U.S Lack the Courage to Attack Israel: Ahmadinejad

BRASILIA News Update: Visiting Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said that US and Israeli military threats against Iran were a thing of the past, and that, in any case, “they don’t have the courage” to attack Iran.

“The age of military attacks is over, now we’ve reached the time for dialogue and understanding. Weapons and threats are a thing of the past,” the Iranian told a joint press conference with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, closing his one-day visit.

Fielding a question on whether he feared an attack from Israel or the United States, Ahmadinejad said armed confrontation was no longer a possibility.

That’s clear “even for mentally challenged people,” he said with a smile.

Besides, he added, “those you mention (Israel and United States) don’t have the courage to attack Iran. They’re not even thinking about it.”

Ahmadinejad met for three hours with Lula to discuss Iran’s controversial nuclear program, over which Lula urged Teheran to find a “just solution” with Western powers.

Taylor Swift Wins 5 American Music Awards

Taylor Swift Wins 5 American Music Awards: LOS ANGELES, Taylor Swift Wins 5 American Music Awards, Country crossover star Taylor Swift overshadowed the late Michael Jackson at the American Music Awards on Sunday, winning five prizes including artist of the year.
Jackson, who had been expected to enjoy a clean sweep, ended up with four awards. He and Swift went head-to-head in the artist of the year race, the ceremony’s final prize.

Other multiple winners included hip-hop acts Jay-Z and the Black Eyed Peas, with two each.

Swift, 19, was also named favorite female artist in the pop/rock and country categories, and favorite adult-contemporary artist. Her 2008 album “Fearless,” the best-selling release in the United States this year, was named favorite country album.

She accepted her awards live via satellite from backstage at London’s Wembley Arena, where she will perform a concert on Monday.

“Music has never been ultimately about competition,” Swift said, after winning the artist of the year prize. She said it was an “unimaginable honor” to be cited in the same category as Jackson, and thanked the Jackson family.

Jackson was named favorite male artist in the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories, while his 2003 hits collection “Number Ones” was named favorite album in both those categories. The album is the No. 2 seller this year in the United States.

His brother Jermaine, accompanied by sons Jeremy, Jaafar and Jermajesty, accepted on his behalf. At one point, he thanked Allah “for blessing my entire family.”

Rapper Eminem, making a rare awards-show appearance in the wake of his four nominations, went home empty-handed. Glam-pop singer Lady Gaga, rock band Kings of Leon and jailed rapper T.I., who earned three nominations each, were also snubbed.

The Black Eyed Peas were named favorite group in both the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories. Jay-Z won favorite male artist and favorite album in the rap/hip-hop categories. His wife Beyonce, who was performing a show in Dublin, was named favorite female artist in the soul/R&B category.

Punk rock trio Green Day won the favorite alternative artist. Rascal Flatts won favorite country group for the fourth year in a row.

The performance-heavy show included some notable scenes. Openly gay “American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert kissed a keyboardist of indeterminate gender and rubbed a male dancer’s face in his crotch. Jennifer Lopez, meanwhile, landed on her bottom after jumping off the arched back of one of her dancers.

Nominees are determined by radio airplay and retail sales, while members of the public determine the winners through online voting. That’s why Jackson got so many nominations, even though he didn’t release any new material.
Source: apakistannews.com

Radiation Leak at the Nuclear Plant at Three Mile Island

WASHINGTON news update: A radiation leak at Three Mile Island, the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history, has sent home about 150 workers, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reported Sunday.

“They had an airborne radiological contamination alarm,” NRC spokeswoman Diane Screnci told media. “They evaluated all the workers, a handful of workers — I don’t have a precise number — had contamination. They since have been decontaminated,” she said.

About 150 people work in the building where the leak occurred.

Screnci said what she called a “leak… happened at 4:00 pm Saturday (2100 GMT) and they resumed work in the contaminated building” near Middletown, Pennsylvania.

“There was no impact on public health safety and it does not appear to have an impact on the workers,” she said adding that “this kind of incident occurs once in a while.”

So far, “they don’t know the origin of the contamination,” Screnci said. “There were a lot of activities going on at the time and when the alarm sounded. The engineers are working to determine what the cause was.”

“It’s a minor incident,” she said stressing it was “under control.”

Three Mile Island suffered a major accident in 1979, with the core of a reactor partially melting down.

