Five years after Georgia's Rose Revolution and weeks after the Russian-Georgian
War, correspondent Sonja Pace visited the Caucasus nation to check on Georgia:
Beyond the War. Our special report includes video, an interactive timeline,
slideshows and more. Follow economic news on our Global Economic Turmoil page.
And, VOANews.com, with its new community site USAVotes2008.com, will continue
to provide you with coverage on the transition from President Bush to President
Obama.
Thai Court Bans Ruling Coalition Parties from Politics
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Decision prompts anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy to allow
flights to resume at Bangkok's international airport
A court has ruled that the Thai prime minister, his party and his coalition
partners are banned from politics. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, the
decision led the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy to pledge to
allow flights to resume at Bangkok's international airport. Anti-government
protesters cheer during a rally at Suvarnabhumi international airport, 01 Dec
2008The People's Alliance for Democracy says it will continue some protests at
the international airport, but on Tuesday agreed to allow flights to resume.
However, airport officials say it could be several days before full operations
resume.
Court ruling disbands 3 coalition partiesThe PAD decision came hours after a
Thai constitutional court disbanded the three leading parties in the government
coalition. A judge read the order banning the Chart Thai Party, one of the
coalition partners. The verdicts were announced, under strict security, after
the judges were forced to move to another building after the constitutional
court was surrounded by pro-government demonstrators. The ruling follows court
findings that the main coalition party, the People Power Party, Chart Thai and
another partner, violated election laws during the December 2007 general
elections. Several executives from each party also were banned from politics
for five years.
Ruling removes PM Somchai from office Somchai Wongsawat, left, talks to
reporters after court dissolves ruling party and bans him from politics, in
Chiang Mai, 02 Dec 2008 The verdict removes Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat
from office. A PPP spokesman says party members in parliament not directly
affected by the ruling will join a new party that already has been created.
Deputy Prime Minister Chavarat Charnveerakul has been named interim prime
minister until a new coalition government is formed and a new prime minister
can be selected.
Government supporters say judiciary staged 'silent coup'Pro-government
supporters have accused the judiciary of bias and staging a "silent coup"
against Mr. Somchai and his brother-in-law, former Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra. The PAD calls the verdict a victory, following months of long
protests, including a three-month siege of the main government office
building."Today, the constitution court finally dissolved the party that acted
as a nominee for Thaksin Shinawatra," said Parnthep Pourpongpan, a PAD
spokesman. "We have to consider about the victory. We totally agree that at
least we have to review the level of demonstration now at least about how we
reduce and how much we reduce."
Protests strand touristsThailand's tourism industry and air cargo have been
severely disrupted by the airport occupation, leading to hundreds of millions
of dollars in lost income. It is estimated that up to a quarter of a million
tourists remain stranded because of the occupation.Soon after the ruling, the
government postponed a summit of Southeast Asian leaders, which was to start
December 13.
