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Morning Shinbun Friday November 5




Friday’s Headlines:

100 objects of desire: The story of the radio series of the year – from the man who made it

USA

Johann Hari: America is now officially for sale

For G.O.P., Big Ambitions Face Daunting Obstacles

Europe

‘Right to be forgotten’ proposed by European Commission

Fear Darkens Czech Uranium Mining Town

Middle East

Iraqis take fight for ‘torture’ inquiry to the High court

Abbas accuses Iran of trying to derail talks in Middle East

Asia

Papuan tells of torture by Indonesian soldiers

Dozens die in new Mount Merapi eruption in Indonesia

Africa

Spanish Wages Keep African Island Afloat

Sudan peacekeepers probe Darfur clash

Latin America

Haiti ‘unprepared’ as hurricane approaches

U.S. gets some love, and hate, in Tehran

Officials praise Washington for placing an Iranian insurgent group on its terrorism list even as crowds mark the anniversary of the U.S. Embassy hostage-taking in 1979 with chants of ‘Death to America.’

By Borzou Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Beirut and Tehran – Supporters of Iran’s government took to the streets of the capital Thursday to denounce the United States on the 31st anniversary of the takeover of the American Embassy compound, even as the nation’s Foreign Ministry praised Washington for placing an Iranian militant group on a list of outlawed terrorist organizations.

In a rare moment of accord between the two nations, ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast praised the announcement Wednesday that the Obama administration had placed the ethnic Baluchi group Jundallah on its terrorism list. Iran executed the group’s leader,Abdulmalak Rigi, in June.

Morning Shinbun Thursday November 4




Thursday’s Headlines:

Clara Barton’s D.C. home and office may be converted into museum

USA

Richard Wolffe: Democrat doom may turn to delight as Tea Party politics kick in

Republicans Face a Fundamental Choice in How to Oppose

Europe

BBC apologises to Bob Geldof over Band Aid claims

Sarkozy had ‘surveillance unit spy on journalists’

Middle East

After Baghdad bombings, Iraqis have harsh words for security forces

Asia

Six years later, army to pull out of Timor

The war to come in Myanmar

Africa

The ‘Gap kids’ you won’t see in the adverts

Is the Case Against Charles Taylor Falling Apart?

Spending blitz by outside groups helped secure big GOP wins

Hedge fund moguls helped bankroll groups’ attack ads, sources tell NBC News

By Michael Isikoff and Rich Gardella

NBC News


A tightly coordinated effort by outside Republican groups, spearheaded by Karl Rove and fueled by tens of millions of dollars in contributions from Wall Street hedge fund moguls and other wealthy donors, helped secure big GOP midterm victories Tuesday, according to campaign spending figures and Republican fundraising insiders.

Leading the GOP spending pack was a pair of groups – American Crossroads and its affiliate, Crossroads GPS – both of which were co-founded by two former aides in the George W. Bush White House: Rove, and Ed Gillespie.

Morning Shinbun Tuesday November 2




Tuesday’s Headlines:

Immune discovery opens up new line of attack against viruses

USA

The war the election forgot

Is the American Dream Over?

Europe

Britain and France to seal defence pact

Sarkozy government in ‘final act’, says leading socialist

Middle East

Yemen’s splendid isolation

Al-Qaeda claims Iraq church attack

Asia

Census-takers begin visiting China’s 400 million households

Myanmar’s polls a headache for ASEAN

Africa

War-era guns linked to recent murders in Uganda

Côte d’Ivoire awaits results after millions vote

Latin America

Mexico violence casts shadow over Day of the Dead

Finding Clues to the Future in Flood of Midterm Data



By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

Published: November 1, 2010


WASHINGTON – Even for a nation that is, by now, used to drinking in political news through a fire hose, election night on Tuesday could be a difficult one to absorb.

More than 500 House, Senate and governor’s races will be decided, if not by the end of the night, then over the course of the nail-biting days ahead as write-in ballots are counted and recounts are requested.

Beyond the individual results, the nation will be looking at the returns for answers to bigger questions: Was this election about President Obama? How powerful a phenomenon is the Tea Party movement? How will the new Congress address the still-weak economy? What will it mean for the crop of likely 2012 Republican presidential candidate?  Did anonymous campaign money sway the outcome?

