DUBLIN -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to buck up a pair of stalwart American allies on Sunday, assuring the British that they still had a special relationship with the United States, and telling the Irish that she would help them keep Northern Ireland's peace process on track.Northern Ireland, while mostly tranquil, has flared up in recent months, with a few violent episodes, including the shooting of two British soldiers, and a dispute within the Northern Irish coalition government over the transfer of the police and justice functions from London to Belfast."Clearly there are questions and some apprehensions," Mrs. Clinton said before meeting with Prime Minister Brian Cowen of Ireland at his residence here. "But I believe that due to the concerted effort of the British government, the Irish government, the support of friends like us in the United States, that the parties understand that this is a step they must take together."
Northern Ireland, while mostly tranquil, has flared up in recent months, with a few violent episodes, including the shooting of two British soldiers, and a dispute within the Northern Irish coalition government over the transfer of the police and justice functions from London to Belfast.
"Clearly there are questions and some apprehensions," Mrs. Clinton said before meeting with Prime Minister Brian Cowen of Ireland at his residence here. "But I believe that due to the concerted effort of the British government, the Irish government, the support of friends like us in the United States, that the parties understand that this is a step they must take together."
In Takaba town in north east Kenya, a crowd of people gather around a camel. The so-called ship of the desert has been weakened by drought and can barely move. When this happens, it takes an entire village to put it back on its feet. Despite their best efforts the villagers are unable to lift the camel. After two hours of huffing and puffing, they have no choice but to leave the camel to die in the sun. They too have been weakened by the dry spell. Habiba Ibrahim, the owner of camel, watched the animal with tears in her eyes: "There is nothing I can do. There is no grass to give it due to the drought. This is one of my two remaining camels. The rest have all died." The relentless drought across East Africa is worsening because of global climate change and the continued destruction of forests, grasslands, wetlands and other critical ecosystems, the United Nation's Environment Programme (UNEP) is warning. The Kenyan government says nearly four million people are now close to starvation after the rains have failed for three straight years.
In Takaba town in north east Kenya, a crowd of people gather around a camel. The so-called ship of the desert has been weakened by drought and can barely move. When this happens, it takes an entire village to put it back on its feet.
Despite their best efforts the villagers are unable to lift the camel. After two hours of huffing and puffing, they have no choice but to leave the camel to die in the sun. They too have been weakened by the dry spell. Habiba Ibrahim, the owner of camel, watched the animal with tears in her eyes: "There is nothing I can do. There is no grass to give it due to the drought. This is one of my two remaining camels. The rest have all died."
The relentless drought across East Africa is worsening because of global climate change and the continued destruction of forests, grasslands, wetlands and other critical ecosystems, the United Nation's Environment Programme (UNEP) is warning. The Kenyan government says nearly four million people are now close to starvation after the rains have failed for three straight years.
Senior British army commanders in Iraq refused to investigate hundreds of cases of abuse against Iraqi civilians that led to serious injury or even death, a former member of the Royal Military Police has claimed. The former Red Cap investigator alleged that some of the worst cases had been covered up and that the interests of the military had taken precedence over the interests of justice. It has been claimed previously that top commanders in Iraq ruled out calling in the RMP in cases where it was judged that deaths or injuries involving Iraqi civilians could not be directly attributed to British military action. However, the new allegations, made by a former member of the RMP in an interview with Donal MacIntyre on BBC Radio 5 Live last night, could reignite the question of the treatment of detainees and the conduct of soldiers during the campaign against Shia militia extremists in southern Iraq between 2003 and 2007.
Senior British army commanders in Iraq refused to investigate hundreds of cases of abuse against Iraqi civilians that led to serious injury or even death, a former member of the Royal Military Police has claimed.
The former Red Cap investigator alleged that some of the worst cases had been covered up and that the interests of the military had taken precedence over the interests of justice.
It has been claimed previously that top commanders in Iraq ruled out calling in the RMP in cases where it was judged that deaths or injuries involving Iraqi civilians could not be directly attributed to British military action.
However, the new allegations, made by a former member of the RMP in an interview with Donal MacIntyre on BBC Radio 5 Live last night, could reignite the question of the treatment of detainees and the conduct of soldiers during the campaign against Shia militia extremists in southern Iraq between 2003 and 2007.
The US has cancelled its biggest air-defence exercise with Israel after Turkey refused to allow Israeli aircraft to participate in the war games, due to begin out of Turkish air bases today. Israeli officials said that Turkey's stance over the 11-day manoeuvres, codenamed Operation Anatolian Eagle, was the result of lingering anger at Israel's devastating onslaught on the Gaza Strip last winter. Secular Turkey is Israel's main military ally in the Muslim world, and has long enjoyed military co-operation with the Jewish state. Israeli bombers are believed to have passed through Turkish airspace when they attacked a suspected nuclear facility under construction in Syria in 2007. The cancellation of the large aerial war games caused anger in Israel, coming only two weeks after Iran held its own military exercises in which it launched missiles capable of hitting Israel. Last week an official from Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened that Tehran would "blow up the heart of Israel" if a US or Israeli strike was made on the country's controversial nuclear facilities.
