Diane White

By Diane White

Pres. Vladimir V. Putin threatened Russia would suspend its compliance with a treaty on conventional arms in Europe, Thursday.
Putin accused the U.S. and NATO of undermining regional stability with its plan to extend an American missile shield to central Europe, according to the AP.
NATO Secretary, General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said the agreement had been one of the cornerstones of European security and Russia's threat to suspend participation is a grave concern, according to the BBC.
The treaty was forged at the end of the cold war, according to the New York Times. The announcement made in Putin's annual address to Parliament has sparked an intense dispute between NATO and the Kremlin.

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By Diane White

A Virginia Tech Engineering Professor was buried Friday, in Israel, where he was given the highest medal for his scientific accomplishments and heroism by the Romanian Government. He was 76.
Liviu Librescu saved the lives of many students during the Virginia Tech Tragedy, by using his body to barricade a classroom door, while they escaped out windows. He was shot as his students jumped, according to the AP.
Librescu was a Romanian-born Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel in 1978 after refusing to give allegiance to the communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, according to the BBC. He began teaching at Virginia Tech in 1985.
Librescu's son Joe said, "I really felt a sense of pride, even thought I wasn't surprised at how he acted at this moment...His was definitely a fulfilled life," according to CBS.

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By Diane White

An intense earthquake hit Mexico early Friday, knocking out power in parts of Mexico City and Acapulco, sending frightened residents and tourists into the streets according to the AP.
The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6 and was centered 40 miles northwest of Acapulco, the U.S. Geological Survey said, according to CBS.
No serious damage or casualties resulted from the earthquake and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the earthquake was too weak and struck too far inland to produce a tsunami, according to the BBC.

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By Diane White

A new scientific report out of Brussels Friday stated if the earth gets a few degrees hotter, the inconveniences we now face from global warming, will give way to danger, death and extinction of species.
Some of the poorest parts of the world are expected to be hit the hardest according to the AP, specifically, Asia and Africa. Predictions include: food and water shortages in Africa, floods and avalanches in Asia, and the extinction of species, unless nations adapt to the climate change or do something to stop it soon.
The likely cause of such intense global warming, according to the report, is a result of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, according to the BBC. However, "The Bush administration remains opposed to mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions," CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer reported.
The report concludes those suffering already from global warming will continue to in the future.

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By Diane White

A second member of the Royal Navy appeared on Iran's official Arabic-language TV Friday and apologized for entering Iranian waters "without permission."
The crew member, Nathan Thomas Summers, was shown sitting with another male serviceman and the female British sailor Faye Turney against a pink floral curtain. Summers also apologized for the same situation, which occurred back in 2004.
Prime Minister Tony Blair insists that the U.K.'s navy personnel were captured in Iraqi waters, and condemned Iran's treatment of the captives, adding that this tactic would only "enhance people's sense of disgust with Iran," according to the BBC.
In regards to the resolution of these events, CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk said:
"The hope is that once they pass this stage of making their point, they will release the sailors and marines as they did three years ago."

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By Diane White

British police officers arrested three men Thursday, in connection to the suicide bombings in London on July 7, 2005.
Two men, ages 23 and 30 were arrested at Manchester Airport, planning to catch a flight to Pakistan and the other man, 26, was arrested at a house in Leeds a few hours later, according to the BBC.
The men will be interviewed by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, in London. All men are being held on suspicion of committing, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism, according to the AP.
The July 7 attacks on three subway trains and a double-decker bus killed 52 people and wounded more than 700. They were the first suicide bombings to occur on European soil, according to CBS.

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By Diane White

National Assembly head of Cuba Ricardo Alarcon said Thursday that Fidel Castro would be in "perfect shape" to run for re-election to parliament next spring.
This would be the first step for Castro in securing another term as president according to the AP. In summer, the long process of nominating candidates for municipal elections will begin, leading to several rounds of voting. Cuba will likely hold parliamentary elections by March 2008, which are expected to include Castro.
Alarcon said Castro continues to recover and never abandoned his position as president but rather ceded power to his brother, after having emergency intestinal surgery in July, according to the BBC.
When Castro was near death, those in leadership positions tried to avoid giving the impression that they were filling the Cuban president’s shoes, according to CBS.