Morning Shinbun Monday November 1




Monday’s Headlines:

Spooky stuff from NASA

USA

Federal Reserve’s, Bernanke’s credibility on line with new move to boost economy

Conservative Donors Lay a Base for 2012 Elections

Europe

Priest abuse victims protest at Vatican

One in four voters support Austria’s freedom party

Middle East

Investigation falters as female bomber suspect is released

Hostages killed as Iraqi police storm Catholic church

Asia

Burma’s regime prepares for victory despite poll boycott call

With wealth comes fat, China finds

Latin America

Rousseff wins Brazil election

Stimulus bill plays a larger role in campaigns than in some voters’ lives

Many voters can’t see any direct benefit from the federal money, even when they live near a marquee infrastructure project. They see a static economy but differ on what that means for candidates.

By Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times

November 1, 2010


Reporting from Concord, Calif. – The upcoming election was far from cabinetmaker Kevin Rodriguez’ mind as he and his 5-year-old son watched a Halloween parade last week in a downtown plaza of this East Bay community.

Over the last two years as the nation slid into recession, the 46-year-old independent voter lost his business and was forced to sell his house. He has scraped together a living from side jobs, savings and unemployment benefits, which are about to run out. He even contemplated the once-unthinkable: applying for food stamps.

Morning Shinbun Sunday October 31




Sunday’s Headlines:

Scary Halloween? Don’t count on it: on Dracula’s trail in Romania

USA

Democrats Fight to Keep Senate From G.O.P. Gains

Thousands descend on National Mall for Stewart’s and Colbert’s ‘Sanity’ rally

Europe

Marathon anniversary race helps Greece’s empty coffers

Army chiefs protest against headscarf

Middle East

Yemen makes bomb-plot arrest

Iraqi Gold’s Glitter Dims for Dealers Under Siege

Asia

Indonesia to rebrand dictator as ‘national hero’

Opium is winning the Afghan war

Africa

Ivory Coast to hold long-delayed ‘reconciliation’ poll

Latin America

Haiti could suffer another earthquake, scientists warn

Yemen, the new crucible of global terrorism

Al-Qa’ida has taken firm root in the poverty-stricken nation

By David Randall and Andrew Johnson Sunday, 31 October 2010

The axis of terror got bigger yesterday. After the presence of explosives in two packages bound for the US was confirmed – and a suspected 24 more discovered – their place of origin entered the big league as a crucible of deadly and disruptive terrorism. As Magnus Ranstorp, one of the world’s leading experts on the issue, told The Independent on Sunday: “Yemen has become the new Afghanistan.”

And, to go with this status, there comes to prominence one Yemeni who – in the eyes of America and some leading security specialists – is on a par with Osama bin Laden: Anwar al-Awlaki.

Random Japan

WHACK JOBS

Tokyo’s former chief medical examiner claimed that there are approximately 200 cases of people masturbating themselves to death in Japan each year, with 20 to 30 in Tokyo’s 23 central wards alone.

In other matters of the heart and hands, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology organized a tennis date for singles looking for a love match. Apparently it’s all “part of a project… to improve the nation through sports.”

A 33-year-old therapist from Kyoto was crowned champion of the Z-1 Grand Prix floor-wiping competition in Ehime Prefecture. Koichi Fujiwara set a new record of 18.23 seconds pushing a wet rag through a 109-meter-long hallway at the Uwa Rice Museum.

A computer armed with the “Akara 2010” system beat the top women’s shogi player, Ichiyo Shimizu, in 86 moves in a match staged at the University of Tokyo.

Morning Shinbun Saturday October 30




Saturday’s Headlines:

Rescued from the shredder, Carlos the Jackal’s missing years

USA

Divided states of America

MGM film studio rescued from bankruptcy

Europe

Going underground: Exploring the Paris Catacombs

Turkey’s relationship with west on the line in European missile defence negotiations

Middle East

Yemen Emerges as Base for Qaeda Attacks on U.S.

Iran’s supreme leader demands support of clerics

Asia

Who’s Afraid of the Ruler of the Silk Road?

UN funds Cambodia’s prison of the undesirables

Africa

No end in sight to DRC’s violence

‘Serengeti highway’ threat to great migration

Latin America

Rousseff on track to be Brazil’s first female leader

UK and US probe terror risk after Yemen cargo finds

The US and UK are investigating the extent of a terror threat after explosives were found in two packages bound for the US from Yemen.

The BBC 30 October 2010  

The packages were found in the UK and Dubai on two overnight cargo planes in transit from Yemen on Friday.

