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Bush on Surprise, Farewell Visit to Baghdad
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Iraq is likely to be the focal point of the Bush legacy, and the president's
trip is, in part, a chance to put the best possible face on the situation there
as he prepares to leave office
U.S. President George Bush is in Baghdad for a surprise farewell visit to
Iraq. He slipped out of Washington unannounced, and headed directly for the
Iraqi capital.President George W. Bush, right, walks with Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani Sunday, 14 Dec. 2008, in BaghdadThe president flew overnight to Iraq,
arriving in the middle of a Baghdad afternoon.Unlike his three previous
surprise trips, this one began with a modest arrival ceremony - a sign, perhaps
of an improving security situation in the Iraqi capital.Iraq is likely to be
the focal point of the Bush legacy, and the president's trip is, in part, a
chance to put the best possible face on the situation there as he prepares to
leave office.Mr. Bush is meeting in Iraq with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
and President Jalal Talabani. He is also expected to visit with U.S. troops in
Baghdad - his last opportunity to speak directly to them as commander-in-chief
before turning over the reins of power to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.The
visit coincides with the signing of a new security agreement governing the
future presence of American troops on Iraqi soil, and setting the stage for a
pull out of U.S. forces by 2011. During the flight to Baghdad, White House
National Security advisor Stephen Hadley told the small group of reporters
traveling with the president that this agreement is unique in the Arab world.
He called it a remarkable document, noting that it was publicly debated,
discussed and adopted by an elected parliament.About 150,000 U.S. troops and
support personnel are now deployed in Iraq. More than 4,200 have died since
American forces moved in to oust Saddam Hussein in March, 2003.
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Indian PM Wants 'Normalized' Relations With Pakistan
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh makes the statement Sunday during an election
rally in Indian Kashmir
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says he wants what he calls "normalized"
relations with Pakistan, if Pakistan will stop allowing its territory to be
used for terrorist activities against India. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh (file)Mr. Singh made the statement Sunday during an election rally in
Indian Kashmir. Tensions between the two countries have risen since the Mumbai
terror attacks.In Islamabad, visiting British Prime Minister Gordan Brown
pledged nine million dollars to Pakistan to help fight the causes of terrorism
and support democracy.Mr. Brown visited Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in
Islamabad today after meeting with Mr. Singh in New Delhi this morning.A
British government source says British police may ask Indian officials for
permission to question the lone surviving gunman from the Mumbai attack that
killed 171 people, including at least one British national. The source also
said British police may wish to interview militants held in Pakistan who may be
linked to last month's attack. Mr. Brown said he backs India's claims that the
Pakistani-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba is responsible for the
Mumbai attacks.Earlier Sunday, Indian air force officials denied allegations by
Pakistani officials that Indian fighter planes "inadvertently" violated
Pakistan's airspace.A Pakistani air force spokesman said one violation took
place on Saturday over the Pakistan-controlled section of Kashmir and the other
over the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore. Lashkar-e-Taiba has strong ties in
both areas. On Saturday Pakistani officials reiterated their calls for India
to provide evidence that Pakistan-based elements were involved in the Mumbai
attacks that killed 171 people.In an interview with Indian media, Indian
Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India would disclose whatever
information it had once the investigation is complete.Islamabad denies any
involvement in the three-day assault on Mumbai that began November 26.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Britain, Pakistan Pledge Increased Counter-Terrorism Cooperation
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Visiting British PM Gordon Brown pledges about $9 million to strengthen
Pakistani democratic institutions and fight extremism
Pakistan's president and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have pledged to
increase counter-terrorism cooperation following the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Mr. Brown arrived after another tense diplomatic exchange between the region's
nuclear-armed rivals, India and Pakistan, after Pakistan's military accused
Indian fighter jets of violating Pakistan's airspace in two places. British PM
Gordon Brown, left, shakes hands with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza
Gilani at prime minister's house in Islamabad, 14 Dec. 2008The alleged
violations occurred over places that India says are linked to the militant
group accused of plotting the Mumbai attacks. India denied violations occurred,
and Pakistan's president, Asif Zardari, tried to downplay the incident. "It is
a technical incursion, it is not an incursion as such. It is a pattern of two
planes when they are flying at 40,000 feet up in the air, when they turn, they
slightly enter Pakistani soil," he said.Tensions between the two rivals have
been high since the Mumbai attacks, and politicians have at times pledged
cooperation and voiced consternation at their counterparts' investigations.
