The Kyrgyz parliament will vote next week on whether to shut a U.S. air base that is a key regional hub for US-led forces in Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan's president said Tuesday the base would be closed after the country secures Russian financial aid. Reuters - Kyrgyzstan's parliament will vote next week on whether to shut a U.S. air base which is an important staging post for U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, Kyrgyz officials said on Thursday. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Tuesday Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic and a traditional Russian ally, would close the Manas base after he secured Russian financial aid at talks in Moscow. The government needs parliamentary approval to proceed with the closure but this is seen as a formality as the chamber is controlled by a pro-presidential party. A simple majority of votes is needed. "We have included this issue in our February agenda," said Avtandil Arabayev, deputy head of the ruling Ak-Zhol party.
Reuters - Kyrgyzstan's parliament will vote next week on whether to shut a U.S. air base which is an important staging post for U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, Kyrgyz officials said on Thursday.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Tuesday Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic and a traditional Russian ally, would close the Manas base after he secured Russian financial aid at talks in Moscow.
The government needs parliamentary approval to proceed with the closure but this is seen as a formality as the chamber is controlled by a pro-presidential party. A simple majority of votes is needed.
"We have included this issue in our February agenda," said Avtandil Arabayev, deputy head of the ruling Ak-Zhol party.
The worst drought in half a century has parched fields across eight provinces in northern China and left nearly four million people without proper drinking water. Not a drop of rain has fallen on Beijing for more than 100 days, the longest dry spell for 38 years in a city known for its arid climate. The Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters described the drought as a phenomenon "rarely seen in history" as the Government declared a state of emergency. President Hu Jintao said that all efforts must be made to save the summer grain harvest.
The worst drought in half a century has parched fields across eight provinces in northern China and left nearly four million people without proper drinking water.
Not a drop of rain has fallen on Beijing for more than 100 days, the longest dry spell for 38 years in a city known for its arid climate. The Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters described the drought as a phenomenon "rarely seen in history" as the Government declared a state of emergency.
President Hu Jintao said that all efforts must be made to save the summer grain harvest.
A severe drought in northern China - considered the country's breadbasket - has hit almost 43% of the country's wheat crop this winter, senior officials have warned. Low rainfall since October has affected more than 9.3m hectares (229.71 acres) of land in northern China across six major grain-producing provinces, according to the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. Last week it warned that 3.7 million people and 1.85 million livestock had lost access to drinking water.
Low rainfall since October has affected more than 9.3m hectares (229.71 acres) of land in northern China across six major grain-producing provinces, according to the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. Last week it warned that 3.7 million people and 1.85 million livestock had lost access to drinking water.
I don't think it's going to get any better for china. It'd make a lot of sense for them to encourage the russians to grow grain around L Baikal and ship it south. But that requires a labour force that's not there unless the russians let the chinese in and they don't want to. keep to the Fen Causeway
At the end January, SPIEGEL reported that NATO High Commander General Craddock had ordered troops to attack drug traffickers -- without checking to see if they were also insurgents. He lost the internal dispute that ensued and his time may now be short in the Western alliance. General Craddock ordered NATO troops in Afghanistan to shoot those involved in the drug trade. On Jan. 30, General Bantz John Craddock gave up. On that day, the NATO High Commander retracted an order calling on troops fighting in Afghanistan with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to attack drug traffickers and facilities. Many of Craddock's comrades found the order unpalatable -- it explicitly directed NATO troops to kill those involved in the drug trade even if there was no proof that they supported insurgents fighting against NATO or Afghan security forces. General Egon Ramms, from Germany, who heads up the NATO command center responsible for Afghanistan in Brunssum, the Netherlands, expressed his displeasure with the order as did US General David McKiernan, who heads up the NATO command in Afghanistan. Both felt that the order violated ISAF rules of engagement as well as international law. Craddock was extremely upset by the resistance from his subordinates, insiders report. They say he even considered sending a written demand to Berlin that General Ramms be relieved of duty. In the end, though, the US general bowed to the inevitable and made the change demanded by both Ramms and McKiernan. Instead of being given a free hand against drug traffickers, NATO troops will continue to be allowed to attack only those drug traffickers with provable ties to insurgents and terror groups. The change, a NATO spokesperson said on Wednesday, means that the incident is over.
