(Reuters) - China is lobbying neighbors to sign up to a road map for renewed nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong-il is visiting China amid conciliatory words and threats of "holy war." The details of Beijing's plan for restarting stalled six-party nuclear talks came from a South Korean diplomatic source, who spoke on Saturday after discussion in Seoul with Wu Dawei, China's top envoy in the talks.But the source, as well as a Japanese official speaking in Beijing, stressed that big obstacles remained, even if the secretive Kim's trip to China yields another vow of North Korea's willingness to sit down and discuss a dormant deal to scrap its nuclear weapons in return for aid.
(Reuters) - China is lobbying neighbors to sign up to a road map for renewed nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong-il is visiting China amid conciliatory words and threats of "holy war."
The details of Beijing's plan for restarting stalled six-party nuclear talks came from a South Korean diplomatic source, who spoke on Saturday after discussion in Seoul with Wu Dawei, China's top envoy in the talks.
But the source, as well as a Japanese official speaking in Beijing, stressed that big obstacles remained, even if the secretive Kim's trip to China yields another vow of North Korea's willingness to sit down and discuss a dormant deal to scrap its nuclear weapons in return for aid.
(Reuters) - Foreign and Afghan troops killed 24 insurgents as they fought off pre-dawn attacks on two bases in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said, with the Taliban saying suicide bombers the fighters. The attacks targeted the U.S. military's Forward Operating Base Chapman and nearby Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province near the eastern border with Pakistan, where U.S. and other foreign forces have been stepping up operations against a resurgent Taliban.Seven Central Intelligence Agency officers were killed by a suicide bomber inside Chapman last December, the second-most deadly attack in CIA history.Despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.
(Reuters) - Foreign and Afghan troops killed 24 insurgents as they fought off pre-dawn attacks on two bases in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said, with the Taliban saying suicide bombers the fighters.
The attacks targeted the U.S. military's Forward Operating Base Chapman and nearby Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province near the eastern border with Pakistan, where U.S. and other foreign forces have been stepping up operations against a resurgent Taliban.
Seven Central Intelligence Agency officers were killed by a suicide bomber inside Chapman last December, the second-most deadly attack in CIA history.
Despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.
KABUL, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Afghan government on Saturday termed the U.S. media reports that some officials are on the payroll of United States intelligence agency CIA as baseless and denounced it. "Afghanistan believes that such baseless propaganda would not strengthen the alliance on terror, rather would have negative impact in this field," a statement released by Presidential Palace said. New York Times and the Washington Post, according to the statement, had reported recently that half of Afghan officials particularly in the Presidential Palace are on the payroll of CIA.
KABUL, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Afghan government on Saturday termed the U.S. media reports that some officials are on the payroll of United States intelligence agency CIA as baseless and denounced it.
"Afghanistan believes that such baseless propaganda would not strengthen the alliance on terror, rather would have negative impact in this field," a statement released by Presidential Palace said.
New York Times and the Washington Post, according to the statement, had reported recently that half of Afghan officials particularly in the Presidential Palace are on the payroll of CIA.
Asuncion, Paraguay (UPI) Aug 26, 2010 Paraguay is celebrating record economic growth on the back of its soy exports but remains exposed to domestic and international pressures to consolidate a more secure future. An ever bigger uncertainty is political, not economic -- President Fernando Lugo's fight against cancer. Lugo, 59, a former Roman Catholic bishop who won election two years ago, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma this month. Earlier the president was ambushed by multiple paternity claims by women he met during priesthood. But the scandals oddly enhanced his standing among Paraguayans respectful of virility in their leader. Lugo begged forgiveness and was back on the road until cancer struck. News of the land-locked nation's soybean bonanza from the Central Bank brought cheer to the country, only to be tempered by Lugo's future and memory of Paraguay's relapse in the 2009 economic downturn, which was made worse by a prolonged drought.
An ever bigger uncertainty is political, not economic -- President Fernando Lugo's fight against cancer. Lugo, 59, a former Roman Catholic bishop who won election two years ago, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma this month.
Earlier the president was ambushed by multiple paternity claims by women he met during priesthood. But the scandals oddly enhanced his standing among Paraguayans respectful of virility in their leader. Lugo begged forgiveness and was back on the road until cancer struck.
News of the land-locked nation's soybean bonanza from the Central Bank brought cheer to the country, only to be tempered by Lugo's future and memory of Paraguay's relapse in the 2009 economic downturn, which was made worse by a prolonged drought.
Tens of thousands have gathered in Washington DC for a rally organised by Glenn Beck, a talk show host, at the site and on the anniversary of the iconic 1963 civil rights demonstration. Civil rights leaders have protested the event, scheduling a march not far from Beck's gathering. Beck, a commentator on Fox News and daily radio, has called Saturday's event a faith-based show of thanks and support for US military families, honoring "heroes, our heritage and our future." Beck said the date of the rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial, the same location where Martin Luther King made his 'I have a dream' speech 47 years ago, is only coincidental. He called it one of "divine providence".
Tens of thousands have gathered in Washington DC for a rally organised by Glenn Beck, a talk show host, at the site and on the anniversary of the iconic 1963 civil rights demonstration.
