The Daily Current Event

[Mac Attack]

I'm creating this thread in hopes of bringing people more news on the current events of the world. Each day I will be posting a current event in this thread with something relevant in the world. It could be on any topic of any importance however I think it will be quite interesting. Also I will be giving my brief opinion on the current event. Also feel free to comment on the event yourself. Also the spoiler tags are just to keep the entire post a little shorter.

Current Event May 3rd 2011

Spoiler

European producer-price inflation unexpectedly accelerated to the fastest in 2 1/2 years in March, adding to concerns that surging energy costs will feed through to consumers and prompt the European Central Bank to raise interest rates further.

Factory-gate prices in the euro region jumped 6.7 percent from a year earlier, the fastest since September 2008, after a 6.6 percent gain in February, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said today. Economists had projected a March increase of 6.6 percent, according to the median of 13 estimates in a Bloomberg news survey. In the month, prices advanced 0.7 percent.

European companies are trying to pass on higher input costs, including a 31 percent oil-price jump in the past year, just as the economic recovery appears to be faltering. That has helped push consumer-price inflation above the ECB’s 2 percent limit. The central bank last month raised interest rates for the first time in almost three years.

“Pipeline inflation pressures in the euro zone remain intense,” said Martin van Vliet, an economist at ING Groep NV in Amsterdam. “The risk of high consumer-price inflation spilling over into wages will keep the ECB in a tightening state of mind.”

10-Year Bonds
German 10-year bonds fell after the producer-price data. The 10-year yield rose three basis points to 3.28 percent as of 10:04 a.m. in London. The euro was lower against the dollar, trading at $1.4804, down 0.2 percent.

Consumer-price inflation accelerated to the fastest in more than two years in April and confidence in the economic outlook weakened as higher energy prices threatened to undermine growth. Euro-area expansion will slow to 1.6 percent this year from 1.8 percent in 2010, the European Commission forecast last month.

“We have risks of second-round effects here and there,” ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said in a newspaper interview last week, referring to an increase in consumer prices prompting bigger wage increases that feed through to faster inflation.

MAN SE, Europe’s third-largest truckmaker, is monitoring the risk of accelerating inflation in Europe, as well as in China and Brazil, with price increases “something to watch” in all its markets, Chief Financial Officer Frank Lutz said today in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “On the Move” with Francine Lacqua.

Benchmark Rate
ECB policy makers, who increased the benchmark rate by a quarter point to 1.25 percent last month, next convene on May 5 in Helsinki. Some economists expect them to signal that another move will come as soon as June.

Energy prices at the producer level jumped 13 percent in March from a year earlier and the cost of intermediate goods rose 7.9 percent, the statistics office said in today’s report.

I'm not thrilled by this. I think the European Union having the same currency this hurts mulitple countries. The act of rasing interest rates also hurts the banking industry. This is devastating news to the European Union. I think it should easily blow off but for the time being I think that this is a problem that needs to be addressed. The spiked energy costs aren't good for the enrgy industry and I think the Eu should definetly look to fix this as soon as possible.

 

[Mac Attack]

Current Event May 4th
It's one of the best kept secrets in all of entertainment: who will be Oprah Winfrey's final guest, ever? With only 20 days left until the the May 25 finale, friends of the talk queen hint that the leading candidate at the moment is the biggest star in the world ... Oprah herself!

Spoiler

"How can one celebrity possibly sum up 25 years of such a groundbreaking show?" an insider asks. "Who could possibility come on the show and represent everything Oprah has done" from celebrity interviews, to human-interest stories to politics to women's issues to breaking news.

She's done it all, my source says, and "only one person could do that and that is Oprah herself."

Oprah has spoken before of her love of the final episode of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' where Mary turned out the lights and left. Is she planning something in that vein? Perhaps, especially since the third and second to last shows (May 23-24) are going to be star-studded affairs in what producers have dubbed "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular."

The free shows, being held at Chicago's United Center on May 17, will include "some of the biggest names in movies, music and television in a one-time-only gathering to celebrate the 25-year legacy [of the show]."

Best of all, viewers will be treated to something they rarely see: a surprised Oprah.

