Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter
Detriot, MI, United States (AHN) – The Hyundai Elantra was named North American Car of the Year Monday by a panel of independent automotive journalists at the Detroit auto show, while the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque was named the North American Truck of the Year. The Elantra beat the Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Passat to claim the coveted title “car of the year.” The Evoque beat out the BMW X3 and the Honda CR-V. The Elantra, designed at Hyundai’s California studio, is a compact vehicle that gets 40 miles per gallon on the highway. The Evoque was selected for its changes that SUVs and crossovers are going [...] Continue Reading…
Hyundai Elantra wins car of the year
January 24th, 2012 
admin GM back on top as world’s biggest automaker
January 22nd, 2012 admin Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter
New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Even if you prefer Ford, BMW, Mercedes or Volkswagen, if you are an American taxpayer, you are cheering the news. General Motors, one-third of whose shares are owned by U.S. taxpayers, sold 9,025,942 vehicles in 2011, up 7.6 percent from 2010. The number was good enough to place GM on top as the world’s largest automaker. GM beat out Volkswagen, which sold just over 8 million cars in 2011. Toyota, which took the top spot from GM in 2009, has yet to report figures, but its production was severely hampered by the tsunami in Japan and the massive floods in Thailand. Even more impressive, [...] Continue Reading…
New Mexico governor seeks to end licenses for illegal immigrants
January 18th, 2012 admin Kris Alingod – AHN News Contributor
Santa Fe, NM, United States (AHN) – New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez plans to push for the approval of a bill denying driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, an effort Democrats will have to oppose quickly during the legislature’s 30-day session. Giving her state of the state speech before lawmakers on Tuesday, Martinez declared that she would once more seek to repeal a 2003 law that allows license to be issued to undocumented foreign nationals. “If we’re going to tell New Mexicans we’re serious about securing the border, we must stop giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants,” the Republican said as she convened the year’s regular session. State Rep. Andy Nunez [...] Continue Reading…
Controversial makeover for Gaza’s beachfront
January 14th, 2012 admin The Media Line Staff
Gaza City, Palestinian Territory Omar Ghraieb / The Media – For years, it was a dusty, often garbage-strewn asphalt ribbon winding along Gaza City’s otherwise beautiful Mediterranean coast. Today, it’s a construction site, with heavy equipment plowing sand into position, digging tunnels and laying pipes. But if the plans proceed on schedule, Al-Rashid Road, popularly known as the Beach Road, will be transformed into a scenic seaside promenade, or corniche, in the style that has made the meeting between land and sea in places like Beirut, Alexandria and Nice tourist attractions and a gathering place for their residents. That prospect has brought smiles to everyone from beachgoers to property owners, who are looking forward [...] Continue Reading…
Controversial makeover for Gaza’s beachfront
January 14th, 2012 admin The Media Line Staff
Gaza City, Palestinian Territory Omar Ghraieb / The Media – For years, it was a dusty, often garbage-strewn asphalt ribbon winding along Gaza City’s otherwise beautiful Mediterranean coast. Today, it’s a construction site, with heavy equipment plowing sand into position, digging tunnels and laying pipes. But if the plans proceed on schedule, Al-Rashid Road, popularly known as the Beach Road, will be transformed into a scenic seaside promenade, or corniche, in the style that has made the meeting between land and sea in places like Beirut, Alexandria and Nice tourist attractions and a gathering place for their residents. That prospect has brought smiles to everyone from beachgoers to property owners, who are looking forward [...] Continue Reading…
Formula 1 takes back Bahrain employees
January 12th, 2012 admin The Media Line Staff
Manama, Bahrain Arieh O’Sullivan (The Med – In a move aimed at appeasing critics calling for a boycott of Bahrain’s Formula 1 Grand Prix, organizers of the race circuit have announced they are reinstating employees who had been dismissed for supporting the anti-government protests. Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al-Khalifa, chief executive of the Bahrain International Circuit, said they were giving the fired workers their jobs back as part of “national reconciliation” efforts. Management of the race circuit has already been in touch with the fired staff and a press statement said they hoped to see them returning “as soon as possible.” The statement did not specify how many employees had been dismissed or reinstated. [...] Continue Reading…
Report: Limited edition Kardashian Barbie dolls set to debut
January 6th, 2012 admin Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter
Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – Hollywood is known for its plastic, such as the kind found in credit cards, implants and reconstructive surgery. But the Kardashian gals are set to take La-La land plastic to a new level. Sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe are set to be immortalized as friends of the acclaimed doll, Barbie, according to a report in US Weekly. The limited edition dolls would reflect the girl’s measurements and are expected to be outfitted in Kardashian designed ensembles. Kim has already taken the friendship with the world’s most recognizable doll seriously, and tweeted over the holidays, “Merry Christmas Barbs! I’m sure we’ll be seeing lots of [...] Continue Reading…
ARCA Racing Series finalizes open test schedule
January 6th, 2012 admin Edward Lewis – AHN Sports Reporter
Toledo, Ohio, United States (AHN Sports) – The ARCA Racing Series finalized its six open testing periods over nine days Thursday and the test includes a stop at Mobile International Speedway in Alabama. The drivers and teams of ARCA will test at Mobile on Jan. 13 as the series prepares for ARCA’s first race at the venue on March 10. ARCA will then head to Daytona International Speedway for the season opener before returning to Mobile in the series’ 60th Anniversary Season. Talladega Superspeedway, which will host its 50th ARCA race this season, will have a pair of testing days on April 17-18 in preparation for the May 4 ARCA event [...] Continue Reading…
Libya’s long road to disarmament
December 31st, 2011 admin Tripoli, Libya (IRIN) – Mistrust of Libya’s interim administration is likely to deter tens of thousands of revolutionary fighters from complying with a massive new demobilization plan, according to analysts and former rebels. “There is no full trust in the government,” said Adel AbdElmajid Zoubi, 28, who fought in the coastal town of Misrata, besieged for months by troops loyal to former leader Muammar Gaddafi. He spoke to IRIN on 27 December, having just returned from a protest demanding the government cleanse public institutions of remnants of the old regime. He said he was disappointed the new government did not appear to prioritize revolutionaries and said he would not hand over his weapons until after elections – [...] Continue Reading…
From rice to shrimps and ginger — adapting to saltwater intrusion
December 29th, 2011 admin Hanoi, Vietnam (IRIN) – Rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion in Vietnam’s fertile Mekong Delta are forcing farmers and development agencies to rethink how livelihoods can be maintained, using methods such as agricultural genetics, changing crop varieties and simple farming fixes. With support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in March 2011 launched a four-year project to introduce the flood-tolerant SUB1 gene and Saltol, a salt-tolerant gene, to Vietnamese rice varieties. Transferring the genetic information – a process known as introgression – is expected to take three years. Because the genes are being introduced to rice currently grown in Vietnam, farmers will not need to learn new farming practices. [...] Continue Reading…
