Monthly Archives: December 2010

African Farmers Displaced as Investors Move In

SOUMOUNI, Mali — The half-dozen strangers who descended on this remote West African village brought its hand-to-mouth farmers alarming news: their humble fields, tilled from one generation to the next, were now controlled by Libya’s leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, and … Continue reading

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Ledeen: Iranian Chaos

The port of Bandar Abbas is one of Iran’s major shipping hubs, as well as a big naval base in the Straits of Hormuz, and the site of a big refinery.  It is now in chaos.  Thousands of trucks, many … Continue reading

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Foster: Rosy U.K. cheeks mean red faces at the Met Office

After predicting a mild winter, the British weather service is profoundly ­embarrassed by the current deep freeze Let’s hope Santa isn’t relying on weather forecasts from the U.K. Met Office. The British deep freeze of recent weeks (which has also … Continue reading

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World December 22nd, 2010 (10)

#1 — BBC | New South Korea exercises to test border tension South Korea has said it will hold new large-scale military drills involving ground and air live fire on Thursday. [...] #2 — BBC | UN restores gay clause … Continue reading

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Canada December 22nd, 2010 (10)

#1 — CNews | Inmate charged after hammer attack TORONTO – Two jail guards suffered minor injuries and an inmate is in hospital with 200 stitches after a melee at the Toronto West Detention Centre. [...] #2 — CNews | … Continue reading

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Hinds: The Case Against Floating Currencies (1)

It is ironic that the international monetary system of floating currencies is based on a theory called the "Optimal Currency Area" that celebrates the freedom of central banks to print money at will. The idea is that total freedom to … Continue reading

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Afternoon Update December 21st, 2010 (21)

Canada #1 — CNews | Canada's biggest military wind-down since Korea OTTAWA — 2011 will be a year of massive transition for Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, as troops close out the mission as combat warriors in Kandahar to open a … Continue reading

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Calder: So this is Christmas (10)

National embarrassment deepened to abject humiliation last night as more than half a million Christmas travellers remained stranded in the UK. Major arterial roads and the Channel Rail Link ground to a standstill, unable to cope with drifting snow, black … Continue reading

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Obama's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year got off to a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad start. There he was, on New Year's Day, on vacation with his family in Hawaii, stuck on a … Continue reading

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Germany Grows Tired of Leading Europe on Climate Change

For the Cancun climate change agreement to be effective, the European Union would have to further cut greenhouse gas emissions. Germany, though, no longer wants to be the model EU pupil and is asking others in the club to step … Continue reading

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Countries in deep debt should dump euro, investor says

One of the world's largest bond investors, Pimco, suggests financially troubled Greece, Ireland and Portugal should temporarily leave the eurozone to put their economies back on track. Greece, Ireland and Portugal won't be able to overcome their financial problems without … Continue reading

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MacDonald: Iggy talks tough, but there's no way he's ready for an election

In a series of year-end interviews, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff signalled he would pull the trigger on an election because of irreconcilable differences with the Conservatives over the budget. A budget he hasn't seen yet. "We are ready for an … Continue reading

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