Tuesday, December 7, 2010

My Press Review - Wednesday 8 December

Obama ends push for Israeli-settlements halt

President Obama has abandoned a two-year policy of trying to persuade Israel to stop some settlement construction as a condition for negotiations with the Palestinians, a major recalibration of the administration's strategy for brokering a deal for a Palestinian state.

 

Why Argentina and Brazil have recognized a Palestinian state

Argentina and Brazil have formally recognized a Palestinian state, and the US has given up on securing a new settlement freeze to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks.

 

Don't sell property to non-Jews

Three dozen top Israeli rabbis threw their support behind a religious ruling barring Jews from selling or renting homes to non-Jews — an indication of growing radicalism within the rabbinical community at a time of mounting friction between Israeli Arabs and Jews.

 

Justice Department Studies WikiLeaks Prosecution

Espionage is only one of the possible charges being considered by prosecutors looking into the WikiLeaks case.

 

This case must not obscure what WikiLeaks has told us

Every one of us owes a debt to Julian Assange. Thanks to him, we now know that our governments are pursuing policies that place you and your family in considerably greater danger. Wikileaks has informed us they have secretly launched war on yet another Muslim country, sanctioned torture, kidnapped innocent people from the streets of free countries and intimidated the police into hushing it up, and covered up the killing of 15,000 civilians – five times the number killed on 9/11. Each one of these acts has increased the number of jihadis. We can only change these policies if we know about them – and Assange has given us the black-and-white proof.

 

Why Britain is likely to send WikiLeaks' Assange to Sweden on rape charges

The legal team of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may fight his potential extradition to Sweden on human rights grounds, but it's unlikely Mr. Assange will avoid it, say legal experts.

 

UN caused Haiti epidemic - report

UN peacekeepers were the most likely source of the cholera epidemic sweeping Haiti, according to a leaked report by a French disease expert.

 

Gang 'treated workers as slaves'

A gang made £10m by treating workers like slaves in fields in Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, a court hears.

 

Jail for Saudi succession article

A Saudi law professor is detained for writing an article about a possible power struggle over the royal succession, a rights group says.

 

Judge throws out targeted-killing case of Awlaki

A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit aimed at preventing the United States from targeting U.S.-born anti-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki for death.

 

More nuclear talks agreed for 2011

Nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers ended yesterday with an agreement to meet again early next year, indicating that Tehran may be willing to address concerns about its atomic programme. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that unless UN sanctions are lifted, the six – the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany – face failure in the next round.

 

Saudis proposed Arab force to fight Hezbollah

Saudi Arabia proposed creating an Arab force backed by US and Nato air and sea power to intervene in Lebanon two years ago and destroy Iranian-backed Hezbollah, according to a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.

 

18 countries join China in snub of Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

China and 18 other countries have declined to attend this year's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, Nobel officials said Tuesday as China unleashed another barrage deriding the decision.

 

US sends top officials to China over NKorea

The Obama administration is sending its No. 2 diplomat and three top Asia hands to China next week for talks on North Korea as Washington presses a reluctant Beijing to do more to rein in Pyongyang....

 

Guantanamo Bay transfers return to terrorism

Nearly one in four terrorists released from the detention facility at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, resumed terrorist activities against the United States and the number is expected to rise, according to a report to Congress by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

 

Qatar's the star – and Washington is worried

Despite the leaked US diplomatic reports on Qatar and their claim that it is a major source of "terrorist" funding, Washington would do well not to mess with the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

 

Haiti waits for election results

Officials sorted through fraudulent ballots and scrambled for compromises to head off the threat of social unrest as Haiti prepared for the expected release on Tuesday of results from its dysfunctional presidential election.

 

Israel agrees to offer ‘apology’ to Turkey

Israel has agreed in principle to offer an apology and pay compensation to Turkey for normalization of bilateral relations which have severely deteriorated since the killing of Turkish citizens in an Israeli raid on an aid flotilla in May, a leading Israeli daily reported on Tuesday.

 

Moldova struggles to find compromise

Moldova sought on Tuesday to put together a ruling coalition after a November election failed to break deadlock, with leftist politician Marian Lupu being courted by pro-Western and Communist leaders alike.

 

A third of universities 'at risk'

A union labels a third of universities in England at risk from government cuts, with the worst hit facing closures or mergers.

 

Ireland sets out record austerity budget

The Irish government detailed the toughest budget on record on Tuesday, targeting 6 billion euros in spending cuts and tax hikes, and warning passage was crucial to avert a deeper crisis and free up EU and IMF rescue funds.

 

Bank of America to pay $137 M, avoid conviction

Bank of America agreed on Tuesday to pay $137.3 million in restitution to federal and state agencies for its role in a conspiracy to rig bids in the municipal bond derivatives market and as a condition of its admission to a Justice Department leniency program allowing it to avoid criminal ...

 

GCC preserving water, diversifying energy

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states called for adopting a comprehensive strategy for the Gulf states to insure proper investment

 

From Kuwait to Oman - Gulf Railway to be Completed by 2017

GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah said the railway linking the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) would be

 

Egypt, Uganda Discuss Renewable Energy Cooperation

Egypt will talk part in the establishment of power hydraulic station, the infrastructure projects, renewable projects and projects for providing rural areas with electricity in Uganda,


Cancun Climate Conference 'using as much energy as a village for a year'

The Cancun Climate Conference is using up as much energy as a small village in England for a whole year.

 

Study finds middle class 'unhappy'

Daniel Zhou (not his real given name) paused, trying to remember his son's age.

 

2.79 m Shaanxi residents to be relocated from mountains

Two projects that will relocate 2.79 million people from remote mountainous areas in Northwest China's Shaanxi province will start next year and be completed within a decade, the provincial government recently revealed.

 

Turkish national anthem to be ‘nationalized’

An attempt by a German organization to obtain the copyright for the national anthem recited in Turkish schools has prompted Turkey to take action by issuing a Cabinet decree granting the state the copyright for the national anthem.

 

Find elixir of life – Kazakh president

Nursultan Nazarbayev calls on new research institute to concentrate on study to unlock secret of immortality

 

Federal Reserve Prints Faulty $100 Bills

A printing problem has left the Fed with 1.1 billion unusable $100 bills. So what happens now to all those bungled Benjamins?

 

'Historic' vote for language law

A new law to promote the Welsh language and giving it official status is unanimously passed by the Welsh assembly.

 

Britons fattest in European Union

More than half of people in the European Union are overweight or obese and Britons are the fattest, a report said today.

 

Malnutrition in India is on the rise

Malnutrition in India is on the rise, despite nutrition rehabilitation centres and ration shops

 

Finland loses top literacy rating

A world schools survey drops Finland from first place for the first time in a decade, putting it behind South Korea.

 

Lenin statue blown up

A statue of Vladimir Lenin, the former Russian communist leader, has been blown up in St Petersburg.

 

 

 

 

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