HOPE FOR HAITI

Brazil’s Lula visits Haiti troops Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, has arrived in Haiti to see for himself the damage last month’s earthquake caused. He will meet Rene Preval, his Haitian counterpart, and visit Brazilian troops at the UN’s new logistical base there. Even before the earthquake, Brazil had a “special relationship” with…

Expert says social gaming succeeds by appealing to women, other non-traditional gamers

The Facebook games that millions love (and hate) By Doug Gross, // –> — Early each morning, millions of farmers around the world rise to toil in their fields. By night, gangs of mobsters scheme and legions of poker players shuffle up and deal. Sure, none of it’s real. But the overwhelming popularity of so-called…

France pledges $450m to Haiti

News Americas France pledges $450m to Haiti Sarkozy is the first French president to visit the former French slave colony [Reuters] Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has pledged an aid and debt relief package amounting to about $450m to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The amount includes a cancellation of Haiti’s debt to France of $77m, Sarkozy said during a…

Taliban faces ultimatum in Kunduz

Pakistan detains Taliban shadow governor of Kunduz February 17, 2010 10:31 PM Kunduz shadow governor Mullah Abdul Salam. I request the Taliban to lay down their arms and the government will solve their problem. They have lost commanders … who were captured. It is time for them to stop fighting. Pakistan’s military intelligence service, aided…