Backing up the entire Outlook 2003/2007 on GMail

If we use the browser Microsoft Oulook mail (2003/2007) is not long from the yoke ì Outlook running when booting. BIBO each witness in Outlook by a friend ... loading. need 30 minutes per boot is completed. Reviews see the new storage file containing the email of Outlook up to 6 GB: -? In fact, Outlook is automatically Archive (accumulate old mail to a different place to reduce load). Besides this, we also want to share with you a more excellent way. It is back up the entire account on Google's GMail. Steps should make: 1. Activated by GMail IMAP 2. Add Gmail account to Outlook 3. Migration of old email to Gmail Now started 1. Activated by GMail IMAP Login to gmai>> Click Setting>> and Forwarding and POP / IMAP>> Find and select Enable IMAP>> click Save button 2. Add Gmail account to Outlook Migration & the old email to Gmail -->Read more...

Report: 1 in 50 U.S. children face homelessness

One in 50 children is homeless in the United States every year, according to a report released Tuesday. The report, by the National Center on Family Homelessness, analyzed data from 2005-06 and found that more than 1.5 million children were without a home. "These numbers will grow as home foreclosures continue to rise," Ellen Bassuk, president of the center, said in a statement. The study ranked states on their performance in four areas: the extent of child homelessness, the risk for it, child well-being and the state's policy and planning efforts. The states that fared the poorest were Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana. Connecticut, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island and North Dakota performed the best. Homeless children have poor health, emotional problems and low graduation rates, the study found. "The consequences to our society will play out for decades," Bassuk said. "As we bail out the rest of our nation, it is also time to come to their aid." The report offers recommendations such as improved support to ensure that children's schooling is not interrupted when they lose their homes, and services to address the trauma of homelessness. Other highlights in the report, "America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness:" • 42 percent of homeless children are younger than 6. • African-American and Native American children are disproportionately represented. • More than 1 in 7 homeless children have moderate to severe health conditions, such as asthma. • Approximately 1.16 million of homeless children today will not graduate from high school. sources from CNN -->Read more...

Rice export volume doubles in past two months

Vietnam exported 1.1 million tons of rice in the first two months of 2009, an increase of 129 percent on the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Rice exports in January and February generated US$479 million, 2.5 times more than in the same period last year. Vietnam, the world’s second biggest rice exporter after Thailand, has already signed contracts to sell 3.7 million tons of rice, or around 73 percent of its 2009 annual target, according to the government website. Viet Rice Co. from the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho has just inked a contract to export fragrant rice to Australia and New Zealand. The company aimed to meet 70 percent of its annual target of exporting 350,000 tons of rice in the first six months of the year. Vietnamese rice export prices in the global market rose 9.6 percent last month to $430 - $460 per ton from February last year, the ministry reported. On March 4, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged local food corporations to buy the country’s entire rice output, build standard storage facilities and ensure farmers made reasonable profits. MARD is working on a new rice storage system in the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam’s key rice growing area, Vietnam News Agency reported. The system, which is estimated to cost VND7 trillion (US$400 million), is expected to be able to store up to 4 million tons of rice. Vietnam produced 38.6 million tons of rice last year, 2.6 million tons more than 2007, according to the General Statistics Office. Last year the sector exported 4.74 million tons of rice, fetching US$2.89 billion. MARD has set a rice production target of 37.5 million tons to 38 million tons this year. sources from vietnewsonline.vn -->Read more...

Photo exhibition to feature historic Hanoi bridge

Seventy portrayals of the historic Long Bien Bridge by French artist Dominique de Miscault will be on show at a photo exhibition that opens in Hanoi on March 6. The “Long Bien – A Bridge of Dreams” exhibition reflects the passion of a foreign artist who has lived and worked in Vietnam for 18 years. The exhibition at the Maison des Arts (House of the Arts) at 31A Van Mieu Street will run until March 16. Miscault, a painter, a sculptor and installation artist, is a member of the Vietnam-France Friendship Association. Since 1969, she has held hundreds of exhibitions in France, Russia, Vietnam and Europe. Long Bien Bridge was designed by French architect Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the world-famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. The bridge, which crosses the Red River to connect two parts of Hanoi, was one of the four biggest bridges in the world when it was built in 1902. The bridge is regarded as a symbol that connects the past and the present to create an “immortal” Hanoi. sources from vietnewsonline.vn -->Read more...

