Free Republic

RINCETON, NJ -- Americans believe China is the leading economic power in the world today, by a significant margin over the United States. This is the second consecutive year the majority of Americans have viewed China as economically dominant; previously, China held a smaller lead. By contrast, in 2000, Americans overwhelmingly believed the U.S. was the leading economic power.

India's Finance Minister referred to the financial aid given by Britain to his country as nothing more than 'peanuts', it is claimed. It is also claimed that Pranab Mukherjee and other Indian ministers tried to reject the money - around £280million a year - from the UK in 2011, but the British Government 'begged' them to take the money. The Sunday Telegraph claims that the Indian government were disposed to reject the money in April last year, because of the 'negative publicity of Indian poverty' highlighted by the aid. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096628/British-foreign-aid-India-tells-Britain-dont-need-peanuts-offer-us.html#ixzz1lWkmhZjq

The Menace of Islamic Fascist Republic of Iran: its ideology, its actions and threats. DANGEROUS IDEOLOGY: WORLD DOMINATION • The governments of the world should know that . . . Islam will be victorious in all the countries of the world, and Islam and the teachings of the Qur'an will prevail all over the world. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in January 1979 • We must strive to export our Revolution throughout the world. Ayatollah Khomeini on March 21, 1980 • We don't shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world. . . . We must believe in...

To date, the Republican presidential primary race has been the only place to have generated any useful contributions to America's collective understanding of current events in the Middle East. Last month, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich became the first major political figure in more than a generation to pour cold water over the Palestinian myth of indigenous peoplehood by stating the truth, that the Palestinians are an "invented people." As Gingrich explained, their invention came in response to Zionism, the Jewish national liberation movement. Since they were created somewhere around 1920, the Palestinians' main purpose has not been...

US "Mass Ordnance Penetrators" fail initial testing, says 'Wall Street Journal'; Pentagon seeks to upgrade program.   Even the heaviest US bombs are not powerful enough to destroy some of Iran’s more fortified nuclear facilities, The Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying on Friday. The Pentagon is taking steps to improve its “bunker-busting” capabilities, they added. The US’s 13,600-kg. “mass ordnance penetrator” (MOP) was specifically designed to be able to take out Iranian and North Korean nuclear facilities. According to the report, initial tests indicated that the bomb would be incapable of performing these tasks, either because of...

While U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Pakistani counterpart, Hina Rabbani Khar, attempt to normalize relations between the countries after the recent American drone strikes in Pakistan, the question has arisen as to how India can become an integral member of the multi-party Afghan equation, where U.S. and NATO stakes are still very high. What does the question entail? he Pakistani transit routes for NATO convoys that supply military cargo to Afghanistan have been closed for two months (after an “erroneous” attack by a NATO aircraft on a Pakistani army checkpoint in the Pakistani-Afghan border region in November...

Americans are used to the U.S. being the leader, or a top-ranked nation, in many areas. But in a number of industries and businesses, the U.S. has lost that first place, usually to China. While some, such as coal production, may not come as a surprise, other industries the U.S. has lost the market leadership might. 24/7 Wall St. looked at a large number of manufacturing, agricultural and financial businesses to find those in which China has surpassed the U.S. For several years, economists have said that China’s GDP growth indicates that its economy will pass that of the U.S....

Canada needs to look beyond its southern neighbour for markets because the United States economy is unlikely to ever fully recover, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney said Sunday. In an interview with CTV's Question Period, Carney said that it is vital for Canada to look for new trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere to prevent the economy from being dragged down by the U.S. "It's going to take a number of years before they get back to the U.S. that we used to know - in fact, they are not, in our opinion, ultimately going to get...

The United States has sent some 12,000 soldiers to Libya, in the first phase of deployments to the oil-rich North African nation. According to Asharq Alawsat, the troops landed in the eastern oil port city of Brega. Although the deployment is said to be aimed at generating stability and security in the region, the troops are expected to take control of the country's key oil fields and strategic ports. Brega, the site of an important oil refinery, serves as a major export hub for Libyan oil. The town is also one of the five oil terminals in the eastern half...

For electric vehicle enthusiasts with the “if you build it, they will come” mentality, who endorse endless taxpayer subsidies for plug-in automobiles and infrastructure to charge them, there’s bad news this week. The Daily Mail reported that sales of electric cars in the United Kingdom have fallen so sharply that there are now more charging stations than there are vehicles. If you thought the flaccid U.S. sales of the Chevy Volt (7,671 units) and Nissan Leaf (9,674 units) were a letdown – despite significant government funding for research and development, batteries, charging systems, and a $7,500 tax credit for...

