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Showing posts from February 26, 2007

The Daily Star - Politics - Egypt takes militant Iraqi TV channel off air

The Daily Star - Politics - Egypt takes militant Iraqi TV channel off air : "CAIRO: An Iraqi satellite television channel that has angered the US and Iraqi governments for broadcasting anti-US and anti-Shiite news reports has been taken off the air by the Egyptian government, the press reported on Sunday. 'The Iraqi Al-Zawraa satellite channel on NileSat 101 was cut off after it repeatedly interfered with the transmission of several other channels,' the state-owned Al-Gomhuriyah newspaper reported. It said several channels had been experiencing transmission problems that were traced to Al-Zawraa. The channel was initially disconnected on Thursday and the problems stopped immediately. Subsequent efforts to reconnect the channel resulted in further interference. US and Iraqi authorities have repeatedly asked for the channel, owned by Sunni Iraqi politician Mishan al-Juburi, to be taken off the air for what they describe as broadcasts that 'incite' violence. Much of t

The New Yorker : fact : content

The New Yorker : fact : content : "A STRATEGIC SHIFT In the past few months, as the situation in Iraq has deteriorated, the Bush Administration, in both its public diplomacy and its covert operations, has significantly shifted its Middle East strategy. The “redirection,” as some inside the White House have called the new strategy, has brought the United States closer to an open confrontation with Iran and, in parts of the region, propelled it into a widening sectarian conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. ".............

Welfare state growing despite overhauls - Yahoo! News

Welfare state growing despite overhauls - Yahoo! News : "By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer Mon Feb 26, 4:49 AM ET" WASHINGTON - The welfare state is bigger than ever despite a decade of policies designed to wean poor people from public aid. The number of families receiving cash benefits from welfare has plummeted since the government imposed time limits on the payments a decade ago. But other programs for the poor, including Medicaid, food stamps and disability benefits, are bursting with new enrollees. The result, according to an Associated Press analysis: Nearly one in six people rely on some form of public assistance, a larger share than at any time since the government started measuring two decades ago. Critics of the welfare overhaul say the numbers offer fresh evidence that few former recipients have become self-sufficient, even though millions have moved from welfare to work. They say the vast majority have been forced into low-paying jobs without benefits