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US Congress Sends Final Stimulus Plan to Obama
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US president praises Congress for passing bill, which includes tax cuts and
domestic spending projects aimed at creating jobs, spurring economic growth
The U.S. Congress has approved a $787 billion economic stimulus bill,
which President Barack Obama says he will soon sign into law.Mr.
Obama praised Congress for passing the plan, which includes tax cuts
and domestic spending projects aimed at creating jobs and spurring
economic growth.President Obama's weekly address, 14 Feb 2009 In his weekly
address Saturday, the president called the plan a "major milestone on our road
to recovery."Congress
passed the plan Friday, with lawmakers voting mostly along party
lines. The Senate passed the plan with only three minority Republicans
voting in favor of the bill. It received no Republican support in the
House of Representatives.In the Republican's weekly address,
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said her party has been supportive
of a stimulus plan, but objects to the cost of the current measure.
She said the plan will create too much debt that will ultimately be
held by other countries such as China.Republicans
had complained before the final vote that they did not have enough time
to read the entire bill, which was more than 1,000 pages long.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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US Congress Approves Economic Recovery Plan
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$787 billion economic stimulus bill received little Republican support, despite
President Barack Obama's appeals to minority party
The U.S. Senate Friday night followed the lead of the House of Representatives
and, on a 60-38 vote, gave final approval to a massive $787 billion economic
recovery plan in a key victory for President Barack Obama, who is expected to
sign the bill into law soon. But the measure received little Republican
support, despite Mr. Obama's appeals to the minority party. President Barack
Obama had called on Congress to approve an economic recovery plan before
February 16th, the President's Day federal holiday, and lawmakers delivered.The
measure, more than 1,000 pages long, is a package of spending and tax cuts
aimed at creating jobs and growing the economy. It is a compromise between
House and Senate versions of the legislation.Senator Ben Nelson, a Nebraska
Democrat, played a key role in crafting the bill with Republican Susan Collins
of Maine."Now is the time to provide the tools the American people will use
with creativity and drive to rebuild the economy and return us to prosperity,"
he said.Spending in the final bill was cut back from earlier versions to win
the support of three Republicans in the Senate, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania,
Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine. Their support was crucial to
get a 60 vote minimum in the 100 seat chamber to overcome efforts by other
Republicans to stall the bill.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi applauds during news
conference with Rep. George Miller and Transportation Committee Chairman James
Oberstar, in US Capitol, 13 Feb 2009 In the House, not one Republican voted in
favor of the measure, despite efforts by President Obama to reach out to
members of the other party.Republicans argued the plan is short on tax cuts and
contains wasteful spending that will not create jobs or grow the economy. They
say the true cost of the bill, with interest, is more than one trillion
dollars. They warn it will vastly increase the nation's debt, which will take
decades to pay down.Senator John McCain of Arizona, who lost his bid for the
presidency to Mr. Obama last November, spoke for most Republicans: "This
measure is not bipartisan, it contains much that is not stimulative and is
northing short of generational theft," he said.Democrats responded that
Republicans lack credibility on the issue since policies of the Republican Bush
administration contributed to a widening deficit. Charles Schumer a New York
Democrat, said "We know that the arguments about debt and generational theft
ring hollow because you didn't make those arguments once in the last eight
years when the deficit ballooned because of spending on the Iraq war and
spending on tax cuts largely for the highest income people in America."The
debate was similar in the House. Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio and
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi offered closing comments.Boehner said "I come
here to fight for a smaller, less costly federal government. This is the
epitome, the epitome, of what I came here to stop." Pelosi said "Congress is
boldly and swiftly delivering on the president's promise of new jobs, new hope,
and a new direction for the American people."The legislation includes spending
for local school districts, transportation, and renewable energy
programs.Supporters say the measure will create or save 3.5 million jobs.The
bill includes a measure opposed by U.S. trading partners that would favor U.S.
steel, iron and manufactured goods for government projects. The European Union
and other trading partners say the provision could undermine pledges by the
leaders of major economies not to resort to protectionism during the global
economic downturn.Following that strong reaction, the provision was amended to
require that the United States not violate trade agreements when implementing
the law.
