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Archive for the ‘World News’ Category

Transocean has settled its first lawsuit filed on behalf of Karl Kleppinger Jr.’s family. Karl was one of the 11 oil rig crew members killed on the night of April 20, 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Karl Kleppinger Jr.’s family was one of the first to sue over deaths and injuries suffered by the 126 crew members who were on the rig when it blew out while drilling a well for BP Plc off the Louisiana coast. The explosion caused the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, with more than 4.1 million barrels of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. Read Full Story

Joran van der Sloot, the suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba, is now wanted for the killing of a woman in Peru, Peruvian police officials said Wednesday.

The father of the murder girl told Peruvian reporters Wednesday he is certain Dutch national Joran van der Sloot killed his daughter, 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez. Ricardo Flores, a race car driver and well-known businessman in Peru, told reporters, “This is my daughter’s assassin.”… Read Full Story

OSLO, Norway – Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Friday night after taking office for a little over 8 months. He was award the prize due to his “extraordinary” diplomatic efforts on the international stage.

Barack Obama wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

“I am both surprised and deeply humbled,” Obama said from the White House Friday morning.

He said he does not “view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments,” but rather as a “call to action” for the United States and other nations tackling global issues.

“I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize,” he added.

Nobel observers were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline.

Sydney Peace Foundation director Stuart Rees said Mr Obama had been given the prize prematurely. Professor Rees said Mr Obama’s win came as a massive shock and he had much work to do if he was to live up to the award.

“We’ve all got our fingers crossed (Obama) can wave his magic wand and make these things happen. Perhaps the Nobel organisation wants to give him a magic wand,” he said. “I think the guy is full of promise but I don’t think the promise has been realised yet particularly in regards the Middle East.”

Mr Obama’s name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to honour the US President. Observers had also suggested there was no obvious candidate for the prize as no major conflicts had been resolved by peaceful means in the past year.

Speculation had focused on Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba and jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia, along with an Afghan women’s rights activist Sima Samar.

Asked whether it was too early to give Mr Obama the prize at a time when the US was fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland last night replied: “If you look at the history of the Peace Prize, we have on many occasions given it to try to enhance what many personalities were trying to do.

“Before he took office the situation was so dangerous. Step by step, he has given the message to the world that he wants to negotiate on all conflicts, strengthen the UN and work for a world without any nuclear arms.

“We had no problem … It was a unanimous decision.”

The Nobel committee praised Mr Obama’s creation of “a new climate in international politics” and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions such as the UN to the centre of the world stage.

The plaudit appeared to be a slap at George W.Bush from a committee that harshly criticised Mr Obama’s predecessor for resorting to largely unilateral military action in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Rather than recognising concrete achievement, this year’s prize is intended to support initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing US conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the US role in combating climate change.

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” Mr Jagland said.

“In the past year Obama has been a key person for important initiatives in the UN, for nuclear disarmament and to set a completely new agenda for the Muslim world and East-West relations.”

He added that the committee endorsed “Obama’s appeal that ‘Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges’.”

The first African-American President has brought the Israeli and Palestinian leaders together for a meeting, approved new diplomatic engagement with Iran, Burma and North Korea and signalled a new willingness to attack growing environmental problems.

Mr Obama went to Cairo to make a major speech on relations with the Muslim world, badly tarnished by Mr Bush’s order to invade Iraq. At the UN, he has launched an initiative to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world.

“The exciting and important thing about this prize is that it’s given to someone … who has the power to contribute to peace,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said.

Last year’s Peace Prize winner Matti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president and veteran troubleshooter in international conflicts, said the award should “encourage” Mr Obama’s Middle East peace efforts. “We do not yet have a peace in the Middle East … this time it it was very clear that they wanted to encourage Obama to move on these issues,” Mr Ahtisaari told CNN. “This is a clear encouragement to do something on this issue. I wish him good luck.”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Mr Obama was the “appropriate” person to win the prize; however, the Taliban said the US President had “not taken a single step towards peace in Afghanistan”.

Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer said the honour would raise expectations for the US leader to stand up for human rights around the world.

Ms Kadeer, who has been tipped as a laureate for her fight on behalf of the Chinese minority group, said: “I am very happy that he got it. Now he has to do something with the award. It raises expectations on him to stand up for oppressed nations.”

The Australian contributed to this story

Kim Jong Il

South Korean media reported today that Kim Jong Il, the leader of North Korea, allegedly has a fatal form of cancer. A South Korean cable news channel, citing unnamed Chinese and South Korean intelligence sources, reported that that doctors diagnosed Kim with pancreatic cancer when he had a stroke, last August.

The highly secretive leader of the nuclear state appeared frail and sickly on state television in April, raising questions about his health.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said it could not confirm the report, and a unification ministry spokesman, Chun Hae-sung, told reporters he knew nothing of the claims. US officials contacted by Reuters were unable to comment.

Tensions on the peninsula have been running high in recent months, since the North’s nuclear and missile tests, making the stability of the regime a more pressing issue than ever.

Analysts initially suggested Pyongyang was seeking to grab the Obama administration’s attention and force the US to the negotiating table, but some now believe that it is more concerned with shoring up domestic support and ensuring a successful leadership transition.

Kim’s youngest son, 25-year-old Kim Jong-un, is said to have been chosen as his heir, but North Korea has made no such announcement.

Today’s report came a week after Kim attended an annual memorial for his late father, North Korea’s founder Kim Il-sung. The appearance was only his second at a state event since his reported stroke last year.

While he looked thin and limped slightly, analysts said his attendance sent out the message that he was still in charge.

Daniel Pinkston, a senior analyst and expert on North Korea at the International Crisis Group, warned that Japanese media had floated many rumours about Kim’s health. He pointed out that the subject was so sensitive that a specific diagnosis of illness seemed “a little odd”, adding: “This kind of information would not be shared easily or casually.”

Patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer typically have a poor prognosis partly because the cancer usually causes no symptoms early on, leading to locally advanced or metastatic disease at time of diagnosis. Median survival from diagnosis is around 3 to 6 months; 5-year survival is less than 5%. With 37,170 cases diagnosed in the United States in 2007, and 33,700 deaths, pancreatic cancer has one of the highest fatality rates of all cancers and is the fourth highest cancer killer in the United States among both men and women. Although it accounts for only 2.5% of new cases, pancreatic cancer is responsible for 6% of cancer deaths each year.

The US National Cancer Institute puts the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer at 5.5%.

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According to The Associated Press the cyber attack that overwhelmed computers at U.S. and South Korean government agencies for days was also targeted the White House, the Pentagon and the New York Stock Exchange.

The initial target included the National Security Agency, Homeland Security Department, State Department, the Nasdaq stock market and The Washington Post. Many of the organizations appeared to successfully blunt the sustained attacks.

The Associated Press obtained the target list from security experts analyzing the attack. It was not immediately clear who might be responsible or what their motives were.

The attack was remarkably successful. Some of the affected government Web sites — such as the Treasury Department, Federal Trade Commission and Secret Service — were still reporting problems days after it started during the July 4 holiday.

Bernie Madoff

Procsecutors asked for 150 years and they got it.  There will be no parole or light of day for Bernard Madoff.  Bernnie Madoff has finally been sentenced to 150 years as the mastermind of a multibillion dollar Ponzi scheme perpetrating Wall Street’s biggest investment fraud. Although his victims asked for the maximum and got it, their lives have been virtually destroyed.

