Sunday, January 30, 2011
U.S. MMRCA fighters “formidable best buys” for India
From The Hindu
As the competition for obtaining a $10 billion contract to sell India 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) reaches its final stages, an influential think-tank in Washington has pressed the case for India selecting U.S.-made fighters.
This week a report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argued that although European aircraft are “technically superb,” their U.S. competitors could be considered “formidable best buys,” so long as Washington offered New Delhi generous terms on the transfer of technology that assured India access to fifth-generation fighters and provided “strong support for India’s strategic ambitions.”
While eight countries and six companies are in the race to win the lucrative contract, India has so far not indicated any strong preferences between the competitors and some experts have noted that it may decide to carve the contract up between several vendors, partly out of political considerations.
However in the CEIP report “Dogfight! India’s MMRCA Decision,” its author Ashley Tellis argued that this may be a less than optimal outcome because “While Indian leaders may be tempted to split the purchase among vendors… doing so would needlessly saddle the Indian Air Force with multiple airframes in return for meagre political gains.”
Mr. Tellis further underscored the significance of the ongoing tender process as it would help fill the “growing and dangerous hole in the IAF’s capabilities,” that the IAF’s “all-time low of 29 squadrons” represents.
In his report he argued that although this situation had arisen due to delays in defence procurement and accidents and retirements relating to older fighter aircraft, “India’s neighbours are aggressively modernising their own air forces,” and hence the MMRCA purchase decision was an imperative to reach the currently authorised force levels of 39.5 squadrons before 2017.
Mr. Tellis’ report concedes that political considerations would however be key in the selection process and “Indian policymakers will seek to minimise the country’s vulnerability to supply cut-offs in wartime, improve its larger military capacity through a substantial technology infusion, and forge new transformative geopolitical partnerships that promise to accelerate the growth of Indian power globally.”
As the competition for obtaining a $10 billion contract to sell India 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) reaches its final stages, an influential think-tank in Washington has pressed the case for India selecting U.S.-made fighters.
This week a report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argued that although European aircraft are “technically superb,” their U.S. competitors could be considered “formidable best buys,” so long as Washington offered New Delhi generous terms on the transfer of technology that assured India access to fifth-generation fighters and provided “strong support for India’s strategic ambitions.”
While eight countries and six companies are in the race to win the lucrative contract, India has so far not indicated any strong preferences between the competitors and some experts have noted that it may decide to carve the contract up between several vendors, partly out of political considerations.
However in the CEIP report “Dogfight! India’s MMRCA Decision,” its author Ashley Tellis argued that this may be a less than optimal outcome because “While Indian leaders may be tempted to split the purchase among vendors… doing so would needlessly saddle the Indian Air Force with multiple airframes in return for meagre political gains.”
Mr. Tellis further underscored the significance of the ongoing tender process as it would help fill the “growing and dangerous hole in the IAF’s capabilities,” that the IAF’s “all-time low of 29 squadrons” represents.
In his report he argued that although this situation had arisen due to delays in defence procurement and accidents and retirements relating to older fighter aircraft, “India’s neighbours are aggressively modernising their own air forces,” and hence the MMRCA purchase decision was an imperative to reach the currently authorised force levels of 39.5 squadrons before 2017.
Mr. Tellis’ report concedes that political considerations would however be key in the selection process and “Indian policymakers will seek to minimise the country’s vulnerability to supply cut-offs in wartime, improve its larger military capacity through a substantial technology infusion, and forge new transformative geopolitical partnerships that promise to accelerate the growth of Indian power globally.”
Labels: India-US relations, Indian defence purchase, MMRCA aircraft
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Menon meets Obama, Donilon
From The Hindu
Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon met with his counterpart, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, and President Barack Obama joined the meeting, according to a White House statement.
Describing the meetings as a “follow-up on the outcomes of President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Singh’s historic Summit in India in November 2010,” the White House said Mr. Donilon and Mr. Menon had discussed ways to advance the two countries’ bilateral agenda during 2011.
This would include the implementation of initiatives launched in November and building new platforms for collaboration to fulfil “the promise of our global strategic partnership,” according to the White House press office.
The interaction was said to have comprised “candid, in-depth discussions on regional and global issues of mutual concern.”
Mr. Obama was specifically said to have reaffirmed to Mr. Menon his commitment to building a “true global, strategic partnership with India.” He also relayed his priorities for the coming year, including advancing our bilateral economic relationship and making progress on nuclear security efforts.
Labels: India-US relations, Menon-Clinton meet
Obama presses for reform and peace in Egypt
From The Hindu
United States President Barack Obama said that on Friday he had urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to take “concrete steps” to deliver on his promise to create “better democracy and greater economic opportunity,” and also refrain from using violence in the context of the ongoing protests in Egypt.
“Violence will not address the grievances of the Egyptian people,” Mr. Obama said on a phone call to the Egyptian President, adding, “And suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away.”
In comments made in the White House State Dining Room, Mr. Obama further said that concrete steps were required to advance the rights of the Egyptian people through a meaningful dialogue between the government and its citizens.
In particular, he called upon the Egyptian government to reverse the actions that it had taken to “interfere with access to the Internet, to cell phone service and to social networks that do so much to connect people in the 21st century.”
Reports have emerged that most of the Egyptian population had been cut off from the Internet and mobile telephone access since the protests began more than five days ago.
At a media briefing earlier this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had similarly pressed the case for reform in Egypt, arguing that reform was “something that I think everyone knows must be on the agenda of the government as they not just respond to the protest, but as they look beyond as to what needs to be done economically, socially, politically.”
Ms. Clinton added that numerous “well informed, active civil society leaders in Egypt… have put forward specific ideas for reform, and we are encouraging and urging the Egyptian Government to be responsive to that.”
Labels: Egypt crisis, Egyptian protests, Hosni Mubarak regime, Muslim Brotherhood, U.S.-Egypt relations
Thursday, January 27, 2011
'Students facing deportation have options'
From The Hindu
The fate of a large number of Indian students from Andhra Pradesh continued to hang in the balance here in the United States, as many of them have been caught up in the case of alleged immigration fraud of by Tri-Valley University in the Bay Area near San Fracisco, California.
Immigration authorities’ suspicions about the legitimacy of TVU were initially aroused when they noticed that two out of three other schools that TVU claimed had accepted the credits of TVU graduates denied ever doing so.
When they launched a sting operation against Susan Xiao-Ping Su, the head of TVU, with undercover officers posing as foreign students, she was willing to offer them F-1, or student visas, even though they admitted they had no intention to attend courses and had improper status from previous schools.
However because Su was a Designated School Official for a university, she was considered an agent of the government and considered to be acting on behalf of the government, according to immigration attorney, Sheela Murthy. Thus, she had little trouble entering the government database and issuing I-20 visas to the “students.”
Then the trap was closed, and what might well become one of the largest immigration frauds to ever hit the U.S. university system emerged into the light. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities are said to have already issued a notice of forfeiture of properties of Su, alleging immigration fraud.
With over 95 per cent of the students involved said to be of Indian origin, today it is evident that several hundred, or possibly over a thousand, students enrolled in TVU are likely to be facing deportation, or “removal” as it is more commonly known in U.S. legal parlance.
Attorney Murthy, who heads immigration specialist-firm The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, however had some advice for affected students, many of whom have been frantically calling her office for advice since receiving a Notice to Appear (NTA).
Outlining several scenarios, she said to The Hindu that the worst case situation would in fact be the receipt of an NTA. In that case though, she warned, no student should ever consider leaving the U.S., because “once you leave after an NTA is issued, you are automatically considered to be self-deported. After self-deportation you are subject to a minimum five-year ban from re-entering the U.S.”
In the first scenario, Ms. Murthy recommends instead that the students requests voluntary departure either through an assigned or appointed lawyer or directly to a judge in a court. She added that the five-year ban would not apply if the judge granted voluntary departure, and that outcome also may be quite likely given that the cost of deporting someone could be anything between $20,000 -- $50,000.
Further, voluntary departure would allow time to dispose of assets such as a house or car and it would be possible for the student in question to return to the U.S. again and pursue further studies at a different university and under and newly-issued F-1 visa, Ms. Murthy added.
However it would appear to not all be bad news for the students of TVU – Ms. Murthy’s office has also encountered better-case scenarios amongst those from that group who have been talking to her office. She said, for example that in some cases the authorities had not issued a deportation notice but simply asked the students to buy their own airline ticket and leave the country.
In this case they could simply comply, as even the authorities had informed the students that “If they get a new I-20 from another school they could get back in touch and attempt to re-enter the country but at present they would not be willing to allow the students to stay here,” Ms. Murthy said.
Yet there is a better case still – for some students, immigration authorities had only asked that they seek admission at another school and assured that they would in turn redirect their immigration status as required for them to continue their studies at the new school.
A final option that could possibly apply to a few cases would be for the student to “get an employer to file an H1-B visa... or change over to a spouse-dependent visa where a spouse has a valid visa in the U.S.,” Ms. Murthy advised.
Stepping back to the larger picture, it would appear that the Indian embassy has yet to get involved in the dialogue. Yet that might actually help resolve some of the more issues, Ms. Murthy said, especially as there were plans underway to launch an open letter petition containing hundreds of student signatures.
Ms. Murthy’s office is hoping that such a letter, sent to the offices of the Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, and to the Director of ICE, might persuade them to exercise “favourable discretion,” the latitude that they have to adopt a more an attitude of kindness, lenience or generosity in deciding on the fate of the Indian students.
“Such an attitude could permeate to the lower levels of immigration enforcement officers, who will generally follow instructions from their higher-ups,” Ms. Murthy noted.
The fate of a large number of Indian students from Andhra Pradesh continued to hang in the balance here in the United States, as many of them have been caught up in the case of alleged immigration fraud of by Tri-Valley University in the Bay Area near San Fracisco, California.
Immigration authorities’ suspicions about the legitimacy of TVU were initially aroused when they noticed that two out of three other schools that TVU claimed had accepted the credits of TVU graduates denied ever doing so.
When they launched a sting operation against Susan Xiao-Ping Su, the head of TVU, with undercover officers posing as foreign students, she was willing to offer them F-1, or student visas, even though they admitted they had no intention to attend courses and had improper status from previous schools.
However because Su was a Designated School Official for a university, she was considered an agent of the government and considered to be acting on behalf of the government, according to immigration attorney, Sheela Murthy. Thus, she had little trouble entering the government database and issuing I-20 visas to the “students.”
Then the trap was closed, and what might well become one of the largest immigration frauds to ever hit the U.S. university system emerged into the light. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities are said to have already issued a notice of forfeiture of properties of Su, alleging immigration fraud.
With over 95 per cent of the students involved said to be of Indian origin, today it is evident that several hundred, or possibly over a thousand, students enrolled in TVU are likely to be facing deportation, or “removal” as it is more commonly known in U.S. legal parlance.
Attorney Murthy, who heads immigration specialist-firm The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, however had some advice for affected students, many of whom have been frantically calling her office for advice since receiving a Notice to Appear (NTA).
