Today’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com. Nato is running short of precision bombs in Libya A month ago, when the Libya campaign began, it was expected to end quickly, and the United States, which was already involved in two wars in
Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian pro-Palestinian activist who has been living in Gaza for three years, was abducted and killed on Thursday. A Salafist militant group called Al-Tawhid and Al-Jihad took credit, according to VOA. They offered to spare Arrigoni’s life
Editor’s Note: John Xenakis will be writing a regular column titled “Word View” to keep you up to date on the news headlines around the world. You can visit his website here. Gaddafi using cluster bombs on residential areas in
Talk of restructuring Greece’s debt (a form of default) has been increasing since two days ago when, as we reported, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble broke the politicians’ code of silence and said that debt restructuring would probably be necessary.
With Palestinian efforts going full steam ahead to get United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state in September, the Obama administration is attempting to refocus world attention on a negotiated agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, according to NPR. Hillary
A meeting between CIA Director Leon Panetta and Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) head Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha in Washington was cut short on Monday, apparently over disagreements about joint US-Pakistan cooperation on the war on terror within Pakistan
Germany is already at odds with the “Club Med” nations, since Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy are considered to be profligate spenders requiring bailouts, in contrast to the disciplined savers in Germany. And the anger is growing anyway, because it’s
On Saturday, Icelanders voted 60% to 40% in favor of rejecting a negotiated agreement to repay the UK and Dutch governments for losses incurred by citizens of those countries who had invested in Iceland’s “Icesave” program, according to Bloomberg. Reykjavik,
On March 17, when the United Nations Security Council passed the resolution authorizing military action against Libya, the vote was 10-0, with five abstentions: China, Russia, Brazil, Germany and India. (See “18-Mar-11 News — UN declares war after Gaddafi threatens
The chances of a new Israeli war with Gaza are much higher today, a day after a Kornet anti-tank missile launched from Gaza struck a school bus southen Israel, injuring the driver and critically injuring a 16 year old boy.
A telephone poll of a random sample of 615 Egyptians, conducted from March 9-20, indicates that there’s very little reason for the West to be concerned about Egypt becoming a hardline Muslim country. In particular, there’s absolutely nothing that supports
As late as Wednesday morning, Portugal’s finance ministry was saying that the country can meet all its financing needs without any aid from the European Union, and that there were no plans to ask for a bailout, according to the
On March 9, al-Jazeera broadcast a show that interviewed several Bahraini protesters. Since then, all those interviewed have been arrested, or beaten or are in hiding, according to al-Jazeera. That shows how thorough Barain’s officials have been. Protester allegedly beaten
In a sharp about-face of policy, the Obama administration is backing away from President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, America’s long-time ally in the war against terror. The administration had fully supported Saleh until news leaked out this weekend, confirmed
An estimated 100,000 protesters demanding to “Save the Revolution” demonstrated in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday, according to Ahram. The protesters have called for another rally next Friday. Tahrir Square on Friday There had been no large scale
If you’re a guy looking for a wife, you might wish to consider a trip to Russia. Preliminary results of the 2010 census show that Russia’s population is 142.9 million, 2.2 million less than in 2002. Furthermore, only 46.3% are
US officials have confirmed that American war planes, ground-attack aircraft and Tomahawk cruise missiles will be pulled out the Libya operation, starting this weekend. In addition, US naval ships and submarines are being withdrawn from the seas off Libya according
The euro crisis increased on Thursday, as yields (interest rates) demanded by investors to lend money to Portugal or Ireland through 10-year bond purchases soared to new highs. Higher yields on government bonds indicate that investors believe that the country
The rebels in Libya suffered a decisive reversal on Wednesday, as Gaddafi’s forces changed tactics. The rebels were forced to pull out of the key oil town of Ras Lanuf, according to the BBC, as well as several other cities.
While the eyes of the world are focused on Libya, Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have been moving ahead with plans to discuss reconciliation, with the expectation that the United Nations will create a Palestinian state in September. Palestinian president
On Monday, more than 100 people were killed, and dozens injured, from an explosion in a weapons factory in Abyan province in Yemen, according to CNN. Yemen (CS Monitor) There is a bizarre story behind this explosion. On Sunday, around
In the last couple of days, rebels have been sweeping towards Tripoli, capturing or recapturing one town after another — Ajdabiya, Brega, Uqayla, Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad, according to the BBC. Sirte is still a Gaddafi stronghold, while Misrata
The sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, which occurred a year ago on March 26, has had a profound effect on relations between the U.S. and China, as well as between North and South Korea. South Koreans raise the
Syrian troops opened fire on demonstrators on Friday, as tens of thousands of people poured out of the mosques after midday prayers and staged protests against the government of president Bashar al-Assad, according to the Independent. [youtube 9flGn0y2_d0 nolink] The
A bomb blast at a Jerusalem bus stop on Wednesday killed one person and wounded dozens others, according to The National (UAE). Nobody has claimed responsibility fo the bombing, but Israeli police suspect Palestinian terrorists. Jerusalem bomb kills one, injures