Since then no new nuclear power plants have been built in the United States.

Nuclear energy supplies 20 percent of power in the United States with 104 reactors, while 50 percent comes from coal burning plants.

The rest is from natural gas, oil and renewable sources such as hydroelectric power as well as solar and wind power.

Presses, Manmohan Pakistan Amid U.S Visit

WASHINGTON: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday started a high-profile state visit to the United States with a call on President Barack Obama to stay committed on Afghanistan and pressure Pakistan.

The Indian premier arrived at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington to kick off the first full-fledged state visit of Obama’s presidency, which will culminate in a swank black-tie dinner at the White House on Tuesday.

While a host of issues are on the table, experts say Obama’s main intention was to demonstrate his commitment to the world’s largest democracy after an early focus on working with its neighbors China and Pakistan.

But Singh made clear he would not shy away from offering advice on the top foreign issue for Obama — Afghanistan. Obama is wrapping up weeks of deliberation on whether to reinforce the 68,000 US troops who will be in Afghanistan by year-end.

“It is very important that both the US and the global community stay engaged in Afghanistan,” Singh said in an interview with USA’s The Washington Post and Newsweek, warning of civil war if US forces withdrew.

Singh also called for the Obama administration to pressure Pakistan to rein in Islamic extremists, saying that India’s historic rival has not done enough against militants blamed for last year’s chilling assault on Mumbai.

“We have been the victims of Pakistan-aided, -abetted and-inspired terrorism for nearly 25 years. We would like the United States to use all its influence with Pakistan to desist from that path,” Singh said in the interview.

“Pakistan has nothing to fear from India. It’s a tragedy that Pakistan has come to the point of using terror as an instrument of state policy,” he said.

He doubted that Pakistan and the United States had the same objectives in Afghanistan, saying that Islamabad’s main interest was to maintain a grip on its northern neighbor.

Al Qaeda Has a Control Over Parts of Pakistan: India PM

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has claimed in an interview Al Qaeda and the terrorists have a grip over several parts of Pakistan.

Talking to American news channel Manmohan said India was concerned about the rise of terrorism in Pakistan. He said terrorism would have very serious consequences for Indian security.

Replying a question the Indian prime minister said India sincerely hope the United States and the global community will stay involved in Afghanistan. A victory for the Taliban in Afghanistan would have catastrophic consequences for the world, particularly for South Asia, for Central Asia, for the Middle East.

El Tour De Tucson 2009

El Tour De Tucson 2009, Latest news about, El Tour de Tucson is one of the largest road bicycling events in the United States. The El Tour de Tucson was started in 1983 by cyclist Richard DeBernardis, current president of the Perimeter Bicycling Association of America. The ride takes place every November in Tucson, Arizona. The first El Tour attracted nearly 185 riders while in recent years between 7,000 and 10,000 cyclists will attend.

Because the Tour is so big, people in the bike industry are exposed to Tucson, and they know it’s a good place to ride. El Tour de Tucson helps put Tucson on the cycling map. Bicycling Magazine gives three initial reasons for ranking Tucson as the second-best place among cities its size for riding a bicycle: “Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine.

There are many divisions in the race, you can choose to cycle 109, 80, 67, or 35 miles, plus a 4-mile and 1/4 mile Kids & Family Fun Ride. The event offers fun and cycling tests for all levels of riders. The route weaves through scenic Tucson, which is surrounded by 5 mountain ranges, three of which rise over 9,000 feet. The courses range from rolling to moderately hilly, with the 35 mile route being fairly flat and the perfect course for beginners.

El Tour de Tucson cyclists raise funds for Tu Nidito Children & Family Services, the American Parkinson Disease Association, Water For People, Ben’s Bells Project, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Diamond Children’s Medical Center, other Perimeter Bicycling charities and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.For the children and families at Tu Nidito, El Tour is much more than a ride. “El Tour is our livelihood,” said Executive Director Liz McCusker.[4] More than 8,000 cyclists participated in the 2008 El Tour de Tucson, raising more than $200,000 for Tu Nidito Children and Family Services.

31 Killed, 82 Trapped After China Mine Explosion

BEIJING: An explosion at a coal mine in northeast China early Saturday killed 31 workers and left 82 trapped, state-run China television said, the latest deadly incident to hit the industry.