Outlining several scenarios, she said to The Hindu that the worst case situation would in fact be the receipt of an NTA. In that case though, she warned, no student should ever consider leaving the U.S., because “once you leave after an NTA is issued, you are automatically considered to be self-deported. After self-deportation you are subject to a minimum five-year ban from re-entering the U.S.”
In the first scenario, Ms. Murthy recommends instead that the students requests voluntary departure either through an assigned or appointed lawyer or directly to a judge in a court. She added that the five-year ban would not apply if the judge granted voluntary departure, and that outcome also may be quite likely given that the cost of deporting someone could be anything between $20,000 -- $50,000.
Further, voluntary departure would allow time to dispose of assets such as a house or car and it would be possible for the student in question to return to the U.S. again and pursue further studies at a different university and under and newly-issued F-1 visa, Ms. Murthy added.
However it would appear to not all be bad news for the students of TVU – Ms. Murthy’s office has also encountered better-case scenarios amongst those from that group who have been talking to her office. She said, for example that in some cases the authorities had not issued a deportation notice but simply asked the students to buy their own airline ticket and leave the country.
In this case they could simply comply, as even the authorities had informed the students that “If they get a new I-20 from another school they could get back in touch and attempt to re-enter the country but at present they would not be willing to allow the students to stay here,” Ms. Murthy said.
Yet there is a better case still – for some students, immigration authorities had only asked that they seek admission at another school and assured that they would in turn redirect their immigration status as required for them to continue their studies at the new school.
A final option that could possibly apply to a few cases would be for the student to “get an employer to file an H1-B visa... or change over to a spouse-dependent visa where a spouse has a valid visa in the U.S.,” Ms. Murthy advised.
Stepping back to the larger picture, it would appear that the Indian embassy has yet to get involved in the dialogue. Yet that might actually help resolve some of the more issues, Ms. Murthy said, especially as there were plans underway to launch an open letter petition containing hundreds of student signatures.
Ms. Murthy’s office is hoping that such a letter, sent to the offices of the Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, and to the Director of ICE, might persuade them to exercise “favourable discretion,” the latitude that they have to adopt a more an attitude of kindness, lenience or generosity in deciding on the fate of the Indian students.
“Such an attitude could permeate to the lower levels of immigration enforcement officers, who will generally follow instructions from their higher-ups,” Ms. Murthy noted.
Labels: U.S immigration laws
Obama felicitates India on R-Day
From The Hindu
United States President Barack Obama extended felicitations to India on the occasion of Republic Day, saying: “On behalf of the American people, I send my best wishes to the people of India and to those here in the U.S. and around the world who are celebrating the Indian Republic Day.”
Recalling his recent trip to India, Mr. Obama added that he and First Lady Michelle Obama were honoured to visit India in November as the country marked the 60th year of its democratic constitution.
“As I said then, the U.S. and India are not only the world's two largest democracies; we are two pluralistic societies that believe in the potential and dignity of every human being,” he said.
Emphasising the role of Indian-Americans as a link between the two countries, Mr. Obama said: “These are the beliefs that inspire the nearly three million Americans who can trace their roots to India — and all of whom enrich our society.”
'Defining partnership'
Touching upon what has now become a tagline for the cordial and expansive nature of the bilateral relationship, the President said that it was their belief in pluralism and human dignity that led him and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make the U.S.-India relationship “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.”
Mr. Obama said that he hoped that the enduring lessons of this Republic Day would inspire the two nations to “seek a future of greater prosperity and opportunity for both our peoples.”
United States President Barack Obama extended felicitations to India on the occasion of Republic Day, saying: “On behalf of the American people, I send my best wishes to the people of India and to those here in the U.S. and around the world who are celebrating the Indian Republic Day.”
Recalling his recent trip to India, Mr. Obama added that he and First Lady Michelle Obama were honoured to visit India in November as the country marked the 60th year of its democratic constitution.
“As I said then, the U.S. and India are not only the world's two largest democracies; we are two pluralistic societies that believe in the potential and dignity of every human being,” he said.
Emphasising the role of Indian-Americans as a link between the two countries, Mr. Obama said: “These are the beliefs that inspire the nearly three million Americans who can trace their roots to India — and all of whom enrich our society.”
'Defining partnership'
Touching upon what has now become a tagline for the cordial and expansive nature of the bilateral relationship, the President said that it was their belief in pluralism and human dignity that led him and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make the U.S.-India relationship “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.”
Mr. Obama said that he hoped that the enduring lessons of this Republic Day would inspire the two nations to “seek a future of greater prosperity and opportunity for both our peoples.”
Labels: Barack Obama, Indian Republic Day celebrations, U.S.-India relationships
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Obama seeks bipartisan agenda
From The Hindu
Delivering a jobs-focused State of the Union address before a packed chamber in the United States House of Representatives, President Barack Obama on Tuesday night struck a largely bipartisan note and unofficially launched his 2012 re-election campaign.
Effectively offering an olive branch to his Republican opposition after two years of bitter political division across most policy areas, Mr. Obama also warned that the U.S. risked losing out to countries such as India and China, which were pressing ahead with investments in education, technology and research.
“Nations like China and India realised that with some changes of their own, they could compete in this new world,” he said, adding, “So they started educating their children earlier and longer, with greater emphasis on math and science. They are investing in research and new technologies.”
On the other hand, Mr. Obama said, the quality of the U.S.’ math and science education lagged behind that of many other nations and the country had fallen to the ninth place in terms of the proportion of young people with a college degree.
The President however highlighted the importance of emerging markets in spurring job creation in the U.S., as he argued, “Recently, we signed agreements with India and China that will support more than 250,000 jobs in the U.S. And last month, we finalised a trade agreement with South Korea that will support at least 70,000 American jobs.”
Kicking off his annual health report for the nation on an emotional note, Mr. Obama said “We are also mindful of the empty chair in this chamber, and we pray for the health of our colleague and... friend [Congresswoman Gabrielle] Giffords.”
He said that the tragedy in Tucson, Arizona, where Ms. Giffords was critically shot by a gunman on a rampage, reminded Americans that regardless of their background they were all part of “something more consequential than party or political preference.”
In arguing that it was imperative for the U.S. to retain its position as a global technology leader, Mr. Obama showcased recent examples of outstanding American innovation. Key among these was the story of small business owner Brandon Fisher, who, last October, helped design the capsule that ultimately saved the lives of miners trapped in a collapsed shaft in Chile.
Highlighting the importance of such innovation for job creation, clearly marked as the top policy priority for 2011 in the State of the Union speech, Mr. Obama said, “We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.”
Despite Mr. Obama’s focus on areas of agreement between the Democrats and the Republicans, many in the Opposition argued that he papered over serious differences of opinion between the two major parties.
While the President briefly alluded to tax code reform, deficit reduction and healthcare policy amendments towards the latter half of his speech, Congressman Paul Ryan, of the Republican Party, and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, of the Tea Party, criticised his approach to tackling these challenges.
Delivering successive speeches following Mr. Obama’s address, both Mr. Ryan and Ms. Bachmann criticised the President’s failure to rein in the burgeoning federal deficit and to cut down government control of the U.S. economy.
“Instead of a leaner, smarter government, we bought a bureaucracy that now tells us which light bulbs to buy and which may put 16,500 Internal Revenue Service agents in charge of policing President Obama's health care bill,” Ms. Bachmann said.
However Mr. Ryan acknowledged that some of the economic problems that the U.S. faced were engendered by Republican administrations. He said, “There is no doubt the President came into office facing a severe fiscal and economic situation.”
Yet he argued, “Unfortunately, instead of restoring the fundamentals of economic growth, he engaged in a stimulus spending spree that not only failed to deliver on its promise to create jobs, but also plunged us even deeper into debt.”
Despite Ms. Bachmann’s repeated attacks on “Obama-care” Mr. Obama sought to keep the lines of communication with Republicans open on healthcare reform.
He said, “Let me be the first to say that anything can be improved. If you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better or more affordable, I am eager to work with you... What I am not willing to do is go back to the days when insurance companies could deny someone coverage because of a pre-existing condition.”
Labels: Barack Obama, State of the Union address, U.S. economy
Ghailani sentenced to life in prison
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, 36, a Guantanamo Bay detainee and alleged al-Qaeda member involved in the 1998 bombings of the United States’ embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, was sentenced to life in prison despite being acquitted on all 276 murder and attempted murder charges and four conspiracy charges that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder brought against him.
Under the verdict by a federal district court in New York last November, however, Ghailani was convicted on one count of conspiracy to destroy government buildings and property for which he faced a minimum of 20 years imprisonment. At the time U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said he would push for a life sentence.
Reacting to the sentence Mr. Holder said it was a vindication of the “strength of the American justice system,” adding, “As this case demonstrates we will not rest in bringing to justice terrorists who seek to harm the American people, and we will use every tool available to the government to do so.”
A key inflection point in the Ghailani trial, a test case for President Barack Obama’s plan to use civilian courts and ultimately close down Guantanamo Bay prison, came last October when presiding Judge Lewis Kaplan forbade the use of evidence from a witness whose identity was discovered when Ghailani was allegedly tortured while in the custody of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Media reports at the time said that the witness, Hussein Abebe, “would have testified that he had sold Mr. Ghailani the TNT used to blow up the embassy in Dar es Salaam,” and he was described as “a giant witness for the government.” Yet Judge Kaplan had then argued that he had found the witness, who testified in a pre-trial hearing, not credible.
This week’s life sentence follows sharp criticism of the Obama administration that came after Ghailani’s acquittal on murder and attempted murder charges. The White House was also attacked for not persisting with military trials for individuals classified as “enemy combatants.”
The Washington Post quoted said Kirk Lippold, a senior fellow at Military Families United and former commander of the USS Cole, which was attacked by al-Qaeda in 2000 as saying, “The punishment fits the crime... What cannot be forgotten from this trial is that the verdict handed down in November represented a mockery of justice and is further proof that civilian trials for enemy combatants are a foolish and misguided strategy.”
However government officials have consistently defended the use of civilian trials for strengthening rule of law in complex cases relating to U.S. military engagement abroad.
Labels: Ahmed Ghailani, U.S. Embassy bombing
‘State Department examining Kamal Nath issue'
From The Hindu
The Indian Embassy here said it had taken up the question of diplomatic immunity for Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath with the State Department.
Earlier a State Department spokesman has said that the question of granting diplomatic immunity to Indian Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, in a case that had been filed against him in the United States, was “under review.”
In response to a question from The Hindu, Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Cowley said, “We are following closely a civil complaint involving Minister Kamal Nath. This is still a legal process that is unfolding.”
Mr. Nath faces the possibility of prosecution under a case filed against him in April 2010 by, alleging that he was involved in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
Mr. Crowley added that it was unclear as to whether there was any “live action against Minister Nath” and what its content might be, pointing out that the plaintiffs, an NGO called Sikhs for Justice, had until February 9 to file an amended complaint.