Judge Denny Chin said the sentence was a symbolic one for a crime that showed “extraordinary evil” and “took a staggering human tool.” Madoff , addressing the court in a dark suit for about six minutes, said that when he started the scam, he thought he’d be able to “work my way out.” He said he lives in a tormented stated and expressed regret of leaving a “legacy of shame” to his family and grandchildren.” Madoff said his wife Ruth will make a statement later today. He maintained that he acted alone, saying, “How do you excuse lying to brother and sons? How do you excuse lying and deceiving a wife who stood by you for 50 years and still stands by you? There is no excuse for that and I don’t ask for forgiveness.” He then faced his victims in court and said, “I’m sorry.”   Madoff expressed regret before he received the maximum sentence for his crimes.

Watch Bernie Madoff Sentencing Video

Prosecutors continue to look into charges against Madoff’s wife and family.

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Ten thousands of citizens gathered in Kim II Sung Square, as North Korea vowed to enlarge its atomic arsenal and warned of a “fire shower of nuclear retaliation” in the event of a U.S. attack.

In Pyongyang, an estimated 100,000 rallyed in the main square, shouting “Let’s smash!” in unison while punching clenched fists in the air, footage from APTN in North Korea showed. A placard showed hands crushing a missile with “U.S.” written on it.

North Korea anti sanctions rally denounces US. Watch video.

The rally came a day after President Barack Obama extended U.S. economic sanctions against North Korea for another year, saying the North’s possession of “weapons-usable fissile material” and its proliferation risk “continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States, according to the White House Web site.

North Korea has organized massive rallies in the past.

North Korea’s “armed forces will deal an annihilating blow that is unpredictable and unavoidable, to any ‘sanctions’ or provocations by the US,” Pak Pyong Jong, first vice chairman of the Pyongyang City People’s Committee, told the crowd.

State-run newspapers ran lengthy editorials accusing the U.S. of invading the country in 1950 and of looking for an opportunity to attack again. The editorials said those actions justified North Korea’s development of atomic bombs to defend itself.

The North “will never give up its nuclear deterrent … and will further strengthen it” as long as Washington remains hostile, Pyongyang’s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said.

The new U.N. resolution—passed to punish Pyongyang after its May 25 nuclear test—seeks to clamp down on North Korea’s trading of banned arms and weapons-related material by requiring U.N. member states to request inspections of ships carrying suspicious cargo.

North Korea has said it would consider any interception of its ships a declaration of war.

A senior South Korean government official said the ban is believed connected to North Korean plans to fire short- or mid-range missiles. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

The Defense Department says it is prepared if North Korea test fires another ballistic missile. The Reports coming from Asia are saying that the missile test may launch July 4th aimed at Hawaii.

Watch Video

June 14, 2009 – In defiance of new U.N. sanctions, North Korea is promising to increase its atomic bomb-making program while threatening a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula.

On Saturday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry threatened war on any country that dared to stop its ships on the high seas under the new sanctions approved by the U.N. Security Council on Friday as punishment for the North’s latest nuclear test.

While Barack Obama is preparing for talks Tuesday with South Korean regarding the North’s missile and nuclear programs, this defiance has to be viewed aa serious threat and dealt with accordingly. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak told security-related ministers during an unscheduled meeting Sunday to “resolutely and squarely” cope with the North’s latest threat, his office said. Lee is to leave for the U.S. on Monday morning.

A commentary Sunday in the North’s main state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, claimed the U.S. has 1,000 nuclear weapons in South Korea. Another commentary published Saturday in the state-run Tongil Sinbo weekly claimed the U.S. has been deploying a vast amount of nuclear weapons in South Korea and Japan.

North Korea “is completely within the range of U.S. nuclear attack and the Korean peninsula is becoming an area where the chances of a nuclear war are the highest in the world,” the Tongil Sinbo commentary said.

Kim Yong-kyu, a spokesman at the U.S. military command in Seoul, called the latest accusation “baseless,” saying Washington has no nuclear bombs in South Korea. U.S. tactical nuclear weapons were removed from South Korea in 1991 as part of arms reductions following the Cold War.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry issued a statement Sunday demanding the North stop stoking tension, abandon its nuclear weapons and return to dialogue with the South.

