Bombings hit N Nigerian town soon after presidential inauguration

Bombing blasts shook the northern Nigerian town of Bauchi on Sunday, hrs just after President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in, leaving a distinct range of casualties, authorities stated.

Yushau Shuaib, a government spokesman told reporters that most victims were hospitalized although the dead bodies were removed from the scene, that is a marketplace situated at a military barracks. But he didn't give distinct amount with the casualties. Authorities have taken actions to "contain the circumstance," he added.

Other media reports said there had been as mush as 10 deaths and several injuries.

Nigeria has been rocked by a series of deadly bombings lately and authorities blamed the anti-government group Boko Haram for the attacks.

Jonathan on Sunday began his initial complete term as president. He took more than power in May well 2010 just after the death of then president Umaru Yar'Auda.

Read more »

Posted in: Bombings hit N Nigerian town soon after presidential inauguration

Vasco da Gama eases to 3-0 win over America-MG

In front of its residence crowd at the Engenhao stadium, Vasco da Gama rolled to a 3-0 victory over America-MG on Sunday in the second round with the 2011 Brazilian Championship.

In spite of playing with a roster of reserve players, Vasco da Gama steam headed into the finals of the 2011 Brazilian Cup.

Vasco da Gama's to begin with goal came inside the ninth minute of play. Soon after Leandro was dropped to the ground immediately after disputing a ball with defender Carleto, Vasco da Gama was awarded a penalty kick. Bernando took the penalty kick, firing it past keeper Flavio within the left side with the objective.

Vasco da Gama increased its lead inside the second minute of the second half. Streaking down the field, Jeferson passed the ball off to a trailing Enrico who proceeded to slip the ball past an approaching Flavio. Elton scored his team's third goal in the 90th minute, completing a great pass from Misael off a rapidly break.

With six points, Vasco da Gama will next face Coritiba within the third round of play on June five. Coincidentally, Vasco da Gama will face Coritiba inside the finals from the Brazilian Cup. The very first leg are going to be held in Rio de Janeiro on June 1, followed by the second and decisive leg at Coritiba on June 8.

America-MG remains with 3 points. Inside the subsequent round of play, the team will receive Internacional on June five.

Read more »

Posted in: Vasco da Gama eases to 3-0 win over America-MG

Fluminense beats Atletico-GO 1-0

 On the road against Atletico-GO, Fluminense battled to a 1-0 victory in the second round of the 2011 Brazilian Championship on Sunday.

The match marked the finish of interim head coach Enderson Moreira's close to five-month stint as leader from the team. Abel Braga will arrive at Fluminense to take the reins with the club from Rio de Janeiro.

The game's only objective was scored in the 12th minute of play. Deco delivered a corner kick that was redirected by Valencia and located Leandro Euzebio who pounded the ball past keeper Marcio.

Fluminense dominated considerably with the match. Despite its several attempts on objective, the team couldn't get one more ball past Marcio. Atletico-GO had its greatest likelihood to score in the 90th minute of play; nevertheless, Diogo Campos's one-timer sailed far proper and out of bounds.

Just after the match, interim coach Enderson Moreira thanked his players for their acceptance and attention and asked fans for their forgiveness and understanding for the duration of his time there.

The win was Fluminense's 1st from the tournament, earning its initial three points. Atletico-GO also had 3 points soon after its opening round win against Coritiba. In the subsequent round of play, Fluminense will host Cruzeiro on June four. On exactly the same day, Atletico-Go will travel to face Firgueirense.

Read more »

Posted in: Fluminense beats Atletico-GO 1-0

Libyan opposition leader welcomes Russia's new position against Gaddafi

Chairman of Libyan opposition's National Transitional Council (CNT) on Saturday hailed the new "position displayed" by Russia which now claims the departure of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and comes in mediating the conflict in Libya.

"We welcome the position shown by the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev," said Mustafa Abdel Jalil inside a press statement in Benghazi, the opposition's base.

"We think the role of Russia in international affairs, but these relations have to take place in a mutual interest and mutual respect," Jalil added.

In the G8 summit in France on Friday, Medvedev demanded the departure of Gaddafi by posing itself as a mediator in a war threatening to move toward stalemate.

"The planet community no longer sees him as the Libyan leader," stated Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after the summit.

Traditionally opposed to any interference, Russia has raised its reluctance to openly demand the departure of a head of state in functions and has provided to mediate.

"I supplied our mediation with our partners," Medvedev said. " Everyone thinks it'll be beneficial," he mentioned, announcing the imminent dispatch of an emissary to Benghazi.

