Basra gunfight
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Enlarge MapBush congratulated Croatia and Albania — both of which were under Moscow's Cold War-era influence — for the invitations to join NATO they won a day earlier at the military alliance's summit in Bucharest, Romania. He urged a similar welcome for Macedonia, which snagged on Greek objections. The president was reinforcing that message immediately after his speech in a public square here by honoring the newest members of NATO's club over lunch.
Bush called the invitation to join NATO "a vote of confidence that you will continue to make necessary reforms and become strong contributors to our great alliance."
"Henceforth, should any danger threaten your people, America and the NATO alliance will stand with you and no one will be able to take your freedom away," he said to cheers from an audience of thousands packed into St. Mark's Square, used as the site of the inauguration of every Croatian leader for the past 700 years and considered "the center of Croatian politics."
Such praise for the spread of democracy on Russia's doorstep — and for the promise of Western military protection for that freedom — was not likely to be cheered in Moscow, however. Bush's focus on freedom comes as his administration continues to harshly criticize increasing Kremlin authoritarianism.
So, even as Bush has sought in recent days to downplay tensions between the United States and Russia, he used his overnight stay in Croatia, as well as one in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine earlier in his weeklong trip, to showcase some of the differences that have caused those tensions.
By evening Saturday, Bush was to be at Putin's summer home at the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The two are to cap an often contentious seven-year relationship that will come to end when Putin leaves office next month. They hope to produce a new "strategic framework" to guide relations to a less rocky future beyond their time in office. - AP<http://www.gmanews.tv/story/87859/Bush-celebrates-NATOs-expansion>
US, Russia still at odds on missiles
Bush also met Putin's hand-picked successor and pronounced him "a straightforward fellow."
He did not give President-elect Dmitry Medvedev the kind of unvarnished embrace he gave Putin seven years ago, but told reporters after meeting Medvedev: "You can write down, I was impressed and look forward to working with him."
At a joint news conference at Putin's Black sea vacation home, Putin was asked whether he or his protege would be in charge of Russia's foreign policy in early May — when Putin steps down as president and becomes prime minister
Putin said Medvedev would, and that he would represent Russia at the Group of Eight meeting of industrial democracies in July in Tokyo. "Mr. Medvedev has been one of the co-authors of Russia's foreign policy," Putin said. "He's completely on top of things."
At their final meeting as presidents of their respective countries, Bush and Putin complimented each other lavishly, but acknowledged they remained at odds on some major issues, principally missile defense and NATO's eastward expansion.
Putin called the US missile plan — which envisions basing tracking radar sites in the Czech Republic and interceptors in Poland — the most contentious of US-Russian differences and the one the hardest to reconcile. "Our fundamental attitude toward the American plan has not changed," he said.
But, he said, "the best thing is to work jointly" on such a system. "We've got a lot of way to go," Bush acknowledged.
He said he viewed the US plan — as "defense, not offense. And, obviously, we've got a lot of work to convince the experts this defense system is not aimed at Russia."
Bush also said that the system is designed to deal with "regimes that could try to hold us hostage" in a clear reference to Iran. "The system is not designed to deal with Russia's capacity to launch multiple rockets," he said.
The president blamed lingering Cold War thinking by some in both Russia and the United States for making it harder to reach agreement on missile defense. "We spent a lot of time in our relationship trying to get rid of the Cold War," he said. "It's over. It ended."
And Bush bristled at a journalist's question that suggested the two leaders were merely "kicking the can down the road" on the vexing missile defense issue.
"You can cynically say that it is kicking the can down the road," Bush said. "I don't appreciate that, because this is an important part of my belief that it is necessary to protect ourselves."
In a joint declaration, Bush and Putin said: "The Russian side has made clear that it does not agree with the decision to establish sites in Poland and the Czech Republic and reiterated its proposed alternative. Yet, it appreciates the measures that the US has proposed and declared that if agreed and implemented such measures will be important and useful in assuaging Russian concerns."
However, the two sides did agree to "develop a legally-binding arrangement following expiration" in December 2009 of the strategic arms limitation treaty (START). Their joint declaration noted the "substantial reductions already carried out" under that pact, which they said was an important step in reducing the number of deployed nuclear warheads.
On NATO, Russia remains adamantly opposed to the eastward expansion of the alliance into its backyard that Bush has actively championed over Putin's vocal objections.
The Sochi meeting came just days after NATO leaders agreed at a summit in Romania to invite Albania and Croatia to join the alliance. However, the alliance rebuffed US attempts to begin the process of inviting Ukraine and Georgia, both former Soviet republics, to join, although their eventual admission seems likely.
The two leaders agreed to a "strategic framework" to guide future US -Russian relations.
It was seven years ago in June that Bush famously declared he had looked into Putin's eyes at their first face-to-face meeting and "was able to get a sense of his soul" and found him to be honest, straightforward and trustworthy.
Relations grew stronger when Putin stood with the United States after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But the era of cooperation quickly began to unravel as Russia opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq and as the Russian leader consolidated his power and took steps to roll back democratic advances.
