Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Mughals at the Smithsonian
Photograph credit: The Smithsonian Institution
From The Hindu
Even if the India-United States relationship appears to
be a monochrome parade of banality in the political sphere, the
civilisational link between the two nations has never been more vibrant,
especially in the art world.
All of this forthcoming
year, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, one of the premier
organisations behind the vast, variegated art collections of this
country, will host a grand tribute to Indian art from the Mughal period.
In
a special media preview this week, the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery,
which specialises in Asian art, will display 50 masterpieces from the
15th -- 17th century period, from the times of Mughal kings
including Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The exhibition will be called
“Worlds within worlds.”
Debra Diamond, Associate
Curator for South and Southeast Asian Art at the Smithsonian, said that
these paintings, which were “often costly beyond reckoning,” displayed a
“new naturalism” in their composition, blending Indian and European
influences. A portrait of a son of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal typified
this style, she said.
The display, aptly named the
“Indian Summer,” will be part of a broader, year-long tribute to Asian
art that will also include a “Japanese Spring,” featuring seminal prints
such as Hokusai's Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji and a major work by
Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei. This will be followed up with a
third exhibition of artwork under the title of “Arabian Autumn.”
Diamond
emphasised the Sackler's sustained interest in displaying Indian art
and noted that contemporary Indian art may be featured in future
exhibitions in 2013.
Even as the Sackler celebrates
its 25{+t}{+h}anniversary, the gallery announced to media that it had
received a boost from a $5 million gift from Dame Jillian Sackler, the
New York-based philanthropist and widow of Arthur M. Sackler, after whom
the Gallery is named. The gift will be used to establish an endowment
to support the position of the Director and programmes at the Arthur M.
Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art.
Labels: Mughal art, Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Monday, January 16, 2012
Off-court champion
From The Hindu
The heart of a champion is immutable, so the saying
goes, and in the world of tennis that is sometimes tested more off-court
than on it. Venus Williams, formerly ranked No.1 in the world, winner
of no fewer than 21 Grand Slams and a breathtaking 43 career singles
titles, has proved just that over the recent months, and she's come out
on top.
While Venus launched her usual, high-powered
blistering attack on her opponent the first round of last August's U.S.
Open, a silent shadow loomed behind her. She was struggling. She'd been
off-court for two months, battling what seemed to be a one-off viral
illness. But the worst news was yet to come.
After
dispatching Vesna Dolonts in a 6-4, 6-3 victory, Venus stunned the world
when she announced that she would withdraw from the tournament as she'd
been diagnosed with a rare, autoimmune disease called Sjögren's
syndrome. As with most autoimmune illnesses, Sjögren's causes the body
to attack itself and is linked to the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.
In
February, her sister and former world champion Serena had suffered an
almost-fatal pulmonary embolism and now Venus was shaken by news of her
own potentially career-destroying condition. In a rare interview with
People
magazine she said, “I would go to the doctor and start crying; I couldn't help it.”
Yet,
like in many of her scrappy matches when she was down a set — rare as
that was — she pulled herself together and saw the positive side, adding
that the diagnosis was a relief too, because, “I wasn't crazy and I
wasn't lazy.” From that point on she took charge of her recovery. She
has taken up a serious course of holistic alternatives such as yoga and
massage, to complement her conventional treatment.
It
seems to be working, and as her energy has returned, she has been
careful with it and pursued other interests too, including working
towards a business degree, running a clothing line and an interior
design business, and serving as Ambassador for the U.S. Tennis
Association's Junior Tennis Learning programme.
While
she admitted she was taking it slow, she entertains no thoughts of
quitting. She said that a return to competitive tennis could actually be
relaxing. “It's eat, sleep, practise, rest... I get more rest at a
tournament than I do at home,” she says with a grin. Spoken like a
champ.
Labels: Grand Slams, Serena Williams, Sjögren's syndrome, tennis, Venus Williams
U.S. Marines in video identified, may face court martial
From The Hindu
The four United States marines who appeared in a video
that has embarrassed the country into a slew of high-level apologies to
the Afghan people have been identified and are likely to face
disciplinary proceedings in a court martial, according to officials
here.
The video, which shows U.S. marines urinating
on three bloodied corpses, allegedly of Taliban fighters, emerged
earlier this week and was immediately condemned by Secretary of Defence
Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as “deplorable.”
On
Friday, reports emerged that all four marines in the video had been
identified although the search was still on for the person who shot the
video. With two of the Marines already questioned on Thursday by
criminal investigators, officials confirmed that the men were originally
from Camp Lejuene in North Carolina and served in the Third Battalion,
Second Marines.
U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General
Jim Amos said there would be an internal “preliminary” probe seeking to
establish how such an incident could occur, adding that the video showed
behaviour “wholly inconsistent with the high standards of conduct and
warrior ethos that we have demonstrated throughout our history.”
The
video showed the men laughing as they urinated on the corpses, with one
of them saying to the bodies, “Have a great day, buddy.” Afghan
President Hamid Karzai, who condemned the men's actions as “inhuman,”
also called for an investigation.
Meanwhile a Deputy
Commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, General Curtis Scaparrotti
issued a directive to troops in the country to “treat the living and the
dead with dignity and respect,” adding that they must follow the rules
of armed conflict and “act honourably at all times.”
