Saturday, January 1, 2011
liverpools stricker Fernando Torres goes to Barcelona
With the January transfer window opening in just a few days, Barcelona are reportedly set to try and sign Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas
Barca's new shirt sponsorship deal with the Qatar Foundation has given them the funds to make some major moves in the transfer market and according to The Mirror, the Spaniards are ready to raid the Premier League for two of its best players.
Fabregas has long been a transfer target for the Catalan club, with the Arsenal midfielder seeming to be close to moving to Camp Nou last summer only to be talked into staying in north London.
But the Spain international is believed to be keen on still playing for the La Liga giants and should a bid be made, Arsenal may find it hard to hold on to the midfielder.
Liverpool striker Torres has not enjoyed the best of seasons so far and has also been linked with Barca's rivals Real Madrid.
The former Atletico Madrid forward was linked with a move away from Anfield last summer only to pledge his future to the Merseysiders, but after a disappointing first half to the season may opt to leave the club unless its new owners NESV decide to invest in new players to such an extent that Roy Hodgson's side become serious title challengers again.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Senate votes down McCain amendment to the START treaty
Washington-- Senate Democrats defeated a Republican amendment Saturday that would have taken out language that recognizes a relationship between offensive and defensive weapons from the preamble of the New START treaty, the proposed nuclear arms treaty with Russia.
The vote was 59-37 against the amendment, which was put forward by Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. He had argued the language would constrain American plans for missile defense.
The vote against the amendment helps to clear the way for the Senate to debate ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty -- known as New START -- though it is unclear when a final vote might take place.
If the amendment had passed, Democrats had said the United States would have been required to go back to Russia and renegotiate the treaty.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted for ratification of the accord in September. A vote from the full Senate has yet to occur.
The treaty would resume mutual inspections of U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, while limiting both nations to 1,550 warheads and 700 launchers each.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Obama's $858 billion tax-cut plan heads to House | Reuters
"(Reuters) - A deal that President Barack Obama struck with Republicans to extend tax cuts for nearly every working American and spur job growth moves to the House of Representatives for passage as early as Thursday.
Many of Obama's fellow Democrats in that chamber strongly oppose the measure as favoring the wealthy, and are still angry with him for cutting the deal with Republicans without them.
'We have a situation where we have a proposal before us that gives 6,600 families in America $25 billion and holds the rest of the provisions in the bill, (such as) low-income tax cuts, hostage to that blackmail,' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday, referring to a provision on the estate tax.
Still, most analysts believe the deal, which has already received overwhelming bipartisan approval in the Senate, will pass the House with substantial backing from Republicans and some Democrats.
The legislation would extend for two years income tax cuts enacted under Republican former President George W. Bush, with Democrats backing off their earlier fervent opposition to extending the cuts for the richest Americans. The Bush-era cuts are due to expire at the end of 2010 unless Congress acts."
Many of Obama's fellow Democrats in that chamber strongly oppose the measure as favoring the wealthy, and are still angry with him for cutting the deal with Republicans without them.
'We have a situation where we have a proposal before us that gives 6,600 families in America $25 billion and holds the rest of the provisions in the bill, (such as) low-income tax cuts, hostage to that blackmail,' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday, referring to a provision on the estate tax.
Still, most analysts believe the deal, which has already received overwhelming bipartisan approval in the Senate, will pass the House with substantial backing from Republicans and some Democrats.
The legislation would extend for two years income tax cuts enacted under Republican former President George W. Bush, with Democrats backing off their earlier fervent opposition to extending the cuts for the richest Americans. The Bush-era cuts are due to expire at the end of 2010 unless Congress acts."
Warming temps in South, but winter storm hammers upper Plains
Atlanta, Georgia Temperatures were slowing warming Thursday across the South, where freezing rain glazed roads with ice, but a sprawling winter storm system remained in place across the upper Plains states.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and advisories for more than a dozen states. The brunt of the system is poised to hit Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, but several inches of snow are forecast for portions of Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as Minnesota and the Dakotas. Winter weather advisories stretched into Wisconsin and Minnesota.
In Kentucky, up to a quarter-inch of ice could accumulate on roadways, the weather service warned, in addition to previously fallen snow. Three to six inches of snow were forecast for eastern Virginia.
