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Continent
 Antarctica
It's a Small World and Shrinking. !-)
World News Archive
2003 World History
2002 World History
2001 World History
Bali
bombings.
A-Z
Top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
WORLD News:
20080516
-
Opinion
-
 John
McCain -  Clinton
-  Obama
- US
- 2008
Election - Israel
- Palestine
-  Military
-  Terrorism
-  Politics
- "[McCain]
Hypocrisy on Hamas: McCain Was for Talking Before
He Was Against It." ... "Two years ago, just after Hamas won the Palestinian
parliamentary elections, I interviewed [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate John] McCain for the British network Sky News's "World News Tonight"
program. Here is the crucial part of our exchange:" ... "I asked: "Do you
think that American diplomats should be operating the way they have in
the past, working with the Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?""
... "McCain answered: "They're the government; sooner or later we are going
to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this
administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards
Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they
not only espouse but practice, so . . . but it's a new reality in the Middle
East. I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and
decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah was not giving them that.""
... "Given that exchange, the new John McCain might say that Hamas should
be rooting for the old John McCain to win the presidential election. The
old John McCain, it appears, was ready to do business with a Hamas-led
government, while both [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidates
Hillary] Clinton and [Barack] Obama have said that Hamas must change its
policies toward Israel and terrorism before it can have diplomatic relations
with the United States." ... "Even if McCain had not favored doing business
with Hamas two years ago, he had no business smearing Barack Obama. But
given his stated position then, it is either the height of hypocrisy or
a case of political amnesia for McCain to inject Hamas into the American
election." -By James P. Rubin
-WashingtonPost
 WATCH
"McCain on Hamas in 2006: Going to Have to Deal With Them."
John McCain: "They're the government; and sooner or later we are going
to have to deal with them, in one way or another, and I understand why
this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards
Hamas is because of their dedication to violence and the the things that
they not only espouse but practice, so . . . but it's a new reality in
the Middle East. And I think the lesson is people want security and a decent
life and decent future, then they want democracy. Fatah was not giving
them that."
-
Barack
Obama - Hillary
Clinton -
 New
York
-  South
Dakota -  Illinois
-  Nevada
-  California
- US
- Israel
- Iran
- Syria
- Military
- Terrorism
- Politics
-  History
- 2008
Election - "Bush
Assails ‘Appeasement,’ Touching Off Storm." ... "[Republican]
President Bush used a speech to the Israeli Parliament on Thursday to liken
those who would negotiate with “terrorists and radicals” to appeasers of
the Nazis — a remark widely interpreted as a rebuke to [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama, who has advocated
greater engagement with countries like Iran and Syria." ... "The comments
created an angry tussle back home, as Democrats accused Mr. Bush of breaching
protocol by playing partisan politics overseas." ... "Mr. Obama delivered
a quick and pointed response, saying in an e-mail statement to reporters
that he had no intention of dealing with terrorists and accusing Mr. Bush
of using his visit, timed for the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence,
to “launch a false political attack.”" ... "On Thursday, other Democrats
leapt to the Illinois senator’s defense. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada,
the Democratic leader, called Mr. Bush’s remarks “reckless and irresponsible.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said Mr. Bush had behaved in a manner
“beneath the dignity of the office of president.” Representative Rahm Emanuel
of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic caucus, accused Mr. Bush
of violating the unwritten rule against playing politics overseas." ...
"[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York] Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mr. Obama’s rival for the Democratic presidential
nomination, joined him in taking issue with Mr. Bush. Weighing in from
South Dakota, Mrs. Clinton said: “President Bush’s comparison of any Democrat
to Nazi appeasers is offensive and outrageous, especially in the light
of his failures in foreign policy. This is the kind of statement that has
no place in any presidential address.”" -By Sheryl
Gay Stolberg and Jim
Rutenberg -NYTimes
WATCH
Pelosi's comment on Bush's criticism of Democrats while in Israel,
"What the President did in that regard is beneath the dignity of the office
of the President and unworthy of our representation at that observance
in Israel. And I would hope that any serious person would disassociate
themselves from the President's remarks who aspires to leadership in our
country."
