BDeutsch News Analysis

At least 20 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the United States, according to an article by the Associated Press.
About a dozen students at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, N.Y., have been diagnosed with the strain after spending spring break in Cancun. The outbreak has caused officials to close schools in New York, Texas and California. Ohio and Kansas have also reported confirmed cases of swine flu, according the Associated Press.
The strain, which killed at least 80 people in Mexico so far, has not spread to Minnesota yet, according to a state health official speaking to the Star Tribune.
The official said they will continue to examine patients showing flu-like symptoms, and they expect to find some cases.
“We don't want people to panic," Dr. Ruth Lynfield, Minnesota state epidemiologist, said at a news conference in St. Paul. "This has not been severe here."

Posted by deuts060 at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A day after an American journalist was sentenced to eight years in prison, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the accused will be allowed to present her case during an appeal.
A judge found Roxana Saberi, 31, guilty of spying on Iran and sentenced her in a trial that lasted 15 minutes, according to her father’s interview with CNN on Sunday.
Saberi was arrested for working without press credentials while researching a book on Iranian culture, according to an Associated Press article. Saberi, whose parents were born in Iran but immigrated to Fargo, retains dual citizenship in the United States and Iran.
“She is an Iranian-American who was interested in the country which her family came from. And it is appropriate for her to be treated as such and to be released," Obama said.
According to a second Associated Press article published in the Fargo Forum on Saturday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. is working with Swiss diplomats in Iran to uncover more about the case.
The United States severed ties with Iran in 1979 after the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was seized during the Islamic revolution, according to the Associated Press.

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Navy snipers killed three Somali pirates on Sunday, freeing an American sea captain being held hostage by the men.
After five days of failed negotiations to free 53-year-old Capt. Richard Phillips, snipes fired just three separate shots to end the hostage situation, according to the Associated Press.
A fourth hostage had previously surrendered in order to receive medical treatment for a cut hand, according to the New York Times.
President Barack Obama authorized the strike, demanding that action only be taken if Phillips life was in imminent danger. That action was taken when snipers spotted one pirate holding a gun to the captain’s head.
While Sunday’s situation was successfully averted, both the New York Times and the Associated Press published that the events are unlikely to prevent further hostage taking – in fact it might put more American lives at risk in the area.
"This could escalate violence in this part of the world, no question about it," Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said to the Associated Press.

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The United Nations Security Council announced it will hold an emergency meeting Sunday night after North Korea launched a Taepodong 2 missile Saturday night – a pre-planned event that was condemned by the United States and several of its allies in Asia.
According to the New York Times, “the U.S. and others say it violates a U.N. ban on ballistic missile activity by the communist state even though the satellite failed to reach orbit.”
Despite North Korea’s claims that the intentions of the missile were for communications, others believe the missile, which can travel as far as 4,100 miles, could potentially be used to attack the United States or its allies – primarily Japan and South Korea.
“Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something," President Barack Obama said. "Now is the time for a strong international response, and North Korea must know that the path to security and respect will never come through threats and illegal weapons.”
According to a Star Tribune calendar graphic, Obama is scheduled to give a speech on nuclear proliferation today at the European Union summit in the Czech Republic.

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The Associated Press is reporting 22 dead and 132 injured after fans created a stampede following a World Cup qualifying soccer match in the Ivory Coast.
According to Interior Minister Desire Tagro, fans became unruly before the game between Ivory Coast and Malawi even began and at one point police fired tear gas into a section of the crowd.
"They started pushing to get in because the match was about to start and each and every one of them wanted to get in," Tagro said in a televised statement.
Ivory Coast won the match 5-0.
"Lots of fans showed up," Tagro said in another Associated Press article published in the Deseret News out of Salt Lake City. "They started pushing to get in because the match was about to start and each and every one of them wanted to get in."

Posted by deuts060 at 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Four U.S. troops were killed in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday in what the New York Times is calling a Taliban response to a planned increase in U.S. presence in the Middle Eastern country.

Yahoo! News is reporting that violence in the Kunar region of Afghanistan, where a series of attacks have taken place in 2009 including Sunday’s attack, is up 131 percent from the first two months of 2008.
“The enemy that has a traditional hold in the area are deeply entrenched with the population," Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green said to the Times. “The population is also very xenophobic and are largely 'fence sitters.’ ”
The attack, which the Taliban has taken responsibility for, is likely a response for an increase of 700 troops in the region and what likely lies ahead for the 17,000 troops who will be deployed to Afghanistan.

