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U.S. Intensifies Airport Security In 14 Nations (New York Times)
Citizens of 14 nations, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, who are flying to the United States will be subjected indefinitely to the intense screening at airports worldwide that was imposed after the Christmas Day bombing plot, Obama administration officials announced Sunday.
But American citizens, and most others who are not flying through those 14 nations [...]
Varying Responses to Speech in Mideast Highlight Divisions
President Obama’s carefully balanced message was greeted warmly by his immediate audience in Cairo on Thursday and in some other parts of the Mideast, but there was also dismissiveness and frustration. And among Israelis and Palestinians, reactions to a message designed to open each side up to the other seemed rather to reflect the fractures [...]
William Bradley/Opinion: Repositioning America: Obama’s Cairo Speech As the Ultimate in Event Marketing
In the biggest example of event marketing that comes to mind, President Barack Obama used his ballyhooed speech today at Cairo University to reposition America in the Muslim and Arab worlds.
“I have come here,” he said, “to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest [...]
MOST OVERLOOKED STORY OF THE DAY: ACCORDING TO THE PENTAGON OBAMA HAS 250,000 ‘CONTRACTORS’ DEPLOYED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN AND IS INCREASING THE USE OF MERCENARIES
NEWLY RELEASED PENTAGON STATISTICS SHOW THAT IN BOTH IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN THE NUMBER OF ARMED CONTRACTORS IS RISING.
A couple of years ago, Blackwater executive Joseph Schmitz seemed to see a silver lining for mercenary companies with the prospect of US forces being withdrawn or reduced in Iraq. “There is a scenario where we could as [...]
US Soldier Kills 5 Fellow Marines, Has Been Taken Into Custody
A U.S. soldier opened fire at a counseling center on a U.S. base Monday, killing five fellow soldiers before being taken into custody, the U.S. command and Pentagon officials said.
The shooting occurred at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city’s international airport and adjacent to another facility [...]
In Iraq, Chaos Feared as U.S. Closes Prison
The release of hundreds of prisoners from Camp Bucca, a U.S.-run prison in southern Iraq, has facilitated the revival of Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents in Basra, Baghdad and the borderless expanse here along the Euphrates, according to police chiefs, intelligence officials in the Interior Ministry and residents.
Although none of them predicted a return to [...]
John King/CNN: Bad Economy Puts More Families On The Streets
The tears begin and her voice trembles as Ruth Martinez remembers the first few days of her new world.
She would leave work, pick up her son Jacob at school and drive aimlessly, sometimes sneaking back to the office, “to watch TV there without my boss knowing.”
Her husband had lost his job, and the stress drove [...]
Pope Expresses Respect For Islam in Jordan
Pope Benedict XVI expressed deep respect for Islam Friday and said he hopes the Catholic Church can play a role in Mideast peace as he began his first trip to the region, where he hopes to improve frayed ties with Muslims.
The pope was met at the airport by Jordans King Abdullah and praised the moderate [...]
British Troops To Leave Iraq By The End of May
British troops have ended six years of combat operations in Iraq, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Thursday, praising his military’s accomplishments and sacrifices in a mission that was not popular at home.
Brown spoke after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at Brown’s Downing Street office in London.
“Today marks the closing chapter of the combat [...]
Iraq Violence Climbs During The Past Week
Back-to-back suicide bombings killed 60 people Friday outside the most important Shiite shrine in Baghdad, a day after the country was rocked by its most deadly violence in more than a year.
The bombings Friday and Thursday — in which nearly 80 people were killed — are the latest in a series of high-profile attacks blamed [...]
