The Canadian government and Bill Gates announced an initiative Tuesday to establish a research institute to develop an AIDS vaccine, committing a total of $119 million to the project. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said his government has pledged $95.3 million to a new fund called the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, while the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has promised up to $24 million. Gates' $33 billion foundation has become a world leader in fighting AIDS and other epidemic diseases as well as extreme poverty, particularly in the developing world. "Between Canada and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we will contribute to the effort to develop a safe, effective, affordable and globally accessible HIV vaccine," Harper said alongside Gates in the capital, Ottawa. "HIV/AIDS is one of the most heart-wrenching health crises the world has ever seen," said Harper. "It is one of the greatest scientific challenges of our time." ... http://abcnews.go.com censor News |
Editor - 09:03:00 02-20-07 |
Rape claim splits Iraq government |
An allegation that Iraqi police raped a Sunni woman while enforcing a new security plan in Baghdad has opened sectarian splits within the government. The woman said she was assaulted at a police garrison on Sunday where she was falsely held for supporting insurgents. Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who is Shia, dismissed the claims, but senior Sunni officials insist it is true. Observers say the row could undermine the security plan, in which mainly-Shia police are deployed in Sunni areas. Mr Maliki accused "known groups" - taken to mean Sunni political parties - of fabricating the story, to discredit the security forces. A series of insurgency attacks in and around the capital have already shown the difficulties of trying to stem the tide of violence. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6378821.stm
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Editor - 08:56:00 02-20-07 |
U.S. May Shun A Fatah-Hamas Coalition Position Could Hurt Abbas' Efforts To End Palestinian Violence And International Sanctions |
The United States has informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that it will shun a future Hamas-Fatah coalition government because it will not explicitly recognize Israel, Abbas aides said Thursday. That position would be a severe blow to Abbas, who is trying to reach a power-sharing deal to end Palestinian infighting and to get crippling international sanctions on the government lifted. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas announced the resignation of his Cabinet on Thursday, and Abbas then authorized Haniyeh to form a new coalition government. Haniyeh now has five weeks to form the government along the lines of an agreement hammered out last week at a summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/15/world/main2481162.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2481162
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Editor - 08:52:00 02-20-07 |
New footage of JFK's last moments |
A previously unreleased film of President John F Kennedy's motorcade has revealed new details of the final moments before his assassination. The silent film shows the president and his wife Jackie shortly before the fatal shot was fired. Amateur photographer George Jefferies held onto the film for more than 40 years believing it was unimportant. But Dallas museum curator Gary Mack says it is bound to provide new fuel to the conspiracy theorists. The film shows the president's coat bunched up on his back - a detail some will see as evidence that the bullet wounds on the president's body did not match those on his jacket. The film also shows "the clearest, best film of Jackie in the motorcade", says Mr Mack. Also visible is secret service agent Clint Hill, riding on the back of the car. After the shots were fired, Mr Hill jumped onto the back of the vehicle and drove with it to the hospital.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6378463.stm
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Editor - 08:45:00 02-20-07 |
EU reaches deal on emissions cuts |
EU environment ministers have agreed in principle to cut greenhouse emissions by 20% from 1990 levels by 2020. The ministers, meeting in Brussels, also agreed to seek a 30% cut worldwide if matched by other developed nations. The proposals, outlined by the European Commission in January, are seen as a key measure to curb climate change. The EU must still decide how to make cuts, allowing for a possible compromise with member states opposed to mandatory targets. Hungary and Poland, who joined the EU in 2004, are said to have opposed the cuts. Finland has also reportedly voiced opposition to the Commission's targets. But German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said his country was prepared to go further and cut emissions by 40%. "There will be some countries like Germany that will see a steeper reduction in greenhouse gases," he said, quoted by the Associated Press news agency. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6377983.stm
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Editor - 08:30:00 02-20-07 |
Car Bombs, Attacks Kill 18 in Baghdad |
A suicide bomber struck a funeral in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least seven people as militants show increasing defiance to a major security operation in the capital. The attacker, wearing a belt packed with explosives, followed a funeral procession into a tent before detonating the blast in a mostly Shiite district of eastern Baghdad, police said. At least 15 people were injured. In other bloodshed across Baghdad, a car bomb and a suicide attacker killed at least 11 people. More than 100 people have been killed in the Baghdad area since Sunday in a direct challenge to efforts by U.S. and Iraqi forces to restore some authority on the streets and give the embattled government some breathing room. The first attacks came during the busy morning rush for goods and fuel. A car rigged with explosives tore through a line of cars at a gas station in the Sadiyah district in southwestern Baghdad. ... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/20/ap/world/mainD8NDGJ1G0.shtml
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Editor - 08:28:00 02-20-07 |
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