Tuesday, 29 December 2009
BBC News
US President Barack Obama has said it is clear a systemic failure occurred over the attempted plot to blow up a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day.
Mr Obama said he considered the failures in intelligence and security systems to be "totally unacceptable".
The US needed to learn from the incident and act quickly to fix flaws in the system, he said.
A Nigerian man accused of attempting to blow up the plane as it came in to land was restrained by passengers.
The 23-year-old allegedly tried detonate explosives in his underwear.
There were nearly 300 people aboard the plane.
In a blunt statement, Mr Obama said he had asked for initial findings from two reviews into the incident to be presented to him on Thursday, with more comprehensive reports following within weeks.
He said that weeks ago information had been passed to the US intelligence community about the suspect weeks ago but had not been effectively distributed.
"We need to learn from this episode and act quickly to fix flaws in the system," Mr Obama said.
The remarks were the president's second public statement on the incident in two days.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Justice trumps politics: ACORN's federal funding restored
Justice trumps politics: ACORN's federal funding restored. A U.S. District court has ruled Congress' decision to cut off ACORN's funding was unconstitutional, giving a much needed victory to the much maligned group.U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon issued a preliminary injunction against the government, saying it's in the public's interest for the organization to continue receiving federal funding.“The question here is only whether the Constitution allows Congress to declare that a single, named organization is barred from all federal funding in the absence of a trial,” Gershon wrote in her opinion. “Because it does not, and because the plaintiffs have shown the likelihood of irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction, I grant the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction.”ACORN claimed in its lawsuit that Congress' decision to cut off its funding was unconstitutional because it punitively targeted an individual organization.ACORN was set up by right wing activists intent on smearing the organization. Last September activists released amateur videos showing ACORN employees apparently offering advice on how to set up an illegal prostitution ring. Following, there was a rush to judgment on the part of both Congress and the media.There is now doubt to whether the heavily edited videos can stand up to impartial scrutiny. The unedited videos have never been made public. A comparison of the publicly available transcripts to the released videos confirms that large portions of the original video have been omitted from the released versions. Justice for ACORN is a welcome development. ACORN is a great American organization. ACORN advocates for low and moderate income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues. - examiner.com
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thanks for troops; we want Afghans, U.S. brass say
By Yara Bayoumy
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Brigadier General Larry Nicholson is glad President Barack Obama is sending 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, but what he needs now is not more Americans, it's more Afghans."I got 10,000 Marines. I have 2,000 Afghans," the commander of U.S. Marines in southern Afghanistan told Reuters."I get asked all the time, 'How many Afghans do you want?' I want one to one. Every time one of our squads is going out, I want an Afghan squad with it."Obama's commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, says his main effort will now be on training Afghan security forces to a level that will allow U.S. troops to begin leaving in 18 months.McChrystal wants to more than double the size of the Afghan forces to 400,000 soldiers and police, a mission he says will take at least four years.It can be a herculean task to train Afghans while in combat, said Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Jenior of the 82nd airborne division."The biggest hurdle is trying to develop them while they're in a fight everyday. The way our army trains back in the States, no one is shooting at us, so we can focus on training and developing our units," he said."Here we've got to try do that while they're being shot at by the Taliban everyday."So far, the Afghan government's goal is to increase the army from 95,000 to 134,000 by October 2010. The 93,000-strong police force, which lags far behind the army in training, will also expand although targets have not been set beyond this year.With little money of its own, Afghanistan relies on Western donors not only to train its troops, but also to pay them.Last month, Afghanistan announced a pay rise of nearly 40 percent for police and military recruits to try and lure more members into the force and keep them from quitting or deserting. New recruits will now earn $165 a month, considered a decent wage in a country where the per capita monthly GDP is just $25."ANAEMIC"The Afghan troops and police are trained by a force of about 7,000 American troops on a base near Kabul, which was combined with a new NATO training mission last month.McChrystal says some of the new U.S. troops will add to those classroom trainers, but most will be deployed in the field embedded alongside Afghan forces.Embedding troops with Afghans is a tactic U.S. forces have so far been able