Free Republic

...European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake had a depth of 10 kms (6.21 miles). There have been no reports of injuries or damages so far.

You can imagine the derision that would have flowed from the liberal “mainstream media” if George W. Bush had referred to the United States as well as its European allies as “developing countries.” [Snip] And one of the interesting things that we don’t talk about enough is the contrast between what’s happened in the United States and what’s happened in a lot of other developing countries, Europe in particular. It´s pretty rare where we have the chance to look at two policy approaches and follow them over several years and see which one worked. And the fact is

Politico published an eye-opening report on Saturday by Ben Smith about “Media Matter’s war against Fox.” Smith wrote that the organization continues to transform itself into an exclusively Fox News-battling group.Media Matters founder David Brock told Politico that his organization’s activism has developed into a “strategy of containment.” This strategy includes extensive work to compile intelligence on the employees of the cable news channel. (Snip)“Somebody in that organization is giving us primary source documents.”

UNITED NATIONS -- Iran may be using its nuclear program to develop weapons for military use, the United Nations says. The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said it has received information indicating Iran was "not engaging with the agency in substance on issues concerning the allegation that Iran is developing a nuclear payload for its missile program," the BBC reported Friday. The agency says the information raised "further concerns" about Iran's "possible military dimensions" to its nuclear development despite Tehran's protestations its program is entirely peaceful.

WASHINGTON – The climate phenomenon known as La Nina appears to be developing, threatening more bad news in the efforts to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. When a La Nina occurs there tend to be more hurricanes than normal in the Atlantic and Caribbean regions, which include the Gulf of Mexico. The federal Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that La Nina conditions are likely to develop in July and August. La Nina is marked by an unusual cooling of the sea surface in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Water temperatures in that area can affect air...

KEARNEY, Neb. — Police snipers perched on the roofs in downtown Kearney this morning as authorities worked to resolve a hostage situation at the Wells Fargo Bank. An armed man held a shotgun on a woman inside the bank at 21 W. 21st St., authorities said. The hostage situation began about 10:57 a.m., and at about 11:15, some employees and customers at the bank were evacuated through an east door into the alley. About 30 to 40 people were evacuated, and police officers accompanied them to make sure the suspect was not among them.

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2009 – U.S. forces in Iraq increasingly are working on civil affairs projects to develop the country, while continuing to provide security so that progress can happen throughout, military officials report. U.S. Army Capt. Eric Currence, commander of the 641st Civil Affairs Team, shakes hands with Jameel Bashar, the village sheikh's brother, after the ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new water filtration facility in Kalamat Village March 9, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Soldiers assigned to the Army’s 641st Civil Affairs Team helped bring a water filtration system...

A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts. Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily IZVESTIA published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only...

SANTIAGO, Chile -- It might be argued that a country ceases to be underdeveloped when its citizens shift their anger from other people's wealth to the quality of the services their own wealth is paying for. Chile is perhaps the world's best example. For the past two years, President Michelle Bachelet has faced a national malaise that has manifested itself in violent student protests, strikes affecting copper mining and the forestry industry, and the gradual unraveling of the coalition that has governed since 1990. I recently asked Bachelet and former President Ricardo Lagos what was happening. Their answers were instructive....

The severe housing slump is already beginning to hit consumer spending. The International Shopping Center Chain Store Index has now declined more than 1% for two straight weeks for the first time since December 2004, and has broken down to its lowest level of the year as a result of slower job growth, a diminishing wealth effect, record debt burdens, little savings cushion and high energy prices. The 2006 peak for MEW has been raised to almost $1 trillion with the second quarter 2007 estimate still at a relatively high $500 million. ISI states that that this means the coming...

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2007 – Iraqi security units have developed to the point where they can assume a greater share of the security burden, the U.S. general in charge of training those forces until earlier this week said here today. Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey turned over command of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq to Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik on June 10 in Baghdad and testified before the House Armed Services Committee oversight subcommittee today. Dempsey gave an unvarnished assessment of the progress and roadblocks in training and equipping the Iraqi army, national police and local police. “My...

