US anti-drug effort in Afghanistan criticized 23 Dec 2009 The State Department's internal watchdog on Wednesday criticized the agency's nearly $2 billion anti-drug effort in Afghanistan for poor oversight and lack of a long-term strategy. The department's inspector general said the Afghanistan counter-narcotics program is hampered by too few personnel and rampant corruption among Afghan officials. [The US mission in Afghanistan is to keep the gas and opium pipelines flowing. See: Trail of Afghanistan's drug money exposed By Julien Mercille 16 Dec 2009 The total revenue generated by opiates within Afghanistan is about $3.4 billion per year. Of this figure, according to UNODC, the Taliban get only 4% of the sum... The remaining 75% is captured by government officials, the police, local and regional power brokers and traffickers - in short, many of the groups now supported (or tolerated) by the United States and NATO are important actors in the drug trade.]
Suicide bomber in southern Afghanistan kills eight: police 24 Dec 2009 A suicide bomber with a horse and cart detonated himself Thursday in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, killing eight people and wounding five, a senior police officer said. The explosion happened around 7.15 pm (1445 GMT) outside the Kandahar provincial health ministry directorate and a guesthouse sometimes used by foreigners, deputy provincial police chief Sazel Ahmad Shairzad said.
NATO confirms two soldiers dead in Afghanistan 24 Dec 2009 NATO has confirmed that two of its soldiers have been killed in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan. The military alliance said on Thursday that Canadian soldier, Lt. Andrew Nuttall, was killed in the Panjwaii district on Wednesday. An Afghan soldier died and an interpreter was also seriously injured in the attack. Meanwhile, a British soldier was killed in a roadside bombing in the Helmand province on Tuesday.
British soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan --Death is third this week in Helmand province for UK troops --Improvised bomb blamed after two earlier friendly fire killings 23 Dec 2009 The third British soldier this week has been killed in southern Afghanistan. The soldier from the Parachute Regiment was killed by an improvised bomb while on foot patrol near Sangin in Helmand province yesterday afternoon, the Ministry of Defence said.
Imam Tied to Fort Hood Shooter "Killed" 24 Dec 2009 A Muslim preacher linked by U.S. intelligence to a gunman who killed 13 people at a U.S. Army base is believed to have died in a Yemen airstrike on al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] militants, a security official said on Thursday. "Anwar al Awlaki is suspected to be dead (in the air raid)," said the Yemeni official, who asked not to be identified. Yemen said 30 militants were killed in the strike in the eastern province of Shabwa. The gunman in the November 5 shooting at the Fort Hood, Texas army base, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, had contacts with Awlaki late last year, U.S. authorities believe.
Jack Straw faces Iraq inquiry grilling over Tony Blair letter --Claims that PM was told UK should not assist in overthrow of Saddam 23 Dec 2009 The former foreign secretary Jack Straw is to face potentially explosive questioning at the Iraq inquiry next month over a private letter he sent to Tony Blair on the eve of the invasion, urging the prime minister to look at options apart from pressing ahead with British military involvement in the attack. It is understood that the inquiry is to receive a copy of the personal letter sent by Straw, written after discussions with Sir Michael (now Lord) Jay, the Foreign Office permanent secretary, on 16 March 2003, two days before the Commons voted to back the war.
Opponents gunning for Gordon Brown as he escapes Iraq grilling before election 24 Dec 2009 Prime Minister Gordon Brown and members of his Cabinet will not be called to give evidence to the Iraq inquiry until after the general election, it was announced yesterday. Opposition parties reacted angrily after it emerged that Sir John Chilcot's committee would wait until after polling day to quiz Mr Brown, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander.
Iraq bomb attacks kill 26 24 Dec 2009 Violence across Iraq left at least 26 people dead today, most of them Shia pilgrims attending mourning ceremonies, prompting fears of further sectarian attacks as Shia Islam's most solemn occasion looms. The deaths came three days before the climax of Ashura, when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converge on Kerbala to mourn the killing of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, in a battle in 680AD.
