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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Who is to blame for Israeli-Hamas attacks?

Palestinian society either must revolt against Hamas or demand that the elected Palestinian government of Hamas end the war against the Jews of Israel -- or else Israel will.

Palestinians initiated this war and are committed to the annihilation of the Jewish state. The hundreds of Palestinian deaths and all future casualties are their responsibility...

Read more Who is to blame for attacks?


Source: miami herald

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Frontline medics go underground

The largest hospital on Israel's southern coast has gone underground. Wary of a rocket strike against it from the nearby Gaza Strip, Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital has moved its most essential departments into an underground bomb shelter...

Read more medics go underground

Source: New Zealand Herald

Israel vow to continue until Hamas is crushed

ISRAEL has vowed to continue its bombardment of the Gaza Strip until it has demolished the military capacity of the governing Hamas regime.

Israeli jets and navy vessels kept up the attacks on targets in Gaza yesterday morning as the death toll reached 310 with more than 900 wounded.

Read more Israel to continue until Hamas is crushed


Source: canberra times

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Israel Attacks Gaza. 100 Areas Bombed

Israel's foreign minister brushed off a call for restraint from Egypt's president, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made a direct appeal to Gaza's people to pressure their leaders to stop the barrages.

But the attacks showed no signs of ending. By nightfall, three rockets and 15 mortar shells had exploded in Israel…

Read more Israel closer to Gaza invasion

Source: ap

Friday, December 26, 2008

Pope urges solidarity in difficult economic times

Pope Benedict XVI warned in his Christmas message that the world was headed toward ruin if selfishness prevails over solidarity during tough economic times for rich and poor nations.

“In each of these places may the light of Christmas shine forth and encourage all people to do their part in a spirit of authentic solidarity,” he said.

Read more Pope urges solidarity


Source: boston herald

Economy slows population growth in U.S.

Most southern and western states aren't growing nearly as fast as they were at the start of the decade, pausing a long-term trend fueled by the desire for open spaces and warmer climates, according to population estimates released Monday by the Census Bureau…

Read more 304 million people in U.S.

Source: ap

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Bush aide pleads guilty to theft

Felipe Sixto pleaded guilty to theft from a federally aided program in front of U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton. He said little during the plea hearing except "Yes, sir" and "Guilty, sir" when asked by the judge about the charge…

Read more Bush aide pleads guilty

Source: ap

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Unemployment increases in UK

"Unemployment is normally a lagging indicator so to see so many job losses this early in the cycle is extremely worrying."..

Read more Unemployment increases


Source: bbc news

Monday, December 22, 2008

The secret of Google's juice?

To pick one example: YouTube isn't a content portal but part of a strategy to "monitor key content and audience hubs". Organise information, give access to information and then monetise that through various audience tools…..

Read more Google's secret juice


Source: pda the digital content blog

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Emanuel talked directly to gov: source

A source with the Obama camp strongly denied Emanuel spoke with the governor directly about the seat, saying Emanuel only spoke with Blagojevich once recently to say he was taking the chief of staff post.

Read more Emanuel + Blagojevich=trouble


Source: Chicago sun times

Saturday, December 20, 2008

The Pentagon and the torture report


Most Americans have long known that the horrors of Abu Ghraib were not the work of a few low-ranking sociopaths.

All but President George W. Bush's most unquestioning supporters recognized the chain of unprincipled decisions that led to the abuse, torture and death in prisons run by the American military and intelligence services…

Read more the torture report

Source: international herald tribune

Friday, December 19, 2008

Barack Obama fails the test on global warming priorities


Powered by In one of his first public policy statements as America's president-elect, Barack Obama focused on climate change, and clearly stated both his priorities and the facts on which these priorities rest. Unfortunately, both are weak, or even wrong….

Read more Obama fails the test

Source: world news

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Illinois court rejects attempt to remove governor

The state's attorney general asked the court last week to impose a restraining order stripping Rod Blagojevich of the bulk of his powers while considering her request to have him temporarily replaced by the state's lieutenant governor....

Read more court rejects attempt to remove governor


Source: brietbart

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Paulson: Big Financial Firms Are Stable

Paulson also said he has no current plans to ask Congress to make the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue fund available before the Bush administration leaves office on Jan. 20. But he added that the administration was prepared to move quickly, if necessary, to tap the extra resources.....