The blast happened at 2:30 am (1830 GMT Friday) at a mine in Heilongjiang province, according to a statement issued by the State Administration of Work Safety.

A total of 528 miners were working in the pit, near Hegang City, when the blast occurred, the state administration said.

The previous toll given by TV channel was 15 dead and 114 trapped.

The mine is owned by the Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group, based in provincial capital Harbin.

State-run news agency said vice premier Zhang Dejiang was going to the scene of the incident to direct rescue operations. President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao had given instructions on the rescue work.

According to the company’s website, in 2009 it was ranked 12th out of the top 100 Chinese mining companies and seventh in terms of production volume, without giving further details.

China has a dismal work safety record, with thousands of people dying every year in mines, factories and on construction sites.

Its coalmines are among the most dangerous in the world, with safety standards often ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet surging demand for coal — the source of about 70 percent of China’s energy.

In October four owners of an illegal colliery in Guizhou province in the southwest went on the run after 14 workers died when a mine collapsed. The four were later caught by authorities.

And an explosion at a mine in central Henan province in September left more than 50 people dead. The work safety administration said mine shafts had been destroyed after a gas explosion at the pit in the city of Pingdingshan.

Official figures show that more than 3,200 workers died in collieries last year, but independent labour groups say the actual figure could be much higher, as many accidents are covered up in order to avoid costly mine shutdowns.

Due to the country’s heavy use of coal to power its fast-paced economic growth, it has become one of the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases alongside the United States.

North Korea Marks the UN Resolution Political Plot ‘Trivial’

SEOUL : North Korea strenuously defended its human rights record Friday after a UN General Assembly committee said it had ‘very serious concern’ about abuses in the isolated communist country.

A non-binding resolution Thursday from the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee on human rights highlighted “systematic, widespread and grave violations of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights”.

North Korea’s deputy UN representative, Pak Tok-hun, immediately dismissed the findings and the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday carried an even stronger denial from a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

“The adoption of the said resolution is nothing but a trite political plot hatched by hostile forces against the DPRK (North Korea) every year,” the spokesman was quoted saying.

He accused the United States of being the driving force behind the move “to fake up again a brigandish document defiling the system in the DPRK and infringing upon its sovereignty…”

“One should keep one’s hands clean before pointing accusing fingers to others,” the spokesman added, namely in reference to the US but also accusing Japan.

Katie Morgan Arrested, Katie Morgan Poster, Katie Morgan Videos

latest news about, Katie Morgan Arrested, Katie Morgan Poster, Katie Morgan Videos: Los Angeles, Katie Morgan, American actress, pornographic actress, model and radio talk-show host has been reportedly arrested. Though, it’s yet to be confirmed what are the charges against her.

Morgan initially entered the porn industry as a means to pay off her sizeable bail and plea bargain after being arrested for transporting over 100 pounds of marijuana from Mexico into the United States in 2000. Her first sex scene was in Ed Powers’ Dirty Debutantes 197.

In 2008 Morgan made a guest appearance on HBO’s Entourage playing herself. She made her first mainstream feature film appearance in Kevin Smith’s 2008 comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, co-starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.

She has been featured in HBO’s A Real Sex Xtra: Pornucopia – Going Down in the Valley, Katie Morgan on Sex Toys, Katie Morgan: Porn 101, Katie Morgan’s Sex Tips: Questions, Anyone?, and in the HBO documentary film Katie Morgan: A Porn Star Revealed.
Source: bollypatrika.com

Belgian PM Named as EU President

BRUSSELS: EU leaders have chosen the Belgian Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, to be the first permanent European Council President.

The other top job created by the Lisbon Treaty – foreign affairs supremo – has gone to the EU Trade Commissioner, Baroness Catherine Ashton from the UK.

Both are seen as consensual politicians with limited foreign policy experience.

Both had unanimous backing from the 27 EU leaders at the summit in Brussels.

Mr Van Rompuy, 62, had crucial French and German support. He has a reputation as a coalition builder, having taken charge of the linguistically divided Belgian government and steered it out of a crisis.

Baroness Ashton, 53, said she felt “deeply privileged” to get the foreign affairs post.

US President Barack Obama said the appointments would “strengthen the EU and enable it to be an even stronger partner to the United States”.

“The United States has no stronger partner than Europe in advancing security and prosperity around the world,” the White House said in a statement.

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