Free Republic

LOS ANGELES, December 23, 2011--At the Republican Jewish Coalition 2012 Presidential Candidates Forum, Texas Governor Rick Perry offered a heartfelt speech about his love for Israel. The Republican Jewish Coalition is a sophisticated audience, and they want to hear about a wide range of issues beyond Israel. Yet Israel was virtually the entire focus of Governor Perry's remarks. In his case, it was not pandering. As a devout Evangelical Christian, Governor Perry is a true believer. He loves Israel, and will crack down hard on those who try to hurt the Jewish state. His entire remarks are below. [snip] Whether...

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said ahead of a meeting Friday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak that he would warn his Israeli counterpart about the global economic consequences of a military strike on Iran's nuclear program, adding that he still favors sanctions and diplomacy over a strike.

US vice president hosts Jewish leaders, political rivals for Rosh Hashana toast, says 'Israel is America's closest, dearest, most morally-based friend' WASHINGTON – At an annual event held at the US Vice President's residence in honor of the Jewish New Year, US Vice President Joe Biden said that "Israel is America's closest, dearest, and most morally-based friend". Biden added that there is no alternative to America's commitment to Israel. Among the guests present at the event were Biden's political rivals from the Republican Party, such as House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, as well as leaders of the American Jewish...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the United States as a champion of freedom and a great ally of Israel in his address to the annual Fourth of July celebration at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Tel Aviv Thursday night. Netanyahu recounted the history of the American Revolution 235 years ago, saying that many of the ideas that fueled the U.S. struggle for independence are applicable to nationalist aspirations today, particularly in the Middle East. The prime minister lauded the United States for its unwavering commitment to freedom, saying “never in history has there ever been a nation so concerned with...

(Reuters) - Ally Financial Inc, the United States' largest maker of car loans, hopes that people have forgotten the time when "subprime" became a synonym for "disaster." Ally, once known as GMAC Financial Services, is getting ready to go public this year, and is making the case that subprime loans for used car buyers are not about to produce the same results that they did in the housing market a few years ago -- a near-collapse of the financial system. Auto loans performed relatively well during the downturn, and demand for cars is up, so auto lending is one of...

Obama administration is divided over future of U.S.-Pakistan relationship By Karen DeYoung and Karin Brulliard, Sunday, May 15, 9:44 AM Two weeks after the death of Osama bin Laden, the Obama administration remains uncertain and divided over the future of its relationship with Pakistan, according to senior U.S. officials. The discovery of the al-Qaeda leader in a city near Pakistan’s capital has pushed many in the administration beyond any willingness to tolerate Pakistan’s ambiguous connections with extremist groups. After years of ineffective American warnings, many U.S. officials are concluding that a change in policy is long overdue. Those warnings are...

Regional Command NorthStory by U.S. Army Sgt. Sean Harriman4th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs Office BALKH, Afghanistan (April 27, 2011) – An American soldier holds the rare distinction of wearing a German Silver Cross of Honor for his actions in coordinating medical evacuation of casualties after a February terrorist attack in northern Afghanistan. German Maj. Gen. Markus Kneip, commander of Regional Command - North, Afghanistan, presented U.S. Army Maj. Robert Federigan, medical operations officer, Headquarters Headquarters Company, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, International Security Assistance Force, with the Silver Bundeswehr (German military) Cross of Honor for outstanding...

Most voters still view Israel as one of America's leading allies. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds that 56% think of Israel as an ally, while just three percent (3%) view the country as an enemy to the United States. Thirty-six percent (36%) think Israel is somewhere in between an enemy and an ally of the United States. (To see survey question wording, click here.) Those numbers remain little unchanged from August when 60% felt that way. That same month, however, Americans ranked Israel third on a list of 12 nations in the news, behind...

The total cost to rescue and then overhaul mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could reach $685 billion, according to estimates published Thursday by Standard & Poor's. Fannie and Freddie have already cost taxpayers nearly $134 billion, but S&P analysts said Thursday that the government could ultimately be forced to inject $280 billion into the firms because of a slowdown in the housing market. Any entities that might replace Fannie and Freddie would need new start-up funding that would go beyond the money already committed. A consensus of academics, industry officials and investors has coalesced around the idea of...

