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Oct 31, 2010

UK awarded top prize at the Shanghai Expo

UK awarded top prize at the Shanghai Expo
The UK pavilion captured the imagination of the Chinese public from the beginning and around eight million visitors passed through its doors Photo: AFP/GETTY
The UK pavilion, a shimmering cube of 60,000 perspex rods, was judged to be the best of the Expo’s large exhibits, despite costing a fraction of its competitors’ budget.

US mid-term elections 2010: Barack Obama implores Americans to 'keep on believing'

US President US Obama implores Americans to 'keep on believing'
Even Barack Obama's old Senate seat in Illinois is under grave threat Photo: REUTERS
Mr Obama returned to Chicago, where 200,000 people in Grant Park cheered his historic victory on a balmy night two years earlier, to tell a crowd of 20,000 at Midway Plaisance Park that they needed to “keep on fighting” despite all the setbacks.

US mid-term elections 2010: Hillary Clinton stays away from mid-term elections

US midterm elections 2010: Hillary Clinton stays away from midterm elections
Hillary Clinton visits the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia today Photo: AP
Although former President Bill Clinton has held more than 100 election events, his wife is unable to campaign because of her foreign policy role. She is currently on a two-week tour of Asia and Australasia that includes stops in Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia.

Silvio Berlusconi accused of having 'uncontrollable sickness' for women

Silvio Berlusconi accused of having 'uncontrollable sickness' for women  
Silvio Berlusconi and Ruby, the Moroccan belly dancer
The Italian prime minister has been accused of personally intervening to have 17-year-old Karima Keyek released from police custody when she was arrested in May on suspicion of stealing cash and valuables from a female acquaintance in Milan.

BBC wildlife presenter Johnny Kingdom confronted 'poacher' over Emperor's death - Telegraph

BBC wildlife presenter Johnny Kingdom confronted 'poacher' over Emperor's death
Johnny Kingdom's own role in the shooting has also been a subject of intense speculation since he tipped off a local newspaper that the stag had been killed last weekend Photo: CHRISTOPHER JONES

George Hickenlooper dies aged 47 at film festival

George Hickenlooper
George Hickenlooper: the Denver festival will now be dedicated to him
Hollywood director George Hickenlooper, who won an Emmy in 1992 for the film Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, has died at the age of 47.
The film-maker died of apparent natural causes in Denver, where he was attending a film festival, his cousin John Hickenlooper said in a statement.

Dubai bomb was flown on passenger planes

Dubai device
The device had been placed in a cardboard box and posted to the US
One of the two bombs posted from Yemen last week was transported on two passenger planes before being seized in Dubai, Qatar Airways has said.
The device was carried on an Airbus A320 from Sanaa to Doha. It was then flown on another aircraft to Dubai.

Istanbul suicide blast injures 32, including 15 police

The blast occurred near the independence monument in Taksim Square

A suicide bomb blast in the centre of Istanbul has injured 32 people, including 15 policemen.

Police say the bomber tried to board a police bus in Taksim Square. Seventeen civilians were also hurt.

Rare earths supply deal between Japan and Vietnam

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan (L) shakes hands with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguen Tan Dung (R) in Hanoi, 31 October
The agreement in Hanoi was described as "a political and strategic decision"
Vietnam has agreed to help supply Japan with rare earths, as Tokyo tries to reduce its dependence on China.
The two countries have also agreed on greater nuclear cooperation, with Hanoi virtually awarding Japan contracts to build two reactors in Vietnam.

Ivory Coast holds long-delayed 'reconciliation' poll

Voters wait in line to cast their ballot in the first round of presidential elections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 31 November
There have been long lines at some polling stations for the first presidential election in 10 years
Voters in Ivory Coast are casting their ballots in presidential elections which have been delayed six times.
Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo is running against 13 candidates, including veteran politicians Alassane Ouattara and Henri Konan Bedie.

Failure to find airport bomb 'a weakness', expert says

Lord Carlile said technical equipment needed to be investigated to ensure it was "absolutely up to date".

Home Secretary Theresa May has said the "crucial thing" was that the bomb had been found.

BBC News - Brazil votes for new president, Rousseff tipped to win

Dilma Rousseff (l) and candidate to Governor of Rio Grande do Sul state, Tarso Genro, after voting in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 31 October 2010
Opinion polls suggest Ms Rousseff could win with a lead of 10 to 12 percentage points
Brazilians are voting to choose a new president to succeed the popular Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Opinion polls suggest the governing Workers' Party candidate Dilma Rousseff has a clear lead over Jose Serra of the opposition Social Democratic Party.

