World News Post: May 19, 2011

Thursday, May 19, 2011

U.S.: "No evidence" that Pakistan knew the whereabouts of Bin Laden

Washington. .- The Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, has stated that "no evidence" that the Pakistani authorities were aware of the presence of al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden in the country. However, considered that this ignorance has been a "humiliation" for his forces. In a press conference at the Pentagon, Gates has argued that "no evidence" that Pakistan knew bin Laden's presence in its territory, but rather "there is evidence otherwise." Consequently, the defense secretary has ruled out the possibility of imposing sanctions on China.

Defending Strauss-Kahn said he could get bail

Managing Director International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is accused of an alleged crime of sexual abuse and attempted rape, this Thursday could get bail, according to CNN. The defense of the French politician has proposed to the authority granted freedom in return for a bail of one million dollars and to fulfill an order of arrest under strict security measures, like wearing an electronic bracelet to monitor his movements, according to the same chain.

SRI LANKA - UN report should be considered with caution

According to a UN report released March 25, the Colombo government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have committed war crimes during the last months of the conflict which ended in May 2009. "This document divides sharply the Sri Lankan society and could have far worse consequences if the government does not take steps to remedy the situation," anticipates the day, calling the various political moderation.

Al Qaeda disseminates the last message from bin Laden

Cairo. .- The late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden praised the speed of Tunisia and Egypt in a message released today in a posthumous Islamist site, which urges its followers to support efforts to bring down more "oppressors." In an audio recording of twelve and a half minutes transmitted from a web page often pick up messages from Al Qaeda and related groups, bin Laden says: "Tunisia (...) lit revolution and the fall of the tyrant, have fallen humiliation, subservience and passivity, and have awakened the meanings of freedom, pride, courage and initiative and the winds of change hit Tahrir (in Egypt).

When the tsunami hit Fukushima

When it has been more than two months since the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, the company TEPCO, responsible for the Fukushima nuclear power, has made public the first pictures of how the tsunami struck up the nuclear plant. They can see the devastating damage done by the tidal wave as it passes through Fukushima.

Cars, reactors, tanks ... Everything was covered by the force of water after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake. The publication of the images coincides with the first entry of the plant workers in the reactor number 2 and number 3, two of the most damaged. As was the case when other technical Tepco nearly two weeks ago came the building of the reactor 1, the workers wore protective suits and air tanks.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Five opponents arrested

The judicial authorities confirmed on 25 April, the arrest of five Emiratis for "non-compliance", "incitement to actions likely to undermine the security of the State" and "insulting members of the royal family, "announced the newspaper. Those arrested included intellectuals and academics signed in early March, a petition for political reforms in the country.

The arrests, which are scheduled between 9 and April 17, have been denounced by Human Rights Watch.

A French soldier was killed and four wounded in an explosion in Afghanistan

Paris. .- A French soldier was killed and four others wounded in an accidental explosion of ammunition in southern Kapisa valley, reported the French defense minister, Gerard Longuet. The five soldiers, who belonged to a regiment of Le Mans, prepared by late Wednesday afternoon to board an armored vehicle when the explosion occurred, Longuet said in a statement.

The injured were rushed to military hospital in Kabul and not life threatening, he said. The minister expressed his condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased and sent a message to the four wounded and the rest of the military unit. France has 4,000 soldiers deployed in Afghanistan since the start of the international intervention in late 2001, 58 soldiers have died there, mostly in clashes in Kapisa region, near the border with Pakistan.

29 people die and 70 injured in double bombing in Iraq

At least 29 people were killed Thursday and 70 others wounded in a double attack and another attack in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk (250 km north of Baghdad) according to a police source. Most of the fatalities, 25, killed in double bombing near a police station in Kirkuk and four others were killed by a car bomb directed at the convoy of a senior counter-terrorism .

Jamal Tahir, a member of the Kirkuk police, stated that one of the bombs exploded near a bus stop. "There have been two explosions, one a car bomb was detonated near a bus stop. There are many victims but still do not have a specific number," he clarified. The first attack happened near a police station where he first placed a limpet bomb exploded in the basement of a vehicle and then detonated a car bomb in the same place coinciding with the arrival of police and many civilians.

INDIA - Commonwealth Games: the chairman of the organizing committee arrested

Police arrested April 25 Suresh Kalmadi, President of the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games in October 2010 as part of an investigation into the awarding of a contract with a Swiss sports timing, the announcement daily. In February, the executive director of the organizing committee and its secretary general, suspected of rigging the tender had been arrested.

