Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Eurasia Review: News & Analysis

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• Wimpish In America – OpEd
• 15=3×5 About Half Of The Time
• Work Has More Benefits Than Just A Paycheck For Moms
• Syria Regime Ties With Beirut Shaken After Implicated In Plot To Reignite Lebanese Civil War – Analysis
• Kosovo Law Would Allow Confiscation Of Property
• US Labels Israeli Settler Violence As Terrorism For First Time
• Iran Denies Involvement In Nimrooz Bombings
• Germany: Four Arrested For Iran Embargo Violation
• Swimming Against The Tide: Australia’s New Asylum-Seeker Package – OpEd
• Developing An ICoC And Role Of Media Literacy Council: The Middle Ground Perspective – Analysis
• Indonesian Nationalism: Between The Bellicose And The Inclusive – Analysis
• Great Power Rivalry In Africa: Economic Engagement Holds Key – Analysis
• Why Long Term Investors Should Avoid The BRICS – OpEd
• Saudi Arabia: Six Million Foreign Pilgrims Performed Umrah
• Libya: Gadhafi Loyalists Blamed For Tripoli Bombings
• India-China Factor In Asia – OpEd
• Brazilian Involvement In Asia Strengthened By Malaysia Deal – Analysis
• Post-Assam Incidents: Overt And Covert – Analysis
• Pakistan: Christian Girl Arrested On Suspicion Of Blasphemy
• Where Are You Alex? Lessons To Be Learnt – OpEd
• An Election About Choices – OpEd
• Denial Of Memory: It’s Time For Albania To Confront Its Communist Past – OpEd
• Syria: Assad Appears In Public As Opposition Blasts New UN Envoy
• Iran Vows To Crush Israel If Attacked – OpEd
• Poland: Patriarch Kirill Visits Holy Mount Of Grabarka
• South American Bloc Adopts Resolution On UK Threats To Ecuador

Wimpish In America – OpEd Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:46 PM PDT By William A. Cook Last month, Stuart Jeffries writing in the Guardian, observed, ‘Capitalism is in crisis across the globe – but what on earth is the alternative?’ In 1840, Orestes Brownson in his essay ‘The Laboring Classes,’ asked the same question, ‘…what shall government do? … Its first doing must be an undoing. … [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

15=3×5 About Half Of The Time Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:43 PM PDT Computing prime factors may sound like an elementary math problem, but try it with a large number, say one that contains more than 600 digits, and the task becomes enormously challenging and impossibly time-consuming. Now, a group of researchers at UC Santa Barbara has designed and fabricated a quantum processor capable of factoring a composite [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Work Has More Benefits Than Just A Paycheck For Moms Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:38 PM PDT Working moms striving to “have it all” now can add another perk to their list of benefits — health. New research from University of Akron Assistant Sociology Professor Adrianne Frech finds that moms who work full time are healthier at age 40 than stay-at-home moms, moms who work part time, or moms who have some [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Syria Regime Ties With Beirut Shaken After Implicated In Plot To Reignite Lebanese Civil War – Analysis Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:36 PM PDT By Riad Kahwaji The shocking apprehension of Syria’s strong man in Lebanon former Lebanese Minister of Information Michel Semaha after being caught red-handed plotting to carry out a series of bomb attacks with the objective of instigating sectarian and religious tension in the country has revealed two things about the embattled Syrian regime of Bashar [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Kosovo Law Would Allow Confiscation Of Property Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:30 PM PDT By Linda Karadaku Kosovo’s government approved a draft law last week on the confiscation of property obtained through criminal offenses, in an effort to boost the fight against organised crime and corruption. The ministry said the draft law will guarantee confiscation of property obtained through a criminal offence by extending the power of the courts. [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