With
U.S. officials reacting swiftly to limit the fallout from the event,
their attention has centred on stemming the rise of any anti-American
sentiment in Afghanistan on the eve of significant efforts to promote
reconciliation with the Taliban and other forces.
While
a Taliban spokesman was quoted as saying on Thursday that the video may
not debilitate the ongoing negotiations, the timing of the incident has
been awkward as Marc Grossman, President Barack Obama's Special
Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is heading to the region
for discussions with Mr. Karzai.
Labels: Taliban, U.S. Marines
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Manning likely to face court martial
From The Hindu
Snapped on camera after more than a year in military confinement,
he cut a diminutive figure as he was marched to his pre-trial court hearing
between two Army officers. Bradley Manning, the military intelligence analyst
charged with the biggest leak of state secrets in United States history, faces
the prospect a court martial and consequently, a higher likelihood of a lifetime
prison sentence.
At the hearings that were recently completed in Fort Meade,
Maryland, Mr. Manning's attorney David Coombs had argued that there was a lack
of adequate security at the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility in
Iraq, where Mr. Manning worked. He also centred defence arguments on the Army's
insufficient response to his client's emotional problems.
Defence argument
On the first day of the pre-trial hearing Mr. Coombs challenged
the process itself and asked Investigating Officer Colonel Paul Almanza to
recuse himself on the grounds that the latter was a Department of Justice
prosecutor in the case against WikiLeaks, the online whistleblower that
published a vast trove of U.S. State Department cables.
Mr. Coombs went on to argue that the U.S. Army's charges against
Mr. Manning were excessive and he reportedly made a plea to reduce the charges
from 22 to three.
One of the most serious charges that Mr. Manning is facing is
“aiding the enemy”, which is a capital offence. However, prosecutors and the
investigating officer in the pre-trial hearing have concurred that they will not
seek the death penalty but life imprisonment for Mr. Manning.
Following Col. Alamanza's recommendation that Mr. Manning be sent
to a full court martial, Jeff Patterson of the Bradley Manning Support Network
said he was “disappointed” by the development but was “far from surprised.”
“I sat in that courtroom and watched a Department of Justice
employee pretending to be an impartial judge,” Mr. Patterson was quoted as
saying. He further hinted that the prosecution had been able to present all its
desired witnesses, but had blocked the defence team from calling “all but a few”
witnesses that it had requested.
Labels: Bradley Manning, Iraq war, U.S. Embassy cables, Wikileaks
Obama to give tax breaks to ‘insourcers'
From The Hindu
After a lull in 2011 during which United States President Barack
Obama focused on fire-fighting for domestic economic issues, his administration
would appear to have once again trained its gun on the thorny question of
outsourcing, particularly a thrust towards preventing jobs migrating to
off-shore locations such as India and China.
At a rare ‘Insourcing American Jobs' forum at the White House this
week, Mr. Obama resurrected the anti-outsourcing debate when he noted that in
the next few weeks ahead he would be putting forward “new tax proposals that
reward companies that choose to bring jobs home and invest in America.... We're
going to eliminate tax breaks for companies that are moving jobs overseas.”
Although the second year of his tenure saw him make similar
remarks that his critics described as protectionist, his visit to countries such
as India and South Korea during the following year shifted attention to trade
deals inked with these nations. Yet, this week the U.S. President appeared to be
gearing up to put all his administration's heft behind the top policy priority
of this election year — job creation.
Flanked by senior business leaders from companies such as Ford,
Mr. Obama said at the insourcing forum, “What these companies ... have in common
is that they... are bringing jobs back to America. You've heard of outsourcing.
“Well, these companies are insourcing. These companies are
choosing to invest in the one country with the most productive workers, the best
universities, and the most creative and innovative entrepreneurs in the world,
and that is the U.S.”
Reiterating his oft-stated goal of boosting American exports, he
added that the target he had set of doubling U.S. exports of goods and services
by 2014 would be met “a little ahead of schedule,” and that would be on the back
of trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
He also took a political shot at potential Republican presidential
Mitt Romney, who formerly worked for private equity firm Bain Capital, when he
said, “I don't want America to be a nation that's primarily known for financial
speculation and racking up debt buying stuff from other nations.”
Building a strong economic case for the new emphasis on
insourcing, Mr. Obama noted that labour costs were going up in places like China
but contrarily the U.S. had become much more productive. “We continue to be the
largest market in the world,” Mr. Obama said, adding, “That's the economic
case.”
Labels: outsourcing, U.S. economy, U.S. employment
U.S. in a tight spot on Afghan video
From The Hindu
Even as the images emerged, the Pentagon shifted into damage-control mode and Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta issued a statement saying, “I have seen the footage, and I find the behaviour depicted in it utterly deplorable. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
First it was the horrific images of prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu
Ghraib prison in 2004, then the ghoulish dismemberment of slain Afghan civilians
in 2009 by a possibly deranged, rogue team in Afghanistan. This week a
disturbing video that emerged on the Internet has once again put United States
soldiers in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
The video, purportedly of U.S. marines from a sniper team in an
unknown part of Afghanistan, shows four men standing in a semi-circle and
urinating on three bodies of fighters, presumed to be Taliban, lying on the
ground before them. One of the men can be heard saying, “Have a great day,
buddy.”