Civil rights leaders have protested the event, scheduling a march not far from Beck's gathering.
Beck, a commentator on Fox News and daily radio, has called Saturday's event a faith-based show of thanks and support for US military families, honoring "heroes, our heritage and our future."
Beck said the date of the rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial, the same location where Martin Luther King made his 'I have a dream' speech 47 years ago, is only coincidental.
He called it one of "divine providence".
Mexico: The United States, then, in addition to being responsible for much of the drug consumption that fuels Mexico's "drug war," and of putting in place very few obstacles to selling the assault rifles and guns used to kill Mexican police, civilians, and drug rivals, for fear out of financial panic blocks a full indictment of the criminal wrongdoings of big banks such as Wachovia, meekly asking them pay merely a small fine and to promise not to do it again...
Puerto Rico, SAN JUAN - Teachers on Thursday staged a 24-hour strike and paralyzed Puerto Rican public education to protest what they say is a general deterioration of the school system. The strike is a protest against the aim of privatizing employee pensions, a shortage of teachers and the degradation of physical plant, the president of the FMPR union, Rafael Feliciano, told Efe on Thursday.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA) -- As the government of Guyana continues to make interventions to ensure that the rice industry remains productive, a new agreement has been secured with its neighbouring counterpart Venezuela. The US$38 million agreement is the largest ever signed by the governments of Guyana and Venezuela, secured during President Bharrat Jagdeo's recent visit to the neighbouring country in July. It was initially inked by Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud and Venezuela's Minister of Food Production.
then they can tell the palestinians to eat it and go back to SOP. keep to the Fen Causeway
In the meantime, there's a hell of a lot going on on the ground in the way of further injustices and brutality, which is ignored.
On the other hand, if you saw a media mention (never mind the slant that media was putting on it), you're as free as anyone else to post it (following posting guidelines of course...).
Adam Keller wrote on Saturday, August 28, 2010:
But can he?
A glittering event, a magnificent photo opportunity. The President of the US, The Prime Minister of Israel, the Head of the Palestinian Authority, assorted Arab leaders, very many TV cameras. A festive launch of the negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. And a clear deadline - within a year the negotiations will be concluded, and there will be an agreement, and there will be peace. It has happened before. In November 2007, President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice convened the leaders at Annapolis, and the speeches were delivered, and the cameras clicked and transmitted everything live all over the world. And then Bush left the parties alone, to talk to each other, and lay down for a good nap after an excellent meal prepared by the White House cooks. And the parties talked and talked and talked, and meantime the bulldozers worked full steam and the settlements grew apace and the occupation continued to trample the Palestinians to the ground. And a year after the grand conference, there was no peace to be signed. One year after Annapolis, the government of Israel launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip and killed 1300 Palestinians, including hundreds of children. But this time it will not be like that. It will be completely different. Something has changed. The President of the United States has changed. Barack Hussein Obama is not George W. Bush. He has promised to completely change Bush's policies in all spheres, internal and external. That is why he was elected. He will not settle for an empty photo opportunity. He will take personal charge, and push and pressure with all his force - if not immediately after the conference, at least after the Congressional elections in November. He will not allow the occupation to go on and the settlements to continue growing. When Obama makes a promise he keeps it, by hook or by crook. If Obama promises a peace agreement by September 2011, that's exactly what is going to happen. "Yes, we can!". Read on: http://adam-keller2.blogspot.com/2010/08/but-can-he.html
A glittering event, a magnificent photo opportunity. The President of the US, The Prime Minister of Israel, the Head of the Palestinian Authority, assorted Arab leaders, very many TV cameras. A festive launch of the negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. And a clear deadline - within a year the negotiations will be concluded, and there will be an agreement, and there will be peace.
It has happened before. In November 2007, President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice convened the leaders at Annapolis, and the speeches were delivered, and the cameras clicked and transmitted everything live all over the world. And then Bush left the parties alone, to talk to each other, and lay down for a good nap after an excellent meal prepared by the White House cooks. And the parties talked and talked and talked, and meantime the bulldozers worked full steam and the settlements grew apace and the occupation continued to trample the Palestinians to the ground. And a year after the grand conference, there was no peace to be signed. One year after Annapolis, the government of Israel launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip and killed 1300 Palestinians, including hundreds of children.
But this time it will not be like that. It will be completely different. Something has changed. The President of the United States has changed. Barack Hussein Obama is not George W. Bush. He has promised to completely change Bush's policies in all spheres, internal and external. That is why he was elected. He will not settle for an empty photo opportunity. He will take personal charge, and push and pressure with all his force - if not immediately after the conference, at least after the Congressional elections in November. He will not allow the occupation to go on and the settlements to continue growing. When Obama makes a promise he keeps it, by hook or by crook. If Obama promises a peace agreement by September 2011, that's exactly what is going to happen. "Yes, we can!".
Read on: http://adam-keller2.blogspot.com/2010/08/but-can-he.html
Adam Keller is a left wing Israeli who is associated with Gush Shalom, Uri Avnery's group. He wrote too, but I think Adam has a good take on the talks. I know this goes beyond the trivial facts that peace talks will shortly begin, but somehow the subterfuge does not come through.