Athens Classic Marathon :: Welcome

MarathonMan Stefaan Engels is about to come to Athens as part of a crazy challenge to create an unbeatable world record by running one marathon a day for a year. For the 49-year-old Belgian, it is certainly not a case of the loneliness of the long distance runner, as he is joined by crowds of supporters wherever he runs. He is inviting all Greeks to accompany him for part or all of his daily endurance test. His tour reaches Athens on October 26 where he will undertake his week of marathon 'jogs' starting at Agios Kosmas Athletic Centre in Elleniko/Athens from around 2pm to 6pm every day until October 29 and on October 30 at Schinias Rowing center nearby the historic place of Marathon from 2.30pm to 6.30pm before running the Athens Classic Marathon on Sunday.

Marine Corps Marathon marks 2,500th anniversary of Pheidippides' historic run

The story of the world's most famous marathoner may be more apocryphal than historic, but the athletic movement he inspired could be hitting its stride exactly 2,500 years later. On Sunday, more than 20,000 runners will attempt to emulate Pheidippides' run - minus his signature gack at the finish

History of the original marathon

The modern Athens Marathon commemorates the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C.

Yemen cargo bomb plot: female student arrested

The 22-year-old woman, named locally as Hanan al Samawi, was traced through a phone number left with a cargo company. Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, said the information that identified her was provided by the US and the United Arab Emirates.

Miss USA crowned Miss World amid political tensions

Miss USA Alexandria Mills, 18, celebrates after she won the Miss World 2010 title in Sanya, on the Chinese island of Hainan
The hotly-tipped pre-tournament favourite Miss Norway failed to make the top five, with Miss United States being crowned the winner.

Oct 30, 2010

BBC News - Protests delay Rome film festival launch

Hundreds of actors, directors, screenwriters and other film industry workers invaded the red carpet

Actresses Keira Knightley and Eva Mendes sidestepped the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival opening after protesters picketed the event.

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Miniature livers 'grown in lab'

Organ for transplant
There is a shortage of organs for transplant
Scientists have managed to produce a small-scale version of a human liver in the laboratory using stem cells.
The success increases hope that new transplant livers could be manufactured, although experts say that this is still many years away.
The team from Wake Forest University

Afghan President Karzai criticises US-Russia drugs raid

Hamid Karzai (25 October 2010)
Mr Karzai said Afghanistan's relationship with Russia had to be based on mutual consent
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has criticised the first joint operation by Russian and US agents to destroy drug laboratories in his country.Mr Karzai said he had not been informed of Russia's participation - a sensitive issue in Afghanistan ..

Argentina buries former leader Nestor Kirchner

Rio Gallegos is mourning its most celebrated son

Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner has been buried in his home town of Rio Gallegos.

Thousands of people waving flags joined the funeral procession led by his widow, current President Cristina Fernandez, before a private ceremony.

EU leaders clinch pact to defend euro

David Cameron: ''We protected the UK taxpayer"
EU leaders say tough new budget rules agreed at their summit in Brussels will protect the euro from a future Greek-style debt crisis.
The EU "sealed a solid pact to strengthen the euro," said European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

China reassures US on key 'rare earth' minerals

Oxides of rare earth metals
Rare earth metals come from China - they are vital for production of a range of electronic items
China has reassured the US it has no intention of withholding "rare earth" minerals from the market, the US Secretary of State has said.China suspended export of the metals, key to some high-tech industries, to Japan after a

Bomb was designed to explode on cargo plane

The circuit board on the printer found inside the package intercepted in Dubai
The printer found in Dubai had a circuit board linked to a mobile phone card
Prime Minister David Cameron says the device in a package sent from Yemen and found on a US-bound cargo plane was designed to go off on the aircraft.But Mr Cameron said investigators could not yet be certain about when the device,

Nigerian leaders urge calm after ethnic violence flares

People of Dogo Nahawa, near Jos gather at the scene of a mass burial of their kinsmen killed during a religious crisis (file image from March 8, 2010)
Violence between the two communities flared up in March this year
Community leaders in Nigeria's Plateau State are appealing for calm in villages outside the city of Jos. At least six people - women and children - were killed, cattle slaughtered and homes burned in one village this week.

Yahoo News

Oct 29, 2010

Battle of Marathon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Battle of Marathon (Greek: Μάχη τοῦ Μαραθῶνος, Machē tou Marathōnos) took place in 490 BC, or 2.500 years ago, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes. It was the culmination of the first attempt by Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate Greece. The first Persian invasion was a response to Greek involvement in the Ionian Revolt, when Athens and Eretria had sent a force to support the cities of Ionia in their attempt to overthrow Persian rule. The Athenians and Eretrians had succeeded in capturing and burning Sardis, but were then forced to retreat with heavy losses. In response to this raid, the Persian king Darius I swore to have revenge on Athens and Eretria.

The Peoples Voice News

Permalink Barack Obama: The oligarchs' president

The director of "Inside Job" writes about Obama's depressingly rational decision to give in to Wall Street. When I first decided to make a documentary about the financial crisis, in late 2008, my biggest question was how to handle Barack Obama. Alas, the answer rapidly became all too clear, as my film "Inside Job" shows in painful detail.

