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 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…
Chrysler to revive Dodge Dart as its new small car
December 25th, 2011 admin Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter
Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – Chrysler’s Dodge Dart has found new life as a smart car. Chrysler Group LLC said its new smart car, the first vehicle to feature Fiat SpA technology, will be called the Dodge Dart. The vehicle, currently in production, will be highlighted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. The debut of the new Dart will mark the first small-car offering from Chrysler in more than a decade. The car will also allow Fiat to increases its stake in Chrysler to 58.3 percent once the smart car is certified by the government as delivering 30 miles per gallon. The Dart [...] Continue Reading…
Saab files for bankruptcy after Chinese deal fails
December 21st, 2011 admin Matthew Borghese – AHN News Contributor
Trollhattan, Sweden (AHN) – Swedish carmaker Saab is filing for bankruptcy after a deal to infuse Chinese funds fell through over technology licensing objections from American shareholders. The Chinese deal was the last hope for Saab, which has suspended work at its main factory and has failed to pay employees. Saab CEO Victor Muller personally filed the bankruptcy papers and admitted it was “the darkest day in my career, probably in the history of Saab.” “But we had no other alternatives,” Muller explained. Saab was in talks with Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. Ltd. (Youngman) and a bank in China about an equity interest in in Swedish Automobile N.V. (Swan). However, [...] Continue Reading…
Nationwide strike paralyses life across Nepal
December 19th, 2011 admin Anil Giri – AHN News Correspondent
Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) – A nationwide strike called by Nepal’s main opposition party, Nepali Congress (NC), after its youth leader was killed in a prison brawl paralyzed the normal life across the nation on Monday. Transportation has come to a halt and entire market areas, academic institutions and industries have been shut down by the strike. Thousands of NC party members scattered throughout major cities and highways protesting the death of their leader. They also vented ire against the government for not declaring their murdered youth leader a martyr and not fulfilling other demands forwarded by the party. General strike is a common phenomenon in Nepal, a tool to take forward [...] Continue Reading…
Israel faces housing bubble – or bust, OECD warns
December 13th, 2011 admin The Media Line Staff
Jerusalem, Israel David Rosenberg (The Medi – Home prices – an anxious subject for both Israeli consumers and policy makers as they first raced higher and then suddenly started to sink – remain a threat to the economy, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) warned on Monday. Although the price rises have eased as the government has clamped down on mortgage lending, Israel is by no means out of the hole yet, the Paris-based organization said in a report. Israel faces a twin risk of prices spiraling upward to bubble levels, if current measures don’t bring about long-term stability, or conversely dropping sharply. “There is still a risk that a soft landing [...] Continue Reading…
