| 13th century Mongol ship found off Japanese island Posted: 25 Oct 2011 03:11 AM PDT NAGASAKI, JAPAN (BNO NEWS) -- A 13th century Mongol ship has been found practically intact off a Japanese island, local media reported Tuesday. It may provide better understanding of shipbuilding in the century. Japanese researchers believe the wrecked ship, which was found under the seabed off the country's Nagasaki Prefecture with the use of ultrasonic equipment, could be part of the 13th century ill-fated attempts by Mongolian ruler of China Kublai Khan to invade Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported. The discovery was made about one meter (3.2 feet) under the seabed in waters 20 to 25 meters (65.6 to 82 feet) deep off Takashima Island in Matsuura, Nagasaki and could be a vital link to understanding such attacks carried out between 1274 and 1281, as it is the first wreck found in relation to the invasion attempt. Most of the information regarding the attacks has so far come from documents and drawings. Furthermore, University of the Ryukyus professor Yoshifumi Ikeda and his team said the ship was found practically intact with a 12-meter (39.3 feet) section of the keel and rows of planks 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) thick and 15 to 25 centimeters (5.9 to 9.8 inches) wide attached to the keel. The vessel is believed to have been over 20 meters (65.6 feet) long. At the bottom of the vessel, researchers also found bricks, ink stones and weaponry used by the Yuan Dynasty. The ship was linked to the attack launched by Kublai Khan (1215-1294) against Japan in 1281 because the structure resembles that of Chinese ships of that era. "I believe we will be able to understand more about shipbuilding skills at the time as well as the actual situation of exchanges in East Asia," Ikeda told Kyodo, adding that the wreck likely remained relatively well preserved because it was buried under the sand. According to studies, Khan's failed attempts to invade Japan were due to a storm and "kamikaze" divine winds that destroyed much of the fleet around Takashima Island. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.) 
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| Obama Decries "Dysfunctional" Congress, Presses Economic Proposals Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:16 PM PDT President Barack Obama is using a three-day trip through western United States to launch a series of actions to help Americans suffering from the nation's poor economy and to get around roadblocks by opposition Republicans to his jobs legislation.
The president chose Nevada, where home values have dropped sharply in recent years and foreclosure rates are among the highest in the country, to unveil the first of several executive actions to help ease economic pressures on Americans.
Standing on the porch of a home in Las Vegas, Mr. Obama announced changes to make it easier for homeowners with federally-guaranteed mortgages who are struggling to avoid foreclosure to lower their payments. "I am going to keep on doing everything in my power to help to stabilize the housing market, grow the economy, accelerate job growth and restore some of the security that middle class families have felt slipping away for more than a decade," he said.
The changes, in the form of an executive order, build on steps taken in 2009 to help homeowners refinance their mortgages, but which have been far less effective than the Obama administration had hoped.
Briefing reporters, Press Secretary Jay Carney did not provide an estimate of how many homeowners the changes would help. He said they are not a substitute for action that Congress could take to approve pieces of the president's jobs proposals.
Although Republicans have blocked Mr. Obama's overall jobs bill on Capitol Hill, Democrats controlling the U.S. Senate, led by Harry Reid of Nevada, will bring specific parts of the legislation to a vote.
In his remarks in Las Vegas, the president used a new slogan, "we can't wait", to pressure what he called a "dysfunctional" Congress to act on his jobs proposals. "I'm here to say to all of you and to say to the people of Nevada and the people of Las Vegas, we can't wait for an increasingly dysfunctional Congress to do its job. Where they won't act, I will," he said.
Before Mr. Obama arrived in Nevada, Republicans criticized his new proposal to help struggling homeowners. A Republican National Committee email said the president so far had presided over a "failed housing policy."
Shortly after Mr. Obama spoke, the White House announced the next executive action the president will take, a series of initiatives aimed at helping to create more jobs for war veterans.
Mr. Obama's latest campaign-style trip will also him to California and Colorado.
After winning Nevada and Colorado in the 2008 presidential election, Mr. Obama hopes to hold on to them in next year's presidential vote. Both states also have increasing numbers of Hispanic voters who, analysts say, are crucial to his reelection.
In Denver on Wednesday, Mr. Obama is expected to announce a plan to help students repay federal college loans. On a previous visit to Colorado, he promoted a provision in his jobs bill that would modernize the nation's schools.
Mr. Obama intends to use similar trips in coming weeks to contrast his jobs proposals, which he says will create least 1.9 million jobs, with Republican proposals he says will not boost economic growth or job creation during the next two years. 
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| Obama Decries "Dysfunctional" Congress, Presses Economic Proposals Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:16 PM PDT President Barack Obama is using a three-day trip through western United States to launch a series of actions to help Americans suffering from the nation's poor economy and to get around roadblocks by opposition Republicans to his jobs legislation.
The president chose Nevada, where home values have dropped sharply in recent years and foreclosure rates are among the highest in the country, to unveil the first of several executive actions to help ease economic pressures on Americans.
Standing on the porch of a home in Las Vegas, Mr. Obama announced changes to make it easier for homeowners with federally-guaranteed mortgages who are struggling to avoid foreclosure to lower their payments. "I am going to keep on doing everything in my power to help to stabilize the housing market, grow the economy, accelerate job growth and restore some of the security that middle class families have felt slipping away for more than a decade," he said.
The changes, in the form of an executive order, build on steps taken in 2009 to help homeowners refinance their mortgages, but which have been far less effective than the Obama administration had hoped.