At the end January, SPIEGEL reported that NATO High Commander General Craddock had ordered troops to attack drug traffickers -- without checking to see if they were also insurgents. He lost the internal dispute that ensued and his time may now be short in the Western alliance.
General Craddock ordered NATO troops in Afghanistan to shoot those involved in the drug trade. On Jan. 30, General Bantz John Craddock gave up. On that day, the NATO High Commander retracted an order calling on troops fighting in Afghanistan with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to attack drug traffickers and facilities. Many of Craddock's comrades found the order unpalatable -- it explicitly directed NATO troops to kill those involved in the drug trade even if there was no proof that they supported insurgents fighting against NATO or Afghan security forces.
General Egon Ramms, from Germany, who heads up the NATO command center responsible for Afghanistan in Brunssum, the Netherlands, expressed his displeasure with the order as did US General David McKiernan, who heads up the NATO command in Afghanistan. Both felt that the order violated ISAF rules of engagement as well as international law.
Craddock was extremely upset by the resistance from his subordinates, insiders report. They say he even considered sending a written demand to Berlin that General Ramms be relieved of duty. In the end, though, the US general bowed to the inevitable and made the change demanded by both Ramms and McKiernan. Instead of being given a free hand against drug traffickers, NATO troops will continue to be allowed to attack only those drug traffickers with provable ties to insurgents and terror groups. The change, a NATO spokesperson said on Wednesday, means that the incident is over.
A Lebanese boat said to be carrying humanitarian aid but which Israel claims is carrying activists, has been intercepted by the Israeli navy on its way to the Gaza Strip.Reporters from the Arab TV stations al-Jadeed and al-Jazeera, who were on the vessel, said the Israelis fired at the ship before boarding it and beating the crew. The journalists said they were unable to show pictures of the incident as the Israeli force smashed their broadcast equipment.The Israeli military has denied firing on the ship.The Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak, confirmed that the ship had been stopped and said that it was being towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod. "The navy boarded the vessel, stopped it and it is now bringing it to Ashdod," Barak said.
A Lebanese boat said to be carrying humanitarian aid but which Israel claims is carrying activists, has been intercepted by the Israeli navy on its way to the Gaza Strip.
Reporters from the Arab TV stations al-Jadeed and al-Jazeera, who were on the vessel, said the Israelis fired at the ship before boarding it and beating the crew. The journalists said they were unable to show pictures of the incident as the Israeli force smashed their broadcast equipment.
The Israeli military has denied firing on the ship.
The Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak, confirmed that the ship had been stopped and said that it was being towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod. "The navy boarded the vessel, stopped it and it is now bringing it to Ashdod," Barak said.
BAGHDAD: The overwhelming winner of provincial elections in Iraq was the Dawa Party of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, whose candidates garnered the most votes of any party in nine provinces, but they appeared to fall short of being able to operate without coalition-building. Still, the results put Maliki's party on the road to transformation from a minor player among Shiite parties into the most powerful. The party won a clear plurality in the large provinces of Baghdad and Basra, both places where Maliki waged military campaigns to halt the activities of mostly Shiite militias. The parties associated with the anti-American Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr also did surprisingly well, especially given that his movement only backed political parties two weeks before the elections.
BAGHDAD: The overwhelming winner of provincial elections in Iraq was the Dawa Party of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, whose candidates garnered the most votes of any party in nine provinces, but they appeared to fall short of being able to operate without coalition-building.
Still, the results put Maliki's party on the road to transformation from a minor player among Shiite parties into the most powerful.
The party won a clear plurality in the large provinces of Baghdad and Basra, both places where Maliki waged military campaigns to halt the activities of mostly Shiite militias.
The parties associated with the anti-American Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr also did surprisingly well, especially given that his movement only backed political parties two weeks before the elections.
