Wednesday, May 19, 2010

US oil spill size hugely underestimated




US oil spill size hugely underestimated (plus 34 more items)

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US oil spill size hugely underestimated

Posted: 14 May 2010 06:13 PM PDT

American scientists and environmental groups have questioned government's estimation on the size of the Gulf of Mexico oil leak, charging that it is grossly underestimate.

Ian R. MacDonald, an oceanographer at Florida State University and an expert in analyzing oil slicks, charges US government scientists have hastily calculated the figure using a method not specifically recommended for major oil spills, The New York Timesreported.

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US let BP drill in Gulf without permits

Posted: 14 May 2010 06:04 PM PDT

New information on the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has come to light indicating that the US government allowed BP to drill in the area without proper permits.

Federal records show that the Minerals Management Service (MMS) gave BP the green light for drilling, in violation of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

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Bangkok clashes leave 10 dead

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:23 PM PDT

At least ten people have been killed in Bangkok as security forces clash with anti-government protesters in a renewed push to reclaim the city center.

On Friday, Thai troops scuffled with the red-shirted protesters in an area of luxury hotels and department stores in central Bangkok.

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Israeli to admit to starving child

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:52 PM PDT

An ultra-orthodox Israeli who is accused of starving her already-ailing infant is expected to admit the charges in court.

The woman was found to be cutting the feeding tube off her three-year-old son who was in hospital for malnourishment.

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Palestinians rally on Nakba Day

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:46 PM PDT

Thousands of Palestinian refugees have gathered in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon to remember the 62nd anniversary of the Israeli occupation of their homelands.

A total of some 6,000 Gazans gathered in the Jabaliya and Nuseirat refugee camps in the northern and central parts of the strip on Friday on the occasion of the May 15, 1948 Nakba Day or 'the day of the catastrophe,' AFP reported. Some of the demonstrators carried the keys to the confiscated homes.

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3 NATO soldiers fall in Afghanistan

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:29 PM PDT

The war in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of three foreign soldiers amid an upsurge in attacks against the US-led troops in the country.

NATO said in a statement on Friday that troops were killed in separate attacks over the past 24 hours.

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General sees no winner in Afghan war

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:18 PM PDT

The top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, says neither coalition forces nor the Taliban are winning the war in the country.

"I'd be prepared to say nobody is winning at this point," General McChrystal said in an interview with PBS radio in Washington on Thursday.

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Bomb attack kills 25 in Iraqi stadium

Posted: 14 May 2010 02:05 PM PDT

A car bomb has been detonated at a football stadium in northern Iraq, killing 25 people and wounding some 100 others, police sources say.

The attack occurred in the town of Tal Afar west of the violence-hit city of Mosul on Friday, AFP reported.

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Bomb attacks at Iraqi stadium kill 25

Posted: 14 May 2010 02:05 PM PDT

Two consecutive explosions during a football match at a crowded stadium in the northern Iraq kill 25 people and wound some 100 others.

The blasts occurred in the town of Tal Afar, west of the violence-hit city of Mosul on Friday, AFP reported.

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No sign of fraud after Iraq vote recount

Posted: 14 May 2010 01:55 PM PDT

Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission says it has found no evidence of fraud after manually recounting the votes cast at Baghdad's polling stations.

"We finished the recount of 11,298 ballot boxes and no violation or fraud has been found," AFP quoted the commission's spokesman Qassim al-Abboudi as saying on Friday.

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UN group to probe Israeli crimes

Posted: 14 May 2010 01:50 PM PDT

A UN panel is to investigate the ongoing unlawful actions taken by Israel against Palestinians, despite the resumption of so called "proximity" talks.

The UN special committee investigating Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territories said in a recent account that "in addition to the grave situation caused by Israel's unlawful colonial settlement campaign and the continuing illegal blockade of Gaza Strip, Israel has granted itself the power to arbitrarily detain, imprison and deport Palestinian civilians for being 'infiltrators,'" a Press TV correspondent reported.