Damage-control mode
Damage-control mode
Even as the images emerged, the Pentagon shifted into damage-control mode and Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta issued a statement saying, “I have seen the footage, and I find the behaviour depicted in it utterly deplorable. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
He added that he had ordered the Marine Corps and International
Security Assistance Force Commander General John Allen to immediately and fully
investigate the incident, adding, “This conduct is entirely inappropriate for
members of the U.S. military and does not reflect the standards or values our
armed forces are sworn to uphold. Those found to have engaged in such conduct
will be held accountable to the fullest extent.”
On Wednesday a Marine Corps official was reported to have said
they would be investigating the YouTube video but “had not yet verified its
origin or authenticity.”
The case has reportedly been referred to the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service, reports said.
Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, issued a strong
condemnation describing the alleged actions as “completely inhumane,” and the
Afghan Defence Ministry said it was “shocking.”
Taliban Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said U.S. forces had committed
numerous “indignities” against Afghans. “First they killed the Afghans with
mortars, and they then urinated on their bodies,” he said, adding “We strongly
condemn this inhumane action by the wild American soldiers.”
The video has emerged at an awkward time for the U.S. which is
attempting to carefully guide its engagement in Afghanistan towards a
significant military drawdown by 2014.
Thorny issue
In particular the issue of integrating the Taliban into any future
dispensation has proved to be a thorny one for international forces.
The video has also surfaced just as Marc Grossman, President
Barack Obama's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is to fly to
the region for discussions with Mr. Karzai focused on getting an agreement for
the Taliban to open a political office in Qatar.
Labels: Abu Ghraib prison, Afghan fighters, Afghan video. prisoner abuse, U.S. soldiers
A shot in arm for religious freedom
From The Hindu
When Muneer Awad, Executive Director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma, heard that his state had passed a new
law banning the consideration of Sharia law when deciding certain cases, he felt
the his right to religious freedom, guaranteed by the First Amendment of the
U.S. Constitution, being eroded.
When he launched a legal case against the so called “Save our
State Amendment” passed in November 2010 by an overwhelming majority of
Oklahomans, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the U.S. justice system
agreed with him.
U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange in Denver immediately
issued an order blocking the implementation of the amendment, also known as
“State Question 755” on the grounds that the plaintiff “made a strong showing
that... [the] amendment's primary effect inhibits religion and that the
amendment fosters an excessive government entanglement with religion”.
She added that while the defendants contended that the amendment
would be applied more broadly to state courts in terms of banning them from
applying the law of other nations and cultures, regardless of what faith they
may be based on, “the actual language of the amendment... may be viewed as
specifically singling out Sharia Law, conveying a message of disapproval of
plaintiff's faith”.
This week a higher appeals court, the tenth U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals upheld that ruling by Judge Miles-Lagrange and it noted, “The amendment
bans only one form of religious law — Sharia law.”
It further picked apart the defendants' arguments to suggest that
the ban was general rather than specific to Islamic law.
Earlier the co-authors of SQ755, Republicans Rex Duncan and
Anthony Sykes were quoted as saying, “Sharia law coming to the U.S. is a scary
concept... SQ 755 will constitute a pre-emptive strike against Sharia law coming
to Oklahoma.” In reality, critics of the “Save our State Amendment” argued the
right of judges to consider Sharia or other laws applies in personal cases
between individuals when such law is chosen as the means for settling a dispute.
For example, if a conflict arose between family members, prior to embarking on
litigation, a court could appoint a mediator if the parties were willing. In
some cases, Muslims would have the right to turn to Sharia to guide them towards
a settlement.
The amendment passed in Oklahoma would have closed out such an
option, a direct denial of religious freedom according to the two judgements
passed in the case.
In email comments to The Hindu, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, head of
the Cordoba Initiative and the Islamic cultural centre at New York City's Ground
Zero site, welcomed the latest rulings.
The Imam said, “What a wonderful declaration for religious freedom
in the U.S. with the federal court of appeals recognising that this amendment
violated freedom of religion and violated the constitutional rights of Muslims
who practice Sharia law.”
He said Islamic Law was generally and specifically compatible with
the American Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and political
system.
“Recently we have heard many examples of bigotry and Islamophobic
comments, this ruling is a reminder of the rights upheld in the U.S.
Constitution for all citizens,” he said.
Labels: Save our State Amendment, Shariah law, U.S. justice system
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Romney extends lead with New Hampshire victory
From The Hindu
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts and frontrunner in
the race for the Republican presidential nominee, has won the primary in New
Hampshire garnering close to 40 per cent of the vote and a second straight
victory after the Iowa caucus last week.
While New Hampshire was widely expected to be one of the easier
states for Mr. Romney to capture, all eyes are now on the next primary in South
Carolina on January 21, a far more conservative state where the Romney campaign
machine may have a harder time convincing voters. Success there may well give
him an unassailable lead, said observers.