"As most of our viewers know, being surprised is not one of Oprah's favorite things," said Harpo executive producer Sheri Salata. "In the spirit of our farewell season, she is making a rare exception and we intend to make the most of that opportunity. It will be something to see!"

Since those episodes will clearly be chocked full of stars, glitz, balloons and freaked-out audience members, show insiders tell me that Oprah may want to go out for good in a more understated, introspective way.

"Her last show will look back at some of her most important and favorite moments from her show," a source says, not surprisingly. "But at the end of the day the show will end where it started. A woman with a microphone looking into a camera and trying to make the world a better place."

So when looking up an interesting article to look up today I saw Oprah's final guest and thought that it was an appropriate segway from all the drama happening in the world right now. Oprah has been an icon for several years and suprisngly her last guest couild be a big thing. Will I be watching it? No however a lot of people will. Personally I feel an appropriate guest would be Obama because of the sucess he has recently come into. I don't really know anyone bigger than a President.

But that was the current event of May 4th.

 

[Mac Attack]

NEW YORK – Solemnly honoring victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, President Barack Obama hugged survivors, thanked the heroes of one of the nation's darkest days and declared Thursday that the killing of Osama bin Laden after all these years was an American message to the world: "When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say."

On a brilliant blue-sky day, one of reflection more than celebration, Obama offered New Yorkers a moment of their own. Standing at the gritty construction site of ground zero, where the towers fell and a memorial now rises, the president laid a wreath of red, white and blue flowers for the nearly 3,000 who died as he marked a turning point for the nation and this city of steely resilience.

For Obama, the day was about the importance of being in New York in the aftermath of the successful raid to find and kill bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader. Obama addressed families who have watched and wondered for nearly a decade whether the government would track down its most infamous enemy.

On this special ground, Obama never mentioned bin Laden's name.

Still, this was where the terrorist inflicted his greatest damage on a similarly sunny day in 2001 when hijacked airliners were crashed into the World Trade Center. Nearly 200 other people died when a third airliner hit the Pentagon — Vice President Joe Biden led a ceremony there on Thursday, and Bush Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld attended — and others.

I personally don't know how appropriate it is to count our chickens before they are hatched. I know that the end of the life of Osama is something to be celebrated however immediatly honoring the September 11 attack I personally think aren't necessarily appropriate yet. Why? Because we don't want to seem exposed to another attack. The truth is people feel some redemption from the attack and if a terrorist wanted to strike at the heart of the United States now is the time.

 

[SalvIsWin]

I haven't had time to read through these posts, but I want to say that I think you're doing a good job in creating threads for people to read and contribute to. I would rep you if I could.

 

[ABMorales787]

NEW YORK – Solemnly honoring victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, President Barack Obama hugged survivors, thanked the heroes of one of the nation's darkest days and declared Thursday that the killing of Osama bin Laden after all these years was an American message to the world: "When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say."

On a brilliant blue-sky day, one of reflection more than celebration, Obama offered New Yorkers a moment of their own. Standing at the gritty construction site of ground zero, where the towers fell and a memorial now rises, the president laid a wreath of red, white and blue flowers for the nearly 3,000 who died as he marked a turning point for the nation and this city of steely resilience.

For Obama, the day was about the importance of being in New York in the aftermath of the successful raid to find and kill bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader. Obama addressed families who have watched and wondered for nearly a decade whether the government would track down its most infamous enemy.

On this special ground, Obama never mentioned bin Laden's name.

Still, this was where the terrorist inflicted his greatest damage on a similarly sunny day in 2001 when hijacked airliners were crashed into the World Trade Center. Nearly 200 other people died when a third airliner hit the Pentagon — Vice President Joe Biden led a ceremony there on Thursday, and Bush Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld attended — and others.

I personally don't know how appropriate it is to count our chickens before they are hatched. I know that the end of the life of Osama is something to be celebrated however immediatly honoring the September 11 attack I personally think aren't necessarily appropriate yet. Why? Because we don't want to seem exposed to another attack. The truth is people feel some redemption from the attack and if a terrorist wanted to strike at the heart of the United States now is the time.