The US has cancelled its biggest air-defence exercise with Israel after Turkey refused to allow Israeli aircraft to participate in the war games, due to begin out of Turkish air bases today.
Israeli officials said that Turkey's stance over the 11-day manoeuvres, codenamed Operation Anatolian Eagle, was the result of lingering anger at Israel's devastating onslaught on the Gaza Strip last winter.
Secular Turkey is Israel's main military ally in the Muslim world, and has long enjoyed military co-operation with the Jewish state. Israeli bombers are believed to have passed through Turkish airspace when they attacked a suspected nuclear facility under construction in Syria in 2007.
The cancellation of the large aerial war games caused anger in Israel, coming only two weeks after Iran held its own military exercises in which it launched missiles capable of hitting Israel. Last week an official from Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened that Tehran would "blow up the heart of Israel" if a US or Israeli strike was made on the country's controversial nuclear facilities.
US troops boarded a German-owned freighter in early October and found eight containers full of ammunition, allegedly headed to Syria from Iran. The shipment is in violation of a UN weapons embargo and has become a source of chagrin in Berlin. An "embarrassing affair," is how one German diplomat described it. The official could also have added: potentially damaging to trans-Atlantic relations. In an operation reported on by SPIEGEL over the weekend, US soldiers entered the freighter Hansa India in the Gulf of Suez at the beginning of October and discovered seven containers full of 7.62 millimeter ammunition suitable for Kalashnikov rifles. An eighth container was full of cartridges suitable for the manufacture of additional rounds. The incident is particularly awkward for Berlin as the Hansa India is registered to the Hamburg-based shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg. Investigators suspect that the arms were part of an Iranian shipment bound for either the Syrian army or for Hezbollah, the militant Islamist group. US officials have pointed out that the delivery is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747, which prohibits arms shipments either into or out of Iran.
US troops boarded a German-owned freighter in early October and found eight containers full of ammunition, allegedly headed to Syria from Iran. The shipment is in violation of a UN weapons embargo and has become a source of chagrin in Berlin.
An "embarrassing affair," is how one German diplomat described it. The official could also have added: potentially damaging to trans-Atlantic relations.
In an operation reported on by SPIEGEL over the weekend, US soldiers entered the freighter Hansa India in the Gulf of Suez at the beginning of October and discovered seven containers full of 7.62 millimeter ammunition suitable for Kalashnikov rifles. An eighth container was full of cartridges suitable for the manufacture of additional rounds. The incident is particularly awkward for Berlin as the Hansa India is registered to the Hamburg-based shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg.
Investigators suspect that the arms were part of an Iranian shipment bound for either the Syrian army or for Hezbollah, the militant Islamist group. US officials have pointed out that the delivery is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747, which prohibits arms shipments either into or out of Iran.
Oh well, it just ensures China has a free hand. keep to the Fen Causeway
Truth is war's first casualty. The Afghan war's biggest untruth is, "we've got to fight terrorists over there so we don't have to fight them at home." Many North Americans still buy this lie because they believe the 9/11 attacks came directly from the Afghanistan-based al-Qaida and Taliban movements. False. The 9/11 attacks were planned in Germany and Spain, and conducted mainly by U.S.-based Saudis to punish America for supporting Israel. Taliban, a militant religious, anti-Communist movement of Pashtun tribesmen, was totally surprised by 9/11. Taliban received U.S. aid until May, 2001. The CIA was planning to use Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida to stir up Muslim Uighurs against Chinese rule, and Taliban against Russia's Central Asian allies.
Truth is war's first casualty. The Afghan war's biggest untruth is, "we've got to fight terrorists over there so we don't have to fight them at home."
Many North Americans still buy this lie because they believe the 9/11 attacks came directly from the Afghanistan-based al-Qaida and Taliban movements.
False. The 9/11 attacks were planned in Germany and Spain, and conducted mainly by U.S.-based Saudis to punish America for supporting Israel.
Taliban, a militant religious, anti-Communist movement of Pashtun tribesmen, was totally surprised by 9/11. Taliban received U.S. aid until May, 2001. The CIA was planning to use Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida to stir up Muslim Uighurs against Chinese rule, and Taliban against Russia's Central Asian allies.
My initial support for the war [in Iraq] was symptomatic of unfortunate tendencies within the foreign policy community, namely the disposition and incentives to support wars to retain political and professional credibility. We 'experts' have a lot to fix about ourselves, even as we 'perfect' the media. We must redouble our commitment to independent thought, and embrace, rather than cast aside, opinions and facts that blow the common--often wrong--wisdom apart. Our democracy requires nothing less.