Food laboratory opens in HCMC

Germany’s TÜV Rheinland Group on Friday opened a US$1.5 million food testing laboratory in Ho Chi Minh City. The company said the laboratory, the most well-equipped laboratory of its kind in Vietnam, would help the domestic food industry meet international requirements without the expense of sending samples overseas for testing. The laboratory, in Quang Trung Software Park, will be able to test seafood, canned food, drinks, cosmetics, and animal feed and agricultural products such as tea, coffee and cereal. TUV Rheinland Group already has chemical and furniture laboratories in HCMC’s District 12. sources from vietnewsonline.vn -->Read more...

"Saved" points dead on LCD screen

Points on the death of LCD feeling uncomfortable, but errors are easily encountered. If you do not want to take the time to bring the screen to edit or warranty, or do not want to lose money for the new screen, then the procedure below may be helpful. Fuzzy points or points is dead easy errors encountered on the LCD screen, though the screen is new or old. If you encounter this error, before you bring it to the shop you should try to see if you are repairing or not. If done carefully, it will not cause problems for the warranty, but also help save you time. In addition, whether the screen is a TFT LCD or buy new, you should also conduct self-test to screen the new time limit in the warranty. The utility below will not help you check and easily search death points (if any) on the screen, besides, if the fuzzy points is still only in the form of light, you can absolutely can be overcome them. First we will learn about fuzzy points and died. How do I know if a point is a fuzzy or real death? One will appear grayed any color in 3 basic colors (red, blue and green), depending on function and brightness. Points, the death of color are permanently disabled, making the points on the screen become black. This may be caused by damage in semiconductors, however there are rare cases to do is just nhoe. So if you see white or points which form the opportunities you still clear, even if your destination is still hope. Here are the tools and how to use them to find and fix points dead on LCD screen: UDPixel: This is a free utility that allows you to death on the LCD screen by "repeat" continuous colors to the point death may show the normal color. To ensure best results, you must open the screen that run programs in a few hours continuously (the 3 to 4 hours to ensure the best results). Download the program here. Program requirements. NET 2.0 to use (Download. NET 2.0 here) After download install and activate to use, in the main interface, click on Start to program will allow you to create the color blinks continuously. You move the color to this position appear fuzzy points on the screen LCD. In addition, you can click on the color bar on the left hand to display only 1 color, makes it easy to find points on the death screen. Click the Run Cycle to color changes continuously, help overcome the dead point screen (if there are many points with death appears). LCD is a online service that allows you to detect and correct fuzzy points on the LCD screen. To use the service, you access to http://flexcode.org/lcd.html. - To check and search for points on the death screen click the box and pick a color 1 color to conduct tests. The color you should check is the red, blue and green. Also you should check both white and black. Click the Full Screen button Toogle to display only 1 color, then mark the items now or Hide Panel Hide panel and mouse to the screen now only shows the 1 color only. Based here, you can easily search for the dead (if any) on the screen. (Press ESC to return to the same). - If the screen does have died, you proceed overcome by: First, run the steps above to show full-screen, next click on the option to Go Full Screen Section now 2nd method ( Section fold in red image below) to show the whole screen with color Sparkling continuous. You go to your screen so in a few hours dead points to be able to recover. "Running treatment" by the public: 2 If the trem does not solve your issue, it is still the opportunity finally. You can combine the 2 and use the "power kì Dieu" by hand sometimes. To be able to recover in death points manually, you do turn the following steps: - Turn off computer and monitor. - Preparing a soft cloth pieces and humid to do xước screen. - India set for the light to have fuzzy, do not try to spread to other places because there will be many more other fuzzy. - In the press, and pop-up screen. - After the turn and the screen, not print more and see the track points mờ disappeared or not. Can make to this 2 to 3 times. This can be effective because of the color distribution is not equal. Associated with off-screen, it allows a number of different light rays passing through, creating different colors. If all the above are trying to fail, at least now you also know that not easy to fix and need to replace the new LCD's (points if death appears too much). Hopefully the tools and procedures for this utility to help you save time to fix or replace the new screen. sources from dantri -->Read more...