Pakistani officials have detained dozens of people accused of links to Lashkar
e Taiba, the militant group accused of organizing the Mumbai plot. The group
was banned by Pakistan in 2002. Over the past week, Pakistani officials also
shut down offices of a prominent charity accused of acting as a front for the
organization. India says all 10 of the known attackers were from Pakistan, as
well as the planners and financiers of the plot. But President Zardari said
India has still not shared any evidence from its investigation in the attack.
He indicated at Sunday's news conference with the British prime minister that
he has learned about India's investigation mostly through the news media.
"I am hoping that, once the Indian government completes their investigation and
shares the information with us, we will have further leads to further find if
there are any culprits on this side of the border, we will take action against
them," added Mr. Zardari.Prime Minister Brown pledged more resources to help in
the investigation into the Mumbai terrorist attacks, including new
bomb-scanning technology and about $9 million to strengthen Pakistani
democratic institutions and fight extremism.He said the Mumbai attacks and
other terrorist plots show that militants in remote areas of Pakistan still
threaten people far away in British cities. "I've told president Zardari that
three-quarters of the most serious terrorist plots investigated by the British
authorities have links to al-Qaida in Pakistan," said Mr. Brown.Mr. Brown said
he has asked both Indian and Pakistani leaders to allow British authorities to
investigate and question suspects in the attacks. He said he specifically asked
India's prime minister if British police could question the one captured
terrorist from the Mumbai attacks.
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3 Police Killed By Bomb in Southern Afghanistan
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Local officials say the attack Sunday targeted a police vehicle; it also
wounded at least six civilians
Afghan officials say a bomb hidden in a wooden cart killed three police
officers and wounded at least five other policemen in the southern city of
Kandahar.Smoke comes out from a police vehicle after a blast in the city of
Kandahar, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday , 14 Dec. 2008.Local officials
say the attack Sunday targeted a police vehicle. It also wounded at least six
civilians. The French news agency reports that the Taliban is claiming
responsibility for the attack.Sunday's explosion is the second in Kandahar
province in as many days. On Saturday Canadian officials said three Canadian
soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle.Also
Saturday British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on NATO allies to do more
to share the burden of fighting Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents.During a
previously unannounced visit to Afghanistan, Mr. Brown said Britain and the
United States should not be the only nations contributing more troops to stem
increasing violence. U.S. military officials have said they will send thousands
of extra troops to the country. Prime Minister Brown also said he would
consider building up Britain's existing force of some eight-thousand troops
currently serving in southern Afghanistan.During his visit, Mr. Brown traveled
to a British military base in Helmand province, where he spoke out against two
bomb attacks that killed four British troops in the area on Friday.The prime
minister expressed "disgust and horror" at the Taliban's use of a 13-year old
child as a suicide bomber in one of the attacks.British military officials say
Mr. Brown's visit to Helmand is the closest the British prime minister has ever
gotten to the front lines in Afghanistan.Mr. Brown also pledged 10 million
dollars to help with voter registration for Afghanistan's 2009 presidential
election.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Bus Crash Kills at Least 55 in Egypt
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Officials says also 10 people injured when bus plunged into an irrigation canal
in the southern Minya province
Egyptian security officials say a passenger bus plunged into an irrigation
canal Sunday, killing at least 55 people.Officials said the bus carrying some
70 people crashed in Minya province, about 215 kilometers south of Cairo, as it
traveled to the capital. Initial reports say the bus driver swerved into the
Ibrahimiya Canal as he attempted to avoid an oncoming truck. Authorities are
investigating the incident while divers are searching for more bodies.Poor road
conditions and lax traffic regulations in Egypt cause thousands of accidents
every year. The government began enforcing a new traffic code in August with
the goal of improving safety on the roads.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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Zimbabwe Opposition Says Constitutional Amendment on Unity Government Premature
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Opposition says 10 of the 31 ministries need to be negotiated before addressing
constitutional amendment, but President Robert Mugabe warns of calling new
elections if opposition does not endorse amendment
In Zimbabwe, a proposed constitutional amendment to create a unity government
has been published, paving the way for parliament to take up the matter. But,
the opposition Movement for Democratic Change says negotiations over
power-sharing must be concluded first. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe
delivers his speech at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, 11 Dec 2008President
Robert Mugabe's government says, if the opposition does not endorse the
amendment in parliament, he will call new elections. The two factions of the
Movement for Democratic Change, or MDC, have a majority of the 210 seats in
Parliament, and a two-thirds majority is needed to amend the constitution.
Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the MDC, said Sunday 10 of the 31 ministries
still need to be negotiated before addressing the constitutional amendment. On
Saturday, South African President Kgalema Mothlanthe said the publishing of the
amendment will pave the way for the formation of an inclusive government. Mr.
Mothlanthe is also chairman of the regional Southern African Development
Community, or SADC, which at a summit last month said it had resolved the
remaining differences toward forming a unity government in Zimbabwe.The African
Union last week encouraged all three parties, Mr. Tsvangirai's MDC, the ruling
ZANU-PF party and a small faction of the MDC, whose leaders signed a global
political agreement in September, to go into government as soon as possible.
Veteran Zimbabwe political analyst Brian Raftopoulos said Sunday, the MDC was
holding out to see if it could get more power over the security portfolios.He
warned that if the MDC did not go into an inclusive government, the party
should expect that its structures would be further depleted by repression and
that the economic decline would intensify.Zimbabwe's spiraling economic decline
has been compounded by a cholera epidemic that has killed nearly 800 people and
infected nearly 17,000 others.
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Somalia President Dismisses Prime Minister
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Abdullahi Yusuf announces he will nominate a new prime minister within days as
PM Nur Hassan Hussein says his dismissal is 'illegal'
The president of Somalia says he has dismissed the government of Prime Minister
Nur Hassan Hussein. Abdullahi Yusuf said at a press conference Sunday that he
will nominate a new prime minister within days. Mr. Yusuf said he had
dismissed the prime minister because his transitional government was unable to
perform its duties. Somali PM Nur Hassan Hussein in Nairobi, 02 Dec 2008Prime
Minister Hussein says his dismissal is "illegal."The president and the prime
minister have been trying for weeks to form a new cabinet. But Mr. Yusuf has
rejected all the candidates for ministry posts suggested by the prime minister.
A presidential adviser said the ministerial candidates failed to meet the
president's standards.Last month, the president said insurgents were in control
of most of the country and warned that the government was close to collapse.