Well waiting for 9/11 for the honoring would seem even more out of place. Osama's death avenged the events of that day. Which day do you think should be honored? The one everyone's loved one's were lost or the one where all of that was finally avenged? Regardless of the issues still happening in the Orient, a major victory is is still a major victory and should not go ignored. The same way those fallen one's shouldn't.

 

[Mac Attack]

Well waiting for 9/11 for the honoring would seem even more out of place. Osama's death avenged the events of that day. Which day do you think should be honored? The one everyone's loved one's were lost or the one where all of that was finally avenged? Regardless of the issues still happening in the Orient, a major victory is is still a major victory and should not go ignored. The same way those fallen one's shouldn't.

Personally I just have this weird feeling that they shouldn't have a grand celebration which included Obama walking around Ground Zero in the open. I don't mind the remembering but I personally would have waited to do somenthing where both the President and Vise Presidet are in the same spot in the open. I would give it a little before we know there is really no sign of revenge before doing something like this.

 

[Mac Attack]

May 6th

Violent clashes broke out around the world today as thousands of supporters of Osama bin Laden took to the streets to protest at the Al-Qaeda leader's death.
While many protests took place across the Muslim world, the most extraordinary - and violent - took place in London, where hundreds of supporters have gathered at the U.S. embassy to stage a mock 'funeral service' for the slain terror leader.
The city - dubbed London-istan - was described earlier this week as a major recruiting ground for Al Qaeda.

Muslim protesters clash with police outside the American Embassy in London

A radical Muslim argues with one police officer as other officers attempt to control the protests
Dozens of police officers struggled with protesters who tried to storm the embassy with radicals carrying placards proclaiming that 'Islam will dominate the world' and branding U.S. leaders 'murderers'.
'It is only a matter of time before another atrocity - the West is the enemy,' Abu Muaz, 28, from east London, said.
The protest comes amid heightened security in London fearing revenge attacks by Al-Qaeda.
Over the past decade, the meida reported that London had become a 'feeding ground for hate' and a 'magnet for terrorism'.
The large Muslim community who live there are said to exploit civil liberties and openly preach jihad.
In fact, recent leaked documents showed that Britain's mosques became an international haven for extremists who enjoyed state benefits while being trained for terrorism.

The WikiLeaks files, written by U.S. military chiefs, revealed that at least 35 Guantanamo terrorists were radicalised in London mosques before being sent to fight against the West.

This is believed to be more than any other Western country.
Of these, just 17 were British nationals or had been granted asylum, while 18 had travelled from abroad – cementing Britain’s reputation as a global training camp for terrorists.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...funeral-outside-US-Embassy.html#ixzz1LbDgQGjI

I told you in my last post that it was not the end and now it looks like I am right. People protesting the death. It seems very interesting and I know that we will not see the end of this for a bit. I am intrigued to see what will happen in the future and I think it will only get worse before it gets better. I think I would have high alert for all the airports and main national monuments because of the outrage people seem to be in.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Oh what a surprise, idiots acting like idiots. Most of whom are probably living on benefits provided by the Western world they proclaim to hate so much. Anyone preaching ANYTHING which incites any type of racial or religious hatred should be arrested on the spot. At the end of last year we had someone fined for burning a poppy on 11/11. This year we had someone jailed for burning the Qu'ran. Why is this not along those same lines? They're doing something solely for the purpose of causing trouble, upset and pain. If burning poppys and Qu'rans is an illegal offence so is this and they should all be locked up.

 

[Mac Attack]

Oh what a surprise, idiots acting like idiots. Most of whom are probably living on benefits provided by the Western world they proclaim to hate so much. Anyone preaching ANYTHING which incites any type of racial or religious hatred should be arrested on the spot. At the end of last year we had someone fined for burning a poppy on 11/11. This year we had someone jailed for burning the Qu'ran. Why is this not along those same lines? They're doing something solely for the purpose of causing trouble, upset and pain. If burning poppys and Qu'rans is an illegal offence so is this and they should all be locked up.