Libertarian candidate Ron Paul also performed consistent with
expectations, and won close to 23 per cent of the vote. Mr. Paul is the only
other current candidate who has the national-level campaign infrastructure and
finance on a scale similar to Mr. Romney. His supporter base, comprising
numerous younger voters, has also acquired the reputation of being a loyal
voting bloc that returns consistent polling figures across elections.
In third place was Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah and
President Barack Obama's former Ambassador to China. He cornered close to 17 per
cent of the vote on the back of more than six months of intense campaigning.
Mr. Huntsman, whose adoption of Chinese and Indian girls was
recently attacked by a Paul-linked campaign group, said the third-place result
gave him a “ticket to ride” to South Carolina and he would not be dropping out.
As Mr. Romney's lead in New Hampshire became evident, he told
supporters on Tuesday night, “Tonight we celebrate. Tomorrow we go back to
work.” While he admitted that winning South Carolina would be an “uphill
battle,” he also trained his guns on rival and former House Speaker Newt
Gingrich and also Mr. Obama.
Mr. Romney said, “We expected President Obama to put free
enterprise on trial. We were a little surprised to see it coming from Speaker
Gingrich.” He was referring to attacks by Mr. Gingrich and others on Mr.
Romney's record at private equity firm Bain Capital, where he allegedly laid off
numerous workers in companies that his firm bought over.
Governor of Texas Rick Perry, who performed poorly in New
Hampshire winning less than one per cent of the vote, similarly accused Mr.
Romney of “vulture capitalism” that led to job losses in economically distressed
South Carolina. Mr. Romney has also become the prime target of Rick Santorum,
former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, who is one of the most conservative
candidates and may be on track for a good showing in South Carolina.
Labels: Democrats, Mitt Romney, New Hampshire primary, President Barack Obama, Republicans, U.S. Presidential elections
Geithner gets flak for poor info on TARP
From The Hindu
Every now and then news of the United States government exiting
specific investments it had made since 2008 under the Troubled Asset Relief
Programme (TARP) has trickled out of the Treasury. First, it was banking majors
such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley which made hasty bids to repay TARP
funds and resuscitate their market reputations. Next auto majors such as
Chrysler carved a slower, more painful path out of government ownership.
In most cases, the message coming out of the Treasury was that the
federal government's return on the taxpayer dollar was profitable, no whisper of
the costs. All that is about to end.
This week an outspoken government watchdog, the Government
Accountability Office (GAO), literally rapped the Treasury and its boss
Secretary Tim Geithner on their knuckles for failing to reveal sufficient
information about the costs associated with the government's staccato exits from
the so-called ‘bailout' investments.
In a report the GAO said, “Although Treasury regularly reports on
the cost of TARP programs and has enhanced such reporting over time, GAO's
analysis of Treasury press releases about specific programmes indicate that
information about estimated lifetime costs and income are included only when
programmes are expected to result in lifetime income.”
In other words, the Treasury has not been adequately revealing
programme-specific cost information to the public for any TARP programs that
were going to impose a heavy cost on the exchequer with little revenue to offset
that cost. For example, the GAO noted, the Treasury issued a press release for
its bank investment programs, including its Capital Purchase Program aimed at
injecting capital into financial institutions — and in these cases most, if not
all, of the programmes would result in lifetime income, or profit.
However, the GAO added, “Press releases for investments in AIG
[the American International Group, a TARP-supported insurance corporation], a
programme that is anticipated to result in a lifetime cost to Treasury, did not
include programme-specific cost information.” Although press releases for
programmes expected to result in a cost to Treasury provide useful transaction
information, they exclude lifetime, program-specific cost estimates, the GAO
complained.
With many TARP programs continuing to be in various stages of
unwinding and some programmes, such as those seeking to address the foreclosure
crisis, remaining active, the Treasury may jeopardise market stability if it
proceeds any further down this opaque path, the GAO's report suggests. It
cautions that even as late as September, 2011, about half of Treasury's 116
contracts remained active, along with 14 of the 17 financial agency agreements.
That wasn't the last word from the GAO either, for it also issued
a parting shot on the timing of the market exits themselves. The GAO said that
the Treasury had articulated “broad principles for... exiting TARP programs as
soon as practicable and seeking to maximise taxpayer returns, goals that at
times conflict.”
It again cited the case of AIG, which back in 2009 had caused a
cloud of controversy over Secretary Geithner after one of his staff, Neil
Barofsky, criticised the use of $62.1 billion of the funds to prop up several
banks insured by AIG. The GAO said that to now unwind the AIG investments
required the Treasury to actively manage the timing of its exit as it balances
its competing goals. “Consequently, the timing of Treasury's exit from TARP
remains uncertain,” the watchdog said.
Labels: bailout plan, Government Accountability Office, investments, Tim Geithner, Treasury, U.S. economy
U.S. broadens definition of rape to include male victims
From The Hindu
For the first time in 83 years the United States Department of
Justice announced a “major” change in the definition of rape towards one that
took cognizance of male victims and also did away with ambiguities surrounding
the question of consent.
Until now the legal understanding of rape came from a 1927 rule
that defined it as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her
will,” a phraseology that included only forcible male penile penetration of a
female vagina and excluded oral and anal penetration; rape of males; penetration
of the vagina and anus with an object or body part other than the penis; rape of
females by females; and, non-forcible rape.