Read more »

Posted in: Libyan opposition leader welcomes Russia's new position against Gaddafi

Yemeni government, opposition tribal chief reach cease-fire agreement

Yemeni government and armed tribesmen led by the opposition tribal chieftain Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar on Saturday reached a temporary truce to end pitched battles within the capital that has killed at the very least 127 men and women, tribal mediators said.

The agreement incorporates the hand-over of government buildings occupied by the armed tribesmen during the conflicts to the mediators, who would later hand them more than for the government.

The deal stated to finish all forms of military presence and to normalize the circumstance within the war-torn areas, in accordance with opposition's media.

The deal also stipulated that the government forces must not attack al-Ahmar's home once more, the mediators told Xinhua.

Nevertheless, witnesses stated that regardless of the cease-fire, sporadic, heavy shoot-outs were still heard inside the location late on Saturday.

The pitched street fighting erupted Monday between government forces and armed tribal guards of al-Ahmar, the leader of the powerful Hashed tribes' confederation.

The gunbattles, in which al-Ahmar's fighters took over numerous government buildings, occurred in Hassaba district in downtown Sanaa, each day soon after Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a deal to ease him out of power inside a month.

Earlier the day, al-Ahmar referred to as on the army and Republican Guards to offer up assistance to President Saleh and join the protesters who've been demanding the immediate ousting of Saleh, in accordance with al-Ahmar's speech published by opposition media outlets.

Read more »

Posted in: opposition tribal chief reach cease-fire agreement,Yemeni government

Delta jet catches fire on landing in Atlanta

A U.S. Delta Air Lines flight caught fire on landing at Atlanta's international airport on Saturday, but no death or significant injuries had been reported.

Flight 2284 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, suffered a brake issue which caused the fire, in accordance with Kathleen Bergen, spokeswoman with the Federal Aviation Administration. It resulted inside a fire underneath the aircraft, within the landing gear place, she said. Delta said that all 43 passengers and 5 crew evacuated the plane easily. The business also said that only a brake overheated along with the motor didn't catch fire.

Read more »

Posted in: Delta jet catches fire on landing in Atlanta

Russia's turnabout on Libya arouses doubts , welcome

Russia's modify of its stance on the chronic Libyan crisis raised doubts from the Libyan government, but was applauded by the Libyan opposition.

Russia, which had criticized the NATO-led air strikes on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces, surprisingly toughened its stance on Libya through the just wrapped-up G8 summit held in France's seaside resort of Deauville.

The summit from Thursday to Friday, attended by eight world powers such as Russia and the United states, ended with a unanimously-adopted declaration.

It stated "Gaddafi and also the Libyan government have failed to fulfill their responsibility to safeguard the Libyan population and have lost all legitimacy." "He (Gaddafi) must go," it stressed.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday known as on Gaddafi to provide up power and mentioned Russia wouldn't give shelter to him.

"The world community no longer sees him because the Libyan leader," he stated.

"If you saw the (G8) declaration, it says that Gaddafi's regime has lost its legitimacy. He need to go," Medvedev mentioned, "It was adopted unanimously."

Though Western nations would use force to overthrow Gaddafi, Russia stated it nonetheless favors Gaddafi's decent departure through negotiations.

Medvedev had sent an envoy to the rebel bastion of Benghazi to seek options to the conflict.

Disturbed by Russia's alter of position, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim Friday said the Libyan government was in contact using the Russian side to far better realize its position.

Russia had been important from the NATO-led air raids, which started over two months ago, saying air strikes went beyond the UN Security Council resolution, which mandated a no-fly zone more than the North African nation.

"Russia is probably the traditional buddies of Libya," Kaim said. "We do not feel Russia will sway its position to side with NATO."

Kaim mentioned the Libyan government wasn't concerned concerning the events in the G8 meeting. It only supports the proposals of the African Union (AU), and would by no means join discussions of plans that attempt to marginalize AU proposals, he added.

"Any selection taken regarding the political long term of Libya belongs towards the Libyans, nobody else," Kaim stated.

In contrast towards the Libyan government's confusion, Chairman of the Libyan opposition's National Transitional Council (CNT) Mustafa Abdel Jalil on Saturday hailed Russia's most recent position.

"We welcome the position shown by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev," Jalil said in Benghazi.

"We believe the role of Russia in international affairs, but these relations will need to take place in a mutual interest and mutual respect," Jalil added.

Russia's transform of stance on Libya may possibly come as a surprise, but current developments seemed to suggest it is by no indicates impromptu.

