News – Saudi Arabia vs. Big Tobacco

Middle East

Saudi Arabia warns global tobacco companies that they’ll sue if the companies don’t pay to treat those with smoking related illnesses. This should be interesting to watch.

NATO leaders are split on where to draw the line at how much the force delves into combat assignments. The US is pushing for NATO to get deeper. The Dutch and Romanians are agreeing to relax the curbs while France and Germany have only agreed to small changes.

Bush holds talks with Iraqi PM Nuri al-Maliki. He’s nudging al-Maliki to do something about the growing violence in Iraq. A leaked memo adds spin to this by suggesting that some in the US government are starting to question al-Maliki’s ability to lead Iraq. But what can they do about it? They can’t very well depose him and sit someone else in his place.

Some US media outlets are now openly and consistently referring to the violence in Iraq as a civil war(rather than questioning if it might be as they have been), in contrast to the White House(Bush says it’s all alQueda’s fault. Pretty good for a group that is supposedly in its ‘last throes’ in Iraq), which has evaded use of the term. Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time before civil war works its way into White House rhetoric. Just like the rhetoric has changed and fluxed over the years. But what it’s called means less than how it will be stopped.

Two car bombs blow outside of one of Baghdad’s main hospitals, killing four. A suicide bomber in Kirkuk fails to kill province governor Abdul Rahman Mustafa.

Five girls are killed amid a clash between US forces and insurgents. Why? Because, when fired upon from a roof US forces responded with tank fire on the building and found the dead girls inside later. Draw your own conclusions. Same sort of situation here. It’s ugly, that’s for sure. US forces have to protect themselves and respond, yet the inevitable result of high explosives use in an urban environment are collateral casualties. Problem is, the more collateral casualties there are, the worse the PR aspect of this gets. And PR is important when it comes to getting the job done efficiently. If the innocent blood shed comes to a level that Iraqis turn away from us, we’ll really be in a fix, won’t we?

Africa

The Union of Islamic Courts chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed says that his group has clashed with Ethiopian forces in the strategic town of Bandiradley, north of Somalia’s capital. No confirmation thus far. There’s also a rumor that the UIC has links with alQueda, which the group denies.

Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir says no to a join UN/AU force doing peacekeeping in Darfur. He also denies reports that put the death toll in Darfur at 200k. He says it’s under 9k. Yeah, I believe him.. not.

Rawanda continues to cut ties to France, this time cutting off broadcast of Radio France International. Still smarting over a French attempt to implicate President Paul Kagame in the assassination of his predecessor.

Asia/Pacific

There are fears that a coup might be imminent in Fiji. The military isn’t helping assuage those fears as they say they’ll be conducting night-time exercises in the island country’s capital. Question is, is the PM right when he passes the exercises off as routine?

Thailand’s interim government has voted to relax martial law in the country. Some areas considered unstable will remain under martial law, but the majority of the country will see it relaxed.

After a recent upswing in student suicides, The Education Rebuilding Council, a Japanese government panel on education reform, has warned the government to deal with bullying in the classroom.

The Red Cross says Burma has ordered it to close give of its offices in the country, which does little to help them deal with humanitarian work there. This was done at the end of last month. It was only made public recent because the Red Cross felt that dialogue on the issue had ceased.

Europe

The Pope holds Mass in a Turkish shrine said to be the resting place of the Virgin Mary. That’s a bad picture though, makes him look a little like Palpatine. Safe enough so far, but I’m sure the security around him would be the envy of many a president.

Ethnic Albanian protestors in Kosovo attack both the Parliament, government building and UN compound in the country’s capital of Pristina. The rally was prompted by a pro-independence group to show opposition to further negotiations on Kosovo’s future status. At the moment, it’s legally part of Serbia, but is run by a UN administration. The demonstrators want the right to vote on independence from Serbia. Obviously Serbia’s leaders have a problem with that.

Americas

Is Castro too ill to attend his own 80th birthday celebrations? Seems he might be, which will likely give more steam to those waiting for the man to keel over. Of course, the question remains.. who will take over when he dies and will they be any better?