Following the latest move by the DoJ rape is now defined as “The
penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or
object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the
consent of the victim.”
The change in the definition is at the level of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting system and not in the federal or
state criminal codes. This implies that while the change will not impact
charging and prosecution on the Federal, State or local level, “it simply means
that rape will be more accurately reported nationwide,” according to the DoJ.
U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, who has spearheaded some of the
effort to end violence against women and is author of the Violence Against Women
Act, welcomed the change saying, “Rape is a devastating crime and we can’t solve
it unless we know the full extent of it.”
Attorney General Eric Holder reflected upon how the redefinition
of rape was expected to impact law enforcement efforts. He said, “These long
overdue updates to the definition of rape will help ensure justice for those
whose lives have been devastated by sexual violence... This new, more inclusive
definition will provide us with a more accurate understanding of the scope and
volume of these crimes.”
According to White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, who spoke
with journalists on a conference call following the announcement of the
redefinition of rape, one in five women and one in 71 men could expect to be
raped in their lifetimes in the U.S. “Definitions matter because people matter,”
Ms. Jarrett said, noting that the 2010 statistic of 84,767 people raped in the
U.S. did not present an accurate picture of the extent of rape in the country.
With relatively easy access to alcohol, some types of drugs, and
the greater exposure of younger persons to the risk of being raped experts had
concurred that the older definition was no longer sufficient to ensure greater
reporting of incidents of rape. The new definition accordingly takes into
account victim incapacity owing to intoxication or age and also does not place
emphasis on the question of victims’ physical resistance.
Labels: rape laws, U.S. Justice department
Congressional delegation heading to India
From The Hindu
Mark Warner, co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus and Democrat of
Virginia, will lead a five-member Congressional delegation on a visit to India
during January 7-14, according to a statement by his office.
Mr. Warner along with Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas,
heads the Senate group which played a key role in the India-U.S. civilian
nuclear agreement negotiations. It has continued to be a voice of support for
closer ties between the countries.
In a bid to further expand business, trade, defence and cultural
relationships between the two nations Mr. Warner’s delegation said that it would
meet with top government and business leaders in New Dehli, Jaipur, Hyderabad
and Kolkata during the visit.
Other members of the delegation include Senators Michael Bennet
and Tom Udall and Representatives Joseph Crowley and Cedric Richmond. Mr.
Crowley is co-chair of the House India Caucus and both he and his Senate
colleagues recently hosted several Congressional events to welcome Indian
Ambassador Nirupama Rao to the post that she took up in September last year.
In a statement Mr. Warner’s office said that the highlights of the
trip would include a visit to a National Basketball Association-sponsored camp
for young people in New Delhi, and the signing of a new partnership agreement
between the Virginia Community College System and the Wadhwani Foundation to
expand the training curriculum for skilled trades within India.
The delegation also plans to attend the Confederation of Indian
Industry’s Partnership Summit in Hyderabad. The aim of the trip would be to
additionally familiarise the delegates with India’s approach to education, child
health, food safety and water purification in some of the poorer regions.
The U.S. leaders were said to have scheduled “dozens of meetings
with top government officials and leading executives of India’s security,
energy, biotech and IT industries to explore export and investment opportunities
between the two nations.”
Labels: India-US relationship, US Congress delegation
Pakistanis sentenced on terror charges in U.S.
From The Hindu
Marking the culmination of one of the most unusual
counterterrorism cases prosecuted by the United States against individuals with
a Pakistani connection, the Department of Justice announced on Friday that Irfan
Ul Haq (37) was sentenced to 50 months in prison for conspiracy to provide
material support to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Following the sentencing by District Judge John Bates, the DoJ
noted in a statement that on September 12, 2011, each defendant pleaded guilty
to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign
terrorist organisation.
In an unexpected twist and one that is possibly linked to the fact
that the U.S.-Pakistan relationship has foundered during most of 2011, the
defendants were offered plea bargains that have led to a stipulated order of
“removal” to Pakistan upon the completion of their criminal sentences.
In addition to Haq, two co-defendants, Qasim Ali (32) and Zahid
Yousaf (43) were sentenced to 40 months and 36 months in prison respectively, on
the same charge. After sentencing Lisa Monaco, U.S. Assistant Attorney-General,
said, “This case underscores our continuing commitment to dismantle networks
that facilitate terrorist travel.”
Touching upon the second unusual dimension of the case — the
invocation of human smuggling as a charge against the defendants, Assistant
Attorney-General Lanny Breuer said Haq had conspired with others to smuggle into
the U.S. an individual who was believed to be a member of a foreign terrorist
organisation.
Earlier immigration and justice officials had explained that the
entrapment of the defendants occurred through a sting operation wherein law
enforcement agents directed confidential sources to ask the defendants, who were
residing in Ecuador at the time, for their assistance in smuggling a fictitious
person from Pakistan to the U.S.
U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen said, “By convicting three Pakistani
nationals who were operating out of Ecuador, we have demonstrated our ability to
dismantle human smuggling operations throughout the world when they threaten our
national security.”
