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US Senate Struggles Toward Vote on Economic Stimulus Bill
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President Barack Obama launches stinging attack on Republicans while new US job
loss figures put additional pressure on lawmakers
Senators Richard Durbin, right, Charles Schumer, left, and Majority Leader
Harry Reid hold copy of stimulus bill passed by House of Representatives, 06
Feb 2009The Senate is headed toward a final vote on its version of an economic
stimulus bill aimed at stopping the U.S. economic decline. President
Obama launched a stinging attack on Republicans still opposing the
legislation, and new U.S. job loss figures put additional pressure on
Senate lawmakers.As the Senate resumed debate on its
legislation, and the country absorbed the latest government figures on
job losses, the president's remarks were still reverberating on Capitol
Hill.In remarks to members of his Democratic Party meeting in
Williamsburg, Virginia, President Obama took aim at Republican
arguments against the economic stimulus legislation, saying lawmakers
need to reject petty politics in the interests of the nation.
'The American people are watching'President Barack Obama "The
American people are watching," President Obama said. "They did not
send us here to get bogged down with the same old delay, the same old
distractions, the same talking points, the same cable [TV] chatter.
You know, aren't you all tired of that stuff?"The Senate is
working through remaining amendments proposed by Republicans and
Democrats, as Democratic leaders push to assure at least 60 votes in
the Senate needed to avert any Republican blocking effort. The
legislation is designed to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into
the U.S. economy in an attempt to jolt it out of a deepening recession.
Negotiationg in good faithIn
debate on Thursday, Majority Leader Harry Reid recognized that all
senators were negotiating in good faith, but warned of the consequences
of failure."All over this country, and the financial capitals
of the world, and the small towns all around the world, are looking to
see what we do," Reid said. "And it's not a pleasant picture to think
what would happen if this legislation, which was put together - I have
used the term before, in good faith by President Obama and his people -
is in effect turned down."Senator Mitch McConnell talks to reporters about
economic stimulus legislation on Capitol Hill, 05 Feb 2009But Republican Senate
leader Mitch
McConnell asserted that Americans are increasingly uncomfortable with
the level and type of spending in the legislation."The American people have
serious questions about the composition of this package," McConnell
said.Negotiations
involving moderate Senate Republicans and Democrats are aimed at
cutting tens of billions of dollars from the legislation, which grew
this week to more than $930 billion.
Republicans want more tax cutsIf the Senate can pass the
legislation, it would have to be reconciled in a House-Senate
conference committee with lawmakers in House of Representatives who
last week approved their own $819 billion version, but without a
single Republican supporting it.Both the House and Senate
measures would spend hundreds of billions of dollars on numerous
domestic projects ranging from education and transportation to health
care.However, Republicans have been pushing for more tax cuts,
arguing that this would be the most effective way to stimulate the
economy.Adding to the pressure on lawmakers, new government
figures showed U.S. jobless figures climbed to their highest level
since 1982, with 598,000 jobs lost in the month of January.The job losses left
the U.S. unemployment rate at 7.6 percent.
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Pakistani Assault on Khyber Pass Militants Kills 52
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Pakistani officials say assault targeted hideouts after militants cut key
supply route to Afghanistan Monday
Officials in Pakistan said a massive ground and air offensive has killed 52
militants in the northwest Khyber Pass, where a key bridge to Afghanistan was
destroyed by suspected Islamist fighters earlier this week. News agencies
quoted officials as saying the assault targeted militant hideouts and also
destroyed an ammunition depot and eight vehicles.No independent confirmation
was immediately available. On Monday, militants cut a key supply route to
Afghanistan when they blew up a 30-meter iron bridge and torched several
stranded supply trucks. Pakistanis mourn in front of the bodies of suicide
attack victims during their funeral in Dera Ghazi Khan, 06 Feb 2009Elsewhere in
central Pakistan Friday, scores of angry Shi'ite Muslims rioted a day after a
suspected suicide bomber killed dozens of worshippers near a Shi'ite mosque in
the town of Dera Ghazi Khan.Witnesses and police said protesters set fire to at
least one police outpost.A provincial police official said eight suspects have
been detained in connection with the blast on Thursday, which killed at least
33 people. More than 50 others were wounded when the bomb exploded in a crowd
of Shi'ite worshippers approaching the mosque for a religious
ceremony.Residents and analysts fear the blast at the Shi'ite mosque could
inflame sectarian tensions. Nobody has claimed responsibility for it, but
authorities quickly blamed it on extremists.Most Pakistanis are Sunni Muslim,
while Shi'ites make up about 20 percent of the country's population.Earlier,
another suicide bomber blew up his vehicle near a police station in Mingora,
the main town in Pakistan's restive Swat Valley. The local police chief said
at least 11 members of security forces were wounded.