to implement only partially, because Afghan forces were too small and too few Afghans were sent to combat zones.Colonel Vic Braden, Senior Mentor for 205th Afghan National Army Corps, said keeping Afghan force numbers up was difficult, especially in the violent south of the country, because so many troops leave because of low pay, corruption or fear of danger."It's going to take a concerted effort of the coalition and the Afghan government. The Afghan government has to emphasise it, there has to be appropriate pay and as President Obama talked about, there has to be a government with reduced corruption." "Corruption is widespread. The problem is that it makes the army anaemic. Retention rate is a problem, a continual problem in the southern area where there's most of the activity." (Editing by David Fox)((yara.bayoumy@reuters.com; Kabul newsroom; Reuters Messaging: yara.bayoumy.reuters.com@reuters.net)) (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: here) ((If you have a query or comment about this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Brigadier General Larry Nicholson is glad President Barack Obama is sending 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, but what he needs now is not more Americans, it's more Afghans."I got 10,000 Marines. I have 2,000 Afghans," the commander of U.S. Marines in southern Afghanistan told Reuters."I get asked all the time, 'How many Afghans do you want?' I want one to one. Every time one of our squads is going out, I want an Afghan squad with it."Obama's commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, says his main effort will now be on training Afghan security forces to a level that will allow U.S. troops to begin leaving in 18 months.McChrystal wants to more than double the size of the Afghan forces to 400,000 soldiers and police, a mission he says will take at least four years.It can be a herculean task to train Afghans while in combat, said Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Jenior of the 82nd airborne division."The biggest hurdle is trying to develop them while they're in a fight everyday. The way our army trains back in the States, no one is shooting at us, so we can focus on training and developing our units," he said."Here we've got to try do that while they're being shot at by the Taliban everyday."So far, the Afghan government's goal is to increase the army from 95,000 to 134,000 by October 2010. The 93,000-strong police force, which lags far behind the army in training, will also expand although targets have not been set beyond this year.With little money of its own, Afghanistan relies on Western donors not only to train its troops, but also to pay them.Last month, Afghanistan announced a pay rise of nearly 40 percent for police and military recruits to try and lure more members into the force and keep them from quitting or deserting. New recruits will now earn $165 a month, considered a decent wage in a country where the per capita monthly GDP is just $25."ANAEMIC"The Afghan troops and police are trained by a force of about 7,000 American troops on a base near Kabul, which was combined with a new NATO training mission last month.McChrystal says some of the new U.S. troops will add to those classroom trainers, but most will be deployed in the field embedded alongside Afghan forces.Embedding troops with Afghans is a tactic U.S. forces have so far been able to implement only partially, because Afghan forces were too small and too few Afghans were sent to combat zones.Colonel Vic Braden, Senior Mentor for 205th Afghan National Army Corps, said keeping Afghan force numbers up was difficult, especially in the violent south of the country, because so many troops leave because of low pay, corruption or fear of danger."It's going to take a concerted effort of the coalition and the Afghan government. The Afghan government has to emphasise it, there has to be appropriate pay and as President Obama talked about, there has to be a government with reduced corruption." "Corruption is widespread. The problem is that it makes the army anaemic. Retention rate is a problem, a continual problem in the southern area where there's most of the activity." (Editing by David Fox)((yara.bayoumy@reuters.com; Kabul newsroom; Reuters Messaging: yara.bayoumy.reuters.com@reuters.net)) (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: here) ((If you have a query or comment about this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))
Monday, November 30, 2009
Woods Withdraws From Tournament
By LARRY DORMAN
Published: November 30, 2009
Tiger Woods announced his withdrawal from this week’s Chevron World Challenge, the tournament he has hosted since its move to the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in 2000. In a statement on his Web site on Monday, Woods, 33, cited injuries from Friday’s one-car accident in front of his home near Orlando, Fla., as the cause for the withdrawal.
“I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week,” Woods said in the statement. “I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I’m very sorry that I can’t be there.”
Woods crashed his 2009 Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and a neighbor’s tree early Friday as he was pulling out of his driveway in the gated community of Isleworth, an Orlando suburb where many high-profile athletes live. He sustained cuts to his upper and lower lips and was left unconscious for some time, according to an incident report. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was treated and released in good condition.