When the three Pakistanis were initially charged in September, FBI
Special Agent in Charge John Gillies had said the defendants had said they did
not care if the men they smuggled “swept floors or [wanted to] blow up”
something and “As long as they got paid, they did not care if innocent people
would be killed in a potential terrorist attack.”
Labels: Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, US counter terrorism
U.S. unemployment rate drops to 8.5%
From The Hindu
The United States Bureau of Labour Statistics has announced that
in December non-farm payroll employment rose by 200,000 and the unemployment
rate dropped to 8.5 per cent in a sustained if slow downward trend. The news is
likely to bring cheer to Democrats and the White House in an election year
focused on the economy.
Noting that the end of 2011 saw the economy gain jobs in
transportation and warehousing, retail trade, manufacturing, health care, and
mining, the BLS said in its monthly report on Friday that unemployment rate
declined by 0.6 percentage points since August.
However, it cautioned that the labour market conditions for the
long-term unemployed, those jobless for 27 weeks or more, did not change
significantly remaining at 5.6 million, or 42.5 per cent of the total number of
those unemployed.
Unlike previous months in 2011 though, there was little change in
the civilian labour-force participation rate at 64 per cent and the
employment-population ratio at 58.5 per cent, suggesting that the drop in the
unemployment rate was due to new hires and was a sign of improving labour market
health.
Despite this positive trend the BLS statistics indicated that a
bulk of individuals considered “marginally attached to the labour force” in
December was scarcely different from a year earlier at nearly 2.5 million.
These individuals, who the BLS does not count as participating in
the current labour force, were those who wanted and were available for work, and
had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had not searched for
work in the four weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school
attendance or family responsibilities.
Within this group marginally attached individuals is a subsection
of those labelled “discouraged workers” and they numbered 945,000 in December.
These were persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs
are available for them.
Sectors that made a major contribution to December’s job gains
included transportation and warehousing, where employment rose “sharply”, adding
50,000 new positions, the BLS said.
Retail trade was said to have continued to add jobs, with a gain
of 28,000 and manufacturing employment expanded by 23,000. The health care
sector similarly expanded in December with an upward tick of 23,000 jobs and
leisure and hospitality, employment in food services and drinking places added
24,000.
However suggesting continuing downward pressure from deep budget
cuts in federal and state governments, which have affected public sector
employment, the BLS noted that government employment changed little in December
but was down by 280,000 over the year. Job losses in 2011 occurred in local
government; state government, excluding education; and the U.S. Postal Service,
the report said.
Observers generally agree that the trends in these statistics
between now and November, the month of the next presidential election, will be
one of the top factors influencing voter behaviour in that election.
President Obama has continued to keep the economy in his sights in
his campaigns this year, winning a major victory last month when House Speaker
and Republican John Boehner agreed to the White House plan for extending the
payroll tax cut for middle class Americans.
Labels: 2012 presidential elections, Obama White House, U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics
Obama outlines troop cuts, strategic shifts
From The Hindu
Making a rare appearance at the Pentagon to announce a “strategic
review” of the defence budget, President Barack Obama spoke cautiously of his
plan to trim down 490,000 troops and potentially close to $1 trillion in funding
without compromising national security.
While the President avoided getting into the details of the major
shift in defence policy, he summed it up saying the U.S. military would be
“leaner, but... agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies
and threats”.
While $487 billion in automatic cuts will be enforced over 10
years owing to the failure of the fiscal Supercommittee to agree on funding
priorities, Congressional consensus on the need for even more cuts could add an
additional $500 billion in reductions, according to reports.
The broad-sweep cuts are expected to impact some high-profile
next-generation programmes such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet, according
to a New York Times report.
Without mentioning the rise of China as a regional heavyweight,
Mr. Obama said, “We'll be strengthening our presence in the Asia Pacific, and
budget reductions will not come at the expense of this critical region.”
Power, threats
Mr. Obama's comments suggested that the U.S. would adjust to a
shifting paradigm of global power and threats, specifically including a greater
weight attached to the Chinese and Iranian challenges relative to the
decade-long military engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Speaking after Mr. Obama's comments, Defence Secretary Leon
Panetta said the challenges called for reshaping America's priorities in the
light of the proliferation of lethal weapons and materials, the continuing
impact of extremism in some regions, and most importantly the “debt problem at
home that is itself a national security risk”.
The Asia-Pacific and West Asia regions were “the areas where we
see the greatest challenges for the future” of the U.S. military, Mr. Panetta
noted, adding that he did not believe that the U.S. had to choose between
national security and fiscal responsibility. “Savings we've been mandated to
achieve must be determined by strategy, not numbers alone,” the Secretary added.
Both Mr. Obama and Mr. Panetta emphasised that special operations
forces and intelligence technology including drone systems would likely gain
increasing salience in the post-review defence environment.
Labels: Barack Obama, defence budget, Iraq pullout, U.S Presidential elections
Federal Reserve to indicate interest rate path
From The Hindu
The United States Federal Reserve will break with longstanding
tradition to start announcing on a quarterly basis its forecasts for short-term
interest rates and other indicators of economic conditions, the Fed announced
this week.
In an unprecedented shift that will bring its practices more in
line with those of other central banks including the Reserve Bank of India, the
Fed revealed that during its Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) discussions
last month its members had noted that “Adding their projections of the target
federal funds rate to the economic projections already provided in the Summary
of Economic Projections (SEP) would help the public better understand the
Committee's monetary policy decisions.”