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--U.S. stocks closed modestly lower Thursday as investors retreated from financials because of concerns over banks' foreclosure practices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.51 points, or 0.01%, to 11094.6, snapping a four-session winning streak in a day of choppy trading. Financials led the Dow's declines. Bank of America dropped 69 cents, or 5.2%, to 12.60 and J.P. Morgan Chase fell $1.12, or 2.8%, to $38.72. Both are among the wave of banks reviewing their foreclosures after temporarily suspending evictions due to concerns over "robo signers," who approve hundreds of foreclosure documents a day. Among other banks...

The new, 49-state investigation into foreclosure frauds comes as no surprise to people who follow the mortgage service business. Shoddy, deceptive paperwork has plagued homewowners for years. In the industry’s slimy underside, firms push borrowers into default and foreclosure, even when they’ve been making payments on time. Their business model makes defaults profitable, says Marie McConnell who has been auditing mortgages for 24 years. The ugly chain of deception starts with the way the servicers handle your escrow account. A mortgage service company collects your monthly payments, deducts a fee, and passes the remainder to the investors who own the...

The big question from the mortgage meltdown isn't why so many distressed homeowners are defaulting on their loans. It's why any of them are still making payments. In the worst-hit areas millions have no equity left, and little hope of seeing any anytime soon. The market value of their homes is far below the size of the mortgage. If they just stop paying, what is going to happen to them? In many cases they may get to live in the home rent-free for months, even years, until the bank gets around to seizing it. If Frank Abagnale—the con man played...

Now we got trouble.I am in receipt of a copy of a bulletin from Old Republic Title in which it states: The Company will not insure title to any property which has been foreclosed by Ally Financial, Ally Bank or GMAC until further notice. Oops.I suspect this is going to spread fast, given that this "wee problem" is NOT specific to GMAC and Ally.  In fact, JP Morgan/Chase has reported "similar discrepancies", and then today we had my report on a ruling from a court in which a counterfeit summons was issued not by the court, but by a...

President’s ally: Expectations were set too high after Obama's 2008 electionBy J. Taylor Rushing - 07/16/10 06:00 AM ET President Obama is suffering from expectations set too high by the historic presidential election of 2008, one of his closest allies in the Senate said Thursday. In an interview with The Hill, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) blamed unrealistic expectations for Obama’s dismal poll numbers, which have Democrats worried about a defeat at the polls in November’s midterm elections. “The bar for change was set inordinately high by the tone of the presidential campaign,” said McCaskill, an early supporter of Obama’s who...

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his advisors are pressing the Obama administration to designate Afghanistan as a significant U.S. ally and to draft a new security agreement, requests that have made this week's White House meetings particularly delicate. A senior Afghan official said that both objectives reflect Karzai's desire to use his visit to Washington to lay the groundwork for a closer, long-term security relationship with Washington. Afghan officials are particularly interested in the "major non-NATO ally" designation, a status enjoyed by Japan, Australia, South Korea, Israel and other strategically important countries outside Europe. The designation brings with it access...

US general reiterates "insignificant progress" in ME peace process. US Gen. David Petraeus reiterated Tuesday that "Israel is - has been, is and will be a - an important strategic ally of the United States." In an address to Washington based think tank the "Woodrow Wilson Center," Petraeus, commander of the US military’s Central Command, said reports claiming that he was seeking to relocate both Israel and Palestinian Territories from the European Command to his Central Command were “not correct".

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday that victory in Iraq and Afghanistan won't come in one glorious battle. Instead, Adm. Mike Mullen told a Kansas State University audience, success in the long wars will be determined by use of military and diplomatic powers, along with support from U.S. allies. Mullen said there won't be a day when commanders "stand up and say 'That's it, it's over. We won."' "We will win, but we will do so only over time and only after near-constant reassessment and readjustment," Mullen said. "Quite frankly, it will feel a lot less...