Government may aid textile and clothing sector

Vietnam may lower business taxes and grant subsidies to assist the domestic textile and clothing sector weather the global economic downturn, Government Office Deputy Minister Pham Viet Muon announced Tuesday. The Ministry of Finance is considering reducing the corporate income tax for textile and clothing businesses to 17.5 percent from 25 percent. The value added tax (VAT) on imported cotton may also be halved to 5 percent. The government will allocate 40 cents of every dollar of export turnover to help protect the sector’s workers from losing their jobs. The State Bank of Vietnam was asked to loan US$15 million to the National Textile and Garment Group (VINATEX) with a preferential interest rate to import cotton to keep in storage for one year. Vietnam’s textile and clothing sector, the nation’s second-biggest exporter earner after oil, has called for government assistance to help it cope with a decline in orders from foreign customers. sources from vietnewsonline.vn -->Read more...

Ho Chi Minh City property sector warms up

Ho Chi Minh City’s real estate market is showing signs of recovering, with many apartment building projects reporting more interest from buyers. Real estate agents say buyers seemed to have returned to the market because property prices had fallen from last year’s highs, bank loans had become easier to access and more flexible forms of payment were on offer. Last year was volatile for HCMC’s property market. After a booming 2007, real estate was hot at the start of 2008 but cooled rapidly during the year as inflation and interest rates skyrocketed. On Monday, sales staff at Hoang Anh Gia Lai real estate transaction center were taken by surprise when hundreds of customers registered to purchase apartments in the Hoang Anh River View and Phu Hoang Anh projects. Hoang Anh Housing Development Company released 300 apartments in the as-yet-uncompleted Hoang Anh River View development for sale for US$1,350 per square meter, 45 percent less than originally planned. The company also launched special deals to lure prospective purchasers, including a 5 percent discount for the first 50 customers. Under the promotion, buyers of Hoang Anh River View apartments were only required to lodge a deposit of VND100 million (US$5,714). “Just look at the number of customers,” said Hoang Anh Housing Development Company director Le Hung. “Most of them really wanted to buy (finished) apartments, not just pay a deposit. I think the market for luxury apartments is promising.” Many luxury apartment block developers have reduced selling prices to recover some of their outlay. The current low interest rate environment may also help stimulate HCMC’s property market. “Low interest rates on saving accounts will make many people buy apartments to rent out, because they don’t want their money lying idle,” Phuc Duc Real Estate Company director Lam Van Phuc said. Deputy Director of Saigon Thuong Tin Real Estate Joint Stock Company (Sacomreal) Bui Tien Thang said the real estate market may recover sooner than predicted - from the third quarter of this year. Thang said the company’s Orient Apartment project received deposits from six customers on Monday alone. Thu Duc House property transaction center director Huu Son said his company was “selecting” buyers from the 1,000 hopefuls who registered to buy 260 apartments in the Truong Tho project in Thu Duc District. Property developers have also been heartened by the sale of 133 apartments in the District 2 development, Riverside Residence, by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company for VND35 million ($2,000) a square meter earlier this year. sources from vietnewsonline.vn -->Read more...

Prime Minister to visit Qatar and Kuwait

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will visit Qatar and Kuwait to promote co-operation in financial investment, commerce, labor exchange, energy and agriculture, the Foreign Ministry said. Vietnamese officials expect to sign a double tax avoidance agreement with the oil-rich nations of Qatar and Kuwait, as well as agreements on aviation and investment protection. The delegation is also expecting to endorse a US$1 billion joint investment fund with Qatar. Vietnam State Capital Investment Corporation, which oversees all government funding to state-run businesses, will sign a co-operation protocol with the Kuwait Investment Office. Representatives of more than 80 Vietnamese enterprises will accompany Dung on his March 7 to 12 official visit, a Foreign Ministry representative said. The visits follow invitations from Qatar Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jaber Al Thani and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Nasser Al Mohammed Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah. sources from vietnewsonline.vn -->Read more...