President Barack Obama said the devices were a “credible terrorist threat”.

UK Home Secretary Theresa May said experts were trying to establish whether the package found in Britain was “a viable explosive device”.

Mr Obama’s top counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said: “The United States is not assuming that the attacks were disrupted and isremaining vigilant.”

Morning Shinbun Friday October 29




Friday’s Headlines:

Jon Stewart’s ‘Daily Show’ has exploded beyond its humble late-night comedy roots

USA

Yes we can, Obama said. But can he?

Tests showed unstable cement in gulf oil well before explosion

Europe

Angela Merkel struggles to win support for EU bailout rules at Brussels summit

Russia’s hungry bears dig up graves

Middle East

Iran will be back in the frame

Hezbollah urges Hariri case boycott

Asia

Hopes fade for Indonesian tsunami survivors

Afghan warlord’s private army trained in Australia

Africa

Hero of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ is declared enemy of the state

Somalia’s Shebab executes two girls for ‘spying’

Bill Clinton Urged Florida Democrat to Quit Senate Bid



By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and JEFF ZELENY

Published: October 28, 2010


WASHINGTON – Former President Bill Clinton last week almost succeeded in persuading Kendrick B. Meek, the Democratic nominee for the Senate in Florida, to drop out of the three-way race – but Mr. Meek changed his mind at the last minute, a spokesman for Mr. Clinton said Thursday evening.  

Matt McKenna, Mr. Clinton’s spokesman, said the former president had concluded that Mr. Meek’s candidacy was struggling and was urging him to drop out and endorse Charlie Crist, the state’s Republican governor, who is running for the Senate as an independent.

Morning Shinbun Thursday October 28




Thursday’s Headlines:

Freedom in Kashmir

USA

Treasury Sees Escalating Risk to Home Prices

New poll shows Obama helping Dems, but is it to late?

Europe

French union chiefs signal plan to shelve strikes and pursue talks

Al-Qaida Said To Be Planning European Hostage-Takings

Middle East

Why Sharif Mobley is to be tried in Yemen – and what it means for American Muslims

Dubai Faces Environmental Problems After Growth

Asia

Indonesia quake death toll over 300

Another entrant for North Korea succession: Kim’s oldest son?

Africa

Nigeria building development could leave 200,000 homeless, says Amnesty

Ugandan anti-gay measure will be law soon, lawmaker says

Latin America

Hitmen kill fifteen in massacre at Mexican carwash

Images reveal Indonesian tsunami destruction

Aerial images from the tsunami-hit Mentawai Islands in Indonesia have revealed the extent of destruction, as officials raised the death toll to 311.

The BBC 28 October 2010  

Flattened villages are plainly visible on the images, taken from helicopters circling the islands.

Rescuers have finally reached the area where 13 villages were washed away by the 3m (10ft) wave, but 11 more settlements have not yet been reached.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has arrived in the region.

He cut short a trip to Vietnam to oversee the rescue effort, and has been briefed by officials in the port city of Padang on Sumatra.

A 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake triggered the tsunami two days ago.

But the BBC’s Karishma Vaswani, in Jakarta, says rescue teams have still not arrived at the worst-affected communities, where the scale of the damage is still unclear.

Morning Shinbun Tuesday October 26




Tuesday’s Headlines:

Garry Trudeau: ‘Doonesbury quickly became a cause of trouble’

USA

Republicans pull ahead in battle for key seats of power

Divide on U.S. Deficit Likely to Grow After Election

Europe

German Turks torn between old ways and integration

Middle East

Robert Fisk: Exodus. The changing map of the Middle East

Asia

A Top Terrorist Returns to Al-Qaida Fold

Chinese whistleblower faces hard road  

Africa

More peacekeepers couldn’t halt new Sudan war

HRW flays Morocco over detentions

Latin America

Drought brings Amazon tributary to lowest level in a century

EPA rules target truck emissions, fuel efficiency

The proposed standards would cut pollutants from heavy vehicles 20% by 2018.

By Neela Banerjee, Tribune Washington Bureau

October 26, 2010  


Reporting from Washington –

The Obama administration announced new rules Monday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants by requiring greater fuel efficiency for big trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles starting with 2014 models.

The regulations, the first of their kind, call for a 20% reduction in heavy-vehicle emissions by 2018, which would require boosting fuel efficiency to an average of 8 miles per gallon, compared with 6 mpg now, experts estimate.

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