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WASHINGTON, March 2, 2010 – As more U.S. and coalition troops arrive in Afghanistan, their top commander there has some requests for them: Recognize the impact of every action you take, and serve as role models for Afghan security forces as they build leaders and weed out corruption from their ranks. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal urged troops to keep a clear-eyed focus on the mission – and to be cognizant that it’s not about conventional warfare. “This is not that. This is a war for the people,” McChrystal said during an interview with Soldiers Radio and Television reporter Gail...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Jan. 5, 2010 – In wartime, servicemembers often are required to master and perform duties outside their area of expertise. Navy Lt. David M. Bartles reviews a report of operations being conducted in eastern Afghanistan at the joint operations command center at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Dec. 30, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. B. Todd Willis  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Navy Lt. David M. Bartles, 29, spent his three previous years of duty on a nuclear submarine. Now, he’s the night-shift battle captain for the Combined Joint Task Force 82 information operations section. “It’s definitely...

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) played a bigger role in fueling the mortgage bets that crippled American Insurance Group Inc (AIG.N) than has been publicly disclosed, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. An analysis by the paper of AIG's trades on pools of mortgage debt shows that Goldman was a key player in many, including those involving other banks, the Journal said. Goldman was one of 16 banks the U.S. government rescued last year after closing out losing trades that AIG had made with the financial firms. The bank originated or bought protection from AIG on...

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that emails leaked from a British university have done nothing to undermine the United Nations' view that climate change is accelerating due to humans. "Nothing that has come out in the public as a result of the recent email hackings has cast doubt on the basic scientific message on climate change and that message is quite clear -- that climate change is happening much, much faster than we realized and we human beings are the primary cause," he said.

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission began to lay the groundwork for a bigger federal role in the broadband business Wednesday, outlining the hurdles the U.S. needs to overcome to improve the availability of high-speed Internet access. The FCC identified a number of issues the government should address, including the high cost of laying new broadband lines in rural areas, a lack of airwaves for wireless Web access and ill-informed consumers. "This focus on broadband is a reflection of a recognition that the U.S. is lagging behind," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Wednesday at the agency's monthly meeting.

Two senior Republican senators sent a letter to President Obama on Wednesday expressing concern over reports that the administration negotiated "directly or indirectly" with terrorists for the release of British hostages in Iraq. In a letter made available to The Washington Times, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Jon Kyl of Arizona said that the U.S. release last month of Laith al-Khazali, a member of a militant Shi'ite group called Asaib al-Haq, may have been part of a deal to gain freedom for three British hostages held since 2007. On June 21, the group sent the bodies of two British hostages...

Two senior Republican senators sent a letter to President Obama on Wednesday expressing concern over reports that the administration negotiated "directly or indirectly" with terrorists for the release of British hostages in Iraq. In a letter made available to The Washington Times, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Jon Kyl of Arizona said that the U.S. release last month of Laith al-Khazali, a member of a militant Shi'ite group called Asaib al-Haq, may have been part of a deal to gain freedom for three British hostages held since 2007. On June 21, the group sent the bodies of two British hostages...

President Obama's plan to revamp financial regulations triggered immediate criticism Wednesday from both the political left and right over the expanded policing authorities given to the Federal Reserve while business groups grumbled about a powerful new agency charged with protecting consumers against abusive lending.

The Obama administration will play a key role in reshaping General Motors' board of directors over the next six months, potentially giving it even greater control in the management of the storied American manufacturer.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A decrease in airborne dust and volcanic emissions has contributed to warming the North Atlantic Ocean in the past three decades, a study showed. About 70 percent of the Atlantic's warming since 1980, at an average per-decade rate of a half-degree Fahrenheit (a quarter-degree Celsius), was due to less dust blown from African dust storms or to volcanic eruptions, scientists wrote in the journal Science. "Volcanoes and dust storms are really important if you want to understand (climatic) changes over long periods of time," said the study's lead author Amato Evan, a researcher with the University of...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Nov. 3, 2008 – They’re called “the quiet professionals” – the elite force that navigated the Afghan mountains on horseback in the opening days of the terror war, and which Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates expects to remain in Iraq and Afghanistan long after conventional forces draw down. Sgt. 1st Class Richard Turner, left, Sgt. 1st Class Buddy Lockwood, center, and Master Sgt. Christopher Spence are the faces of U.S. Army Special Forces. They're seasoned soldiers, collectively sharing 52 years of service and multiple combat deployments in a brotherhood Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates calls key...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2007 – U.S. officials are giving Iran’s present role in Iraq “a hard look,” U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker said during an interview on Fox News Channel last night. “Iran's role is harmful. There are no two ways about it,” said Crocker, who appeared on Brit Hume’s special report “Back from Iraq: A Briefing for America” with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq. The general and the ambassador had spent the day testifying before congressional committees. “They are supporting radical militias,” Crocker said. “They are supplying the explosively formed projectiles...