Work starts on Hanoi’s first cable-stayed bridge

Construction of Hanoi’s first cable-stayed bridge started Saturday in suburban Dong Anh district, which will be linked by the bridge to the downtown Tay Ho District. The VND13.6 trillion (US$777 million) cost of the 3.7-kilometer-long Nhat Tan Bridge is being met by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Vietnamese government. The cable-stayed bridge, expected to open to traffic in late 2010, will link Hanoi’s central area to industrial zones in suburban areas and cut travel time from Hanoi’s central business district to Noi Bai International Airport The 33.2-meter-wide bridge will have eight lanes, including two dedicated bus lanes, and pavements for pedestrians. When complete, the bridge will be fifth to cross Hanoi’s Hong (Red) River, after the Long Bien, Thang Long, Chuong Duong bridges and the Thanh Tri bridge, which is under construction. sources from vietnewsonline.vn -->Read more...

Clinton, Russian FM Agree to Improve US-Russian Relations

In their first face to face meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, have agreed to improve U.S.-Russian relations after months of tension between the two countries. Clinton and Lavrov were in a cheerful mood as they began their joint news conference here in Geneva. They clearly seemed to have warmed to each other after what they called a wonderful meal together and said they were hopeful this first meeting would lead to future significant U.S.-Russia discussions. Clinton said the two countries shared a number of common interests. She said they promised to work constructively in areas of mutual interest such as arms control, nuclear non-proliferation, Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea. "There is no time to waste on a number of these significant challenges, so we will begin working immediately to translate our words into deeds. In particular, we discussed at some length our top priorities, including the negotiation of a follow-on agreement of a START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) treaty and broader areas of cooperation to reduce the number of nuclear weapons and prevent further proliferation," she said. The first U.S.-Russia START treaty signed in 1991 placed a limit of 6,000 strategic or long-range nuclear warheads on each side. A second treaty signed in 2002 called for further deep cuts in each country's nuclear arsenals. That treaty expires at the end of this year. Lavrov agreed with Clinton's position that it was important to get to work immediately on negotiating a new treaty. He spoke through an interpreter. "We will do everything to have this agreement reached. This treaty, present treaty has become obsolete. The limits in it have been implemented long ago and staying within the boundaries of that treaty would mean that the United States will have to increase these offensive strategic weapons, sending a very bad signal to the rest of the world, especially during the preparation for the review conference of the NPT (non-proliferation treaty) conference," he said. That conference is scheduled to take place in 2010. Both ministers said they believe they will conclude a new START treaty by the end of this year. While Clinton and Lavrov spoke about their areas of common interest, they also acknowledged areas of differences, including the war in Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia and ways of dealing with Iran's nuclear program. sources from VOA -->Read more...

Study: Iraqi widows struggle in new roles as breadwinners

While violence decreases across Iraq, women in the war-ravaged country face worsening hardships as warfare has thrust them into the role of family breadwinners, an aid group's survey said. In a release dated Sunday coinciding with International Women's Day, Oxfam International issued, "In Her Own Words: Iraqi Women Talk About Their Greatest Concerns and Challenges." Many women have been widowed and have had to run their families because their husbands "had been killed, disappeared, abducted or suffered from mental or physical abuse," the survey says. As a result, many have been unable to earn a decent The survey found that largely because of the conflict in Iraq, 35.5 percent of participants were acting as head of the household and that "nearly 25 percent had not been married." "If this reflects Iraq as a whole, it is the highest rate in the larger region, a result of the loss of men of marrying age as a result of the conflict," the survey said. living. While there are no precise numbers, there are now an estimated 740,000 widows in Iraq, Oxfam says. "Women are the forgotten victims of Iraq," said Oxfam International Executive Director Jeremy Hobbs, in quotes included in the survey. Oxfam and its Iraqi partner group Al-Amal Association, conducted the survey in five provinces -- Baghdad, Basra, Tameem, Najaf and Nineveh. Questioners interviewed 1,700 respondents starting last summer. While the survey doesn't represent the situation facing all Iraqis, it provides "a disturbing snapshot of many women's lives and those of their children and other family members." "A quarter of the women interviewed still do not have daily access to water, a third cannot send their children to school and, since the war started, over half have been the victim of violence," Hobbs said. "And to add further insult more than three-quarters of widows, many of whom lost their husbands to the conflict, get no government pension which they are entitled to." The report urges Iraq to invest in social welfare essential services. "A whole generation of Iraqis are at risk. Mothers are being forced to make tough choices, such as whether to pay for their children to go to school and receive health care, or to pay for private power and water services. These are choices no mother should have to make. And they are not only threatening individual families, they are also threatening the future of Iraq itself," Hobbs said. Here are some of the survey results. • Security and safety are the top concerns of nearly 60 percent of women. • More than 40 percent of respondents said their security situation worsened last year. • 55 percent had been victims of violence since 2003. • Some 45 percent of women said their income was worse in 2008 than in 2007 and 2006. • 69 percent said access to water was worse or the same as in in 2006 and 2007. • 80 percent said access to electricity was more difficult than or the same as in 2007. • Nearly half of the women said access to quality health care was more difficult in 2008 compared with 2006 and 2007. • 40 percent of women with children reported that their sons and daughters were not attending school. sources from CNN -->Read more...

