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'Gin And Titonic' Ice Tray Makers Criticized For Making Light Of Titanic Sinking

2009-12-15T04:55:18Z

Designer Jason Amendolara, creator of a novelty ice cube tray in which drinkers can re-create the sinking of the Titanic -- the "Gin and Titonic Ice Tray" -- has been facing criticism for making light of a tragic historical event when hundreds of people died during the sinking of the ship.

The tray, available on Amazon.com for just $6.75, includes space to make four titanic ice cubes, and four icebergs. "Ice ahoy!!" the description reads, "Gin and Titonic is guaranteed to be an unsinkable addition to your next party or boating launching! This reusable ice tray contains four icy Titanic ships and four menacing icebergs. Pair them up in your mixed drinks and re-create history. Go ahead... sink another round.

Titanic historian Brian Ticehurst told the Daily Mail that he was deeply disturbed by the product.

"They are distasteful, hundreds of people died in the tragedy," he said. "How long will it be before this firm makes ice cubes of the Twin Towers to commemorate 9/11?"

The company spokesman was unperturbed: "We design housewares that are functional and fun. The Gin and Titonic is quite a good seller around the world."

Berlusconi Attacker Apologizes For "Superficial, Cowardly And Impetuous" Act

2009-12-15T01:56:38Z

ROME — Even hospitalized and in pain, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi can polarize Italians.

The bloody image of Berlusconi, reeling after being attacked as he signed autographs following a rally Sunday, has created sympathy and solidarity on one hand, while on the other generating praise for his attacker on Facebook and YouTube.

The strong reactions were similar to those Berlusconi has drawn during his 15 years in politics.

"The bloodied, stunned, scared face of Silvio Berlusconi will remain an icon in the history of this republic," said a national newspaper, La Stampa, which is not owned by Berlusconi's media company.

Berlusconi, 73, was rushed to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan after a man pushed through the crowd and hit him in the face with a souvenir statue of Milan's Duomo, the Gothic cathedral that is a symbol of the city.

The attacker, identified as 42-year-old Massimo Tartaglia, was arrested at the scene and remained in jail in Milan. Police and family members said he had no criminal record but a history of mental problems.

Italy's ANSA news agency reported late Monday that Tartaglia had written a letter to Berlusconi, saying he was sorry for his "superficial, cowardly and uncontrolled" act.

Berlusconi was in pain Tuesday, unable to eat or leave the hospital for at least another day, said his doctor, Alberto Zangrillo.

The attack left the premier with a fractured nose, two broken teeth and lip cuts. He was being given antibiotics and drugs for persistent pain, the hospital said in a midday bulletin. He will not need surgery, Zangrillo said.

The attack, which shocked Italians, came amid an increasingly tense political atmosphere.

Berlusconi has for months denounced a "climate of hatred" he says surrounds him as he fends off a sex scandal and judicial troubles.

His spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti, said this feeling was stronger than ever in the hours that preceded the attack, even in the car ride toward the rally.

"He told me, 'You know, this climate of hatred and tension really leaves me worried,'" Bonaiuti said Monday. "'Don't you think something might happen to me?'"

Since he stepped into politics in the mid-1990s, Berlusconi has further polarized Italy – a society that has been split into fiercely opposed factions for centuries.

His critics charge that the media mogul-turned-politician assembles so much power that he is a threat to democracy, bending the law to his advantage. Admirers love his charisma, wealth, even his jokes. To them, he is what they would like to be. They praise his can-do persona and believe he is a reformist.

Despite legal woes and conflict-of-interest accusations, Berlusconi has been voted into office three times. His latest victory in 2006 signaled his triumphant return to power less that two years after his second term ran out and he narrowly lost elections to a center-left coalition.

So strong are the sentiments that an aide years ago wrote a book collecting the insults that political adversaries had thrown at the conservative leader.

But even by the Italian standards of mudslinging, the climate has become increasingly tense in recent months, with Berlusconi becoming increasingly vitriolic in the face of rising protests.

Italy's largest newspaper, Corriere della Sera, said Monday that politics in Italy had come to resemble "civil war."

"The violent aggression on the premier is the result of this degeneration," said the newspaper, which is independent of Berlusconi's holdings.

Berlusconi is entangled in scandals over his purported fondness for young women and an alleged relationship with a prostitute. The premier's wife is divorcing him, but Berlusconi insists he has never paid for sex, nor had inappropriate relationships.

