TresSugar

Front Page: Fed Cuts Interest Rate, Judge Orders 17 Freed From Gitmo, Russia Begins Georgia Pull-Out

CitizenSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:58:30 -0700

Fed Cuts Interest Rate:
In an effort to shore up the global market slide, the Federal Reserve and six other major banks worldwid cut interest rates. The Fed downgraded from 2 percent to 1.5 percent. Banks in the UK, China, and Canada followed suit after five days of tumbling stocks. The Fed's action will reduce borrowing costs immediately to US borrowers whose home-equity loans are tied to the prime interest rate.

Judge Orders 17 Freed From Gitmo:
A federal judge ordered the Bush administration to free 17 Guantanamo Bay detainees by the end of the week, the first such order in seven years of disputes over the detentions. The 17 men have been held since 2002 and are members of a western Chinese minority. The judge says, “I think the moment has arrived for the court to shine the light of constitutionality on the reasons for detention."
Russia Begins Georgia Pull-Out:
Russia says its troops are leaving the so-called "buffer zone" around South Ossetia and five of the six checkpoints have been dismantled. Under a ceasefire deal, Moscow has to pull troops out of other areas around South Ossetia by Friday, though they will keep 8,000 troops in areas they've recognized as independent states. The move is part of the deal brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in August.

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Front Page: US to Send $1 Billion to Georgia, New Orleans Residents to Return, North Korea Reassembling Nukes

CitizenSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:01:11 -0700

US to Send $1 Billion to Georgia:
The Bush administration is set to announce $1 billion in aid to help Georgia rebuild after its conflict with Russia last month. The package reflects an increase of support from the administration. In addition, Vice President Cheney has visited the region, and the aid and visit will probably increase tension with Russia.

New Orleans Residents to Return:
Mayor Ray Nagin has given New Orleans residents the go-ahead to return to their homes tomorrow - at their own risk. A curfew will still be in effect, and many homes are without electricity or working toilets. Nagin said, "It's my humble opinion that the city is still in a very, very vulnerable state." 800,000 people are still without power in the state.

North Korea Reassembling Nukes:
North Korea has begun to reassemble its main nuclear facility saying the US has delayed its removal from the list of terror sponsors. In response, Washington has reiterated its condition that North Korea commit to a plan verifying the accounting of the nuclear program submitted in June. The US is talking to North Korean officials to "look for solutions."

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Front Page: Day Four of the Convention - Obama Speaks Tonight, New Orleans May Evacuate, EU Considers Sanctions

CitizenSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:01:31 -0700

Obama Speaks Tonight:
After his surprise appearance on stage with VP nominee Joe Biden last night, Obama is set to deliver his nomination acceptance speech at Invesco Field in front of 75,000 people tonight. On the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, it's scheduled to start at 8 p.m. EST. John McCain may announce his VP pick shortly after.

New Orleans May Evacuate:
City officials have begun preliminary measures to evacuate the city of New Orleans as Hurricane Gustav threatens the coast on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's third anniversary. Gov. Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency and has put 3,000 National Guard troops on standby.

EU Considers Sanctions:
The EU is considering sanctions and more against Russia over the crisis in Georgia. France has called an emergency summit on Monday to reassess relations with Russia after Moscow refused to pull out all of their troops. Meanwhile, Georgia's foreign minister says that ethnic cleansing in South Ossetia is nearly complete.

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Front Page: Shawn Johnson Grabs Gold, Russian Forces Detain Georgian Soldiers, Algeria Bombing Kills 43

CitizenSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:53:25 -0700

Shawn Johnson Grabs Gold:
After three silver place finishes, US Gymnast Shawn Johnson finally won a gold medal for her balance beam routine in the last day of gymnastics competition. Johnson's coach is from Beijing, and her medal in his hometown meant the world. She said, “I really feel like I made him proud.” US teammate Nastia Liukin took silver.

Russian Forces Detain Georgian Soldiers:
Russian soldiers held 21 Georgian soldiers at a Black Sea port today, taking them bound and blindfolded to a military base, allegedly to protect against looters. The incident shows further evidence that Russia is continuing military activity in Georgia despite saying troops will withdraw. Indeed Russian forces are continuing to dig into position along the highway into Tblisi.
Algeria Bombing Kills 43:
A bombing in Algeria at a paramilitary training school killed 43 and left 38 wounded in one of the worst attacks in years. In recent months, the mountainous areas east of Algiers have been hit by numerous attacks by al Qaeda's north Africa unit, though there have been no claims of responsibility for this deadly attack.

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Georgian Conflict Created by Cheney to Make Obama Lose?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:00:57 -0700

Russians were told yesterday morning that the true nature of the conflict in South Ossetia is this: it's a plot hatched by Vice President Dick Cheney to make sure Barack Obama isn't elected president. Is Cheney creating a Cold War 2.0?

This revelation, that the conflict is orchestrated to wing Obama, was first announced on the radio and has been getting wide play. A senior political analyst close to Putin and Medvedev says, “George Bush's Administration is promoting interests of candidate John McCain. Defeated by Barak Obama on all fronts, McCain has one last card to play yet - the creation of a virtual Cold War with Russia . . . Bush himself did not want a war in South Ossetia but his Republican Party did not leave him any choice.”

The notion has reinvigorated Cold War-era talk like this from a former ambassador to the EU:

The West has spent a lot of time, energy and money to teach Georgia the tricks of the trade . . . to make the country look like a democracy. We and many other nations see through this deceit. We understand that the seditious tactics of the so-called color revolutions are a real threat to international law and the source of global legal nihilism.