20080514
-
John
McCain - Hillary
Clinton - Barack
Obama - US- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
-
 People
-  Money
-  Legislation
- Politics
- 2008
Election -  Ariz
- Ill
- NY
- "McCain,
Military Oppose Expanding GI Bill." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain,
R-Ariz. [Republican-Arizona], the presumptive Republican presidential nominee,
seemed to give a thumbs down to bipartisan legislation that would greatly
expand educational benefits for members of the military returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan under the GI Bill." ... "Both [2008 Election] Democratic
presidential candidates — Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill. [Democratic-Illinois],
and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. [Democratic-New York], — have signed on as
co-sponsors, and the bill has gained bipartisan support from 54 senators
on Capitol Hill in addition to [Virginia Democratic Senator Jim] Webb.
A vote on the proposal is expected before the summer." ... "But the bill,
which would dramatically increase educational compensation for American
troops, has run into some unexpected resistance, both at the Pentagon and
now from McCain, who has remained silent on the issue, saying he had not
studied the bill close enough." ... "Pressure had mounted on McCain to
support the bill — a veterans group, which backs the legislation, delivered
a petition to McCain's Senate office, signed by 30,000 veterans." ... "[Matt]
Flavin joined the military out of patriotism shortly after 9/11, went to
Officer Candidate School and, over the next five years, served tours in
Bosnia, Afghanistan and with Naval special forces in Iraq." ... "While
he did not join the military specifically to get benefits from the GI Bill
and does not think most troops do, Flavin supports the legislation." ...
""We owe them something," Flavin said of his comrades. "They've given life,
limb, everything there is to give. The people who bore the most pain and
suffering are the people who could use these benefits."" (1, 2,
3)
-By Z. Byron Wolf with contributions by Bret Hovell
-ABCNEWS.com
-
John
McCain - Myanmar
- Sudan
-
 Oil
- Corporation
- Politics
- Arizona
- US
- 2008
Election - "McCain
On Wife's Sudan-Related Investment." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain, whose wife has come under
fire for refusing to disclose her tax return documents, fielded tough questions
about her investment in a mutual fund that deals in Sudan, as well as about
the resignation of two McCain aides over their involvement in lobbying
deals with the Myanmar junta." ... "The Arizona senator said that he was
not aware of his wife's investment in two mutual funds that include holdings
in Oil & Natural Gas Corp. [Corporation], which in turn does business
in the genocide-ridden African nation. " -By Carrie
Dann -NationalJournal
-
John
McCain - Secrecy
- Sudan
- People
-
- International
- US
- 2008
Election - "McCain's
wife urged to release tax returns." ... "[2008 Election]
Republican presidential candidate John McCain came under criticism on Wednesday
for his wife Cindy's refusal to release her tax returns." ... ""The candidate
should get his wife to reconsider," The Washington Post wrote in an editorial
on Wednesday. "The last thing the country needs in a new president is more
secrecy."" ... "The McCain campaign also confirmed that Cindy McCain sold
more than $2 million in mutual funds with investments in companies that
do business in Sudan." ... "McCain has been a strong advocate for imposing
international financial sanctions on Sudan because of the 5-year-old Darfur
conflict, in which U.N. [United Nations] officials estimate as many as
300,000 people may have been killed." (1, 2)
-By Steve Holland and Caren Bohan with contributions
by Peter Cooney -Reuters
-
John
McCain - Sudan
- China
- India
- Oil
- Politics
- International
- US
- 2008
Election - "McCain's
wife sells Sudan investments." ... "The wife of [2008
Election] Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who has been a
critic of the violence in Sudan, sold off more than $2 million in mutual
funds whose holdings include companies that do business in the African
nation." ... "The sale on Wednesday came after The Associated Press questioned
Cindy McCain's investments in light of calls by her husband for international
financial sanctions against the Sudanese leadership." ... "According to
McCain's personal financial disclosure, Cindy McCain's investments include
two mutual funds — American Funds Europacific Growth fund and American
Funds Capital World Growth and Income fund — that are listed by the Sudan
Divestment Task Force as targets for divestment." ... "Both funds have
holdings in Oil & Natural Gas Corp. [Corporation], an India-based company
that does business in Sudan. The American Funds Capital World Growth &
Income Fund also has holdings in Petrochina, a Chinese government-owned
oil company with vast investments in Sudan."