Asked about those earlier comments about Putin's "soul," Bush said Sunday that his first impression was that he believed Putin would be "the kind of person who would tell me what's on his mind" and that he turned out to be so.
As to the incoming president, Bush said, "I just met the man for 20 minutes."
Still, Bush said, "He seemed like a very straightforward fellow. My first impressions are very favorable."
Bush met with Medvedev shortly before his news conference with Putin and received a pledge from the incoming president to work to strengthen relations between the two countries.
Medvedev told Bush that he hopes to follow in Putin's footsteps in advancing US-Russian relations.
Over the last eight years, Bush and Putin "did a lot to advance US-Russian relations" and that relationship was "a key factor in international security," Medvedev. "I would like to do my part to keep up that work," he added.
Bush told Medvedev, "I'm looking forward to getting to know you so we'll be able to work through common problems and find common opportunities."
Bush and Putin met with news reporters after talks at Putin's vacation house.
Putin greeted Bush at the door of the guesthouse there and escorted him downstairs to a wood-paneled room with tall windows facing the sea. They sat alongside each other in chairs before a fireplace with unlit logs. A crush of cameramen, photographers and reporters crowded the room.
The Russian president said they had started discussing security issues and bilateral matters over dinner on Saturday and would continue their talks today "in a common working manner." Putin put in another plug for the Winter Olympic games that Sochi will host in 2014.
Their introductory remarks were mostly light-hearted. Bush joked about asked to join in a traditional folk dance during the dinner entertainment the previous evening. "I'm only happy that my press corps didn't see me try to dance the dance I was asked to do."
"We have been able to see you're a brilliant dancer," Putin replied good naturedly. - AP <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/87956/US-Russia-still-at-odds-on-missiles>
'Ambush' that left SAS trooper dead
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By Paul Wood
Middle East correspondent, BBC News |
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The SAS form part of the British operation in Iraq
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A British soldier killed in Iraq two weeks ago turned out to be an SAS man. What does it say about British special forces in Iraq, and the Anglo-American coalition's chances of defeating insurgency?
The press release said simply: "It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of a British soldier in Iraq today, 26 March 2008. The soldier died as a result of gunshot wounds sustained during a firefight in the early hours of this morning."
The soldier was from the SAS. The firefight also left four other SAS troopers injured. Two insurgents were killed but as many as nine civilians also died, including a four-month-old baby.
The engagement ended with an airstrike. The full story reveals a lot about the way the coalition is fighting the counter-insurgency war in Iraq - and the chances for eventual success.
MoD "sources" said the SAS man had died not in Basra, where most of the British troops in Iraq are based, but in Baghdad. In fact, this was untrue.
The soldier was killed further north, in a heavily Sunni area where a sizeable contingent of the SAS has been working in secret alongside American special forces.
The MoD has asked us not to give exact details of the location, so as not to compromise future missions, but it is clear that UK special forces have been operating far more extensively in Iraq than previously known.
Bomb-making team
We have not been able to interview any of the SAS soldiers involved. But we have had a detailed account from senior American officers who are familiar with what happened.
We have also spoken to Iraqi eyewitnesses. At the request of defence officials in London, we have removed several details which were described as operationally sensitive.
Early in March, the coalition says an insurgent bomb-making team moved from Baghdad to a heavily Sunni area outside the capital.
They found a house in one of the nicest parts of town and got to work. It seemed, said one US officer I spoke to, that the whole neighbourhood knew they were there.
This represented a huge failure for the coalition, since the neighbourhood included the city's Iraqi police chief, who lived opposite the house, the commander of the local Iraqi Swat team, who was just as close, and a judge.
The officer told me: "This target was surrounded by the Iraqi police, authority figures, a judge. My question to them was and has been for the past week: 'How come all the local civilians... know all these people came in and don't belong here but you as commanders of police don't go in there and check it out?'"
One very damaging possibility is that the local police knew all along, and turned a blind eye as long as the bombs were intended for coalition soldiers and not their own men.
Similar deals have been done by the Iraqi police in the past in this part of the country. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7337873.stm>
Inheriting President Bush's war
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By Kim Ghattas
BBC News, Washington |
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The withdrawal of US troops is a key issue in the presidential campaign
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There were no real surprises in the recommendations of US Gen David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker on what is next for Iraq.
It was simply a confirmation for the three presidential hopefuls, and a particularly frustrating one for the Democrats, that the Iraq war will loom large over the start of the next presidency, whoever wins the race for the White House.
The testimonies of the US's two top officials in Baghdad were essentially turned into a campaign stop for the three candidates, who tried to show off their skills as commander- in-chief and audition for the role president of the United States.
Republican Senator John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton, who are both on the Senate's armed services committee, came first.
Barack Obama, who sits on the foreign relations committee, had to wait for his turn much later in the day. Each candidate used the opportunity to repeat and highlight the key points of their strategy.
Hillary Clinton called for the start of an "orderly" withdrawal from Iraq, Mr Obama suggested a diplomatic surge that would involve talking to Iran and John McCain warned against a withdrawal that would lead to "genocide".