Madoff's wife withdrew $15.5M before his arrest

The wife of accused swindler Bernard Madoff pulled $15.5 million out of a Madoff-related brokerage firm in Massachusetts in the weeks before his arrest, authorities there disclosed Wednesday. The withdrawals by Ruth Madoff took place in November and December, according to a complaint filed by state regulators against Cohmad Securities, a firm they said was "intertwined" with Madoff's New York-based company. The regulators say Cohmad has refused to provide information about its ties to Madoff, who is accused of running a Ponzi scheme that may have cost investors up to $50 billion. Daily wire transaction reports show Cohmad was aware of transfers to and from Madoff-related accounts, the filing states. "For example, the few reports produced by Cohmad show that Ruth Madoff withdrew $5.5 million on November 25, 2008 and withdrew $10 million on December 10, 2008," investigators said. Bernard Madoff, 70, was arrested December 11 and is currently under house arrest in his Manhattan luxury apartment. He faces one charge of securities fraud in connection with an international scheme that has cost some investors their life savings and could face up to 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine if convicted. In January, prosecutors tried to revoke his $10 million bail after he mailed more than $1 million worth of diamond-studded jewelry to friends and family, a move they said showed he was trying to move assets out of government hands. But a judge ruled Madoff was neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk. Prosecutors and Madoff's lawyers have agreed for a second time to push back the deadline for an indictment or probable cause hearing for the former investor, sources close to the case said Wednesday. The previous deadline of Wednesday -- which was itself a delay -- has now been moved back another 30 days. Madoff and the Securities and Exchange Commission already have agreed to a partial civil judgment against the disgraced investment manager, one that could eventually force him to pay fines and return investors' money. Under the terms of the deal, Madoff will keep a previously reached agreement to freeze his assets and not to violate any other securities laws, but it does not require him to admit or deny any allegations. sources from CNN -->Read more...