Mr. Crowley’s comment that the State Department “had not made any determination at this point,” came even as Virander Paul, Minister for Press at the Indian embassy in Washington, confirmed to The Hindu that India had taken up the question of diplomatic immunity Mr. Nath, with the State Department.
“The State Department is examining it,” Mr. Paul said, adding that the embassy had not yet received an answer on its query.
The Indian Embassy here said it had taken up the question of diplomatic immunity for Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath with the State Department.
Earlier a State Department spokesman has said that the question of granting diplomatic immunity to Indian Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, in a case that had been filed against him in the United States, was “under review.”
In response to a question from The Hindu, Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Cowley said, “We are following closely a civil complaint involving Minister Kamal Nath. This is still a legal process that is unfolding.”
Mr. Nath faces the possibility of prosecution under a case filed against him in April 2010 by, alleging that he was involved in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
Mr. Crowley added that it was unclear as to whether there was any “live action against Minister Nath” and what its content might be, pointing out that the plaintiffs, an NGO called Sikhs for Justice, had until February 9 to file an amended complaint.
Mr. Crowley’s comment that the State Department “had not made any determination at this point,” came even as Virander Paul, Minister for Press at the Indian embassy in Washington, confirmed to The Hindu that India had taken up the question of diplomatic immunity Mr. Nath, with the State Department.
“The State Department is examining it,” Mr. Paul said, adding that the embassy had not yet received an answer on its query.
Labels: anti-Sikh riots, diplomatic immunity, Kamal Nath
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Loughner pleads not guilty
From The Hindu
Donning an orange jumpsuit, wire-rimmed glasses and his now-trademark plastic grin, Jared Lee Loughner (22) pled “not guilty” to charges of attempted murder and attempted assassination, including three counts of attempting to kill federal employees, in a Phoenix courtroom on Monday.
Loughner, who was arrested after killing six people and critically injuring Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in a shooting spree in a crowded marketplace in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, did not speak at all during the proceedings.
According to reports the attempted-assassination count pertained to Ms. Giffords and the attempted-murder charges related to members of her staff who were injured in the attack. Among those killed were federal Judge John Roll and, nine-year old Christina Green, and Giffords staffer Gabriel Zimmerman.
Legal experts were quoted as saying that “a potential line of defence for Loughner would be the argument that he was so mentally troubled at the time of the shootings that he could not be found guilty of a crime.”
In the months leading to the shootings, the authorities had noted, Loughner posted “often bizarre messages on Internet chat sites and had outbursts in classes at a Tucson community college that led school authorities to bar him from school.”
Yet legal experts argued that a defence that based on the claim of insanity could be very difficult to win in court.
During Monday’s proceedings prosecutors said that they would have all the federal charges against Loughner filed within 45 days, including two further murder charges which will revolve around forthcoming indictments.
The next hearing was set for March 9 and the case continues.
Donning an orange jumpsuit, wire-rimmed glasses and his now-trademark plastic grin, Jared Lee Loughner (22) pled “not guilty” to charges of attempted murder and attempted assassination, including three counts of attempting to kill federal employees, in a Phoenix courtroom on Monday.
Loughner, who was arrested after killing six people and critically injuring Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in a shooting spree in a crowded marketplace in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, did not speak at all during the proceedings.
According to reports the attempted-assassination count pertained to Ms. Giffords and the attempted-murder charges related to members of her staff who were injured in the attack. Among those killed were federal Judge John Roll and, nine-year old Christina Green, and Giffords staffer Gabriel Zimmerman.
Legal experts were quoted as saying that “a potential line of defence for Loughner would be the argument that he was so mentally troubled at the time of the shootings that he could not be found guilty of a crime.”
In the months leading to the shootings, the authorities had noted, Loughner posted “often bizarre messages on Internet chat sites and had outbursts in classes at a Tucson community college that led school authorities to bar him from school.”
Yet legal experts argued that a defence that based on the claim of insanity could be very difficult to win in court.
During Monday’s proceedings prosecutors said that they would have all the federal charges against Loughner filed within 45 days, including two further murder charges which will revolve around forthcoming indictments.
The next hearing was set for March 9 and the case continues.
Labels: Jared Lee Loughner, U.S. criminal laws
IMF still sees downside risks in financial system
From The Hindu
The International Monetary Fund has cautioned that “global financial stability is still not assured and significant policy challenges remain to be addressed,” even four years after the onset of the largest financial crisis since the Great Depression.
The Fund also warned that the world was still very much witnessing a “two-speed recovery,” with progress in advanced economies significantly slower than that of emerging markets.
Releasing updates to two closely-watched reports, on “Global Financial Stability” and “World Economic Outlook,” the IMF voiced concern that for many key financial institutions “Balance sheet restructuring is incomplete and proceeding slowly, and leverage is still high.”
According to the IMF the interaction between banking and sovereign credit risks in the euro area remained a critical factor, and policies were needed to tackle fiscal and banking sector vulnerabilities.
At the global level, regulatory reforms were still required to put the financial sector on a sounder footing even if accommodative policies in advanced economies and relatively favourable fundamentals in emerging market countries had spurred capital inflows.
In the emerging market countries the Fund recommended that policymakers “will need to watch diligently for signs of asset price bubbles and excessive credit.” However it added that unlike advanced economies, where growth remained subdued and unemployment high, emerging economies were still buoyant.
In fact the scenario in emerging economies was beginning to suggest that inflation pressures were emerging, the IMF said, and there were now some “signs of overheating.”
Exhorting Euro area policymakers to embark on “comprehensive and rapid actions to overcome sovereign and financial troubles,” the IMF noted that such action would be essential to redress fiscal imbalances and to repair and reform financial systems in advanced economies more generally.
Labels: IMF forecast, Indian economy, world economy
Monday, January 24, 2011
Embassy raises Kamal Nath immunity question with State Department
From The Hindu
The Indian embassy in Washington said that it had taken up the question of diplomatic immunity, for Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, with the State Department.
Mr. Nath faces the possibility of prosecution under a case filed against him in April 2010 by an NGO, Sikhs for Justice, alleging that he was involved in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
“The State Department is examining it,” Virander Paul, Minister for Press at the embassy, said to The Hindu, adding that the embassy had not yet received an answer on its query.
Media reports quoted State Department officials saying that they had “not made any determination on this point.”
The Indian embassy in Washington said that it had taken up the question of diplomatic immunity, for Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, with the State Department.
Mr. Nath faces the possibility of prosecution under a case filed against him in April 2010 by an NGO, Sikhs for Justice, alleging that he was involved in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
“The State Department is examining it,” Virander Paul, Minister for Press at the embassy, said to The Hindu, adding that the embassy had not yet received an answer on its query.
Media reports quoted State Department officials saying that they had “not made any determination on this point.”
Labels: anti-Sikh riots, diplomatic immunity
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Samalkot on Obama’s strategic map
From The Hindu
United States President Barack Obama had gained some notoriety for his administration’s sometimes strident views on jobs moving from “Buffalo to Bangalore.” Now the President’s oratory has given birth to a new and more positive sound bite in the realm of strategic geography: “Samalkot to Schenectady”
At a speech in Schenectady, New York, this week Mr. Obama mentioned the small Andhra Pradesh town and industrial complex venue no fewer than five times.
And unlike the references to American jobs getting “Bangalored,” a regular feature of the Obama speeches of 2010, the President struck an optimistic note on the role of U.S.-India commercial relations in spurring domestic job creation.
Speaking about his November 2010 visit to India at a plant of electric goods major General Electric Mr. Obama said, “Part of the reason I wanted to come to this plant is because this plant is what that trip was all about.”
He went on to explain that during that visit U.S. businesses were able to reach agreements on exporting over $10 billion in goods and services to India, and that was, according to him, expected to lead to 50,000 jobs created in the U.S.
Mr. Obama supplied some details of the Samalkot-GE deal in particular, noting that “As part of the deal we struck in India, GE is going sell advanced turbines -- the ones you guys make -- to generate power at a plant in Samalkot, India.”
He quipped, “Most of you hadn’t heard of Samalkot but now you need to know about it, because you’re going to be selling to Samalkot, India.”
“That new business halfway around the world is going to help support more than 1,200 manufacturing jobs and more than 400 engineering jobs right here in this community -- because of that sale,” he added, to loud applause.
More broadly this and other recent speeches by Obama administration officials appear to point to a renewed emphasis on U.S. exports and job creation, said to be a top policy priority for 2011. This was a point that Mr. Obama further underscored in his Schenectady speech, when he said, the Samalkot agreement was a “perfect example of why promoting exports is so important.”
“That is why I have set a goal of doubling American exports within five years. And we are on track to do it. We are already up 18 per cent and we are just going to keep on going, because we are going to sell more and more stuff all around the world,” Mr. Obama said.
Commenting further on the GE deal he added, “The deal in Samalkot means jobs in Schenectady. That’s how we accelerate growth. That’s how we create opportunities for our people.”
Yet competing internationally to sell goods, especially in countries such as China, was equally a major theme of the speech, and the President said, “The Chinese were selling a lot to us. Folks were selling a lot to us from all over the world. We have got to reverse that.”
He further said that in an ever-shrinking world, the U.S.’ success would be determined not only by what it built build in Schenectady, but also what it could sell in Shanghai. “For America to compete around the world, we need to export more goods around the world. That is where the customers are. It's that simple,” he said.
United States President Barack Obama had gained some notoriety for his administration’s sometimes strident views on jobs moving from “Buffalo to Bangalore.” Now the President’s oratory has given birth to a new and more positive sound bite in the realm of strategic geography: “Samalkot to Schenectady”
At a speech in Schenectady, New York, this week Mr. Obama mentioned the small Andhra Pradesh town and industrial complex venue no fewer than five times.
And unlike the references to American jobs getting “Bangalored,” a regular feature of the Obama speeches of 2010, the President struck an optimistic note on the role of U.S.-India commercial relations in spurring domestic job creation.
Speaking about his November 2010 visit to India at a plant of electric goods major General Electric Mr. Obama said, “Part of the reason I wanted to come to this plant is because this plant is what that trip was all about.”
He went on to explain that during that visit U.S. businesses were able to reach agreements on exporting over $10 billion in goods and services to India, and that was, according to him, expected to lead to 50,000 jobs created in the U.S.
Mr. Obama supplied some details of the Samalkot-GE deal in particular, noting that “As part of the deal we struck in India, GE is going sell advanced turbines -- the ones you guys make -- to generate power at a plant in Samalkot, India.”
He quipped, “Most of you hadn’t heard of Samalkot but now you need to know about it, because you’re going to be selling to Samalkot, India.”
“That new business halfway around the world is going to help support more than 1,200 manufacturing jobs and more than 400 engineering jobs right here in this community -- because of that sale,” he added, to loud applause.
More broadly this and other recent speeches by Obama administration officials appear to point to a renewed emphasis on U.S. exports and job creation, said to be a top policy priority for 2011. This was a point that Mr. Obama further underscored in his Schenectady speech, when he said, the Samalkot agreement was a “perfect example of why promoting exports is so important.”
