London gridlock as transport strike brings chaos
September 7, 2010
LONDON (Reuters) – Millions of commuters across the British capital struggled to get to work on Tuesday as a 24-hour strike by workers on London's underground rail system crippled much of the network, hurting the city's convalescent economy. Passengers took to bikes, buses, walked, or made use of extra boat services on the River Thames that runs through the city in a bid to beat the stoppage, called in protest at 800 job cuts driven by austerity…
Economic recovery ‘gathering pace’
September 7, 2010
Economic recovery is gathering pace in the European Union and growth this year will be higher than initially forecast, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said…
Turning Back Thousands of Pages on the U.S.-Iraq War
September 7, 2010
Article by WorldNews.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. In crediting then-President George W. Bush and his 2007 troop surge strategy for helping to win the U.S.-Iraq War, along with calling him a true patriot, President Barack Obama was not only turning a page in history, but thousands of pages. Only in this case, President Obama was turning back the pages of history to the days of ancient Egypt and Ramses the II. Because of Amosis, who embarked on a great imperialist and expansionist campaign, a new image and role of “pharaoh” emerged in Egypt. Amosis’ victories on the battlefield, including his harsh treatment towards the vanquished, created a cultic, national hero and divine warrior-god(1)…
Australian PM wins crucial support
September 7, 2010
Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister, is set to form a minority government after winning the support of two independent politicians. The politicians, Tony Windsor and Robb Oakeshott, dubbed the “kingmakers”, declared their support for Gillard on Tuesday, giving her Australian Labor Party a one-seat majority and, thus, control of 76 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives. The August 21 general elections had failed to deliver a clear winner. The conservative opposition controls 74 seats in parliament. “I will … give confidence and supply to government, and in effect that means confidence and supply in Julia Gillard unless, and I emphasise unless,…
Sharp series of aftershocks strike New Zealand
September 7, 2010
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — A sharp series of about 20 aftershocks rattled New Zealand’s earthquake-hit city of Christchurch overnight, and earthquake experts warned Tuesday that another powerful temblor might hammer the region in coming days. The weekend’s powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake smashed buildings and homes, wrecked roads and disrupted the central city, though nobody was killed and only two people were seriously injured – which authorities attributed to good building codes and the quake’s early-morning timing. “It…
Guatemala resumes flood rescue work
September 6, 2010
Rescue efforts have resumed in flood-stricken Guatemala, while forecasters predict more rain which officials say may hamper search and rescue operations. A brief window of good weather on Monday allowed the search for victims and surviors of the worst flooding the country has seen in 60 years. At least 44 people have been killed, and 16 others were still missing after a series of landslides, mudslides and wall collapses that followed weeks of heavy rain in the impoverished and mountainous Central American nation. There are “43,043 people at risk, 11,495 have been evacuated, 9,160 are in shelters and 56 people have been injured,” according to a statement…
Greek finance minister survives cabinet reshuffle
September 6, 2010
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has reshuffled his cabinet but left the key post of finance minister unchanged. Analysts say the changes are intended to boost economic and social policy areas…
Obama in Infrastructure Push
September 6, 2010
By GARY FIELDS President Barack Obama proposed spending $50 billion next year on highways, airport and railway construction, the latest attempt to boost the economy, although the White House message on the speed of the impact was mixed and the plan ran into immediate opposition from Republican lawmakers. European Pressphoto Agency President Barack Obama on Monday after speaking in Milwaukee about his plan for construction spending. Republicans condemned the proposal. More Full text of Obama’s Speech at Labor Rally Obama to Link Tax Plan, Hiring Political Wisdom: Labor Day Politics More: Capital Journal | Washington Wire Obama Vows to Help ‘Great American Middle Class’ Economists Grapple Over…
Election-weary Australians promised a new government
September 6, 2010
Sydney – Australians should know Tuesday whether Julia Gillard’s Labor or Tony Abbott’s conservatives will form a government, breaking a 17-day logjam that built up behind the inconclusive August 21 parliamentary election. The three independents are expected to declare their support for either Gillard, who already commands 74 seats in the 150-member assembly, or Abbott, who has one fewer and so would need all three independents to get the 76-seat majority needed to form a government. After 17 days of bargaining,…
Climate shifts ‘not to blame’ for African civil wars
September 6, 2010
By Mark Kinver Science and environment reporter, BBC News Continue reading the main story The Darfur conflict in Sudan was linked to climate shifts Climate ‘drives African conflict’ Climate change is not responsible for civil wars in Africa, a study suggests. It challenges previous assumptions that environmental disasters, such as drought and prolonged heat waves, had played a part in triggering unrest. Instead, it says, traditional factors – such as poverty and social tensions – were often the main factors behind the outbreak of conflicts. The findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the United States. “Climate variability in Africa does…