Permalink The 2010 elections, the working class and the Democratic Party

With only a few days remaining in the 2010 election campaign, one thing is certain: the Obama administration and the Democratic Party are preparing a further lurch to the right. Four years after a massive turnout at the polls to repudiate the Republican-controlled Congress and give the Democrats the majority, and two years after the election of Barack Obama to the White House by a margin of 7 million votes, the administration’s right-wing policies have shattered the popular illusions raised by Obama’s vague appeals to “hope” and “change.”

Permalink Millions march in France against pension cuts

Millions of workers and students took to the streets across France Thursday to protest final approval by the National Assembly of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension “reform” bill. The French economy was still crippled by gasoline shortages due to ongoing refinery and port strikes.

Permalink Bluegrass Tea: How Rand Paul, Tea Party Darling, Learned to Love Mitch McConnell and the GOP Establishment

Rand Paul came to to the GOP table as an outsider, but there's no way to win without holding hands with the ultimate insider -- the Senate minority leader. So he is.

Permalink Earnings of FTSE 100 chiefs up 55% over past year

FTSE 100 company directors saw their total earnings soar by an average of 55 per cent during the past year in a startling recovery from short-lived restraint during the recession, according to research to be published today.

Permalink Foreclosuregate Explained: Big Banks on the Brink

Scandal is spreading across Wall St. like a very bad case of poison ivy. A rash of fraudulent home foreclosures has exposed some of the nation's biggest banks to an even worse condition ... bankruptcy.

Permalink Economy Soaring - For the Few

Paraguay's economy is currently growing at the fastest rate in Latin America, due to by growing demand and high prices for agricultural products, especially soy, which is driving the expansion. But the question is whether the benefits of the boom will trickle down to the poor majority.

Permalink America's Jobs Losses are Permanent

Now that a few Democrats and the remnants of the AFL-CIO are waking up to the destructive impact of jobs offshoring on the US economy and millions of American lives, globalism’s advocates have resurrected Dartmouth economist Matthew Slaughter’s discredited finding of several years ago that jobs offshoring by US corporations increases employment and wages in the US.

Permalink Trade deal 'threatens net freedom'

Internet users could be prosecuted for downloading certain content under a proposed trade agreement, critics say. A new trade agreement being negotiated behind closed doors by officials from the United States, European Union and other countries could drastically reduce internet freedom, a group of more than 70 legal experts have warned. The government of Barack Obama, the US president, could initiate the far reaching Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) at the beginning of next year, without a vote in congress, leading critics to call it anti-democratic in a letter released on Thursday.

Permalink BP dispersants 'causing sickness'

Investigation by Al Jazeera online correspondent finds toxic illnesses linked to BP oil dispersants along Gulf coast. Denise Rednour of Long Beach, Mississippi, has been sick with chemical poisoning since July. Two-year-old Gavin Tillman of Pass Christian, Mississippi, has been diagnosed with severe upper respiratory, sinus, and viral infections. His temperature has reached more than 39 degrees since September 15, yet his sicknesses continue to worsen. His parents, some doctors, and environmental consultants believe the child's ailments are linked to exposure to chemicals spilt by BP during its Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. Gavin's father, mother, and cousin, Shayleigh, are also facing serious health problems. Their symptoms are being experienced by many others living along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Permalink A Boot to the Head ...from Michael Moore (with Video)

There she was, thrown to the pavement by a Republican in a checkered shirt. Another Republican thrusts his foot in between her legs and presses down with all his weight to pin her to the curb. Then a Republican leader comes over and viciously stomps on her head with his foot. You hear her glasses crunch under the pressure. Holding her head down with his foot, he applies more force so she can't move. Her skull and brain are now suffering a concussion. The young woman's name is Lauren Valle, but she is really all of us. For come this Tuesday, the right wing -- and the wealthy who back them -- plan to take their collective boot and bring it down hard on not just the head of Barack Obama but on the heads of everyone they simply don't like.

Permalink Baby Boomers: Get Out of the Stock Market Now, the Rug is Being Pulled Out By Insiders

If you're a baby boomer who still believes in the stock market since the financial collapse of 2008, listen up. The floor of this Ponzi scheme is about to drop out, leaving you punching a clock for some time to come and holding an empty retirement bag for your effort. The engineered crash is coming and the elite are jumping ship in droves -- you should join them and get out ASAP.

Permalink The Fed is fuelling the catastrophe of fast rising raw material prices

The OECD predicts that by the end of the decade, average wheat and coarse grain prices will be 15pc to 40pc higher in real terms. The answer to this question, according to a recent OECD and UN Food and Agriculture Organisation report is a definitive no; global agricultural production is on track to satisfy the expected long-term increase in demand, the OECD reckons. Yet it's little thanks to public policy, which in combination with the current craze among financial speculators for commodities, seems hell bent on driving up prices to what for millions of the world's poor may be starvation levels.