“That is why I have set a goal of doubling American exports within five years. And we are on track to do it. We are already up 18 per cent and we are just going to keep on going, because we are going to sell more and more stuff all around the world,” Mr. Obama said.
Commenting further on the GE deal he added, “The deal in Samalkot means jobs in Schenectady. That’s how we accelerate growth. That’s how we create opportunities for our people.”
Yet competing internationally to sell goods, especially in countries such as China, was equally a major theme of the speech, and the President said, “The Chinese were selling a lot to us. Folks were selling a lot to us from all over the world. We have got to reverse that.”
He further said that in an ever-shrinking world, the U.S.’ success would be determined not only by what it built build in Schenectady, but also what it could sell in Shanghai. “For America to compete around the world, we need to export more goods around the world. That is where the customers are. It's that simple,” he said.
Labels: Barack Obama administration, India-U.S. business ties, outsourcing, U.S. economy
Giffords moved to Houston
From The Hindu
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was in critical condition after being shot in the head at point blank range by Jared Lee Loughner, was moved by air to a rehabilitation centre in Houston Texas on Friday.
Loughner, now in police custody, went on a rampage with a Glock semiautomatic pistol in a crowded marketplace in Tucson, Arizona on January 8. He killed six others, including nine-year-old Christina Green, and gravely injured Ms. Giffords. The shooting shocked the nation and sparked off a debate on gun control laws and the bitterness of political rhetoric in the U.S.
Despite the seriousness of Ms. Gifford’s injuries, her doctors at University Medical Center of Tucson had struck a hopeful note on her prospects for a gradual recovery in the days following the shooting.
Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, had earlier said to media, “I can just look in her eyes and tell... she is very aware of the situation.” He added that Ms. Giffords had tried to speak and could recognise those around her.
Randall Friese, an Arizona surgeon who accompanied Ms. Giffords on her transfer to Texas Medical Center in Houston, described the process as “flawless,” and said that she had smiled and even “teared up” when she heard applause from her supporters in Tucson who had lined the street to cheer her ambulance on its way.
“It was heartwrenching [and] wonderful to hear the support Tucsonians and Arizonians have for Gabby... We love her; we're going to miss her while she's here. But this is where she needs to be.”
According to reports Ms. Giffords will remain at the Houston trauma center’s Intensive Care Unit through at least early next week, to effect drainage of a fluid build-up in her brain. During the surgery following the attack doctors had already removed dead brain tissue and skull fragments from her head.
Dong Kim, Chairman of the Neurosurgery Department at the University of Texas Medical School said, “She looks spectacular in all ways. She is alert, awake [and] calm. She looks comfortable.”
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was in critical condition after being shot in the head at point blank range by Jared Lee Loughner, was moved by air to a rehabilitation centre in Houston Texas on Friday.
Loughner, now in police custody, went on a rampage with a Glock semiautomatic pistol in a crowded marketplace in Tucson, Arizona on January 8. He killed six others, including nine-year-old Christina Green, and gravely injured Ms. Giffords. The shooting shocked the nation and sparked off a debate on gun control laws and the bitterness of political rhetoric in the U.S.
Despite the seriousness of Ms. Gifford’s injuries, her doctors at University Medical Center of Tucson had struck a hopeful note on her prospects for a gradual recovery in the days following the shooting.
Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, had earlier said to media, “I can just look in her eyes and tell... she is very aware of the situation.” He added that Ms. Giffords had tried to speak and could recognise those around her.
Randall Friese, an Arizona surgeon who accompanied Ms. Giffords on her transfer to Texas Medical Center in Houston, described the process as “flawless,” and said that she had smiled and even “teared up” when she heard applause from her supporters in Tucson who had lined the street to cheer her ambulance on its way.
“It was heartwrenching [and] wonderful to hear the support Tucsonians and Arizonians have for Gabby... We love her; we're going to miss her while she's here. But this is where she needs to be.”
According to reports Ms. Giffords will remain at the Houston trauma center’s Intensive Care Unit through at least early next week, to effect drainage of a fluid build-up in her brain. During the surgery following the attack doctors had already removed dead brain tissue and skull fragments from her head.
Dong Kim, Chairman of the Neurosurgery Department at the University of Texas Medical School said, “She looks spectacular in all ways. She is alert, awake [and] calm. She looks comfortable.”
Labels: Arizona shooting rampage, Gabrielle Giffords
Friday, January 21, 2011
U.S. targets Pakistani Taliban leader
From The Hindu
Qari Hussain, leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been designated a terrorist by the United States State Department.
In a statement Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Hussain had been designated under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and their supporters. Ms. Clinton said that the application of the order would ?help stem the flow of finances to Hussain by blocking all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which Hussain has an interest and prohibiting all transactions by U.S. persons with Hussain.?
The TTP itself was previously designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the same executive order.
Commenting on Hussain?s background State Department officials noted that he was one of TTP?s top lieutenants and also served as the trainer and organiser of the group?s suicide bombers. Further highlighting Hussain?s links to suicide bomber recruitment officials explained that he had ?gained particular notoriety for his heavy recruitment of children.?
Describing him as the ?deadliest of all TTP?s commanders,? the Secretary?s statement said that Hussain and the TTP had claimed responsibility for numerous lethal suicide bombings throughout Pakistan, including the November 2009 car bomb in Peshawar, two attacks on Pakistani government offices in Lahore, a September 2010 attack on a rally in Quetta that killed at least 54 people, a second September 2010 attack on a Shia procession in Lahore, which killed 33, and a September 2010 car bomb in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, that killed at least 17 people, including four children.
The State Department also linked Hussain to Jordanian militant Humam Muhammad Abu Mulal al-Balawi. Al-Balawi, who has been described as a ?triple agent? was responsible for a December 2009 suicide mission, in a remote outpost of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in Khost, Afghanistan, that killed seven senior CIA officers.
In a video released after the bombing al-Balawi purportedly claimed that he had carried out the attack in retaliation for the killing of TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud in a drone strike in August 2009.
In comments following the announcement of Hussain?s designation Daniel Benjamin, the State Department?s Coordinator for Counterterrorism, said, ?Today?s designation of Qari Hussain is in response to the wanton acts of violence he has perpetrated against the people of Pakistan and the U.S.?
He added that the operations that Hussain had sponsored had a destabilising effect on the region and his use of children to carry out suicide bombings was "abhorrent."
Labels: Pakistan terrorist organisations, suicide bombing
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Willing to have dialogue on rights: Hu
From The Hindu
Technical problems with simultaneous translations plagued the post-state visit press conference with United States President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday.
Yet the fact that many of the technical snags occurred when Mr. Hu faced questions on China’s human rights record was a fact that left many observers wondering about their timing.
The first set of comments on the thorny bilateral issue of human rights in China, by President Obama, passed through the sound systems unscathed.
Clearly enunciating the U.S. support for human rights and expressing hope that China would do the same, Mr. Obama said that during the state visit, “I reaffirmed America’s fundamental commitment to the universal rights of all people. That includes basic human rights like freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association and demonstration, and of religion – rights that are recognized in the Chinese constitution.”
On the steps forward, he added the U.S. and China had agreed to move ahead with a formal dialogue on human rights and new exchanges to advance the rule of law “while acknowledging there are going to be areas where we disagree.”
He was quick, however, to add that the U.S. recognised that “Tibet is part of the People’s Republic of China, [and] the U.S. continues to support further dialogue between the government of China and the representatives of the Dalai Lama to resolve concerns and differences, including the preservation of the religious and cultural identity of the Tibetan people.”
Yet the reporter to whom Mr. Obama had responded had also asked Mr. Hu about how he would justify China’s record on human rights, and if Mr. Hu thought that was a legitimate concern of the American people – yet no answer was forthcoming from the Chinese President, who instead responded a question from another reporter.
But there was no avoiding the issue when a second reporter reiterated his colleagues question and specifically requested a response from President Hu, who then replied, “First, I would like to clarify, because of the technical translation and interpretation problem, I did not hear the question about the human rights... As you raise this question, and I heard the question properly, certainly I am in a position to answer that question.”
Mr. Hu then explained that in over eight meetings he had held thus far with Mr. Obama, China had not shied away from discussing human rights and its position was that “China recognises and also respects the universality of human rights. And at the same time, we do believe that we also need to take into account the different and national circumstances when it comes to the universal value of human rights.”
However while he stressed that China was a developing country that was currently in a “crucial stage of reform,” and still faced many challenges in economic and social development, he conceded, “And a lot still needs to be done in China, in terms of human rights.”
China was willing to continue to have exchanges and dialogue with other countries in terms of human rights, and we are also willing to learn from each other in terms of the good practices, Mr. Hu said, specifically saying that although there were “disagreements between China and the U.S. on the issue of human rights, China is willing to engage in dialogue and exchanges with the U.S. on the basis of mutual respect and the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.”
Labels: bilateral ties, China, China President Hu Jintao, human rights, joint press conference, President Barack Obama, U.S.
Slew of U.S.-China commercial deals inked
From The Hindu
This week the state visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao here witnessed a slew of bilateral trade and defence deals being inked across industries, with the White House noting that “China is a key market for U.S. exports. Those exports are generating jobs in every corner of the U.S. and across every major sector.”
The deals signed involved some of the U.S’ largest companies, but also an increasing number of small and medium-sized enterprises, according to officials, who underscored in particular an agreement for the sale of 200 Boeing airplanes valued at $19 billion.
Officials further said that Chinese companies had signed 70 contracts for $25 billion in U.S. exports from 12 states. “These included sectors ranging from auto parts to agriculture, machinery to chemicals,” according to a statement.
The White House also issued a statement noting that 11 investment contracts were signed worth $3.24 billion and additional transactions were announced or showcased, exceeding $12 billion in total value with approximately $986.8 million in U.S. export content.
Linking these deals to job creation in the U.S. economy, officials noted that the export-boosting transactions would in particular “help support an estimated 235,000 jobs” besides their overall impact of underpinning the “[expansion of] the U.S.-China commercial partnership, contributing to economic growth and development in both countries.”
Touching upon environmentally sustainable dimension of the deals Chinese and U.S. officials said that many of these transactions “highlight the increased collaboration in such areas as clean energy and green technologies.”
Notable among these in the transportation sector is a letter of intent, between the Chinese Ministry of Rail and General Electric, regarding expanding an existing strategic partnership to bring Chinese high-speed rail technology to the U.S.
GE and China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation Limited plan to form a joint venture in the U.S. to manufacture high- and medium-speed electric multiple unit trains, officials confirmed, and this venture could support up to 3,500 U.S. jobs. Overall this plan would support efforts to capture new business opportunities valued at up to $1.4 billion with an estimated $360 million in U.S. export content, a White House statement said.
