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Front Page: Nelson Mandela Turns 90, EU to Give Billion to Africa, Arrests in Plot Against Bush

CitizenSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:00:18 -0700

Nelson Mandela Turns 90:
Marking his 90th birthday today, Nelson Mandela celebrated by urging generosity:"there are many people in South Africa who are rich and who can share those riches with those not so fortunate who have not been able to conquer poverty." He said he was tickled people wanted to celebrate the birthday "of a retired old man who no longer has power or influence".

EU to Give Billion to Africa:
The EU has a plan to give $1 billion euros of unspent EU farm subsidies in aid to African farmers. The money was allocated to EU agriculture, but hasn't been spent — sending the cash to Africa could help fix food shortages and soaring prices. Some question the move's legality, but EC President Barroso says: "The impact of high food prices is particularly severe for the world's poorest populations."
Arrests in Plot Against Bush:
Israel arrested six Arabs today for attempting to set up an al Qaeda cell in Israel and claiming that one of the men had planned to attack helicopters used during a visit by President George W. Bush. One of the suspects had allegedly used his cell phone to film the landing site of the president, and then used al Qaeda websites to ask advice in how to shoot down the helicopter. Bush's last visit to Israel was in May.

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Front Page: A Perfect Rescue Operation, Mandela Not a Terrorist, Jobs and Airlines in Trouble

CitizenSugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:00:22 -0700

A Perfect Rescue Operation:
French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages freed from FARC rebels in a daring rescue mission has called her release after more than 6 years, a "miracle." She says, "there is no historical precedent for such a perfect operation." The mission was accomplished without a shot fired after the Colombian military penetrated the highest level of FARC and tricked them into handing over the hostages. Among those rescued were three American military contractors and 11 members of the Colombian security forces, all said to be in relatively good health. FARC has been trying to overthrow the Colombian government for 40 years, and still holds over 40 high-profile hostages, among up to 700 other captives.

Mandela Not a Terrorist:
US President George W Bush signed a bill removing Nelson Mandela and South African leaders from the US terror watch list. Mandela and ANC party members will now be able to travel to the US without a waiver from the secretary of state. The African National Congress (ANC) was labeled as a terrorist organization by South Africa's former apartheid regime.
Jobs and Airlines in Trouble:
The number of former workers signing up for unemployment insurance rose sharply last week. According to a Labor Department report, new applications jumped by 16,000 to 404,000, the highest level since late March. Meanwhile, the airline industry is predicting a $6.5 billion loss for the year, having been hit harder by fuel costs than expected.

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Will Smith Supports Barack Obama, AKA His Next Movie Role

LibertySugar — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:00:27 -0700

Will Smith says that Barack Obama is only the second political figure he has ever thrown his support behind — the first being Nelson Mandela (Will just helped celebrate Mandela's 90th birthday). BBC got the details about the actor's endorsement, while Will was in London promoting his new film this week.

On why he supports Obama: "I travel around the world a lot, and I was kind of used to people being happy when the Americans showed up. That sort of changed over the last eight years. So I'm excited about the new possibilities of hope and change that Barack is bringing."

On whether celebrities should share their politics: "Individuals have to decide what they want to do. I think I'm a pretty good judge if someone's a good person. So I just lend my support to people that I believe are good people."

Do you agree? Will also had time to stop by the Colbert Report this week, where he mentioned his ears again. He also admitted that he wants to play Barack in a movie! To see Will's interview with his big fan Stephen,

Nelson Mandela On Terrorist Watch List

CitizenSugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:55:41 -0700

Nelson Mandela On Terrorist Watch List Nobel Peace Prize winner and international symbol of freedom Nelson Mandela is flagged on US terrorist watch lists and needs special permission to visit the US. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls the situation "embarrassing," and some members of Congress vow to fix it.