Rocket News

Sweden’s crown princess gives birth to baby girl (omg!)

Editor - Entertainment News — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:29:52 +0000

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden‘s Crown Princess Victoria gave birth to her first child early Thursday, a baby girl who will be groomed to one day become the country’s queen.

Victoria’s husband, Prince Daniel, said the girl, who is second in line to the Swedish throne, was born at 4:26 a.m. (0326 GMT) at the Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm. She was 20 inches (51 centimeters) long and weighed 7.23 pounds (3.28 kilograms).

“When I left the room the little princess was sleeping

Celeb birthdays for the week of Feb. 26-March 3 (omg!)

Editor - Entertainment News — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:29:37 +0000

Feb. 26: Singer Fats Domino is 84. Guitarist Paul Cotton of Poco is 69. Actor-director Bill Duke is 69. Singer Mitch Ryder is 67. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain of Journey is 62. Singer Michael Bolton is 59. Actor Greg Germann (“Ally McBeal”) is 54. Actress Jennifer Grant is 46. Bassist Tim Commerford (Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine) is 44. Singer Erykah Badu is 41. RB singer Rico Wade of Society of Soul is 40. Singer Kyle Norman of Jagged Edge is 37. Drummer Chris Culos of O.A.R. is 33. Singer Corinne Bailey Rae is 33. Actress Taylor Dooley (“The Adventures of Shark Boy and a Lava Girl in 3-D”) is 19.

Feb. 27: Actress Joanne Woodward is 82. Actress Barbara Babcock is 75. Actor Howard Hesseman is 72. Guitarist Neal Schon of Journey is 58. Guitarist Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden is

The GOP debate: 6 takeaways (Politico)

Editor - Political News — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:29:08 +0000

That may have been all, folks.

The 20th Republican debate came and went on CNN Wednesday night, a painfully long and often personally biting affair — and the last debate the four remaining GOP presidential hopefuls have committed to in the primary season.

Below are POLITICO’s six takeaways on the mix-up in Mesa, Ariz.:

1. Rick Santorum didn’t get it done

The evening could have been Santorum’s moment to move the needle in his favor, and he simply couldn’t make it happen.

The former Pennsylvania senator, who has been an agile debater with a surprising ability to take the fight to Romney in past debates, seemed nervous, tired and uncomfortable at the outset. The seating dynamic, with the four hopefuls at a table, nearly bumping elbows, may have played a part in that.

But candidates need to make the most of every opportunity, and Santorum did not. In fact, he

Fresh Koran demos in Afghanistan

Editor - World News — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:27:50 +0000

23 February 2012
Last updated at 04:15 ET

Afghan soldiers confiscated American flags during the protests in Kabul

Violent anti-American demonstrations over the burning of a Koran at a US base have spread across Afghanistan.

At least two people have been killed, and several others injured. Crowds have been throwing stones and setting fire to the US flag.

President Hamid Karzai is meeting tribal leaders and politicians in an effort to find ways to calm tensions.

Meanwhile the Taliban has called on Afghans to kill and beat all Westerners in revenge for “insulting” the Koran.

In a statement a Taliban spokesman said Afghans should “not stop at protesting” but instead target military bases and personnel to “teach them a lesson that they will never again dare to

Read More from the Article Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-asia-17137338

At least 48 dead in Iraq attacks

Editor - World News — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:27:04 +0000

23 February 2012
Last updated at 04:09 ET

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Aftermath of the attacks

At least 48 people have

Read More from the Article Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-17136646

Taliban urge Afghans to kill "invaders" amid new protests

Editor - Top News Stories — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:26:45 +0000

By Mirwais Harooni

KABUL |
Thu Feb 23, 2012 4:12am EST

KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban urged Afghans on Thursday to target foreign military bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for burnings of copies of the Koran at NATO’s main base in the country as a third day of violent protests began.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered across the country, some chanting “Death to America!,” Reuters witnesses and officials said. In eastern Kabul, hundreds of youths threw rocks at police, who fired shots into the air to try disperse the crowds.

“Our brave people must target the military bases of invader forces, their military convoys and their invader bases,” read an e-mailed Taliban statement released by the insurgency’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

“They have to kill them

Romney clawing his way back in Republican race

Editor - Top News Stories — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:25:42 +0000

By Steve Holland

MESA, Arizona |
Thu Feb 23, 2012 1:24am EST

MESA, Arizona (Reuters) – Mitt Romney is fighting his way back into the driving seat in the Republican presidential race, putting in a strong debate performance in Arizona and gaining in polls against conservative rival Rick Santorum.

An aggressive Romney repeatedly put Santorum on the defensive in a CNN debate on Wednesday and attacked the former U.S. senator and staunch social conservative for supporting big-spending government programs.

Romney has also battled his way into a slight lead in a new poll in Michigan, which along with Arizona will hold a primary contest on February 28. Romney had trailed Santorum by as much as double digits a week ago in the Michigan

Greece readies debt swap under bailout deal

Editor - Business News — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:24:48 +0000

By Lila Chotzoglou and Tatiana Fragou

ATHENS |
Thu Feb 23, 2012 4:07am EST

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s parliament will endorse a debt swap with private bondholders on Thursday to help reduce the country’s debt and secure an international bailout, despite new protests against the tough terms of the deal.

The swap, in which private investors exchange their bonds for lower-value debt, will slice 100 billion euros ($132 billion) off Greece’s debt, a vital part of the EU and IMF rescue plan aimed at cutting Greece’s liabilities from 160 percent of gross domestic product to 120.5 percent by 2020.

Greece’s second bailout since 2010 was approved by euro zone finance ministers on Tuesday, averting the immediate threat of bankruptcy next month but doing little

Obama administration seeks online privacy rules

Editor - Finance Top Stories — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:24:21 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — The Obama administration is calling for stronger privacy protections for consumers as mobile gadgets, Internet services and other tools are able to do a better job of tracking what you do and where you go.

Administration officials outlined a proposed “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights” on Thursday and urged technology companies, consumer groups and others to jointly craft new protections. Such guidelines would initially be voluntary for companies, but those that agree to abide by them could be subject to sanctions for any violations.

“As the Internet evolves, consumer trust is essential for the continued growth of the digital economy,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “That’s why an

World leaders to discuss Somali crises

Editor - World News — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:29:24 +0000

World leaders are set to meet with members of the Somali government to co-ordinate efforts against piracy, poverty and famine, and to discuss the country’s civil war.

Forty countries will be represented at Thursday’s conference in London, and attendees include Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general.

Other participants at the conference include the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League, as well as the head of the breakaway Somaliland region.

Gatherings similar to Thursday’s meeting in the past 20 years have resulted in many foreign commitments of aid, but in little progress on the ground, sceptics say.

Britain, the country organising the conference, says the aim of the event is to galvanise policymakers’ attention and to better co-ordinate a sometimes disjointed international response to Somalia’s many challenges.

The conference will not be examining the clan-based politics which affect several aspects of Somali life and play a

Read More from the Article Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/02/201222341355475929.html