On May perhaps 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met an envoy from the Libyan opposition in Moscow, during which they discussed approaches to understand a ceasefire in Libya.

There had been other indicators that Russia started to put stakes on the Libyan opposition to hedge risks to its interests, as NATO escalated its raids on Gaddafi's government with an explicit determination to force him out.

Russian media reports stated in order to win Russia's assistance on the Libya issue, the West provided new incentives throughout the G8 summit, among which was the promise to facilitate Russia's entry into the Globe Trade Organization by the finish of this year.

In a related improvement, Medvedev and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday reached a long-awaited agreement on a Russian buy of 4 French-made Mistral class amphibious assault ships.

The deal, Moscow's first key foreign arms acquire considering that the collapse with the Soviet Union, was driven by its should modernize its ageing armed forces, nevertheless it had been criticized by a number of France's NATO allies.

Russian media said the previous guess will be the agreement was still one particular or two years away, however it was inked much quicker than expected.

Read more »

Posted in: Russia's turnabout on Libya arouses doubts,welcome

G8 summit, a platform with declining sway

The Group of Eight (G8) summit, which has been the bellwether on the international scene for years, seemed a little "reserved" this year.

The summit inside the French resort of Deauville devoted a lot to the unrest within the Arab planet as well as the Middle East peace procedure and deliberately much less towards the global economy as its members, the majority of which also uncover themselves in an economic predicament, are deeply divided over major economic concerns.

Analysts and commentators say, with declining sway on the world stage, the G8 summit is now no match for the emerging G20 summit, which brings with each other both critical industrialized and building economies to discuss key troubles concerning the global economy.

The G8 summit sends a signal that with all the ever shifting international political and economic landscape and the rise of emerging economies, the world's eight powers can no longer dominate world affairs.

Then the question follows: who will lead the planet?

In a speech at the British Parliament Wednesday, U.S. President Barack Obama stated American and European influence remains as dominant as ever. Whilst declaring "the time for our leadership is now," Obama admitted that the West necessary to advance with time to cope with challenges in economic and security locations.

Equivalent towards the G8 summit, the Anglo-American relationship, which has long been labeled as "special," appears to be on the decline.

Although Obama referred to the transatlantic alliance as "special and essential" on numerous occasions for the duration of his pay a visit to to Britain, British media commented that beneath the grandeur of his check out, there had been indicators of instability in bilateral ties.

One from the essential elements behind the instability is feared to become America's lip service on the situation of NATO's military attacks against Libya. And the two sides also differ broadly on concerns regarding Syria.

Prime Minister David Cameron as soon as mentioned that Britain will no longer adhere to the United states blindly, and his remarks may possibly set off ripples across the Atlantic ocean.

Also out of location was Europeans' persistence in selecting a European as the new IMF chief. A host of emerging and creating countries begin to question the legitimacy of Europe's firm grip on the IMF leadership, arguing that the candidate should be picked on the basis of merits rather than spots of birth.

It can be to be expected that the emerging markets will play a higher role and command a larger say within the international monetary institution even when one more European assumes IMF leadership.

Read more »

Posted in: a platform with declining sway,G8 summit

Leftist rebels question Philippine gov't's sincerity in pursuing peace negotiations

National Democratic Front (NDF) chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni has questioned the sincerity of the administration of President Benigno Aquino III in pursuing peace negotiations with the leftist rebels because of its failure to release many NDF consultants.

Inside a statement, Netherlands-based Jalandoni stated the 17 detainees, led by Tirso Alcantara, are nonetheless in government custody, 4 months right after government negotiators agreed to operate for their "expeditious release."

The government has signed a joint communique with all the NDF, political wing of the Communist Party from the Philippines (CPP) to work for the release of those folks who are serving as NDF consultants and individuals who are covered by protection beneath the 1995 Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

"The sincerity with the government of the Philippines under President 'Noynoy' Aquino is beneath severe question due to the failure to release Alan Jazmines along with other Consultants from the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and JASIG- protected persons," stated Jalandoni.

Jalandoni said the government need to also comply with its commitment throughout the formal peace negotiations in February "to undertake actions to release of prisoners and detainees."

He said 340 political prisoners are nonetheless detained, awaiting concrete actions from the government in relation for the 1998 Complete Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

The New People's Army (NPA), armed wing from the CPP, has been waging a guerrilla campaign inside the countryside for extra than four decades. The Philippine military estimates that you will find some 4, 700 NPA guerrilla fighters scattered in far more than 60 provinces throughout the Southeast Asian country.