Australians reject role for Prince William By Nick Squires in Sydney Last Updated: 1:27am BST 30/06/2007 Australia yesterday rejected a suggestion that Prince William could become governor-general. The nation reacted indignantly to claims in a new biography of Diana, Princess of Wales that the prince would love the ceremonial position. Even the prime minister John Howard, a monarchist, said that only an Australian could fulfil the role. "We have embraced the idea that the person who occupies that post should be an Australian citizen," he said. Kevin Rudd, the leader of the opposition Labor Party, said: "There is a great...

Black fathers urged to be 'better role models' By Graeme Paton Last Updated: 1:10am BST 09/04/2007 Black fathers must take greater responsibility for their children's education to stop teenage boys turning to gun crime and gang culture, according to Britain's biggest teaching union. The National Union of Teachers said parents in Afro-Caribbean communities, particularly fathers, must become better role models to stop their children being "engulfed" by damaging influences. The warning is contained in a report to be launched today at the union's annual conference in Harrogate. One of the report's authors described the poor academic performance of black boys...

Mr Putin and Mr Gates are both former spies So will the 43rd Munich Security Conference be remembered as the start of a new Cold War? That is probably the single most important question to emerge from this long weekend of speeches and private chats among the world's most powerful. Certainly Russian President Vladimir Putin's strident speech stands out from the crowd. In it, to recap, he strongly criticised the US and its European allies, with his harshest criticism reserved for Washington. The US had, he said, overstepped its borders in every way, seeking to impose its will on...

Mr Putin said the US "has overstepped its borders" The Munich security conference was born in the 1960s - the height of the Cold War. Forty years on, there been talk of a new chill. Given the tone and content of Russian President Vladimir Putin's address to the gathered defence ministers, parliamentarians and pundits, it is not, perhaps, hard to see why. Warming quickly to his task after only the briefest of greetings, President Putin accused the US of establishing, or trying to establish, a "uni-polar" world. "What is a uni-polar world? No matter how we beautify this term,...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2007 – Stepping up civilian advisors’ role in Iraq is a key part of President Bush’s diplomatic strategy to stabilize the country, the chief operations officer for the Joint Staff said here. In a Jan. 17 interview, Army Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute cited Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s Middle East mission as an important part of the equation. “The most prominent feature on the diplomatic angle is … Secretary Rice right now traveling in the Middle East,” Lute said. “(She is) offering fresh initiatives and seeking Arab support for the American way forward in Iraq.”...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2006 -- To speed the development of Iraqi security forces, the United States is accelerating its use of military, police and border transition teams, a coalition spokesman in Baghdad said today. “Iraqis need capable and honest security forces that are loyal to all of their people,” Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said in a news conference with U.S. and Iraqi media. “They need forces that can run complex operations against terrorists and criminal elements. And the best way for Iraqi security forces to enhance these capabilities is through the mentorship and partnership...

Channel's key role in pre-history By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News, Gibraltar The remains we find today tell a story of Britain's ancient past A study of prehistoric animals has revealed the crucial role of the English Channel in shaping the course of Britain's natural history. The Channel acted as a filter, letting some animals in from mainland Europe, but not others. Even at times of low sea level, when Britain was not an island, the Channel posed a major barrier to colonisation. This was because a massive river system flowed along its bed, UK researchers told a palaeo-conference...

TAL AFAR, Iraq, Sep. 4, 2006 – The 1st, Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, became the third and final battalion to take the lead in assuming security operations for the city of Tal Afar during a ceremony held at Fort Tal Afar on Sept. 2, U.S. officials reported. On hand for the ceremony were Tal Afar Mayor Najim Abdullah al-Jubori; Maj. Gen. Khorsheed, commander of the 3rd Iraqi Army Division; Brig. Gen. Qais Hamza, commander of the division’s 2nd Brigade; U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Tien, commander of Task Force 2-37; and various dignitaries from the surrounding area....