News – Last Update of 2006

Middle East

Two days after being sworn in, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates is in Iraq. He’s meeting with military commanders and Iraqi politicians to get advice on new policy. This I like. He’s not there to talk up the grunts and get a photo op, he’s working.

Ex-Electricity Minister Ayham al-Samarrai escaped from a Baghdad jail where he was serving a two year sentence on corruption charges. There are rumors that he was aided by ‘Americans’.

Two Palestinians from Gaza explain why they support Hamas and Fatah respectively.

Tony Blair points at Iran as the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East. So what is to be done if this is the case?

Jordan offers to host a round of Fatah-Hamas talks. Relatively safe neutral ground would help said talks.

Africa

Heavy fighting breaks out in Somalia. This after the deadline given by the country’s Islamists for Ethiopian troops to withdraw from the country.

Looks like the Janjaweed are trying to infect their influence into Chad. Someone needs to put them in their place.

Asia/Pacific

It’s been confirmed with some sources that the US has put a solid deal on the table for North Korea. No details, but some have said that a written pledge to not attack if the offer is taken is said to have been included.

China changes the rules on foreign adoptions. If you’re unmarried, over 50 or obese, you won’t be able to adopt a child from China.

Europe

UK historian David Irving, jailed in Austria for denying the Holocaust, is to be released on probation.

Americas

Years later, the first columns of the Freedom Tower is laid. And we got pictures.

After much legal action, the last pages of an FBI surveillance report on John Lennon is released.

The five best political moments in 2006.

General

Some insight is gained in how Melanoma resists chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Hackers are targeting Microsoft Word. So don’t open any documents that you aren’t expecting.

Gender testing female athletes. Yeah, you heard right.

Ten weirdest scientific discoveries of 2006.

Explainer digs deep into the mailbag to answer some questions they never got to.

The Blogs look at what a troop addition might do for Iraq, Sen. Brownback trying to block a federal judge nomination and accusations of anti-Semitism against Judith Regan.

Today’s Papers has Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani making himself known again, the issues for electronic retailers(price drops on flat screens), the conflict in Swaziland between traditional values and the fight against HIV/AIDS and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Fark blamed for drop in Florida tourism

Today’s “police accompanied city staff member who asks Christmas carolers to stop singing for fear that Sasha Cohen might get offended” story brought to you by Riverside, California

Today’s “kidnapping involving Santa and his stuffed reindeer” story brought to you by the North Pole

Another day, another Colorado priest resigning over sexual misconduct. Bonus points: From the same church as Ted Haggard

Apparently eating healthy and giving a crap about your health is now a mental disorder. Bring on the pop tarts

Man hires taxi to drive him to rob bank; cab driver unphased by man changing clothes in back seat

Ivy League “rapper” records album of “lit hop” based on the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare. Historians probably note its release date as the moment when our culture finally collapsed under the weight of its own stupidity

Cynthia McKinney admits that some people in her home state were embarrassed by her actions, but points out that they were all “whites and uppity blacks.” Glad she cleared that up

Katrina victims lose $199.7 million of FEMA money. In area casinos. During the month of November. Your tax dollars at work

People in Richmond terrified about Arabic graffiti suddenly appearing on city buses. Not so fast: police learn it just says, “rock, paper, scissors.”

Congresswoman accuses filmmaker of taking her support of Castro assassination out of context. Filmmaker shrugs, releases entire video

Teddy bear? Check. Pop-it toy? Check. Wrapping paper? Check. Our baby?……..OMG We left the baby at Toys R Us

Instead of the imminently reasonable profiling, LAX has resorted to sliding babies through the X-ray machine. The good news is that the clear liquid found in the child is non-toxic, non-explosive, and only smells a little

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this red orange juicer

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this light measurement

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop a MAD Magazine-style fold-in.

Have a good one, folks.