A sick pregnant woman is to be deported to her native Guinea.
I'm no naval expert but...
According to unnamed South Korean military sources, the cause of the "bubble jet", which is a fancy term for what can be more colloquially described as a really big explosion under water, was likely an attack: "North Korean submarines are all armed with heavy torpedoes with 200 kg (441 lb) warheads. It is the military intelligence's assessment that the North attacked with a heavy torpedo." (In an interesting but as-yet-unexplained wrinkle, news reports also state that this conclusion was reached jointly by the United States and South Korea very soon after the attack, but it was decided to raise the wreck and visually inspect it before announcing anything.)
Why not call it what it was: an explosion from an external source?
Ah, yes...
South Korea does not want a war with the North. It would probably win such a war (assuming North Korea didn't use atomic weapons, which is possible but for various technical reasons somewhat unlikely). But the South has no appetite for war that would run the risk of a massive artillery bombardment of Seoul. Even if the South emerged with a victory, it would suddenly find itself responsible for the feeding and re-education of millions of people who have lived their lives in a closed, dustpan society that is probably the closest real-life equivalent of George Orwell's nightmarish world of 1984.
Lousy deal for the South Koreans, no matter how you figure it. Get nuked, endure bombardment or get stuck with the Asian equivalent of East Germany to feed, house and clothe.
So they'll go with Door #4: Ignore the obvious, pretend they can't be sure it was North Korea and hope like hell that ignoring a wanton, unprovoked attack doesn't encourage the maniacs running North Korea to try something even more provocative. It's a logical policy, maybe even the right one. But the families of the 46 dead sailors probably won't see it that way.
That's a Comedy Central response, really.
Abortion won't be a part of the G8 family planning initiative (because, as we all know, the Third World seriously needs government intrusion in their lives):
Canada won't support funding for abortions in the developing world as part of a family planning initiative, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda confirmed Monday on the eve of a meeting with her G8 counterparts in Halifax.Oda said Canada's contribution to the meeting could involve family planning and the use of contraceptive methods, but funding for abortions was a non-starter.
"The details remain to be determined," she told reporters Monday. "However, Canada's contribution will not include funding of abortions."
Her declaration means a debate over abortion could threaten a bid to find a consensus at the two-day meeting, which is expected to focus on improving the health of mothers and small children in poor countries.
Caroline Riseboro of World Vision Canada said the abortion issue amounts to a distraction from what should be the central issue for the G8: preventing 8.8 million child deaths a year from preventable conditions like diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia.
Obama's attempt to be an octopus hit a snag:
The most sweeping overhaul of U.S. banking rules since the Great Depression stumbled in the Senate on Monday as Republicans united to prevent action on the bill.The vote gives Republicans leverage to extract more concessions from Democrats on a measure that could ban banks from several lucrative types of trading and subject them to greater oversight.
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