Quarterly projections
While the Fed releases the SEP also on a quarterly basis, a
greater level of economic uncertainty might have prompted its members to note
that one way to enhance the clarity and transparency of its public
communications would be by “incorporating information about [members']
projections of appropriate future monetary policy.”
However, it was clear that the move was adopted by the FOMC with
some degree of caution and concern, in particular surrounding the question of
misinterpretation of the Fed's projections by the public.
For example, the Fed statement on the discussion pointed out that
one member had suggested that the economic projections would be more
understandable if they were based on a common interest rate path, while another
suggested that it would be preferable to publish a consensus policy projection
of the entire Committee.
May confuse public
The FOMC said, “Some participants expressed concern that
publishing information about participants' individual policy projections could
confuse the public; for example, they saw an appreciable risk that the public
could mistakenly interpret participants' projections of the target federal funds
rate as signalling the Committee's intention to follow a specific policy path
rather than as indicating members' conditional projections for the federal funds
rate given their expectations regarding future economic developments.”
Possibly hinting that the Fed would also engage with public on
more diverse platforms to communicate its thinking the FOMC report said that its
members believed there would be “opportunities to explain their projections and
policy views in speeches and other forms of communication.” Nonetheless, some
participants did not see providing policy projections as a useful step at this
time, it added.
The projection information will be put out starting this month,
including specifically the members' projections of the appropriate level of the
target federal funds rate in the fourth quarter of the current year and the next
few calendar years, and over the longer run.
While the Fed intends to inform the public about current
projections of the likely timing of the first increase in the target rate given
their projections of future economic conditions, it will also draw attention to
the FOMC's longer-run goals and policy strategy, it said.
Labels: central bank, Federal Reserve, U.S. economy
Romney squeaks by in Iowa caucuses
From The Hindu
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, scored one of the
narrowest victories in caucus history and defeated former United States Senator
from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum by a mere eight votes on Tuesday.
Although Mr. Romney’s win at the first of a six-month season of
caucuses and primaries makes him a clear frontrunner to be the Republican
nominee in November’s presidential race, the Iowa caucus highlighted the weak
base of his support.
While Mr. Romney secured 30,015 votes against Mr. Santorum’s
30,007, the total number of delegates voting in Iowa was 122, 255, implying that
Mr. Romney did not succeed in rising above his year-long support level in the
25-30 per cent range. President Barack Obama’s approval rating is however close
to 47 per cent, according to a late-December Gallup poll.
Mr. Romney, who was six votes shy of his performance in Iowa in
2008, focused his campaign almost entirely on criticising the record of Mr Obama
rather than his Republican rivals. “The gap between his promises four years ago
and his performance is as great as anything I've ever seen in my life,” he said.
After the Iowa result Mr Santorum said, “Game on!” to his cheering supporters,
adding “You have taken the first step toward taking back this country.”
Other candidates in the Republican field whittled down the share
of votes going to the leaders of the pack, with libertarian Congressman from
Texas Ron Paul cornering a respectable 21 per cent, former House Speaker Newt
Gingrich getting 13 per cent, Texas Governor Rick Perry winning ten per cent,
and Tea-Party backed Congresswoman Michele Bachmann receiving only five per cent
of the vote. John Huntsman, former Governor of Utah and formerly Mr. Obama’s
Ambassador to China, did not participate in the contest, choosing instead to
focus on the primary in New Hampshire on January 10.
The outcome in Iowa, according to most observers, suggested
continuing division and uncertainty in the Republican Party base at the national
level and this is likely to affect the prospects of the leaders in the race. Mr. Santorum, a social conservative who rode the wave of surging
popularity in a deeply conservative state, is said to lack the broad appeal and
campaign infrastructure to swing supporters to his side at the national level.
Similarly Mr. Romney, who is acknowledged to be the candidate
likely to launch the most credible challenge to Mr. Obama in November, faces
equivocal acceptance within the Republican mainstream owing to his Mormon
religion and his controversial healthcare plan for Massachusetts.
Labels: Iowa, Republican presidential caucus, US presidential campaign
Chavez scores legal victory over Exxon
From The Hindu
An adjudicator has slashed by nearly 90 per cent the multi-billion
dollar settlement that Venezuela was required to pay oil giant Exxon Mobil
Corporation, marking a resounding victory for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
in a long-standing battle over the nationalisation of foreign-owned assets in
his country.
Chopping the initial $12-billion settlement claim by Exxon against
Petroleos de Venezuela SA, as compensation for the nationalisation of Exxon the
assets in a heavy-crude project in the Orinoco basin, the International Chamber
of Commerce only required Mr. Chavez to cough up $907 million.
In 2007 Exxon quit its Venezuelan operations following Mr.
Chavez's order that all foreign oil majors would have to allow PDVSA to be a
majority stakeholder in any operations in his country. While some Exxon rivals,
such as Chevron, stayed the course and agreed to Mr. Chavez's terms, others
including ConocoPhillips have filed claims against Venezuela for
compensation.
