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Putin Tranquilizes Tiger, Not Concerned About Tranquilizing EU

LibertySugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:00:18 -0700

Pictures of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have surfaced, showing that even a wild beast can't overcome the defiant Russian leader. Putin saved a television crew and a group of scientists from a rare Ussuri tiger that escaped, while he visited a national park to learn how the scientists monitor the endangered animals.

Yesterday Britain urged the EU to stop talks between itself and Russia about building a closer relationship. Britain's PM Gordon Brown went as far to say that Russia's membership in the G8 should be suspended. Attention to forging a stronger East-West relationship began in 1997, but leaders in Russia want a more expansive cooperation agreement. Putin says he's not too concerned with EU threats, since European self-interest will keep the countries from acting rashly toward Russia.

Apparently the US and Russia can agree on one thing - saving the world's remaining 400 Ussuri tigers, "the biggest cat(s) on the planet," according to Putin. Putin has praised the US for its efforts in saving the cats.

Do you have any hope that the West can save good relations with Russia?

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The Way We Became the G-8 Bunch: The Summit Episode

CitizenSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:00:33 -0700

The G-8 Summit gets underway in Hakkaido, Japan today; a three-day meeting of the leaders of the eight countries invited, plus a representative of the European Union.
Grown from the concept of a forum of the major industrialized democracies after the 1973 oil crisis, more have been invited until 1997 when the last member, Russia, was invited at the initiative of then US President Bill Clinton.

The guest list is at the edge of controversy this year, as major climate issues are at hand, and two of the worst polluters (China and India) aren't invited. Here's who is (top to bottom, left to right):

Marcia Brady: United Kingdom, Gordon Brown
Jan Brady: United States, George W Bush
Cindy Brady: Germany, Angela Merkel
Carol Brady: Canada, Stephen Harper
Ann B. Davis as Alice: European Union, Jose Manuel Barroso
Mike Brady: Japan, Yasuo Fukada
Greg Brady (Johnny Bravo): France Nicolas Sarkozy
Peter Brady: Russia, Dmitry Medvedev
Bobby Brady: Italy, Silvio Berlusconi

What's going to happen in this very special episode of the G-8 bunch? Well, no one's going to find a Tiki idol or Vincent Price in a cave, but some other important stuff instead. To find out, read more.

Soaring food and energy costs will be at the top of the list, especially after oil prices rose to $145 a barrel last week. Global climate change is on the table too, following last year's agreement to cut emissions by 50 percent by 2050.

G-8 action on the world's food situation will be broached, probably by Germany's Angela Merkel who wrote a recent editorial in which she said, "The aggravation of the global food situation is increasing hunger in the world and threatens the political stability of many developing countries. At the summit, a comprehensive package of measures to secure global food supplies should be adopted." And aid to Africa is up there too, with seven heads of African nations invited to the opening ceremonies of the summit.

Anti-globalization, global warming, and poverty activists were on hand for the arrivals of the leaders amid heavy security. Banners reading, "Down with imperialism" among other slogans were displayed.

G-8 Summit 2008: It may be no trip to the Grand Canyon or race through a theme park, but it's worth a watch.

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Front Page: Bush Proposes Food Aid, Labour Loses in UK, Blast in Yemen

CitizenSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:58:51 -0700

Bush Proposes Food Aid: President Bush has proposed an additional $770 million in emergency food assistance to be sent to poor countries. The action is in response to rising food prices resulting in social unrest in several nations. Days before, Democrats in Congress had called for an increase, and the speedy announcement highlighted how quickly the global food crisis had risen to the top of Washington’s agenda. President Bush said, “in some of the world’s poorest nations, rising prices can mean the difference between getting a daily meal and going without food." The $770 million would be included in next year’s budget, increasing total American food assistance to $2.6 billion.