There were no surprise announcements there either, but observers
scrutinised the performance of the candidates as they also tried to
score points against each other. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7339896.stm>
S Asian crises blamed on leaders
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The 2005 Kashmir earthquake claimed 75,000 lives
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Government failures across South Asia are the key factor that can turn natural disasters into humanitarian crises, a UK-based aid agency says.
Political inaction, poor decisions and bad management are more to blame than nature for the humanitarian effects of disasters, Oxfam claims in a report.
The region is vulnerable to floods, cyclones, droughts and earthquakes.
Oxfam notes 12 times as many people died in the Kashmir quake in 2005 as in a comparable Japanese tremor in 1995.
The charity says there has been some progress, but warns that more needs to be done as climate change makes the region even more vulnerable.
The UK government said it agreed with Oxfam's argument that disaster preparation saves lives.
Consequently, the Department for International Development said,
the UK was helping to build stronger houses and bridges in Pakistan and
funding a tsunami early warning system in South Asia. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7339897.stm>
Confusion strikes US torch relay
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The torch has been taken on a surprise route through San Francisco
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The only North American leg of the Olympic torch relay has been marked by confusion after the route was diverted to avoid crowds of protesters.
Thousands of pro-Tibet and pro-Beijing demonstrators had gathered in San Francisco, prompting fears of violence.
Officials sent the torch on a new route citing safety concerns. The closing ceremony was also moved to a new site.
There were disruptive protests as the relay passed through Europe. It will end in Beijing, home of the 2008 Games.
Meanwhile, President George W Bush has urged China to "begin a dialogue" with Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a motion
condemning China's "extreme" response to protests in Tibet. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7339380.stm>
Bush 'is avoiding Iraq decisions'
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The withdrawal of US troops is a key issue in the presidential campaign
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Democratic opponents of US President George W Bush have accused him of putting off tough decisions on Iraq until after the presidential elections.
The criticism follows Mr Bush's announcement of a "major strategic shift" that includes suspending troop withdrawals after July.
He says this would allow senior commander General David Petraeus to assess the next step in Iraq.
But his opponents say the people want answers from this president, now.
The decision to halt withdrawals means the US presence in Iraq is likely to last well beyond January 2009, when Mr Bush will leave office and whoever wins the November elections will take over.
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He is just dragging this out so he can put it at the doorstep of the new president of the United States
 Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Speaker of the House |
The Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said the president had failed to answer key questions, including what conditions would allow troops to come home.
"The president has taken us into a failed war, he's taken us
deeply into debt and that debt is taking us into recession," she said.
"We need some answers from the president." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7341890.stm>
Mugabe in talks ahead of summit
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The SADC summit comes amid growing tension in Zimbabwe
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Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is meeting his South African counterpart, amid indications he will not attend a summit on the post-election crisis.
Thabo Mbeki arrived in Harare, hours after state media reported Mr Mugabe would be represented by ministers at the Zambia SADC summit.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party claims it won presidential elections on 29 March.
Tensions are growing in Zimbabwe, with no official results yet released.
Members of the 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) are meeting on Saturday in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, to discuss Zimbabwe's post-election deadlock.
In an apparent snub to the SADC and Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, Zimbabwean state radio said President Mugabe would be represented by three ministers.
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The international community's patience with the [Mugabe] regime is wearing thin
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown
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Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga had earlier said the summit had been "called without consultation with the Zimbabwean government".
Correspondents say that if Mr Mugabe does boycott the summit it will be his first public sign of weakness since the election two weeks ago.
They say his absence would make it easier for Mr Tsvangirai to repeat that he won the election fair and square. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7343907.stm>
Cuban leaders plan more reforms
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Some restrictions on farmers have already been lifted
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Recently announced agricultural reforms in Cuba could be the springboard for more changes, says a state newspaper.
The official Granma newspaper also welcomes the lifting of restrictions in several sectors of the economy.
It will now be easier for state workers to own their homes and pass them on to their children. Wage limits are to be removed to allow more incentives.
Raul Castro has introduced a series of reforms since taking over as president from his brother Fidel in February.
These include the removal of some restrictions on the purchase of electrical goods such as mobile phones, microwave ovens and DVD players.
The state has also lifted a ban on its people staying in hotels previously reserved for foreigners - a measure which has only now been officially acknowledged in the latest edition of Granma.
The housing reforms will mainly affect people who could lose their state housing when they retire, says the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana.
This includes military families, sugar and construction workers, doctors and teachers. According to government figures, about 85% of Cubans already have legal title to their homes, our correspondent adds.
Buying and selling property is still not allowed, however. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7343883.stm>
China defends Tibetan crackdown
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Mr Hu spoke during a visit by Australian PM Kevin Rudd
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Chinese President Hu Jintao has defended China's crackdown in Tibet and said it was entirely an internal issue about defending China's unity.
Mr Hu said last month's crackdown was a result of "conflict" with supporters of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
The comments follow protests against the Olympic torch relay by activists critical of China's crackdown.
The latest relay leg, in Buenos Aires, passed off without interruption.