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Suspected US Missile Strike in Pakistan Kills More Than 20
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Attack targets al-Qaida hideout in Pakistan's South Waziristan region
A suspected U.S. missile strike by an unmanned plane has destroyed an al-Qaida
hideout in a remote Pakistani border region, killing at least 20 people and
wounding many others. The early morning missile attack took place in the
hostile South Waziristan tribal region, which borders Afghanistan and is known
for harboring al-Qaida and Taliban militants.Local intelligence officials and
tribesmen said that two missiles fired by a suspected U.S drone targeted a
militant training facility in the Zangari village. The attack has destroyed the
camp and most of those killed were said to be local as well as foreign
militants. Witnesses said that Taliban fighters surrounded the area soon after
the attack and transported the dead and wounded out to an unknown location.US
special representative Richard Holbrooke (l) gestures during meeting with
Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Sapanta in Kabul, 14 Feb 2009The latest
drone attack coincides with U.S special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan
Richard Holbrooke's visit to the region. He met with Pakistani leaders earlier
this week and is currently in Kabul to explore new ways to fight terrorism. His
"fact-finding" mission is meant to help U.S. President Barack Obama's
administration devise an effective policy in what many say is the most
problematic region on earth.Critics like former security chief for the
federally administered Pakistani tribal regions, Mehmood Shah, maintain that
the policy of drone attacks is causing major problems for an important U.S ally
like Pakistan. "With this [missile attacks], I think this problem [of
militancy] is becoming more and more difficult for Pakistan to handle," he
said. "The militants' activities have no popularity in Pakistan. However, when
the Americans sort of become involved in Pakistan, it gives them [militants] a
reason. I am sure that we would have presented our case very strongly to Mr.
Holbrooke and that I think we should make the respect for our territory as a
pre-condition for any role that we have to play in this war on terror."The
American CIA-operated unmanned planes have carried out at least 30 missile
attacks on Pakistani territory since the middle of last year. They have
generally targeted al-Qaida and Taliban militants. Pakistani officials oppose
the attacks as a violation of their territorial limits and maintain that
civilian deaths in these missile strikes are helping the cause of militants.
Pakistani troops have launched major air and ground operations against
militants in the tribal regions in the past several years and have claimed
successes. But a wave of suicide bombings and rising attacks on security forces
outside the tribal areas in recent months have raised questions about the
effectiveness of country's anti-militants campaign.
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US Envoy Meets Afghan President
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Talks expected to focus on fighting growing Taliban insurgency
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and US special envoy Richard Holbrooke at
Presidential Palace in Kabul, 14 Feb 2009The new U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and
Pakistan has held talks with
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, amid a downturn in U.S.-Afghan relations.Richard
Holbrooke met with Mr. Karzai Saturday in Kabul for talks expected to
focus on fighting the growing Taliban insurgency. They made no public
statements afterward.But Mr. Karzai told the Arabic television
network Al-Jazeera on Friday there is tension between the U.S. and
Afghan governments related to civilian casualties, the arrests of
Afghans, and nightly raids on homes and the casualties they cause.Mr.
Karzai and the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama have had
limited communication since Mr. Obama took office on January 20.Earlier
Saturday, Holbrooke met with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta.In
violence Saturday, Afghan police say two separate bombings have killed a local
official and four police officers.Police in eastern Khost province say a
roadside bomb killed the district chief, Baitul Zaman Sabari, in Nadir Shah
Kot.In
southern Afghanistan, police say another roadside bomb hit a police
vehicle in Kandahar province late Friday, killing four policemen. This
is Richard Holbrooke's first trip to the region since President Obama
named him special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan. On
Wednesday, Taliban militants launched deadly attacks on three
government ministries in the Afghan capital. Mr. Obama is
pledging to re-evaluate U.S. counterterrorism strategy in the region.