The low pressure system laid down an icy path across northern Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi on Wednesday. Scores of traffic accidents were reported Wednesday night and early Thursday.
WikiLeaks' Assange granted bail
"London (CNN) -- WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange was granted bail by a London court Thursday, meaning he is free to leave jail until his next scheduled court hearing in January.
He must stay at the mansion of a supporter outside London, report to the police daily, wear an electronic tag to monitor his location, and put up 200,000 pounds (about $310,000) in bail money, plus two further 20,000-pound sureties (about $31,500 each), the judge ruled.
Judge Duncan Ouseley said he did not regard Assange as a fugitive and there was no concrete evidence to believe he'd abscond.
Assange 'clearly has some desire to clear his name,' the judge said, adding that if he failed to appear in court, the 'charges would always be hanging over his head.'"
He must stay at the mansion of a supporter outside London, report to the police daily, wear an electronic tag to monitor his location, and put up 200,000 pounds (about $310,000) in bail money, plus two further 20,000-pound sureties (about $31,500 each), the judge ruled.
Judge Duncan Ouseley said he did not regard Assange as a fugitive and there was no concrete evidence to believe he'd abscond.
Assange 'clearly has some desire to clear his name,' the judge said, adding that if he failed to appear in court, the 'charges would always be hanging over his head.'"
Housing starts rise in November, but permits drop | Reuters
"(Reuters) - Housing starts rose slightly more than expected in November, but a surprise drop in permits for future home construction to a 1-1/2 year low indicated continued weakness in the housing market even as the economic recovery gains traction.
The Commerce Department said on Thursday housing starts rose 3.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 555,000 units. October's starts were revised up to a 534,000-unit pace from the previously reported 1-1/2 year low rate of 519,000 units.
Analysts polled by Reuters had expected housing starts to rise to a 550,000-unit rate.
Despite last month's pick-up in residential construction, housing remains weak as a 9.8 percent unemployment rate weighs on demand and homeowners' ability to hang on to their properties, lagging an acceleration in broader economic activity."
The Commerce Department said on Thursday housing starts rose 3.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 555,000 units. October's starts were revised up to a 534,000-unit pace from the previously reported 1-1/2 year low rate of 519,000 units.
Analysts polled by Reuters had expected housing starts to rise to a 550,000-unit rate.
Despite last month's pick-up in residential construction, housing remains weak as a 9.8 percent unemployment rate weighs on demand and homeowners' ability to hang on to their properties, lagging an acceleration in broader economic activity."
Nepal’s former crown prince freed on bail - Arab News
"KATMANDU, Nepal: Nepal’s former crown prince was freed on bail Thursday after being detained for firing a gun into the air after an argument, officials said.
Paras Shah had been held by police since Tuesday after firing his gun into the air following a weekend argument with two guests at a restaurant in a jungle resort in Chitwan, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the capital, Katmandu.
Chitwan’s chief government administrator, Basanta Raj Gautam, said Shah was released on bail and flown out on a helicopter. He did not give details about the conditions of the release.
Shah, the only son of deposed King Gyanendra, has admitted firing his gun after the argument Saturday but defended his action, saying he could not bear to hear insults against his family and country.
He said in a statement earlier this week that the two guests had made “baseless and provocative remarks against his role and the institution he represented.” Shah said he left the restaurant, returned half an hour later and fired his gun into the air once, without harming anyone or causing damage."
Paras Shah had been held by police since Tuesday after firing his gun into the air following a weekend argument with two guests at a restaurant in a jungle resort in Chitwan, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the capital, Katmandu.
Chitwan’s chief government administrator, Basanta Raj Gautam, said Shah was released on bail and flown out on a helicopter. He did not give details about the conditions of the release.
Shah, the only son of deposed King Gyanendra, has admitted firing his gun after the argument Saturday but defended his action, saying he could not bear to hear insults against his family and country.
He said in a statement earlier this week that the two guests had made “baseless and provocative remarks against his role and the institution he represented.” Shah said he left the restaurant, returned half an hour later and fired his gun into the air once, without harming anyone or causing damage."
Official: Bomb hits Afghan minibus, killing 14
KABUL, Afghanistan: A roadside bomb destroyed a crowded minibus Thursday in western Afghanistan, killing 14 passengers who were all members of an extended family, a provincial official said.
Violence has been on the rise across much of Afghanistan, even as the White House released a generally positive review of its military strategy here.