Who knew? Ally Bank is running all those TV ads belittling the “fine print” used by other banks. But as the Wall Street Journal detailed on Tuesday, the ads do not disclose that Ally is a unit of troubled GMAC  Financial Services, the former financing arm of GM, now seeking its third multi-billion taxpayer  bailout.Ally had been offering some of the highest CD interest rates in the nation until federal bank regulators pressured Ally to reduce them. Lower rates are one thing but there is another compelling consideration when shopping CD rates. When you deposit your money with Ally, you...

The Dow Jones reached a significant milestone yesterday, and news outlets were abuzz with excitement. Olympia Snowe's vote for the Baucus bill was plenty fodder for the 24-hour news cycles. But, for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists in the United States, an epochal event transpired at the White House afternoon that should not slip notice. Lead me from Untruth to Truth. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality. (from the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad -- I.iii.28) As the ethereal sounds of a Hindu priest's chanting of this Sanskrit prayer from ancient Hindu scripture filled the East Room,...

Since its creation, Israel has been one of America’s greatest allies and visa-versa. America has provided Israel with much of their defenses and armory. In return Israel has provided America with a place for democracy in the Middle East. In the past, there have been instances where the relationship has been tested. For instance, Jimmy Carter blamed the Israelis (Jews especially) for every single problem in the Middle East and that Israel should be two states with a Muslim Majority. Carter even went as far as to write a book called ‘Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid’ which, as you may have...

U.S. Intelligence Official about Israel: "This is just the beginning". U.S. Intelligence official "breaks silence" on Israel situation"Homeland Security 31 December 2008: Northeast Intelligence Network director Doug Hagmann interviewed a highly-placed U.S. intelligence official late yesterday who not only confirmed rumors about escalated and more intensive Israeli military operations against the Muslim terrorists in Gaza, [but] warned of the increasing probability of abandonment of Israel by the U.S. and other Western countries based on what he termed "malicious intelligence.""Remember that term," advised this well-placed intelligence official, "you'll be hearing it again." "This is just the beginning," stated this intelligence official,...

BAGHDAD – The Lithuanian armed forces contingent officially brought its mission in Iraq to a close Dec. 16 during a ceremony at Al Faw Palace. The Lithuanians have provided an infantry platoon and multiple staff officers in support of Multi-National Force – Iraq, Multi-National Corps – Iraq, Multi-National, Division – South East and Multi-National Division – Central South since 2003. The contingent, with the use of its infantry platoon deployed to Forward Operating Bases Delta and Echo, has provided security and a quick reaction force in support of U.S. and coalition forces. They also provided essential training to members of...

Japanese Air Self-Defense Force and 447th Air Expeditionary Group Airmen pose for one last photo together on the flightline at Sather Air Base on the west side of Baghdad International Airport, Dec. 8, 2008. After the photo was taken, the Japanese C-130 Hercules transport aircraft made its final departure from theater, concluding the Japanese military mission here. Photo by Master Sgt. Brian Davidson, 447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force held an end of mission ceremony at Al Faw Palace to commemorate the conclusion of their operations in Iraq with Coalition forces, Dec. 6....

Video Available: Japanese Defense Forces End-of-Mission Ceremony  CAMP VICTORY, Iraq – B-Roll of the Japanese End-of- Mission Ceremony at Camp Victory is now available. Video includes footage of the Deputy Commanding General of Multi-National Corps – Iraq Maj. Gen. Michael Ferriter speaking about the contributions of the Japanese Defense Forces to the coalition. The video also includes the presentations of awards for the Japanese soldiers by Ferriter. The video entitled “Japanese End-of-Mission Ceremony� is located on the Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System website at: http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=video/video_show.php&id=50839 or http://www.dvidshub.net/ keywords “Japanese End of Mission�. For the broadcast quality version of this video, please contact the...

Charles Krauthammer: The barbarism in Mumbai and the economic crisis at home have largely overshadowed an otherwise singular event: the ratification of military- and strategic-cooperation agreements between Iraq and the United States. They must not pass unnoted. They were certainly noted by Iran, which fought fiercely to undermine the agreements. Tehran understood how a formal U.S.-Iraqi alliance endorsed by a broad Iraqi consensus expressed in a freely elected parliament changes the strategic balance in the region. For the United States, it represents the single most important geopolitical advance in the region since Henry Kissinger turned Egypt from a Soviet client...