Briefing reporters, Press Secretary Jay Carney did not provide an estimate of how many homeowners the changes would help. He said they are not a substitute for action that Congress could take to approve pieces of the president's jobs proposals.
Although Republicans have blocked Mr. Obama's overall jobs bill on Capitol Hill, Democrats controlling the U.S. Senate, led by Harry Reid of Nevada, will bring specific parts of the legislation to a vote.
In his remarks in Las Vegas, the president used a new slogan, "we can't wait", to pressure what he called a "dysfunctional" Congress to act on his jobs proposals. "I'm here to say to all of you and to say to the people of Nevada and the people of Las Vegas, we can't wait for an increasingly dysfunctional Congress to do its job. Where they won't act, I will," he said.
Before Mr. Obama arrived in Nevada, Republicans criticized his new proposal to help struggling homeowners. A Republican National Committee email said the president so far had presided over a "failed housing policy."
Shortly after Mr. Obama spoke, the White House announced the next executive action the president will take, a series of initiatives aimed at helping to create more jobs for war veterans.
Mr. Obama's latest campaign-style trip will also him to California and Colorado.
After winning Nevada and Colorado in the 2008 presidential election, Mr. Obama hopes to hold on to them in next year's presidential vote. Both states also have increasing numbers of Hispanic voters who, analysts say, are crucial to his reelection.
In Denver on Wednesday, Mr. Obama is expected to announce a plan to help students repay federal college loans. On a previous visit to Colorado, he promoted a provision in his jobs bill that would modernize the nation's schools.
Mr. Obama intends to use similar trips in coming weeks to contrast his jobs proposals, which he says will create least 1.9 million jobs, with Republican proposals he says will not boost economic growth or job creation during the next two years. 
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| Tunisian Americans Celebrate First Free Elections Since 1956 Posted: 24 Oct 2011 04:24 PM PDT Tunisians voted Sunday in what many are calling the political rebirth of the country. The Ennahdha party, a moderate Islamist group, looked set to win the most seats in early counting. Tunisia is the first country liberated from decades of dictatorship in the Arab Spring movement. At the only Tunisian restaurant in the Washington D.C. area there was reaction from those who had fled the dictatorship of President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and are now watching their country's election. <!--AV--> In Tunisia, turnout was higher than expected for the first free elections in 42 years. Voters headed to the polls to vote for the National Constituent Assembly, a body of 217 representatives. They will draft the constitution and appoint an interim government.
There were long lines at the polls throughout the day, and excitement ran high.
Thousands of miles away in the United States, members of the Tunisian diaspora are also jubilant.
At the "Taste of Tunisia" restaurant in the Washington D.C. area, owners Intissar Jemali and Karim Adassi on Monday were recovering from hosting 150 people at an election party the day before.
Jemali has lived in the U.S. since 1993.
"Actually I was very excited to see the election after 23 years, it was a bad time," he said. "We all happy, all of Tunisia is happy."
Adassi said Tunisia has been waiting for a revolution to bring freedom for decades.
"Election going to be a good step for the history of the people of Tunisia," he said. "Because people, they deserve to be free, to choose who is going to be the government."
Dozens of political parties participated in the elections. The once-illegal Ennahdha movement, a moderate Islamist party, went into the voting with strong support. Jemali says the Ennahdha movement would be a good compromise for the country.
"It is a good mix because Tunisia it is considered a Muslim country so like 50, 60 percent practice, 40 percent don't practice so, you have a right to choose whether you want to practice," he said.
Both Jemali and Adassi think the elections will bring change to the country, starting with a respect for basic human rights. 
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| Tunisian Americans Celebrate First Free Elections Since 1956 Posted: 24 Oct 2011 04:24 PM PDT Tunisians voted Sunday in what many are calling the political rebirth of the country. The Ennahdha party, a moderate Islamist group, looked set to win the most seats in early counting. Tunisia is the first country liberated from decades of dictatorship in the Arab Spring movement. At the only Tunisian restaurant in the Washington D.C. area there was reaction from those who had fled the dictatorship of President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and are now watching their country's election. <!--AV--> In Tunisia, turnout was higher than expected for the first free elections in 42 years. Voters headed to the polls to vote for the National Constituent Assembly, a body of 217 representatives. They will draft the constitution and appoint an interim government.
There were long lines at the polls throughout the day, and excitement ran high.
Thousands of miles away in the United States, members of the Tunisian diaspora are also jubilant.
At the "Taste of Tunisia" restaurant in the Washington D.C. area, owners Intissar Jemali and Karim Adassi on Monday were recovering from hosting 150 people at an election party the day before.
Jemali has lived in the U.S. since 1993.
"Actually I was very excited to see the election after 23 years, it was a bad time," he said. "We all happy, all of Tunisia is happy."
Adassi said Tunisia has been waiting for a revolution to bring freedom for decades.
"Election going to be a good step for the history of the people of Tunisia," he said. "Because people, they deserve to be free, to choose who is going to be the government."
Dozens of political parties participated in the elections. The once-illegal Ennahdha movement, a moderate Islamist party, went into the voting with strong support. Jemali says the Ennahdha movement would be a good compromise for the country.
"It is a good mix because Tunisia it is considered a Muslim country so like 50, 60 percent practice, 40 percent don't practice so, you have a right to choose whether you want to practice," he said.
Both Jemali and Adassi think the elections will bring change to the country, starting with a respect for basic human rights. 
 |
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