"Our conflict with the Dalai clique is not an ethnic problem, not a religious problem, nor a human rights problem," Mr Hu was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency. "It is a problem either to safeguard national unification or to split the motherland," Mr Hu told visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
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The torch procession was held amid tight security
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It was the first time Mr Hu has commented on last month's unrest in Tibet, when Tibetan exile groups say Chinese security forces killed dozens of protesters.
Beijing says about 19 people were killed in rioting.
Mr Hu repeated China's position that it was ready to meet the Dalai Lama, but only if he met certain pre-conditions, such as desisting from trying to "split the motherland", "incite violence" and "ruin the Beijing Olympics".
The Dalai Lama has denied accusations by Chinese officials that he orchestrated last month's violent protests in Tibet and Tibetan areas of China to discredit the country before the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
Speaking on US television during a visit to Seattle, the Dalai Lama reiterated his opposition to a boycott of the Olympics, but said China's record on human rights and freedom was "poor".
He said his message to China was: "We are not against you. And I'm not seeking separation." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7343975.stm>
Nepal's Maoists gain first seats
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Maoist supporters with their faces painted red celebrated
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Nepal's Maoist party has gained its first seats, as results are declared after Thursday's elections.
The Maoists have won four out of the seven seats already declared, election officials say.
But they are also ahead in 56 out of 102 seats whose partial results are coming through as the count proceeds
The polls, for an assembly to re-write the constitution, are the first to test the Maoists at the ballot box after their 10-year guerrilla campaign.
The BBC's Charles Haviland says Maoist supporters in Kathmandu have started victory processions in some of the main streets, with red vermillion powder smeared on their faces and red hammer-and-sickle flags in their hands.<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7341944.stm>
Israel army in Facebook clampdown
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By Martin Asser
BBC News, Jerusalem |
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Militants closely monitor military web postings, Israel believes
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Israeli defence chiefs have moved to tighten internet social networking rules after photographs appeared showing sensitive military subjects.
A review of Facebook pages belonging to Israeli troops found that some had posted detailed pictures of air bases, operations rooms and submarines.
"These are things we don't want the public to see for security reasons," an official source told the BBC.
Posting photos of troops in uniform - a popular pastime - is still allowed.
The new set of rules - which has not been made public - includes
a ban on images of pilots and members of special units, and anything
that shows specific military manoeuvres. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7343238.stm>
Zimbabwe to hold partial recount
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President Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF lost its parliamentary majority
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Zimbabwe's electoral commission has ordered a recount of ballots in 23 constituencies in last month's disputed elections, local media says.
The recount would be held on Saturday, the state-owned Sunday Mail reported.
The news came as southern African leaders, meeting in Zambia, called for still unpublished presidential poll results to be speedily announced.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders also urged all parties to accept the election results.
The chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, George Chiweshe, said the results from 22 districts had been disputed by the ruling Zanu-PF party, while the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) contested the count in one constituency.
Correspondents say the recount involves enough seats to
overturn the original results, which gave the MDC a narrow lead in the
lower house of parliament. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7344900.stm>
Sadr says US will always be enemy
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Moqtada Sadr lost a key aide on Friday, shot dead in Najaf
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Radical Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has said the US will always be his enemy "till the last drop of blood".
Mr Sadr was responding to a statement by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who said that all those within the political process were not enemies.
"I have no enemy but you. You are the occupier," Mr Sadr's statement said.
Iraqi forces have been clashing with militias such as Mr Sadr's Medhi Army since last month. The US said 13 gunmen were killed in Baghdad on Saturday.
The latest fighting was in Baghdad's eastern Sadr City suburb, a stronghold of supporters of Moqtada Sadr.
On Friday, Riyad al-Nuri, a relative and key aide of the cleric, was killed by gunmen in the city of Najaf
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Which political process do you want to involve me in when you are occupying my land?
Moqtada Sadr
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The cleric blamed the US "occupation" for Mr Nuri's death.
In his statement on Saturday, Moqtada Sadr said: "I heard the statement of the terrorist American defence minister and I feel compelled to give a decent response to such a terrorist. I have no enemy but you. You are the occupier."
At the Pentagon on Friday, Mr Gates referred to Mr Sadr as a "a significant political figure".
Mr Sadr called a ceasefire with US-led forces in August last year, which Washington has cited as a key contributing factor to lower levels of violence.
"Those who are prepared to work within the political process in
Iraq, and peacefully, are not enemies of the United States," Mr Gates
said. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7344038.stm>
Terror threat to UK 'is growing'
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Police are currently tracking a number of suspected terror plots
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The home secretary has described the terrorism threat facing the UK as "severe" and "growing".
In an interview for the News of the World, Jacqui Smith said it was imperative for the police to be able to detain suspects for longer.
Ms Smith is facing a Labour rebellion over plans to extend the time suspects can be held without charge to 42 days.
The Conservatives said the "right way" to deal with the problem was to use more resources "to track plots". <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm>
US Jewish lobby gains new voice
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By Max Deveson
BBC News, Washington |
Are liberal Jewish voices in America being drowned out by powerful conservative lobbyists? A group of prominent left-leaning Jewish-Americans thinks so.
They have launched a new lobbying organisation, called J Street, which they hope will redress this perceived imbalance.