Rafi Behrozan, the spokesman for the Herat governor, said four others were wounded in the powerful morning blast in the Kushk Kuhna district of Herat province. Two additional bombs were found nearby on the same road but were defused by Afghan policemen, he added.
“The explosion was very strong and the vehicle was destroyed. The majority of these aboard were killed,” Behrozan said.
The US government review released Thursday said that President Barack Obama’s expansion of the war in Afghanistan has eroded the power of the Al-Qaeda terrorists who attacked America in 2001 and the resurgent Taleban militants who gave them cover.
But the picture on the ground is more complicated.
There have been numerous successes with rounding up those seen as ringleaders, but violence and insecurity have also increased in areas outside of the Taleban heartland in the south.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
U.S. Sues BP and Other Companies Over Gulf Spill
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Wednesday suedBP and eight other companies in the Gulf oil spill disaster in an effort to recover billions of dollars from the largest offshore spill in U.S. history.
The Obama administration's lawsuit asks that the companies be held liable without limitation under the Oil Pollution Act for all removal costs and damages caused by the oil spill, including damages to natural resources. The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties under the Clean Water Act.
"We intend to prove these violations caused or contributed to the massive oil spill," Attorney General Eric Holder told a news conference.
The amount of damages and the extent of injuries sustained by the United States as a result of the Deepwater Horizon Spill are not yet fully known, the lawsuit states.
An explosion that killed 11 workers at BP's Macondo well last April led to oil spewing from the company's undersea well — more than 200 million gallons in all by the government's estimate. BP disputes the figure.
The department filed the suit in federal court in New Orleans.
The other defendants in the case are Anadarko Exploration & Production LP andAnadarko Petroleum Corp.; MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC; Triton Asset Leasing GMBH;Transocean Holdings LLC and Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc. and Transocean Deepwater Inc.; and BP's insurer, QBE Underwriting Ltd./Lloyd's Syndicate 1036.
Anadarko and MOEX are minority owners of the well that blew out. Transocean owned the rig that BP was leasing.Color E-Readers Open Way for Picture Books
Millions of consumers have embraced black-and-white e-readers like the Kindle for reading simple novels or nonfiction — but books with color illustrations have generally remained better read in print.
Some of the most popular children’s picture books of all time will be available, including some of the “Olivia” picture books, published by Simon & Schuster. Other titles are “Ad Hoc at Home,” a lavish cookbook by the chefThomas Keller; “Beginnings,” by the photographer Anne Geddes and “In the National Parks,” a photograph collection by Ansel AdamsNow publishers are making headway in converting their enormous libraries of illustrated titles to e-books, hoping to capitalize on the growing popularity of the Apple iPad and the Nook Color and their ability to showcase books with color photographs and illustrations.
Apple said Tuesday that it was set to make a major push into illustrated books on Wednesday, introducing more than 100 titles to its iBookstore, an assortment of children’s books, photography books and cookbooks.
Rival Accepts Deal, Clearing Path for Maliki to Rule in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Ayad Allawi, who years ago fought off ax-wielding assassins dispatched to London by Saddam Hussein’s secret police, is not a man to concede defeat easily. And he still would not — exactly — on Wednesday.Mr. Allawi did so grudgingly and with conditions, warning that an agreement brokered by the United States to form a broad power-sharing coalition government under Mr. Maliki’s leadership could still unravel.Defeat has come nevertheless, and so has acceptance, perhaps inevitably.
More than nine months after Iraq’s election propelled him to the brink of toppling his main political rival, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, and a month after he vowed he would not join Mr. Maliki’s new government, Mr. Allawi indicated on Wednesday that he would join it after all. That appeared to remove the last major obstacle to Mr. Maliki’s formation of a new government, something he must do by law before Dec. 25.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
'King's Speech' scores 7 Golden Globe nods
"(CNN) -- The critically acclaimed film 'The King's Speech' led the 68th Annual Golden Globe nominations Tuesday morning.
The film starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush scored seven nominations including best film -- drama, best performance by an actor in a motion picture -- drama for Firth, best supporting actress in a motion picture for Carter and best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture for Rush.
'I'm truly grateful to be recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press for this film, and euphoric to be in the company of so many of my colleagues,' Firth said.