He has been buffeted by protests, with tens of thousands marching in Rome on Dec. 5 to demand his resignation. And a Mafia turncoat recently alleged that Berlusconi had ties to the underworld, an accusation the premier has forcefully dismissed.

Despite setbacks and some squabbling with his allies, his popularity has remained high. The attack might reinforce that. "True Italians are always with you," said a well-wishing banner posted on the walls of the hospital.

Berlusconi has fired back against his detractors, launching vehement attacks that have added to the poisonous climate.

He said the magistrates who put him on trial for corruption are politically motivated communists. Last week he denounced the "party of magistrates" as a threat to Italy's sovereignty, and he has also attacked the Supreme Court and the president of the republic.

Roberto Maroni, who as interior minister is in charge of police forces, said he counted some 300 groups on Facebook praising Berlusconi's assailant, and he was considering pulling them off the social network. He also mentioned YouTube videos showing the attack with comments inciting more violence.

Maroni presided over an emergency meeting in Milan that put the security surrounding the premier under scrutiny. The minister said he did not see any immediate faults, but added that a full review would take place.

Typically, about 30 secret service agents protect Berlusconi at his public appearances. But the premier, who considers himself a man of the people with a taste for showmanship, also likes to mingle with his supporters and shake hands.

"Berlusconi has the right to get close to his supporters because this is democracy, this is politics," said Maroni.

General David Rodriguez: Afghanistan Troop Surge Will Take Longer

2009-12-15T01:11:52Z

KABUL — The military may not finish its surge of 30,000 American troops to Afghanistan until nearly a year from now, a senior U.S. commander said Monday – a slower pace than President Barack Obama has described. The White House insisted it was sticking with a goal of completing the buildup by late summer.

The reinforcements begin arriving next week, and the bulk of the troops are scheduled to be in Afghanistan by the end of summer. But it will probably be nine to 11 months before all the troops are in place, Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez said.

The timing is important. The sooner the full complement of 30,000 can get there, the sooner the added firepower might have an effect on turning around the war and creating conditions that will allow the Pentagon to proceed with Obama's promise to begin withdrawing troops in July 2011.

"We're still working the speed at which they can come in, and so we'll see how much faster that they can come in," said Rodriguez, the second-highest U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

Military officials had been hinting in recent weeks that the escalation might take slightly longer than the summer goal, suggesting the administration's announcement of such a rapid escalation might not be entirely firm. Rodriguez's comments on Monday set off a flurry of reactions both at the White House and the Pentagon.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama still "believes we should get our troops in there by the end of the summer."

Several defense officials provided a similar timeline Monday, saying Defense Secretary Robert Gates has indicated that the all of the troops should be in place by summer's end.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Gates has made it clear that the majority of U.S. forces were slated for arrival by midsummer and the rest by the end of summer. "That is going to be a real challenge logistically, but we are determined to meet it," he said.

The sticking point appears to be over how quickly the military can deploy a final brigade of troops – containing between 4,000 and 5,000 soldiers, officials said. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress last week that 20,000 to 25,000 troops could be in place by the end of summer.

Rodriguez said the calendar for adding forces is tied to the logistical challenges the military faces in bringing in so many forces so quickly. It is a complex effort to arrange for the barracks, equipment and tons of other supplies that enable incoming soldiers and Marines to perform their mission. Some will move to Afghanistan from the U.S; some materiel will be shifted from Iraq or Kuwait, which serves as a staging area for the Iraq war.

Afghanistan is logistically tougher than Iraq, in terms of a troop buildup, because it is landlocked and lacks the more extensive network of highways that proved valuable in the 2007 Iraq buildup.

Rodriguez said the rapid influx is a central part of the plan to take total U.S. forces to 100,000 next year, and there is a a heavy focus on finding ways to speed the deployment.

"It's a lot of things that have to line up perfectly ... to get where we want to go as fast as we want," Rodriguez said. "So it'll be plus or minus a month or two."

Obama has not cited a detailed timeline. In his Dec. 1 nationally televised speech, he said the fresh troops would "deploy in the first part of 2010 – the fastest pace possible – so that they can target the insurgency."

White House aides had indicated the hope was for all the new troops to be in place by summer, and Gibbs said Monday that is still the operative plan.

