http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/us/ en-us Sun, 3 Jan 2010 16:55:45 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2420029/posts New Delhi, Jan. 1: The government has authorised an outright purchase of 145 ultra-light howitzers from the US, a highly-placed defence ministry source said today. The ultra-light howitzers are for the mountain artillery divisions of the Indian Army to be used in high-altitude frontiers opposite Pakistan and China. They can be transported slung from some helicopters. The defence acquisitions committee has decided to take the foreign military sales route. Foreign military sales is a US programme of government-to-government sales of military hardware bypassing a lengthy system of competitive bidding. But bidders who lose out to foreign military sales orders allege... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2420029/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 16:55:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2419920/posts Here is a video report on the news that the United States and Great Britain have closed their embassies in Yemen in response to terror threats from Al-Qaeda: The US and Britain have shut their Yemen embassies after threats from an al-Qaeda offshoot linked to an alleged failed US plane bomb plot. The UK Foreign Office told the BBC its embassy in the capital Sanaa was closed "for security reasons", hours after the US announced its mission had been shut. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown earlier said the UK and US would step up counter-terror efforts in Yemen. There are... Freedom's Lighthouse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2419920/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 13:04:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417421/posts (IsraelNN.com) The Palestinian Authority (PA) government this week approved the construction of an international airport in the area of Al Bukieh, between Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. The decision is part of the implementation of a PA plan to create the institutions of an independent state which they intend to declare in two years' time. Ghasan El-Khatib, Head of the Press Bureau in the PA, told Al Hayyat newspaper that an official committee prepared a detailed report on a planned airport with four runways for the PA. INN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417421/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:28:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416125/posts The Palestinian Authority revealed on Sunday that it rewards both Hamas and Fatah terrorists with higher “salaries” for committing more serious terrorist attacks that are followed by convictions for long-term sentences in Israeli prison. Most of the PA’s funds come from European Union countries, and the United States earlier this month, for the first time ever, included the PA in its foreign aid package with a $500 million grant. Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416125/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:24:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415210/posts Romulus, Michigan (CNN) -- A passenger on an international flight bound for the United States Friday ignited a small explosive device shortly before landing in a move the White House called an attempted terrorist attack, a senior administration official said. Another passenger on the Northwest flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, quickly helped subdue and isolate the young male suspect with the aid of the cabin crew, passenger Syed Jafry said. The suspect, identified by a U.S. government official as 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was placed in custody and is being treated for second- and third-degree burns on his... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415210/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 05:47:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414900/posts In the 19th century, Indian armies twice crossed the Hindu Kush, hoping to stitch together the patchwork political authority of the territory in the service of their British masters. Over a century later, the sovereign republic of India once more has a renewed presence in what was once its mountainous buffer from the Tsarist, and then Soviet, giant to the north. A year ago, Indians completed the construction of Afghanistan's new parliament building and, to compound the symbolism, provided training to the legislators who would make the country's laws. Over a billion dollars in aid and investment, multiple consulates, and... guardian.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414900/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 12:59:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414396/posts At 7:16 a.m., the Senate passed on a 60-39 party line vote a sweeping health care bill that will tighten insurance regulations, provide insurance for 31 million more Americans and cost $871 billion over the next decade. "This is for my friend Ted Kennedy, aye," said Sen. Robert Byrd as he cast his vote. Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414396/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:49:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414148/posts History speaks of a Pax Romana, a Pax Britannica, and a Pax Americana - but no other namable eras of sustained peace, for the simple reason cited by Henry Kissinger: nothing maintains peace except hegemony and the balance of power. The balancing act always fails, though, as it did in Europe in 1914, and as it will in Central and South Asia precisely a century later. The result will be suppurating instability in the region during the next two years and a slow but deadly drift toward great-power animosity. Those who wanted an end to US hegemony will get what... Asia Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414148/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:48:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414140/posts New visa rules introduced by India following the arrest of David Headley, the Pakistani-American said to have been involved in the attacks on Mumbai in November 2008, have been criticized by the U.S. and U.K authorities. Nationals from 14 countries able to obtain long-term visas for India, long-term being five or ten years, were previously required