Marine Maj. Gen. Paul Lefebvre (center left) and Macedonian Soldiers come together one last time for an end of mission ceremony at the Schoolcraft Pavilion, Nov. 26, 2008. Photo by Maj. Allen Hing, 2nd Stryker Brigade 25th Infantry Division. CAMP TAJI — After eleven rotations since the beginning months of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Macedonian Soldiers are ending their part of the Coalition forces mission here. The end-of-mission ceremony was “bittersweet� for Coalition forces, as this longtime partner was closing a chapter on its partnership in Iraq.“Around 450 troops have passed through this mission, and a lot of experience has...

WASHINGTON — A growing al Qaida -backed insurgency, combined with the Pakistani army's reluctance to launch an all-out crackdown, political infighting and energy and food shortages are plunging America's key ally in the war on terror deeper into turmoil and violence, says a soon-to-be completed U.S. intelligence assessment. A U.S. official who participated in drafting the top secret National Intelligence Estimate said it portrays the situation in Pakistan as "very bad." Another official called the draft "very bleak," and said it describes Pakistan as being "on the edge."

Leadership: If anything shows how Democrats are beneath their office, it's how they snubbed the visiting leader of Colombia on his current trip. Sarah Palin, by contrast, shows respect.Based on their treatment of President Alvaro Uribe, who is here to plead for a free trade pact, it's almost as if Democrats don't want the U.S. to have allies. Uribe made a rare visit to Washington, and shamefully few Democrats agreed to meet him. Uribe didn't come asking for much — only that Congress keep its word on an agreement that will drop tariffs on American goods sold in Colombia and...

This truck (BELOW) came through the intersection proudly displaying the American Flag and a 9/11 Remembrance Flag. The list of 8 Patriots getting wet to support our troops were: Legionnaire Glenn (USMC - WWII), Dave (Army - WWII), Frank (Army - Korea), FReepers and Lurkers - Lurker Bill, Cindy_True_Supporter, Eager, Sensei Ern, [Mrs] Trooprally, aka [Mrs] T, and myself, [Mr] T. Pics are by [Mrs] T BELOW LEFT: Cindy_True_Supporter and Eager. BELOW RIGHT: Sensei Ern, Dave and Frank BELOW LEFT: Glenn, Frank and Dave. BELOW RIGHT: Lurker Bill BELOW LEFT: Cindy_True_Supporter BELOW RIGHT: Me BELOW: And the Clueless Moonbats got...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2008 – President Bush today pledged the United States will support the former Soviet republic of Georgia in its time of need, as Russian troops still occupy parts of the country. Video “The United States and our allies stand with the people of Georgia and their democratically elected government,” Bush said at the White House. “Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. Moscow must honor its commitment to withdraw its invading forces from all Georgian territory,” Bush declared, noting the United States is working closely with its European allies and other members of the G-7...

A girl looks out from the Numaniyah, Iraq, Handicap Association's new facility, soon after it opened, Aug. 8. Photo by Sgt. Daniel West. FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — The Numaniyah Handicapped Association celebrated the opening of a new facility, Aug. 8. The facility, which was built with coalition funds, will be used by the association for administrative purposes, and will also have rooms dedicated to therapy.Soldiers of El Salvador’s Battalion Cuscatlán supervised construction of the 200 square meter building, which cost about $200,000.“It’s good that it will be open to help people with special needs,� said Ahmed, a local citizen...

SDEROT, Israel (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama assured Israel and its U.S. Jewish supporters on Wednesday he was a friend who would not press for peace concessions that would compromise its security. Hailing Israel as a "miracle," he vowed staunch support and held only a low-profile meeting with Palestinian leaders in the occupied West Bank. Obama, seeking to allay wariness among some U.S. Jewish voters about his policy towards Israel, flew to Sderot, a town hit by rockets fired from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, saying he hoped to bring peace but would not dictate the terms of...

5 years on, Iraq as an ally?Posted By Uncle Jimbo One of the themes that Pete Hegseth has been pointing out is that while Iraqis have killed many US service members, Iraq is not our enemy. As a matter of fact we need to start looking at them as a developing ally. The left, and far too many who have drunk the poison being published and broadcast, focus on the casualties in Iraq and the fact that we have been there for 5 years as the salient facts. Sadly no, those factors certainly matter but they fail to take a...