'The Social Network' and 'The Fighter' followed with six nominations each, including best film -- drama, joining 'Inception' and 'Black Swan.'
Actors Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes and Blair Underwood joined Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk on Tuesday to announce the nominations."
The film starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush scored seven nominations including best film -- drama, best performance by an actor in a motion picture -- drama for Firth, best supporting actress in a motion picture for Carter and best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture for Rush.
'I'm truly grateful to be recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press for this film, and euphoric to be in the company of so many of my colleagues,' Firth said.
'The Social Network' and 'The Fighter' followed with six nominations each, including best film -- drama, joining 'Inception' and 'Black Swan.'
Actors Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes and Blair Underwood joined Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk on Tuesday to announce the nominations."
Assange granted bail at London court hearing
London (CNN) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was granted bail Tuesday after a hearing at Westminster Magistrate's Court in London.
The 39-year-old Australian handed himself over to London police last week to answer a European arrest warrant over alleged sex crimes in Sweden.
Assange is facing accusations of rape, sexual molestation and illegal use of force in separate incidents in August in Stockholm. He could be sentenced to two years in prison if convicted. His lawyers deny the allegations and have vowed to fight any attempts at extradition.
The magistrate agreed to grant bail Tuesday after Assange's team of attorneys reported that Vaughan Smith, a former British army officer who founded London's Frontline Club, had offered his mansion in Suffolk to Assange.
Smith will keep Assange "if not under house arrest, at least under mansion arrest," said defense attorney Geoffrey Robinson. At that, Assange, dressed in a white shirt and a blue jacket and sitting in a glassed-in corner of the court with three security guards, smiled wryly.
Ben Franklin’s Nation - NYT
"After you read this column, go to YouTube and search “Hans Rosling and 200 countries.” You’ll see a Swedish professor describe the growth of global wealth and well-being over the past 200 years."
He presents an animated time-lapse chart. It starts in 1810, when the nations of the world were clumped on the bottom left-hand side of the chart because they had low income and low life expectancy. Then the industrial revolution kicks in and the nations of the West surge upward and to the right as they get richer and healthier. By 1948, it’s like a race, with the United States out front and the other nations of the world stretched in a long tail behind.
Then, over the last few decades, the social structure of the world changes. The Asian and Latin American countries begin to catch up. With the exception of the African nations, living standards start to converge. Now most countries are clumped toward the top end of the chart, thanks to the incredible reductions in global poverty and improvements in health.
Central Provision of Health Care Law Is Ruled Unconstitutional -NYT
A federal judge in Virginia ruled on Monday that the keystone provision in the Obama health care law is unconstitutional, becoming the first judge to invalidate any part of the sprawling act and ensuring that appellate courts will receive contradictory opinions from below.
The judge, Henry E. Hudson of Federal District Court in Richmond, said the law’s requirement that most Americans obtain insurance exceeded the regulatory authority granted to Congress under the Commerce Clause.
Judge Hudson, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, declined the plaintiff’s request to suspend the act’s implementation pending appeal, meaning there should be no immediate effect on its rollout.
But the ruling seemed likely to create confusion among the public and to further destabilize political support for a law that is under fierce attack from Republicans in Congress and in many statehouses. Party leaders, including the incoming House speaker, Representative John A. Boehnerof Ohio, quickly used the opinion to reiterate their call for repealing the law.
Party defection threatens Pakistan government
"ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ruling coalition was severely undermined Tuesday after a key member said it was joining the opposition because one of its ministers was fired over a corruption scandal.
The announcement by the Islamist party Jamiat Ulema Islam leaves the coalition with just a small majority in the National Assembly and threatens the stability of the weak civilian government whose cooperation is critical to America’s efforts in neighboring Afghanistan.
JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said his party was leaving because one of its ministers was fired after a scandal involving government organized pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.
“JUI is leaving the government from today ... our decision is final,” Rehman said.
That will leave President Asif Ali Zardari’s government with less leverage to push through key legislation. The JUI, for instance, said it will oppose a plan to pass a new sales tax that the government says would bring much needed revenue to the cash-strapped nation.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani fired two members of the Cabinet on Tuesday over the pilgrimage scandal. One was the religious affairs minister and the other, a member of JUI heading the ministry for science and technology."