In Feburary, the Philippine government as well as the leftist rebels resumed in Oslo, Norway the formal peace talks, which had been suspended for six years, in a bid to bring an end for the protracted insurgency.

Read more »

Posted in: Leftist rebels question Philippine gov't's sincerity in pursuing peace negotiations

EU officials to go to DPRK to assess food situation: report

A team of European Union officials are arranging to check out the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( DPRK) next month to assess the food scenario there, nearby media reported Sunday.

Officials from the Humanitarian Aid department from the European Commission will travel to the DPRK just after U.S. officials on a comparable go to wraps up their fact-checking mission, Seoul's semi- official Yonhap News Agency reported, citing an unspecified supply.

U.S. officials have been within the DPRK seeing that Might 24 to appear into the food wants of the country, that is stated to become faced with chronic food shortages affecting a quarter of its 24 million population.

Quite a few officials stay in the DPRK after Robert King, U.S. unique envoy for DPRK human rights who led the team of officials, left the nation Saturday after securing a release of a Korean American who had been held captive for months.

Seoul officials have appeared lackadaisical at most effective to calls for food help to Pyongyang by United Nations agencies, with its punitive measure against its northern neighbor like a drastic cut in help, place in location amid prolonged cross-border confrontation, nonetheless in place.

South Korea, skeptical of reported food requires of its neighbor, has allowed minimum emergency humanitarian help for by far the most vulnerable.

Read more »

Posted in: EU officials to go to DPRK to assess food situation: report

India lashes out at rich nations more than IMF top job

 As the tussle for the best job at International Monetary Fund hots up following the resignation of its disgraced former chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, India has lashed out at the wealthy nations, saying they do not "want to give up power easily".

"Those who exercise power, usually do not would like to quit power conveniently. The struggle for a better, balanced and much more equitable world order, which includes the management of international institutions such as the IMF, Globe Bank, (UN) Security Council is going to be a extended haul, I am afraid," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the media Saturday night

Even though France's Finance Minister has announced her bid for the post of Managing director of IMF, the Indian Prime Minister, who returned following a six-day Africa tour, hoped that a consensus would emerge for the best job at the IMF, which is normally acceptable. He mentioned that "India is in touch with various nations ".

Nevertheless, there exists a desire in Europe that a European need to occupy the coveted position since incredibly massive proportion of IMF funds is inside the continent that is dealing with the Euro zone tensions, Singh stated.

Read more »

Posted in: India lashes out at rich nations more than IMF top job

Israeli businessmen suspected of breaking sanctions on Iran

As outlined by the United states Department of State, the Israeli firm Ofer Brothers Group sold an oil tanker to Iran for 8.65 million U.S. dollars, therefore breaking the economic sanctions imposed on the Persian country.

The announcement, made final week, said that Tanker Pacific, a subsidiary of Ofer Brothers Holdings had sold the tanker to Iran in September 2010, the Ha'aretz newspaper reported on Sunday.

Although Iran and also the Ofer Brothers Groups each deny the accusations, the State Department said the Israeli corporation had " failed to workout due diligence and did not heed publicly accessible and easily obtainable information that would have indicated that they were coping with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines."

Ofer Brothers said that they sold the tanker to a Dubai firm named Crystal Shipping, and that every thing has been a " misunderstanding," the Israeli small business web page Globes reported.

Nonetheless, at a press conference final week, a State Department spokesman mentioned "We did considerable due diligence in checking out these claims and what we identified is the fact that Ofer Holdings Group could be the parent of a business called Tanker Pacific, and that's the provider that in fact sold this tanker for the Iranians."

Tanker Pacific is probably the biggest shipping firms within the market place, with a fleet of 45 tankers that transport crude oil globally.

Iran also denied having anything to do with all the transaction and an official explained final week that they "do not do enterprise with all the Zionist regime," seeing that it can be forbidden by Iranian law.

For now, Ofer Brothers has been included in the list of businesses that violate economic sanctions on Iran.

The U.S. along with the European Union imposed economic sanctions against Iran in 2005, when president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced he was starting a brand new nuclear plan. Even though Iran claims it truly is only for civil purposes, the Western powers believe the nuclear system has military purposes.

Read more »

Posted in: Israeli businessmen suspected of breaking sanctions on Iran

2 policemen killed in checkpoint attack in Quetta, Pakistan

A minimum of two policemen were killed in an attack launched Sunday by unknown gunmen at a checkpoint in Pakistan's southwest city of Quetta, reported regional media DAWN.