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Violence spreads in south Kyrgyzstan

Posted: 14 May 2010 01:43 PM PDT

Tensions are mounting in Kyrgyzstan as violence spreads in the south -- a Bakiyev stronghold, leaving at least one person dead and 58 others injured.

On Friday, supporters of the ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who is currently living in exile in Belarus, clashed with supporters of the interim government.

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Yemen deputy PM escapes 'attack'

Posted: 14 May 2010 01:20 PM PDT

Yemen's deputy prime minister for internal affairs, Sadiq Ameen Abu Ras, has escaped an unsuccessful assassination attempt in southern part of the country.

Abu Ras told AFP on Friday that no one had been injured in the attack. His guards, meanwhile, arrested three of the attackers.

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Iran, Tajikistan to boost defense ties

Posted: 14 May 2010 12:44 PM PDT

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi and the foreign minister of Tajikistan, Hamrokhon Zarifi, have discussed mutual defense issues as well as the region.

During the meeting held in Dushanbe on Friday, Zarifi described defense cooperation between Iran and Tajikistan as "very important and strategic," IRNA reported.

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Cleric: Iran active in diplomacy

Posted: 14 May 2010 12:34 PM PDT

Senior Iranian cleric Hojjatoleslam Kazem Seddiqi says hosting the 2010 Group of 15 summit indicates the Islamic Republic's prowess in diplomacy.

"Holding this summit with the participation of at least eight presidents as well as the high-ranking officials from the member states ... shows the authority of Iran and the Islamic establishment," Borna News Agency quoted him as saying.

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France council: Burqa ban 'illegal'

Posted: 14 May 2010 12:26 PM PDT

France's top legal advisory body has repeated its call over the legal viability of a bill that would ban wearing the face-covering veil, burqa, in public.

Just days before the bill is discussed in the French cabinet, the State Council once again raised questions over constitutionality of the move after a meeting with government officials on Wednesday, Paris daily Le Figaro reported Friday.

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Deadly clashes erupt in Thai capital

Posted: 14 May 2010 10:57 AM PDT

Tensions are running high in Bangkok as security forces open fire on anti-government protesters in a renewed effort to reclaim the city center.

On Friday, Thai troops scuffled with the red-shirted protesters in an area of luxury hotels and department stores in central Bangkok.

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Cameron says can make coalition work

Posted: 14 May 2010 10:40 AM PDT

Amid mounting concerns in the Conservative party over a coalition with Liberal Democrats, the British prime minister says the Tories have a "common agenda" with their new partners.

David Cameron, who now leads Britain's first coalition government since 1945, said in a Friday press conference that the coalition will yield good results.

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Blast hits Iraq football match

Posted: 14 May 2010 10:15 AM PDT

Suicide bombers have struck a football match in northern Iraq, leaving at least 25 people dead and many more wounded.

The blast targeted a game taking place in the town of Tal Afar, around 60km west of the city of Mosul.

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Iraq vote recount reveals no fraud

Posted: 14 May 2010 09:19 AM PDT

No instances of fraud have been found in Iraq's March 7 election after the electoral commission completed a manual recount of votes in Baghdad.

"We finished the recount of 11,298 ballot boxes and no violations or fraud have been found," Qassim al-Abboudi, an electoral commission spokesman, said on Friday.

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Pakistan Taliban in overthrow call

Posted: 14 May 2010 09:08 AM PDT

The Pakistani Taliban has in a new video called for Pakistan's rulers to be overthrown for following "America's agenda", warning that the US will soon "burn".

Pakistan has been battling the group, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban and accused of numerous suicide bombings killing hundreds of people across the country.

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The new cabinet ministerial appointments

Posted: 14 May 2010 09:04 AM PDT

The cabinet positions in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government as they come in
. Prime Minister - David Cameron
· Deputy Prime Minister - Nick Clegg

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Hague to reassure Clinton over Iran

Posted: 14 May 2010 08:59 AM PDT

William Hague the British foreign secretary is due to travel to Washington today. He will reassure Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the new British government will take hard stance over Iran.

Analysts believe that the first international visit by the new British Foreign Secretary to US only 3 days after the formation of new coalition government is intended to send signals both to Iran and United States.