This event, which cost three times more than the budget, has demonstrated a chaotic organization and riddled with corruption.

Commonwealth of Nations (wikipedia)

Obama will announce a financial aid plan for countries in democratic transition

Washington .- U.S. President, Barack Obama, will announce tomorrow in his speech on Middle East economic aid plan for democratic transition countries include, inter alia, 2,000 million dollars to Egypt in cancellation of debt and guarantees for loans. Obama to decide in the State Department, a speech in which he defined U.S.

policy toward the Arab world and express their support for the movement of civil unrest and processes of democratic reforms in Arab countries, in light of the death the leader of the terrorist network Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden in an operation command of the U.S. in Pakistan last day 1. According to U.S.

Strauss-Kahn, Ophelia and the third witness

As the days pass reveal more details about what happened on Saturday in room 2806. The document containing the charges against him and former director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, for alleged attempted rape and sexual assault of an employee of the Sofitel New York, and the leaks that are making the press now it's the turn of the emergence of a third alleged eyewitness.

This is another hotel employee, according to police sources and the Sofitel chain, was in the room when the victim came DSK. Apparently the man was removing the breakfast of 2806, I had the door ajar when he appeared Ophelia, the 32 year old Guinean woman has reported to Strauss-Kahn. It asked if the room was empty and clean as could be entered, and his partner said no one was there.

KOREA - Jimmy Carter to head an international delegation to Pyongyang

The visit of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to North Korea differs from its predecessors because it is accompanied by three other former heads of state and government, reports the South Korean daily. The former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, the former head of state of Ireland Mary Robinson and former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland are part of the mission arrived in Pyongyang on 26 April to assess the food crisis and promote resumption of talks on denuclearization.

Jimmy Carter (myspace) Jimmy Carter (wikipedia) Torture Can Never Be Justified (youtube) Jimmy Carter (imdb) Jimmy Carter (lastfm) Jimmy Carter (musicbrainz) Pyongyang (geolocation) Pyongyang (wikipedia)

Eleven killed and fifty injured in a demonstration at a German headquarters in Afghanistan

Eleven dead and over fifty injured is the result of the protest signed yesterday to a German army barracks Taluk, Tojar province in northeastern Afghanistan. A crowd of two thousand people demonstrated after the night before a command of U.S. forces killed four people, two women in a nearby town Gawmali.

The city, with a majority of Uzbek and tadjica population, has little tradition of supporting the Taliban insurgency. According to NATO's command were killed by the insurgent Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan ", whose activities are on the rise in northern Afghanistan. As the population were civilians.

Documented 840 deaths during the crackdown on protests in Egypt

Amnesty International (AI) has said that at least 840 people were killed by security forces during the mass protests that ended last February with the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak has called on Egyptian authorities to ensure justice for "all victims" of repression. The human rights organization has launched this week a new report on the killings, arrests and torture perpetrated by security forces because of the so-called revolution of 25 January.

22 people die plane crash in southern Argentina

Twenty-two people were killed Wednesday when it crashed in southern Argentina, the commercial airplane they were riding, officials confirmed Thursday. The aircraft, the airline Sun, rushed into an inhospitable area of the Patagonian plateau in the province of Black River. "Unfortunately we can confirm that there are no survivors," confirmed local media Ismael Ali, director of the hospital in Los Menucos, the location from where they departed the rescue teams to reach the site of the tragedy.

GERMANY - More than 100,000 people demonstrated against nuclear power

"Great demonstration against nuclear energy", as the leftist daily. More than 100,000 people marched April 25 in Germany calling for the abandonment of nuclear and mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. Rallies were held in twelve German sites, including the town of Gronau (northwest), which is located a plant for enriching uranium, in Biblis (southwest) and Krümmel (north).

In France, protests also took place near the central Cattenom (Lorraine) and Fessenheim (Alsace).

The wife and daughter take refuge in Tunisia Gaddafi

The wife and daughter of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, crossed into Tunisia last few days, a security source told Reuters Tunisia. Safia Qadhafi and his daughter Aisha came to Tunisia with a Libyan delegation, said the source.

DSK why it is held in New York and would not have been in Europe

European protest because some laws criminalize the man, but in New York the testimony of a victim, if credible, would be adequate to speculate 70 years in prison. As if the dialectic collect enough samples. Clad in white robes trimmed researchers carpet pieces. Looking drops of fluid. Hairs. Any shred contaminated by DNA that serves to unravel if we talk about a disgusting crime or a drug assembly.