I totally agree. I think that an riots are something that deserve jail time. I personally wouldn't feel safe knowing that there are those people on the streets attempting to cause a riot over a terrorists death. It just seems very sketchy to me and I think in all honesty I wouldn't want them around. I think you were very accurate when you said that it was on the same lines people trying to cause pain and suffering for no real reason. I think the best question for now is what's next?

Side Note: (Next Current Event Coming Later Today)

 

[Mac Attack]

May 7th

The four Mounties involved in the death of Robert Dziekanski after zapping him with a Taser are facing perjury charges for their testimony at a public inquiry.

But Richard Peck, the special prosecutor appointed to look into the case, also declined to recommend any other charges against the officers relating to Dziekanski's death.

"Mr. Peck has concluded that there is no substantial likelihood of conviction in relation to any potential charges arising from the circumstances of the physical altercation with Mr. Dziekanski or the subsequent investigation into his death," said a statement Friday from the attorney general's criminal justice branch.

Instead, Peck has recommended the perjury charges, and the branch said in a news release it has accepted the recommendation. The branch plans to proceed on the charges without a preliminary inquiry, the news release said.

Bentley's lawyer, David Butcher, said his client would plead not guilty.

"No substance to the allegations at all, they will be defended with full vigour," Butcher said in a brief interview.

Lawyers for the other officers could not immediately be reached for comment.

Dziekanski's mother, Zofia Cisowski, released a written statement applauding the charges.

"I am pleased that the special prosecutor has announced criminal charges against RCMP officers involved in the death of my son," wrote Cisowski, who lives in Kamloops, B.C.

"I hope that justice will finally be achieved in the death of my son."

The charges are a result of the officers' testimony at the later public inquiry into the incident, the branch said.

Dziekanski died in October 2007 after spending hours in Vancouver's airport waiting for his mother to come from the B.C. Interior to pick him up.

This is an unfortunate event however it does show that the good does make mistakes these days. I think that it is relevant in that in today's world we expect that the good guys are free from mistakes however in this case that was not true. In some ways it is weird because with the focus set on a certain foe are we being too focused on terrorism and not the every day crimes? Also this artice made me think of the movie Green Hornet in a way which I thought was interesting. This news article was different from the terrorism.

 

[Mac Attack]

May 8th News

This week:

Thor hammers the competition; cool kids sign up to play The Hunger Games; Stephen Collins wants to adopt one of the Three Stooges; don’t stop believin’ in a 3D film version of Glee; add three more names to the dinner list for Piranha 3DD; get ready for a Seven Samurai remake; and a trio of funny ladies sign on for Will Ferrell’s Bachelorette.


Box Office

Marvel’s Thor grossed an estimated $66 million in the U.S. during its opening weekend. While the God of Thunder’s solo outing failed to reach Iron Man levels of success, it still managed to exceed Incredible Hulk‘s $55.4 million opening – though that was undoubtedly in part due to Thor being screened in the 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D format. Props to Marvel for its successful marketing strategy, all the same.

Between a solid critical reception (read our Thor review) and strong opening numbers at the box office,Thor looks to become another financial hit for Marvel – and (perhaps more importantly) help to heighten anticipation for next year’s Avengers movie. That’s the superhero pic we’re all really pumped to see, right?

It was highly expected for Thor to do quite well in the theatres and I do truly think this movie is th appropriate hype for the Avengers movie. I think that this movie was quite good and I am looking forward to the other Marvel movies coming out soon. The question I pose fom this news article is whether or not DC will announce a Justice League movie in competition. I think that the superhero movies are always generally good so I would be excited for that to happen.

 

[Mac Attack]

Pictures can't describe the misery playing out along the Mississippi River for those unprotected by flood levees and walls. Some homes, farms and businesses will be 25 feet underwater for weeks until the water recedes.

The river is still rising from Memphis, Tennessee, to the south. In Memphis, where the river is expected to crest at a near-record 14 feet above flood stage on Tuesday morning, the water was moving at 2 million cubic feet per second on Monday. At that speed, water would fill a football field at a depth of 44 feet, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Earthen levees should keep most of the larger towns and cities safe as an extraordinarily high volume of water runs down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. But levees can fail, in part because moving water has tremendous force. This force will try to erode, saturate, undermine and destroy everything in the way.