to leave the country for a brief period every 180 days. AFP explains that often individuals affected by the 180-day rule would make a short visit to one of India's neighbors, such as Nepal, before returning to the country where they had previously been... Digital Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414140/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:25:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2412694/posts At a recent event in the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi, I found myself with my arm around his waist and his arm around my shoulder, posed for a photo opportunity. George W Bush, the much reviled former President of the United States, was in an expansive mood that evening. Aside of his “base” in America, this was fawning that had to be seen to be believed. He is the unquestioned hero of India’s elite. A senior member of the ruling Congress party said he would recommend him for the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award. In his early... Blog Spot Res Gestae http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2412694/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:45:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412683/posts Manmohan Singh’s recent state visit — the first hosted by the Obama administration — has been almost universally criticised in India for being, although high on symbols, everything from a fizzle to a failure. The critics, in this instance, may be exaggerating. If the yardstick of success is replicating the July 2005 achievement, then this summit indeed pales in comparison. The 2005 visit was epochal because it removed the last major structural impediment to better US-Indian strategic relations. Since then, however, bilateral ties have become broad and diverse, spanning a variety of issues where both agreement and disagreement persist in... The Indian Express http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412683/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:19:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412574/posts Vice President Joe Biden. Click image to expand.Vice President Joe BidenGive credit to the vice president: He really does enjoy politics and "can't see a room without working it," as a colleague of mine half-admiringly remarked last Wednesday morning.We were waiting to enter the studio and comment after Biden had finished his interview with the Scarborough/Brzezinski team, in which the main topic was Afghanistan. Exiting, he chose to stop and talk to each of us. Not wanting to waste a chance to be a bore on the subject, I asked him why he had mentioned India only once in the... Slate.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412574/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:35:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412411/posts Singing the enemy’s song Rahman, many experts have long suspected, was allowed to enter the United States by the Central Intelligence Agency in an effort to infiltrate Al-Qaeda -- a high-stakes intelligence gamble that backfired spectacularly “We have an expression in Arabic”, the blind Egyptian cleric who ran al-Qaeda’s networks in the United States once told an interviewer, “everybody sings for those he loves”. On February 26, 1993, a fifteen hundred kilogramme improvised explosive device went off in the underground parking garage of the World Trade Centre in New York -- the very building that, eight years later, would be... The Hindu http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412411/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:35:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412245/posts U.S. Remains Largest Manufacturer in the World by: Mark Perry December 21, 2009 According to the Federal Reserve, the value of U.S. manufacturing output in 2008 was $2.946 trillion, measured in 2000 dollars. Converted to 2008 dollars (link), that would be about $3.7 trillion, and the chart above shows how the U.S. manufacturing sector compares to the entire output, or GDP, of the top five largest economies in the world in 2008 (data): Japan ($4.9 trillion), China ($4.3T), Germany ($3.7T), U.K. ($2.7T) and Italy ($2.3T). Bottom Line: If the U.S. manufacturing sector were a separate country, it would be tied... Seeking Alpha http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412245/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:41:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411693/posts NEW DELHI: India is looking forward to getting from FBI the voice recordings of the phone conversations between David Headley and his Pakistani handlers to ascertain the identity of those who sent out instructions to the perpetrators of 26/11. Sources said that Indian agencies want to compare them with the voice recordings of the 26/11 masterminds to find out if these men indeed were Headley's handlers too. The US agency has in its possession recordings of Headley's conversations with LeT member A, not yet identified, and individual A identified by the FBI as Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed alias Pasha. Pasha... The Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411693/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:05:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2411546/posts Occasionally, I like to write editorials and opinion pieces to keep my writing skills up and take my frustrations with government policy at the same time.I doubt this will ever run in a newspaper, but I've decided to share it anyhow. Piracy: The Threats and Possible Solutions Part I: The Threat We all remember the times when we were kids. We remember raising the jolly roger, wearing an eye patch, and having a parrot on our shoulder. Normally we would have our parents play the role of victim as we plundered fake gold coins as we, and our friends, would... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2411546/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 06:30:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410113/posts THEME: Preserving Environment: Islamic Order "Introduction Whether we realize or not the environmental damage and pollution produced by humans, disrupt the natural balance of the earth. This slowly threatens the life of creatures on this earth. If the issue persists, it will be disastrous. This calls for good natural resource management based on the teachings of Islam. The main objective of this seminar is to sustain the nature which will benefit mankind and future generations." (UNISSA) Call for papers. Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University (UNISSA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410113/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:01:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409858/posts If you want to understand what's really going on in the alleged Israel-Palestinian peace process-beyond the babble that progress is being made, it's all Israel's fault, and everyone is working hard on it-here's what you need to know. For the present, the Palestinian leadership isn't interested in pursuing negotiations with Israel because it has a different strategy: get everything it wants from others without making any concessions. First, the Palestinian Authority (PA) came very close to obtaining a European Union (EU) resolution which made it sound like the Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem is an accomplished fact. The... Gloria Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409858/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:50:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409316/posts ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Parts of the Pakistani military and intelligence services are mounting what American officials here describe as a campaign to harass American diplomats, fraying relations at a critical moment when the Obama administration is demanding more help to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The campaign includes the refusal to extend or approve visas for more than 100 American officials and the frequent searches of American diplomatic vehicles in major cities, said an American official briefed on the cases. NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409316/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:46:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408636/posts (Chicago-based terrorist causes India to revise its visa rules with U.S.) India is taking some precautionary measures after the arrest of Chicagoan David Coleman Headley as a terror suspect in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The Asian country has revised its tourist-visa regulations, affecting those with long-term tourist visas, the India Times reports. “Americans with five- or ten-year tourist visas will no longer be allowed to enter India within two months of their last departure from India if their last visit was longer than 90 days or if they have stayed longer than 180 days during the past year,” an advisory... NBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408636/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:33:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408305/posts NEW DELHI: India's suspicion that US was not coming clean on David Coleman Headley, the US-based Lashkar jehadi who facilitated 26/11 by providing Ajmal Kasab and others with precise information about their targets, has deepened. The growing disquiet in the government here which believes that Headley was a US agent who went rogue was expressed by a senior government official. "It is very strange that the US did not inform us of Headley's visit to India in March this year when he, by their own account, had been under their surveillance since at least September 2008," the official said, pointing... The Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408305/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:50:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407217/posts Pay no attention when Democrats bemoan the lowly state of our national health care system. The study used to promote that nonsense has a serious flaw in it as Betsy McCaughey points out in a New York Post op-ed: Conrad was duped by a bag-of-tricks report from the Commonwealth Fund (Health Affairs, vol. 27, no. 1, 2008). This put America in 19th place due to our nation's large number of preventable deaths -- meaning deaths from diseases that are curable if treated soon enough. Yet most of these deaths are caused by heart disease and circulatory diseases. The United States... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407217/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:35:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407001/posts New Delhi: Concerned over the increasing number of Pakistani origin citizens living in the West being attracted to terrorism, the government is contemplating to tighten the visa approval norms for such persons visiting India. Home ministry sources said that the government was particularly concerned over the recent reports of five young Americans -- two of them Pakistani-origin -- arrested in Pakistan for links with Al-Qaeda. The arrests came in the wake of busting of the Lashker-e-Taiba plot, in which the Pakistan-based terror group was planning to use David Coleman Headley, whose father was a Pakistani national, to launch terror attacks... DNA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407001/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:51:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406653/posts This link goes to several interviews with Celente, the most recent of which right now is listed as "A Corrupt System Is Failing and It Needs to Fail," from December 9, 2009 Gerald Celente discusses the economy, financial system, Ben Bernanke and future trends forming from current events. SHTF Plan http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406653/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:50:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406618/posts The ongoing state budget stalemate will temporarily keep millions of dollars out of the pockets of Ohio taxpayers. No budget deal means state income-tax booklets can't be printed. Not printing and distributing the forms means that Ohioans filing by paper won't be able to get the refunds due them until weeks later than normal. Even if a budget deal is hatched this week, Ohioans probably won't see new state tax forms until February. Last year, 51,770 individuals filed paper returns in January, and 47,113 of them sought a refund. Those refunds totaled an estimated $8.2 million to $9.4 million. THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406618/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:45:30 GMT