The opinions of New Yorkers on the killing of the unarmed black man. Some of them make some insightful comments and observations when it comes to considering the situation.

The failings of Bush. Bush has done a lot, but all in all he’s failed to finish anything, with most of his major international projects still flapping dangerously in the wind.

General

Scientists think they have a reason why some arthritis drugs can cause heart attacks and strokes. Apparently, Cox-2 inhibitor painkillers interfere with the production of an enzyme(Cox-1) that produces blood-thinning agents, which leads to an increase chance of clots. So, the answer is to create a drug that doesn’t touch Cox-1, while dealing with Cox-2.

Research suggests that heavy smokers need to quit entirely if they want to minimize the risk of their habit leading to early death. No half measures about it.

Anti-smoking ‘guru’ Allen Carr, himself a former smoker(100 a day, apparently), <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6194670.stm”>dies of lung cancer at the age of 72. His friends think that the years of helping smokers quit, exposing himself to quite a bit of second hand smoke, might have contributed to what his previous habit had already started.

Researchers believe that even small use of ecstasy is damaging to the brain. They don’t know yet if the effects are transient or permanent. Just goes to show, the best way to go is to try and minimize the chemicals you put into your body.

Youtube may soon be coming to a mobie phone near you. I don’t care much for that. The video quality on Youtube is poor enough without cramming the video into a one-inch screen.

Nintendo is boasting high sales of it’s new Wii console. In the order of three times that of Sony’s numbers for the P3. Personally, I’m glad. Nintendo has always been where you go for a more reasonable price and more gameplay innovation.

Explainer considers if radiation is contagious. HE also looks at acid bombs.

The blogs debate on calling the violence in Iraq a civil war, investigate potential House Intellgence chairman nominee Jane Harman and discuss Mormon undergarments.

Today’s Papers has a man who was wrongfully abducted by the CIA and tortured in Afghanistan wanting his case reinstated against them(it was dismissed on national security concerns, big surprise), a report by the European Parliament that several European countries cooperative actively or passively in the CIA’s extraordinary renditions, experts saying that approximately $2 billion worth of equipment belonging to the Army and Marine Corps is wearing out or being destroyed in Iraq and Afghanistan every month and more in the one page news.

Amusements

TV Land cable network has compiled a list of the 100 greatest catchphrases in TV history

Texas Ethics Commission rules that bribery is legal if paid with cash. Tom Delay’s giggling reportedly out of control

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Raft) tries his hand at the Kerry “joke”

Man claims £34,000 in benefits for having a bad back, gets caught on video giving karate lessons

Wealthy investment bankers trapped in their offices by cleaners protesting their own extremely low pay. Behold the start of “Be Nice to Office Cleaners Day” in Europe

Chess players to face anti-doping tests for some damn reason. “I would not know which drug could possibly help a chess player to improve his game,” says one baffled official

Drunk driver swallows car keys rather than giving them to cop. Then bites the cop

*RING RING* Hi, um, yeah, I’m guy who just swiped your cellphone? Oh, you remember me? Great, great. Well, I just wanted to say… how YOU doin?

Religious group pays to have six-ton Ten Commandments placed outside of Dixie County courthouse. The “aw jeez not this shiat again” guy’s head explodes like he’s something out of the movie “Scanners”

Breaking into three homes and asking to smell or lick the feet of the residents earns Colorado man 27 years of smelling and licking Bubba

In honor of tonight’s broadcast of the greatest special in TV history, here’s Hey Ya Charlie Brown

Man’s car stolen from apartment complex parking lot; he wonders if anyone might have seen it (w/ pic)

City councilman opposes ban on panhandling. Will he: A) Call for rational discourse on the matter? B) Rally his supporters in a media blitz? Or C) Compare the other council members to Hitler trying to annihilate the Jews?

Blushing bride embezzles over $100 000 to pay for extravagant wedding. Expect a feel-good movie about it starring Julia Roberts soon

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this movie poster

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this vintage billboard

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this sumo wrestler stretching