Labour Loses in UK: In what has been called a "big moment" for the Conservative Party, elections just held in the UK showed the Labour Party suffering its worst results in at least 40 years. BBC research suggests Labour won 24 percent of votes cast in England and Wales, behind the Tories on 44 percent. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the results were disappointing and that "the test of leadership is not what happens in a period of success but what happens in difficult circumstances." Results should be announced later today in the race to be London mayor.
Blast in Yemen: A blast this morning at the entrance of a mosque killed at least eight people and left 45 wounded. The mosque is in the Saada region of Yemen, the site of a Shiite rebellion. The Arabian peninsula country has been repeatedly hit by violence in recent weeks. Two attacks in the capital Sanaa in March and April targeted US interests and responsibility was claimed by the local wing of al Qaeda.

Front Page: Pope Meets Victims, Brown in DC, Polygamy Hearing, Carter and Hamas

CitizenSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:01:34 -0700

Pope Meets Victims: Pope Benedict XVI came face to face yesterday with a scandal that haunts the American Catholic Church by holding an unannounced meeting with several victims of sexual abuse by priests. The cardinal who organized and attended the meeting, gave the pope a list of about 1,000 boys and girls who had been abused in the Boston Archdiocese in the past several decades. The Pope requested the meeting, praying and speaking personally with each person in attendance. The cardinal said afterward, “it was a moving experience. It was very positive and very prayerful.”

Brown in DC: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was in Washington DC yesterday to celebrate what he called the “special relationship” between his country and the United States. As a reminder of President Bush's waning time left, before Brown visited the White House, he met with all three candidates vying to succeed President Bush. After the meetings Brown said, “What I was convinced of, after talking to each of them and talking about the issues that concern them and concern the world, is that the relationship between America and Britain will remain strong, remain steadfast.” Not to leave Bush unrecognized, Brown said, “the world owes President George Bush a huge debt of gratitude for leading the world in our determination to root out terrorism.”
Polygamy Hearing: The judge in the largest child welfare case in US history, that of the children removed from the polygamy compound in Texas, struggled to retain order in chaotic hearings that began yesterday. The 416 children and their lawyers were crammed into a courtroom and additional rooms. The judge said of the task ahead of her, "the court is not in the position and certainly does not intend to rule about someone's religious practices and their freedom of religion."
Carter and Hamas: Former President Jimmy Carter met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad moments ago. The meeting comes ahead of planned talks with exiled leaders of Hamas, the Islamist group which Carter argues should be included in efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace. According to a source, "Carter is very upbeat. The publicity put out by his detractors made him more determined to pursue a different way with Hamas."

Church Not Down With Human-Animal Hybrid Embryos

LibertySugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:00:38 -0700

The leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland plans on lambasting Gordon Brown this Easter Sunday for the prime minister's proposal to use animal-human hybrid embryos for medical research. Supporters of the bill believe that the fusion will lead to significant advances in combating multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.

In his sermon on Sunday, Cardinal Keith O'Brien will call the bill "grotesque," "hideous," and an approval of "Frankenstein" experiments.

If you had a family member suffering from a life-threatening disease, would you want all avenues of research pursued, even if you initially opposed the techniques in the abstract? If you're religious, do the views you hear at services influence your politics?

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Front Page: Cheney in Afghanistan, Germany Limits Spying, McCain in the UK

CitizenSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:03:29 -0700

Vice President Dick Cheney visited Afghanistan today to meet with President Hamid Karzai. The visit is in anticipation of a NATO summit where Washington is expected to urge its allies to send more troops to the troubled country. The NATO-led force has about 43,000 troops in Afghanistan, charged with fighting Taliban militants. The militants have regrouped since US and Afghan forces removed the hardline Islamist movement from power after the September 11, 2001 attacks. They relaunched their insurgency two years ago. Cheney said of the need for troops, "all free nations have an interest in a secure, democratic Afghanistan."

Germany's highest court has restricted an anti-terrorism law making telecom companies store private data for six months. Uner the new ruling data may still be kept but is only to be accessed during investigations into serious crime. The original ruling was a result of the discovery of a number of alleged terrorism plots in Germany in recent years. The case was spurred by a class-action suit against the original ruling filed by 30,000 people. The German court's decision comes amid US debates over FISA and telecom rights.
Senator John McCain met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown today to discuss Iraq, the world economy and climate change. Addressing the fact that Brown hopes to cut British troops near Basra from 4,000 to 2,500 soon, McCain said, "having just come from Iraq, I can tell you unequivocally that the situation has improved dramatically over the last year. Iraqi people are going about their normal lives, but the fact is al Qaeda is on the run. They are not defeated." He added, "We appreciate enormously the long service and sacrifice of the British men and women in the military both in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Take Me to Your Leader: Britain

LibertySugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:00:50 -0800

June 27, 2007, Gordon Brown, 56, finally became the Prime Minister of Britain, after serving over a decade as Tony Blair's heir apparent. As lore would have it, in 1994 the two Labour Party friends made a pact - Tony Blair would run for Prime Minister, and eventually pass the torch to the awkward and dour Brown.

