Drone base in Niger gives U.S. a strategic foothold in West Africa
By ,
NIAMEY, Niger — The newest outpost in the U.S. government’s empire of drone bases sits behind a razor-wire-topped wall outside this West African capital, blasted by 110-degree heat and the occasional sandstorm blowing from the Sahara.
The U.S. Air Force began flying a handful of unarmed Predator drones from here last month. The gray, mosquito-shaped aircraft emerge sporadically from a borrowed hangar and soar north in search of al-Qaeda fighters and guerrillas from other groups hiding in the region’s untamed deserts and hills.
The harsh terrain of North and West Africa is rapidly emerging as yet another front in the United States’ long-running war against terrorist networks, a conflict that has fueled a revolution in drone warfare.
Cypriot bank creditors must shoulder part of burden, says Schäuble
German finance minister’s comments come as talks between Cyprus and Russia on fresh financial package break down
The euro zone stands ready to help bail out Cyprus but the burden must be shared by its financial sector otherwise the island's economy will collapse under its public debt, German finance minister told a Greek newspaper today.
"The perception that this (Cyprus) problem can be solved only by taxpayers in the euro zone without the participation of major creditors of Cypriot banks cannot be accepted by Europe's citizens," Wolfgang Schäuble told Greek daily Ta Nea in an interview.
Cyprus needs to find €5.8 billion in new money by a Monday deadline if it is to receive a €10-billion-euro EU bailout to avert a collapse of its financial system that could push it out of the euro zone.
ASIA
Fighting to save Cambodia's Prey Lang forest
Developers and loggers are threatening to permanently destroy Cambodia's Prey Lang forest, one of Southeast Asia’s last remaining lowland evergreen woodlands. One rural woman is leading the fight to save the region.
When people first meet Mao Chanthoeun, they might not associate this small, slight woman with the dangerous fight to save Cambodia's Prey Lang forest.
But appearances can be deceiving.
The 32-year-old has gone from being a traditional farmer in rural Cambodia to a highly visible and committed advocate for the forest, although her work toward preserving this natural resource has come with a good deal of personal sacrifice.
'Infant' universe, born before we knew
March 22, 2013 - 11:13AM
This image allows astronomers to look back to the foundations of the universe, writes Dennis Overbye.
Astronomers released the latest and most exquisite baby picture yet of the universe on Thursday, one that showed it to be 80 million to 100 million years older and a little fatter, with more light and dark matter than previously thought, and perhaps ever so slightly lopsided.
Recorded by the European Space Agency's Planck satellite, the image is a heat map of the cosmos as it appeared only 380,000 years after the Big Bang, showing space speckled with faint spots from which galaxies would grow over billions of years.
It shows the seeds from which the current universe grew.Marc Kamionkowski, Johns Hopkins University
Gaddafi family member no longer taking refuge in Algeria: envoy
Relatives of Libyan former strongman Muammar Gaddafi who took refuge in Algeria in August 2011 left the country a long time ago, the Algerian envoy to Libya said on Thursday.
"The family of Gadadfi left Algeria a long time ago and there is nobody (from the family) on Algerian soil," Abdelhamid Bouzaher was quoted as saying by Libya's official news agency LANA.
He did not offer any information on the current whereabouts of Gaddafi's relatives, the agency said.
Contacted by AFP, Bouzaher refused to comment, as did the office of Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.
Gaddafi's wife Safia and two sons, Hannibal and Mohammed, along with daughter Aisha sought refuge in Algeria after the fall of Tripoli in August 2011 to rebels battling the now dead dictator's loyalists.
Study: Mexico pays price for being soda king
Mexicans drink more refrescos, or soda, than people in just about any other country, according to new research, which links soda consumption with increased chances of obesity- and diabetes-related deaths.
By Lauren Villagran, Correspondent
Mexicans drink more refrescos, or soda, than people in just about any other country, according to new research.
Stacks of glass-bottled sodas – orange pop, purple non-alcoholic sangria, Coca-Cola – are omnipresent at food stands across Mexico City, where busy workers stop for quesadillas or tamales and are as likely to down a soda at breakfast as at lunch and dinner.
But too much soda is morbidly dangerous, the American Heart Association says, based on a new analysis of data collected during the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases Study. It linked consumption of sugary drinks to diabetes and obesity-related deaths, and Mexico ranks No. 1 in the world.
South Asia
Mar 22, '13
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Sri Lanka's anti-Muslim campaign fuels discord
By Munza Mushtaq
By Munza Mushtaq
COLOMBO - Sri Lanka's minority Muslim community is coming under intense pressure from a hard-line Buddhist monk organization allegedly linked to certain powerful individuals in the President Mahinda Rajapaksa-led administration.
The Buddhist Power Force, more commonly known as the "Bodu Bala Sena" (BBS) in the native Sinhala language has lashed out at the country's second-largest minority, which makes up 9.2% of the population, demanding an outright ban on several Muslim
practices including the traditional dress code of women and halal dietary guidelines.
The Buddhist Power Force, more commonly known as the "Bodu Bala Sena" (BBS) in the native Sinhala language has lashed out at the country's second-largest minority, which makes up 9.2% of the population, demanding an outright ban on several Muslim
practices including the traditional dress code of women and halal dietary guidelines.
Just days after pressuring the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), the apex religious body of Islamic Theologians in Sri Lanka into withdrawing the halal certification provided to companies in the country, the BBS is now targeting the traditional Muslim garb including the abaya (long black cloak), niqab (face cover) and hijab (head cover).
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