Other commercial agreements associated with President Hu’s visit to Washington include: General Electric-Shenhua Gasification joint venture; General Electric-Huadian Joint Collaboration Agreement on decentralized energy combined heat and power projects; General Electric-AVIC Avionics joint venture agreement; UPC Management Wind Power agreements; Honeywell—Haier Group Memorandum of Understanding for global strategic cooperation; LP Amina MOU with Beijing Energy; LanzaTech--Bao Steel joint venture to build an ethanol plant; MVP RV – Winston Battery Limited Recreational Vehicle MoU; Caterpillar Inc. – Caterpillar China Investment Co. Ltd. business agreement; LP Amina MOU with Yixing Union Congregation Co. Ltd.; Optimax Systems, Inc – Shanghai Micro-Electronics Equipment Co., Ltd. Precision Optics Sale; Westinghouse Electric Company -- China Baotou Nuclear Fuel (CBNF) Fuel Fabrication Agreement; Westinghouse Electric Company-- China State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) Nuclear Cooperation Agreement; Alcoa and the China Power Investment Corporation MoU; Emberclear and Clean Energy Research Institute Licensing Agreement; and American Electric Power Company – State Grid Corporation of China.
Labels: China, China President Hu Jintao, commercial deals, President Barack Obama, U.S.
Hillary to visit India in spring
From The Hindu
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a host of other senior cabinet officials will be visiting India during the spring season this year, according to Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Robert Blake.
Speaking at Rice University in Houston, Texas, Mr. Blake said that a series of high-profile visits led by the Secretary would take forward the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue process, “which oversees the entire spectrum of our cooperation.”
In a speech about the Obama administration’s priorities in South and Central Asia that emphasised the relevance of India to U.S. strategic calculations, Mr. Blake also corroborated the recent announcement by the U.S. Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke, that his department would be leading a trade delegation to India in February.
Mr. Blake noted that while in India Mr. Locke’s team would attend Aero India, a biannual Indian aerial fair, and also underscored the U.S. anticipation of India soon announcing the winners of a tender “worth up to $12 billion to supply 126 medium multi-range combat aircraft – a competition in which both Boeing and Lockheed Martin have entered their jets.”
The Assistant Secretary further elaborated on the bilateral trade and defence deals inked between India and the U.S. following President Barack Obama’s visit in November, pointing out that they amounted to over $14.9 billion, with $9.5 billion in U.S. export content that supported the creation of 50,000 American jobs.
Apart from the boost in bilateral economic cooperation that the President’s visit had engendered, Mr. Blake emphasised that India, which he described as South Asia’s “thriving anchor,” continued to play a key role in development efforts in Afghanistan. He said, “As a sign of our close partnership in the region, the President announced ... that we would work with India on women’s empowerment and capacity building in Afghanistan.”
He noted that such projects with India in Afghanistan marked “a small but important part of a significant new global development – the emergence of a global strategic partnership between India and the U.S.”
Touching upon energy issues Mr. Blake said that the U.S. had “welcomed renewed interest in [the] TAPI [gas pipeline project], although the challenges to completing such a project are numerous and real.” He noted that the TAPI project would require a multi-billion dollar investment to build a pipeline that would cross “volatile areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as the tense border between Pakistan and India.”
Labels: Hillary Clinton, India visit
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Poolers' take on White House guest arrivals for Hu Jintao state dinner
From Official Poolers of Politico
Subject: Pool report--State Dinner arrivals #1
Welcome to the third installment of POLITICO's State Dinner arrivals coming to you from Booksellers at the White House. -- Kendra Marr and Amie Parnes
Here's a rundown of the best arrivals so far.
Asked if he'll run in 2012 ...
"We're loyal to our country and our president," said John Huntsman.
Vera Wang walked into the hall as reporters gasped: "Wow!"
Who's Vera Wang wearing, your poolers asked. "I'll let you guys guess," the A-list designer said.
And (!) Did she design first lady Michelle Obama's dress tonight? "No I did not," she said.
Wang said she enjoyed seeing President Hu again: "That was kind of a big thing. Great to see him again."
Jackie Chan's date goes "Jackie give me your camera" -- a big SLR -- before he walks out to greet the press.
Why he is lugging that thing around? "I just want to take some photo" he shrugs Chan, who is wearing a tux with a mandarin collar.
Going to do some stunts? "No, not today"
Wendy Murdoch: Where's Rupert? "He's traveling."
How do you feel about being here tonight? No response. Kept on walking. Bye bye.
Best mother daughter combo: Madeleine and Alice Albright.
Mona Locke, in an elegant gray satin gown said she bought it from a Seattle designer
Christiane Amanpour walks briskly through only to mouth,"Armani," when asked about her dress.
Another "where's your date" moment for Elaine Chao. She's accompanied by her father.
Subject: Pool report--State Dinner arrivals #1
Welcome to the third installment of POLITICO's State Dinner arrivals coming to you from Booksellers at the White House. -- Kendra Marr and Amie Parnes
Here's a rundown of the best arrivals so far.
Asked if he'll run in 2012 ...
"We're loyal to our country and our president," said John Huntsman.
Vera Wang walked into the hall as reporters gasped: "Wow!"
Who's Vera Wang wearing, your poolers asked. "I'll let you guys guess," the A-list designer said.
And (!) Did she design first lady Michelle Obama's dress tonight? "No I did not," she said.
Wang said she enjoyed seeing President Hu again: "That was kind of a big thing. Great to see him again."
Jackie Chan's date goes "Jackie give me your camera" -- a big SLR -- before he walks out to greet the press.
Why he is lugging that thing around? "I just want to take some photo" he shrugs Chan, who is wearing a tux with a mandarin collar.
Going to do some stunts? "No, not today"
Wendy Murdoch: Where's Rupert? "He's traveling."
How do you feel about being here tonight? No response. Kept on walking. Bye bye.
Best mother daughter combo: Madeleine and Alice Albright.
Mona Locke, in an elegant gray satin gown said she bought it from a Seattle designer
Christiane Amanpour walks briskly through only to mouth,"Armani," when asked about her dress.
Another "where's your date" moment for Elaine Chao. She's accompanied by her father.
Labels: Barack Obama, Hu Jintao, politico, poolers, White House
Tough negotiations ahead for Hu, Obama
From The Hindu
Since he arrived in Washington on Tuesday Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit has entirely dominated the attention of the White House’s protocol army. However if recent statements by senior administration officials are anything to go by, official bonhomie may give way to tense negotiations by Wednesday evening, when Mr. Hu will attend a press conference with United States President Barack Obama.
In their opening remarks at the South Lawn of the White House the Chinese President clearly emphasised his hope that his visit would “increase mutual trust, enhance friendship, deepen cooperation, and push forward the positive, cooperative, and comprehensive China-U.S. relationship for the 21st century.”
He added that “China and the U.S. should respect each other’s choice of development path and each other’s core interests,” possibly an oblique reference to China’s interest in Taiwan. Until recently China had suspended all military-to-military ties with the U.S. after the latter sold arms to Taiwan in 2009.
In turn Mr. Obama struck a positive but balanced tone in his remarks saying that, while “The previous 30 years had been a time of estrangement for our two countries... the 30 years since have been a time of growing exchanges and understanding.”
He also hinted at the U.S.’ concerns on human rights in China when he noted, “History shows that societies are more harmonious, nations are more successful, and the world is more just, when the rights and responsibilities of all nations and all people are upheld, including the universal rights of every human being.”
The tenor of Mr. Obama’s comments appeared to jibe with recent comments made by senior officials in his administration who have, in the past few weeks, underscored policy dissonance on thorny economic, social and military issues between the two countries.
Last week U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner reiterated the U.S. view that “a stronger yuan is in China's own best interests, because it would help tame rising inflation that has become a key risk to China's rapid growth,” according to reports. Official anxiety regarding trade imbalances has also grown, focussing in particular on U.S. companies’ lack of access to China’s markets.
Similarly Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a speech on Friday that China’s human rights record needed to improve, in particular criticising in particular its imprisonment of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.
In a similar critical message issued during a meeting with Chinese Minister of National Defence General Liang Guanglie, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates hinted that the China’s development of a stealth aircraft and its growing assertiveness in the South China Sea were matters of serious concern.
While trade, currency, human rights and military development issues are clearly of much concern in the Obama White House, it may find itself groping for levers to persuade Mr. Hu to make concessions where it matters.
A litmus test of how willing Mr. Hu is to consider please for policy reform will come later on Wednesday when, along with Mr. Obama, he will interact with a group of 18 American and Chinese CEOs and hear their requests for greater market access in China.
Labels: bilateral ties, China, China President, Hu Jintao, international relations, President Barack Obama, U.S., U.S.-China relations
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Indian-American honoured for promoting unity
From The Hindu
Ashok Mago, a prominent voice of the Indian-American community, was presented the “Excellence in Global Friendship Award,” in recognition of his “outstanding contribution in promoting Indian culture in the United States and U.S.-India relations,” by Unity International Foundation, a non-profit organisation.
Mr. Mago played a key role in drumming up support for the India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement in the U.S. Congress and was also instrumental in the creation of the Senate India Caucus, led by Senator John Cornyn of Texas.
On the occasion Mr. Mago was felicitated by the Governor of Sikkim, Mr. B.P Singh, and other dignitaries present at the function included former Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Lalit Mansingh, former Indian Union Minister and Governor Bhishma Narain Singh, Vice President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Shahid Madi and the Ambassadors of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Burundi, Tajikistan and the Arab League.
R.N. Anil, Secretary-General of UIF, said that his organisation had decided to honour Mr. Mago who had “vigorously pursued the cause of India in the U.S.”
He added that history was replete with names of great men and women, who worked relentlessly to espouse the cause of unity, even if did not belong to any one nation. Mr. Mago belonged to that select group, he added.
Mr. Singh further lauded Mr. Mago’s role in bringing India and U.S. closer in recent years and said that he hoped that others would follow his lead and “bring the country of their birth and their adopted homeland closer.”
Ashok Mago, a prominent voice of the Indian-American community, was presented the “Excellence in Global Friendship Award,” in recognition of his “outstanding contribution in promoting Indian culture in the United States and U.S.-India relations,” by Unity International Foundation, a non-profit organisation.
Mr. Mago played a key role in drumming up support for the India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement in the U.S. Congress and was also instrumental in the creation of the Senate India Caucus, led by Senator John Cornyn of Texas.
On the occasion Mr. Mago was felicitated by the Governor of Sikkim, Mr. B.P Singh, and other dignitaries present at the function included former Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Lalit Mansingh, former Indian Union Minister and Governor Bhishma Narain Singh, Vice President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Shahid Madi and the Ambassadors of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Burundi, Tajikistan and the Arab League.
R.N. Anil, Secretary-General of UIF, said that his organisation had decided to honour Mr. Mago who had “vigorously pursued the cause of India in the U.S.”
He added that history was replete with names of great men and women, who worked relentlessly to espouse the cause of unity, even if did not belong to any one nation. Mr. Mago belonged to that select group, he added.
Mr. Singh further lauded Mr. Mago’s role in bringing India and U.S. closer in recent years and said that he hoped that others would follow his lead and “bring the country of their birth and their adopted homeland closer.”
