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الاثنين، 5 مارس 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Obama to honor Israel’s Peres with Medal of Freedom
Putin wins third term as Russia’s president
‘Star Wars’ conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie dies
At least 227 people killed after huge explosions rock Brazzaville arms depot

Obama to honor Israel’s Peres with Medal of Freedom

Posted: 04 Mar 2012 05:52 PM PST

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom when he visits the White House in Washington, D.C. later this spring, U.S. President Barack Obama told an audience on Sunday.

Obama made the announcement at the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference, the largest gathering of the pro-Israel movement, in Washington, D.C. He praised Peres, who has led Israel since becoming president in July 2007, as having fought for Israel's independence and for peace and security.

"As a member of the Haganah and a member of the Knesset, as a Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs, as a Prime Minister and as President -- Shimon helped build the nation that thrives today: the Jewish state of Israel," Obama said as he announced the award. "But beyond these extraordinary achievements, he has also been a powerful moral voice that reminds us that right makes might -- not the other way around."

Obama said Peres has lived to the story of the Jewish people, recalling the Israeli leader's remarks previously that 'slings, arrows and gas chambers can annihilate man, but cannot destroy human values, dignity, and freedom.' "He has taught us to ask more of ourselves, and to empathize more with our fellow beings," the U.S. president said. "I am grateful for his life's work and his moral example."

Obama said he will invite Peres to the White House this spring to present him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. "In many ways, this award is a symbol of the broader ties that bind our nations," Obama said. "The United States and Israel share interests, but we also share those human values that Shimon spoke about: A commitment to human dignity. A belief that freedom is a right that is given to all of God's children. An experience that shows us that democracy is the one and only form of government that can truly respond to the aspirations of citizens."

Peres, who described Obama's speech as the most pro-Israel speech he had ever heard from a U.S. president, said he was moved and surprised by the announcement. "This is a great honor for me and for the State of Israel," he said. "All of my actions in the past and the present have been for the good of the citizens of Israel; as far as I am concerned, the medal belongs to them."

Putin wins third term as Russia’s president

Posted: 04 Mar 2012 05:15 PM PST

MOSCOW, Russia (BNO NEWS) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin claimed victory after receiving nearly 65 percent of the votes during the presidential election on Sunday, according to preliminary election results. The opposition claims the results were rigged in Putin's favor.

According to data from Russia's Central Election Commission, approximately 63.3 percent of registered voters participated in Sunday's presidential election. But even before the election was held, Putin's return to the Kremlin was all but certain although he suffered a nearly 7 percent loss when compared to his previous victory in 2004.

As of 4 a.m. local time on Monday, with 87.73 percent of the votes counted, results from the Central Election Commission put Putin far ahead with approximately 64.72 percent of the vote. He is followed by Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov and self-nominee businessman Mikhail Prokhorov who won 17.04 and 7.09 percent respectively.

"We won! We have won in an open and fair fight," Putin said as he addressed more than 100,000 supporters in Moscow. "This was more than a presidential election. This was a very important test for us all, for all of our people. This was a test to see whether we are politically mature and independent enough. And we have shown that, indeed, no one can impose anything on us."

Putin first became acting president in December 1999 until he was elected for his first full term which began in May 2000. He won re-election in March 2004 and continued to serve in the country's highest office until May 2008 when term limits prevented him from running for a third consecutive presidential term.

Unable to run for a third consecutive presidential term, Putin chose Dmitry Medvedev to run for president, guarding his place at the Kremlin until the next election. Days before the end of Putin's second term as president, he undertook a series of controversial steps to increase the power of the prime minister, a position he occupied under Medvedev's presidency.

But although the plan was widely known, Putin and Medvedev never publicly acknowledged it until September 2011 when Putin declared his candidacy for a third term as president. "What we are proposing to the congress is a deeply thought-through decision," Medvedev told supporters, referring to a plan which will see Putin become president and Medvedev prime minister. "And even more, we already discussed this scenario back when we first formed a friendly alliance."

Although international observers have not yet commented on the vote, opposition leaders have already rejected Sunday's election results, alleging widespread fraud and promising mass protests which are due to begin on Monday. Zyuganov described the election as "illegitimate, unfair and non-transparent."

But Russian authorities have rejected the fraud allegations and promised to investigate complaints. At a polling station in Dagestan, several people were filmed by a webcam as they cast numerous ballots. The footage quickly spread online, forcing the Central Election Commission to annul the station's results.

But despite the allegations of widespread fraud, Putin remains fairly popular as conditions in Russia have improved since Putin's first presidency. The average monthly wage has increased by ten times, life expectancy has increased for males, and the murder rate has fallen by nearly 45 percent.

Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of Russians have participated in rallies across the country to demand free elections. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Moscow last month to express their opposition to Putin's return to the Kremlin. A crowd, estimated at approximately 120,000 by organizers but given as a little over 35,000 by police, chanted "Russia without Putin!"

Rallies also took place in about 30 other Russian cities, but the total number of protesters was uncertain as police figures were believed to be false. Police estimated that 5,000 people rallied against Putin in St. Petersburg, but local organizers said the actual number was more than 20,000.

Huge demonstrations also took place across Russia in December after parliamentary elections which many Russian voters and international observers said were marred by large-scale fraud. The Putin's United Russia party won more votes than any of the other three parties, but it still suffered a significant drop from the two-thirds constitutional majority it has enjoyed for the past four years.

Some of the demonstrations in December were the largest since the fall of the Soviet Union.

‘Star Wars’ conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie dies

Posted: 04 Mar 2012 01:22 PM PST

BERKELEY, California (BNO NEWS) -- Ralph McQuarrie, the Academy Award-winning conceptual designer and illustrator who was instrumental in defining the look of 'Star Wars' icons, died at his home in California on Saturday. He was 82.

A statement posted on McQuarrie's official website on Sunday said the artist died at his home in Berkeley, California, on Saturday. "Ralph was a very special person for many more reasons than his undeniable brilliance with a brush," the statement said. "He was an especially kind, sensitive, deep, modest, funny and fascinating gentleman. And as fine a role model as any one could have wished for."

McQuarrie is best known for designing characters, creatures, vehicles, and setting designs for the 1977 movie 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope', the 1980 movie 'Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back', and the 1983 movie 'Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.' His work was the basis for iconic characters such as Darth Vader, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO.

"Ralph McQuarrie was the first person I hired to help me envision Star Wars," said director George Lucas. "His genial contribution, in the form of unequaled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original Star Wars trilogy. When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'Do it like this.'"

McQuarrie had been asked to work on the 'Star Wars' prequels but declined because he had run out of ideas and thought he would be unable to add to the work of the art department. "He respectfully declined, allowing the new generation of artists to carry the torch," according to his official website.

Lucas, commenting on Sunday's news, said McQuarrie inspired at least two generations of younger artists. "Like me, they were thrilled by his keen eye and creative imagination, which always brought concepts to their most ideal plateau," he said. "In many ways, he was a generous father to a conceptual art revolution that was born of his artwork, and which seized the imaginations of thousands and propelled them into the film industry. In that way, we will all be benefiting from his oeuvre for generations to come."

Besides his work on 'Star Wars', McQuarrie also designed the alien ships in the 1977 movie 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and the 1982 movie 'E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial'. His work as the conceptual artist on the 1985 movie 'Cocoon' earned him an Academy Award for Visual Effects.

After his retirement, McQuarrie lived with his wife Joan in Berkeley. He was later diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after which he lost full control of his right hand, leaving him unable to draw.

At least 227 people killed after huge explosions rock Brazzaville arms depot

Posted: 04 Mar 2012 12:43 PM PST

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (BNO NEWS) -- More than 200 people were killed on early Sunday morning when a series of huge explosions rocked Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, residents and officials said. Hundreds more have been injured.

It began just after 8 a.m. local time when a fire broke out at a weapons depot in the Mpila neighborhood of Brazzaville, causing a series of large explosions which devastated the surrounding area. The explosions continued into the early afternoon, hampering search-and-rescue efforts.

One government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said at least 227 people were killed while hundreds more have been injured. He said scores of people remain trapped under collapsed buildings, including at the St. Louis church where dozens of people are buried under the rubble.

Among those killed are at least six Chinese nationals who were working for the Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEGC), according to officials at the Chinese Embassy in Brazzaville. At least one Chinese worker remains missing and dozens more were injured when the explosions affected a construction site in the capital.

The huge explosions damaged buildings as far away as Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is situated about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) across the Congo River. Residents in Kinshasa reported feeling the explosion and state-run media reported that buildings were damaged in several districts, but no casualties were reported.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé said he was saddened by the news and promised to send aid. "My first thoughts are with the victims and their families and loved ones whom I extend my deepest condolences," he said. "I have instructed the Crisis Center of the Foreign Ministry to quickly send emergency aid to Brazzaville."

In July 2010, at least 230 people were killed when an overturned fuel tanker caused a massive explosion in a town in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Among those killed were local residents who were attempting to steal fuel which had leaked from the tanker.

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الاثنين، 5 مارس 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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