The 1971 India-Pakistan war didn’t turn out very well from the US’ point of view. For one particular American it went particularly bad. Chuck Yeager, the legendary test pilot and the first man to break the sound barrier, was dispatched by the US government to train Pakistani air force pilots but ended up as target practice for the Indian Air Force, and in the process kicked up a diplomatic storm in a war situation. Yeager’s presence in Pakistan was one of the surprises of the Cold War. In an article titled, “The Right Stuff in the Wrong Place,” by Edward...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Goldman Sachs reported a fourth-quarter profit of about $1 billion on Wednesday, reversing a loss from the third quarter and topping expectations. But the company's revenue declined from a year ago and missed analysts' forecasts. Slashing compensation and nearly $1.4 billion in other expenses helped Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) generate its nearly nine-figure profits last year. Chief financial officer David Viniar said cost-cutting won't be the firm's primary focus going forward. "It's not possible to cut expenses as a means to prosperity," he said during a conference call following the earnings release.

Recognizing that Iran and its leaders are a grave danger to the world, why would anyone be distressed at the killing of an Iranian scientist who was working to create a nuclear bomb? Iran now has ballistic missiles capable of reaching Europe. Long ago, Iran developed the rockets needed to reach Israel, with which it is in a declared state of war. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated many times the he intends to destroy the state of Israel. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, believing his country also is in danger of being nuclear bombed by Iran, according to a Reuters...

Enraged Iranian officials are vowing retaliation against Israel, the US and the UK over the latest assassination of a nuclear scientist, 32-year-old Mustafa Ahmadi Roshan, in Tehran. A former Iranian ambassador who served in Mexico and Italy recommended that an American being held in Tehran be executed in retaliation for the assassination. “The terrorist attack on the scientist must not be left unanswered and therefore it is advisable to immediately execute [the suspected CIA spy [Amir Mirzai Hekmati] at the site of the explosion,” recommended former Ambassador Mohamed Hassan Qadiri in a post on his blog. He added that had...

The Obama administration is sending the head of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey to Israel this Thursday to try to change what it sees as Israel’s increasing readiness to attack Iran. Both Israel and the United States have stated they would not rule out a military strike on Tehran to prevent the Islamic Republic from reaching the capability of attacking Israel, or elsewhere, with a nuclear weapon. However, American officials are worried that Israel is closer to concluding that the “point of no return” is at hand, after which it may be too late to stop Iran....

A serious split is developing within Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, with one faction favoring the overthrow of the dictatorial regime. This presents a window of opportunity for the West to support regime change before the Islamic Republic successfully tests nuclear weapons. Once the regime has those nuclear bombs, that opening will be much narrower. Iran has tried hard to show strength in the face of sanctions aimed at pressuring Tehran to quit its suspected nuclear-bomb and missile development programs. Iranian leaders are now flexing their military muscles in the strategic waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to shut it down...

U.S. Savings Bonds Go PaperlessJanuary 4, 2012 10:30 PM PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — U.S. savings bonds enclosed in birthday cards have been an American tradition for more than 70 years. But from now on, purchasers will have to be computer savvy. As of January 1, the U.S. Treasury declared that all bonds must be purchased online through the website www.treasurydirect.gov. The buyer can download a “gift certificate” indicating the amount of the bond, and for what occasion.

WASHINGTON: Despite all the hissing and spitting from both sides in course of a deteriorating bilateral relationship, the Obama administration has clarified that the United States is continuing to supply new F-16s to Pakistan and upgrading the existing fleet. "Some media have reported a stoppage in the US-Pakistan F-16 program. These reports are not accurate. Neither Pakistan nor the United States has cancelled the F-16 program," a US official said on Thursday, contesting some of the virulent anti-US grievances published in the Pakistani press. The official maintained that planned delivery of the last "new-buy" F-16 purchased by Pakistan is scheduled...

Mitt Romney's father, George, was born in Colonia Dublan, one of the colonies in northern Mexico that the Romneys settled in after their arrival. His mother, Lenore LaFount Romney, was born in Utah. When Romney’s father was five years old, the Mexican Revolution broke out and his parents moved back to the United States to avoid the violence. Mitt Romney was eventually born in Michigan.

Iran is not our enemy. The regime that enriches itself while murdering, oppressing, and impoverishing ordinary Iranians; the regime that incites genocide against Israel, threatens its neighbors in the Persian Gulf, and vows to bring about a “world without America” — that is our enemy. This was one of the key points driven home by a trio of extraordinary individuals gathered for a dinner in Tel Aviv last week. At the table were Bernard Lewis, for my money the greatest living historian of the Middle East; Uri Lubrani, Israel’s envoy to Iran prior to the fall of the Shah and...