Bloomberg, which obtained the ruling of the New-York based
ICC, quoted PDVSA attorney George Kahale saying, “The amount awarded represents
a huge success for PDVSA, which has said all along that the amount claimed was
grossly exaggerated.”
However, an Exxon representative vowed to keep on fighting, with
its spokesman Patrick McGinn saying, “This ICC arbitration award represents
recovery on a limited, contractual liability of PDVSA that was provided for in
the Cerro Negro project agreement... The larger... arbitration against the
government of Venezuela is ongoing and is expected to be argued in
February.”
Mr. McGinn was alluding to an entirely distinct set of proceedings
before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes of the
World Bank, in which a ruling expected soon. Both Exxon and ConocoPhillips have
filed claims at this forum. Yet Mr. McGinn hinted that there may be limits to
this legal brawl with one of Latin America's most outspoken leaders. He said,
“Exxon recognises Venezuela's legal right to expropriate assets subject to
compensation at fair market value.”
Labels: Exxon Mobil Corporation, Venezuela nationalisation policy
Romney on top as caucus season kicks off
From The Hindu
As the season of caucuses and primaries for selecting the
Republican presidential nominee kicks into fourth gear next Tuesday in Iowa,
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, has garnered a firm but narrow
lead over his rivals in an eclectic, and according to some, weak field of
contenders.
Though President Barack Obama still enjoys a comfortable lead over
Mr. Romney, with a Gallup poll in December placing the former's approval rating
at 47 per cent, Mr. Romney's 27 per cent still sees him breaking away from his
principal challenger of recent weeks, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Fuelled by his sometimes high-octane oratory at the Republican
presidential debates, Mr. Gingrich's campaign to win his party's nomination took
its first beating over the summer when most of his campaign staff abruptly quit
their jobs.
More recently, despite a strong poll surge in November, Mr.
Gingrich was said to have been wrong-footed by a shortage of campaign funds and
an inability to respond to a series of negative ads that the Romney and Ron Paul
teams ran against him.
As per the most recent Gallup poll, which came out earlier this
week, Mr. Gingrich was slipping fast and had dropped to 23 per cent, with the
libertarian candidate Congressman Paul at a distant 11 per cent, Texas Governor
Rick Perry at 8 per cent, Tea Party-backed Congresswoman Michele Bachmann at 5
per cent, and former U.S. Senator from of Pennsylvania Rick Santorum at 4 per
cent.
Mr. Romney has consistently maintained a top, if not the lead,
position among the candidates throughout the season of debates in 2011. While
his Mormon religion and record of implementing Obama-like policies in healthcare
are contentious with the hard core of conservatives in the Republican Party, he
is seen as possibly the most credible candidate to challenge Mr. Obama.
The caucuses which begin in Iowa next week will continue into
March, across U.S., and then the primaries will extend until the end of June.
Labels: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, presidential elections, Unites States politics
Inter-faith leaders rally behind U.S. Muslims
From The Hindu
Citing flagrant violations of the Muslim community's rights by the
New York Police Department, a group of inter-faith leaders in New York City has
declined an invitation to attend an end-of-year breakfast event hosted by city
Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Leaders from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities said in
an open letter to Mr. Bloomberg they had decided to “respectfully decline” his
invitation in the wake of a series of leaked police documents obtained by the
Associated Press, which detailed how, throughout the 9/11 decade, “the NYPD has
been monitoring and profiling virtually every layer of NYC Muslim public life,
often with no suspicion of wrongdoing”.
Data collection
This included the NYPD's attempts to monitor and collect data on
New Yorkers at about 250 mosques, schools, and businesses throughout the city,
“simply because of their religion and not because they exhibited suspicious
behaviour,” the inter-faith group added.
Alluding to last year's controversial Last year, Park51 project,
the so-called “Ground-Zero Mosque” aimed at fostering communal harmony at the
site of the 9/11 attacks, the letter noted that the inter-faith group
appreciated Mr. Bloomberg's “principled position in defence of Park51 and
American Muslims as we endured attacks from hate groups and opportunistic
politicians who promoted un-American, divisive rhetoric.”
At the time conservative elements including some Tea Party leaders
had strongly criticised the choice of location of the Islamic centre as being
insensitive to the families of the 9/11 victims.
Trust
The person behind the Park51 project, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf spoke
to The Hindu about the NYPD surveillance issue, saying, “There is
widespread recognition that both law enforcement agencies and Muslim communities
need one another to safeguard against extremists activities. It is in the best
interest of the public that NYPD work closely with Muslim communities to
re-build trust and increase cooperation.”
Concern
Concern over the issue was aggravated by the fact that Mr.
Bloomberg and police Commissioner Ray Kelly were reported to have defended the
police's aggressive programmes to infiltrate Muslim neighbourhoods and mosques
purportedly designed by a CIA officer.
Though Mr. Bloomberg has not yet issued a response to the letter
and was said to have proceeded with the breakfast on Friday morning sans the
inter-faith group, participants quoted the Mayor as saying at the event
“Discrimination against anyone is discrimination against
everyone... We have to keep our guard up, but if we don't work together we won't
have our own freedoms.”
Labels: 9/11, Ground Zero controversy, Ground Zero mosque, inter-faith rally, New York mosque
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