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UN Secretary-General Visits Iraq
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Ban Ki-moon congratulates Iraqis on successful election, promises continued UN
support
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in
Baghdad, 06 Feb 2009
Iraqi leaders were all smiles as they welcomed UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon, in the wake of provincial elections last Saturday, which gave new
legitimacy to the government and strengthened the hand of Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki.UN representatives provided technical expertise to Iraq's High
Electoral Commission to prepare for the elections, which went off fairly
smoothly, in a country where sectarian violence was the norm just a year
earlier.The UN secretary-general underscored the improving security situation,
telling President Jalal Talabani that the U.N. would continue to help Iraq
recover from its long plight, now that progress is apparent."United Nations
will continue to stand by, providing necessary assistance, technical and
political. But I believe that you have come such a long way but still you have
to go a far way to say that you will fully be able to enjoy genuine freedom and
security and prosperity. That's what the United Nations is committed to work
together with you," he said.A UN spokesman added that Mr. Ban was making the
surprise visit to Baghdad, "to congratulate the Iraqi people on the success of
[the] largely violence-free elections."Iraqi election officials count ballots
from the country's provincial elections in Baghdad, 05 Feb 2009Fourteen out of
18 Iraqi provinces voted in the election, giving Prime Minister al-Maliki's
State of Law coalition 38 percent of the vote in Baghdad, 37 percent in Basrah,
and significant margins in other provinces, according to preliminary
results.Iraqi President Jalal Talabani gave his assessment of the situation as
he met with the secretary-general.He said that he painted a picture of the
positive developments in Iraq for Mr. Ban, explaining the significance of the
elections which were held successfully, in addition to thanking him for the
sacrifices the U.N. has made for the Iraqi people.Nouri al-Maliki (file
photo)Prime Minister al-Maliki also thanked Mr. Ban for the UN's role in
removing economic and political sanctions which had been imposed on the old
Saddam Hussein regime.He said he thanked the UN for helping to lift all the
sanctions imposed on Iraq for the misdeeds of the old (Saddam Hussein) regime
against the world and against neighboring states ... and for UN help in
carrying out a successful election which proves the Iraqi people have mastered
the democratic process, which is the best buttress against the return to
dictatorship.The visit of a UN secretary-general to Iraq is symbolic because it
eclipses memories of a brutal, terror attack which destroyed an entire wing of
UN headquarters in Baghdad, killing envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello, and other UN
employees in August 2003.It is also the first visit by Mr. Ban to Baghdad since
the UN mandate for the multinational force in Iraq expired on Dec. 31. A
bilateral security pact between the United States and Iraq went into effect on
January 1, allowing American forces to remain in the country until 2011.
