U.N. plane crash in Haiti

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:22:49 -0400

Oct. 10 - United Nations officials said 11 people died when their surveillance plane crashed into a mountainside near the border with the Dominican Republic.

Local Parents Head To Capital To Protest School Funding

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:22:56 -0500

Local Parents Head To Capital To Protest School Funding

News review of 2005 part 2 of 6

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 16:11:36 -0400

Including: Lebanon - Hariri Assassination; Bird flu; Kyoto pact comes into effect; Iraq violence - insurgency continues; Global flyer world record; Indonesia earthquake; and more. LEBANON - HARIRI ASSASINATION February was marked by the assasination of former Lebanese President Rafik Al Hariri on Valentine's day (February 14). A massive car bomb in Beirut's waterfront district killed the ex-premier and 19 others in an attack that would reverberate through the following months and leave an indelible change in the Lebanon's political landscape. The explosion gouged a huge crater out of the road, ripped facades from luxury buildings and left cars ablaze on the rubble-strewn street. At least 150,000 people attended his funeral including French President Jacques Chirac. Sixty-year-old Hariri had held office for most of the previous 12 years before quitting in October 2004 amid a bitter rift with President Emile Lahoud. A direct consequence of the attack was the removal of 14,000 Syrian troops from Lebanon, which Hariri had been calling for in the run up to a May general election. Syria had been a major power broker in its smaller neighbour since the civil war when it was credited with helping to bring the conflict to a close in 1990. A U.N. report issued in late October accused high-ranking Syrian security officials and their allies in Lebanon of involvement in the plot to kill Hariri. The United States and France threatened economic sanctions if Syria did not cooperate in the probe and detain officials for interviews with U.N. investigators. BIRD FLU PANDEMIC FEARS IN YEAR OF ROOSTER Earlier in the month, fears of a bird flu pandemic emerged as the Chinese celebrated the start of the Year of the Rooster. In Vietnam, where 41 people have died of bird flu, over half of the country's 64 provinces are infected despite ruthless measures to stop the spread of the H5N1 strain, including the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of poultry. The World Health Organisation has said the lethal virus is endemic in poultry across much of Asia and it could only be a matter of time before it develops the ability to jump the species barrier and mutate into a form that could pass easily from human to human, triggering a pandemic that could kill millions. The disease has so far killed 62 people and infected 122 in four Asian countries, and caused 125 million bird fatalities across South-East Asia. Most human cases have been linked to contact with sick birds. The strain first surfaced in humans in Hong Kong in 1997, re-emerged in 2003 in South Korea and has reached as far west as European Russia, Turkey and Romania, tracking the paths of migratory birds. In October Europeans were advised not to eat raw eggs and cook chicken carefully and the European Union banned imports of pet birds after a parrot died of the H5N1 strain in Britain and halted some imports of live birds. KYOTO PACT COMES INTO EFFECT After years of delays, the United Nations (U.N.) Kyoto protocol on curbing emissions of heat-trapping gases blamed for disrupting the climate took effect on February 16 with muted celebrations. Washington has dismissed the deal as an economic straitjacket, but 141 nations have signed up to a first step to halting global warming by imposing legally binding caps on greenhouse gas emission, mainly from burning fossil fuels in power plants factories and cars, in 35 developed nations. But the protocol excludes until at least 2012 major developing nations India, China and Brazil which comprise a third of the world's population. Environmentalists celebrated the pact, but many think it is not enough. Climate experts fear temperature rises will disrupt farming, raise sea levels by melting icecaps, cause more extreme weather like hurricanes or droughts, spread disease and wipe out thousands of plant and animal species by 2100. IRAQ INSURGENCY CONTINUES WITH MASSIVE SUICIDE BOMB In Iraq the violence continued. A massive suicide bomb on February 28 killed at least 115 near the marketplace in Hilla, 100 kilometers south of the capital. It was the single bloodiest attack in the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The bomber drove a car into a crowd of people queuing outside a government building, apparently to get health