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India Re-Submits Fugitives List to Pakistan in Wake of Mumbai Terror Attack
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Move seen as latest effort to pressure Islamabad to take action to defuse
network in Pakistan that allegedly plans, carries out terrorist attacks against
India
In wake of the terror attack in Mumbai, India is renewing demands Pakistan hand
over wanted fugitives. India's government says a list of alleged terrorists and
others has been re-submitted in a formal diplomatic request. VOA correspondent
Steve Herman in New Delhi reports the move is seen as the latest effort to
pressure Islamabad to take action to defuse the network on Pakistani soil that
allegedly plans and carries out terrorist attacks against India. India's
external affairs minister, speaking to reporters Tuesday, has given some
details of the formal diplomatic note - known as a "
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demarche" - handed to Pakistan's top envoy here. Indian Minister of External
Affairs Pranab Mukherjee, 02 Dec 2008Pranab Mukherjee says the document
contains the names of about 20 individuals India has long wanted extradited
from Pakistan. "The demarche asks the arrest and hand-over of those persons who
are settled in Pakistan and who are fugitives of Indian law," Mukherjee
said.List includes India's most wanted manAlthough India's government did not
release the names of those on the fugitive list, Indian media say they include
the infamous Mumbai crime kingpin, Dawood Ibrahim, and Maulana Masood Azhar - a
Pakistani Muslim cleric who, in 1999, was freed from an Indian prison, in
exchange for passengers on a hijacked Indian airliner. Ibrahim is considered
India's most wanted man. His organization is suspected of involvement in a
1993 bombing in Mumbai that left 250 people dead. Indian media reports say
there is also official suspicion some of his underlings may have provided
support to the terrorists who struck last week. Azhar leads the group
Jaish-e-Mohammad, which is believed to support Muslim separatists in the part
of disputed Kashmir which is under Indian control. India initially gave
Pakistani officials the list six years ago and says it never received an
adequate response. India blames Pakistani elements for Mumbai terror attackThe
Mumbai terror attack, which India blames on elements in Pakistan, threatens to
send relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors into their worst state
since 2002. An intense international diplomatic effort is under way to try to
prevent tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad from entering another crisis
phase. The two nuclear-capable countries have gone to war against each other
three times since their independence in 1947. Among those already here or
about to arrive in the Indian capital are the Arab League Secretary-General Amr
Moussa, U.S. Senator John McCain and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Indian Cabinet meeting discusses security strategyTuesday, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh chaired a meeting of his security Cabinet to discuss
strategies. Government officials say among those attending were the defense,
foreign and home ministers as well as the chiefs of the armed forces and the
national security advisor.In recent days, top Pakistani government officials
have vowed to cooperate with India to determine responsibility for the attack
on Mumbai. But Islamabad rejects any allegations of complicity, blaming
non-state actors which Pakistan says it is also battling.
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Indian Maritime Forces Rebuff Criticism in Wake of Mumbai Attack
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Naval Chief of Staff, Admiral Suresh Mehta, acknowledges 'systemic failure' by
forces charged with protecting coast
India's maritime forces are defending themselves in wake of criticism they
could have prevented the terror attack on Mumbai, which left about 175 people
dead. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman in New Delhi reports on the response from
the Indian navy and coast guard. India's maritime forces are finding themselves
on the defensive following the Mumbai terror attack. India's Naval Chief
Admiral Suresh Mehta in New Delhi (File)India's naval chief of staff is
acknowledging "public outrage" for perceived security lapses after 10 to 15
terrorists came ashore along the coast of the country's commercial capital.
Admiral points to intelligence failureAdmiral Suresh Mehta acknowledges a
"systemic failure" by the forces charged with protecting the coast, but says
the navy and coast guard received no specific intelligence they could act upon.
"The information available should be actionable. It should have some specifics
to it. Whatever actionable have come our way we have always taken action
promptly," he said. Admiral Mehta, who formerly commanded the India coast guard
also says Indian vessels were patrolling the Arabian Sea off the state between
Pakistan and Mumbai.
"The coast guard had deployed a large number of units on the Gujarat coast.
There were special units which were over there. Naval ships are also
operating off the Gujarat coast," he added.
Fishermen expressed concern about militantsIndia media reports quote fishermen
from Gujarat as saying they had repeatedly expressed concern to the government
- even writing to the prime minister - about the likelihood of militants from
Pakistan capturing their boats to infiltrate India. Indian investigators say
the terrorists apparently hijacked a Gujarati fishing trawler at sea to get to
the Mumbai coast.Maritime security experts contend that India has too few
vessels and personnel to patrol the country's 7,500 kilometers of coastline and
too many agencies operating on Indian waters, 23 in all, to allow effective
coordination.
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NATO Foreign Ministers Meet in Brussels
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Ministers to discuss candidacies of Georgia and Ukraine; may also hold talks on
sending interim force to Democratic Republic of Congo
NATO foreign ministers meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels to discuss the
candidacies of Georgia and Ukraine to join the Atlantic alliance. From Paris,
Lisa Bryant reports the European ministers may also hold talks on sending an
interim force to the Democratic Republic of Congo. U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, left, waves as she arrives at NATO headquarters in Brussels,
02 Dec 2008 The candidacies of Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO are a tricky
issue, with alliance members divided over what just how to proceed this week.