Woods, whose Tiger Woods Foundation is the main charitable beneficiary of the Chevron tournament — which he has won four times — did not play in last December’s event while recuperating from knee surgery. He did spend the week mingling with sponsors at Sherwood in his role as the host.
Woods’s Web site said he would play no other events this year. In the four years before missing this season’s Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course, Woods started his United States schedule there, winning four straight at the La Jolla, Calif., municipal course. The 2010 event, named the Century Club of San Diego Invitational since the loss of Buick as a PGA Tour sponsor, will be played from Jan. 28 to Jan. 31.
“We support Tiger’s decision and are confident the strong field and excellent course will provide an exciting week of competition at the Chevron World Challenge,” said Greg McLaughlin, the president and chief executive of the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Published: November 30, 2009
Tiger Woods announced his withdrawal from this week’s Chevron World Challenge, the tournament he has hosted since its move to the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in 2000. In a statement on his Web site on Monday, Woods, 33, cited injuries from Friday’s one-car accident in front of his home near Orlando, Fla., as the cause for the withdrawal.
“I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week,” Woods said in the statement. “I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I’m very sorry that I can’t be there.”
Woods crashed his 2009 Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and a neighbor’s tree early Friday as he was pulling out of his driveway in the gated community of Isleworth, an Orlando suburb where many high-profile athletes live. He sustained cuts to his upper and lower lips and was left unconscious for some time, according to an incident report. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was treated and released in good condition.
Woods, whose Tiger Woods Foundation is the main charitable beneficiary of the Chevron tournament — which he has won four times — did not play in last December’s event while recuperating from knee surgery. He did spend the week mingling with sponsors at Sherwood in his role as the host.
Woods’s Web site said he would play no other events this year. In the four years before missing this season’s Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course, Woods started his United States schedule there, winning four straight at the La Jolla, Calif., municipal course. The 2010 event, named the Century Club of San Diego Invitational since the loss of Buick as a PGA Tour sponsor, will be played from Jan. 28 to Jan. 31.
“We support Tiger’s decision and are confident the strong field and excellent course will provide an exciting week of competition at the Chevron World Challenge,” said Greg McLaughlin, the president and chief executive of the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Tiger Woods Said to Be in Good Condition After Car Crash
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 27, 2009
Tiger Woods was injured early Friday when he lost control of his SUV outside his Florida mansion, and a local police chief said Woods' wife used a golf club to smash out the back window to help get him out.
The world's No. 1 golfer was treated and released from a hospital in good condition, his spokesman said. The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods' vehicle hit a fire hydrant and a tree in his neighbor's yard after he pulled out of his driveway at 2:25 a.m.
Windermere police chief Daniel Saylor told The Associated Press that officers found the 33-year-old PGA star laying in the street with his wife, Elin, hovering over him.
She told officers she was in the house when she heard the accident and ''came out and broke the back window with a golf club,'' he said. ''She supposedly got him out and laid him on the ground. He was in and out of consciousness when my guys got there.''
He said Woods had lacerations to his upper and lower lips, and blood in his mouth; officers treated Woods for about 10 minutes until an ambulance arrived.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods was alone in his 2009 Cadillac when he pulled out of his driveway from his mansion at Isleworth, a gated waterfront community just outside Orlando.
The patrol reported Woods' injuries as serious, although Woods spokesman Glenn Greenspan issued a statement that Woods was treated and released.
The patrol said alcohol was not involved, although the accident remains under investigation and charges could be filed.
Left unanswered was where Woods was going at that hour. Greenspan and agent Mark Steinberg said there would be no comment beyond the short statement of the accident posted on Woods' Web site.
Saylor said his responding officers did not hear anything about an alleged argument between Woods and his wife.
''Right now we believe this is a traffic crash. We don't believe it is domestic issue,'' patrol spokesman Sgt. Kim Montes said.
Woods, coming off a two-week trip to China and Australia earlier this month, is host of the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif., which starts Thursday. He is scheduled to have his press conference Tuesday afternoon at Sherwood Country Club. Steinberg said he did not know if Woods planned to play next week.
The Florida Highway Patrol said tapes of the 911 call won't be released until they can be reviewed, probably Monday at the earliest.
The accident report was not released until nearly 12 hours after Woods was injured. Montes said the accident did not meet the criteria of a serious crash, and the FHP only put out a press release because of inquiries from local media.