..killing six of his relatives before shooting himself in Dallas, Texas, on Christmas morning has been alleged to be an Islamic honor killing.

The first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) of the Navy was floated out at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), at a low-key event attended by senior shipping and naval officers on Thursday. Among those present were Union Shipping Secretary K. Mohandas; Rear Admiral K.N. Vaidyanathan, Director General, Naval Design; and Commodore K. Subramaniam, Chairman and Managing Director of CSL. The floating ceremony was followed by a meeting to review the progress in the work being done on the aircraft carrier, a 40,000-tonne fleet air defence platform of the Navy, which will be named after the legendary INS Vikrant. The Union Shipping...

US twins give birth minutes apartFriday, December 23, 2011 » 07:05am Twin sisters in New Jersey have given birth to their first children just minutes apart in the same hospital. Danielle and Nicole Fisher were in adjacent rooms, and the boys were born 13 minutes apart on Tuesday night. The women had been born within 12 minutes of each other 23 years ago.

US has found 5,000 missiles in LibyaAgence France-Presse Updated as of 12/24/2011 8:15 AM WASHINGTON - US experts sent to Libya to recover weapons left over by the regime of fallen leader Moammer Gaddafi have found about 5,000 surface-to-air missiles, the State Department said Friday. The exact number is difficult to say, said spokesman Mark Toner, as there is no actual inventory and a number were destroyed in NATO air strikes this year. "We support the Libyan government as it works on this... to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate the militias. It's clearly a high priority for them," Toner said. The...

This month, communist China is celebrating its 10th anniversary of joining the World Trade Organization. The subtitle ought to be “China’s 10th anniversary of cheating the United States.�The globalists talked the U.S. into supporting this cozy trade relationship with China by getting American manufacturers and farmers to salivate at the prospect of gaining access to the world’s biggest market. China, on the other hand, joined the WTO to implement its plan to grow into an economic superpower. It wants to accomplish this the same way the United States became powerful in our pre-New Deal century — by protecting local industries...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States, Japan and India held their first trilateral dialogue here on Monday over a "wide range" of regional and global issues of common interest. "These discussions mark the beginning of a series of consultations among our three governments, who share common values and interests across the Asia-Pacific and the globe," the State Department said in a statement. Responding to the prevailing assumption that the meeting was aimed at containing China, Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell dismissed the idea as "preposterous." Campbell said they would discuss at the event a number of issues, including "larger...

US demands release of CIA spy by IranTue Dec 20, 2011 9:35AM GMT The United States has demanded that Iran release "without delay" a CIA spy who was recently detained in the country and who confessed to being commissioned by the US to infiltrate Iran's intelligence circles. On December 17, Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced the capture of an American CIA agent of Iranian decent, foiling an intricate US plot to carry out further espionage activities in the Islamic Republic following the capture of an American spy drone in northeastern Iran. In a televised confession, broadcast on the Iranian television on...

A recent multi think-tank publication entitled “Shared Goals, Converging Interests: A Plan for U.S.–Australia–India Cooperation in the Indo–Pacific,” has apparently been the source of an about-face by Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd. Co-published by Australia’s Lowy Institute, India’s Observer Research Foundation, and the U.S. Heritage Institute, the authors called for a tripartite defense pact between the United States, Australia, and India in a world where “the rise of China…is posing the first serious challenge to U.S. military preeminence in Asia in half a century.” While there have been no official intergovernmental talks about this particular defense pact, on November 30,...

WASHINGTON: US is eyeing to sell its battle proved armed drones to key allies, including India, but the move is being opposed by lawmakers who don't want the technology to be exported. "The Pentagon wants more North Atlantic Treaty Organization members to have such pilotless aircraft to ease the burden on the US in Afghanistan and in future conflicts like the alliance's air campaign in Libya this year," Obama Administration officials were quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying. It is believed that India would be one of the potential target countries for the US to sell its drones....

Honduras will inaugurate a new naval base on Guanaja Island next month. The base, which was financed by the U.S., will be used to support joint U.S.-Honduras counternarcotics efforts.

With vote tallies in for Egypt’s first round of parliamentary elections in it is abundantly clear that Egypt is on the fast track to becoming a totalitarian Islamic state. The first round of voting took place in Egypt’s most liberal, cosmopolitan cities. And still the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists received more than 60 percent of the vote. Run-off elections for 52 seats will by all estimates increase their representation. And then in the months to come, Egyptian voters in the far more Islamist Nile Delta and Sinai will undoubtedly provide the forces of jihadist Islam with an even greater...