Labels: Ashok Mago, civil nuclear agreement, India-U.S. ties
U.S. monetary policy fuelling inflation: Hu
From The Hindu
Two days before his much-anticipated visit to the United States, Chinese President Hu Jintao said that U.S. monetary policy “has a major impact on global liquidity and capital flows and therefore, the liquidity of the U.S. dollar should be kept at a reasonable and stable level.”
In rare comments made directly to U.S. media Mr. Hu deflected criticism away from China’s currency, which senior U.S. officials have persistently said was overvalued. Instead, he suggested to The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, efforts by the U.S. Federal Reserve to stimulate growth through huge bond purchases were fuelling inflation in emerging economies.
However while Mr. Hu acknowledged “some differences and sensitive issues between us,” his tone was described as “generally compromising, and he avoided specific mention of some of the controversial issues that have dogged relations with the U.S. over the past year or so.”
These include the U.S.’ arms sales to Taiwan, which resulted in a suspension of military-to-military ties between the two countries, imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, China’s expanding naval prowess and complaints about cyber-attacks by Google and other internet-related entities in China.
Yet tensions were recently evident during a series of meetings in Beijing between U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates and his Chinese counterpart General Liang Guanglie, particularly regarding China’s alleged development of a stealth aircraft and the 2009 arms sales to Taiwan.
In the weeks leading to Mr. Hu’s visit U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner also reiterated the U.S. view that “a stronger yuan is in China's own best interests, because it would help tame rising inflation that has become a key risk to China's rapid growth,” the Journal reported.
Mr. Hu however was said to have dismissed Mr. Geithner’s claim arguing that China was combating inflation with an integrated policies including interest-rate hikes, and “inflation can hardly be the main factor in determining the exchange rate policy.”
The Post noted that during Mr. Hu’s visit the Obama administration would also seek to refocus attention on China’s record on human rights and political freedoms, which re-entered spotlight late last year following the Nobel Committee awarding its 2010 Peace Prize to a Mr. Liu.
In his recent comments Mr. Hu nevertheless hinted that China would continue to develop “socialist democracy.” Political reform, Mr. Hu said to the Post, must “meet people's growing enthusiasm for participating in political affairs.”
He added that China would “define the institutions, standards and procedures for socialist democracy, expand people’s ordinary participation in political affairs at each level and in every field, mobilize and organize the people as extensively as possible.”
Labels: China, Hu Jintao, inflation, monetary policy, U.S.
Golden Globes "likes" Facebook film
From The Hindu
“The Social Network”, a film about Harvard-graduate Mark Zuckerberg’s ultra-popular Facebook website, swept up four awards at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards, even denying Indian musical maestro A.R. Rahman a second win at the forum.
Mr. Rahman, who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the Original Score for “If I Rise,” from director Danny Boyle's “127 Hours,” lost the Award to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Other notable winners included “The Social Network,” for Best Motion Picture, Colin Firth for best performance by an actor in “The King’s Speech,” Natalie Portman for best performance by an actress in “The Black Swan,” “The Kids are Alright,” for best comedy or musical and Christian Bale for best actor in a supporting role in “The Fighter.” Paul Giamatti scooped up the laurel for Best Actor in a comedy film for his role in “Barney's Version.”
The Golden Globe Awards are sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognise excellence in film, television both domestic and foreign. However comedian and Awards Master of Ceremonies Ricky Gervais caused more than a chuckle when he lampooned the HFPA numerous times throughout the ceremony, ridiculing it in particular for its obscurity outside of the Awards.
Hollywood glitterati did not escape Mr. Gervais’ comedic wrath either, with cinematic luminaries Charlie Sheen, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, and Bruce Willis falling victim to his relentlessly sarcastic comments.
The annual ceremony and dinner at which the Golden Globes are presented marks the start of the Hollywood film industry’s awards season, and it culminates in the annual Academy Awards otherwise known as the Oscars.
Labels: A.R. Rahman, Golden Globe awards, Oscar-winner
Friday, January 14, 2011
Mullen predicts more violence in Afghanistan in 2011
From The Hindu
The United States needs to prepare itself for “more violence and more casualties in coming months,” in Afghanistan, according to Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who also predicted that “The violence will be worse in 2011 than it was in 2010.”
Speaking to journalists at the State Department’s Foreign Press Centre on Wednesday Admiral Mullen said that while the prognosis for even more bloodshed in Afghanistan may be difficult to accept, the longer-term solution would require the U.S. to support an Afghan political process that would include reconciliation with those Taliban fighters who broke off with al Qaeda, renounced violence and accepted the Afghan constitution.
Emphasising a political solution over a military one to the region’s problems, the Admiral argued that U.S. forces remained committed to beginning a “conditions-based withdrawal of American forces in July of 2011 with a goal endorsed by NATO in the Lisbon Summit of being able to fully transition security responsibilities to Afghan forces by 2014.”
He reaffirmed public statements made by Obama administration officials earlier, suggesting that the U.S.’ military presence would diminish in the country from that point onwards even though the task of ensuring that it was supplanted by sufficient Afghan governance capacity continued to remain “severe.”
The Admiral further underscored the importance of action by Pakistan to shut down terrorist safe havens along the Durand Line, saying, “It is absolutely critical that the safe havens in Pakistan get shut down. We cannot succeed in Afghanistan without that.”
Touching upon recent meetings with his counterpart in Pakistan General Ashfaq Kayani, Admiral Mullen said, “He has evolved his military against this threat. This threat is evolving as well, because it’s not just Haqqani Network anymore, or al Qaeda, or Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban, or Lashkar-e-Taiba, it is all of them working together in ways that two years ago they absolutely did not.”
Pressing the point that “Pakistan is the epicenter of terrorism in the world right now,” he said that neighbouring countries in the region, including Russia, Iran and India, “all have responsibility and we all want to see this resolved as rapidly as possible.”
Labels: Afghanistan, Mike Mullen, violence
At Tucson, Obama calls for healing
From The Hindu
Even as the United States struggled to come to terms with the shock of a violent shooting in Tucson, Arizona, last weekend, in which six people were killed and 14, including Congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords, seriously injured, President Barack Obama and senior administration officials paid homage to the victims and their loved ones at a memorial ceremony on Wednesday.
The President also told a crowd that had assembled at the function that “Gabby,” who was recuperating, in Tucson’s University Medical Centre, from a near-fatal head wound that Jared Lee Loughner (22) inflicted with his Glock semiautomatic pistol in a crowded marketplace, had opened her eyes for the first time after he had visited her.
Visibly moved, Mr. Obama said, “A few minutes after we left her room and some of her colleagues in Congress were in the room, Gabby opened her eyes for the first time... So I can tell you she knows we are here. She knows we love her. And she knows that we are rooting for her through what is udoubtedly going to be a difficult journey.”
In a eulogy to those who were killed in the attack the President called for political leadership that sought to heal rather wound. He said, “At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do – it is important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.”
He joined a nation in mourning to pay tribute, in particular, to the youngest victim of the attack, nine-year old Christina Green, who had participated in Ms. Giffords' civic engagement exercise called “Congress on Your Corner", to learn about democracy in action.
Mr. Obama said, “Here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship... She saw public service as something exciting and hopeful,” adding, “I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it.”
In the aftermath of last Saturday’s rampage by Loughner, who has since been in custody and charged with murder and attempted murder, the public discourse and news media here have been seared by a visceral debate that has blamed violence-inciting vitriol by Republican Party elements, and also a pervasive gun culture, for the shooting spree.
Former Governor of Alaska and Tea Party heavyweight Sarah Palin in particular faced a barrage of criticism this week for suggesting, after the 2010 debates on healthcare reform, that various Democratic Congressmen and their district strongholds, including Ms. Giffords, be placed in the “crosshairs” of Republicans.
On Wednesday Ms. Palin posted a video response on her Facebook page, in which she condemned those who blamed her for the shooting for committing “blood libel.”
However Mr. Obama, who quoted lines from the scriptures in an emotion-laden speech that he was said to have written himself, shied away from partisan or accusatory statements, instead calling for civility in public discourse and cautioning against “simple explanations” in the search for reasons behind the killings.
“Let us make sure it is not on the usual plane of politics and point scoring and pettiness that drifts away with the next news cycle,” he said, adding, “what we cannot do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other.”
Labels: assassination attempt, Barack Obama, memorial service, Tucson shooting, unifying diplomacy
U.S. underscores defence sales ahead of India mission
From The Hindu
When United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke met on Tuesday with India’s Ambassador to the United States, Meera Shankar, he focused their discussion firmly on high technology defence sales between the two countries, describing that sector as “cornerstone of the U.S.-India strategic partnership.”
Their talks marked the start of early preparations for a high-tech business development trade mission to India, which the Mr. Locke will lead during February 6-11 2011, U.S. Department of Commerce officials here said.
In their discussion Mr. Locke and Ms. Shankar touched upon a wide range of bilateral trade and investment issues, with one of the top agenda items being an effort by the U.S. to advocate for U.S. fighter aircraft manufacturers. In that context Mr. Locke said to Ms. Shankar that the U.S. would be “a willing and capable defence partner” to India.
In a statement the U.S. Department of Commerce confirmed that over 70 companies applied to participate in February’s mission, which will make stops in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, and at each venue seek to promote U.S. exports of high tech products and services in key economic sectors.
Officials noted that the sectors that the mission would cover included civil-nuclear trade, defence and security, civil aviation, and information and communications technology.
Even before President Barack Obama’s visit to India in November, U.S. exports of goods to India were said to have risen by 15.2 per cent and were projected to surpass an all-time high $19 billion for the entire year, DoC officials pointed out.
They added that “Advanced technologies, including aerospace, specialised materials, information and communications technologies, electronics and flexible manufacturing systems underpinned this growth.”
With India being the U.S.’ 17th largest export market, over $16 billion in value, Secretary Locke had accompanied Mr. Obama on his visit and similarly held meetings with industry leaders in India in November that aimed to press forward defence sales.
The U.S. President’s visit saw deals worth over $14.9 billion being inked and showcased, a large proportion of which related to the defence sector.
Labels: India-U.S. defence ties
Prison term for Thomas DeLay
From The Hindu
Thomas DeLay, former United States House Majority Leader known as “The Hammer”, was sentenced by a Texas judge to three years in prison on money laundering charges. In November 2010, he was found guilty of funnelling corporate contributions to State legislature candidates.
While DeLay was taken into custody by bailiffs following his conviction on Monday, he was released the same day after his lawyers posted bail for $10,000.
According to reports, presiding Judge Pat Priest said to DeLay during the conviction proceedings that it was necessary “for those who write the laws to be bound by them", and refused to entertain DeLay's claim that he was the victim of political persecution and was unfairly accused of violating the law for doing what “everybody was doing”.
Maintaining a breezy casualness in media interactions throughout his trial, DeLay had earlier commented that he blamed a “rogue” district attorney and Democrats for indicting him so that he would be removed from his position in Congress. He was also quoted saying that the district attorney “shopped six grand juries...before he found a grand jury just sworn in 30 minutes to indict me.”