JOHN Howard says he has left Australia with a stronger, less ambiguous sense of national pride than before the Coalition won government in 1996. "I think we were having a pointless debate about our identity in the early 1990s," the former prime minister said after a speech to Harvard University students yesterday. "I think we've shed that. We have now got a very positive view of Australian history and Australian achievement. I think our sense of national pride is stronger now than it was in the 1990s and less ambiguous. And that's tremendously important." Mr Howard, who in Washington last...

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Former Indonesian President Suharto, the U.S. Cold War ally who led one of the 20th century's most brutal dictatorships over 32 years that saw up to a million political opponents killed, died Sunday. He was 86. Suharto had been ailing in a hospital in the capital, Jakarta, since Jan. 4 when he was admitted with failing kidneys, heart and lungs. Finally toppled by mass street protests in 1998, Suharto's departure opened the way for democracy in this predominantly Muslim nation of 235 million people and he withdrew from public life, rarely venturing from his comfortable villa on...

In the immediate aftermath of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the view was that the French had let America down and that there should be consequences. In cafeterias on Capitol Hill, French fries became "freedom fries" - and French misfortunes like the riots on the streets of Paris were celebrated with grim satisfaction. Fox News talk show host Bill O'Reilly was one of those to revel in the discomfort of then President Jacques Chirac. "For nearly two weeks Chirac has allowed the insurrection to build in ferocity, refusing to use his military, allowing anarchy in the streets. This makes Hurricane...

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will defy international pressure on Wednesday and grant its troops permission to enter northern Iraq to crush Kurdish rebels based there, though it has played down expectations of any imminent attack. Washington, Ankara's NATO ally, says it understands Turkey's desire to tackle rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but fears a major incursion would wreck stability in the most peaceful part of Iraq and potentially in the wider region.

TORONTO -- In a soft voice that quivered with emotion, Afghanistan's Education Minister Mohammed Atmar told a Toronto audience on Thursday that his countrymen want to thank "every Canadian citizen for what you have been doing in Afghanistan." "You protect our people and advance the basic rights of our people," he said. "Our government is so proud to convey to you that you are our greatest ally -- an ally that we depend upon, an ally to be appreciated, an ally that we will long be grateful to." Mr. Atmar's words of praise came on the same day Canada pledged...

Only independent Kosovo can stabilize Balkans: Rice By Paul Taylor NEW YORK (Reuters) - Only independence for Kosovo can bring stability in the Balkans, and Europe should join the United States in backing statehood for the breakaway Serbian province, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday. In an interview with Reuters, she said talks brokered by the European Union, Russia and the United States had some chance of achieving an "amicable outcome" even if Kosovo and Serbia did not agree on the final status of the territory. "But there's going to be an independent Kosovo. We're dedicated to that....

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina: Bosnian Muslims celebrate 600 years of Islam in their nation Saturday with a concert of spiritual music, a prayer for peace, and a gentle reminder to Europe: not all of the continent's Muslims are of immigrant origin. "Recently we have noticed that Europe is obsessed by the immigrant Muslims from the East," said Mustafa Ceric, head of the Bosnia Islamic Community, the official institution of Bosnia's Muslims. "This is an opportunity to remind that there are indigenous Muslims in Europe." "By celebrating 600 years of Islam here we want to naturalize Islam in Europe," he said, adding that...

LONDON (Reuters) - New British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, seeking to squash speculation that London may distance itself from Washington over Iraq, has insisted the U.S. is still Britain's number one ally. Since Gordon Brown took over from Tony Blair as British prime minister last month, he has been at pains to stress there is no cooling off in Anglo-American relations -- but two of his ministers offered mixed signals. Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said in a speech in Washington that while Britain stood beside the United States in fighting terrorism, isolationism did not work in an interdependent world. Then...