The Bush administration earlier pushed for a quicker entry process for the two
countries, but it says neither is ready to join right now. Both Georgia and
Ukraine were given guarantees they would eventually join NATO, earlier this
year. At issue is the question of a formal road map for joining, known as a
Membership Action Plan or map. France and Germany fear the MAP process may be
side stepped, and in particular do not want to anger Russia which is opposed to
the two countries joining NATO.Daniel Korski, senior policy fellow at the
European Council on Foreign Relations, says the ministers may reach a
compromise at the end of the meeting -- but there are no guarantees that will
happen. "The debate is likely to continue," Korski said. "There is a
compromise proposal and the big issue is whether the Germans and the French are
happy with that proposal. They will, after all, host the NATO 60th anniversary
summit this spring and they'll want to make sure its a success. Certainly its
going to be President Barack Obama's first meeting. So there's a lot of push to
accept a compromise, but its not going to be certain in the first couple of
hours or at least until the foreign ministers meeting is over. European
ministers are also expected to discuss in Brussels a U.N. request to send an
emergency peacekeeping force to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has
been torn apart by fighting. France and Belgium are pushing for such a force,
but other countries are skeptical about the proposal.
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China Stands by Decision to Postpone Summit with EU
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Officials blame French President Nicolas Sarkozy for decision, citing his
scheduled meeting with Dalai Lama later this week in Poland
China is unapologetic for its last minute decision to postpone a major
China-European Union summit originally scheduled for this week. Chinese
officials say the reason is because current EU head, French president Nicolas
Sarkozy, will meet with the Dalai Lama later this week in Poland. Stephanie Ho
reports from Beijing. To hear Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao
tell it, the reason China postponed the summit meeting with EU leaders is not
complicated.Liu placed all the blame squarely on France, saying it is because
President Sarkozy is, in the spokesman's words, "bent on meeting the Dalai
Lama."The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, Dharamsala, 23 Nov.
2008China's discontent with the Dalai Lama is not new. He is the exiled
spiritual leader of Tibet, which is part of Chinese territory. Beijing accuses
the Dalai Lama of working for independence, while he says he seeks greater
autonomy for his homeland within Chinese rule.When asked what China could do to
help smooth over tense relations with Europe, Liu said this should be a
question for France.Liu says China has done nothing to, "hurt the EU's
interests." Instead, he said France and EU leaders should take China's
concerns about sovereignty and territorial integrity more seriously.Most of the
nearly 50,000 Chinese netizens polled by a website affiliated with the official
People's Daily newspaper supported the postponement of the China-EU summit.
One netizen went so far as to urge a boycott of French goods. This echoes a
similar call earlier this year, when Chinese citizens were angered by
protesters who disrupted the Olympic torch relay overseas. France was targeted
because the demonstrations were particularly chaotic in Paris. Despite China's
current anger directed at France, President Sarkozy is not the only European
leader to have met with the Dalai Lama. Others who have met with the Tibetan
leader this year include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime
Minister Gordon Brown and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. The Czech
Republic takes over the EU's rotating presidency in January.
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Former Communists Claim Romanian Elections
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But victory does not mean former Communists will be in control of new
government
The left leaning Social Democratic Party has won the most votes in Romania's
first parliamentary elections since becoming a member of the European Union
last year. The party claimed victory with about 33 percent of Sunday's vote.