The plight of young, uninsured Americans

They're generally healthy and have a long life ahead of them. The health insurance industry even calls them 'the young invincibles.' So, what's the problem? Young adults, ages 19 to 29, are the largest age group of uninsured people across the country. For Maryland resident Bree Honey, all she can do for her chronic back pain right now is to exercise at the gym where she works and take Tylenol PM instead of other medicine she needs. "I'm definitely working out right, to try and keep my strength up and to help my immune system right now. ... It's the best thing I can do for myself," Honey said. Why? She has to put all her money toward expensive drugs for her depression -- without health insurance. "I am buying my own prescription drugs by myself. ... And I have to pay for that out of pocket every single month. So it's very difficult on me," she said. At 20, she's too old to be covered by her parents' policy since she's no longer in school. She makes too much to qualify for public health care, but she can't afford private insurance -- and doesn't yet qualify for coverage at her new job. "I'm just a struggling student right out of college, trying to make my way. And I can't--I don't have the money right now for insurance," Honey said. "If there's some way that the government could get me, or get everyone, just a minimal coverage ... I would even pay for it out of my taxes if I had to." Many other 20-somethings early in their careers don't have jobs that offer health benefits. "Only about one-half of all young adults who are working are offered coverage through an employer, compared to about 75 percent of adults who are offered coverage through an employer, over age 30," said Sara Collins with the nonpartisan health care group, Commonwealth Fund. And it's a common problem. According to the latest date from the Census Bureau, in 2007, there were an estimated 13.2 million uninsured young adults. It's the fastest growing group of the 46 million uninsured Americans today. Other uninsured rates, according to the data: • Children under 19: 11 percent • Ages 30-35: 23 percent • Ages 36-49: 17 percent • Ages 50-64: 13 percent. Reducing the number of uninsured young adults is a top priority for President Obama. "Health care reform is no longer just a moral imperative, it is a fiscal imperative," Obama said at a health summit at the White House last week. But what can young people do? Collins says first check with your state: About 25 percent have increased the age of dependency. "New Jersey extended the age of eligibility to age 30, most states are clustered around increasing that age to about 24 ... So this is a big help to young adults who had coverage under their parents health insurance plan and lose that coverage," Collins said. As for Bree Honey, she'll just keep working out and hoping for the best. But it's never far from her mind. "I'm strapped. I feel like I'm almost like a prisoner in my apartment right now. I can't get sick. I have to worry about if I'm going to get hurt," she said. sources from CNN -->Read more...

Obama: Don't fear the future

President Obama can't assure that the economy will bounce back this year, but he says he will "get all the pillars in place for recovery this year." Obama made the pledge in a 35-minute interview -- largely focused on the economy and the war in Afghanistan -- with The New York Times aboard Air Force One on Friday, according to a story published Saturday. "I don't think that people should be fearful about our future," he told the newspaper. "I don't think that people should suddenly mistrust all of our financial institutions." Conservative opponents have criticized Obama's new administration, saying it has pushed the country toward socialism and that his $787 billion economic stimulus package will do little to revive the struggling economy. However, during the interview, Obama "exhibited confidence," saying the nation should not fear the future, the Times reported. "Look, I wish I had the luxury of just dealing with a modest recession or just dealing with health care or just dealing with energy or just dealing with Iraq or just dealing with Afghanistan," Obama said. "I don't have that luxury, and I don't think the American people do, either." When asked if the United States was winning the war in Afghanistan, where he is sending another 17,000 troops, Obama replied, "No." He said his administration is reviewing the U.S. policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the intention of finding a new strategy in the region. Obama said that reaching out to Sunni militant groups, such as the Taliban, to fight al Qaeda and other terror groups -- a tactic employed by Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq -- "should be explored." "If you talk to General Petraeus, I think he would argue that part of the success in Iraq involved reaching out to people that we would consider to be Islamic fundamentalists, but who were willing to work with us because they had been completely alienated by the tactics of al Qaeda in Iraq," Obama said. sources from CNN -->Read more...

Iran says Morocco's move to cut ties harms unity

Iran said Saturday that Morocco's decision to cut diplomatic ties between the two countries harms Muslim unity, state media reported. "The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that at the present juncture when the unity and solidarity of Islamic countries is necessary for supporting the Palestinian people, this act of Morocco harms unity of the Muslim world," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a written statement, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. Morocco decided to cut diplomatic ties with Iran Friday, blaming Tehran's "inadmissible attitude" against the African country as a reason for the decision for the move, Moroccan Press Agency said. The move ratchets up a feud between Sunni Morocco and Shiite Iran. On February 25, Morocco recalled its interim charge d'affaires from Tehran for a week of consultations, the statement said. Morocco has demanded that Iran explain "unacceptable" language in a statement it issued after Morocco expressed its solidarity with Bahrain, the statement said. Bahrain, a tiny Persian Gulf archipelago, embodies the Sunni-Shiite divide. With a majority Shiite population and a Sunni ruler, Bahrain has become a point of contention between Morocco and Iran, said Sandra Mackey, a Middle East analyst and author of "The Iranians." Mackey said Bahrain's government has not allowed its Shiite majority into the political and economic power structure, "so Iran has an interest in egging on this Shia foment in Bahrain -- in order to raise Iran's stature in the Persian Gulf." Morocco has ambitions to raise its stature among Arab states, and "it would make some sense that they would jump on this," she said. "They're far enough away where it's not going to impact on them directly," Mackey added. Mackey said other emirates would likely be more cautious about confronting Iran, she said, "but the Moroccans can do it without posing any serious threat on their doorstep." There is potential for conflict within Bahrain, she said. "The Shia are really pushing against this Sunni government and the Sunni government, I think, is in a fairly significant amount of trouble," she said. sources from CNN -->Read more...