Posted by deuts060 at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

President Barack Obama’s plan to withdrawal all U.S. troops from Iraq by 2011 made the news again on Sunday as government officials announced 12,000 troops will leave the Middle Eastern country by September.
The announcement came on the same day as an attack in Baghdad that unofficially killed 29 and wounded another 57 – the worst attack in Iraq in months according to an Associated Press article.
The article, which quotes Maj. Gen. David Perkins, a U.S. Army spokesman, as saying Iraq’s security has “greatly improved, moving from a very unstable to a stable position,” does anything but reinforce those statements.
According to the Associated Press report, Iraqi forces attempted to keep bystanders away from Sunday’s attack by firing shots into the air. Those same forces will be required to keep the peace when U.S. troops begin leaving the country.
Contrary to the Associated Press article, which quoted an unnamed Iraqi official for its casualty list, an Los Angeles Times article published the at least 33 people were killed in the attack while 61 were wounded.
Both articles included that Britain’s remaining 4,000 troops are also scheduled to leave the country next fall.

Posted by deuts060 at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Sunday, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed a report from the United Nations that Iran has accumulated enough fissile material to build a nuclear weapons.

“We think they do, quite frankly,” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman for the Joint Chiefs said. “And Iran having a nuclear weapon, I've believed for a long time, is a very, very bad outcome for the region and for the world.”

According to an Associated Press article, experts disagree if Iran has enough nuclear material to both create a weapon and also further refine the material. They also disagree on how long it would take for the country to complete the weapon’s construction.

“We are concerned they are getting close,” State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood said to the AP.

However U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was not as concerned when he was quoted in a New York Times article on Sunday.

"They're not close to a stockpile," Gates said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "They're not close to a weapon at this point. And so there is some time.”

Posted by deuts060 at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will have the chance to run for an unprecedented third time in 2012 after the decade-long ruler won a referendum on Sunday that eliminated term limits.

“In 2012 there will be presidential elections, and unless God decides otherwise, unless the people decide otherwise, this soldier is already a candidate,�? Chavez said in an Associated Press story.

According to the Associated Press, 54 percent of voters sided with Chavez, former paratroop commander, by voting to eliminate the 12-year presidential term limit Chavez pushed through in 1999. Ninety-four percent of the vote has been counted, and Information Minister Jesse Chacon said the turnout was as high as 70 percent.

Chavez, who failed to pass a broader version of the referendum in December 2007, said he needs more time to facilitate the country’s transition to socialism according to the Associated Press article.

"Those who voted 'yes' today voted for socialism, for revolution," he said.

Posted by deuts060 at 4:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to U.S. media outlets, Australian authorities believe at least some of the more than 700 wildfires that have killed 128 people so far were set by arsonists.

The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that firefighters continue to battle the country’s worst-ever wildfire, which has spread throughout the southern region of Australia near Melbourne.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has established a $6.75 million relief fund for victims of the fires. Rudd believes the number of casualties will increase over the next several days.

“I fear in the days ahead, though, the news is going to be bad, and I believe the nation needs to prepare itself as the full facts become known,�? Rudd said.

Authorities believe many of the 128 victims died while protecting their homes or attempting to flee the area at the last minute.

“You need to decide early, one way or another, what you're doing, you don't leave it until the last minute," a spokeswoman from the Country Fire Authority said to the Los Angeles Times on Sunday.

Posted by deuts060 at 4:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Johanna Sigurdardottir became the world’s first openly gay leader when she was sworn in as Iceland’s Prime Minister Sunday accordng to CNN.

Sigurdardottir, 66, also became the nation’s first female premier at a time when Iceland is in financial crisis – a week after Sigurdardotti’s predecessor, Geir Haarde, resigned along with his cabinet.

The New York Times is reporting Iceland is the first country to adjust its leadership due to the financial crisis.

In October, the nation’s stock market, top banks and currency collapsed from the world-wide financial recession.

Sigurdardottir, a former social affairs minister and leader of the Social Democratic Alliance who once worked as a flight attendant, could have a short stay in her new role. Iceland’s next election is in April.

But the Prime Minister will make use of the time she has in office.

“All the ministers in my cabinet must work fast, take firm action and accept responsibility for their actions,�? Sigurdardottir said. “The people of this country must see that there is a new government in place which will defend their homes and rebuild the job market.�?

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