breaking the fense

"Tens of thousands of Palestinians streamed into northern Egypt on Wednesday after Hamas militants blew up parts of the fence dividing Egypt from the Gaza Strip, forcing an end to the closing of Gaza that had followed Hamas’s takeover of the territory last summer. ..."

"Palestinians Topple Gaza Wall and Cross to Egypt"

by Steven Erlanger

in: The New York Times

Peace deal to end war

"The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and armed groups in the country signed a deal Wednesday to end years of fighting in the country's east, according to Peter Kessler, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). ..."

"5M dead as Congo peace deal signed"

in: CNN

food for 2 million people not yet there

"... A surge of truck hijackings threatens to cut off food rations for more than 2 million people in Darfur ..."
"Darfur hijackings hit food distribution"

by Associated Press

in CNN.com

Fraud in Paris

"...The French bank Société Générale said Thursday that it had uncovered "an exceptional fraud" by a trader that would cost it €4.9 billion, or about $7.1 billion, and that it would seek new capital of about $8 billion. ..."
"$7.1 Billion Fraud Uncovered at Société Générale"
by David Jolly
in The New York Times

2007 TU24 asteroid

"An asteroid at least 500-feet-long (152-meters-long) will make a rare close pass by Earth next week—but there is no chance of an impact, scientists reported Thursday.
The object—known as 2007 TU24—is expected to whiz by Earth on Tuesday with its closest approach at 334,000 miles ..."

"Asteroid to Whiz by Earth Next Week"

by Alicia Chang

in National Geographic

"Deep Transe Behavior in Potatoland" by Richard Foreman

"...Richard Foreman, a man whose slogan, spelled out in a ravishing new show called “Deep Trance Behavior in Potatoland,” gets right to the point: “Go to other places.” And, boy, does he make sure that you do.

Richard Foreman is celebrating his 40th anniversary this year as the creative force that is the Ontological-Hysteric Theater, one of the most enduringly fertile bastions of the New York avant-garde. ..."
"No Map Needed for Reality-Altering Trip"

by Ben Brantley

in The New York Times

Katty Grannan's California

"When it's up close and personal, photography can really get under your skin. In these separate but related bodies of work, Katy Grannan employs California's paradisiacal sunlight and a gritty empathy to illuminate life at society's margins. ..."

"The Grand Delusion"
by R. C. Baker
in: The village voice

Civilian nuclear programmes between France and Arabian countries

"French President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a Gulf tour, during which he is due to sign a nuclear co-operation deal with the United Arab Emirates. (...) Mr Sarkozy has said the Arab world should have the same rights to such programmes as other states. ..."

"Sarkozy to sign UAE nuclear deal"

in: BBCnews

Iran as Bush focus

"President Bush on Sunday urged wary Persian Gulf allies to rally against Iran “before it is too late,” even as the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that the country had agreed, yet again, to answer outstanding questions about its nuclear programs within four weeks."
"Bush Urges Unity Against Iran" Published: January 14, 2008

by Steven Lee Myers
in: The New York Times

"President Bush chastised Iran on Tuesday for committing a “provocative act” by confronting United States Navy warships in the Persian Gulf over the weekend. ..."
"Bush Castigates Iran, Calling Naval Confrontation ‘Provocative Act’" Published: January 9, 2008
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Thom Shanker
in: The New York Times

"IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, accompanied by Mr. Olli Heinonen, Deputy Director General for Safeguards and Mr. Vilmos Cserveny, Director for External Relations and Policy Coordination, visited Teheran from 11 to 12 January 2008. ... "
"IAEA Chief Concludes Visit to IranStaff Report" Published: January 13, 2008
in: IAEA.org

Gender equality in Norway

"From 1 January 2008 it became compulsory for Norwegian companies to appoint a substantial number of women to their management boards, but is government intervention on gender issues the best way to create real change in the corporate world?
Norway now leads the globe in gender equality at board level ..."

"Smashing the glass ceiling"

By Stephanie Holmes

in: BBC News

Press conference for Benazir Bhutto's son

"Benazir Bhutto's son has finally held his own press conference. How Pakistan's heir apparent handled the media, fake Facebook pages and fears about his future. ..."

"Flying Solo"

by Rod Nordland

in: Newsweek

Baitullah Mehsud the name that many are accusing

"Baitullah Mehsud is being blamed for most of the suicide bombings in Pakistan, including Benazir Bhutto's assassination. The rise of a militant leader. ..."

"Al Qaeda’s Newest Triggerman"
by Sami Yousafzai and Ron Moreau
in: Newsweek

Underground religion in China

"...At an underground church service in China, you pray as quickly as you can - and hope the police do not come running in. ..."