Brown became Prime Minister when the unpopular Blair stepped down, and immediately confronted a series of crises, including a thwarted terrorist attack, and flooding across England. But, the unfortunate events did not stop there. Brown came under fire for scandals including the loss of a computer disk holding bank account details of 25 million people, the almost collapse of a major mortgage lender, and sketchy Labour Party financing. In an attempt to deflect such negative attention before a general election next year, Brown recently put the spotlight on eight young Cabinet ministers as a way to prove the Labour Party is the party of radical change.

For more information on Brown's road to power, read more.

Under Blair, Brown served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and presided over unprecedented growth while diminishing the Labour Party's reputation as a tax-and-spend party. Born and raised in Scotland, Brown credits his parents as "my inspiration, and the reason I am in politics." His father was a minister of the Church of Scotland.

Young Gordon started university at the young age of 16. Although he was extremely successful academically, his university career was dogged with medical complications. A rugby injury from high school, cost him his sight in one eye, and left him with only 30 percent vision in the other. Brown worked as a university instructor and wrote a number of books, including "The Real Divide," a study of poverty and inequality. He entered parliament in 1983, sharing an office with Tony Blair.
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Gordon Brown Gets in Trouble For Praising Barack Obama

LibertySugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:00:19 -0700

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown seemed to break with tradition by writing an effective endorsement of Barack Obama for US President, or at least his housing policies. In an opinion piece, published on Monday in the Parliamentary Monitor magazine, Brown writes:

Around the world, it is progressive politicians who are grappling with these challenges. In the electrifying US Presidential campaign, it is the Democrats who are generating the ideas to help people through more difficult times. To help prevent people from losing their home, Barack Obama has proposed a Foreclosure Prevention Fund to increase emergency pre-foreclosure counselling, and help families facing repossession.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister peddled backward. To see how, read more.

His office released a statement that said: "The Prime Minister is not endorsing any candidate and never would. Presidential elections are a matter for the American people. The Prime Minister looks forward to working closely with whoever is elected."

Either way many Europeans echo Gordon Brown's praise of Obama. A fresh poll shows that 47 percent of Europeans think an Obama victory would lead to better US-European relations, while only 11 percent think McCain would improve transatlantic relations.

Do you consider a candidate's ability to mend relations with Europe, when deciding how to vote?

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Briefing Book! McCain Tweets the Top-10 Porkiest Projects

CitizenSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:00:58 -0800

John McCain is calling out earmarks on Twitter! - Twitter
Republicans decide to take on Obama instead of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. - Wonkette
Study concludes that Sarah Palin failed because she's hot. - Good
Vanity Fair is cool with putting naked women on cover, but men must wear body suits. - Lemondrop
Sarah Brown gave Michelle Obama the gift of Top Shop while she was in town with husband Gordon Brown. - FabSugar UK
Company promotes skin whitening with sexist ad? - Feministing

Front Page: Sudan's Bashir Indicted For War Crimes in Darfur

CitizenSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:54:17 -0800

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Bashir due to his role in Darfur. That makes him the first sitting president to be indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. - Christian Science Monitor
President Obama signed a memo today that overhauls the government contracting procedure and could save the US more than $40 billion a year. - CNN
Still in the Middle East, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes as "unhelpful." - Washington Post

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown will address a joint meeting of the US Congress today, likely urging lawmakers against protectionism. - Voice of America
A new study shows a link between explicit song lyrics and teen sex. -AFP
President Obama has nominated Julius Genachowski, a telecommunications executive and friend from law school, to head the FCC. - AP

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