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Arab League Condemns Israeli Seizure of Aid Ship
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Crew members and journalists aboard Lebanese ship carrying aid to Gaza say
Israel's military fired in ship's direction before boarding vessel
Israeli navy vessels escort a Lebanese ship (top) carrying aid supplies
for the Gaza Strip near the coastal Israeli city of Ashdod, 05 Feb 2009The Arab
League has condemned Israel's seizure of a ship carrying humanitarian aid from
Lebanon to the Gaza Strip.The league's envoy to the United Nations, Yahya
Mahmassani called the interception an act of piracy and asked U.N. Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon to intervene.Crew members and journalists aboard the
Lebanese ship say Israel's military fired in the ship's direction before
Israeli forces boarded the vessel. The Israeli military denied it fired on the
ship.Israeli officials said the Lebanese ship was escorted to the Israeli port
of Ashdod, and that any aid would be transferred to Gaza.Meanwhile, Israeli
officials say Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has agreed to the transfer of $43
million into Gaza to allow the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority to pay
salaries.Palestinians in Gaza have lacked cash due to an Israeli blockade of
the territory. Israel says its blockade is aimed at stopping weapons smuggling
to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza.In other news, a
senior Hamas official, Ayman Taha deposited $11 million in an Egyptian bank,
after Egyptian authorities prevented him from carrying the cash into Gaza. The
official was part of a delegation in Cairo this week for talks on a long-term
truce between Israel and Hamas. The group was later allowed to cross into Gaza,
after leaving Cairo without reaching a deal on a cease-fire.Hamas officials say
they hope to return to the Egyptian capital within the next week for further
talks. They say they want more information from Israel before signing Egypt's
proposal for an 18-month cease-fire.Hamas has repeatedly called on Israel to
open all border crossings into Gaza. On Thursday, French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner also urged the border be opened to allow in humanitarian aid.
He made the comments after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
in Washington.In violence on Thursday, Israeli officials say troops shot and
killed a Palestinian who threw a grenade near the Gaza-Israel border.Israel
conducted a three-week offensive against Hamas in Gaza to put an end to rocket
attacks. More than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed before the
offensive ended last month.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Clinton to Visit Asia on First Overseas Trip
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State Department says trip will emphasize importance of Asia to US
Hillary ClintonThe State Department says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
plans to visit Japan, South Korea, China and Indonesia when she makes her first
overseas trip later this month.State Department spokesman Robert Wood says
Clinton's trip to the region, which starts on February 15, is a sign of the
importance President Barack Obama's administration places on relations with
Asia.Wood says the global financial crisis and efforts to get North Korea to
abandon its nuclear weapons program will top her agenda in Tokyo, Seoul and
Beijing.He adds that Clinton has chosen to visit Indonesia on her first
overseas trip because she wants to reach out to the Muslim world.Wood noted
that Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country. In his inauguration
speech, Mr. Obama pledged to seek a new way forward with the Muslim
world.Beijing will be Clinton's final stop on her week-long trip to Asia.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP
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Chinese President Heads to Saudi Arabia, Africa
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Foreign minister says Hu Jintao will discuss energy cooperation with Saudi King
during meeting next week
Hu Jintao (file photo)China says President Hu Jintao will offer more aid to
Africa and discuss potential energy deals on a trip to Saudi Arabia and four
African countries next week. Saudi Arabia is one of China's main sources of
oil, and Beijing has been working hard to expand its presence in Africa.
President Hu's first overseas trip of 2009 will take him to Saudi Arabia on
Tuesday, and then to Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Mauritius.Assistant Foreign
Minister Zhai Jun told reporters Friday that President Hu and King Abdullah
will discuss energy cooperation when they meet next week.Zhai says if talks go
smoothly between the two leaders, some agreements may be signed.In 2008, Saudi
Arabia was China's largest source for crude oil imports. Saudi Arabia exported
36 million tons of oil to China that year. The Persian Gulf region provides
more than half of China's oil.In contrast to Saudi Arabia, the four African
countries on Hu's week-long trip are not rich in energy or resources.Zhai says
this is an indicator that China-Africa relations are based on more than just
commodities. Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Mauritius are all longtime allies of
Beijing. Mali established relations with China when it became independent in
1960, and Tanzania and China are marking 45 years of diplomatic ties.Trade
between China and African countries reached $106 billion in 2008, a 45 percent
increase from the previous year. At a 2006 Beijing summit with African nations,
leaders signed 16 agreements worth a total of $1.9 billion. Then, President Hu
promised $5 billion in loans and credit. He also promised to double China's
aid to Africa over a three year period.Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai says he
is confident China will meet that target by the end of this year.President Hu's
Africa trip is his second visit to the continent since the 2006 summit. Last
month, two other high-level Chinese officials also went to the region.