Montes said the patrol reports injuries as serious if they require more than minor medical attention. Air bags in the SUV did not deploy.
Two troopers tried to talk to Woods on Friday evening, but his wife said he was sleeping and they agreed to come back Saturday, Montes said.
She said charges could be filed if there was a clear traffic violation, although troopers still do not know what caused Woods' SUV to hit the hydrant and the tree.
Woods rarely faces such private scrutiny, even as perhaps the most famous active athlete in the world.
He usually makes news only because of what he can do with a golf club. Few other athletes have managed to keep their private lives so guarded, or have a circle of friends so airtight when it comes to life off the course.
His wife was awarded a $183,250 settlement and an apology from an Irish magazine that published a fake nude photo of her, and Woods received a $1.6 million settlement in a lawsuit against the builder of his yacht -- named Privacy -- for using his name and photos of the boat as promotional material.
Woods is approaching $100 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour, and Forbes magazine reported that combined with endorsements, appearance fees and golf course design, he has become the first athlete to top $1 billion.
Woods' $2.4 million home is part of an exclusive subdivision near Orlando, a community set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of small lakes. The neighborhood, which is fortified with high brick walls and has its own security force, is home to CEOs and other sports stars such as the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal.
Woods, who has won 82 times around the world and 14 majors, attended the Stanford-Cal football game last Saturday, where he tossed the coin at the start of the game and was inducted into Stanford's sports Hall of Fame at halftime.
He won six times this year after missing eight months recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Even though he failed to win a major, Woods said he considered this a successful year because he did not know how his knee would respond.
------
Doug Ferguson reported from Jacksonville, Fla. Associated Press writers Tamara Lush and Lisa Orkin Emmanuel in Miami contributed to this report.
Published: November 27, 2009
Tiger Woods was injured early Friday when he lost control of his SUV outside his Florida mansion, and a local police chief said Woods' wife used a golf club to smash out the back window to help get him out.
The world's No. 1 golfer was treated and released from a hospital in good condition, his spokesman said. The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods' vehicle hit a fire hydrant and a tree in his neighbor's yard after he pulled out of his driveway at 2:25 a.m.
Windermere police chief Daniel Saylor told The Associated Press that officers found the 33-year-old PGA star laying in the street with his wife, Elin, hovering over him.
She told officers she was in the house when she heard the accident and ''came out and broke the back window with a golf club,'' he said. ''She supposedly got him out and laid him on the ground. He was in and out of consciousness when my guys got there.''
He said Woods had lacerations to his upper and lower lips, and blood in his mouth; officers treated Woods for about 10 minutes until an ambulance arrived.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods was alone in his 2009 Cadillac when he pulled out of his driveway from his mansion at Isleworth, a gated waterfront community just outside Orlando.
The patrol reported Woods' injuries as serious, although Woods spokesman Glenn Greenspan issued a statement that Woods was treated and released.
The patrol said alcohol was not involved, although the accident remains under investigation and charges could be filed.
Left unanswered was where Woods was going at that hour. Greenspan and agent Mark Steinberg said there would be no comment beyond the short statement of the accident posted on Woods' Web site.
Saylor said his responding officers did not hear anything about an alleged argument between Woods and his wife.
''Right now we believe this is a traffic crash. We don't believe it is domestic issue,'' patrol spokesman Sgt. Kim Montes said.
Woods, coming off a two-week trip to China and Australia earlier this month, is host of the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif., which starts Thursday. He is scheduled to have his press conference Tuesday afternoon at Sherwood Country Club. Steinberg said he did not know if Woods planned to play next week.
The Florida Highway Patrol said tapes of the 911 call won't be released until they can be reviewed, probably Monday at the earliest.
The accident report was not released until nearly 12 hours after Woods was injured. Montes said the accident did not meet the criteria of a serious crash, and the FHP only put out a press release because of inquiries from local media.
Montes said the patrol reports injuries as serious if they require more than minor medical attention. Air bags in the SUV did not deploy.
Two troopers tried to talk to Woods on Friday evening, but his wife said he was sleeping and they agreed to come back Saturday, Montes said.