In recent days, there has been a truly frightening articulation of the US administration’s perception of Israel vis-à-vis the Muslim world. On Friday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta essentially blamed Israel for its own “increasing isolation,” urging the Jewish state to reach out to its neighbors. He suggested that Israel make diplomatic inroads with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Egypt, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly Islamist and anti-Israel Turkey, and vulnerable Jordan, a country whose leadership – for the sake of self-preservation – has been making concessions to its own Muslim Brotherhood. And when asked at the end of his speech at the Brookings...

(Wake up, Europe, and smell the treachery. Video by Pat Condell, I think.)

I've been alarmed by the latest polls. No, not from Iowa and New Hampshire, although they're unnerving enough. It's the polls from Egypt. >>SNIP<< Alas, reality does not arrange its affairs quite so neatly, and the world that is arising in the second decade of the 21st century is increasingly inimical to American interests, and likely to prove even more expensive to boot. In that sense, Egypt is instructive. Even in the giddy live-from-Tahrir-Square heyday of the "Arab Spring" and "Facebook Revolution" I was something of a skeptic. Back in February... >>SNIP<< ...sourpuss Steyn was telling Megyn that this was...

China drift toward more state control "troubling": U.S.By Doug Palmer | Reuters – Wed, Nov 30, 2011 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday criticized China for backing away from free market reforms and moving toward more state control of its economy as Beijing approaches the tenth anniversary of its entry into the World Trade Organization. "China seems to be embracing state capitalism more strongly each year, rather than continuing to move toward the economic reform goals that originally drove its pursuit of WTO membership," U.S. Ambassador to the WTO Michael Punke said in remarks delivered in Geneva and...

NEW DELHI - At a time when Pakistanis are recovering from the shock of Nato attack on two military posts, thousands of Indian soldiers armed with hundreds of tanks, armoured carriers ,fighter jets,UAV,Gunships and Modern Satellite Imaging are getting ready for manoeuvres in Rajasthan sector along Pakistani border, reported Indian media on Thursday. More than 50,000 Indian troops along with T-90, T-72, Arjun Tanks and BMPs are expected to take part in this gigantic military exercise code-named ‘SUDARSHAN SHAKTI AKA CIRCLET OF GOD '. An Indian defence report says that “This exercise will be a trendsetter for the Integrated Theatre...

How The U.S. Will Become A 3rd World Country (Part 1)The United States is increasingly similar to a 3rd world county in several ways and is accelerating towards 3rd world status. Economic data indicate a harsh reality that obviates mainstream political debate. The evidence suggests that, without fundamental reforms, the U.S. will become a post industrial neo-3rd-world country by 2032.Fundamental characteristics that define a 3rd world country include high unemployment, lack of economic opportunity, low wages, widespread poverty, extreme concentration of wealth, unsustainable government debt, control of the government by international banks and multinational corporations, weak rule of law and...

In 2011, the United States could become a net exporter of petroleum products — gasoline, diesel and other oil-based fuels — for the first time in 62 years. Don’t confuse this with, “U.S. on track to become energy independent.� The fuels we export are at least partly dependent on the oil we import. The possibility for energy independence is there — but the administration’s policies will likely continue to conspire to hamstring domestic energy production.Nevertheless, this is still an important milestone, as The Wall Street Journal reports: So long as the U.S. remains the world’s biggest net importer of crude...

Imagine what would happen if America barged its way into a developing country, buttered up its homicidal dictator and agreed a back-of-the-envelope deal in which he signed over his nation’s mineral wealth in return for roads, railways and sports stadiums. Everyone would benefit, no? No. The problem is that the infrastructure turns out to be worth a hell of a lot less than the minerals. Fortunately, Washington has had the foresight to top up the dictator’s Swiss bank account. Problem solved! As for the mining operation, the Americans really don’t want to be bothered by minimum wages or trade unions....

Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley was one of the most decorated soldiers of the Victorian era. His statement about China, (made in 1903) seems very prescient, given that China was a mess then. "(The Chinese) are the most remarkable race on earth and I have always thought, and still believe them to be,the coming rulers of the world. They only want a Chinese Peter The Great or Napoleon to make them so…..and in my idle speculation upon this world’s future I have long selected them as the combatants on one side of the great battle of Armageddon, the people of...