On Saturday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry threatened war on any country that dared to stop its ships on the high seas under the new sanctions approved by the U.N. Security Council on Friday as punishment for the North’s latest nuclear test.

It is not clear if the statements are simply rhetorical. Still, they are a huge setback for international attempts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions following its second nuclear test on May 25. It first tested a nuclear device in 2006.

In Saturday’s statement, North Korea said it has been enriching uranium to provide fuel for its light-water reactor. It was the first public acknowledgment the North is running a uranium enrichment program in addition to its known plutonium-based program. The two radioactive materials are key ingredients in making atomic bombs.

On Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported South Korea and the U.S. have mobilized spy satellites, reconnaissance aircraft and human intelligence networks to obtain evidence that the North has been running a uranium enrichment program.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it could not confirm the report. The National Intelligence Service – South Korea’s main spy agency – was not available for comment.

North Korea said more than one-third of 8,000 spent fuel rods in its possession has been reprocessed and all the plutonium extracted would be used to make atomic bombs. The country could harvest 13-18 pounds (6-8 kilograms) of plutonium – enough to make at least one nuclear bomb – if all the rods are reprocessed.

In addition, North Korea is believed to have enough plutonium for at least half a dozen atomic bombs.

North Korea says its nuclear program is a deterrent against the U.S., which it routinely accuses of plotting to topple its regime. Washington, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, has repeatedly said it has no such intention.

The new U.N. sanctions are aimed at depriving the North of the financing used to build its rogue nuclear program. The resolution also authorized searches of North Korean ships suspected of transporting illicit ballistic missile and nuclear materials.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the new U.N. penalties provide the necessary tools to help check North Korea’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The sanctions show that “North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and the capacity to deliver those weapons through missiles is not going to be accepted by the neighbors as well as the greater international community,” Clinton said Saturday at a news conference in Canada.

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Republican leaders are looking forward to the 2010 midterm congressional elections. Their case is that Obama is spending recklessly. It is true that George W. Bush and democratic congress contributed to our economic mess by excessive borrowing and expansion of entitlement, but at what point do the fiscal choices and excessive spending now become Obama’s responsibility?

“The reckless fiscal policies of the past have left us in a very deep hole,” Obama said last week. “And digging our way out of it will take time, patience and some tough choices.”

If the previous administration’s fiscal policies were reckless, then why is Obama’s spending policies (which are magnified from the previous administration) not being viewed as reckless? How do you dig one’s way out of the mess by doing more of the same?

During a town hall forum in New Mexico last month, Obama acknowledged that the “long-term deficit and debt that we have accumulated is unsustainable.” The statement followed several fiscal reform initiatives, including changes in defense procurement policy, that advisers say will save tens of billions of dollars a year.

Other measures proposed appear have an air of desperation. In April, he publicly instructed his Cabinet secretaries to find $100 million in savings, a fraction of the more than $3 trillion annual budget.

“Everything that the White House does concerning this deep recession contains an element of gambling because no one has been here before,” said Robert B. Reich, labor secretary under President Bill Clinton and a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley. “There’s no formula that can be applied, and that’s why the president’s popularity and credibility are vitally important.”

Reich noted, “Very soon we’ll be in the gravitational pull of the midterm elections, and it seems clear that Republicans want to challenge Obama on the economy and will run on tax cuts, deficit reduction, and a much more scaled-down and privatized health-care plan.”

“If they can get their act together and come up with something that is halfway respectable, and if the public begins to lose patience by Election Day, Democrats could have some real problems,” he said. “And those problems, of course, could possibly extend through 2012.”

Obama’s spending plans reflects a fiscal philosophy that differs from that of the last Democratic administration.

I fear we are gambling with our country’s future. Nowhere in history has spending of this magnitude been a solution to long term economic expansion.

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