Permalink Reappearance of Huge Plumes of Oil is Making It Hard to Pretend that the Problem Has Disappeared

There is a flood of information coming out on the Gulf oil spill. Why? The reappearance of huge plumes of oil is making it hard to pretend that it has all gone away. Here's a roundup of some of the Gulf oil headlines from just the last 4 days:

Russia's hungry bears dig up graves for food

MOSCOW – Famished bears in northern Russia have resorted to digging up graves in cemeteries - and reportedly eating at least one body - after a scorching summer destroyed their natural food sources of forest berries and mushrooms, officials said Thursday.

US 'cool-headed' approach to China

US SECRETARY of State Hillary Clinton (pic) left yesterday on a two-week Asia trip to pursue what an aide called "cool-headed, constructive diplomacy" with China and boost US ties with Pacific neighbours.

Far-right Israelis, Arab youths clash


A protester prepares to throw a stone towards Israeli riot police during clashes in Umm el-Fahm yesterday. Israeli police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse Arabs. Picture: Reuters

War-hit countries 'most corrupt'


28 Oct 10 - WAR-torn Somalia is perceived as the most corrupt country in the world War-torn states are still seen as being the most corrupt in the world, according to a new report from Transparency International.The Berlin-based watchdog monitors perceived...

Turkey crash kills tourists

A BUS carrying French tourists slammed into a car on Thursday, killing six French citizens and the car's driver, an official said. Eighteen other passengers were injured in the accident near the Mediterranean resort of Antalya, local governor Salih Isik said. Ambulances and a helicopter transported the injured to hospitals in the area. The cause of accident is under investigation.


Putin tries to mask black eye

VLADIMIR Putin, who has carved out a health nut image by wrestling with tigers or judo opponents, raised eyebrows yesterday as he was pictured swollen-faced and caked in make-up, apparently to mask a black eye.

First ever minaret in the Arctic

The Inuvik Mosque after completion in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada. The small mosque arrived in the Arctic to serve a growing Muslim population in Canada's far north. Picture: AFP
CANADIAN Muslims have erected the Arctic's first minaret, atop a little yellow mosque which serves as spiritual home to the area's fledgling Islamic community.

Naples to be garbage-free

29 Oct 10 - HUNDREDS of tonnes of festering trash lying uncollected in the streets of Naples will be cleaned up "within three days," Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said yesterday. Berlusconi also said the stench from a landfill in the town...

Panama suspends trade talks with Colombia

PANAMA suspended free trade talks with Colombia after bargaining stalled ahead of a Friday deadline, even though much of the pact was completed, one of the Central American nation's negotiators said. Talks hit an impasse over agricultural issues, market access and customs cooperation, said Francisco Alvarez, Pamana's deputy trade minister.

Pakistan seeks intel sharing to thwart attacks in West


Pakistani Interior Minister, Rehman Malik exchanges documents with visiting British Home Secretary, Theresa May, at a signing ceremony in Islamabad. Pakistan called for greater intelligence sharing to pre-empt terrorist attacks in Britain. Picture: AFP

Egypt campuses no place for politics

 

Asian Muslim women chat after praying inside the women's prayer hall of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt. Al-Azhar is one of Cairo's oldest mosques and the world's oldest university.Picture: EPA

Palestine and Egypt say Mideast focused on talks

PALESTINIAN President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday he was still focused on a return to direct peace talks with Israel but looking at alternatives. Abbas, speaking alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, repeated his demand for a halt to Jewish settlement building on occupied land before any return to peace talks. Abbas said his first choice was a return to those negotiations, which Washington hopes can resolve major issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within a year with the goal of establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.

US, Japan hit back at China's muscle flexing

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton (L) arrives with Japanese Foreign Minister, Seiji Maehara, for a press conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. Picture: AFP

China says Hu open to discussing French G20 proposals


Chinese President Hu Jintao (L), his wife Liu Yongqing (2nd L), French President Nicolas Sarkozy (3rd R) and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (R) arrive at the banquet of the opening ceremony of the World Expo in Shanghai, China. Picture: EPA

Oct 28, 2010

Learn a Second Language, Buy a Language Schools Franchise Worldwide

LimeWire filesharing site ordered to close

LimeWire
LimeWire has been shut down by a US court who found that the service had been used to infringe copyright on a huge scale
The ruling follows a long-running legal dispute with the Recording Industry Association of America, which represents the major record labels and accused Lime Wire, the company behind the LimeWire service, of infringing copyright.

Halloween Movie, Pumpkin Carving, Decorations, Witches, Costumes

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