-AP via -USATODAY
-
US
- Military
-
 Families
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Israel
- Consumer
- Business
- Terrorism
- Politics
- History
- "Bush
Says He's Not A Golfer In Wartime." ... "[Republican]
President Bush said yesterday that he gave up golfing in 2003 "in solidarity"
with the families of soldiers who were dying in Iraq, concluding that it
was "just not worth it anymore" to play the sport in a time of war." ...
"Democrats have criticized Bush for allegedly not requiring Americans to
sacrifice enough while waging wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and for urging
people to keep shopping as a way to fight terrorism after the [September]
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush was also widely criticized in August 2002
when he decried terrorist bombings in Israel while golfing and then told
reporters: "Now watch this drive."" ... "... [Presidential historian Robert]
Dallek, who is critical of the current president's legacy, said Bush's
remarks about Iraq "speak to his shallowness." Dallek added: "That's his
idea of sacrifice, to give up golf?"" -By Dan Eggen
-WashingtonPost
 WATCH:
"Now watch this drive," video of Republican President Bush golfing
immediately after explaining that "We must stop the terror. I call upon
all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers,
thank you. Now watch this drive."
20080511
-
John
McCain -
 Rick
Davis - Myanmar
[Burma] - Military
- Money
- Politics
- DCI
Group - US
- 2008
Election - "A
Second McCain Aide Resigns." ... "Doug Davenport,
the [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain's] regional
campaign manager for the mid-Atlantic states, founded the DCI Group's lobbying
practice and oversaw the contract with Myanmar [Burma] in 2002." ... ""Doug
has tendered his resignation and we have accepted it," Jill Hazelbaker,
McCain's communications director, wrote in a e-mail." ... "He joins former
DCI Group CEO Doug Goodyear, who resigned yesterday from the post of convention
CEO after Newsweek reported that DCI was paid more than $300,000 to represent
Myanmar's ruling junta." ... "Goodyear and Davenport were recruited by
McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, who has been accused by some current
and former McCain advisers of take insufficient care of McCain's reformer
brand by appointing lobbyists to key positions. Ironically, as Newsweek
reported, Goodyear was asked to become convention CEO after Davis's lobbying
firm partner, Paul Manafort, was nixed because of his own close ties to
foreign governments and controversial companies."
-Marc Ambinder -TheAtlantic.com
20080510
-
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - 2008
Election -
 Oregon
- Energy
-  Technology
- US
- Iraq
- Military
-  Health
Care - "Obama
eager to campaign with McCain." ... "Acting even
more like he has clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, [2008
Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama said on Saturday
he would be willing to campaign jointly with Republican [2008 Election
Presidential Candidate] John McCain and acknowledged he needed to better
introduce himself to Americans." ... "After a stop at a solar technology
company in this central Oregon town [Bend, Oregon], Obama was asked if
he supported a suggestion that he campaign with McCain and hold joint town
hall meetings in the run-up to the November [2008] general election." ...
""I think that's a great idea. Obviously we'd have to think through the
logistics on this," Obama said. "Should I be the nominee, if I have the
opportunity to debate substantive issues before the voters with John McCain,
that's something I'm going to welcome."" ... "Obama, who took a commanding
lead in the Democratic race last week, said he looked forward to pointing
out his differences with McCain, including views on the energy crisis,
the Iraq war and health care." ... ""We haven't finished this primary yet
so it's premature to start projecting how the general election's going
to play out," he said at the news conference." (1, 2,
3)
-By Deborah Charles wtih contributions by by Chris
Baltimore and Todd Eastham -Reuters
20080509
-
Consumers
-
 Food
-  Safety
- Humans
- Health
- Law
- Politics
-  Animals
-  Agriculture
- Business
-  Kan
- US
- Japan
- "Government
asks court to block wider testing for mad cow." ...
"The [Republican President] Bush administration on Friday urged a federal
appeals court to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad
cow disease, but a skeptical judge questioned whether the government has
that authority." ... "The government seeks to reverse a lower court ruling
that allowed Arkansas City, Kan.[Kansas]-based Creekstone Farms Premium
Beef to conduct more comprehensive testing to satisfy demand from overseas
customers in Japan and elsewhere." ... "Less than 1 percent of slaughtered
cows are currently tested for the disease under Agriculture Department
guidelines. The agency argues that more widespread testing does not guarantee
food safety and could result in a false positive that scares consumers."