Obama, Mullen discuss violence in Mexico

President Obama and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Michael Mullen on Saturday discussed how the U.S. military can assist Mexico in addressing growing violence from drug cartels, according to a military official. The conversation, which Obama initiated within hours of Mullen's return to the United States from a visit to Mexico City, underscores the growing concern with which the United States views the situation. "The president was eager to get the chairman's observations on what he found out," the official told CNN. The president expressed interest in military capabilities that the U.S. has that could help Mexican forces, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technology, the official said. Mexico's military and police have been embroiled in increasingly violent clashes with cartels, which are battling among themselves for control over an ever-growing market in the United States. This week, a U.S. citizen was among the three decapitated bodies found in Tijuana, Mexican authorities said Saturday. Growing drug violence has made beheadings in Tijuana, Juarez and other Mexican towns more commonplace over the past year. The Tijuana attorney general's office identified the man as Jorge Natividad Norman Harrison, 45, who ran a pizzeria in El Mirador, in Tijuana. The bodies were found Tuesday. In a written statement, Mexican officials said they found firearms and more than 100 Valium pills in a search of Harrison's business. The statement also noted that he had a criminal history in the United States for drugs and conspiracy. sources from CNN -->Read more...

Economists Warn Thailand Lacks Safety Net in Downturn

As the Thai economy comes under further downward pressure from the global recession, reports warn that the hardest hit from the downturn are the rural and urban poor. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, has pressed his Cabinet members to go to the provinces to hear views from local people as the government prepares new measures to boost the economy. Thai government reports say the Thai economy faces its toughest year since the Asian financial crisis of a decade ago. A university study predicts the Thai economy will contract over the first and second quarters of 2009 by up to five percent. This stands in contrast to the earlier predicted forecast of up to four percent growth. Now there are warnings of unemployment reaching over one million people. Thai economists, in a paper to the United Nations this week, said the crisis would hit the "grassroots," low income populations, the hardest. The economists, from the Thailand Development Research Institute, a private sector funded think tank, said up to 30 percent of the population of 63 million is either poor or vulnerable to economic shocks, with most living in provincial regions. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva this week called on cabinet members to visit all 76 provincial regions to gain 'feedback' as part of the government's economic strategy. Traveling to the central province of Lopburi, 150 kilometers from Bangkok Saturday, Mr. Abhisit held informal talks and meeting with local community representatives. "We're talking about all the provinces; so I hope all the ministers are doing what I'm doing," he said. "And if we take two provinces each we should cover the whole country - that's a good step but communications have to be continuous." Panitan Wattanayagorn, the government spokesman, said the policy was part of a more flexible strategy in the face of the economic recession. "These days, people want to have more flexible and dynamic policies. You cannot formulate a policy from the top," he said. "We are listening from the ground and within the two months [so far] we have to be on the ground collecting feedback already, and that's what people want." The Thai government has already set out an economic stimulus package to underpin the sliding economy, with plans for two further packages in the wings in the months ahead. The government has already announced a package of over $3 billion to flow into the economy in the coming months. Panitan said further spending by the government may be necessary. "Economic stimulus, although quite massive, is not compared to the massive scale of the economic trouble in the world. That won't be enough. This is why the government may have to come up with several new supplemental [packages] and in order to do that you need to listen to the people," " said the government spokesman. Economists are also warning that, in the absence of an effective social safety net, more people could be thrust into poverty in the months ahead. But economists and business executives are hoping the Thai economy will show signs of recovery by the last quarter of 2009 as the economic stimulus packages elsewhere in the world start to impact the domestic economies. sources from VOA -->Read more...