Most levees are piles of dirt lined along edges of a river. In theory, vegetation and its roots will keep the dirt stable as water flows by.

Levees can fail if water runs over the top – this is called overtopping. The force of the moving water erodes the soil below, and this can cause a catastrophic breach. The erosion continues until the hole is so large that floodwaters surge into the now unprotected land.

Levees also can fail from below as the water pressure undermines the piled dirt. The water forces itself below the levee and eventually out from the bottom on the dry side of the pile. This is called a sand boil or a mud boil, because of its bubbling appearance.

Also, too many days with floodwater near the top of a levee can saturate the levee’s soil, causing a washout and breach.

The Army Corps of Engineers will be watching for signs of these potential levee failures and will try to take corrective action if it sees them.

"There's always some seepage to be expected generally in the earthen levee systems, and you manage the process by inspecting it, (looking) for the seepage, and (making) sure wherever you find it, you control it,"
retired Army Corps of Engineers Maj. Gen. Thomas Sands said on Monday.

Record or near-record crests are forecast into next week. Sands said that although this month's levels are remarkably high, the levee system has held back high water before.

"The level of degree of confidence in the levee system is basically borne based on the fact that it’s performed so reliably in the past," Sands said.

Sorry for today's coming in late had an untimely trip to the hospital but all will be well. I really hate natural disasters and feel sorry for anyone suffering from the flooding. I think it is ashame that it has to happen but hopefully fast relieft comes to all who are suffering from the floods. I know here in Calgary we have had some massive hail storms so I understand the bad weather. Like I said I feel bad for all those affected and hope for the best.

New Feature to the Daily News to be announced soon.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

I heard something disturbing yesterday. We all know sea level is going to rise as part of global warming but it has a delayed effect. See even if the global average were to stabilise now the world sea level would continue to steadily rise for the next ~ 200 years. Also the ice caps melting has a negligible effect on the water level, it's actually down to the fact that when water is heated by ice it becomes less dense, ie it expands. Interesting and also worrying no?

 

[Mac Attack]

Must Read

(CNN) -- The Obama administration had "very detailed contingency plans" for military action against Pakistani forces if they had tried to stop the U.S. attack on Osama bin Laden's compound, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the plan.

Their names are not disclosed because of the sensitive intelligence information involved.

"No firepower option was off the table" during the Navy SEALs' 38-minute mission on the ground, or during the time U.S. helicopters were in the air, one official told CNN. "We would have done whatever we had to in order to get our men out."

The two U.S. officials also told CNN about the plan if bin Laden had been captured alive, which included taking him to Afghanistan and then out to the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea.

All of the senior U.S. officials in the White House Situation Room during the assault were prepared to call their Pakistani counterparts if fighting between U.S. and Pakistani forces appeared imminent, one of the officials told CNN. The SEALs at all times retained the right of self-defense, and they could have fired at the Pakistanis to defend themselves.







The risk of retaliation






Fmr. CIA director on bin Laden's death



RELATED TOPICS
Osama bin Laden
Pakistan
Espionage and Intelligence
Terrorism

During the time the SEALs were on the ground, while some were inside the compound, others were covertly placed just outside the compound walls to provide perimeter security and keep people away. Some of those SEALs would have been able to speak enough of the local language to communicate with townspeople if they had come across them, one source told CNN.

As the assault on bin Laden's compound commenced, the United States had a number of aircraft flying protective missions. None of the aircraft entered Pakistani airspace, but they were prepared to do so if needed. These included fixed wing fighter jets that would have provided firepower if the team came under opposition fire it could not handle.

Additionally, the Air Force had a full team of combat search and rescue helicopters including MH-53 Pave Low and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters flying.

The helicopter that came in to replace the crashed stealth helicopter was carrying a battlefield medical team that was flying overhead and ready to land if SEALs were wounded, one of the CNN sources said. That helicopter landed at the compound within about thirty minutes of being called.