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By Diane White

Intelligence officials announced Thursday that a former Taliban leader was arrested Monday by security forces in Pakistan.
The man, Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, was a senior leader of the Afghan insurgency, and is said to be the most important Taliban member to be captured since the American-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, according to the New York Times. He was arrested in Quetta, Pakistan, where other Taliban leaders have been arrested as well, according to the BBC.
His capture coincided with Vice President Dick Cheney's visit, although the two events are not directly related, according to the Star Tribune. However the arrest may have been influenced by Cheney's mission to press Pakistan to crack down on members of the Taliban and Al-Qaida who reside in Pakistan as a sanctuary.

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By Diane White

Defense officials confirmed Friday that Prince Harry will be deployed to Iraq for a sixth-month tour of duty.
His regiment known as the Blues and Royals is expected to deploy sometime this spring, according to the BBC. Prime Minister Tony Blair has publicly praised Harry, calling him, "a brave and determined young man."
Harry will be the first senior royal to serve in active military service in 25 years, according to ABC. The last royal to serve, was his uncle, Prince Andrew, who fought in the Falklands war in 1982.
Harry is a second lieutenant, and expressed his desire to fight along with his comrades in Iraq, according to the AP.

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By Diane White

A Mauritania pilot fooled a hijacker Thursday by braking hard upon landing and then accelerating quickly, knocking the man to the floor on a flight bound for Gran Canaria, one of Spain's Canary Islands.
Mohamed Abderraman took over the plane with two 7 mm pistols, shortly after its take off from Nouakchott, Mauritania, according to the BBC. He demanded that the plane land in France, so he could request political asylum, according to Mohamed Ould Mohamed Cheikh, Mauritania's top police official. However the pilot had other plans.
After speaking to the man, the pilot, Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine, determined that he could not speak French. Lemine then used the plan's public address system to warn the passengers of his ploy to land the plane roughly in order to catch the hijacker off balance, according to Kare11.
The man fell to the ground as flight attendants threw boiling water in his face, about 10 people pounced on him according to the Star Tribune. Spanish police arrested the hijacker after the plane after landed at Gando airport, outside Las Palmas.
The plane carried 71 passengers, 20 of whom were slightly injured during the landing of the plane.

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By Diane White

After construction began Friday, to repair a damaged ramp near a holy site in Jerusalem, violence erupted.
Protesters accused Israel of plotting to harm Islamic Shrines, according to the AP. The protesters were particularly concerned with the digging work, which they said threatened the foundations of the Al-Aqsa Mosque according to the BBC.
Police allegedly responded with tear gas and stun grenades after Muslim protesters threw rocks at them and barricaded themselves inside the mosque, as stated by CBS.
Israeli Officials accused Palestinians of misinterpreting the project and rallying against it. Officials maintain that the construction was to replace the ramp, damaged in a 2004 snowstorm. The construction was taking place 200-feet away from the holy site and was not expected to cause any harm to it.
The BBC stated that dozens of people were hurt in Friday's protest.

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By Diane White

Scientists are meeting in Paris this week and Friday, they will announce their latest findings on the causes of global warming.
Scientists, 600, are working to finalize this most recent assessment, according to the Washington Post, the last occurred six years ago. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change translates this report into six languages, according to The New York Times.
So far, the main cause of global warming has been directed toward humans. This has changed since the 2001 report where scientists stressed green house gases as the probable cause of most global warming.
What's to come in 2100 according to the AP, is rising temperatures and sea levels. Sources have called global warming a "runaway train" and governments are now working hard to find solutions quickly.

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By Diane White

A 25-million ton asteroid is expected to impact the earth in 2029.
On Friday April 13th, 2029, people in Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia will be able to see Apophis as it makes its way to earth at 28,000-mph, according to Buzzle.com.
The asteroid would carry the energy of 65,000 Hiroshima bombs. If Apophis passes the earth with in a distance of 18,800-20,800 miles, there may be significant consequences.
Recent tracking of this asteroid suggests the probability of this event occurring as 45,000 to 1. However Rusty Schweickart, who served on Apollo 9 in 1969, suggests that even a small risk must not be ignored.
In 2013, Apophis will be in perfect position to track. The data collected then may rule out the threat of an impact or cause concern to begin working on missiles to deflect the asteroid.

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