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America's relationship with Israel has often sparked debate
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He says J Street will campaign for a two-state solution to the conflict in the Middle East.
Its political fundraising sister group - J Street PAC, for political action committee - will raise money and donate to sympathetic politicians. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7349371.stm>
Beleaguered Brown seeks US fillip
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By Paul Reynolds
World affairs correspondent, BBC News website |
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For Gordon Brown, a challenging trip to the US
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UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown's visit to the US this week comes at an awkward time for American-British relations but does offer some opportunity for him to regain stature as a financial leader.
Apart from meeting President Bush, he will see financiers on Wall Street as well as the three leading contenders for the US presidency, Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama.
He will also make a speech about international financial reform - and the need for US leadership in that - in Boston.
It will not be easy for Mr Brown to steer a course between old and new. Nobody yet knows the future direction of US foreign policy.
Equally, the candidates have not yet fully formed their views
of where the UK, and Europe as a whole, fits into their vision of the
world. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7347995.stm>
Searching for a solution in Gaza
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By Jeremy Bowen
BBC Middle East editor |
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Palestinians of any age killed by Israel are hailed as martyrs
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Sharif al Uwasi bustled around like a good host, finding chairs for his guests and insisting that they ate, but his eyes were puffy, ringed by dark circles, and he looked as if he was carrying the heaviest burden of his life.
His son, Riad was killed by Israeli soldiers earlier this week as they raided al Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
Riad was 11 years old and died from a bullet in the stomach.
His picture, taken a few years ago so he looked even younger than he was, smiled down on the lines of men who were sitting outside his grandfather's house in the heart of the camp.
Riad's young brother, too small to catch the grief but aware that something important had happened, tried to rise to the occasion.
He struck poses for the camera that must have seemed warrior-like to him, raising his fingers in a victory sign, and waving the Palestinian flag as father looked on, smiling weakly.
Mourning rituals in the Middle East are well developed.
Palestinians, no matter what their age, who are killed by Israel are regarded as martyrs who have died in the national struggle.
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The
mindset of the people here is becoming more and more frustrated, more
and more desperate, more and more radical and it is all so predictable
- that is the tragedy
John Ging
UN official |
For three days chairs are set up under awnings outside family homes and patriotic songs are played at high volume from portable speakers.
Coffee is served and so is food at mealtimes.
The men - neighbours, friends and family - stay under the street awnings, and the women sit inside, unseen by outsiders.
Sharif al Uwasi was full of despair about the future.
Life has never been easy in Gaza. It is a narrow, overcrowded strip of land, inhabited by 1.4mn Palestinians, most of whom are refugees from the land that became Israel in 1948.
But life in Gaza has got much, much worse in the last few years.
The world's biggest powers imposed sanctions against Hamas when it won elections in 2006. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7349561.stm>
Why Mugabe is deaf to the West
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By Peter Greste
BBC News, Johannesburg |
On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council will convene in New York for a special session chaired by South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki.
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British criticism has played into the hands of Zanu-PF
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They are meeting to discuss ways of improving co-operation between the African Union and the United Nations.
The issue has never been more timely.
South Africa's president has been the point-man for the region's, and the world's, diplomatic efforts to resolve Zimbabwe's increasingly desperate crisis.
He has also staked his legacy on success in Zimbabwe.
He argues that the rest of the world should butt out and let Africans resolve the problems in an African way.
Western finger-wagging, he says, simply does not help.
Although Zimbabwe is not officially on the agenda, diplomats from the United States and Britain are determined to make it so.
And in a not-so-subtle attempt to catch the Security Council's eye, one organisation is planning to fly a 3,000-sq-ft (280-sq-m) banner above the UN on Wednesday morning, calling on Mr Mbeki to convince Zimbabwe's leader Robert Mugabe to respect the will of his people.
The banner, with some 120,000 signatures, is likely to be the
latest in a loud chorus of international demands to "do something"
about democracy in Zimbabwe. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7349166.stm>
Torch reaches locked-down Delhi
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No exact times have been given for the torch relay amid fears of protests
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The Olympic flame has reached the Indian capital Delhi from Pakistan amid tight security on the latest leg of its troubled tour before the Beijing Games.
Many Tibetans live in the country and they have announced plans to hold a parallel protest in Delhi.
Some 15,000 police and commandos have locked down the heart of the city where the torch relay will be held.
The flame's journey has so far seen chaotic scenes in London, Paris and San Francisco amid pro-Tibet protests. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7351713.stm>
Pope attacks US sex abuse record
Pope Benedict XVI on the sex abuse scandal
Pope Benedict XVI has criticised US bishops for their handling of child sex scandals, saying their response to the crisis had sometimes been very poor.
He laid part of the blame for the crisis, of which he feels "deeply ashamed", on a breakdown in US values.
On his first official US visit, the Pope said he hoped the "time of trial" would help start a Church purification.
On Thursday, the German Pontiff is due to celebrate Mass for 45,000 people at a new Washington baseball stadium.