"I would point you to the remarks that Secretary Gates and others made in testifying in front of Congress that the bulk of our forces would be in by the beginning of the summer and that the remainder would be in by the end of the summer," Gibbs said.

The apparent discrepancy isn't large – a couple of months or more – but the calendar Rodriguez suggested is close to the one his boss, top U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, proposed months ago during the long deliberations about how to expand forces to take on a resurgent Taliban. Obama wanted to speed up the process as much as possible in part to send a signal of U.S. resolve.

Meanwhile, the deaths of 16 Afghan policemen Monday was a reminder of the difficulties awaiting the Obama plan to quickly train Afghan forces to take over the fight. An attack that killed eight policemen in the Taliban stronghold of Helmand province may have been an inside job, a provincial spokesman suggested.

"We don't underestimate the challenges particularly on the police side," Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman, said at a press conference shortly after arriving in Afghanistan for a check on preparations for the new forces.

Mullen, the top U.S. military officer, said he had discussed police recruitment and training with Afghanistan's ministers of defense and interior, and he praised Interior Minister Mohammad Atmar, a favorite of Washington, for addressing police corruption.

Mullen is touring U.S. outposts and will also travel to Pakistan.

___

Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann and Amir Shah in Kabul and Anne Flaherty and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this story.

Galbraith Says Eide Was Fired

2009-12-14T22:48:02Z

Kai Eide, the top U.N. official in Afghanistan, was forcibly removed and did not resign voluntarily as he claims, according to his former deputy and "frenemy," Peter Galbraith.

Pakistan Rebuffs U.S. On Taliban Crackdown

2009-12-14T22:44:54Z

Demands by the United States for Pakistan to crack down on the strongest Taliban warrior in Afghanistan, Siraj Haqqani, whose fighters pose the biggest threat to American forces, have been rebuffed by the Pakistani military, according to Pakistani military officials and diplomats.

Carla Bruni: "One Term Would Satisfy Me"

2009-12-14T21:47:52Z

PARIS — French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy says it's up to her husband to decide whether to run for a second term in office in 2012 but says "one term would satisfy me."

In an interview that aired Sunday on TF1 television, Bruni-Sarkozy hailed her husband, President Nicolas Sarkozy, as "someone who's committed from head to toe." She adds, "it's his business (to decide) whether to run."

Asked about a survey in which a majority of respondents said she was not close enough to the French people, Bruni-Sarkozy says "they don't see me as I really am."

Bruni-Sarkozy, a former supermodel-turned-singer, was interviewed in her apartment in western Paris.

UN-Backed Congo Troops Killed More Civilians Than Rebels, Says Human Rights Watch

2009-12-14T21:00:27Z

JOHANNESBURG — A U.N.-backed Congolese military operation to oust rebels from eastern Congo has caused more civilian casualties than damage to rebels, with more than 1,400 people deliberately killed over a nine-month period, human rights groups said Monday.

Human Rights Watch said it had documented "vicious and widespread" attacks against civilians by soldiers and rebels between January and September. Soldiers being fed and supplied with ammunition by the United Nations have killed civilians, gang-raped girls and cut the heads off some young men they accuse of being rebels or supporting the enemy, groups said.

"For every rebel combatant disarmed, one civilian has been killed, seven women and girls have been raped, six houses have been burned and destroyed and 900 people have been forced to flee their homes," British-based organization Oxfam said.

Human Rights Watch said it documented the killings of 732 civilians between January and September by the Congolese army and troops from neighboring Rwanda fighting alongside it. In the same period, it counted 701 civilians killed by the rebels they are fighting.

"Some victims were tied together before their throats were, according to one witness, 'slit like chickens.' The majority of the victims were women, children, and the elderly," the group said.

More than 7,500 cases of sexual violence against women and girls were registered at health centers during that nine-month period, nearly double that of 2008 and likely representing only a fraction of the total.

Human Rights Watch said that the 19,000 peacekeepers in Congo – the biggest U.N. force in the world – must "immediately cease all support to the current military operation" until it can ensure there are no violations of international humanitarian law. The group also called for the U.N. to find "a new approach to protect civilians."

"The U.N. peacekeepers are being put in an appalling situation where they are supporting an army that is attacking its own population," it said.

The allegations come the same week the U.N. Security Council is to deliberate on renewing the peacekeepers' mandate.