... "Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, can be fatal
to humans who eat tainted beef. Three cases of mad cow disease have been
discovered in the U.S. [United States] since 2003." -By
Sam Hananel -AP
via -SFGate.com
-
US
- Iraq
- MRAPs
-
 Vehicles
- "Military
adds armor to vehicles as roadside bombs surge."
... "The U.S. military is reinforcing the sides of its topline mine-resistant
vehicles to shore up what could be weak points as troops see a spike in
armor-piercing roadside bombings across Iraq, The Associated Press has
learned." ... "The surge in attacks is putting the mine-resistant, ambush-protected
vehicles (MRAPs) to the test, and so far they are largely passing. Statistics
reviewed by the AP show that while bombings involving the deadly penetrating
explosives have jumped by about 40 percent in the past three months, deaths
in such bombings have dropped by as much as 17 percent." ... "Officials
attribute much of the decline in deaths to the increased use of MRAPs,
pronounced "M-raps." To date, about a half-dozen troops have died in incidents
that involved the new bomb-resistant vehicles, and several of those deaths
occurred in rollovers rather than from explosives penetrating the armor."
-By Lolita C. Baldor and Chelsea Carter
-AP via -SeattleTimes
-
John
McCain - Burma
[Myanmar] - Military
- Money
- Politics
- DCI
Group - Marketing
- Human
Rights - Oil
- Arizona
- US
- 2008
Election - Saint
Paul -
 Minn
- "McCain's
Convention Chair Worked for Burma's Military Junta."
... "John McCain's choice to manage the GOP convention this summer is lobbyist
Doug Goodyear, whose firm once represented Burma's repressive regime."
... "After [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain
nailed down the Republican nomination in March, his campaign began wrestling
with a sensitive personnel issue: who would manage this summer's GOP convention
in St. Paul, Minn. [Minnesota]? The campaign recently tapped Doug Goodyear
for the job, a veteran operative and Arizonan who was chosen for his "management
experience and expertise," according to McCain press secretary Jill Hazelbaker.
But some allies worry that Goodyear's selection could fuel perceptions
that McCain—who has portrayed himself as a crusader against special interests—is
surrounded by lobbyists. Goodyear is CEO of DCI Group, a consulting firm
that earned $3 million last year lobbying for ExxonMobil [oil corporation],
General Motors and other clients." ... "Potentially more problematic: the
firm was paid $348,000 in 2002 to represent Burma's military junta, which
had been strongly condemned by the State Department for its human-rights
record and remains in power today. Justice Department lobbying records
show DCI pushed to "begin a dialogue of political reconciliation" with
the regime. It also led a PR [public relations] campaign to burnish the
junta's image, drafting releases praising Burma's efforts to curb the drug
trade and denouncing "falsehoods" by the [Republican President] Bush administration
that the regime engaged in rape and other abuses. " -By
Michael Isikoff -Newsweek
-
Oil
-
 Government
- New
York
-  Missouri
- US
-  Euro
- History
- "Oil
Climbs Above $126 to Record as Dollar Weakens Against Euro."
... "Crude oil for June delivery rose $2.27, or 1.8 percent, to a record
closing price of $125.96 a barrel at 2:55 p.m. on the New York Mercantile
Exchange. The contract surged to $126.27 today, the highest since futures
began trading in 1983. Prices are up 8.3 percent this week, the biggest
weekly gain in more than a year. Futures have more than doubled in the
past year." ... "The dollar fell 9.6 percent since Sept. 18, when the Federal
Reserve began cutting rates to ease financial-market strains and stave
off a recession. The U.S. [United States] central bank cut rates seven
times while the ECB [European Central Bank] has left rates unchanged. The
dollar fell 0.6 percent to $1.5483 per euro at 3:27 p.m. in New York."
... "``Fed policy is accommodating the rise in energy prices,'' said Bill
O'Grady, director of fundamental futures research at Wachovia Securities
in St. Louis [Missouri]. ``The Fed and federal government are putting more
liquidity in people's pockets, which is being spent on expensive oil.''"
