December 14, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
A hard core of Republican senators demanded ideological concessions from autoworkers, blaming the front-line manufacturing workers —whom John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, repeatedly called “the best in the world” during their campaign for the White House— for America’s embattled automakers’ financial hardships. The bloc included all 8 senators from the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, where foreign automakers, like Toyota and Hyundai, have spent billions to build factories that have led to the creation of thousands of jobs in those states.
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November 18, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
Despite urging from the Russian prosecutors and the potential national-security implications of a case involving at least one former FSB (successor to KGB) agent, the trial of those accused of conspiring in the killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya will be held in open court. The first trial hearings began “behind closed doors”, and Karina Moskalenko —a human rights lawyer working with Politkovskaya’s family— was allegedly poisoned while in France.
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November 17, 2008 :: staff :: One Comment
In Alaska, 7-count convicted felon Sen. Ted Stevens had narrowly led Anchorage mayor Mark Begich, but counting of early-cast paper ballots and absentee votes has favored Begich, a Democrat in a Republican-controlled state, and Begich is now favored to win. Georgia Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss is now facing a heated runoff, in which more campaign cash is being spent than in the first round and John McCain has taken to the campaign trail. In Minnesota, author and radio-host Al Franken trails Republican incumbent Norm Coleman by just 200 votes, the count ongoing.
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August 21, 2008 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
NATO has held an emergency meeting and has issued a statement saying “normal relations” with Russia cannot be resumed until it removes its forces from Georgian territory. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov has accused the alliance of “bias”, even as reports continue to emerge of Russian forces occupying Georgia’s vital Black Sea port of Poti, an apparent move to control its hydrocarbon trade.
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August 16, 2008 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
CNN has shown images of Russian tanks advancing to their closest perimeter around the Georgian captial, Tbilisi, since the invasion began, even as US Secretary of State Rice is in the capital, urging a Russian pullout, and persuading the Georgian president to sign a potential peace accord. Rhetoric from the US administration has reached the level of ordering Russia to withdraw or face long-term consequences in its relationship with the US and its standing on the international stage.
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August 13, 2008 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Georgian pres. Mikheil Saakashvili has said he fears Russia’s military action against his nation is the start of a “chain of events”, rooted in “never-ending appetite” of those he views as Russia’s militarists, that could compromise security across the Sough Caucasus, eastern Europe and the Middle East. He also accuses Russia of having no intention of honoring the tentative ceasefire that was announced yesterday. Russia today has told the United States it must choose between supporting Georgia or being able to cooperate with Russian in other international affairs.
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August 12, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
Reports of Russia’s escalation of the invasion of Georgian territory suggest more than 10,000 ground troops are now in South Ossetia, and ballistic missile attacks (at least 15 fired so far) have included targets across the entire Georgian state. Georgian pres. Mikhail Saakashvili has been forced to seek cover, as security forces feared he was in danger of being hit by a Russian airstrike.
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August 9, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The BBC is reporting a Russian air strike inside Georgia, against the town of Gori, near the South Ossetia border, resulted in 60 civilian casualties in two apartnment blocks. Russia also reports two fighter jets were shot down by Georgian defense forces (Georgia claims to have downed at least 10 jets). The New York Times reports that “Russian officials said that 1,500 civilians had been killed in South Ossetia and that 12 Russian troops had died”. The Georgian parliament has voted to back a “presidential decree declaring a state of war”, which will remain in effect for 15 days.
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August 8, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
US ally and former Soviet republic, Georgia, has announced it plans to withdraw its 2,000 military personnel from Iraq to return them to Georgia in order to defend against what appears to be a Russian ground invasion of Georgian territory. The Russian’s military operations in “breakaway province South Ossetia”, along Georgia’s border with the Russian [...]
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November 10, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
10 November :: Pakistan gov’t announces plans to lift state of emergency within one month, saying it was declared to fight radical fundamentalist militia allegedly spreading from country’s northwest border provinces… NY Times reports “The Pakistani police allowed the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to leave her house today, but blocked her from visiting the home [...]
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November 9, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
9 November :: Musharraf’s forces in riot gear have surrounded home of Bhutto’s home, alleging suicide bombers are waiting to strike, no one being allowed in or out; move is aimed at preventing her holding massive rally in Rawalpindi; after she attempted to leave, she was prevented by gov’t forces, she has been placed under [...]
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September 27, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
27 September :: Reports emerge from Rangoon military junta has raided monasteries in effort to end pro-democracy rallies; UN Security Council has urged regime to meet with special envoy, China says it views Burma crisis as “internal affair”; reports suggest 70 monks were abducted from one monastery alone by security forces; junta has warned demonstrators [...]
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