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Cuba: Fidel Castro rejected two U.S. aid offers following major hurricanes. After lecturing us about "dignity," he then revealed his real game: to extract U.S. policy concessions and cash by using suffering as a wedge.nstead of accepting $5 million in no-strings U.S. aid as the island reels from terrible hurricanes, Castro used the disasters as an opportunity to demand a suspension of the U.S. trade embargo, while doing nothing to lighten his dictatorship. Pretty nervy. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, on a visit to IBD this week, called the two hurricanes that blew through earlier this month "Cuba's Katrina" and described...

HOUSTON (BP)--About 1,500 Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers are setting up units in Texas and were expected to be operational by the end of the day Tuesday to serve victims of Hurricane Ike. The primary focus of the efforts currently is food preparation, with 39 kitchen units on site in the state. The American Red Cross has asked Southern Baptists to be ready to prepare up to 375,000 hot meals a day, while the Salvation Army has requested 125,000 meals a day, bringing the total to 500,000. In addition to the 39 feeding units, more than 40 other types of...

It didn't take long for the finger-pointing to begin. The Federal Emergency Management Agency came under fire Sunday as emergency workers were left undernourished and dozens of trucks of water and food had yet to be set up at distribution centers around Houston and surrounding communities.

HAVANA – Cuba has turned down U.S. storm relief handouts, but is asking for trade restrictions to be lifted so it can buy American materials to assist in its recovery from Hurricane Ike, officials said Thursday. "Cuba hasn't asked the United States government to give it anything," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement ...

News ReleaseCanadian Forces Continue Assistance with U.S. Hurricane Response EffortsNR#08.008 - September 1, 2008OTTAWA - The Government of Canada, in response to a request from the United States Government, deployed additional aircraft today to Florida to assist with search and rescue efforts in the wake of Hurricane Gustav. Two CC-130 Hercules aircraft deployed from 14 Wing, Greenwood, N.S. and 17 Wing, Winnipeg, to provide assistance with the next phase of hurricane relief efforts. The two planes were sent to the United States under the provisions of the Civil Assistance Plan as part of Operation UNIFY, the official designation for the...

Cindy McCain (L), wife of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ), and U.S. first lady Laura Bush appear in front of a screen appealing for relief for victims of Hurricane Gustav at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota September 1, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

2008 Republican National Convention Launches First Day of Hurricane Relief Effort SAINT PAUL, MN -- Today, the 2008 Republican National Convention launched the first day of its Hurricane Gustav Relief Effort. The effort includes the formation of a center where volunteers will assemble and send 80,000 "comfort packages," a text message alert system, and a comprehensive effort to encourage Americans to donate to charities identified by the five Gulf Coast governors. These efforts augment the steps that the convention announced yesterday, which included the formation of the Affected States Working Group and the establishment of an Affected States Information...

A Canadian Forces C-17 carrying a military medical team and emergency supplies was expected to arrive from CFB Trenton Sunday to assist U.S. forces preparing for Hurricane Gustav, which is expected to hit land here as early as Monday with a force comparable to the devastating Hurricane Katrina. The massive Globemaster left CFB Trenton at 12:42 p.m. Sunday afternoon bound for Louisiana, where thousands of people in New Orleans and across the U.S. Gulf Coast fled their homes as Hurricane Gustav barrelled through the Gulf of Mexico packing a punch potentially as powerful as Katrina, the storm that devastated the...

CNN reports that the RNC Convention will turn into a telethon and a community service outlet for 4 days if Hurricane Gustav destroys cities along the gulf coast. McCain campaign is presently going over options. He refuses to have the convention be a party atmosphere during time of tragedy and crisis CNN Reports. Developing...

Cold War tension rises as Putin talks of Black Sea confrontation Russia has criticised the US for using naval ships to deliver aid to Georgia Michael Evans, Defence Editor A new Cold War between Russia and the West grew steadily closer yesterday after the Kremlin gave a warning about “direct confrontation” between American and Russian warships in the Black Sea. Dmitri Peskov, a spokesman for Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, declared that Russia was taking “measures of precaution” against American and Nato naval ships. “Let’s hope we do not see any direct confrontation in that,” he said. Any attempt by...

