UNITED NATIONS/ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Two United Nations advisers expressed grave fears on Thursday that ethnic violence could be brewing after Ivory Coast’s disputed presidential election, and Abidjan’s new ambassador to the U.N. declared the nation was on the “brink of genocide”. The advisers reported signs that “some leaders there are inciting violence between different elements of the population”, during a standoff between incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and challenger Alassane Ouattara after the elections which were supposed to heal the wounds of a civil war in 2002-03. U.N. soldiers stand guard near a tank during a patrol along a street in the Abobo area of Abidjan December 27, 2010….
Continue reading …Fire officials say a blow dryer caused a house fire in Richmond, Va. that killed a man and his teenage daughter. The blow dryer apparently ignited the man’s mattress. (Dec. 30)
Continue reading …The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest point in nearly two and a half years, a sign that the job market is slowly improving. (Dec. 30)
Continue reading …Lottery fans are hoping for a big win Friday night. The Mega Millions drawing, which is played in 41 states plus the District of Columbia, is worth $237 million. (Dec. 30)
Continue reading …Photo: Kelly Rossiter My daughter is having a casual dinner party for a few friends tonight and I came across this wonderful little soup that she could serve as an appetizer as soon as her guests arrive. All that is required is pouring the ingredients in the blender and turning it on – that’s it. It’s the perfect New Year’s Eve starter because it’s so quick and easy and it tastes great. Especially after all the fuss over Christmas, it’s nice to have something casual that also looks and tastes so good…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Well, that certainly didn’t last very long, did it? Looks like Clear is already sending its unusual iSpot product to the great WiMAX network in the sky less than five months after its introduction. As a refresher, the iSpot’s claim to fame is that it was designed to work only with iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads — and in exchange for the crazy restriction, Clear would charge you less than $100 for the hotspot itself and just $25 a month for unlimited 4G access capped at 6Mbps down. Of course, it’s easy to understand why Clear would want to forget the iSpot ever existed: its MAC address filtering was easily defeated and plagued with reports that even approved devices were being denied access, suggesting that the concept probably wasn’t a solid one in the first place. For what it’s worth, Clear retail stores are still selling through remaining stock if you’re interested — and the company will maintain a supply of units for warranty replacements — but otherwise, you’re out of luck. [Thanks, rand] Clear iSpot discontinued already originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …If it’s Thursday, it is Home and Garden time in the New York Times, and we might as well enjoy it before they put their pay wall in the new year. Tim McKeough does a good interview with industrial designer Yves BeĢhar, who is optimistic about the future of green design: What about sustainability? Sustainability calls for a complete overhaul of every sector of production. That means that in the next 10 to 20 years, every process, every factory, every logistics system, every product, every service is going to have to be completely rethought from a sustainability standpoint…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …It’s the end of the year, so it’s time for the boys to look back and reflect on the… oh, who are we kidding, we’ll probably just do more skits. Join us below! P.S. And don’t forget that Ustream has Android and iPhone clients as well, if you’re out and about and you can’t join in on the Flash-based fun below. Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:45PM EST! The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:45PM EST! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Former Ambassador Robinson told Foreign Office ‘if Israelis are to be destroyed, they will go down fighting this time’
Continue reading …Security agency data reveal nine Israelis killed in 798 terror-related incidents this past year; calls Sinai Peninsula Gaza’s ‘backyard’
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