Kevin Kennedy, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Congo, said the Security Council has repeatedly expressed support for the offensive against the rebels and for the Congolese army despite "all the risks involved and the potential consequences of cooperating with the FARDC (army)."

Congo's President Joseph Kabila has asked the U.N. to draw up a schedule to withdraw its forces, which have been in the country since 1999. The biggest U.N. accomplishment was overseeing Congo's first democratic elections in four decades, held in 2006. Kabila would have the peacekeepers withdraw before new elections scheduled for 2011.

Protecting civilians is the primary purpose of the U.N. peacekeepers, but they have struggled with a contradictory mandate that also requires them to support the Congolese army.

U.N. officials in Congo long have argued they do not have enough boots on the ground to protect civilians – some 19,000 to cover a country the size of Western Europe. In comparison, 40,000 NATO troops in Kosovo policed some 6,200 square miles (10,000 square kilometers).

Violence first erupted in eastern Congo after the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed half a million people of the Tutsi tribe and moderate Hutus opposed to the killing. Rwandan Hutu soldiers and militiamen who perpetrated the genocide fled to east Congo and formed the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda.

Fighting in eastern Congo ballooned into back-to-back civil wars from 1996 to 2002 that drew in neighboring countries in a rush to plunder the Central African nation's massive mineral wealth.

Over the years, the Rwandan rebels who call themselves the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, have forcibly kidnapped boys to fight its cause, and girls and women who are abused as sex slaves.

Rwandan soldiers joined the Congolese army in a three-month push against the FDLR, deliberately excluding U.N. peacekeepers. When the Rwandans withdrew in March, the U.N. mission felt it had little choice but to join the Congo army in a continued effort against the rebels.

While the Congolese have claimed victory over the FDLR, the reality on the ground is that the rebels have made strategic withdrawals and then regrouped. The victims, as the human rights reports say, have been civilians targeted by both sides.

State Department Warns Kerry Of "Serious Substantive Concerns" With Iran Sanctions Bill

2009-12-14T20:45:46Z

Next week is going to be a big week for Iran sanctions, particularly on Capitol Hill. As administration officials change their tone and talk more about a "pressure track" in public, behind the scenes negotiations about how to proceed are heating up.

Traian Basescu Winner Of Romanian Election, Court Rules

2009-12-14T20:37:17Z

BUCHAREST, Romania — The Constitutional Court on Monday declared Traian Basescu the winner of Romania's disputed presidential election.

The court ruled that Basescu had won a second term as president after days of uncertainty following a vote the opposition claimed was rigged.

The court said that Basescu had won the most votes in the Dec. 6 runoff. Election authorities finished re-examining some 138,000 voided ballots Monday, and decided the outcome of the election was not changed.

Basescu won 50.33 percent of the vote to defeat former Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, who won 49.67 percent.

Geoana conceded defeat and wished Basescu good luck with his new five-year mandate.

However, he continued to insist that the elections had been rigged and that the court had ignored "extremely clear evidence."

Geoana's Social Democrats filed a motion to the court last week alleging fraud. They claimed they had evidence of ballot-stuffing, multiple voting and widespread vote-buying, and asked for new elections to be held.

"The fight for the presidency ends here but the fight for finding the truth in these elections continues," Geoana said.

Monday's decision is expected to bring some stability to Romania which has been without a proper government since Oct. 13 when the government was dismissed by Parliament in a no-confidence vote.

Romania's president appoints the prime minister, who in turn will form the new government and set a budget.

Amid the uncertainty, a delegation from the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission arrived in Romania Monday to discuss a loan to the country that has been frozen following the political crisis.

The delegation is meeting Romanian authorities to discuss the 2010 budget, which has to be approved by Parliament and is crucial to the decision to free up a euro1.5 billion (US$2.2 billion) installment of an IMF loan. It will not release the money following this visit.

The IMF and the European Commission said a review mission could return in January, once a new cabinet has been formed and has set out its program.

The IMF, the EU and the World Bank put together a euro20 billion package in March to help Romania during the economic turmoil.

On Monday the Central Electoral Bureau said that 2,247 of the previously 138,000 void ballots were valid. Of the votes declared valid, 1,260 were cast for Basescu and 987 for Geoana.

Cristina Fernandez Death Threats: Argentine President Threatened During Helicopter Trip

2009-12-14T18:51:11Z

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine President Cristina Fernandez has received death threats over a radio frequency while commuting to work by helicopter and her Cabinet chief said Monday officials are taking the threats seriously.