US Labels Israeli Settler Violence As Terrorism For First Time Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:28 PM PDT In its annual report on terrorism around the world, the US State Department has defined violence by Israeli settlers towards Palestinians as terrorism for the first time, Israeli media reported on Saturday. The 2011 US Country Report cites three suspected “price tag” incidents: vandalism of Jerusalem’s Mamilla cemetery, and arson attacks on a Jerusalem and [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Iran Denies Involvement In Nimrooz Bombings Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:24 PM PDT Iran has rejected allegations by the Afghan government that Iran was involved in the explosions that killed 28 people in Nimrooz Province last week. The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) issued a statement last week announcing the arrest of three Iranians who are allegedly members of a terrorist group involved in the deadly attacks [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Germany: Four Arrested For Iran Embargo Violation Posted: 19 Aug 2012 08:20 PM PDT Four men have been arrested in Germany charged with delivering valves for a heavy-water reactor to Iran. The four men, one German and three that hold dual German-Iranian citizenship, were arrested at their homes in Hamburg, Oldenburg and Weimar last week, and their homes and offices were reportedly searched by customs officers, Reuters reports. Prosecutors [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Swimming Against The Tide: Australia’s New Asylum-Seeker Package – OpEd Posted: 19 Aug 2012 07:59 PM PDT Though launched with much fanfare and media acclaim, Australia’s new raft of proposals embodied in the Houston package to handle the surge in asylum-seekers is simply treading water and will get the country nowhere. The flow of migrants to Western countries by both legal and illegal paths has increased steadily over the years. The large [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Developing An ICoC And Role Of Media Literacy Council: The Middle Ground Perspective – Analysis Posted: 19 Aug 2012 07:27 PM PDT Recent calls for an internet code of conduct and the establishment of the Media Literacy Council are viewed by many netizens as an attempt by the Government to regulate the internet. A middle ground perspective will show that the rationale for such initiatives extends beyond the seemingly obvious. By Damien D. Cheong At the HarmonyWorks! [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Indonesian Nationalism: Between The Bellicose And The Inclusive – Analysis Posted: 19 Aug 2012 07:22 PM PDT An Indonesian presidential candidate’s call for nationalism in handling national issues should be seen in the context of internal challenges to the republic’s unitary constitution from regional and religious sectors. By Farish A. Noor During his recent public lecture in Singapore on 1 August 2012, Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto highlighted the need for his [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Great Power Rivalry In Africa: Economic Engagement Holds Key – Analysis Posted: 19 Aug 2012 07:19 PM PDT Hillary Clinton’s visit to Africa, following the recently-concluded China-Africa Summit, is viewed as a competition for influence in Africa. However, those who criticise China’s expansion in Africa largely ignore the structural differences in economic engagement between the US and China with their African counterparts. By Joel Ng US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent nine-country [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Why Long Term Investors Should Avoid The BRICS – OpEd Posted: 19 Aug 2012 07:12 PM PDT A few days ago I have written an article on how bizarre Brazilian politics are. Well, it didn’t take long so that the president could confirm my theory. This weekend, as the official government newspaper informed, she vetoed 25 items of the Budgetary Guidelines Law (in Portuguese, Lei de Diretrizes Orçamentárias) – which is supposed [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Saudi Arabia: Six Million Foreign Pilgrims Performed Umrah Posted: 19 Aug 2012 07:04 PM PDT Around six million foreign pilgrims have traveled through the Haj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah during this year to perform Umrah, said Abdul Hameed Abalarry, director of the airport, yesterday. “One hundred Umrah flights have departed from the Haj Terminal daily since 27th of Ramadan till last Saturday and this number will [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Libya: Gadhafi Loyalists Blamed For Tripoli Bombings Posted: 19 Aug 2012 07:00 PM PDT Libyan authorities say a double car bombing that killed two people in the capital, Tripoli, was the work of loyalists of ousted dictator Moamar Gadhafi. The two bombs went off in within minutes of each other early Sunday as Libyans were preparing to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr festival that ends the Muslim fasting month of [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