The announcement by the Islamist party Jamiat Ulema Islam leaves the coalition with just a small majority in the National Assembly and threatens the stability of the weak civilian government whose cooperation is critical to America’s efforts in neighboring Afghanistan.
JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said his party was leaving because one of its ministers was fired after a scandal involving government organized pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.
“JUI is leaving the government from today ... our decision is final,” Rehman said.
That will leave President Asif Ali Zardari’s government with less leverage to push through key legislation. The JUI, for instance, said it will oppose a plan to pass a new sales tax that the government says would bring much needed revenue to the cash-strapped nation.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani fired two members of the Cabinet on Tuesday over the pilgrimage scandal. One was the religious affairs minister and the other, a member of JUI heading the ministry for science and technology."
Kingdom praises Palestine’s recognition
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday praised the recognition of Palestine by Brazil and Argentina as an important development in international support for the legitimate rights of Palestinians.
The Council of Ministers, chaired by Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, also denounced the Israeli move to Judaize Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque’s surroundings. Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay recognized Palestine recently as an independent state based on 1967 borders before the six-day war in which Israel seized Gaza and the West Bank. The Cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh urged the Arab and Islamic Ummah to take a decisive stand to prevent Israel’s flagrant violations that would destabilize the region and the entire world.
The Cabinet reviewed the outcome of last week’s GCC summit in Abu Dhabi, saying the resolutions taken by the two-day conference reflected the hopes and aspirations of the GCC countries and people.
10 injured, 1 seriously, in NY school bus accident
NEW YORK: Officials say an adult was seriously hurt and nine children suffered lesser injuries when a yellow school bus jumped a curb and crashed into the front of a New York City bank.
A spokesman for the fire department says the accident happened Tuesday morning in Brooklyn.
All those injured have been transferred to hospitals.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Bomb hits school bus in Pakistan
"PESHAWAR: A bomb hit a school bus in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Monday, killing a passerby and wounding two young girl students and two others, officials said.
Senior city administration official Siraj Ahmed said the bomb was placed in a dustbin on a roadside.
“When I saw the smoke, I ran toward my teachers at the back (of the bus). The teachers said ‘come, come’. So we got off the bus,” 6-year-old Eman, one of the wounded, said from a hospital where she was lying on a bed with her head bandaged.
The driver of the bus, who was also wounded said the bomb went off shortly after some of the teachers stepped off: “There was a sudden explosion. After that, I did not have my senses. I fell.”
Ahmed said one passerby was killed and the driver, two girl students and another passerby were wounded."
Senior city administration official Siraj Ahmed said the bomb was placed in a dustbin on a roadside.
“When I saw the smoke, I ran toward my teachers at the back (of the bus). The teachers said ‘come, come’. So we got off the bus,” 6-year-old Eman, one of the wounded, said from a hospital where she was lying on a bed with her head bandaged.
The driver of the bus, who was also wounded said the bomb went off shortly after some of the teachers stepped off: “There was a sudden explosion. After that, I did not have my senses. I fell.”
Ahmed said one passerby was killed and the driver, two girl students and another passerby were wounded."
Storms, snow, rains lash Mideast; Madinah valley being evacuated
JEDDAH/BEIRUT: Heavy rain, snow and fierce winds pummeled countries across the Middle East on Sunday for a second day, killing at least four people and wreaking havoc as a months-long drought came to a sudden, drastic end.
Saudi Arabia too braced for inclement weather as the Met office forecast heavy rains and thunderstorms in parts of the Kingdom.
Farm workers and company employees in Jazal Valley in Madinah’s Al-Ula principality have been asked to vacate the area immediately to ensure their safety following heavy rains there.
The Civil Defense gave the warning on Sunday after water levels rose at Jazal Dam. The Presidency for Meteorology and Environment (PME) predicted the possibility of heavy downpours, accompanied by lightning in many parts of the Kingdom on Monday, especially in the southwestern areas of Abha and Baha.
Hussein Al-Qahtani, spokesman for PME, said low temperatures were expected in the eastern and northern parts of the Kingdom, adding that surface winds in these areas would reduce visibility to less than three km, especially in areas between Hafr Al-Baten, Qassim and Rafha.
“We expect the speed of surface winds in the northern and central parts of Red Sea to reach 50 km an hour and waves to reach more than two meters high. It will be the same conditions in the northern part of Arabian Gulf,” the spokesman said.
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