The scheduled talks between China and India over border issues at the end of November were temporarily postponed. While speculations about this decision are varied, one thing is certain: India, whose GDP is a third of China's, has been maintaining a bold stance when dealing with China. Indian public opinion will not permit concessions to China, but China will not yield to India's demand on border issues either. This is where the dilemma is. Both sides must keep the border issue from worsening by focusing on keeping goodwill talks alive and being mindful of the consequences of a sudden breakdown....

President Obama and his cheerleaders in the media may be fed up with Israel and its democratically elected government, but the Palestinian Authority appears to be about to take one step closer to effectively ending all hope for peace in the foreseeable future. Journalist Khaled Abu Toameh reports that PA leader Mahmoud Abbas has agreed to a key concession that will solidify the Hamas-Fatah unity pact first signed in May. The result will guarantee a strong Hamas role in the new Palestinian government that will ensure it will be impossible for the PA to agree to any deal with Israel,...

When wearing a U.S. flag T-shirt is wrongBy Ruben Navarrette Jr., CNN Contributor updated 11:16 AM EST, Fri November 18, 2011 San Diego, California (CNN) -- When is wearing a T-shirt with the American flag on it considered provocative? Answer: When you wear it to a high school with a dress code that explicitly prohibits "any clothing or decoration which detracts from the learning environment." And when the high school, where 20% of the 1,300 students are English-language learners and 18% come from low-income families, has been described by the San Francisco Chronicle as having "an ethnically charged atmosphere." And...

Indian Naval Ship Sukanya, presently deployed on anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden under the operational control of the Western Naval Command, found herself once again in the thick of things, thwarting a multiple-boat piracy attack on 10 Nov 11. The ship was escorting a group of five merchant vessels through the IRTC (Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor) when, at about 9:25 in the morning of 10th Nov, she detected a group of five suspicious boats, speedily approaching the merchant vessels of her group. The warship immediately altered towards the suspicious vessels and challenged them. On seeing the resolve evident...

To all, Love to all people!! This message I send to believers in GOD or not. Today and everyday, may you all think on how you treat one another and yourselves. Do you treat people the way you want to be treated? Do you people to do more than you yourself would want to be asked to do?? Do you have the same patience for others in their learning that you want or wanted in your times of your learning?? Do you support people that do what you wanted to do before you actually do it?? Or do you put...

NEW DELHI: A set of freshly declassified top secret papers on the 1971 war show that US hostility towards India during the war with Pakistan was far more intense than known until now. The documents reveal that Indira Gandhi went ahead with her plan to liberate Bangladesh despite inputs that the Nixon Administration had kept three battalions of Marines on standby to deter India, and that the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise had orders to target Indian Army facilities (Pakistani Army Commander in the Eastern Command, Lt General AAK Niazi, signing the Instrument of Surrender in front of General Officer...

As the U.S. economy suspends in a prolonged, comatose state, high joblessness and uncertainty among young Americans have incited youth discontent with the federal government’s fiscal and economic blunders. A new poll conducted by Generation Opportunity, a non-profit organization that educates young Americans on the nation’s current political and economic affairs, surveyed individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 on issues such as government spending, national security, and Washington leadership. The latest U.S. jobs report positioned October as the 32nd consecutive month that unemployment has hovered near or above the 9 percent mark. However, the current unemployment rate does...

WASHINGTON — The White House Wednesday defended President Barack Obama's decision to make a week-long Pacific trip next week, saying he was out to leverage jobs from a dynamic region to ease economic pain at home. Obama's image-makers face a tough task in selling his journey, which begins Friday, as Washington media fixates on domestic concerns including a deficit row with Republicans and the quickening 2012 election. By hosting an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hawaii, and visiting Australia and the East Asia summit in Bali, Obama will pursue trade and employment and stand up for US values and security...

U.S. seeking to boost its clout in Asia through trade Politics Nov. 07, 2011 - 06:20PM JST ( 11 ) U.S. seeking to boost its clout in Asia through trade Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is under pressure to bring Japan into talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. AFP WASHINGTON — The United States will try to prove its mettle as an Asian power as it welcomes Pacific leaders this week to Hawaii, hoping a sweeping trade pact will bind together the fast-growing region. President Barack Obama will show his native state to leaders of 20 other members of the Asia-Pacific Economic...

There are actually two messages here. The 1st points out the incredible "benefits" of Universal Healthcare and is very interesting; the 2nd is absolutely astounding - and explains a lot. 1.A recent "Investor's Business Daily" article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization. Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis: U.S. 65% England 46% Canada 42% Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months: U.S. 93% England 15% Canada 43% Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months: U.S....