India-China Factor In Asia – OpEd Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:49 PM PDT By Shenali Waduge The extent to which the leaders handling India-Sri Lanka affairs have mishandled the situation is evident by the fact that whilst the entire country is in agreement that India should have no piece of the peace dividend, opening too many doors to India has left India demanding more than it deserves and [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Brazilian Involvement In Asia Strengthened By Malaysia Deal – Analysis Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:45 PM PDT A recent move by Brazilian conglomerate EBX Group to commit US$6billion for fast-tracked high impact strategic foreign direct investments (FDI) into Malaysia is a further sign of Brazil’s increasing involvement in Asia. The announcement of the deal followed a half-hour long phone dialogue between Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak. Both [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Post-Assam Incidents: Overt And Covert – Analysis Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:35 PM PDT The post-Assam incidents in the rest of India had overt and covert dimensions. The overt dimension related to the protests by groups of Muslims against the anti-Muslim violence in Myanmar and Assam which were seen in the Azad Maidan of Mumbai on August 5, 2012, and in Lucknow on August 17, 2012.These protests were triggered [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Pakistan: Christian Girl Arrested On Suspicion Of Blasphemy Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:32 PM PDT (RFE/RL) — A Christian girl said to have Down’s Syndrome has been arrested over accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan. Police officers said the girl, reportedly in her teens, was detained on August 16 in the predominantly Christian neighbourhood of Meherabadi in the capital Islamabad after locals said they saw her burning pages of the Koran. [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Where Are You Alex? Lessons To Be Learnt – OpEd Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:26 PM PDT Alex! Alex! Where art thou? We need you. Australia needs you. As a tale of “high drama” and alleged “piracy” surrounds the Wallenius Wilhelmsen and its detour to unload 67 male asylum-seekers at Christmas Island(i) hits the Australian headlines your experience and grandstanding would be beneficial to all sides. Recall how you bestrode the Australian [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

An Election About Choices – OpEd Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:16 PM PDT On January 20, 1981, the late Ronald Reagan uttered these proverbial words which the Republican Party and affiliates have been repeating ever since: Government is the problem. This simple sentence carries a heavy load of ideological meaning and has become the foundation of many if not most, republican economic proposals. The 2007 economic crisis in [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Denial Of Memory: It’s Time For Albania To Confront Its Communist Past – OpEd Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:03 PM PDT By Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi Communist dictator Enver Hoxha subjected Albania to forty-five years of one of the most centralized and repressive totalitarian regimes that the world has ever known. At least 100,000 Albanians were arrested, tortured, and imprisoned. Several thousand more were murdered from 1945 until Hoxha died and the regime of his successor, Ramiz [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Syria: Assad Appears In Public As Opposition Blasts New UN Envoy Posted: 19 Aug 2012 03:49 PM PDT The new international mediator for the Syrian crisis, Lakhdar Brahimi, should apologize to the Syrian people for saying he did not know if the time had come to demand the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said on Sunday the opposition. “The Syrian revolutionary people were shocked and appalled by the words of Brahimi,” said [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Iran Vows To Crush Israel If Attacked – OpEd Posted: 19 Aug 2012 03:46 PM PDT The Iranian government’s retaliation to threats and aggression by the Israeli military will be immediate and crushing, government-controlled IRNA news agency on Saturday. Iranian officials are telling the Iranian people that the Israeli media is reporting stories regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu having decided to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in the Fall. [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Poland: Patriarch Kirill Visits Holy Mount Of Grabarka Posted: 19 Aug 2012 03:44 PM PDT By Milena Faustova Sunday saw Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia praying in the Transfiguration Church on the Holy Mount of Grabarka in Poland in the presence of tens of thousands of pilgrims as Orthodox Christians across the world are celebrating the Transfiguration of Christ. Grabarka, first mentioned in 1710, is the holiest location for [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

South American Bloc Adopts Resolution On UK Threats To Ecuador Posted: 19 Aug 2012 03:39 PM PDT The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) has unanimously adopted a seven-point resolution supporting Ecuador’s right to grant Julian Assange asylum and condemning British threats to raid a sovereign state’s embassy in order to arrest him. ­Foreign ministers of the 12-member bloc took part in an extraordinary meeting in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city. A resolution [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.