He is expected to announce how many additional troops he will send to
Afghanistan in the coming days.Holbrooke previously visited Pakistan on his
trip to the region. He is expected to also stop in India.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Tens of Thousands in Beirut to Mark Anniversary of Hariri Killing
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Former prime minister, 22 other people were killed in Beirut on February 14,
2005, when massive truck bomb exploded as his convoy passed
Thousands of Lebanese attend rally, near grave of slain leader Rafik Hariri at
Martyrs' Square, in downtown Beirut, 14 Feb 2009 Tens of thousands of people
have gathered in downtown Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the
assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.Many at the rally
in Martyrs' Square waved red-white-and-green Lebanese flags or the banners of
their political parties.At times, the massive gathering was less a memorial
ceremony than a partisan political rally in support of the ruling coalition led
by the slain prime minister's son, Saad Hariri. Party leaders from his March
14 coalition vowed to win Lebanon's next parliamentary election in June.They
also welcomed next month's scheduled opening of the United Nations special
tribunal aimed at bringing the killers to justice. The tribunal was staunchly
opposed by the Syrian-allied opposition parties.The former prime minister and
22 other people were killed in Beirut on February 14, 2005, when a massive
truck bomb exploded as his convoy passed. Many of the remarks at the rally
pointed to the political divides that have deepened in Lebanon since Mr. Hariri
was killed.Many Lebanese blame Syria for the assassination, but Syria has
denied responsibility. A U.N. investigation has implicated senior Syrian
officials. Under pressure from Lebanon and the United Nations, Syria pulled its
14,000 troops out of Lebanon about two and a half months after the Hariri
killing.After the Syrian withdrawal, tensions grew between the Western-allied
March 14 group and the opposition, which is backed by Syria and Iran. The
political divide boiled over into street fighting in May of last year, in the
worst political and sectarian violence the country has seen since the end of
its long civil war.Mr. Hariri, who twice served as prime minister, is widely
credited for helping rebuild Beirut after a 15-year civil war. His
assassination shocked Lebanon and the international community.A series of other
political assassinations have rocked Lebanon in the four years since then, most
of them targeting politicians and journalists allied with the ruling
coalition.Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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Israel to Hamas: Release Soldier or No Truce
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Prime Minister's Office flatly rejects statements by Hamas that deal on
long-term Gaza cease-fire is imminent
Smoke rises from an Israeli missile strike on smuggling tunnels on the border
between Egypt and Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, 13 Feb 2009Talks on a
long-term cease-fire between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas that
rules the Gaza Strip have hit a snag. In a rare statement on the Jewish
Sabbath, Israel flatly rejected statements by Hamas that a deal on a long-term
Gaza cease-fire is imminent. The Prime Minister's Office said Israel would not
accept a truce that did not include the release of captive Israeli soldier
Gilad Shalit, held by Hamas for more than two years in Gaza.For Hamas, the key
to the Egyptian-mediated deal is Israel lifting its crippling blockade on
Gaza.Hamas official Ismail Radwan said "an honorable cease-fire would bring an
opening of border crossings, lifting the siege, and the reconstruction of
Gaza."The Israeli statement said border crossings would not be opened as long
as Corporal Gilad Shalit remains in captivity. But Hamas official Mohammed
Nasser said Shalit and the cease-fire are two separate issues.He said Shalit
would be freed at a later stage, if Israel agrees to Hamas's demand to release
about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel is linking the prisoner swap and
cease-fire in a bid to pressure Hamas, which is anxious to lift the blockade
and start reconstruction after the devastating Gaza war. Bridging the gaps
could take awhile, so it appears that declarations of an imminent cease-fire
were premature.
