooding Tuesday in the Northeast and the wettest March on record in some places. The National Weather Service called on commuters to be prepared to travel alternate routes in case of washed-out roads and posted flood warnings and advisories from Maine to the Carolinas, with as much as 5 to 7 inches of rain expected over the coming days.
Russia: Moscow attack may be linked to Afghanistan militias
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said militants operating on the Afghan-Pakistan border may have helped organize suicide bomb attacks that killed 38 in Moscow on Monday, Interfax news agency reported on Monday. Two female suicide bombers attacked Moscow metro stations during the Monday morning rush hour. Both likely had links to the North Caucasus, the centre of an Islamist insurgency against Moscow, the head of Russia's FSB state security service said.
Saudis fund Balkan Muslims spreading hate of the West
SAUDI ARABIA is pouring hundreds of millions of pounds into Islamist groups in the Balkans, some of which spread hatred of the West and recruit fighters for jihad in Afghanistan. According to officials in Macedonia, Islamic fundamentalism threatens to destabilise the Balkans. Strict Wahhabi and Salafi factions funded by Saudi organisations are clashing with traditionally moderate local Muslim communities.
Obama sends Passover message to Jews
US President Barack Obama on Monday published a greeting to the Jewish world in general and to Israel in particular, ahead of the Passover Seder. After the one of the most strained weeks in Israel-US ties in years, Obama offered warm words to the Jewish people, some even in Hebrew. He started his greeting with a verse from the Talmud in Hebrew, followed by the English translation: "In every generation, each of us should feel as though we ourselves had personally gone forth from Egypt."
'Review arms sales to Israel'
A British parliamentary committee on Saturday questioned whether arms exports are approved to easily, the Guardian reported, citing Israel's use of British equipments and weaponry during last years Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. The IDF's operation in Gaza has been under intense international scrutiny and criticism. A UN report prepared by South African jurist Richard Goldstone has accused Israel (and Hamas) of possible war crimes.
Pope Benedict calls for peace in Jerusalem, the ‘spiritual homeland’
Expressing his sorrow for the current situation in the Holy Land, Pope Benedict XVI hoped and prayed for peace in the region on Palm Sunday. He provided words of encouragement for Christians in the area and reflected on the nature of the pilgrim as a "messenger of peace." ...He said he is "profoundly pained" by the recent conflicts and tensions in the city, which he called "the spiritual homeland of Christians, Jews and Muslims."
Hate crimes force Jews out of Malmo
Marcus Eilenberg is a Swedish Jew whose family roots in Malmo run deep. His paternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors who found shelter in this southern Swedish city in 1945. His wife's parents fled to Sweden from communist Poland in the 1960s. Now the 32-year-old law firm associate feels the welcome for Jews is running out, and he is moving to Israel with his wife and two children in May. He says he knows at least 15 other Jews who are leaving for a similar reason.
IT Problems Put Accuracy of Census at Risk, Say Government Auditors
Information Technology (IT) problems at the U.S. Census Bureau could cause inaccuracies in this year's constitutionally mandated decennial tabulation of the U.S. population, according to government auditors. "IT problems place the efficiency and accuracy of Non-Response Follow-Up at risk and final decennial costs remain uncertain," testified Judith Gordon, the principal assistant inspector general for Audit and Evaluation at the Department of Commerce, which runs the Census Bureau.
Scientists stumped as bee population declines further
The decline in the US bee population, first observed in 2006, is continuing, a phenomenon that still baffles researchers and beekeepers. Data from the US Department of Agriculture show a 29 percent drop in beehives in 2009, following a 36 percent decline in 2008 and a 32 percent fall in 2007. This affects not only honey production but around 15 billion dollars worth of crops that depend on bees for pollination.
Sex infection gonorrhea risks becoming "superbug"
Catherine Ison, a specialist on gonorrhea from Britain's Health Protection Agency said a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting in Manila next week would be vital to efforts to try to stop the bug repeatedly adapting to and overcoming drugs. "This is a very clever bacteria. If this problem isn't addressed, there is a real possibility that gonorrhea will become a very difficult infection to treat," she said in a telephone interview.
Senators form bipartisan climate bill
Three senior US lawmakers are piecing together a sweeping bipartisan energy and climate bill, which looks set to include sweeteners to galvanise support among Republicans and industry groups. ...The senators have hosted meetings with industry groups over the past two weeks, revealing details about their plan that would cap carbon emissions while expanding offshore oil drilling and nuclear power generation.
Christian militia accused of plotting to kill cops
Nine alleged members of a Christian militia group that was girding for battle with the Antichrist were charged Monday with plotting to kill a police officer and slaughter scores more by bombing the funeral - all in hopes of touching off an uprising against the U.S. government. ...Authorities said the arrests underscored the dangers of homegrown right-wing extremism of the sort seen in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.
Afghan offensive in Kandahar due in June, officials say
The Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan will launch a long-planned offensive in the southern city of Kandahar in June, military officials have said. A US military source was quoted as saying the goal was to rid the city of Taliban forces before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in August. US troops are already leading a massive operation in Marjah, in the neighbouring province of Helmand.
Citigroup: US to sell its stake in bailed-out bank
The US government is preparing to sell its 27% stake in Citigroup, in what would be one of the largest share sales in history. Some 7.7 billion shares in the bailed-out bank will be sold in tranches throughout 2010, the US Treasury said. It will mark another stage in Wall Street's recovery, and could make the US taxpayer $8bn in profit.
Merkel says EU-Turkey talks are 'open-ended'
Chancellor Angela Merkel made a symbolic concession on language concerning Turkey's EU membership prospects during a visit to Ankara on Monday (29 March) but tensions remain between the German leader and her Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking to the press following their talks, Ms Merkel said she now understood that the term "privileged partnership does not have a good connotation in Turkey."