Iraqi police: Gunmen storm checkpoint, kill 4 23 Dec 2009 Authorities say [Blackwater?] gunmen have stormed a checkpoint west of Baghdad, killing four Iraqi police officers. It is the latest in a series of attacks in which gunmen have targeted Iraqi police and army checkpoints. Two police officials say gunmen stormed the checkpoint Wednesday morning in the Abu Ghraib area to the west of the capital.
Israel threatens another large-scale Gaza war 23 Dec 2009 Israel has threatened another massive war against the Gaza Strip as the impoverished enclave continues to suffer in the aftermath of the devastating January offensive. Israeli planes have been dropping thousands of leaflets across Gaza, warning Palestinians against cooperating with the resistance fighters based in the coastal sliver.
Guantanamo may have to stay open until 2011 23 Dec 2009 The prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may not close until 2011 because of anticipated appropriation struggles in Congress, the need to change federal law and construction time to upgrade an Illinois facility to hold detainees prisoners. The Thomson Correctional Center may not be purchased from the state until March and will need up to 10 months of construction said Joe Shoemaker, spokesman for Sen. Dick Durbin, who represents Illinois in the Senate.
From Guantánamo to Desk at Al Jazeera 23 Dec 2009 Of the 779 known detainees prisoners who have been held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, only one was a journalist. The journalist, Sami al-Hajj, was working for Al Jazeera as a cameraman when he was stopped by Pakistani forces on the border with Afghanistan in late 2001. Mr. Hajj... was never charged with a crime during his years in custody. Now, more than a year after his release, Mr. Hajj, a 40-year-old native of Sudan, is back at work at the Arabic satellite news network, leading a new desk devoted to human rights and public liberties. The captive has become the correspondent.
Navy attempted suicide rate nearly 3 percent 24 Dec 2009 Sailors attempted to commit suicide at rates significantly higher than the other services in 2008, according to a recent Defense Department-sponsored survey of service members. The Navy’s attempted suicide rate -- at 2.8 percent, or roughly 1 in every 35 sailors -- was three times higher than in the previous survey, conducted in 2005.
US, Poland Sign Deal on Stationing GIs --Deal to serve as legal framework for possible future missile defense site 12 Dec 2009 U.S. and Polish officials signed a deal Friday to regulate the stationing of American troops and military equipment in the eastern European country, paving the way for a U.S. military presence in the heart of the former Soviet bloc. The step is a prerequisite for the deployment of U.S. Patriot missiles to Poland, which is expected early next year.
'There is a core of resistance that has not been moved by entreaties by the U.S. government.' US poll shows worry about swine flu shot persists 22 Dec 2009 Americans who were worried about the safety of the swine flu vaccine are still worried and it may not be easy to convince them to get themselves or their children vaccinated, researchers said on Tuesday. "Thirty-five percent of parents say they are not going to get it and 60 percent say the major reason is safety," Robert Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health said in a telephone interview.
More swine flu vaccine recalled: FDA 23 Dec 2009 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit is voluntarily recalling some of its H1N1 swine flu vaccine because it was not as potent as it should be. Health Norman Baylor, director of the office of vaccines research and review at the FDA, said the recall involves a total of 4.7 million doses of the company's nasal spray vaccine, but only about 3,000 of those doses are left in warehouses.
Reaction to Senate Passage of Health Care Bill --Reaction to Senate passage of health care bill 24 Dec 2009 Remarks on the Senate's passage of health care legislation Thursday: "We are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform that will bring additional security and stability to the American people... This will be the most important piece of social legislation since Social Security passed in the 1930s." -- President Barack Obama.