His remarks followed the capture of several key towns by Islamist militant
groups. Somalia's government has been unable to assert control since its
formation in 2004. Islamists took over much of the country in 2006 but were
ousted by Ethiopian forces acting in support of the Somali government.The
Islamists began an insurgency in early 2007, sparking almost daily clashes with
Ethiopian and government forces. The fighting has killed thousands of Somalis
and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, aggravating the country's
humanitarian crisis.Somalia has not had a stable central government since
1991.Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
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China Takes Measures to Boost Economy
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China's State Council says it plans to increase money supply by 17 percent in
2009, as leaders of China, Japan and South Korea announce they will work
together to boost their manufacturing sectors
China says it is taking more steps aimed at blunting the impact of the global
financial crisis.In a statement posted on its Web site Saturday, China's State
Council says it plans to increase the country's money supply by 17 percent in
2009, in an effort to spur domestic consumption. The government also hopes to
boost bank lending by more than $14 billion over 2008.Last month, China's
government unveiled an economic stimulus package including more than $580
billion in spending over the next two years. S. Korean President Lee Myung-Bak,
from left, Japanese PM Taro Aso and Chinese PM Wen Jiabao in Japan, 13 Dec
2008Earlier Saturday, the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea announced
they will work together to boost their manufacturing sectors and help each
other avoid mistakes that have hurt the economies of other countries, such as
setting up new trade barriers.The East Asian leaders made their bold pledge,
aimed at helping revive the ailing global economy, during an unprecedented
summit in southwestern Japan.Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak also said they will set up
an $80 billion fund to help stabilize the region's economies, and give more
money to the Asian Development Bank.China, Japan and South Korea make up 75
percent of the East Asian economy, and account for almost 17 percent of the
world's economic output.The three countries say they now plan to hold three-way
summits on an annual basis.Some information for this report was provided by AFP
and Reuters.
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Iran Proposes OPEC Oil Output Cut
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Iran's oil minster said Sunday that Tehran will push for a production cut of
1.5 million to two million barrels of oil per day, in an attempt to raise
prices
OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria (file photo)Iran will call for a cut in
OPEC's, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, oil output during
the cartel's meeting next week in Algeria.Iran's oil minster said Sunday that
Tehran will push for a production cut of 1.5 million to two million barrels of
oil per day, in an attempt to raise prices.After reaching a record high in
July, oil prices have been falling fast as the faltering global economy lowers
demand for energy.But last month members of OPEC decided to delay possible
supply cuts despite the steep drop in crude oil prices.OPEC nations produce 40
percent of the world's oil.Russia, a major non-OPEC oil producer, has said it
may coordinate a production cut to bolster prices.Some information for this
report provided by Reuters, AP and AFP.
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IOM: South Asian Migrants Stranded in Iraq
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International Organization for Migration says 1,000 migrants mostly from
Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka were promised jobs by recruiters, but
jobs did not materialize and they were left without any money, living in a
hangar
The International Organization for Migration reports hundreds of migrants lured
to Iraq by promises of well-paid jobs are stranded around the airport in
Baghdad. IOM says the men are living in dire straits without any means of
going home. Abraham Chacka, native of India prepares milkshake at a US Army
outpost in Ramadi (File)The International Organization for Migration says the
migrants arrived in Iraq about four months ago expecting lucrative employment,
promised by recruiters. But, the promised jobs did not materialize. IOM says
they were left without any money and some had their passports taken away. The
organization says the men, who come from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri
Lanka, are living in makeshift conditions in a hangar close to the airport in
Baghdad or are camped out on roadsides. Spokesman Jean-Philippe Chauzy tells
VOA aid workers recently found a group of about 60 men living in tents or
containers, with not access to water or sanitation. "They actually paid their
own way to Iraq. Some of them borrowed thousands of dollars to get to Iraq.
Some of them sold land, for instance, or borrowed money. But, once they
arrived in Iraq, the jobs that were promised to them suddenly evaporated," he
said. "And, these contractual workers were left completely stranded, without
any financial resources, without any passport or travel documents that were
taken away by this group of intermediaries. And, currently, they are
completely marooned and stuck in Baghdad without the possibility of returning
home." Chauzy says 1,000 migrants from various nationalities reportedly are
being kept in three warehouses in a secured area around the airport, without
their passports. He says most of these men are predominantly South Asian and
were contracted by a catering company.He says some of the men visited by IOM
staff begged for help to return home. Others said they could not go back until
they could pay off their debts. He says some Nepalese have managed to go home
either through help from their families or by borrowing money from fellow
Nepalese migrants with jobs in Iraq, thereby increasing their debts.He says IOM
soon will be helping eight Nepalese migrants return home. But, he says the
agency urgently needs about $1.5 million to assist hundreds of other migrants
to return.
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