U.S. military and intelligence assets were conducting continuous reconnaissance of Pakistani military installations to watch for any indication of movements, but the Pakistani military never responded while the U.S. forces were there, one U.S. official indicated.

On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani praised the Pakistani military's response to the sudden arrival of U.S. forces. "The air force was ordered to scramble," he said. "Ground units arrived at the scene quickly. Our response demonstrates that our armed forces reacted, as was expected of them." Still, he added, "There is no denying the U.S. technological ability to evade our radars."

Even though it was anticipated that bin Laden would resist the Navy SEALs that assaulted his compound, and therefore be killed, the Obama administration had a plan in place for dealing with bin Laden if he was captured alive, according to both U.S. officials.

The plan was for bin Laden to be flown back to Afghanistan aboard U.S. military helicopters and then flown out to the USS Carl Vinson in the north Arabian Sea. There was a team of lawyers, medical personnel, interrogators and translators standing by to deal with bin Laden if that was the scenario that unfolded. A major concern was to immediately "preserve evidence" and put bin Laden into a legal framework that would ensure he could be charged and tried some day, the official said. "We didn't want to have some case thrown out on a technicality."

The official indicated the standby teams included the type of expertise normally within U.S. units in Afghanistan, so it's likely personnel did not even know who their potential target would have been. The official noted that bin Laden would have undergone the same type of medical checks and photographing that surrounded Saddam Hussein when he was captured.

After bin Laden was killed by the Navy SEALs at the compound, his body was flown back to Afghanistan, and then to the Carl Vinson where he was buried at sea. Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, placed a phone call to his counterpart General Ashfaq Kiyani asking for U.S. aircraft to re-enter Pakistani airspace -- several hours after the raid -- so the body could be flown out to the Vinson.

I am excited to hear that the United States was ready to intervene. I like knowing that this was not a spur of the monet event and a planned and thought out idea. The United States seems to be thinking in the ebst interest of the world which ultimately I think is a very good thing. I am excited to hear the further details. I think the most interesting thing was hearing that they did have plans on what they would do if taking Osama alive.

 

[#hamler]

I heard something disturbing yesterday. We all know sea level is going to rise as part of global warming but it has a delayed effect. See even if the global average were to stabilise now the world sea level would continue to steadily rise for the next ~ 200 years. Also the ice caps melting has a negligible effect on the water level, it's actually down to the fact that when water is heated by ice it becomes less dense, ie it expands. Interesting and also worrying no?

Interesting. I found a quick little something something. Scientist believe by the year 2100, the sea will rise 2-3 feet. Some major islands in the Pacific will not be there anymore, or underwater. With that said, the sea level only grows 1.5-2 Millimeters a year since the 1900s. Also, is highly doubtful the ice caps would ever melt. Anartica stays below -37 degrees which is alwas wayyyy below freezing. As for the north pole melting, it won't affect the sea level as much as the south . While Anartica holds 70% of the world's fresh water, the north pole only holds about 1% (that last percentage is made up but you get the point).

We have time to adjust to these types of changes. The world changes every couple of thousands of years or so, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Even with the ice caps completely melted, which would take an enormous amount of time, sea level would grow 70 meters. Earth would still be livable.

 

[#hamler]

I am excited to hear that the United States was ready to intervene. I like knowing that this was not a spur of the monet event and a planned and thought out idea. The United States seems to be thinking in the ebst interest of the world which ultimately I think is a very good thing. I am excited to hear the further details. I think the most interesting thing was hearing that they did have plans on what they would do if taking Osama alive.

Nice to hear the story. Like you said, it's nice to hear the United States actually had a plan but I question if they're just full of shit. How many raids and compounds have they went through being a hundred percent sure bin Laden was stationed there? Honestly, I wonder how these Navy SEALs felt when they heard they were chosen for this mission. Did they actually believe he was going to be there? Did the doctors, lawyers and translators believe they would actually come back with bin Laden after so many failed atempts at capturing him?

It is nice to hear they did have somewhat of a plan. My first thought after reading was, why a boat in the Arabian Sea? Even the USS Carl Vinson. I would feel so vulnerable with an alive bin Laden in that part of the world. I would done anything it took to get him to United States soil as quick as possible.