She said charges could be filed if there was a clear traffic violation, although troopers still do not know what caused Woods' SUV to hit the hydrant and the tree.
Woods rarely faces such private scrutiny, even as perhaps the most famous active athlete in the world.
He usually makes news only because of what he can do with a golf club. Few other athletes have managed to keep their private lives so guarded, or have a circle of friends so airtight when it comes to life off the course.
His wife was awarded a $183,250 settlement and an apology from an Irish magazine that published a fake nude photo of her, and Woods received a $1.6 million settlement in a lawsuit against the builder of his yacht -- named Privacy -- for using his name and photos of the boat as promotional material.
Woods is approaching $100 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour, and Forbes magazine reported that combined with endorsements, appearance fees and golf course design, he has become the first athlete to top $1 billion.
Woods' $2.4 million home is part of an exclusive subdivision near Orlando, a community set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of small lakes. The neighborhood, which is fortified with high brick walls and has its own security force, is home to CEOs and other sports stars such as the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal.
Woods, who has won 82 times around the world and 14 majors, attended the Stanford-Cal football game last Saturday, where he tossed the coin at the start of the game and was inducted into Stanford's sports Hall of Fame at halftime.
He won six times this year after missing eight months recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Even though he failed to win a major, Woods said he considered this a successful year because he did not know how his knee would respond.
------
Doug Ferguson reported from Jacksonville, Fla. Associated Press writers Tamara Lush and Lisa Orkin Emmanuel in Miami contributed to this report.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thanksgiving to Americans
Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 1:38 PM
subject
Thanksgiving
David --Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Americans across the country will sit down together, count our blessings, and give thanks for our families and our loved ones.American families reflect the diversity of this great nation. No two are exactly alike, but there is a common thread they each share.Our families are bound together through times of joy and times of grief. They shape us, support us, instill the values that guide us as individuals, and make possible all that we achieve. So tomorrow, I'll be giving thanks for my family -- for all the wisdom, support, and love they have brought into my life.But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love. The soldier overseas holding down a lonely post and missing his kids. The sailor who left her home to serve a higher calling. The folks who must spend tomorrow apart from their families to work a second job, so they can keep food on the table or send a child to school. We are grateful beyond words for the service and hard work of so many Americans who make our country great through their sacrifice. And this year, we know that far too many face a daily struggle that puts the comfort and security we all deserve painfully out of reach.So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy. It seems like a lifetime ago that a crowd met on a frigid February morning in Springfield, Illinois to set out on an improbable course to change our nation.In the years since, Michelle and I have been blessed with the support and friendship of the millions of Americans who have come together to form this ongoing movement for change. You have been there through victories and setbacks. You have given of yourselves beyond measure. You have enabled all that we have accomplished -- and you have had the courage to dream yet bigger dreams for what we can still achieve.So in this season of thanks giving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you, and my anticipation of the brighter future we are creating together.With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours,President Barack Obama
subject
Thanksgiving
David --Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Americans across the country will sit down together, count our blessings, and give thanks for our families and our loved ones.American families reflect the diversity of this great nation. No two are exactly alike, but there is a common thread they each share.Our families are bound together through times of joy and times of grief. They shape us, support us, instill the values that guide us as individuals, and make possible all that we achieve. So tomorrow, I'll be giving thanks for my family -- for all the wisdom, support, and love they have brought into my life.But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love. The soldier overseas holding down a lonely post and missing his kids. The sailor who left her home to serve a higher calling. The folks who must spend tomorrow apart from their families to work a second job, so they can keep food on the table or send a child to school. We are grateful beyond words for the service and hard work of so many Americans who make our country great through their sacrifice. And this year, we know that far too many face a daily struggle that puts the comfort and security we all deserve painfully out of reach.So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy. It seems like a lifetime ago that a crowd met on a frigid February morning in Springfield, Illinois to set out on an improbable course to change our nation.In the years since, Michelle and I have been blessed with the support and friendship of the millions of Americans who have come together to form this ongoing movement for change. You have been there through victories and setbacks. You have given of yourselves beyond measure. You have enabled all that we have accomplished -- and you have had the courage to dream yet bigger dreams for what we can still achieve.So in this season of thanks giving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you, and my anticipation of the brighter future we are creating together.With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours,President Barack Obama
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