As Stefan Bos reports from Budapest, Hungary the victory does not mean the
former Communists will be in control of the new government.After a nail biting
vote count, Romania's Central Election Bureau announced that the Social
Democrats received a little more than one-third of the vote, less than one
percent more than their nearest rival, the opposition Democrat-Liberal Party of
Romanian President Traian Basescu.The center-right National Liberal Party of
pro-Western Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu came in third with a little
more than 18 percent of the vote.Election observers say the results came amid
widespread anger over the government's perceived inability to tackle the impact
of the global financial crisis on Romania's economy.Romanian Social Democrat
leader Mircea Geoana, 30 Nov 2008Since October, thousands of workers have lost
their jobs at major Romanian factories, and more lay-offs are expected. Social
Democrat leader Mircea Geoana expressed his concern about the social
tensions.Speaking in front of flag waving supporters outside his party's
headquarters, he said "Romanians voted for an intelligent and capable state for
a hard time ahead." He added that Romanian voters support his party's message
of "change" as Romania starts down a long hard road. However, Geoana made clear
that he has no illusions that change can be introduced overnight as millions of
Romanians, including pensioners, live in poverty.Yet despite his party's gains,
it remains unclear whether the 50-year-old Geoana will be able to become the
next prime minister.Under Romania's constitution President Basescu can name the
next government leader, regardless of the election results.No party won enough
votes to govern alone, forcing the main players to seek coalition arrangements
in Romania's difficult political landscape.Smaller parties, including the
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, are also expected to play a key
role in discussions over a future coalition.But there is international concern
that a long period of difficult political negotiations could undermine urgent
reforms required by the European Union, such fighting corruption, and further
destabilize the country of 22 million people.
------------------------------------------------------
Rights Groups: Sudan Lying About Improvements in Darfur
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Human Rights Watch, Save Darfur Coalition and 13 other rights organizations say
government continues to conduct large-scale military attacks against populated
areas
15 human rights organizations said in a joint report released Tuesday, the
Sudanese government is lying about improvements in the situation in Darfur.
Human Rights Watch, Save Darfur Coalition and 13 other rights organizations
said the Sudanese government continues to conduct large-scale military attacks
against populated areas, harass aid workers, and allow impunity for the worst
crimes committed in Darfur. Sudan wants the U.N. Security Council to suspend
the International Criminal Court's consideration of an arrest warrant against
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor of the
ICC (17 Jul 2008 file photo)The new human rights report said Sudanese officials
have been lobbying Security Council members to order the suspension of the ICC
investigation of Mr. Bashir.The ICC prosecutor is scheduled to brief the
Security Council Wednesday about the progress of his investigation. Earlier
this year, the court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said Sudan's
"whole state apparatus" was involved in crimes against humanity in Darfur. The
United Nations reported that five years of fighting in Darfur involving rebels,
the Sudanese government and government-backed militias has killed more than
300,000 people, and caused more than 2.5 million others to flee their homes.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
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Zimbabwe Relief Agencies Ramp Up Efforts to Combat Cholera
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United Nations Children's Fund will launch four-month emergency response to
epidemic in country troubled by health and political challenges
Relief
Agencies in Zimbabwe say they are ramping up emergency programs to
combat a cholera epidemic that has infected more than 11,000 people and
killed nearly 500. The emergency comes as soldiers rampaged in the
capital, Harare, over declining living conditions. VOA's Scott Bobb
reports from our Southern Africa Bureau in Johannesburg.A child walks barefoot
past rain water and sewage near Harare, 25 Nov 2008The
United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, says it is launching a
four-month emergency response in Zimbabwe because of what it calls the
"closure" of many hospitals, failing social services and the collapse of
the country's education system.Spokesperson Shantha Bloemen
says years of decline in water, sanitation and health services have
caused a cholera epidemic that has spread to nine of Zimbabwe's ten
provinces and into neighboring countries."The immediate concern
is making sure that we provide life- saving responses which continue to
be providing emergency safe water, doing health education for
communities and keeping the cholera treatment centers going," said
Bloemen.UNICEF has been trucking clean water to high-density
residential areas, distributing water purification tablets and drilling
wells in neighborhoods to prevent the spread of disease.
Humanitarian
groups say the epidemic is the result of deteriorating public services
due to years of economic decline and hyper-inflation.