On Wednesday morning, thousands of guests welcomed the Pope, who was 81
on Wednesday, to his first White House meeting with President George W
Bush. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7351742.stm>
Mbeki defends record on Zimbabwe
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Mr Mbeki said dialogue was essential to bring about a resolution in Zimbabwe
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His governing ANC party, however, said it was concerned about the deepening crisis brewing in its neighbour.
Gordon Brown told the UN Security Council no one believed Robert Mugabe won last month's presidential election in the country.
Meanwhile, the opposition in Zimbabwe said 50 supporters were arrested after a strike over delayed poll results.
Mr Mbeki had said there was "no crisis" in Zimbabwe after meeting Mr Mugabe on Saturday.
He defended those remarks in New York, saying dialogue was essential to bring about a resolution to the situation in Zimbabwe, where 18 days after presidential elections, electoral officials have yet to announce a result.
"The solution to the problem of Zimbabwe lies in the hands of the people of Zimbabwe," he said.
"In our engagement with the situation, we needed to talk
continuously at all times with both the ruling party and the
opposition." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7351755.stm>
US army develops robotic suits
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By Rajesh Mirchandani
BBC News, Utah |
Rex Jameson, software engineer
On the big screen, films like Robocop, Universal Soldier and forthcoming release Iron Man show man-machines with superhuman powers. But in Utah they are turning science fiction into reality.
We are at a research facility on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, ringed by beautiful snow-capped mountains. Once they held the Winter Olympics here; now they are testing endurance in other ways.
The aluminium limbs gleam in the brilliant sunshine, as the strange metal skeleton hangs from a safety harness at the outdoor testing site. It seems to be treading water; actually its programme is telling it to keep the hydraulic fluid in its joints moving.
Rex Jameson, a software engineer here at laboratories run by Sarcos, the robotics firm which designed the XOS exoskeleton, steps up and into the suit.
Stephen Jacobsen, Sarcos
The lightweight aluminium exoskeleton, called XOS, senses Rex's every move and instantly moves with him; it is almost like a shadow or a second skin. It is designed for agility that can match a human's, but with strength and endurance that far outweigh our abilities.
With the exoskeleton on and fully powered up, Rex can easily pull down weight of more than 90 kilos, more than he weighs.
For the army the XOS could mean quicker supply lines, or fewer injuries when soldiers need to lift heavy weights or move objects around repeatedly. Initial models would be used as workhorses, on the logistics side.
Later models, the army hopes, could go into combat, carrying heavier weapons, or even wounded colleagues.
The XOS in action
There are still problems to solve, not least how to create a mobile power supply that can last an effective length of time.
But the US military expects to take delivery of these early prototypes next year, and hopefully deploy some refined versions within eight years.
It is a long way off before we see robot soldiers that can fly
or fire missiles - like in the movies - but the designers are already
imagining future versions more reminiscent of Hollywood. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7351314.stm>
Druze celebrate across barbed wire
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By Martin Asser
BBC News, Golan Heights |
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Sisters Madiha, Salwa and Ikram wave to the Syrian side of Ayn al-Tineh
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They call Ayn al-Tineh, the valley below the Druze village of Majdal Shams, the Hill of Tears, or the Hill of Shouts.
It was here, after the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967, that divided families used to come from either side of the border to see each other through binoculars and shout messages.
But on 17 April, it is the scene of what must be one of the world's strangest open-air festivals, as the Syrian Druze celebrate their uprising against French rule in 1920s, known as Yawm al-Jala, the Day of Expulsion.
The people of Majdal Shams and other Israeli-occupied Druze towns gather on their side of the ceasefire line, and about 300m away - across razor wire and the heavily mined Ayn al-Tineh valley - sit their counterparts in Syria.
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To see our people making contact over the border, it shows that we cannot be separated by walls and governments
Salih Abu Arar
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The two sides put on musical entertainments, sing and dance, and wave Syrian flags which flutter in the mountain breeze against the lush green landscape.
Emotions are high on the occupied side as families try to make
out relatives standing on the tailor-made viewing platform erected by
Syria - the only clearly visible features being those of President
Bashar al-Assad in a portrait crowning the structure. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7353494.stm>
Chaos at polygamy custody hearing
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The Yearning for Zion ranch belongs to a breakaway Mormon sect
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The US judge deciding the fate of 416 children removed from a breakaway Mormon sect has struggled to control a first chaotic day of custody hearings.
Judge Barbara Walther had to suspend proceedings for an hour to allow hundreds of lawyers for the children and their parents to view evidence.
Lawyers were arguing whether the Texas case violated religious freedom rights.
Argentine fires blamed on farmers
The fires from burning scrubland near the capital have disrupted air and road travel and smoke has spread across the River Plate to Montevideo, Uruguay.
The government accused the farmers of setting the fires off to clear pasture.
Action urged to keep net neutral
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Lessig: One of the net's founding principles is under threat
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Tough action is required by US regulators to protect the principles that have made the net so successful, a leading digital rights lawyer has said.
Professor Lawrence Lessig was speaking at a public meeting to debate the tactics some net firms use to manage data traffic at busy times.
He said the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) should act to keep all net traffic flowing equally.