Read more Big Financial Firms Are Stable


Source: cbs news

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

US accuses Britain over military failings in Afghanistan


Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary who has been asked to remain in his job under Barack Obama, is understood to have expressed strong reservations about counterinsurgency operations in British-controlled Helmand province...

Read more US accuses Britain of military failings


Source: world news

Monday, December 15, 2008

Israel to release Palestinian prisoners


Israel has already released hundreds of prisoners in an effort to boost support for Mr Abbas and isolate the Hamas regime that controls the Gaza Strip...

Read more Israel to release 227Palestinian prisoners


Source: belfast telegraph

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Wall Street looks to Fed this week

The market, still hovering at decade lows, has yet to show any sign of a traditional year-end rally. And the next few days it will face a number of tests that could determine if investors are able to get past all the negative economic news to end the year on a bright note....

Read moreWall Street looks to Fed, auto bailout this week


Source: kansas city news

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Europe: "We Have a Muslim Problem"

The growing Muslim presence in Europe has become a central issue for all European countries, east and west...

Read more Muslims In Europe


Source: daily news

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Groping Hillary Clinton

Another casualty of the internet age: Obama's speechwriter is caught in a compromising position with a cardboard Hillary...

Read moreGroping Hillary Clinton


Source: guardian.co.uk

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Was the CIA wrong (again)?

A year has passed since the release of the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate on Iran.

In a stunning departure from all the previous estimates dating back to 1997 under Presidents Clinton and Bush, it declared: "We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program."

Read more Was the CIA wrong?


Source: international herald tribune

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Governor of Illinois faces 'staggering' charges of corruption

Under Illinois law the governor of Obama's home state can appoint the president-elect's successor but he apparently left the aide in no doubt that his blessing would come at a price. A seat in the Senate, he explained, is "a fucking valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing"...

Read more Governor of Illinois faces 'staggering' charges


Source: guardian.con.uk

Monday, December 8, 2008

Markets soar on Obama spending pledges

Commodities stocks led the rally, trimming back recent sharp declines, on bets that the US president-elect's plan to spend on infrastructure projects would boost demand for oil, steel and other raw materials. In the UK, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Anglo American rallied more than 6 per cent as commodity prices rose. US Steel, Alcoa, and Chevron all rose strongly in the US...

Read more Markets soar


Source: the independent

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Two men questioned in Mumbai attack

The arrests of the two men late Friday are believed to be the first in connection with the attacks, other than the capture of one killer during the 60-hour siege.

The men, identified as Tousif Rahaman and Sheikh Muktar, allegedly “provided (cell phone) SIM cards to the terrorists in the Mumbai attacks,” said police official Javed Shamim...

Read more Two questioned in Mumbai attack


Source: boston herald

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Thursday, December 4, 2008

US stocks slide on economic worry

US stocks dropped sharply Thursday after dismal economic news on both sides of the Atlantic renewed worries about the severity of a global slowdown...

Read more US stocks slide


Source: money magazine

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Europe's big stimulus plans don't quite add up

Behind the headlines, the numbers are wispy, at best. But analysts say that the goal is often just to reassure the public.

Surveying the various European plans, Gilles Moëc, senior economist at Bank of America in London, said the total was far short of what was necessary. "The harvest is not so nice," he said....

Read more Europe's big stimulus plan


Source: international herald tribune

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

United States, Europe differ on engagement with Russia

The NATO alliance should be cautious in welcoming Russia as a sometime partner, and avoid overt military cooperation with fighting forces that invaded a much smaller neighbor last summer, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said...

Read more United States, Europe differ on engagement with Russia months after Georgia war


Source: star tribune.com

Monday, December 1, 2008

Palin Campaigns for Chambliss

The former vice presidential candidate made her first campaign appearance since the Republican ticket of John McCain and Gov. Palin lost on Nov. 4. Gov. Palin's four stops for Sen. Chambliss underscored not only the stakes for the GOP in the Senate race but Gov. Palin's popularity within the party. She has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2012 -- a fact not lost on some Georgia voters...

Read more Palin Campaigns


Source: the wall street journal