Tony Blair, the British prime minister, could end up swapping Downing Street for a job as the first full-time European Union president, under a plan being actively touted by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president. Mr Sarkozy is understood to have discussed the idea with other EU leaders ahead of next week’s European summit, Mr Blair’s last major international event as prime minister. His support for Mr Blair taking on a big European job is a remarkable sign of Anglo-French rapprochement since Mr Sarkozy replaced Jacques Chirac as president last month. German diplomats say Mr Sarkozy put his plan to Angela...

The recent deal between Congress and the White House clears the way for the ratification of free-trade agreements with Panama and Peru, two American allies in Latin America. But what about Colombia? Colombia has risked the lives of its police and military and sustained huge casualties in an effort to do us a favor by keeping drugs off our streets. Our military aid to Colombia has not been frittered away on useless hardware or used to line some general’s pockets, but has paid for a military that has disarmed the drug dealers’ personal armies — 30,000 have been disarmed —...

Transition: Tony Blair is to announce on Thursday that he will step down as British prime minister at the end of June. Here's hoping for a successor as distinguished. Not that Blair's been perfect or that we haven't had our differences with him. The Third Way economic nonsense he advocated in the early years and his insistence that the U.S. tackle global warming were not well thought-out positions. But in the global war on terrorism, Blair has been an ally without peer. He has understood what so many haven't been able or willing to grasp: Islamofascism is a threat to...

  FOR COLOMBIA, A CHILL ON HILL By ROBERT D. NOVAK May 10, 2007 -- COLOMBIA'S President Alvaro Uribe re turned to Bogota this week in a state of shock. His three-day visit to Washington to win over Democrats in Congress was described by one U.S. supporter as "catastrophic." Colombian sources said Uribe was stunned by the ferocity of his Democratic opponents, and Vice President Francisco Santos publicly talked about cutting U.S.-Colombian ties. (snip) dictator Hugo Chavez can only exult in Uribe's embarrassment as he builds an anti-U.S. bloc. (snip) A truer portent of the Colombian reaction to the rebuff...

Munir Akram was the target of the fictional plot The former imam of a mosque in the US state of New York has been jailed for 15 years after being caught in a sting operation involving a fake plot.Yassin Aref was convicted in October along with Mohammed Hossain, who is still awaiting sentence. The two men had agreed to take part in the plot, which appeared to target Pakistan's ambassador to the UN. They were convicted among other things of supporting terrorism, lying to FBI agents and money laundering. In a speech before the sentencing, Aref claimed he was...

Servicemembers donate blood used in life-saving surgery at the base hospital By Combined Joint Task Force - 76 Combined Press Information Center BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 1, 2007 — As the life of an Afghan National Army soldier hung in the balance Feb. 25, U.S. soldiers, sailors and Marines serving at Forward Operating Base Asadabad responded to his injury with an outpouring of blood. A total of 11 American servicemembers, including military policemen, embedded trainers, Asadabad Provincial Reconstruction Team members and artillerymen from 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, each donated a pint of blood used in life-saving surgery at...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2007 – Pakistan has proven to be a dedicated ally of the United States since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in an interview. “Pakistan was right there after United States and coalition forces began major combat operations in Afghanistan with substantial assistance to the United States,” Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani said Feb. 5 aboard an Air Force C-17 traveling back to Washington after an eight-day overseas trip that included stops in Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan. “They have been a good and strong partner...

US Vice-President Dick Cheney will travel to Australia next month to thank the nation and Australian troops for their efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A statement issued by the White House said Mr Cheney would travel to Australia and Japan during the week starting February 19. "He will meet with [Japanese] Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and [Australian] Prime Minister John Howard to discuss issues of mutual interest including Asian security and the global war on terror," it said. US President George Bush had asked his Vice-President to visit the two allied nations to thank them for their efforts in Iraq...

OGADISHU, Somalia - Ethiopia sent fighter jets into Somalia and bombed several towns Sunday in a dramatic attack on Somalia's powerful Islamic movement, and Ethiopia's prime minister said his country had been "forced to enter a war." It was the first time Ethiopia acknowledged its troops were fighting in support of Somalia's U.N.-backed interim government even though witnesses had been reporting their presence for weeks in an escalating battle that threatens to engulf the Horn of Africa region. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi went on television to announce that his country was at war with the Islamic movement . ....