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Clinton Offers N. Korea Normal Ties, Peace Treaty If It Disarms
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US Secretary of State addresses Asia Society preceding four-nation trip to
region; tells VOA she would also raise N. Korea's human rights record in any
normalization process
US Secretary Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the Asia Society, in New
York, 13 Feb. 2009Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a policy address
preceding her trip to Asia beginning Sunday, said the United States is ready to
offer North Korea normal relations and a peace treaty if it scraps its nuclear
program. The Secretary also announced that military-to-military U.S. ties with
China are being renewed. The Secretary, previewing the four-nation Asian tour
that will be her first trip abroad in her new job, called the North Korean
nuclear program the most acute challenge to stability in Northeast Asia. In the
most explicit recent comments by the United States on the subject, she told New
York's Asia Society that a successful outcome to the Chinese-sponsored
six-party negotiations on the nuclear issue would mean normal relations between
Washington and Pyongyang."If North Korea is genuinely prepared to completely
and verifiably eliminate their nuclear weapons program, the Obama
administration will be willing to normalize bilateral relations, replace the
[Korean] peninsula's long-standing armistice agreements with a permanent peace
treaty, and assist in meeting the energy and other economic needs of the North
Korean people," she said.The six-party talks have been stalled over North
Korea's refusal to accept a verification program for the declaration of its
nuclear program it made last June, and Pyongyang has recently stepped up verbal
attacks on South Korea amid indications it may test a long range
missile.Clinton said she still sees an opportunity to advance the nuclear
negotiations but that it is incumbent on North Korea to avoid any provocative
action and unhelpful rhetoric toward its neighbor.The Secretary later told VOA
in an interview that the United States would obviously raise what she termed
North Korea's terrible human rights record in any normalization process, but
the issue has to be approached in a realistic way that deals first with
Pyongyang's threats to its neighbors.Clinton visits Japan, Indonesia, South
Korea and finally China on the trip spanning a full week that will also focus
on ways to stimulate the sagging global economy and world trade. She said a
positive, cooperative U.S.-Chinese relationship is vital to peace and
prosperity not only in Asia but worldwide and said that a China on the rise is
not necessarily a U.S. adversary. In a sign of diminishing U.S.-Chinese
tensions over Taiwan, she said the two powers are restarting military contacts
halted by China last year over U.S. arms sales to the island."Our two
countries, I'm happy to say, will resume mid-level military-to-military
discussions later this month, and we look forward to further improved relations
across the Taiwan straits," she said. "Even with our differences the United
States will remain committed to pursuing a positive relationship with
China."Clinton said the centerpiece of her stop in Japan will be the signing of
an agreement moving 8,000 U.S. military personnel from Japan to the U.S.
Pacific island of Guam, in a effort to further ease friction caused by the
American troop presence in Japan.The secretary of state commended Indonesia,
where she noted President Obama spent four years of his childhood, for settling
the conflict in Aceh and for efforts for peace and stability in East Timor.She
told VOA the Obama administration wants to re-enage with Indonesia and its
partners in ASEAN - the Association of Southeast Asian nations - to work
collectively to work for improved human rights conditions in Burma.
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US Signals Flexibility With Moscow on Missile Defense
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US says it is open to reconfiguring European missile defense program, depending
on success of diplomacy toward Iran
US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns, (file photo)A
senior State department official has told Moscow the United States is open to
reconfiguring a European missile-defense program - aimed at Iran - that has
generated Russian concerns. The third-ranking State Department official -
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns - held talks on the
issue this week in Moscow. Officials here are giving no details of Burns's
talks in Moscow. But they do not contest remarks attributed to him by Russia's
Interfax news agency that the Obama administration is seeking Russian
cooperation based on what Burns described as a "new configuration" on missile
defense that would use resources both countries have.
Repairing the US-Russian rift
U.S.-Russian relations soured last year, due in part to a push by the former
Bush administration for a missile defense system in central Europe aimed at
what was framed as a looming long-range missile threat from so-called "rogue
states,' principally Iran.The Bush plan called for stationing of 10 interceptor
missiles in Poland and a related radar system in the Czech Republic. Though the
Bush administration offered Moscow transparency measures including on-site
inspections, Russia adamantly opposed the program as a threat to its own
missile deterrence.Russia's Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin told the Reuters
new agency Moscow would wait to see how the United States follows-up on Burns's
remarks but he said if the Obama administration does review its missile defense
plan, it would be a big gift to the region.
Diplomacy vs. missiles
At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Gordon Duguid said it is
heartening that Burn's remarks in Moscow were seemingly well-received.He said
the new U.S. administration still supports missile defense, provided it is
threat-specific and that the technology for it proves feasible and
cost-effective.Duguid also said the need for a missile-defense system would
diminish if efforts by the United States, Russia and other major powers to
dissuade Iran from developing nuclear weapons can show success."We will pursue
the issue of missile defense but obviously we are going to take into account a
number of factors. One is whether the system works. Another is whether it is
cost-effective. Another is the nature of the threat. If through strong
diplomacy we and our other partners, including Russia can reduce or eliminate
the threat, it obviously shapes the way we look at missile defense and its
deployment," he said.The United States along with the other permanent U.N.