According to the report, the attack took spot inside the afternoon when some unknown gunmen riding motorbikes opened fired on a checkpoint on the Spinny road with the city, killing two policemen on duty and injuring 3 other people which includes a single cop and two passersby.

The gunmen fled the scene just before huge contingent of law enforcement personnel reached the website.

No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack.

Read more »

Posted in: 2 policemen killed in checkpoint attack in Quetta,Pakistan

Egypt released Iranian diplomat following spying investigation: MENA

Egypt released on Sunday an Iranian diplomat arrested over spying charges immediately after the Foreign Ministry confirmed his diplomatic status, state news agency MENA reported. The Iranian diplomat, identified as Qassem al-Husseini, was released by the Increased State Security Prosecution where he was questioned earlier on Sunday.

Husseini was arrested by Egyptian security authorities a handful of days ago in Cairo on charges of spying. He worked at the Iranian diplomatic mission in Egypt.

Initial investigation showed that he has been gathering and sending to Tehran the economic, political and military intelligence data of Egypt right after the political unrest, in addition to that of other Gulf countries and Yemen, according to MENA.

He was part of a spy network that was wanting to recruit agents in Arab Gulf countries, the official Al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

Egypt and Iran have had no normal diplomatic relation since 1979 when Cairo signed the peace treaty with Israel and offered asylum to Iran's deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Immediately after 30 years of strained ties, Egyptian and Iranian officials voiced their hope for normalization and bettering long-frozen relations in between the two Islamic nations immediately after the anti- government protests ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year ruling in Egypt.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi met his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi final week on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting with the Non-Aligned Movement held in Indonesia, and discussed the possibility of exchanging ambassadors with Iran.

Read more »

Posted in: Egypt released Iranian diplomat following spying investigation: MENA

NATO report sees slow progress in Afghanistan

 A report presented here on Sunday in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly spring session sees a slow improvement of the predicament in Afghanistan.

In his Draft Common Report, titled "Transition in Afghanistan: Assessing the Security Effort," the rapporteur, Sven Mikser, said that to date, general progress in improving the wider security scenario in Afghanistan has been slow.

In accordance with Mikser, when there have been localized tactical successes in delivering security, as yet these have failed to deliver strategic results.

There remain important and widespread challenges to both security and governance in a lot of places, Mikser added.

General, there has been restricted progress with Counter-Narcotics efforts, the report said at the same time. While organizationally and structurally there has been progress in establishing Afghan counter-narcotic capability, these efforts have not borne substantial fruit however, the report stated.

On the other hand, the report stated it can't be denied that contributing nations are searching forward to an eventual conclusion of the operation. "Public patience with all the conflict is wearing thin," the report said.

There exists also concern about diminishing assistance amongst the nearby Afghan population for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) presence in Afghanistan, the report said.

Moreover, the insurgency nonetheless maintains a complex and competent facts operations capability that may be in a position to exploit both nearby and national grievances and frustrate ISAF efforts, the report mentioned.

The NATO-led ISAF was made in accordance with the Bonn Conference in December 2001, and currently 48 contributing nations present far more that 132,000 troops to this mission.

Read more »

Posted in: NATO report sees slow progress in Afghanistan

Moderate earthquake jolts central Philippines

 A magnitude-5.0 earthquake rocked the central Philippine region of Visayas late Sunday afternoon, Philippine seismologists said. No harm has been reported nevertheless.

The quake struck at five:15 p.m. at a depth of 12 kilometers and 36 kilometers southwest of Iloilo City, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology stated in its on line bulletin. The quake was tectonic in origin, the institute stated, warning of possible aftershocks.

In accordance with the United states Geological Survey (USGS), the quake had a magnitude of four.7 along with a depth of 52.five kilometers.

The Philippines sits inside the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an region where continental plates collide, producing frequent quakes and volcanic activities.

Read more »

Posted in: Moderate earthquake jolts central Philippines

11 illegal immigrants injured in site visitors accident in eastern Turkey

Eleven immigrants were injured in a targeted visitors accident in eastern Turkey on Sunday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

A truck carrying 66 migrants, who entered Turkey illegally, overturned close to Sarikamis town from the eastern province of Kars, the report said, adding that 11 immigrants of Pakistani descent got injured in the accident.

The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for medical treatment, the report said, adding that the immigrants would be deported once the legal proceedings are completed.

Thousands of immigrants from Asia and Africa enter Turkey illegally en route to European nations in search for jobs and also a much better life.

