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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Coup Leaders Say Army to Run Niger until New Constitution, Elections Put in Place

VOA Video - February 25, 2010 | The new military rulers of Niger have named a civilian prime minister to lead the country's transitional government until elections. The new PM, Mahamadou Danda, served as information minister in a transitional government that followed Niger's last coup in 1999, and has worked as an administrator since then. VOA's Mariama Diallo examines what lies ahead for the West African nation.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Ex-Guantanamo detainee Mamdouh Habib to sue Australia



Mamdouh Habib
Mamdouh Habib was 
accused of having prior knowledge of 9/11
Thursday, 25 February 2010 - An Australian man who was held in the Guantanamo Bay US detention camp has won the right to sue his government for complicity in his alleged treatment.

Mamdouh Habib says Australian officials were present at torture sessions he was subjected to while in detention. 

A Federal Court said he was free to sue after rejecting Canberra's claim that an Australian judge could not rule on the actions of foreign officials. 

Mr Habib was released from Guantanamo without charge in 2005. 

Vote Buying In Iraq’s 2010 Election.


Monday, February 22, 2010 | As campaigning for Iraq’s March 2010 parliamentary election officially began the country’s poor have been the unspoken beneficiaries. Political parties are once again offering people blankets, heaters, clothes, and money in return for their votes.

The head of the Eyes of Iraq network that is monitoring the election complained to the Election Commission in mid-February 2010 that candidates were handing out appliances to people and promising them money for their votes.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Halal meat controversy in France.


AlJazeeraEnglish  |  Halal meat, or meat slaughtered in line with Muslim tradition, is at the centre of a political controversy.

Quick - a fast-food French restaurant chain - is testing out a new niche market, withdrawing all pork products from the menu and serving only halal meat in some of its branches.

Experts say that with more than 5 million French Muslims who are potential customers, Quick is targeting a booming market: the $7.5bn halal business.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Russia renews threats of Iskander deployment


Iskander missiles

Fri, 19 Feb 2010   |   PressTV 

Russia warns that it may deploy Iskander missiles in its Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea if new threats emerge in Europe.


On Friday, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdiukov made the comment about the deployment of Iskander missiles on the Baltic Sea, after Bulgaria and Romania said they were in talks with the US on hosting elements of its missile system on their soil.

The sick state of Nigeria


by Baba Aye  |   20 February 2010  |  Socialistworker
 
Goodluck Jonathan has been sworn in as acting president of Nigeria after three months with no leader. The only caveat is that “the president will automatically resume office… once he is well enough”. The story of the missing president has continued since November, leaving Africa's most populous country with no functioning government. This is doubly strange as Nigeria is a major regional power sitting on large oil reserves. 

President Umaru Yar’Adua, who has a long history of illness, was admitted to a hospital in Saudi Arabia last November. None of his ministers have seen him since. 

Friday, February 19, 2010

‘I’m sorry I made a mistake,’ Anwar says.

(Tuesday, 16 February 2010 -  The Star) - PKR adviser and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim apologised for his choice of candidates in the 2008 general election.
 
Anwar said he was responsible for selecting the MP candidates and had made “some mistakes” by choosing “shaky and unclean” candidates.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

One goes to the right (women), another to the left (man)!

Global Journalist: The election of Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica's first woman president, brings discussion

Friday, February 12, 2010 | 12:36 p.m.  - BY STUART LOORY

Stuart Loory, Lee Hills Chair in Free-Press Studies, Missouri School of Journalism: A woman was elected president of Costa Rica last week, and another was denied the presidency of Ukraine where she had been prime minister for five years. 

Women leaders of nations are not new. In the last part of the 20th century, there were women heads of government and state like Golda Meir in Israel, Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom, Indira Gandhi in India and Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. In the U.S. Congress, 76 members of the House of Representatives and 17 senators are women. 

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Zimbabwe's unity government one year on

One year ago, Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's opposition leader, made a political U-turn by joining a unity government with Robert Mugabe, his rival and the country's long-standing president.


Al Jazeera's Rageh Omaar reports from Harare on whether their unlikely partnership has managed to lead the country away from the political deadlock and economic meltdown of recent years.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

China ban on pet dog meat draw angry outcry

The Chinese government is considering taking meat from pet animals off menus across the country, raising concerns among dog farmers who have relied on the industry for generations.

The draft proposal to ban dog and cat meat has drawn an angry outcry from regions where the dish is popular.

Opponents say the ban would destroy local culinary traditions.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Costa Rica gets first Woman President.



SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Costa Ricans have elected their first woman president as the ruling party candidate won in a landslide after campaigning to continue free market policies in Central America's most stable nation.

With most of the votes from Sunday's election counted, Laura Chinchilla held a 22-point lead over her closest rival. Her 47 percent share of the vote was well beyond the 40 percent needed to avoid a run-off.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

The UK experience - Student Grants & Loans.

Student Loans piece from 1991 filmed at Loughborough University and Students' Union.



Thursday, February 4, 2010

Toyota Problems Deepen

Days after announcing a remedy to deal with the recall of more than four million vehicles, Toyota's public relations battle over the safety of its cars continues. VOA's Mil Arcega has more.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Rights Group Urges ICC To Probe Recent Muslim-Christian Violence In Nigeria


RTTNews - A Lagos-based human rights group has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, Netherlands to probe the recent Muslim-Christian violence that left more than 300 people dead in the central Nigerian city of Jos, said officials and news reports on Monday.

Gordon Brown on planned voting changes

The Prime Minister says the Government must act sooner rather than later to change the way we vote politicians into office.

START negotiations still in progress between Russia and America

Another round of talks between Moscow and Washington on a new strategic arms deal will open in Geneva on Monday, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday. What are the complications around the negotiations? We were supposed to have a START deal months ago, what happened?