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visited Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi and South Africa,
and Commerce Minister Chen Deming visited Kenya, Zambia and Angola.
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Zimbabwe Judge Releases Opposition Leader
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Magistrate says prosecution unprepared to proceed with case against Tendai Biti
Tendai Biti holds press conference in Johannesburg, 20 Apr 2008A judge in
Zimbabwe has freed a leading opposition leader facing treason charges - a
capital crime - saying there were procedural problems with the case.Magistrate
Olivia Mariga said it appeared the prosecution was unprepared to proceed with
the case against Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Secretary-General Tendai
Biti. She also found there were technical problems with Biti's arrest.The
opposition has denied allegations that Biti was organizing a coup and says the
case is a political act organized by President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF
party.Commentators say Biti's release removes a major hurdle to implementing a
unity government, which is been the subject of months of negotiations. Last
week, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai agreed to join a unity government with Mr.
Mugabe.Biti, who is expected to be offered a cabinet post in the unity
government, said he was happy to be free and looking forward to entering
government.Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP
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CIA Director Nominee Outlines Goals, If Confirmed
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Leon Panetta underlines that Obama administration will offer clean break from
detainee policies of Bush administration
President Barack Obama's choice to head the Central Intelligence Agency, former
White House chief of staff Leon Panetta, appeared Thursday before the Senate
Intelligence Committee, where he outlined his agenda for the agency if he wins
Senate confirmation. Leon Panetta testifies on Capitol Hill, 05 Feb 2009Leon
Panetta, a former congressman who also served as Director of the Office of
Management and Budget in addition to President Clinton's chief of staff, made
clear that the Obama administration would offer a clean break from the detainee
policies of the previous Bush administration.Panetta said the current
administration would not send prisoners to third countries where they could be
tortured, as he said he believes happened under President George Bush."That
kind of extraordinary rendition, where we send someone for the purpose of
torture or actions by another country that violate our human values, that has
been forbidden by executive order," he said.Panetta said he did know exactly
what happened in the secret program for so-called prisoner renditions.Former
CIA Director Michael Hayden had acknowledged that the Bush administration moved
secret detainees to other countries for interrogation and imprisonment, outside
the U.S. judicial system.Panetta said he does not believe CIA officers who took
part in harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding - or simulated
drowning, should be prosecuted. But he said if interrogators went beyond
methods they were told were legal, they should be investigated.Among the CIA's
goals, Panetta says finding terrorist leader Osama bin Laden remains a top
priority. He addressed the issue in this exchange with Senator Christopher
Bond, a Missouri Republican."If we captured Osama bin Laden, we would find a
place to hold him temporarily," Panetta said. "Where would you hold him
permanently? asked Senator Bond. "I wouldn't think you would want to turn him
loose, would you?""We certainly don't want to let him loose," Panetta
responded. "We would debrief him and then we would incarcerate him, probably
in a military prison."Panetta also said he believes the United States needs to
improve its intelligence gathering in certain areas of the world and on certain
issues."We are not as strong as we should be I believe in Russia, in China, in
Africa. I think we need to know more for example, about the current economic
crisis that is not only impacting this country, but impacting the world," he
said. "What are the consequences of that in terms of stability in the world?
We need to understand that."Panetta, who is expected to be easily confirmed by
the Senate in the coming weeks, returns for a second day of questioning before
the Senate Intelligence Committee Friday.