Radio communication between her pilot and a control tower was interrupted Friday by someone saying, "Kill her" and, "Kill the mare," as well as more obscene phrases, according to a recording broadcast Monday by C5N television. For several seconds, a military march is heard.

Cabinet Chief Anibal Fernandez told the Radio 10 station that the threats were "very serious" and are being investigated.

He said they were aimed at creating fear, "but they are not going to achieve that."

The government suspects supporters of Argentina's 1976-1983 military dictatorship could be behind the threats. They came on the first day of a historic trial of 19 dictatorship-era officials accused of torturing thousands of political prisoners inside the Navy Mechanics School.

"There are a lot of people in plain sight these days with the outlook of coup-plotters," Anibal Fernandez said. "We can't disconnect this from the reality that there is a trial going for the Navy Mechanics School and these are things that could be linked to actions of this kind."

UK Muslims Are Europe's Most Patriotic

2009-12-14T17:30:10Z

Muslims in Britain are the most patriotic in Europe -- but more than a quarter in some parts of the country still do not feel British, according to a new study.

Toyota Yaris Ad Pulled After Sexism Complaints (VIDEO)

2009-12-14T17:09:05Z

Toyota has been forced to pull a new advertisement in Australia following numerous accusations that the video was not only sexist but also making light of incest.

The online ad, entitled "Clean Getaways," is for the Toyota Yaris, a small car mainly sold to young women, according to the TheAge.com. The video, which is full of sexual innuendos and suggestive double entendres, begins with a young man arriving to pick up his date and telling the girl's father at the door, "I'm here to take Jennifer's virginity out tonight." From there the young man reels off such lines as "I hope I haven't come too prematurely," "it has traction control for when it gets a bit slippery and wet," and "I'll have her on her back by 11, I promise."

The ad was created as part of the "Clever Film Comp," a short-film competition organized in part by Toyota. Not long after the ad became the winner of the online contest, the competition's Facebook page was flooded with outraged comments from users, the London Times reports.

One entry on the competition's Facebook page said, according to the Telegraph:

"I have written and lodged a formal complaint with Toyota's Australian head office regarding this specific competition entry/winner. I would encourage those who feel the same to also write formal complaints to Toyota. This is 2009! Women should not have to be dealing with this vulgar objectification."

The charge that the ad made light of incest seems to stem from a line in which the father tells the young man, in reference to his daughter, "She can take a good pounding in any direction."

As one user wrote about this particular part of the ad: "The ad features a father and his daughter's boyfriend agreeing together, in a matey way, that the daughter is going to get a 'good pounding'. It has incestuous overtones."

The ad has been pulled from the "Clever Film Comp" website, and a spokesman for Toyota has apologized for any offense caused.

WATCH the ad:

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'Whack-A-Banker' Game A Hit In Britain

2009-12-14T16:51:53Z

A British arcade game that allows gamers to take out their anger on bankers has proved a hit, its creator says.

The BBC reports that inventor Tim Hunkin introduced his "Whack-A-Banker" game to his seaside pier arcade in Southwold, in eastern England. It's now proved so popular he has had to replace the worn out mallets.

Based upon the popular "Whac-A-Mole" game, players hit bankers on the head when they emerge from holes. The game allows angry Brits a chance to vent some fury about the role bankers played in the current financial crisis. However, as Hunkin told AFP:

"And, of course, the bankers never really lose. If you win the game a banker's voice says: 'You win. We retire. Thank you very much to the taxpayer for paying our pensions'."

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Sebastian Pinera, Conservative Billionaire, Favored In Chile Presidential Run-Off

2009-12-14T16:27:04Z

SANTIAGO (Reuters) -- Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera led Chile's presidential vote and is seen the favorite to win a run-off and lead a political shift in Latin America's most stable economy after 20 years of leftist rule.

Jeffrey Sachs: Extreme Poverty Can Be Eradicated By 2025

2009-12-14T16:06:19Z

The world has found trillions of dollars in financial bailouts and squandered trillions more in war and military outlays. Yet it has not been able to meet extremely modest targets to help the poorest of the poor to survive and to begin the climb up the ladder of development. In recent years, Wall Street bonuses have approximately equalled total U.S. aid to developing countries, and have far outstripped U.S. aid to Africa.