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APA to set up virtual parliament

Posted: 14 May 2010 08:25 AM PDT

Member of Asian Parliamentary Political Committee has announced that they are planning to set up a virtual parliament between APA and Asian countries.

On the sidelines of the second day of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) Standing Committee on Political Affairs meeting in Tehran, Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament (Majles), Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi told reporters that "four draft resolutions were reviewed and passed."

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Erdogan to arrive in Tehran soon

Posted: 14 May 2010 08:15 AM PDT

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to arrive in Tehran on Sunday to hold a trilateral meeting with Iranian and Brazilian presidents.

Apart from holding trilateral talks with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the Turkish prime minister is invited to take part in the inaugural meeting of G-15.

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Afghan protest turns violent

Posted: 14 May 2010 08:02 AM PDT

One Afghan protester has been killed in eastern part of the country as thousands of people were protesting against the killing of 11 civilians by US-led troops.

Head of the local provincial council, Hajji Jamal, said that one of the protesters had been shot dead.

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Dozens die in India electrocution

Posted: 14 May 2010 07:28 AM PDT

At least 28 wedding guests have been killed in India after their bus ran into a power cable in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

"There was a metal cabinet on top of the bus which came in contact with a high-voltage power cable, resulting in the electrocution of 28 of the wedding guests," KK Sharma, the police chief, said on Friday.

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Spanish judge Garzon suspended

Posted: 14 May 2010 07:08 AM PDT

Baltasar Garzon, one of Spain's highest ranking judges, has been suspended from his post ahead of his trial for overreaching his authority in a probe linked to Franco-era crimes.

The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), the body that oversees the judiciary, decided unanimously to suspend Garzon on Friday, two days after the country's supreme court cleared the way for his trial.

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Jakarta foils assassination plot

Posted: 14 May 2010 06:57 AM PDT

Indonesian police have uncovered a plot to kill Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the president, and other senior government officials, authorities have said.

General Bambang Hendarso Danuri, the national police chief, said on Friday that a group of attackers planned to launch their assault during this year's independence day ceremony and declare an Islamic state.

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Disputed Nile agreement signed

Posted: 14 May 2010 06:36 AM PDT

Four African countries have signed a new treaty on the equitable sharing of the Nile waters despite strong opposition from Egypt and Sudan who have the major share of the river waters.

Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania - four of nine Nile Basin countries - signed the new framework on Friday while Kenya issued a support statement.

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Deadly clashes erupt in Bangkok

Posted: 14 May 2010 05:54 AM PDT

At least three people have been killed and 45 others injured after clashes erupted in the Thai capital as security forces attempted to seal off an anti-government protest camp.

Explosions and gunfire were heard in Bangkok's business district on Friday as the so-called red shirts battled with troops using tear gas and rubber bullets.

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Turkey and Greek PMs hail 'new era'

Posted: 14 May 2010 05:49 AM PDT

The prime ministers of Greece and Turkey have met in a bid to ease tensions between their nations and open a "new era" in relations.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Athens, the Greek capital, on Friday, marking the first official visit by a Turkish prime minister in six years.

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Clashes erupt in south Kyrgyzstan

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:38 AM PDT

One person has been killed and many others injured in southern Kyrgyzstan as backers of the interim government moved to regain control of buildings seized by supporters of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the ousted president.

Gunfire broke out in the city of Jalal'abad on Friday, while in Osh, supporters of the two sides threw stones and hit each other with sticks.

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Thai troops close in on red shirts

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:35 AM PDT

At least one person has been killed and 12 others injured after clashes broke out as security forces attempted to seal off an encampment used by anti-government protesters.

Explosions and gunfire were heard in Bangkok's business district on Friday as the so-called red shirts battled with troops using tear gas and rubber bullets.

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Nigeria ruling party chairman quits

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:21 AM PDT

The chairman of Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) has resigned after being charged with conspiracy and fraud, state radio has said.

Vincent Ogbulafor submitted his letter of resignation amid mounting pressure after being charged with conspiring, along with four other people, to siphon off $1.5m in public funds while he was a government minister in 2001.

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