The FCC said net firms had a duty to tell customers about data management.<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7354133.stm>
Brown's speech looks beyond Bush
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By Kim Ghattas
BBC News, Boston |
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Mr Brown has described himself as being "very pro-American"
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It was a more positive final note after a difficult trip, overshadowed by the Pope's visit to the US and domestic economic troubles.
But in Boston, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was in a spiritual home of sorts, familiar territory from the many holidays he has spent on nearby Cape Cod.
This is where he chose to deliver a key foreign policy speech, a decision that went down well with Massachusetts liberals, as he called for American leadership on a range of issues, including climate change.
In a broad and almost idealistic speech, he emphasised the need for
global solutions to global problems and said international
institutions, set up after World War II, needed to be overhauled to
deal with the challenges of the 21st Century. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7355834.stm>
Greenpeace wants US rice checked for unsafe chemicals
Greenpeace campaigner Jasper Inventor called for an examination of the US rice, which he said might be genetically modified, and could pose danger to health.
"Ang medyo issue namin diyan sa US, malaki ang potential na may contamination ang genetically modified rice, hindi proven na ligtas sa kalusugan (Our issue with rice from the US is that it is potentially contaminated with genetically modified rice. It's not proven safe)," Inventor said in an interview on dzBB radio.
Rice from China and Thailand are safer because these are not genetically modified, according to Inventor.
The NFA on Saturday started distributing US rice to local markets.
The US rice replaced the P18.25 per kilogram NFA rice in the markets, which was imported from Vietnam.
In the coming weeks, the NFA plans to sell the P18.25 per kilogram rice through local government outlets.
"Sinabi din namin sa NFA... several months ago, na kailangang bantayan. Unfortunately, bumabaha sa merkado, medyo nababahala kami (We already told the NFA about our concerns several months ago, and asked them to be wary of genetically modified rice. Unfortunately it has started to flood the market)," Inventor said.
Last week, Greenpeace warned the Arroyo administration against resorting to importing genetically modified rice, and urged it to heed the warnings of agricultural scientists that harmful industrial agricultural practices would not solve the food crisis.
"The ongoing rice crisis should not be used as an excuse to neglect our existing regulations governing GMOs, especially since there are other sources of GMO-free rice," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Genetic Engineering Campaigner Daniel Ocampo.
The Philippine government's plans to increase fertilizer subsidies and its support of GMO crops, which could result in unsound farming practices that could endanger the agricultural sector, according to Greenpeace.
"By using these methods, the government is actually compounding the food problem, not solving it. The worst example is how the National Food Authority has distributed US rice, which has not yet been stringently tested to be GMO-free," Ocampo said.
Greenpeace cited a landmark United Nations (UN) report, the first assessment of global agriculture, that recommended the replacement of destructive chemical-intensive agriculture with methods that work with nature.
Greenpeace said the UN report was highly critical of GMOs. The report called for a fundamental change in farming practices, which could help address soaring food prices, hunger, social inequities, and environmental disasters.
Also, Greenpeace said the report acknowledged that genetically engineered crops were highly controversial, and would not play a substantial role in addressing the key problems of climate change, biodiversity loss, hunger, and poverty. - GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/90465/Greenpeace-wants-US-rice-checked-for-unsafe-chemicals>
Nepal warning to torch protesters
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Nepali police have been quick to quash anti-China protests
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The torch is scheduled to be brought up the peak from the northern, Chinese Tibetan side in early May.
Nepal is determined to prevent protests which may damage relations with China, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu.
The torch has attracted protests in some cities on the relay route.
The Olympic Torch is not being taken anywhere near the Nepalese base camp.
But Nepal's military and police have been deployed in extra numbers on the southern flank of the mountain because of sensitivities over the torch.
Nepal does not want to alienate China, one of its two neighbours and a
country it depends on for foreign aid and diplomatic support, reports
our correspondent.<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7357036.stm>
Peace talks fail to hearten Gazans
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By Aleem Maqbool
BBC News, Gaza |
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military over the last six months, but it was the high number of civilian casualties in the Israeli army operations over the last week that so shocked people in Gaza.
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Most Palestinian "martyrs" are militants, not journalists
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At the same time, Israeli and Palestinian leaders insist that peace talks are moving in the right direction.
The picture of 23-year-old Fadel Shana adorns the latest "martyr posters" pasted on walls across the Gaza Strip.
But instead of a gun, like the many militants who have died, Fadel poses with his camera.
The final footage he recorded while working for the Reuters news agency shows an Israeli tank shell being launched several hundred metres away. Moments later, the picture flickers and goes black.
Gaza isolation
Fadel was one of 15 civilians who were killed in a single day, according to doctors.
They died in a series of attacks that were mainly focused on central Gaza - an angry Israeli reaction to the deaths of three of its soldiers in combat in the north of the territory.
Five Palestinian children and a farmer tending his fields were among the others who paid the price.
While Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the operation, he also said peace talks would continue and are on track.
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The Israeli and Palestinian leaders say peace talks are progressing
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This optimism has been echoed by Israeli and American politicians.
In Gaza, there is little to show for the fact that negotiations have been going on for nearly five months.