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Australia Counter-Insurgency Expert Warns of Critical Years for Afghanistan
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David Kilcullen tells US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington that
Afghanistan is on brink of complete collapse
An Australian counter-insurgency specialist, who was one of the
architects of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq, has told the U.S. Senate
Foreign Relations Committee in Washington that Afghanistan is on the
brink of complete collapse. As the Obama administration prepares to
increase its military presence in Afghanistan, David Kilcullen has said
that 2009 will be a critical year for allied forces. Australia has said
it would only consider sending additional troops to Afghanistan if NATO
countries did the same. David
Kilcullen has been giving advice to the powerful U.S. Senate Foreign
Relations Committee about the best course of action in Afghanistan.The
security expert, who was instrumental in shaping the U.S. troop surge
in Iraq, has compared the worsening situation in Afghanistan to the
Vietnam War.He has warned that unless American commanders can stabilize
Afghanistan, the country will fail."The
level of violence in terms of violent incidents is up about 40 percent
on this time last year," said Kilcullen. "Popular support for the
government and government legitimacy is collapsing, so I think it's no
exaggeration to say that it is a critical year in Afghanistan and if we
don't get it right this year, we may not succeed."A soldier of Afghan National
Army takes picture of the wreckage of a vehicle used by a suicide bomber in the
outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, 01 Feb 2009Kilcullen, a
former Australian infantry officer, has said that redeploying large
numbers of soldiers from Iraq to Afghanistan might not have the same
"big impact" the surge managed to create during the Iraqi conflict.He
has suggested that rather than focusing on taking the fight to
insurgents, protecting the Afghan population could transform the
campaign there. The thinking is that if people feel safe they are more
likely to engage in the political process, which is what he says has
happened in Iraq.The United States is considering doubling its
troop presence in Afghanistan this year to roughly 60,000 in a bid to
regain the initiative from Taliban militants and prop up the government
of embattled Afghan President Hamid Karzai.Australia has about 1,000 military
personnel in Afghanistan and defense officials in
Canberra have said they would consider a request from U.S. President
Barack Obama to increase those levels but only if other NATO members
also commit greater numbers to the South Asia nation.David
Kilcullen has said that Australia might better serve its international
partners by sending civilian administrators to rebuild the mechanisms
of government in Afghanistan as it has done to some of its troubled
neighbors in the South Pacific, most notably in Papua New Guinea and
the Solomon Islands.
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Funding Curtails Expansion of Anti-Cholera Efforts in Zimbabwe, Officials Say
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The World Health Organization reports 3,350 deaths from Cholera through
Wednesday from a total of 67,567 cases over the past six months
A nurse prepares a sugar solution for cholera patients in Harare, 29 Jan
2009As cholera continues to claim lives in Zimbabwe, some of those involved in
the fight to end the epidemic say funding shortages are hampering efforts to
scale up the response.
Hospital Doctors Association Chairman Amon Siveregi said that while an
effective framework for fighting cholera is now in place, a lack of
funds is preventing the expansion of those initiatives to battle an epidemic
that is present in nearly all the country's districts.
The World Health Organization has reported 3,350 deaths from cholera as of
Wednesday from 67,567 cases over the six months cholera has been afoot in the
country.
For perspective on the situation reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye of VOA's
Studio 7 for Zimbabwe turned to Dr. Siveregi and Farid Abdulkadir, head of
operations in Zimbabwe for the International Red Cross. Dr. Siveregi said
insufficient funding is thwarting cholera prevention and holding up treatment
programs that could save lives.
More reports from VOA's Studio7 for Zimbabwe...
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Phelps Receives Three-Month Suspension For Smoking Marijuana
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Olympic swimming champion also lost contract with one of his top commercial
sponsors, Kellogg
Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics (file)
Multiple Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps is beginning to feel the
effects of a recently published photo showing him with a marijuana pipe.
USA Swimming handed the 23-year-old Phelps a three month suspension from
competition on Thursday. The organization also cut off its financial support to
Phelps for the same time period.
USA Swimming says Phelps did not violate any anti-doping rules. But it decided
to send a strong message to the winner of a record eight gold medals at the
Beijing Olympics, who is seen as a role model and hero.
The International Swimming Federation and several sponsors continue to stand
behind Phelps. But cereal and snack maker Kellogg says it will not renew its
sponsorship contract with the American.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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