Security Council member countries and Germany - the P-5+1 - have offered Iran
various incentives to stop a uranium-enrichment program U.S. and European
officials believe is weapons-related.Iran, which says its nuclear program is
peaceful, has ignored three Security Council sanctions resolutions on the
issue. The Bush administration wanted even tougher sanctions though Russia and
China have to date resisted the idea.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,
(file photo)Undersecretary Burns and his P-5+1 colleagues held their first
meeting on Iran since the new U.S. administration took office last week in
Germany.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has not yet had a face-to-face
meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. But European Union chief
diplomat Javier Solana said in Washington Friday they will meet March 6 in
Geneva, a day after a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.
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EU to Launch Environmental Auction
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Potential donors can bid on international environmental projects that 27-member
bloc cannot afford to fund
The European Union is launching for the first time a so-called environmental
auction in which potential donors can bid on international environmental
projects that the 27-member bloc cannot afford to fund.
Interested in community development in Afghanistan or poverty reduction in
Peru? What about biodiversity or fighting desertification in Africa? If these
initiatives sound interesting to you - and you are willing to spend some money
to invest in them, you may want to participate in an environmental "auction" in
Brussels on March 13.
The so-called "Auction Floor" is being held by the European Union for roughly
100 environmental projects from around the world that the bloc deems are worth
financing - but can't afford to do so itself.
"In the specific field of climate change and environment we have received a
lot of projects and we cannot finance all of them. But all of these projects,
we have selected 100 worldwide, we think are worthy of being financed. We have
done the preliminary studies on those so we know they could have an effect and
they could be useful. But we have limited means," explained European Commission
spokeswoman Christiane Hohmann.
Potential donors invited to participate at the auction could be governments,
foundations or even companies. The March 13 event is not an auction per se, but
rather a chance to learn about the projects from EU experts who have evaluated
them and people who are running them. But if there are several interested
parties, then there may be an auction-style competition for a given project.
And there are plenty of projects to choose from, ranging from fighting
desertification, climate change and deforestation to improving biodiversity and
sustainable development.
"So to give you an example, if I go into desertification, there's a project in
Afghanistan to have a community led initiative for sustainable natural resource
management. There is an initiative in Peru for poverty reduction through
equitable compensation for hydrological services," said Christiane Hohmann.
This is the first time ever the EU is auctioning off environmental projects,
but if next month's event is successful, it may not be the last time.
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Scientists Map Neanderthal Genome
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They hope the ancient hominid will shed light on the evolution of modern humans
A team of German scientists has completed the first draft of the A
photographer takes pictures of the Neanderthal man at the Prehistoric Museum in
Halle, Germanygenome. Scientists hope the ancient hominid will shed light on
the evolution of modern humans.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology isolated
three billion base pairs, or genetic building blocks, from 38,000-year-old
Neanderthal bone fragments of three Croatian fossils. But the genetic blueprint
is about 63 percent complete, researchers say, because many of the gene pairs
are repeats.
Researchers had to use a special "clean room" to sift the DNA from the
bacteria that had accumulated inside the fossils, which geneticists hope will
answer questions about the extinct Neanderthals' migration out of Africa to
Asia and Europe, where they died out 30,000 years later to be replaced by
modern humans.
But there is argument about just how closely humans and Neanderthals are
related. While some anthropologists believe Neanderthal was a direct ancestor,
others believe the ancient hominid bred with other primates in Europe and Asia,
which led to the explosion of modern humans.
Svante Paabo, lead scientist on the Neanderthal gene sequencing project in
Leipzig,Germany believes Neanderthal is only a distant cousin of modern humans.
"We have no definitive proof of any contribution of Neanderthals into the
current gene pool. But the problem is, of course, to say that something does
not exist at all. So, what we cannot say is we have not found it and if it
exists, it has been quite small," Paabo said.
But researchers have identified one gene the ancient hominid and modern humans
share in common called FOXP2, which codes for speech. "Language ability and
speech and articulation rely on many, many other genes that we do not yet known
where Neanderthals could have been different. So, we cannot say from this that
they could speak; we could just say there's no reason to assume they could
speak from the little we know," Paabof said.
Both the human and chimpanzee genomes have been sequenced and found to be more
than 95 percent identical. Geneticists say the Neanderthal DNA will now be
compared to that of modern primates to see if what clues it offers as to the
origin of our species.
The announcement of the sequencing of the Neanderthal DNA project coincides
with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, the father of the
theory of evolution of man, and was presented at the annual meeting of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago.
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