BATUMI, Georgia - A U.S. military ship carrying humanitarian aid docked at the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi on Wednesday, avoiding the port of Poti, which is still controlled by Russian forces. The move came amid escalating tensions between Russia and Georgia's Western allies. Batumi, where the Coast Guard cutter Dallas docked, is well south of the zone of fighting in this month's war between Russia and Georgia. The United States and European nations have assailed Russia's recognition of two Georgian territories as separate nations Tuesday, and Moscow has also criticized the United States for bringing humanitarian aid into...

TBILISI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - U.S. warships have scrapped a plan to deliver relief supplies to Georgia's flashpoint port of Poti on Wednesday, a source close to the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi said. "The ships will not dock in Poti tomorrow," the source told Reuters, referring to a planned mission by the USS McFaul and another vessel. Their presence would have been sure to enrage Russia, which has troops patrolling the port following a brief war with Georgia. "There was a possibility that the McFaul might go to Poti but no-one has given us a final decision. We're not sure...

TBILISI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Two U.S. warships will deliver humanitarian supplies on Wednesday to the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti where Russian troops have been mounting patrols, the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi said on Tuesday.

Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, is headed to the Republic of Georgia, where tensions between the government and Russia have sparked international concern and have become an issue on the presidential campaign trail. McCain announced to a group of fundraisers in Sacramento that his wife was headed to the country, but the campaign did not provide any details about the trip. McCain has been very aggressive in his condemnation of Russia's invasion of Georgia, and his campaign has been critical of Obama's more measured response when Russian tanks first pushed into the country. McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker confirmed...

SACRAMENTO, California - John McCain told a crowd at a fundraiser that his wife is on her way to the embattled nation of Georgia, an announcement coming just hours before Barack Obama's wife makes a high-profile speech at the Democratic National Convention. McCain told a crowd that wife, Cindy, was to accompany him on his visit to California and he apologized for her absence. "Cindy is not here today and I'm sorry she's not," said McCain. "She's on her way to the little country of Georgia." McCain has been a staunch supporter of Georgia in that country's clash with Russia,...

USS McFaul Brings Aid to Batumi, Georgia Story Number: NNS080824-07 Release Date: 8/24/2008 1:00:00 PM By Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet (CNE-C6F) Public Affairs BATUMI, Republic of Georgia (NNS) -- USS McFaul (DDG 74) pulled into the port of Batumi, Georgia, Aug. 24 to deliver humanitarian relief supplies to the country as part of the larger United States response to the government of Georgia request for humanitarian assistance. This represents the first U.S. Navy ship to arrive and deliver humanitarian assistance to Georgia. "Our job was to get the supplies to Georgia as quickly as possible," said...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2008 – The U.S. military has delivered more than 1 million pounds of humanitarian relief supplies to Georgia. Georgian soldiers, working with U.S. soldiers, assist in delivery of humanitarian assistance supplies to the people of Georgia Aug. 21, 2008. Defense Dept. photo by Marine Maj. Rob James  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As of Aug.22, 36 missions had been flown by Air Force C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft as well as Navy C-9 Skytrain, C-130 Hercules and C-40 Clipper aircraft, U.S. European Command officials said. Two U.S. ships are on the way,...

BATUMI, Georgia (Reuters) - A U.S. navy warship arrived in Georgia's main Black Sea port of Batumi on Sunday with humanitarian aid as Russia ignored Western demands to remove its remaining troops from Georgia's heartland. Russia says the residual troops are peacekeepers needed to avert further bloodshed and to protect the people of Georgia's separatist, pro-Moscow provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia two days after Moscow said it had wrapped up its withdrawal. On Georgia's main east-west rail line, a fuel train exploded on Sunday after apparently hitting a landmine. The conflict erupted on August 7-8 when Georgia tried to...

NAPLES, Italy, Aug. 21, 2008 – Two Navy ships and a Coast Guard cutter are transporting humanitarian relief supplies to Georgia. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Weaver and Petty Officer 2nd Class Gary Smith prepare humanitarian aid supplies for loading aboard USS McFaul at Souda Bay, Crete, Aug. 20, 2008. Nearly 55 tons of supplies were loaded as part of the humanitarian assistance for the Georgia following the conflict between Russian and Georgian forces in the former Soviet republic. U.S. Navy Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Eddie Harrison   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. These deployments...

WASHINGTON (AFP)--The United States will consider providing $1 billion in emergency aid to Georgia, a top U.S. lawmaker said Monday on his return from a visit to the conflict-torn nation.