To see where this idea came from, read more.

Russia's Cold War conclusion comes in no small part from what they perceive to be a compliant US media. One woman from Moscow says, “In the old days under Soviet rule we didn't believe a word of our own propaganda but we thought that information was free in the West and we longed for it. But we have learnt since that the West has its own propaganda and in some ways it is more powerful because people believe it.”

Is there a big US propaganda machine in full effect? Is Cheney pushing the US toward another Cold War just so Obama won't win - or is this just a ridiculous conspriacy theory?

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Front Page: Gold and Gold for US, Bystanders Lift Bus Off Trapped Woman, Diplomatic Efforts for Georgia

CitizenSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:59:42 -0700

Gold and Gold for US:
US Gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson won gold and silver in the women's all-around competition. Liukin held back tears until she was atop the winner's podium and the national anthem played. She said, "standing on the podium and hearing `Olympic champion' next to my name was a dream come true." She's the second US gymnast to win the title in a row. Meanwhile, Michael Phelps continues on his quest to grab gold in all of his events, winning the 200m individual medley. Find more pictures of the events below.
Bystanders Lift Bus Off Trapped Woman:
Dozens of onlookers acted quickly to lift a 5-ton bus off of a pregnant woman trapped underneath. The woman was seven months pregnant at the time of the accident. Despite the crowd's quick action, the baby was saved, though the woman was not. The baby is still in critical condition.

Diplomatic Efforts For Georgia:
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Georgia as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at easing the crisis. Russia still has control of the Georgian town of Gori, and Bush has condemned "bullying" by Russia. Russia in turn is concerned whether the aid being offered by the US is military or humanitarian in nature.

View 5 Photos ›

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Front Page: Phelps Breaks Gold Record, Russian Convoy Violates Truce, Contractors Cost US $85 Billion

CitizenSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:00:50 -0700

Phelps Breaks Gold Record:
US swimmer Michael Phelps has broken the record for most Olympic gold won by scoring his 10th and 11th in a double victory in races today. A win in the 200m butterfly gave him his 4th gold for these Olympics, keeping him on track to take home eight golds for these games. The most golds ever won prior to Phelps was nine.

Russian Convoy Violates Truce:
A Russian military convoy has moved deep into Georgia today in violation of a new truce agreement. Georgia's soldiers have retreated following the truce and the new movement by the Russians surprised the few remaining. The new movement came 12 hours after the cease-fire plan supposed to end the fighting that has uprooted an estimated 100,000 people.

Contractors Cost US $85 Billion:
Between 2003 and 2007 the US government spent $85 billion on contractors to support the Iraq war. The figure is likely to top $100 billion by the end of 2008, according to a review by the Congressional Budget Office. There are currently 190,000 employed on a one-to-one ratio with military personnel. Contractors have been used in Iraq at a much larger scale than in any other major conflict.

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Front Page: Russia Orders Halt to Fighting, More Women in Government, Israel Proposes Deal

CitizenSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:01:52 -0700

Russia Orders Halt to Fighting:
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced today that he's ordered a halt to the military action in Georgia. He did not say whether the troops are pulling out and was clear that Russian forces are still authorized to fire on enemies. Medvedev said that Russia had achieved its military goals during the five days of intense fighting. Georgia claims that raids are still ongoing despite the official halt.

More Women in Government:
A study has found that the number of women in state government leadership positions is on the rise. The number of women leaders almost matches their representation in the general population in six states. The study's author adds, ''the most important thing is the fact that in 36 of the states, women are doing better than they were in 1997, and by better I mean as a comparison of the percentage of women in leadership posts compared with the percentage of women in the state."
Israel Proposes Deal:
Israel has offered up a peace deal to the Palestinians which would annex 7.3 percent of the West Bank while keeping the largest settlements. The Palestinians would be given in return, 5.4 percent of the West Bank. The Palestinians have not formally received the offer but call it totally unacceptable. About 500,000 Israelis live among 2.5 million Palestinians in land that was occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. The two sides have been in US-sponsored peace talks since November.

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Russian Invasion: 1,500 Dead As Russian Troops Raid Georgia

CitizenSugar — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:01:26 -0700

Continuing the invasion begun yesterday, Russia has dispatched hundreds of tanks and troops into the province of South Ossetia today, escalating the conflict. Georgian towns have been bombed through air strikes leaving hundreds of civilians dead and wounded.

Georgia launched a significant offensive maneuver yesterday aimed at retaking control of breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia has close ties to the province and providing them peacekeepers. They responded by sending in convoys of tanks and military aircraft. Georgia is an ally of the US.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that about 1,500 people have been killed, and the death toll is rising.

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Breaking: Russia Invades Georgia

CitizenSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:08:30 -0700

Georgia's president has announced that his country is being attacked by Russian tanks and planes. "Russian troops invaded Georgia. . . all day today they've been bombing Georgia from numerous warplanes and specifically targeting (the) civilian population, and we have scores of wounded and dead among (the) civilian population all around the country."

Georgian troops have launched a military offensive in hopes to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia, which sparked a furious response from Russia who sent a convoy of tanks into the area. The fighting is the worst outbreak of unrest since the province assumed more-or-less independence in 1992.

It appears that two Russian planes have been shot down by Georgian forces and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned the attack with inspire retaliation. Russian aircraft have attacked a military base near the Georgian capital of Tblisi.

So far 15 people have been killed and an unknown number wounded. The situation marks the first time Russian troops have acted on foreign soil since the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989.

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