TresSugar

Front Page: Anthrax Scientist Commits Suicide, Dorm Collapse Kills 16, US Unemployment 4-Year High, Darfur Peace Mission

CitizenSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:56:30 -0700

Anthrax Scientist Suicide:
A top US biodefense researcher, who was of high interest to the FBI in connection with the spate of anthrax mailings following 9/11, has committed suicide. The Justice Department was seriously considering charges against the 62-year-old. The lab where he worked for 18 years was at the center of the FBI investigation into the anthrax attacks that killed five people.

Dorm Collapse Kills 16:
A three-story girls' dorm at a school in Turkey collapsed after a large gas canister exploded, killing at least 16 and injuring dozens. Most of the girls, aged 8 to 16 were asleep at the time. They were at the school to attend Koran classes during Summer vacation.

US Unemployment Four-Year High:
The US unemployment rate hit 5.7 percent in July, its highest level in more than four years. The economy lost 51,000 non-farm jobs, the seventh straight month of losses. Areas showing job growth: government, hospitality, education, and health services.
Darfur Peace Mission:
The UN Security Council renewed the mandate for peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region for another year. The decision came two hours before the mandate was set to expire, complicated by the ICC's move to indict Sudan's president for genocide. The United States abstained from voting over language added to the resolution would send the wrong signal to the Sudanese president. The Darfur conflict has left 300,000 dead.

Source

Front Page: Rice Warns Iran, China Foils Olympic Terrorists, Six Die at US Consulate in Turkey

CitizenSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:03:01 -0700

Rice Warns Iran:
The tension between Iran and the US elevated today as Iran tested missiles for the second day in a row. The action prompted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to assert that the US will defend its allies and interests against an attack. At a press conference Rice said, “we will defend our interests and defend our allies. We take very, very strongly our obligations to defend our allies and no one should be confused of that." An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander was quoted as saying, "our hands are always on the trigger and our missiles are ready for launch." Meanwhile, the subject of Iran's nuclear program has led President Bush to count heavily on diplomacy hoping to assuage the mounting situation in Iran that newscasters can't stop describing as "sabre-rattling."

China Foils Olympic Terrorists:
China has foiled plans by five "terrorism" groups aiming to target the Beijing Olympics, as reported by the state media. So far this year, police have detained 82 people in the country's unsettled Xinjiang region who had allegedly been planning to sabotage the Beijing Olympics.

Six Die at US Consulate in Turkey:
Shots were fired outside of the US Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, yesterday, killing at least three police officers, with three assailants killed in a brief gun battle that followed. Officials report a fourth assailant escaped. The attack was the first on a diplomatic outpost in the city since 2003, when attacks on the British Consulate killed 62 people. Turkish and American officials consider yesterday's attack one of terrorism.

Source

Communism Today: Russians Grab SPF, Cuba's Elian Joins Up

CitizenSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:00:49 -0700

Landlocked by Communist rule for years, Russians were denied life's many pleasures, especially travel. But now as the middle class grows strong, they have money to spend and are taking it to the beaches of Turkey.

A mini-industry has popped up on the Turkish coast that has begun to cater to the whims of Russian tourists. The New York Times explored this trend in an article on one popular resort, Kremlin Palace Hotel, which they described as "Las-Vegas-does-Moscow by-the-shore extravaganza." This picture looks every bit as . . . glitzy as it sounds!

But what's more important is what traveling abroad illuminates about the new Russia. Between 1995 and 2006, the number of Russians traveling abroad grew from 2.6 to 7.1 million - a 4.5 million increase - according to the Russian government.

View 5 Photos ›

Under Soviet rule, citizens were held back by bureaucratic passport lines that, even if approved, required classes on proper behavior and avoiding foreign influence. Those who were not in the government's good grace stood little chance of leaving, and even those that were and gained approval required chaperons across borders. While restrictions eased in the post-Soviet era, few Russians could afford to go anywhere.

Vladimir Putin, the former president and current prime minister, is largely credited for Russian's newfound normalcy, prosperity, and ability to travel. Though Russian's are spreading their post-Communist wings, one famous face has joined up. To see how, read more.

Most remember Elián González as the tiny face of those fleeing communist Cuba, that battle was eight years ago - and Elian has joined up - Cuba’s Young Communist Union, that is.

Now 14, Elián was 6 when Miami relatives lost their fight to keep him in the United States, and he returned to Cuba in mid-2000 with his father. After surviving the battle and the boating accident off the Florida coast that killed his mother trying to reach the United States, he was among 18,000 people who joined the group this weekend.

After all that Elián experienced, why did he join up? Will seeing greater post-Communist freedoms tempt those still involved?