Community service
DeLay, who was initially slapped with a felony charge in 2005 for siphoning $190,000 in corporate donations and passing the monies on to Republican candidates in the Texas State Legislature, was also sentenced to five years in prison for a conviction under that charge. However Judge Priest allowed DeLay ten years of community service instead of time in prison.
DeLay had also been linked to Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist who was convicted of three criminal felony counts relating to “defrauding of American-Indian tribes and corruption of public officials”.
DeLay earned his nickname for his disciplinarian role as Majority Party Whip when Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives in 1995.
In that role he also played a key part in pushing through the House vote impeaching former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Although he was elevated to the role of Majority Leader in 2003, he relinquished that position after his 2005 indictment.
DeLay was notably associated with the K Street Project, described as “an effort to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire only Republicans in top positions, and to reward loyal GOP lobbyists with access to influential officials”.
Ironically DeLay’s conviction comes in the wake of a persistent campaign by President Barack Obama’s government to limit, at the federal level, the influence of corporations and lobby firms on public policy.
These efforts however, suffered a setback in January when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Citizens United case that political spending by corporations in candidate elections would be permitted, free of government bans, on the basis of protecting the First Amendment’s free speech principle.
DeLay is expected to appeal Monday’s verdict in higher courts.
Labels: corruption, money laundering, Thomas DeLay
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
U.S.-China military discussions reveal frictions
From The Hindu
In comments to media made in Beijing, United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Chinese Minister of National Defence General Liang Guanglie suggested that they had broad agreement on the need for stronger bilateral military ties. Yet they respectively hinted that China’s development of a stealth aircraft and the U.S.’ arms sales to Taiwan last year were points of disagreement.
Following a series of meetings between top defence officials from the two countries this week, a precursor to Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Washington on January 19, Mr. Gates said that “In order to reduce the chances of miscommunication, misunderstanding or miscalculation, it is important that our military-to-military ties are solid, consistent and not subject to shifting political winds.”
Regarding China’s development of a new, fifth-generation stealth fighter, which was said to have demonstrated anti-satellite and anti-ship ballistic missile capability, the American Forces Press Services quoted a U.S. defence official saying, “China must defend itself, but... the Chinese should be clear about their strategy and doctrine. That would go a long way toward dispelling concerns about the Chinese military.”
At a press briefing, Mr. Liang responded to the issue arguing that the gap between the Chinese military and more advanced countries was “at least two or three decades,” and that the military improvements were not targeting any one nation.
Touching upon the U.S.’ arms sales to Taiwan last year, following which Beijing broke off military-to-military contact with Washington, Minister Liang noted, “On that our position has been clear and consistent: We are against it, because the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan seriously damaged China's core interests.”
Mr. Liang added, “We do not want to see that happen again. Neither do we want the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan [to] again and further disrupt the development of our military-to-military relationship.”
Yet both leaders noted that the high-level meetings this week laid down a “very solid foundation for the settlement of our differences and the future progress of our relations.”
In particular they expressed solidarity regarding discussions on North Korea and the crisis in the Korean peninsula. Mr. Gates said the U.S. and China could “work to maintain peace and security on the Korean peninsula by facilitating engagement between the two Koreas and working toward the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.”
The AFPS also reported that Mr. Gates assured Chinese military officials that “American exercises off the Korean coast are not in any way directed at the Chinese, but rather are driven by growing concern over North Korea.”
He was quoted as saying “Our efforts have been directed at deterring further provocations on the part of North Korea... This is an area where the U.S. and China have worked together cooperatively, and we acknowledge and appreciate China's constructive actions late last fall in terms of trying to tamp down tensions on the peninsula.”
Labels: China, U.S.-China ties, United States
Tucson killer charged, Congresswoman still at risk
From The Hindu
Authorities brought two murder and three attempted murder charges against Jared Lee Lougher (22), in custody since he went on a deadly rampage in Tucson, Arizona, with a Glock semi-automatic pistol on Saturday, leaving six dead and one United States Congresswoman, Democrat Gabrielle Giffords, battling for her life after receiving a head wound.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose Director Robert Mueller was commissioned by President Barack Obama to manage the investigation, raided Loughner’s home and found evidence indicating that he had planned to assassinate Ms. Giffords, according to documents filed in Federal District Court in Phoenix.
The New York Times quoted FBI Special Agent Tony Taylor as saying in an affidavit that an envelope found in Loughner’s safe had the handwritten words: “I planned ahead,” “My assassination” and “Giffords.”
Media also reported that federal authorities said that their investigation of Loughner’s MySpace web page “included a mysterious “Goodbye friends” message published hours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to “Please don’t be mad at me.””
While in a December 15 YouTube video linked to Loughner he was said to have described himself as a “U.S. military recruit,” the Army released a statement this week saying that Loughner had not been accepted. Sheriff Clarence Dupnik of Pima County, where the fatal shooting took place, described the gunman as “mentally unstable.”
More than 48 hours after the shooting Ms. Giffords was still in a medically-induced coma at University Medical Center in Tucson, where doctors performed a two-hour surgery and succeeded in removing “debris from the gunshot, a small amount of dead brain tissue and nearly half of Ms. Giffords’s skull to prevent swelling that could transmit increased pressure to cause more extensive and permanent brain damage,” it was reported.
Yet doctors speaking at a news conference later expressed cautious optimism, saying “Things are going very well, and we are all very happy at this stage,” however adding, “Brain swelling is the biggest threat now because it can take a turn for the worse at any time.”
Reports said that after entering the back lower left section of Ms. Gifford’s head a bullet from Loughner’s gun had “cut clear across the brain, before exiting.” That section of the brain is responsible for controlling movement on the right side of the body, including speech and comprehension, it was noted.
Even as Ms. Gifford’s progress was watched by a nation in shock, Americans mourned those victims of the shooting, President Obama ordering flags to be flown at half-mast, and a moment of silence was observed at 11 a.m. eastern time on Monday.
Washington was also gripped by soul-searching questions on the divisive and bitter tone of rhetoric in U.S. politics, with many particularly focusing their ire on former Governor of Alaska and Vice-Presidential candidate Republican Sarah Palin, for calling on her followers to put some Democratic leaders in their “crosshairs.” Similarly the debate in the nation’s capital also touched upon the U.S.’ failure to control the proliferation of guns.
Tributes were paid also U.S. Judge John Roll and Christina Green (9), who were killed in the attack after being shot at point blank range. Judge Roll was said to have received “hundreds of angry calls and a number of death threats,” and U.S. marshals placed him and his family under protection for a month after he issued a ruling in 2009 to allow a civil rights case to proceed against a rancher who had targeted a group of Mexicans crossing his land.
Ms. Green, the youngest victim in the attack, was born on September 21, 2001, and the NYT quoted her mother saying Christina “lent a grace note of hope to that terrible day.” Ms. Green was said to have loved animals and volunteered at a children’s charity. On the last day of her life she had gone to watch government in action as Ms. Gifford held an interactive session on “Congress on Your Corner.”
Her mother, Roxanna Green said that she hoped that her daughter’s death would “bring not only justice in the jailing of her attacker but also a national awareness of the cost of a venomous political dialogue.”
Labels: Arizona shootout, U.S. laws
U.S. to further enhance funding to Pakistan
From The Hindu
The United States’ supply of military, intelligence and economic support to Pakistan is likely to increase significantly despite frustrations that Pakistan “is not doing enough to combat terrorist groups in the country,” according to government officials here.
In a report The Washington Post quoted unnamed officials in the Obama administration saying that Vice President Joe Biden would announce further measures to boost U.S. support to Pakistan when he travels there next week for meetings with Pakistani Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Kayani and other top government leaders.
While Mr. Biden is expected to ask for a long-term strategy for the region in exchange, any promised increase in U.S. support will be over and above the $7.5 billion funding already sanctioned for Pakistan under the Kerry-Lugar bill and a recent announcement of over $2 billion to be directly given to the Pakistani army.
While the latest round of support may be calibrated to the level of assistance needed for Pakistan to launch an offensive against Taliban sanctuaries in areas bordering Afghanistan, administration
officials were also quoted in the Post as saying that moves to deepen the U.S.’ intelligence cooperation with Pakistan would be “a way of assuaging Pakistan’s fears that India... is building its own influence in Afghanistan.”
Administration officials also admitted that the steps to enhance U.S. aid to Pakistan even more would be consistent with President Barack Obama’s recent Afghanistan war review, according to which the U.S. would “redouble... efforts to look for political approaches to ending the war, including a recognition that Pakistan must play an important role if not a dominant one, in reconciliation talks with the Taliban.”
However, according to anonymous official sources, Pakistan understood that its region had become the “single most important foreign policy issue to the U.S. and... their cachet has gone up.”
Yet officials said that Pakistan had also realised that it had reached the point of maximum leverage and, “Things about their region are going to change one way or the other in the near future,” as the American public had become increasingly disillusioned with the war.
The United States’ supply of military, intelligence and economic support to Pakistan is likely to increase significantly despite frustrations that Pakistan “is not doing enough to combat terrorist groups in the country,” according to government officials here.
In a report The Washington Post quoted unnamed officials in the Obama administration saying that Vice President Joe Biden would announce further measures to boost U.S. support to Pakistan when he travels there next week for meetings with Pakistani Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Kayani and other top government leaders.
While Mr. Biden is expected to ask for a long-term strategy for the region in exchange, any promised increase in U.S. support will be over and above the $7.5 billion funding already sanctioned for Pakistan under the Kerry-Lugar bill and a recent announcement of over $2 billion to be directly given to the Pakistani army.
While the latest round of support may be calibrated to the level of assistance needed for Pakistan to launch an offensive against Taliban sanctuaries in areas bordering Afghanistan, administration
officials were also quoted in the Post as saying that moves to deepen the U.S.’ intelligence cooperation with Pakistan would be “a way of assuaging Pakistan’s fears that India... is building its own influence in Afghanistan.”
Administration officials also admitted that the steps to enhance U.S. aid to Pakistan even more would be consistent with President Barack Obama’s recent Afghanistan war review, according to which the U.S. would “redouble... efforts to look for political approaches to ending the war, including a recognition that Pakistan must play an important role if not a dominant one, in reconciliation talks with the Taliban.”
However, according to anonymous official sources, Pakistan understood that its region had become the “single most important foreign policy issue to the U.S. and... their cachet has gone up.”
Yet officials said that Pakistan had also realised that it had reached the point of maximum leverage and, “Things about their region are going to change one way or the other in the near future,” as the American public had become increasingly disillusioned with the war.
Labels: Pakistan, U.S.-Pak. ties, United States
Twitter subpoenaed over Wikileaks
From The Hindu
A federal court in the United States has issued a subpoena to social networking website Twitter to obtain information on several individuals linked to Wikileaks, the whistleblower website, including its spokesperson Julian Assange, an Icelandic Member of Parliament also named in the case said.
