praag.org

‘No child behind’ failing in the USA

It could be the beginning of the end for No Child Left Behind. The goal was lofty: Get all children up to par in math and reading by 2014. But the nation isn’t getting there, and now some states are getting out. In a sign of what’s to come, President Barack Obama on Thursday freed

Report says Apple to unveil new iPad in March

NEW YORK (AP) — A news report says Apple plans to unveil a new iPad early next month. AllThingsD, a website affiliated with The Wall Street Journal, says Apple Inc. is holding an event in San Francisco the first week of March – the same week Apple announced the iPad 2 last year. The report

Pat Buchanan and MSNBC’s pygmy

“The ideas he put forth aren’t really appropriate for national dialogue, much less the dialogue on MSNBC.” So decreed MSNBC president Phil Griffin about Patrick J. Buchanan’s grand historical synthesis, “Suicide of a Superpower: Will American Survive to 2025?” Mr. Griffin was justifying the booting from the network of one of the last authentic conservatives

‘Capitalism a scam’ – South African trade union

Growing poverty, unemployment and equality around the world indicate capitalism is a scam and must be scrapped, Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini said on Thursday. “The world is looking for a way out,” Dlamini told delegates attending the sixth Presidential Council of the World Federation of Trade Unions in Johannesburg, according to a copy of his

Gay marriage wins final legislative approval in Washington state

(Reuters) – A bill to legalize gay marriage in Washington state won final legislative approval on Wednesday in a largely party-line vote that moved the state to the cusp of becoming the seventh in the nation to recognize same-sex nuptials. Washington’s Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire said she looked forward to signing the measure and “putting

Greek leaders agree to austerity measures

(Reuters) – Greek leaders clinched a long-stalled deal on reforms and austerity measures needed to secure a bailout and avoid a messy default, government sources said, hours before the country’s financial backers were to meet in Brussels on Thursday. Athens’ partners in the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have been exasperated by a

Putin ‘has exhausted his potential’

Mikhail Gorbachev said Thursday that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has “exhausted” his potential as Russia’s leader and his inability to change the Kremlin’s political system might prompt more massive anti-government protests. Putin – who became prime minister after serving as Russia’s president in 2000-2008 – is almost certain to become president again during the March

South African Mineworkers Union issues communist-style call for nationalisation

Yesterday NUMSA, the National Mineworkers Union of South Africa, issued a document replete with Marxist references to the class struggle, calling for the nationalisation of mines in South Africa. It based its policy position on two fundamental ANC documents: the Freedom Charter and the Morogoro Conference of 1969 when the ANC was still firmly tied

PRAAG supports embassy occupation and calls for global Pro-Afrikaans Movement (PAM)

PRAAG (the Pro-Afrikaans Action Group) based in Johannesburg supports the occupation of South African embassies in all Western countries on the tentative date of 15 March 2012. It has also called for a global Pro-Afrikaans Movement (PAM) that would see sympathetic parties, organisations and individuals supporting Afrikaner rights in South Africa, including the right to

Hackers publish German military secrets

Hackers from the group Anonymous said Wednesday they had accessed classified German files and posted them online, revealing details of the country’s military operations in Afghanistan. Anonymous said it obtained the data from a server at the Bundestag or German parliament. The group has claimed responsibility for a series of leaks of confidential data worldwide

Banks make millions out of breaking metals storage rules

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Banks and trading houses have found a way to beat the ravages of economic downturn, storing millions of tonnes of metal with a business model that outsmarts new rules put in place following widespread concern about their practices. As of April 1 this year, new London Metal Exchange regulations mandate

Glencore and Xstrata agree $90 billion merger

(Reuters) – Glencore and Xstrata agreed an all-share merger worth $90 billion (56 billion pounds) on Tuesday in the industry’s largest ever deal, creating a commodities powerhouse spanning mining, agriculture and trading. Glencore, the world’s largest diversified commodities trading house, will issue 2.8 new shares for each Xstrata share in a deal they said was

Eugene Terre’Blanche trial continues

Argument in a trial within the trial of two people accused of killing rightwing leader Eugene Terre’Blanche will be heard on Tuesday. The High Court sitting in Ventersdorp would then decide on the validity of information gathered from the two murder accused shortly after the crime. The defence has contended this information is not admissible

South African male nurse raped cancer patient

A male nurse who allegedly raped a terminally ill cancer patient in a Bloemfontein hospital will appear in the city’s magistrate court on Tuesday. Last month, the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court postponed the matter for a final decision from the provincial office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The postponement was due to the advocate