GREECE - The State eyeing on the funds of the Church

The Bank of Greece has a strong interest in the contents of the box parishes, monasteries and religious institutions across the country, even in Crete, the Dodecanese islands and Mount Athos, who have a particular ecclesiastical status [they are spiritually and administratively to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople].

The austerity plan established just last year imposed the tax revenues of the Church. Having cut the salaries of bishops and taxed all their income, the Government via the Bank of Greece, now wants to have liquidity of the Church - or reserves established by individual donations. And not missing a beat, the Bank of Greece wants to withhold tax, that is to say the bank account where the donations are deposited.

Iran confirms launch of the Bushehr nuclear power plant

Tehran. (EFE) .- The Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, today confirmed the final commissioning, after almost three decades of work and many delays, the controversial Bushehr nuclear power plant. "As we announced, the Bushehr plant has reached its critical stage and has been successfully launched," said the official told state television in English PressTV.

Russian engineers had already announced on May 10 that the plant, Iran has the first of its kind, had been torn and operates at low level. "This final phase lasts about two months. Hopefully the plant reaches 40 percent of its power in the next 30 or 60 days," said Salehi. The information was later extended by the Iranian Minister of Energy, Namyu Majid, who said he "has already begun the cycle of heat production, a step for generating electricity through turbines." "Now it is necessary that the heat produced by the chemical interactions reaches the point of vaporization and spin the turbine over a thousand megawatt nuclear spin," added the official, who stressed that the process is in the hands of Russian experts.

Tunisia denies that she and her daughter are in the country Gaddafi

The Tunisian Ministry of Interior has denied that the wife and daughter of Libyan dictator Qaddafi are in the country as they had secured a few hours ago the country, security sources and some televisions. Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya have also denied that any member of the Gaddafi family is in Tunisia.

According to Al Jazeera, the Tunisian authorities would arrest any family member who stepped Tunisia Gaddafi as ordering the UN resolution. According to early versions, Safia and Aisha came to Tunisia on Saturday May 14th along with a Libyan delegation and after weeks of civil war. "It was expected to leave this town on Tuesday, but they are still there," said one security official.

European Union - Unfit for ourselves!

Has anyone still want to be classified as European? Hopefully anyone who has an ounce of humanity would be better advised. Those currently in power on the continent would not get the same asylum in the dregs of humanity. About Finns, unnecessary to dwell: clearly, they still walk with bear skins on the back.

Sit them on a sled, and they go in all directions. Civilization stops at the snowline, the charm of folklore.

Another reporter said that Strauss-Kahn suggested meeting for sex

London. .- A reporter for a European paper states that the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is accused of sex crimes against a waitress in New York, proposed for an interview in exchange for sexual favors. In statements published today by the British newspaper "The Times", this reporter recounts how the French former Minister of Finance, was arrested last Saturday in New York for alleged sexual abuse of a waitress at the hotel I was staying, he noticed it after have maintained a focus group interview.

Fail again signed an agreement between the president and the opposition Yemeni

Following the imminent announcement of the signing of an agreement between the Yemeni president and the opposition parties on Wednesday refused to ratify it at the last minute. The mediator Abdelatif to Ziani, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) left the country without any party had signed the plan.

Previously, government and opposition sources had revealed that the head of state, Ali Abdullah Saleh and representatives of the opposition were to initial the initiative proposed by the GCC, a group of countries led by Saudi Arabia. The proposal provided that Saleh transferring power to Vice President Rabo Mansour Hadi Abdi within 30 days after signing the agreement, the convening of elections two months later.

BRAZIL - A fleet of computers growing

Brazil has 98 million computers next year, allowing it to reach the threshold of a unit for two people, according to a study by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) on Information Technology published April 20, 2011. These figures are reported by the daily O Globo, which states that four out of nine Brazilians currently have access to a computer at home or at work.

The study also highlights that Brazil is above the world average in terms of penetration of information technology. In 2011, 44% of Brazilians had a computer, while at the global level this rate is 36%. The equipment rate is 130% for mobile and 80% for televisions, against respectively 99% and 58% worldwide.