Obama Calls for Bold Action on Economy

After another week of bad economic news, President Barack Obama is asking Americans to back his sweeping plan to fix the economy. The president used his weekly address to rally support for his initiatives to reform health care, create jobs, unfreeze the credit market and help homeowners avoid foreclosure. President Obama started his weekly talk by acknowledging the latest discouraging numbers. "Yesterday, we learned that the economy lost another 651,000 jobs in the month of February, which brings the total number of jobs lost in this recession to 4.4 million. The unemployment rate has now surpassed 8 percent, the highest rate in a quarter-century," he said. But Mr. Obama said he took office in January knowing that the crisis could not be solved easily or quickly. And he expressed optimism that with the right corrective actions the U.S. will emerge stronger and more prosperous than before. The president outlined what he has done in the past week to restore the housing market, including implementing his plan to let lenders work with borrowers to refinance or restructure mortgages, which he says will help as many as four million homeowners avoid foreclosure. "On Wednesday, the Departments of Treasury and Housing and Urban Development released the guidelines that lenders will use for lowering mortgage payments. This plan is now at work," he said. Mr. Obama said his Consumer and Business Lending Initiative will generate as much as $1 trillion of new lending, to unfreeze credit markets and stabilize the financial markets. The president also promoted his initiative to reform the U.S. health care system, which is the most expensive in the world and leaves an estimated 48 million people without insurance. He hosted a health care summit on Thursday to solicit ideas on how to fix the system. "Our ideas and opinions about how to achieve this reform will vary, but our goal must be the same: quality, affordable health care for every American that no longer overwhelms the budgets of families, businesses and our government," he said. Opposition Republicans have complained that Mr. Obama's proposed federal budget, and especially his ideas for reforming health care, are too costly. In the weekly Republican response, Congressman Roy Blunt said one plan the president is considering, giving Americans the option of buying medical coverage through a government plan, could do more harm than good. "I am concerned that if the government steps in it will eventually push out the private health care plans millions of Americans enjoy today. This could cause your employer to simply stop offering coverage, hoping the government will pick up the slack," said Blunt. Mr. Obama also said his administration will overhaul the way the government hands out private contracts, to reduce waste. sources from VOA -->Read more...

Two British troops killed in N. Ireland

Two British military members were killed and another four people wounded in a "serious shooting incident" at an army base in Northern Ireland, police said. The shooting happened late Saturday in Massarene, in County Antrim, one of the six counties that make up Northern Ireland. Two military personnel and two civilians were taken to a hospital in Antrim with serious injuries, a police spokeswoman said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred 200 yards away from a police station where suspected militants are believed to have been detained and questioned recently. The incident has stirred up memories of three decades of bitter sectarian fighting between Protestant loyalists to Great Britain and Irish Catholics wanting Northern Ireland to become part of the larger republic of Ireland. Eyewitnesses said pizza was being delivered when the gunmen opened fire, striking soldiers and the delivery drivers. Irish national television RTE reported that the gunmen fired shots from a passing car at about 9:40 p.m. (5:40 p.m. ET). "We haven't lost a soldier or policeman to terror in quite some time," said David Burnside, an assembly member from the loyalist Ulster Unionist Party who also represents south Antrim. "We had hoped these days were behind us." The base is home to an engineering regiment that "does a lot of work in Afghanistan," said Thomas Burns, a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly who represents south Antrim. Northern Ireland now has a power-sharing government and a prevailing peace that had been welcomed by all but radical splinter groups on both sides, thanks to the 1998 Good Friday Accord. But tensions in the region have ramped up in recent days. Earlier this week, Hugh Orde, chief constable of the Northern Ireland police, requested a British military intelligence regiment help investigate what he called increased activity among dissident republican groups. Leaders of Sinn Fein -- the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army -- warned against bringing in those troops, saying their presence would stir bad feelings among Catholics. William McCrea, a member of Parliament from the loyalist Democratic Unionist Party and a Presbyterian minister, mourned what he called "a very grievous evening." "Our soldiers are fighting in Afghanistan to defeat terrorism, but this is on our own doorstep," he said. "We can't go back to that." sources from CNN -->Read more...