Senate Passes 'Health Care' Overhaul Bill --Roll was called at 7:05 a.m. on Thursday 25 Dec 2009 The Senate voted Thursday to reinvent the nation’s health care system, passing a bill to guarantee access to health insurance for tens of millions of Americans and to rein in health costs bail out the insurance industry as proposed by President Obama. The 60-to-39 party-line vote, on the 25th straight day of debate on the legislation, brings Democrats a step closer to a goal they have pursued for decades. It clears the way for negotiations with the House, which passed a broadly similar bill last month by a vote of 220 to 215.
Health Bill Clears Last Hurdle Before Passage in Senate 23 Dec 2009 Exultant Senate Democrats pushed President Barack Obama's landmark health care overhaul past a final procedural hurdle Wednesday, setting up a Christmas Eve vote to pass the legislation extending coverage to 30 million Americans. Democrats voted 60-39 to end a GOP filibuster and move to a final vote Thursday. All 58 Democrats and two independents hung together against unanimous Republican opposition.
Abortion looms as possible 'health' bill deal killer 23 Dec 2009 DemocRATs are close enough to taste victory in their quest to remake the nation's health care system bail out the pharmaterrorists and insurance company cartel, but differences between the House and Senate on abortion could still blow it all up. [Any port in a storm! I'm sick of insurance company stocks SOARING since Opharma, et al., burned us on the public option.]
Senior Dem: Kill the Senate health reform bill and start over 23 Dec 2009 The Senate's healthcare bill is fatally flawed, a senior Democrat atop a powerful committee said on Wednesday. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Rules Committee and co-chairwoman of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said that the Senate's bill is so flawed that it's unlikely to be resolved in conference with the bill to have passed the House.
Congress Raises Debt Ceiling to $12.4 Trillion --Senate votes to raise ceiling on government's debt by $290 billion to $12.4 trillion 24 Dec 2009 The Senate voted Thursday to raise the ceiling on the government debt to $12.4 trillion, a massive increase over the current limit and a political problem that President Barack Obama has promised to address next year. The Senate's rare Christmas Eve vote, 60-39, follows House passage last week and raises the debt ceiling by $290 billion. The vote split mainly down party lines, with Democrats voting to raise the limit and Republicans voting against doing so.
Bo the First Dog not spending Christmas in Hawaii 23 Dec 2009 First Dog Bo will not join President Obama and his family on their Hawai'i vacation, which begins tomorrow, the state Department of Agriculture confirmed today. State Veterinarian Dr. James Foppoli had emailed the White House about Hawai'i's strict anti-rabies quarantine rules in anticipation of a visit by the famous Portuguese water dog, said Janelle Saneishi, spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture.
Previous lead stories: Taliban claim control of over 80pc of Afghanistan 22 Dec 2009 Rejecting as baseless the US allegations about the presence of Afghan Taliban in the tribal areas, a militant commander said they did not need to flee to the neighbouring country when the Taliban controlled major parts of Afghanistan. Mulla Sangeen, a key commander of the Afghan Taliban, claimed there was no truth in the US charges, as the Taliban were holding 80 per cent of the territory in Afghanistan.
NATO says no deadline for Afghan troop withdrawal 22 Dec 2009 The head of NATO said on Tuesday there would be no deadline for the exit of allied troops from Afghanistan, as fears grow among Afghans that foreign forces will leave before their own troops are able to guarantee security. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen was visiting Afghanistan for the first time since U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans this month to send 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan to try and tame mounting violence.
Lithuania 'hosted at least two secret CIA prisons' 22 Dec 2009 A Lithuanian inquiry has found that the US Central Intelligence Agency set up and used secret prisons on its soil following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the US. Lithuania's intelligence agency assisted the CIA-run secret prisons, which were used to hold at least eight 'al-Qaeda' suspects, the parliamentary panel in charge of the probe said in a report on Tuesday. The National Security Committee report records instances in 2005 and 2006 when chartered planes were allowed to land in Lithuania, adding that all the Lithuanian officials, including President Dalia Grybauskaite, were kept in the dark about the aircraft's passengers.