... "The U.S. government started sending $117 billion in tax rebate checks
last week as part of its fiscal stimulus plan." ... "Heating oil for June
delivery climbed 12.62 cents, or 3.6 percent, to close at a record $3.636
a gallon in New York." ... "Gasoline futures for June delivery rose 6.34
cents, or 2 percent, to $3.2012 a gallon in New York after reaching a record
$3.2038 today." ... "Regular gasoline, averaged nationwide, rose 2.6 cents
to a record $3.671 a gallon, AAA, the nation's largest motorist organization,
said today." -By Mark Shenk
-Bloomberg
20080508
-
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - 2008
Election - Military
- Terrorism
- Israel
- Palestine
- Iraq
- Pakistan
- US
-
 Indiana
-  North
Carolina - "Obama:
McCain is 'losing his bearings'." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama chastised [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain Thursday for engaging in
“smear” politics, and defended himself from critics who question whether
he is capable of being commander-in-chief, during a wide-ranging interview
with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer — his first sit-down since the Indiana and North
Carolina primaries." ... "“This is offensive, and I think it's disappointing,”
Obama told Blitzer, when asked his thoughts about McCain’s comments that
the terrorist organization Hamas wants Obama to be president. “Because
John McCain always says ‘I am not going to run that kind of politics,’
and to engage in that kind of smear is unfortunate, particularly because
my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his." ... "“I’ve said
it’s a terrorist organization and we should not negotiate with them unless
they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and unless they are willing to
abide by previous accords between the Palestinians and the Israelis. So
for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing
his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don’t need name calling
in this debate.”" ... "(Related: Obama:
World wants to see U.S. lead)" ... "On the topic of national security,
Obama said that the American people are looking for a leader with “good
judgment” — a trait the Democratic presidential hopeful said he possessed."
... "“Whether it’s my judgment on Iraq and recognizing that that was going
to be a strategic blunder, to my insistence that we need to talk not just
to countries we like, but countries we don’t, to my assessment in terms
of how we had over-invested in the Musharraf government in Pakistan and
that was going to be setting us up for failure later on,” Obama said. “I
think I’ve consistently displayed the kind of judgment that the American
people are looking for in the next president.”" -By
Mark Preston and Alexander Mooney -CNN
-
Israel
- Racism
- Palestine
- Families
- Human
Rights - Law
- People
- History
- "Arabs
say racism on rise as Israel turns 60." ... "Salwa
Abu Jaber believes her story shows Israel discriminating against its Arab
citizens, 60 years after the state was established as a haven for Jews."
... "The 32-year-old mother of four from northern Israel said her five-year-old
daughter has never seen her father, who lives in the Israeli-occupied West
Bank. Separated from the man for five years, she says she has been forced
to divorce him." ... "Thousands of families have been similarly split by
a 2003 ban on Palestinians in the West Bank from reuniting with their families
inside Israel, imposed citing security reasons after the Palestinian uprising
or intifada began in 2000." ... ""In practical terms, Israel forced the
divorce on us," Abu Jaber said. "We could not continue to live like this
any longer. If this is not racism, then what is it?"" ... "This week, as
Israel celebrates the anniversary of its foundation, its supreme court
has said it found merit in the position of numerous petitions filed by
rights groups against the law that keeps the families apart." ... "But
Israeli Arabs -- those Palestinians who remained after hundreds of thousands
fled or were expelled from their homes when Israel was created -- say institutionalized
racism and illegal killings of Arabs have increased since the intifada
started." ... "After 1948, about 120,000 stayed and were granted Israeli
citizenship. Now about one in five Israelis is Arab, and many prefer to
be called Palestinians like their kin outside Israel." ... "About 1.5 million
Arabs reside in Israel with 5.5 million Jews, but 3.8 million Palestinians
live in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem." (1, 2,
3,
4,
5)
-By Mohammed Assadi with contributions by Samia Nakhoul,
Sara Ledwith and Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem
-Reuters
-
Russia
- "Russian
parliament approves Putin as PM." ... "Russia's parliament
has overwhelmingly voted to make Vladimir Putin the prime minister." ...
"Putin's confirmation in the State Duma comes a day after he handed the
presidency to his protege Dmitry Medvedev."
-AP via -USATODAY
|
|
