Headlines March 29, 2013...
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Arms Treaty Heads for General Assembly Vote After New Objections
A proposed global arms treaty has stalled in talks at the
United Nations. On Thursday, Iran, Syria and North Korea blocked
adoption of the first international pact to regulate the arms trade,
citing a failure to ban weapons sales to armed rebel groups. Despite the
three countries’ objections, the treaty is expected to come up for a
vote in the General Assembly next week. The U.N. talks marked the latest
effort to craft a global standard for regulating the arms trade after
the Obama administration blocked an agreement last summer.
Related News Reports:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8848716/The-Shadow-World-Inside-theGlobal-Arms-Trade-by-Andrew-Feinstein-review.html?fb
North Korea Orders Rocket Unit on Standby as U.S. Denies Provocation
Tensions are continuing to mount between the United States and
North Korea. The North Korean regime says it has ordered its rocket
units on standby for an attack on regional U.S. military bases after the
United States flew nuclear-capable stealth bombers over South Korea. It
was the latest threat by North Korea in the standoff over U.S.-South
Korean military drills and U.S.-backed Security Council sanctions in
response to North Korea’s recent nuclear test. On Thursday, Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel rejected assertions the South Korea flights are a
provocation.
Metaphor for Korea style politics:
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel: "We have security issues here that we have to protect, and commitments and our security interests. So, no, I don’t think we’re doing anything extraordinary or provocative or out of the — out of the orbit of what nations do to protect their own interests and assure, as the general said, especially not only to our South Korean ally, but to our other allies in that region, that we must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we’ll respond to that."
Metaphor for Korea style politics:
Newtown Shooter Had Massive Arsenal at Home
Police in Connecticut have unsealed key findings of their
investigation into the shooting massacre at Newtown’s Sandy Hook
Elementary School. The gunman, Adam Lanza, had a massive arsenal of
weapons at home, including swords, knives and guns. Other findings at
Lanza’s home included a newspaper clipping of another school shooting,
several books on autism, a report card from when he attended Sandy Hook,
and a certificate from the National Rifle Association bearing Lanza’s
name. Lanza used 30-round magazines to fire 154 times at Sandy Hook,
killing 26 people in less than five minutes. In a statement, Connecticut
Gov. Dannel Malloy said the fact Lanza opted for the high-capacity
magazines instead of the smaller ones he had at home underscores the
need for an assault weapons ban.
RELATED BLOG POST: Gun Debate Nonsense Revisited 1 - The Piers Morgan Debacle
RELATED BLOG POST: Gun Debate Nonsense Revisited 1 - The Piers Morgan Debacle
Guantánamo Attorneys Say Guards Cracking Down on Hunger Strikers; Red Cross Visit Begins
Defense attorneys for hunger-striking prisoners at Guantánamo
Bay are accusing military officials of imposing harsh conditions in a
bid to halt their protest. An emergency motion filed in federal court
says guards are denying prisoners water and keeping camp temperatures at
"extremely frigid" levels to increase their discomfort. The prisoners
have refused food for nearly two months over intrusive searches and
their continued detention without charge. At least three prisoners were
hospitalized for dehydration earlier this week. The allegations come as
the International Committee of the Red Cross has begun a fact-finding
mission at Guantánamo to evaluate conditions for the hunger-striking
prisoners.
Stephen Colbert on Guantanamo: Gitmo detainees craft a dangerous new weapon behind bars that may shatter our aesthetic paradigm...
Stephen Colbert on Guantanamo: Gitmo detainees craft a dangerous new weapon behind bars that may shatter our aesthetic paradigm...
EPA Set to Unveil New Car, Gasoline Standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set to unveil new
federal standards today for cleaner gasoline and vehicles. The rules
will reduce sulfur in gasoline by two-thirds and impose pollution limits
on all cars by 2017. The Obama administration says the standards will
be equal to taking 33 million cars off the roads. They have been held up
for well over a year amidst political opposition led by oil industry
lobbyists. At least 16 congressional Democrats have signed on to a
Republican demand for the rules to be delayed.
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