MP Birgitta Jonsdottir, who is reportedly a former volunteer with Wikileaks, transmitted documents to severalU.S. media outlets this week that showed an order from a court in Virginia to Twitter demanding subscriber names, user names, screen names, mailing addresses, residential addresses, connection records and other data of several persons.
According to Ms. Jonsdottir those whose information was subpoenaed included her, Mr. Assange, army intelligence officer Bradley Manning, who is currently in prison charged with leaking the documents to Wikileaks and Rop Gonggrijp, said to be a computer hacker from the Netherlands.
The subpoena follows several statements made by the U.S. government over the last few months suggesting that it would sue Wikileaks for publicly publishing secret State Department cables and war documents relating to the U.S.’ conflict engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.
According to the court order of December 14, which was posted on the website of online magazine Salon, the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia found that the U.S. government had “offered specific and articulable facts showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the records or other information sought are relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation.”
While the initial order by the court was sealed and Twitter was directed not to disclose the existence of the U.S. government’s subpoena application to the Twitter clients involved, that order was subsequently reversed, reportedly after Twitter mounted a legal challenge to the initial order.
On Friday Ms. Jonsdottir said that she had received a message from Twitter which said, “We are writing to inform you that Twitter has received legal process requesting information regarding your Twitter account @birgittaj. The legal process requires Twitter to produce documents related to your account.”
Soon after, Wikileaks said in a statement, “Today, the existence of a secret U.S. government grand jury espionage investigation into WikiLeaks was confirmed for the first time as a subpoena was brought into the public domain.”
The Guardian newspaper reported that the subpoena also targeted an account held by Jacob Applebaum, an American computer programmer “whose computer and phones were examined by U.S. officials in July after he was stopped returning from Holland to the U.S.”
Mr. Assange was quoted as saying, “If the Iranian government was to attempt to coercively obtain this information from journalists and activists of foreign nations, human rights groups around the world would speak out.”
Neither Twitter nor the U.S. government have commented on the subpoena yet, with Twitter only saying only that its policy was “to notify its users, where possible, of government requests for information.”
Labels: cablegate, Twitter, Wikileaks
Marginal fall in U.S. unemployment rate
From The Hindu
The United States economy saw a marginal improvement in its job market conditions in December, as unemployment rates dropped by 0.4 percentage point to 9.4 per cent, the lowest it has been in 18 months, according to the monthly report of the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS).
The BLS report, which was released on Friday morning here, noted that 103,000 nonfarm jobs had been added to payrolls, with the increase in employment primarily occurring in the leisure and hospitality and the healthcare sectors. There was little change in other major industries, the BLS said.
The BLS survey results come closely on the heels of a similar report released earlier this week by a private company, Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP), which stunned economic forecasters with positive news indicating that private-sector jobs in the U.S. rose by 297,000 in December, far higher than the expected jobs-addition of 100,000.
In the wake of the ADP report, economists had on average expected the BLS report to confirm that 150,000 to 160,000 new jobs had been created. Instead, the BLS business survey said that the 113,000 private-sector jobs created had been offset by a loss of 10,000 government jobs, according to reports.
Experts also noted that the results showed that December was the first month in 17 during which the unemployment rate was lower than 9.5 per cent, which some analysts see that as “a fluke caused by seasonal hiring,” and others interpreting it as a “precursor of better months to come.”
In remarks following the BLS results’ announcement, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Austan Goolsbee said, “Today’s employment report shows that private sector payrolls increased by 113,000 in December, capping 12 consecutive months of growth that added 1.3 million private sector jobs to the economy during 2010, the strongest private sector job growth
since 2006.”
Striking a cautiously optimistic note he added that even though the unemployment rate fell sharply in December, it was still “unacceptably high” and the U.S. economy needed robust employment growth in order to recover from the deep job losses that began over two years ago.
“The overall trajectory of the economy has improved dramatically since then, but there will surely continue to be bumps in the road ahead,” he said.
The United States economy saw a marginal improvement in its job market conditions in December, as unemployment rates dropped by 0.4 percentage point to 9.4 per cent, the lowest it has been in 18 months, according to the monthly report of the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS).
The BLS report, which was released on Friday morning here, noted that 103,000 nonfarm jobs had been added to payrolls, with the increase in employment primarily occurring in the leisure and hospitality and the healthcare sectors. There was little change in other major industries, the BLS said.
The BLS survey results come closely on the heels of a similar report released earlier this week by a private company, Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP), which stunned economic forecasters with positive news indicating that private-sector jobs in the U.S. rose by 297,000 in December, far higher than the expected jobs-addition of 100,000.
In the wake of the ADP report, economists had on average expected the BLS report to confirm that 150,000 to 160,000 new jobs had been created. Instead, the BLS business survey said that the 113,000 private-sector jobs created had been offset by a loss of 10,000 government jobs, according to reports.
Experts also noted that the results showed that December was the first month in 17 during which the unemployment rate was lower than 9.5 per cent, which some analysts see that as “a fluke caused by seasonal hiring,” and others interpreting it as a “precursor of better months to come.”
In remarks following the BLS results’ announcement, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Austan Goolsbee said, “Today’s employment report shows that private sector payrolls increased by 113,000 in December, capping 12 consecutive months of growth that added 1.3 million private sector jobs to the economy during 2010, the strongest private sector job growth
since 2006.”
Striking a cautiously optimistic note he added that even though the unemployment rate fell sharply in December, it was still “unacceptably high” and the U.S. economy needed robust employment growth in order to recover from the deep job losses that began over two years ago.
“The overall trajectory of the economy has improved dramatically since then, but there will surely continue to be bumps in the road ahead,” he said.
Labels: U.S. job market, unemployment rates
Between a rock and a hard place
From The Hindu
With the 112th Congress of the United States beginning its work this week, President Barack Obama can expect that many, if not most, of his policy initiatives for 2011 will literally be “up-Hill” struggles, beleaguered by attacks and blockades from a fresh crop of conservatives in the House of Representatives.
Since the November Congressional election handed Democrats a stinging defeat in many States, reversing their control of the House entirely and thinning out their majority in the Senate, the President was quick to strike an inclusive note in its aftermath, in which he emphasised that Republicans shared the responsibility for governing a nation reeling under the effects of the global economic downturn.
Yet the notion of a post-November shift in power balance may be somewhat exaggerated, for it could be argued that it is the Republicans who are between a rock — the Democratic policy juggernaut that is the Obama White House — and a hard place.
Indulge in a thought experiment for a moment. The year is 2011 and the month is, let us say, April. The U.S. unemployment rate is still hovering at above nine per cent, as it has been for most of the previous year.
President Obama, sensing that a funding boost for unemployment support programmes is necessary to reduce the numbers of desperate, near-bankrupt ordinary Americans, proposes a bill to that effect. The Senate passes it narrowly, and it goes to the House.
If the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, takes a view that supporting such a bill would be true to the mandate that he has been handed by voters — to get the U.S. economy back on track following its dramatic collapse under a Republican administration — he and his colleagues would support it and it would pass.
In that scenario his party would still be able to project an image of capable governance and effective bipartisan deal-making, an asset that might prove to be vital during the 2012 presidential elections. Given that the Democratic campaign is certain to blame the Republicans for engendering the crisis this image might well be the deciding factor.
If Mr. Boehner however bends to the will of newbie Congressmen with Tea-Party roots, who will invariably be baying for deficit reduction measures, even during the worst recession in 80 years, he would endanger the prospects of his party in 2012, and with it his own political future.
The reason for this is that besides the risk that Congressional obstructionism through filibuster could deprive the Republicans of any claim to responsible governance, the Republican Party is still struggling to come up with a suitable candidate to run against President Obama in 2012.
Hence the Republicans need every bit of political ammunition they can find if they are to have any hope at all of recapturing the White House; and in that context, to appear callous to the needs of those who have suffered the most during the recession, or to those who have benefitted from last year's game-changing healthcare reform, could be tantamount to political suicide.
Also, as economists such as Paul Krugman and Christina Romer have pointed out, there is a genuine concern that early rollbacks of stimulus policies, in fear of deficit expansion, could resurrect the nightmarish prospect of a long-festering recession, similar to what actually happened in the 1930s.
Similarly Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned in an op-ed this week that if deficit hawks attempted to get the healthcare reform laws repealed, that would ironically add close to a trillion dollars to the deficit.
The flipside of that coin, that the U.S.' gargantuan deficit could cripple its economy through a multitude of macroeconomic effects, is certainly a real danger too but one that might be relatively less immediate in terms of its consequences for middle-class Americans.
It is not as though Republicans are unmindful of these ground realities. The problem is that they are equally aware that their control over the House gives them leverage to bargain with the Democrats and the White House — which taken to an extreme could imply a full-scale government shutdown as demonstrated by former House Speaker and Republican Newt Gingrich.
Yet if Mr. Boehner takes Republicans down the path that his predecessor did, history suggests that it is the House majority party, and perhaps millions of furloughed public sector workers, who would feel the pain of government departments suddenly coming to a grinding halt and the flow of pay cheques drying up.
When Mr. Gingrich brought that fate upon the U.S. in 1995, in the heat of a mounting personal rivalry with erstwhile President Bill Clinton, the fallout was that his poll ratings dropped dramatically while Mr. Clinton's public approval soared and brought him a step closer to getting re-elected to a second term.
If all this appears obvious then for what murkier reasons might Mr. Boehner choose to impose a stranglehold on Congress?
The answer comes back again and again to the Tea Party. With even President Obama admitting that Democrats got a “shellacking” in November, the unmistakable wave of discontented voters picking red over blue was interpreted in some quarters as a victory for the Tea Party, which had finally “arrived” in the mainstream.
Yet as the case of Christine O'Donnell demonstrated, the average American voter often shies away from the Tea Party's relatively extreme views on certain subjects — including race relations and the role of religion in politics.
In the primaries Ms O'Donnell, a self-confessed former practitioner of witchcraft, knocked out incumbent Congressman Michael Castle from the race but then ended up losing the House seat to Democrat Chris Coons in November. Speaking after his victory Mr. Coons said to voters, “You sent a message that the politics of no, the politics of division, the politics of negativity have no place in this great state.”
Doubtless senior Republican strategists somewhere were gnashing their teeth in frustration as Ms O'Donnell's foray sabotaged, even if unwittingly, the prospects of a mainstream Republican candidate.
Nevertheless, given their considerable presence in the 2011 Congress — they hold 40 seats in the House, out of a total of 435 seats — the Tea Party Congressmen's strident messages on everything from social conservatism to cutting government welfare spending may have already weighed on Mr. Boehner's calculations.
However if his insecurities about the Tea Party causing cracks in the Republican machine prompt Mr. Boehner to stall the very functioning of Congress, then that might be a sign that the Grand Old Party is more internally fragile than even Mr. Obama and his Democratic colleagues could imagine in their wildest dreams.
Labels: Democrats, Republicans, U.S. Congressional elections, White House
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