Politics

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:14 UTC

  Putin blames US for nationwide protests against alleged election fraud

  

  Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, facing the possibility of nationwide protests against his rule, on Thursday accused US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of instigating demonstrators in the wake of the disputed parliamentary election.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:08 UTC

  Internet version of red light district “.xxx” opens this week with strong filters

  

  An Internet version of a red light district opened this week as Web addresses with “.xxx” endings became available for purchase by those interested in providing online adult content.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:01 UTC

  Record number of imprisoned journalists in 2011, claims CPJ

  

  The number of journalists jailed around the world increased more than 20% in 2011, mainly because of government crackdowns in the Middle East and North Africa, a nonprofit organization said Thursday.

• Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 22:20 UTC

  Grand Prize Winner of 2011 Katerva Awards announced at the Lincoln Center in New York

  

  “If the Nobel Society had an award for sustainability, it would resemble the Katerva Awards, a new international prize for the most promising ideas and efforts to advance the planet toward sustainability.” (Reuters *)

• Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 20:26 UTC

  Hammond: “no going back” on defence cuts and “it will not be easy or pain-free”

  

  The UK Defence secretary Philip Hammond issued a sharp warning that there can be ‘no going back’ on the government’s cuts to the armed forces made in last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

• Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 20:19 UTC

  UK NATO campaign in Libya (longer than expected) cost 333 million dollars

  

  The UK contribution to the NATO operation in Libya cost £212 million pounds (333 million dollars), Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said on Thursday in London.

• Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 20:01 UTC

  Falklands’ land mine clearance set to enter a new expanded phase in early 2012

  

  Robin Swanson, head of the Demining Program Office and visiting the Falkland Islands this week ahead of the new phase of land-mine clearance due to start early next year, confirmed that the forthcoming planned clearances will advance the demining process from the pilot stage to a more advanced “land release” phase.

• Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 19:54 UTC

  Uruguay with “two economic teams, let us not play with fire” warns top economist

  

  The academic director of a Conservative think-tank, questioned Uruguayan president Jose Mujica attitudes and expressed the growing concern in the local business community and internationally about the fact the country seems to have two different economic teams.

• Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 06:55 UTC

  Euro Day: EU leaders won’t leave Brussels summit until agreement is reached

  

  Pessimistic comments from Germany and new figures exposing deepening stress among Europe's banks dented financial market hopes of a turning point in the Euro zone's debt crisis at a summit this week.

• Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 06:51 UTC

  Argentine lawmaker blasts UK marine conservation project in South Georgia

  

  Argentine lawmaker and president of the Malvinas Islands Parliamentary Observatory Alfredo Atanasof said Britain’s intention of creating a huge marine conservation zone in waters of South Georgia was “completely illegitimate”.