Beyond The Hedges

10/21/10 7:00pm

National

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" reinstated

On Wednesday, a federal appeals court temporarily granted the U.S. Justice Department's emergency request to keep the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy in effect. California District Court Judge Virginia Phillips had issued a worldwide ban on the policy on Oct. 12. The Obama administration is planning to appeal Phillips' finding that the policy violates the due process and free speech rights of service members.

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Source: ABC NewsSaudi Arabia to purchase arms

US officials have confirmed plans to sell $60 billion of arms to Saudi Arabia, one of the top purchasers of weapons among developing nations. Congress has 30 days to object to the deal, which could provide 75,000 jobs for American workers. Officials were quoted in September as saying that missiles and bombs would be part of the arms involved in the deal, but only 80 F-15 fighters and dozens of helicopters were confirmed during the official news conference.

Source: BBC

Toyota recalls cars

Brake fluid and fuel pump issues have caused Toyota to recall 749,000 cars in the U.S., 599,000 in Japan, and still more in Europe. In the past year Toyota has recalled 10 million vehicles. Spokesman Paul Nolasco said that the problem is with the brake master cylinder, which could lead to low braking power. The brake master cylinder is a problem in models including the 2005 and 2006 Avalon, 2004 through 2006 non-hybrid Highlander and Lexus RX330, and 2006 Lexus GS300, IS250 and IS350.

Source: MSNBC

International

French protest pension reforms

Protesters against planned pension reforms in France rallied in the streets of Paris for the second week in a row, setting cars ablaze, creating blockades at fuel depots and roads and damaging buildings. Unions estimated that 3.5 million people across France have participated in the strike, while police reports claim 1.1 million have. The government is working on a bill that makes changes to the current pension system such as changing the retirement age from 60 to 62.

Source: CNN

Iran, Venezuela announce alliance

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez proclaimed a "strategic alliance" between their respective nations this week. Officials from both countries signed 11 agreements that promoted economic cooperation in areas such as oil and trade. Denouncing U.S. imperialism, both leaders said that they aimed to establish a "new world order" that will decrease the traditional dominance of Western nations in global affairs.

Source: Associated Press

Chinese economic growth slows

Official economic reports from the Chinese government showed that the nation's economic growth has slowed in the third quarter. The 9.6 percent GDP growth beat the analyst prediction of 9.5 percent growth, but was still a decline from the second quarter's 10.3 percent growth. This change in growth coincides with the Chinese government's decision this week to raise interest rates for the first time in three years, in an effort to control rising inflation.

Source: AFP

Malaria deaths underestimated

New data suggest that previous World Health Organization estimates for annual malaria deaths in India are much lower than the actual rate, with the new research suggesting about 205,000 deaths a year, as compared to the 10,000-21,000 estimated by the WHO in 2006. The new study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Canadian Institute of Health Research, and the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute.

Source: BBC

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