Source

Front Page: Explosion, Chemical Ali, Turkey Withdraws

CitizenSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:56:53 -0800

A huge explosion in a retail center near Chicago injured eight people, including two who were trapped in the rubble and were rescued by firefighters. The explosion happened around noon, and fire officials are now speculating the cause of the explosion was a gas leak, though nothing is conclusive due to the severe damage of the building. Nearby Tuxedo World, Cleopatra’s Unisex Hair Salon and a Cellular Concepts store were also severely damaged.
Chemical Ali, Saddam Hussein's cousin - whose real name is Hassan al-Majid - has had his execution approved by the Iraqi president. He was sentenced to death last June for his role in the 1988 Anfal Campaign, a genocide which killed 100,000 people, mostly Kurds in northern Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said of the timing for his execution, "it will be a matter of days."
Turkey says it has withdrawn its troops from northern Iraq, after a ground offensive against Kurdish rebels proved controversial. The Turkish army said the goals of their operation "had been reached and the units have returned to their bases." The decision to withdraw comes just one day after President Bush and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates urged Turkey to wrap up their mission and respect Iraqi sovereignty. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said, "we think this is the right thing for Turkey to do."

Front Page: Microsoft Fine, Turkey Must Leave, China Talks

CitizenSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:04:27 -0800

The European Union has fined Microsoft a record $1.4 billion for defying sanctions imposed on it for anti-competitive behavior. The fine ruling goes back to a 2004 decision that says Microsoft is guilty of not providing key code to rival software makers. Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said, "Microsoft was the first company in 50 years of EU competition policy that the Commission has had to fine for failure to comply with an antitrust decision."
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is set to tell Turkish leaders that they must conclude their current invasion of Iraq, and leave in no longer than two weeks. Turkey began this invasion into northern Iraq last week against separatist rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK. The U.S. provides Turkey with intelligence and surveillance assistance. Gates said, "It's very important that the Turks make this operation as short as possible and then leave. They have to be mindful of Iraqi sovereignty."
China has said that it will resume human rights talks with the U.S. This agreement appears to be aimed at countering potential criticism from activists ahead of the Olympic Games to be held in China this summer. The talks stalled in 2004 after the Bush administration sponsored an unsuccessful resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Commission rebuking China’s human rights record. China has warned that attempts to link Darfur with the Olympics will not help resolve the issue.

Headline: Turkey Invades Iraq

CitizenSugar — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:00:14 -0800

The Turkish army has begun a ground offensive mission into northern Iraq. Their aim is to hunt down Kurdish rebels, and it has already drawn an angry response from Iraqi leaders and a call for restraint from Washington.

The Turkish government won parliamentary approval to enter Iraq for the purpose of attacking Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants based there.

Turkey charges that an estimated 4,000 PKK rebels are hiding in northern Iraq and using the region as a springboard for attacks on Turkish territory. It's part of the PKK separatist campaign they launched in 1984.

The United States supplies Turkey with intelligence on PKK movements, and said it had been notified of the incursion beforehand and urged its NATO ally to exercise restraint.

Though I know it's rampant, it always surprises me to hear all the different ways we're involved in intelligence in other countries. Was Turkey within its rights to invade?

Source

Turkey Thief Drops Her Loot

GiggleSugar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:20:00 -0800

This muumuu-clad bandit is on a mission to take home some turkey, but there's one problem: She hasn't practiced waddling with a 10-pound bird squeezed between her thighs. So when the time comes for her to tip-toe from the meat department to the store exit, the turkey comes tumbling to the ground. So much for sanitary eating, eh?

Check This: Headscarves in School

LibertySugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:02:37 -0800

Since 1997, women have been constitutionally banned from wearing headscarves in Turkey's universities. Now, Turkey's two major parties, including Islamic-rooted ruling party, have enough votes to overturn the ban. The secular elite, including judges, university officials, and military leaders, do not want to see the banned reversed. Opinion polls, however, demonstrate that a majority of the population would like to see the ban eased, and some women have actually refused to attend university until it is.

Those in favor of the ban fear a blur between church and state. Allowing the headscarf, in their view, will increase religious pressure on noncovered females and their families to cover up. Yet, the proposed changes would come in the form of a compromise. Only traditional scarves would be allowed, and those covering the neck, or the all-covering burkah would not be allowed. Women in the civil service, including teachers, still would not be allowed to wear any headscarves.

Other nations, such as France, have also banned the headscarf in schools. France forbids students from donning conspicuous religious symbols - including the Muslim headscarf and the Christian crucifix. England, on the other hand allows headscarves, for the sake of civil liberties. Perhaps Turkey is in a unique predicament, as it has historically struggled to remain secular.

Do you think that Turkey's ban on headscarves looks like religious oppression or is it a necessary way of protecting Turkey's secular status?

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Thanksgiving Is for the Birds

GiggleSugar — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:02:00 -0800

Why does Thanksgiving inspire such seriously disturbed commercials? This advertisement for Jennie-O turkeys is so unappetizing and visually disturbing that- I just had to share it. Happy turkey day!

News to Amuse

GiggleSugar — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 02:02:00 -0800