Soldier rampage adds to citizen stressSome 100
soldiers Monday clashed with police in Harare after taking money from
foreign currency dealers and looting some shops. Media reports say the
soldiers rampaged because they could not collect salaries from
cash-strapped banks.The Zimbabwean government Tuesday blamed
the clashes on undisciplined troops and said military police were
patrolling to prevent further incidents.Frustration is rising
in Zimbabwe over a power sharing dispute between the ZANU-PF party of
President Robert Mugabe and the Movement for Democratic Change party of
Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai.
Women, children most affected by crisisBloemen of UNICEF says the crisis is
affecting women and children of Zimbabwe the most."For
your average Zimbabwean family now, life has become incredibly tough
and this is reaching the breaking point. And I think we have to
remember we have a responsibility to respond and that people can't be
held hostage to politics so we need to make sure we continue to provide
the humanitarian relief that is needed," noted Bloemen.But donor agencies say
they are running short of funds partly because of the global economic
downturn.The
World Food Program says that next month it will run out of funds needed
to feed five million people, one-half of the Zimbabwean population,
needing food aid. UNICEF has appealed for $9 million to fund
its latest effort.
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Georgia Hosts Key US Senate Runoff Election
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Republican Saxby Chambliss is favored to win race that will help determine
whether Democrats can get strong control of Senate
The southeastern U.S. state of Georgia votes to choose a senator in a runoff
election Tuesday, that will help determine whether the Democratic Party can get
strong control of the U.S. Senate.Georgia Senator Saxby ChamblissIncumbent
Saxby Chambliss - a Republican - is favored to win, which would thwart the
Democrats' ambition to control 60 of the 100 Senate seats.Sixty seats would
create what has been called a "super-majority," giving Democrats the ability to
overcome Republican attempts to filibuster, or block legislation from coming to
a vote in the upper house of Congress.Democrats already control 58 seats in the
incoming Senate, with a recount in a very tight race in Minnesota yet to be
decided. Chambliss is facing Democrat Jim Martin in today's runoff, after each
fell short in November of the majority required to win outright in Georgia.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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Bush Reflects on His Presidency
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In television interview with ABC News, US president says biggest regret is
intelligence failure in Iraq
U.S. President George Bush is taking stock of his years in office, now that his
presidency is nearing its end. VOA White House Correspondent Paula Wolfson
reports Mr. Bush says that when he was elected in 2000, he never expected he
would lead the nation in a time of war.President George W. Bush (file photo)As
his second term enters its final days, President Bush is taking time to reflect
on the events that may well shape his legacy.In an interview with ABC
television, he spoke in unusually candid terms about the achievements and
disappointments of his presidency.Mr. Bush said his biggest regret of his eight
years in office was the intelligence failure in Iraq - the faulty information
on weapons of mass destruction that prompted him to remove Saddam Hussein from
power in 2003.He spoke of the difficulties of leading a nation at war, and said
he never thought when he first ran for the presidency that he would preside
over a major conflict."I didn't campaign and say, 'Please vote for me, I'll be
able to handle an attack.' In other words, I didn't anticipate war," said
President Bush. "[For] presidents - one of the things about the modern
presidency - is that the unexpected will happen."Mr. Bush said that during his
presidency, he has had to make a lot of tough decisions. Lately, they have
revolved around efforts to revive the ailing U.S. economy.In an interview
excerpt that aired Monday on ABC's World News program, the president was asked
whether he feels in any way responsible for the nation's economic woes."I have
been president during this period of time," said Mr. Bush. "But I think when
the history of this period is written, people will realize a lot of the
decisions that were made on Wall Street took place over a decade or so before I
arrived as president."Mr. Bush said the economic crisis played a major role in
Democrat Barack Obama's victory over Republican John McCain in last month's
presidential election."Obviously, the economic situation made it awfully
difficult for John McCain to get a message out," he said. "And I felt that
Barack Obama ran a very disciplined campaign."Mr. Bush acknowledged he never
thought he would live to see an African-American as U.S. president. But his
27-year-old daughter Barbara, who was with him during a portion of the
interview, said she was not surprised to see Barack Obama make history.
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