 

[Mac Attack]

May 11

UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for "an immediate, verifiable ceasefire" in Libya on Wednesday and demanded unimpeded access for humanitarian workers there.

The secretary-general said in Geneva he spoke with Libya's prime minister by phone late Tuesday to urge a ceasefire and demand access for UN staff and an end to Moammar Gadhafi's government forces from attacking civilians.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses a news conference at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva Wednesday. He said he had spoken to Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi on Tuesday.Denis Balibouse/ReutersBan said the prime minister, al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, agreed to receive a special UN envoy who would now travel to Tripoli to undertake "negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and unimpeded access for humanitarian workers."

Ban pronounced the uprisings across North Africa and the Arab world a rare but fragile opportunity to advance democracy and human rights. He said the movements must be "nurtured and carefully handled by the people who created it."

Ban called on all nations' patrol ships off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea to help prevent more tragedies like the apparent deaths of all 600 African migrants aboard an overcrowded ship to Europe that broke apart within sight of the Libyan capital.

"I'm disturbed by accounts of people fleeing the fighting, losing their lives at sea," Ban said. "I ask patrol vessels in the Mediterranean not to wait for distress signals to offer help. Any boat leaving Libya should be considered a boat in need of assistance and protection."

Ban gives thumbs up to Navy SEAL raid

Ban said he approved of President Barack Obama's decision to send Navy SEAL commandos into Pakistan to kill al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

"This operation was conducted under extremely difficult, extremely dangerous situations, and that's why I expressed my relief that justice was done to this mastermind of crimes," Ban said.

Asked whether he believes NATO coalition forces are exceeding their UN authorization or should step up their attacks to oust Gadhafi, Ban said those forces have a mandate "to take necessary military action to prevent Gadhafi forces (in their attempt) to kill those civilian population(s)."

Pressing to break a two-month siege, rebels in the port city of Misrata said Wednesday they had captured the local airport and pushed Moammar Gadhafi's forces ever further from the city's western outskirts.

The reported advances were the latest in a recent flurry of accounts of rebel victories, coinciding with intensified NATO airstrikes on Gadhafi's forces in several areas of Libya. In all, NATO said Wednesday, the alliance has carried out more than 2,400 airstrikes since March 31 as part of the effort to assist the rebels and pressure Gadhafi to end his 42-year authoritarian rule.

According to the Libyan state news agency, JANA, one of latest sites hit by NATO was the North Korean Embassy in the capital, Tripoli. JANA said the mission was badly damaged by fragments of a NATO missile fired Monday.

Reports difficult to confirm

Even though some of the recent reports of ground combat are difficult to confirm, they seem to represent a major boost for the rebels' military prospects after weeks of stalemate on several fronts.

According to a rebel who identified himself as Abdel Salam, rebels were in total control of the airport in Misrata's southern outskirts after two days of fighting. He said five rebels were killed and 105 injured.

He said rebels are also pushing west from Misrata, toward the nearby city of Zlitan, hoping to then advance farther toward Tripoli.

"This is a major victory," Abdel Salam said. "The Gadhafi forces have been suffering lack of supplies ... Their morale was very low after being defeated several times and pushed back."

The rebels control most of eastern Libya, but Misrata — about 200 kilometres southeast of Tripoli — is the only rebel stronghold in the west. Local doctors say more than 1,000 of its residents have been killed in the fighting and shelling during the siege by Gadhafi's forces.

In Tripoli, a government spokesman denied the Misrata rebels' claims of success.

"This is nonsense," said Moussa Ibrahim. "We control the airport and we also control the sea port."

Ibrahim did acknowledge that the war was creating severe shortages of many commodities in Tripoli.

"The NATO airstrikes and the sea embargo ... are badly influencing the lives of daily Libyans," he said. "We have some shortages in fuel, food and medicine. It makes it difficult to go to schools, hospitals and factories."