Read more »

Posted in: 11 illegal immigrants injured in site visitors accident in eastern Turkey

China launches emergency response for drought-affected east province

China initiated a fourth-level emergency response program Sunday afternoon to cope using the drought in east Jiangxi Province.

The fourth level could be the lowest inside the country's emergency response method.

According to a statement jointly issued by the National Commission for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA), as element from the emergency response program the two departments had sent a functioning group to the province to inspect the circumstance and help ongoing disaster relief efforts.

The local civil affairs authorities had reported that, as of Sunday noon, the critical drought had brought on problems to 1.11 million residents who were now in require for the government's assistance.

The NCDR and also the MOCA launched a fourth level emergency response strategy for the drought in central China's provinces of Hubei and Hunan on Monday, and on Thursday the MOCA as well as the Ministry of Finance had jointly allocated 55 million yuan (eight.47 million U.S. dollars) as a special disaster relief fund to resolve shortages of food and water for the residents in the two provinces.

More, in accordance with civil affairs authorities in east China's Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, the recent drought in the two provinces caused living troubles to 1.75 million individuals, as of Sunday noon.

Read more »

Posted in: China launches emergency response for drought-affected east province

Autopsy performed on Hollywood actor Jeff Conaway

The Los Angeles County coroner's office has performed an autopsy on Saturday to ascertain what killed actor Jeff Conaway who passed away at age 60, authorities mentioned.

Nonetheless, the findings were not expected soon as it could take six to eight weeks for toxicology tests to create final results, based on officials from the coroner's office.

Jeff Conaway, most effective acknowledged for his roles within the 70s' hit television series "Taxi" and blockbuster film "Grease," died at an Encino hospital in southern California Friday morning.

The former kid star began acting on Broadway when he was only two years old. His family members took him off life support on Thursday evening.

Conaway was hospitalized earlier this month following becoming discovered unconscious at an Encino Apartment by his girlfriend Vikki Lizzi on Could 11 on account of a reported drug overdose.

"Celebrity Rehab" host Drew Pinsky, who treated Conaway on the show in 2008, tweeted that Conaway had not overdosed, but was struggling with a mixture of pneumonia and sepsis. Conaway had been placed in a medically induced coma, according to Pinsky. The actor never ever recovered from his coma and was pronounced dead on Friday.

Conaway's situation was inevitable mainly because he had been a considerable pill popper for years along with the constant substance abuse wore down his body, Pinsky said, based on celebrity net portal TMZ.com.

His profession was plagued with substance abuse troubles considering that the mid 1980s. The actor suffered a back injury when filming "Grease," which led to an addiction to painkillers.

On VH1's reality series "Celebrity Rehab," he admitted addictions to cocaine, alcohol and painkillers, making viewers shocked. He appeared on the second series from the show and was typically seen in a wheelchair as his condition and addictions seemed to worsen.

Conaway suffered a close to fatal fall that brought on a brain hemorrhage and neck and hip fractures that he struggled to recover from in 2010.

Read more »

Posted in: Autopsy performed on Hollywood actor Jeff Conaway

Russia, NATO far from creating joint missile shield: report

 There is certainly little hope that Russia and NATO will agree on setting up a joint missile shield, a report released here on Sunday in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly spring session stated.

As outlined by Raymond Knops, who presented the Draft Basic Report titled "Missile Defence: the Way Ahead for NATO," the realization of agenuine collaborative missile defense effort between Russia and NATO seems to become far more challenging than the technical hurdles facing the NATO program.

The two sides' fundamental vision for the program stay far apart, and there seems to become small hope that an agreement will emerge, the report stated.

On the other hand, the report mentioned that the primary signpost for assessing progress in this endeavor will come at the June 2011 meeting of NATO Russia Council Defense Ministers, exactly where a complete Joint Analysis with the future framework for broader missile defense co-operation is usually to be assessed.

The report also said the endeavor may perhaps also be facing some urgency, not just as a result of the pressures implied by Russian expectations, but additionally as a consequence of the electoral calendars in the United states and Russia.

"Should the issue of missile defense grow to be substantial in either country's presidential campaigns, the prospects for considerable agreements may be compromised, at the least in the short term," the report said.

Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so-called Euro missile shield through the Russia-NATO Council summit in Lisbon in November 2010.

NATO insists there need to be two independent systems that exchange info, though Russia favors a joint system with full-scale interoperability and demands NATO to guarantee that the method wouldn't be aimed against Russian targets.

Read more »

Posted in: NATO far from creating joint missile shield: report,Russia