BBC Rome correspondent David Willey covered the signing of the Treaty of Rome as a Reuters trainee. Here he looks back at the Europe of half a century ago.The signing of the treaty took place in the majestic surroundings of Michelangelo's elegant Capitoline Palace situated at the top of one of Rome's seven hills. David Willey: Reuters trainee, and veteran BBC correspondent I was actually there in the huge room frescoed with scenes from ancient Roman battles, when the six frock-coated founders of the Europe of the Six appended their signatures to the Treaty. Crowded into the room were...

Emissions levels have proved a sticking point Leading US politicians are meeting with legislators from the EU, China, Japan and India to seek a breakthrough in the international climate deadlock. The meeting, organised by British-run parliamentarians' group Globe, is strongly supported by the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. On Thursday, it will publish recommendations for a new world deal on climate change at the G8 summit. G8 leaders will be meeting in Germany this summer. The gathering in the US senate has attracted two presidential candidates - John McCain and the Senate Foreign Relations committee chair Joe Biden. In...

Developing nations to test new $150 laptops 15:43 13 February 2007 NewScientist.com news service From Brazil to Pakistan, some of the world's poorest children will peer across the digital divide this month – reading electronic books, shooting digital video, creating music and chatting with classmates online. The non-profit "One Laptop per Child" project, founded by MIT academics, will roll out nearly 2500 of its $150-laptops to eight nations. The experiment is a prelude to mass production of the kid-friendly, lime-green-and-white laptops, scheduled to begin in July 2007, when five million will be built. Its technological triumphs include a hand crank...

Scientists at Tel Aviv University have developed new technology to greatly improve battery performance and decrease the risks associated with the lithium-based batteries currently used. Batteries are the bottle-neck for electronic devices' ability to operate effectively, the project's head, Professor Menachem Nathan told Israel21c.org. Mobile devices need more and more battery power, and consumers are seeking products that take the shortest amount of time to charge. The demand has resulted in lithium-heavy batteries that heat to high temperatures, posing a fire hazard. "The problem we're dealing with here is the flammability of lithium batteries. There have been a few dozen...

QALAT, Afghanistan, July 11, 2006 – U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today called the provincial reconstruction team here a shining example of how the teams develop relationships with the local Afghan government. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld (right) meets with Del Bar Jan Arman (left), governor of Afghanisan's Zabul province, during a visit to the Qalat Provincial Reconstruction Team July 11. Photo by Staff Sgt. Gary Hilliard, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. When the coalition began using provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan, officials were constantly evaluating their work to see if they were worth the time...

BAGHDAD, May 15, 2006 — The keys to stability in Iraq lie in unity, security and prosperity. Iraqis are making steady progress toward these goals. The formation of a unity government that upholds the voice and resolve of all Iraqi people will set the stage for efforts to diminish the violence and improve security, as well as enhance economic and cultural well-being. Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Nouri Al-Maliki is guiding the Iraqi effort to form an effective national unity government and create the positive political environment for long-term security and prosperity. He proposed four pillars of government that will contribute to...

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2006 – Afghan national security forces are building capabilities every day and will soon be able to provide security for their country and be a strong partner in the war on terrorism, two U.S. and Afghan generals involved in training the forces said in a news briefing from Afghanistan today. The country's national security forces, including the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police, now number more than 60,000 and are conducting successful joint operations, said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Durbin, commander of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan. The Afghan National Army is being built from...

/8/2006 - LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- An Air Force doctor is helping thousands of people in developing countries as a results of a chance encounter with Texas reservists at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, eight years ago. Lt. Col. (Dr.) Josef Schmid was in the regular Air Force working in the Rhein-Main clinic when a team of reservists from Lackland's 433rd Airlift Wing showed up for two weeks of annual tour training. “I didn’t even know they were reservists until someone said something," said Doctor Schmid, now assigned to the 433rd Medical Squadron here. After leaving active duty,...

CLINTON AIDES BATTLE FREEH OVER '60 MINUTES,' BOOK Sat Oct 08 2005 20:04:07 ET Under strong pressure from former President Bill Clinton's advisers, CBS's ''60 Minutes'' has agreed to read a statement denying an explosive charge being made on Sunday nght's program by former FBI director Louis Freeh, the WASHINGTON POST reports. In the statement, Samuel ``Sandy'' Berger, Clinton's national security adviser, challenges Freeh's assertion that Clinton failed to press Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to cooperate with an investigation of the 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers in that country, and used the occasion to ask for a contribution to his...