Gazans were sceptical about the talks even before they were re-launched in November last year.
Then, many felt the process would be used as a tool to further isolate the Gaza Strip. Now, even more people seem convinced of that.
The Palestinian representatives in the negotiations with Israel come mainly from Mr Abbas' Fatah party.
Its rival, Hamas, has been excluded from the Ramallah-based government since the Islamist faction's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last June. Hamas retains firm control of Gaza though.
Fatah says that part of its plan to return to power in Gaza is to use the peace process to convince people that it is better to be rid of Hamas.
The idea, shared by Israel and much of the international community, is that negotiations help to improve living conditions in the West Bank.
However, as long as Hamas controls it, and refuses to recognise
Israel explicitly or renounce violence, Gaza will be, to some extent,
left behind. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7356730.stm>
Rice in Iraq for surprise visit
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Fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City left at least six dead on Saturday
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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit to Iraq.
She said she hoped to see further reconciliation of the various sectarian groups in Iraq.
Ms Rice arrived in the city a day after Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr threatened to wage "open war" on Iraq's government.
He urged them to halt operations against his supporters. On Saturday, Iraqi and US troops clashed with his forces in Baghdad and the south.
At least six people are reported to have been killed and 15 wounded in the latest clashes in the Sadr City area of Baghdad - the site of frequent confrontations between Shia fighters and Iraqi and coalition forces.
Calls to arms, urging people to "fight the occupiers", were
playing through loud speakers in the area on Saturday night, the AFP
news agency reports. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7357191.stm>
Gaza's sewage 'tsunami'
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By Jeremy Bowen
BBC Middle East editor |
A five-month-old baby lay on a blanket in the shade of a hut made of metal sheets.
Thin tree branches, with leaves and twigs intact, were laced around the ends of the hut to insulate it against the hot wind that blows into the sand dunes, rolling away to the border fence and on to Israel.
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Aziza lost one baby child when a wall of sewage hit her home
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The woman's name is Aziza Abu Otayek. She wept because she was remembering the death of another baby son, one morning in March last year, just after the older children had gone to school.
Until that day their home was just downhill from a deep pond of sewage, pumped into a depression in the dunes and held there by earth walls because the water authorities in the Gaza Strip had nowhere else to put it.
'Wall of human waste'
On 27 March 2007, the walls gave way.
Aziza heard someone shouting, telling her to run away. She got out of the hut, then went back in because she had forgotten her head covering.
The wall of raw human waste slammed into them. It knocked her down and tore the baby from her arms.
He drowned. They found his body against the wall of the mosque a hundred metres away. He was nine months old.
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The sewage ponds vary in size
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Aziza worried about her new baby until he was born at the end of last year, because when she was hit by the flood she swallowed some of the sewage and she thought it might have harmed him.
They named the new baby Mohammed, after his dead brother.
While she talked, he gurgled happily, untroubled by the flies that buzzed around his eyes and lips.
Aziza has an older son, a four-year-old called Ramadan. His father said he asks about his dead brother, and when he is cross he says he prefers the first Mohammed to the second one.
But Ramadan seems a cheery little soul, though he has nightmares about the flood.
He looks around the lakes of almost raw sewage that still lie near their home and asks his parents if another wave is going to come.
One might. The pond that killed Ramadan's brother and grandmother is
not the only one near their home. The others are much bigger and full
of sewage. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7354571.stm>
US military recruits more ex-cons
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The armed forces face a challenge in meeting recruitment targets
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Statistics released by a congressional committee show 861 people were granted waivers to enlist, up from 457 in 2007.
The crimes included assault, sex crimes, manslaughter and burglary.
The Army says waivers are only granted after careful review and are in response to the challenges of recruiting in a changing society.
The number of people granted waivers are just a small fraction of the more than 180,000 people who entered active duty in the armed forces during the fiscal year that ended in September 2007.
But the perceived lowering of standards is causing concern in some quarters. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7360157.stm>
Pakistan Taleban praise release
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Many of the militants are linked to al-Qaeda and the Taleban
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A spokesman for Taleban fighters in Pakistan has welcomed the release of a well-known militant leader.
On Monday night the authorities set free Maulana Sufi Mohammad, the founder of an outlawed Islamist group that has fought in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He was released under an agreement to renounce violence and help restore peace in the north-west valley of Swat.
Pakistan's new government is trying to deal with Islamic militancy through dialogue and development. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7360760.stm>
Security firms scrutinise Phorm
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Phorm works by watching where you go online and serving up ads to match
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Online advert system Phorm could be automatically blocked by security programs, BBC News has learned.
The controversial system is based around small files called cookies that some computer security firms say they may label as "adware" and block.
Other firms are waiting until the system is rolled out until they decide what to do with Phorm cookies.
Phorm said the firm was talking to security companies to explain how its system worked.
Many security firms contacted by BBC News said the tools included in security programs would let computer owners stop the cookie being used. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7359024.stm>
Policing the World-04
Globalisation Index
News Index
Index Nation States
Index Cultural Systems
Some personal Reflections on the News
Theory Forming and Articulation
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