Month: October 2010 Page 3 of 6

Here is your R&D for October 19th:

Russia to Build A Nuclear Power Plant in Venezuela from the Latin American Herald Tribune
In a move that alarms U.S. diplomats and nuclear non-proliferation experts, Russia signed an agreement with Venezuela last Friday to build the nation’s first nuclear power plant.

France’s Sarkozy: We’ll crack down on protests from the Associated Press
Facing protests against his pension reform package, French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to crack down on violent protesters today.  Protests have created a fuel shortage and created problems for air travelers.

The Road to Negotiations in Afghanistan from the Council on Foreign Relations
In this interview, Max Boot, the Council on Foreign Relations Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, discusses the need for military pressure on the Taliban if negotiations are to become viable.

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Here is your R&D for October 18th:

Dems Find Careers Threatened by Obamacare Votes from the DC Examiner (courtesy of RealClearPolitics)
According to conservative columnist Michael Barone, a vote for President Obama’s healthcare reform plan will be political death for many Democrats this November.  Find out who is in trouble in this piece.

Russia Risks Mass Unrest Under Current Regime, Gorbachev Says from Bloomberg
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has warned the Kremlin that if it fails to listen to the Russian people it may witness mass protests and disorder.  He also says that Russia has yet to go halfway down the road to freedom that he began to steer Russia on in the late 1980s.

China Vice-President given key military posting from the Agence France Presse
Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping, the son of Xi Zhongxun, a communist guerrila who fought with Mao Zedong, was named vice-chairman of a military commission today.  Chinese experts believe that this makes him a likely successor to current Chinese President Hu Jintao in 2013.

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Here is your special R&D weekend edition for October 17th:

U.S. backs off in currency dispute with China from Reuters
On Friday, the Obama administration backed away from a showdown with China over its currency as the Treasury Department delayed a decision on whether to label China as a currency manipulator.

Lebanon becoming Iranian satellite, Netanyahu warns from the Jerusalem Post
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned over the weekend that Lebanon is becoming an Iranian satellite in the Middle East.  Netanyahu’s remarks follow Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Lebanon last week.

GOP candidates surge ahead in fundraising from the Washington Post
For much of the midterm election cycle, Democrats have outfundraised Republicans.  However, Republican congressional candidates have taken the lead, which will give them a huge advantage in the two weeks before Election Day.

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Here is your R&D for October 14th:

New York is sued for missing deadline on overseas ballots from the Washington Post
The Justice Department has sued the state of New York for missing deadlines to mail ballots overseas troops.  The state’s inability to meet the deadline violates the 2009 MOVE Act, which required that states mail absentee ballots to troops, government workers, and other Americans living abroad 45 days before Election Day.

Colombia Wins Spot on UN Security Council from the Latin American Herald Tribune
On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly elected Colombia to hold one of the two non-permanent seats on the Security Council reserved for Latin America for 2011-2012.  Colombia ran unopposed and won 186-0 with five abstentions.  Colombia now joins Brazil as the Latin American representatives on the Security Council.

September home foreclosures top 100,000 for first time from Reuters
In a sign that the depressed housing market is still bottoming out, banks took over 100,000 homes last month.  However, foreclosures are likely to slow post-September because banks are working through questionable paperwork.

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