The waitress denied he had a consensual sexual relationship with Strauss-Kahn

New York. .- Jeffrey Shapiro, the lawyer for the woman who accused the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Khan, sexual abuse and attempted rape, said today that there was no consensual sexual relationship between his client and French politician. "I think his claims that consensual sex was not true," said Shapiro, who represents the employee of the New York luxury hotel in which allegedly occurred on Saturday the allegations, speaking Wednesday to the NBC .

A reporter said that Strauss-Kahn proposed a meeting for sex

A reporter for a European paper states that the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is accused of sex crimes against a waitress in New York, proposed for an interview in exchange for sexual favors. In remarks published on Wednesday the British newspaper The Times, this reporter recounts how former French finance minister, was arrested last Saturday in New York for alleged sexual abuse of a waitress at the hotel I was staying, was set at it after holding a group interview.

USA - Redistributing political maps

Over the past ten years, some U.S. cities are emptied of their black population, who emigrated in the outer suburbs. A move that could help the Republicans in the next election, says The Washington Post. Indeed, lawmakers have just started the general redistricting, one that takes place once a decade.

And migration of the black population could be a crucial political leverage. In redrawing districts for isolating and concentrating black voters, potentially Democrats, Republicans, who took control of many states this fall, increasing their chances of winning the other districts. This is particularly true of the second electoral district of Louisiana, who has just been redistributed according to a prima facie inconsistent.

Statue of John Paul II in Rome reveals

On his birthday has just been awarded the Rome beatified by Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) with a memorial. The modern statue of Karol Wojtyla was unveiled on Wednesday afternoon in front of the main station of Rome. At the ceremony, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Agostino Vallini and the Mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno.

Elizabeth II pays tribute to the victims of 'Bloody Sunday' at his historic trip to Ireland

Dublin. .- The Queen Elizabeth II today continued his historic trip to Ireland with a number of highly symbolic acts, as a tribute to the Irish dead by serving the British Army or the visit to Croke Park, the scene of the first "Bloody Sunday" . If the day of his arrival in Dublin the Queen reminded the Irish nationalist hero who fought against the domination of the United Kingdom, today did the same with the nearly 50,000 who died in the battlefields of World War I (1914-1918) .

Confirm that the bodies recovered from the flight Rio - Paris identifiable

The bodies recovered from the wreckage of the plane that crashed into the Atlantic about two years ago while covering the line between Rio de Janeiro and Paris can be identified, having been learned from the DNA evidence, said Wednesday the French Gendarmerie . "The extraction of DNA in order to obtain a genetic profile has been done, confirming that identification is possible," he said in a statement the Prison Service, responsible for this case by the judicial authorities investigating the case.

United States - Sarah Palin heroine of the TV people

The former running mate of Republican candidate John McCain for president in 2008 was right, April 21, a portrait E! Online, a U.S. chain specializing in celebrity gossip and reality TV. Typically, the series of portraits True Hollywood Story focuses on celebrities in the entertainment industry: film, TV and song.

But Sarah Palin is not the first policy on which the program is interested in: Bill Clinton, the Kennedy clan and Donald Trump have also been subject to such treatment, said the Webzine Politico. The show, which lasts one hour, consists of archive footage and interviews. It focuses particularly on childhood and youth of Sarah Palin.

Poor visibility forced the Air Force One for Obama to repeat the landing maneuver in Connecticut

Washington. .- The poor visibility forced the U.S. Air Force today, Air Force One, which was Barack Obama, to cancel a landing maneuver in Connecticut, which won on the second occasion. According to the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the visibility at the airport Bradley Field was "below minimum" due to high clouds and the pilots could not see the runway from the required height.

Therefore, the pilots, who had begun the descent to the airport, decided to fly back up and circled the area for several minutes. As stated by the White House spokesman Nick Shapiro, the plane "flew in circles because of the time. They flew in a circle and landed safely a few minutes later, at 10.05 am local time (14.05 GMT)." "The pilot was in the landing process but because of the time decided to turn around the airport and then land.

U.S. imposes sanctions against Bashar Assad and key Syrian ministers

Washington sanctioned directly to Syrian President Bashar Assad, for his role in the repression of street protests last week to challenge his regime. The decision is an "effort to increase pressure on the Damascus government to stop the violence against the people and begin the transition to a democratic system," a U.S.

administration official. The sanctions also affect the chief ministers of the Assad regime, accused of violating human rights of its citizens. It is not clear what the practical consequences of the decision by the U.S., but in any case is a strong message to the Syrian regime. "It's a clear message to Assad and his collaborators, which will be held responsible for the violence in their country," he said in a statement David S.