"Keeping the faith in China"

by James Reynolds

in: BBC News

Smith's Cloud on it's way

"Smith's Cloud", it may set off spectacular fireworks when it smacks into our galaxy in 20-40 million years.
It contains enough hydrogen to produce a million stars like our Sun, researchers believe. (...)
Details of the work, by a team at the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, were unveiled at the 211th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin, Texas."

"Huge gas cloud will hit Milky Way"

by Paul Rinco
in: BBCnews

Black Holes

"The supermassive black holes at the cores of most galaxies could be spinning at a dizzying rates. These celestial monsters may be rotating so fast, they are close to the maximum rates allowed by Einstein's theory of relativity..."

"Rapid spin for giant black holes"
By Paul Rincon
in:BBCnews

Shibboleth by Doris Salcedo

"...Salcedo has created a subterranean chasm that stretches the length of the Turbine Hall. (...) Shibboleth asks questions about the interaction of sculpture and space, about architecture and the values it enshrines, and about the shaky ideological foundations on which Western notions of modernity are built. (...) A ‘shibboleth’ is a custom, phrase or use of language that acts as a test of belonging to a particular social group or class. ..."

"Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth"
in: Tate Modern

"Interruption of a Course of Action": Lovett/Codagnome exhibition

"...the first U.S. museum exhibition for the artist duo Lovett/Codagnone. Best known for their performances, videos, and photographs that combine elements of S&M gay subculture with everyday domestic scenes, the artist team will further their ongoing exploration of power relations, as manifested in explicit cultural signifiers as well as clandestine or unconscious practices. ..."

Lovett/Codagnone:Interruption of a Course of Action
in:PS1MOMA

Organized by P.S.1 Curatorial Advisor Lia Gangitano

Globes without stars

"The usual crowds lined up on the street, but the floats never came. This year’s Globes will be remembered as the Year of Living Absently..."
"How lame was this year’s bizarro-world version of the Globes?... "
by David Carr

" Awards Season"
in: New York Times

Benazir Bhutto murdered

"Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of a prime minister of Pakistan who held that post twice herself, died on Dec. 27, 2007 in a suicide attack on a political rally as she campaigned to hold that post a third time. (...)
Ms. Bhutto took over the leadership of her father's party and became the first woman leader of an Islamic country when she was first elected prime minister in 1988 at the age of 35. "

"Benazir Bhutto"

By JANE PERLEZ and VICTORIA BURNETT

in: New York Times

"Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Wednesday that British investigators are heading to Pakistan to help clear up the confusion surrounding Thursday's assassination of Benazir Bhutto."

"Scotland Yard to help probe Bhutto assassination"
By Brian Todd and Zain Verjee
in: CNN.com

Kenia's bloodshed

"Both sides in Kenya's disputed election have accused the other of violence as diplomatic efforts to defuse the country's political crisis intensify. (...)

About 300 people have now died in the post-poll bloodshed, including 35 burned to death sheltering in a church."

"Kenya diplomatic push for peace"

in: BBCnews

Sri Lanka returns to war

"It said escalating violence had made the Norwegian-brokered truce redundant. The accord came into effect in February 2002 ahead of inconclusive peace talks.
Since mid-2006 troops and rebels have fought regular clashes, despite the deal still technically being in place.
There was no immediate response from the Tigers, who want independence for Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east."

"Sri Lanka ends truce with rebels"

in: BBCnews

in Gaza

"Israel has carried out a helicopter attack on the north of the Gaza Strip in which six militants were killed, Palestinian hospital sources say.
Three of the dead were believed to be members of the Hamas Islamist group."

"Hamas militants die in Gaza raid"

in: BBCnews

one more suicide bomber in Baghdad

"A suicide bomber has killed 10 people in an attack in the city of Baquba, north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Most of the casualties are said to be members of a local volunteer force opposed to al-Qaeda."

"Bomber strikes Iraq Sunni militia"
in: BBCnews

Iraq's national museum

"Perhaps the Assyrian gallery is so stunning because it is so unexpected in Baghdad.
This gallery, one of only two that are open to visitors to the Iraqi National Museum, gives a hint of the glories that were once in the national collection."

"Baghdad museum's slow recovery"

By Crispin Thorold

in: BBCnews

Ettore Sottsass dies aged 90

"Ettore Sottsass, an éminence grise of postmodern design who helped found the influential Memphis Group and was responsible for the familiar bright red plastic Olivetti typewriter, died Monday at his home in Milan."

"Italian Design Guru Ettore Sottsass Dies Aged 90"
in: Dexigner

Berlin Alexanderplatz

"...the first U.S. gallery exhibition that will feature the newly restored version of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's monumental, sequential film Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980).

Based on Alfred Döblin's 1929 novel, this recently restored epic will be a long overdue introduction of a masterpiece of German cinema to a younger American audience. The more than 15-hour epic will be divided into 14 screening rooms—one for each episode ..."

"Fassbinder: Berlin Alexanderplatz"

in: P.S.1Moma