certificates needed to apply for government jobs. Insurgents fighting to drive U.S. troops from Iraq and wreck the transition to democracy have often targeted people looking for state jobs or army and police recruits. GLOBAL FLYER WORLD RECORD At the beginning of March adventurer, Steve Fossett became the first person to make a solo, non-stop flight around the world. After three days in the air his single-engine jet-powered experimental plane sponsored by Virgin Atlantic touched down smoothly in Kansas 67 hours after he left the same airstrip. The first non-stop flight around the world without refueling was made in 1986 by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan, who completed the 26,366 miles (42,430 km) in nine days. ITALIAN JOURNALIST RELEASED BY IRAQI INSURGENTS, FRENCH JOURNALIST AND IRAQI DRIVER RELEASED TWO MONTHS LATER Italy celebrated and mourned after Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was released by Iraqi militants. But her freedom was tainted by the death of the secret agent, Nicola Calipari who negotiated her release. He was killed by U.S forces who shot at the car in which they were travelling. Calipari's death fuelled calls by anti-war activists to withdraw Italian troops from Iraq. Later in the month Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced a progressive planned reduction of the 3,000 serving soldiers from September. Two months later France was welcoming home another journalist held hostage for five months by Iraqi Sunni insurgents. Aubenas' driver, Hussein Hanun al-Saadi, who was kidnapped with her, was also released and returned home to music and celebration at his Baghdad home. Al-Saadi looked pale and withdrawn and later stated his intention to leave Iraq following his ordeal. The pair were snatched after leaving their Baghdad hotel on January 5th. The French governemnt denied a ransom was paid to secure their sudden release KYRGYZSTAN - POPULAR REVOLT UNSEATS PRESIDENT AFTER OPPOSITION ALLEGATIONS OF VOTE RIGGING On March 24, violent anti-government protests led to the storming of government buildings in the capital Bishkek and the eventual downfall of veteran Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev. Protesters were demonstrating against elections results which handed Akayev overwhelming control of government, but which international observers said were flawed. Akayev refused to resign, but after protesters seized control of the seat of state power, he fled the country with his family for Russia where he tendered his resignation. The Kyrgyz Parliament accepted on April 11, having first stripped him and his family of special privileges granted by the previous parliament. INDONESIA EARTHQUAKE Whilst political upheaval threatened to split Kyrgyzstan, four days later a natural one was compounding the misery of Indonesia, recovering from the December 26th tsunami. An earthquake measuring 8.7 devastated Nias island, killed at least 800 people and left thousands injured and homeless. About 700,000 people live on the island which escaped major damage in the December tsunami. Large parts of the island, famed as a surfing paradise, were damaged and much of the regional capital, Gunungsitoli was flattened.

Ahmadinejad’s presidency confirmed

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:33:33 -0400

Aug 3 - Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei formally approves the second term presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Trump takes over U.N.?

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:05:38 -0500

Jul. 22: The U.N. Building is in dire need of renovation and the current plan calls for a $1.2 billion project funded by American taxpayers. Trump went before Congress saying he could get the job done better for half the price. Get the story on The Situation.

Ahmadinejad talks to CNN

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 02:34:02 -0400

Christiane Amanpour sits down with Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for a CNN exclusive interview.

U.N. inspectors visit Iran’s nuclear site

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:59:18 -0400

Oct. 25: U.N. nuclear watchdog inspectors visit Iran’s newly disclosed uranium enrichment site on Sunday. NBC's Ali Aouzi reports from Tehran.

Robert Vaughn

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:10:35 -0500

'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' star brought sophistication to action-adventure

Ahmadinejad protest at u.n. ties up traffic : AOL Video feed

U.N. plane crash in Haiti

Local Parents Head To Capital To Protest School Funding

News review of 2005 part 2 of 6

Ahmadinejad’s presidency confirmed

Trump takes over U.N.?

Ahmadinejad talks to CNN

U.N. inspectors visit Iran’s nuclear site

Robert Vaughn