I am glad that a ceasefire is being considered for Libya. Clearly violence is not the answer and honestly the truth of the matter is that the opposition is clearly at a disadvantage. I think that the U.N is doing the appropriate actions in this however if it doesn't work personally I wouldn't mind one giant sweep in order to get rid of other anarachists. Personally I mhave been one to want to get rid of violence as soon as possibile so this could be a something that is necessary.

 

[Mac Attack]

May 12

CAIRO — The neighbors watched helplessly from behind locked doors as an exchange of gunfire rang out at the police station. Then a stream of about 80 prisoners burst through the doors — some clad only in underwear, many brandishing guns, machetes, even a fire extinguisher — as the police fled.


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TimesCast | Post-Mubarak Crime Wave


“The police are afraid,” said Mohamed Ismail, 30, a witness. “I am afraid to leave my neighborhood.”

Three months after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, a surging crime wave in post-revolutionary Egypt has emerged as a serious threat to its promised transition to democracy. Businessmen, politicians and human rights activists say they fear that the mounting disorder — from sectarian strife to soccer riots — is hampering a desperately needed economic recovery or, worse, inviting a new authoritarian crackdown.

At least five attempted jailbreaks have been reported in Cairo in the past two weeks, at least three of them successful. Other, similar attempts take place “every day,” a senior Interior Ministry official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly.

And newspapers brim with other lurid episodes: the Muslim-Christian riot that raged last weekend with the police on the scene, leaving 12 dead and two churches in flames; a kidnapping for ransom of a grandniece of President Anwar el-Sadat; soccer fans who crashed a field and mauled an opposing team as the police disappeared; a mob attack in an upscale suburb, Maadi, that sent a traffic police officer to the hospital; and the abduction of another officer by Bedouin tribes in the Sinai.

“Things are actually going from bad to worse,” said Mohamed ElBaradei, the former international atomic energy official who is now a presidential candidate. “Where have the police and military gone?”

The answer, in part, is the legacy of the revolution: Public fury at police abuses helped set off the protests, which destroyed many police stations. Now police officers who knew only swagger and brute force are humbled and demoralized.

In an effort to restore confidence after the sectarian riot last weekend, the military council governing the country until elections scheduled for September announced that 190 people involved would be sent to military court, alarming a coalition of human rights advocates.

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf emerged from an emergency cabinet meeting to reiterate a pledge he made before the riots: that the government backs the police in using all legal procedures, “including the use of force,” to defend themselves, their police stations, or places of worship.

It was an extraordinary statement for a prime minister, in part because the police were already expected to do just that. “This may be the first time a government ever had to say that it was fully supporting its police,” said Bahey el-din Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. “It is an indication of the seriousness of the problem.”

Many Egyptians, including at least one former police officer, contend that the Egyptian police learned only one way to fight crime: brutality and torture.

Now police officers see their former leader, Interior Minister Habib el-Adly, serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption and facing another trial for charges of unlawful killing. Scores of officers are in jail for their role in repressing the protests.

“They were arrogant, and they treated people like pests, so imagine when these pests now rise up, challenge them and humiliate them,” said Mahmoud Qutri, a former Egyptian police officer who wrote a book criticizing the force.

“They feel broken.”

Mr. Hassan, who has spent his career criticizing the police, said he sympathized. Police officers who fought to defend their stations from protesters are in jail, while those who went home to bed are not facing any trial, he said.

“So the police are asking, ‘What is expected of us?’ It is a very logical question, and the problem is they don’t have an answer,” he said, blaming higher authorities.

Shopkeepers say the police used to swagger into their stores bluntly demanding goods for just half the price. Now, said Mr. Ismail, the witness to the jailbreak at the police station, the officers who come into his cellphone shop murmur “please” and put the full price on the counter. “The tables have turned,” he said.

The change in public attitudes is equally stunning, said Hisham A. Fahmy, chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. “It’s: ‘Talk to me properly! I am a citizen!’ ”

I think tomorrow's news will be something happy because I am tired of posting depressing news. I am annoyed at the problems of the Middle East. I think the Middle East needs some serious intervention and needs to be under the rule of someone who can protect the interests of the people. It annoys me that the police can be scared by the crime lords which is not something that needs to happen. All in alll I hope this gets resolved fast.