Archive for the ‘Asia’ Category
Military Admits ‘Errors’ in Civilian Bombing in Afghanistan, But Still Defends the Attacks and Warns of Greater Casualities
3 Jun 09 | Rebel Reports and LAT
The attack in Farah province killed as many as 140 Afghan civilians. The U.S. military says errors were made, but insists the “targets” “posed legitimate threats to Afghan or American forces.”
U.S. Troops Arrest Afghan Reporter
3 Jun 09 | BBC
An Afghan journalist working for a prominent independent radio station in the province of Khost has been arrested by American soldiers. Read the rest of this entry »
Bin Laden Attacks Obama Policies
3 Jun 09 | AJE
Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda leader, has accused Barack Obama, the U.S. president, of following the policy of his predecessor George Bush in “antagonising Muslims”.
India Fumes as Pakistani Court Orders Mumbai Suspect Freed
2 Jun 09 | AWC News
Lahore high court cites lack of evidence. Read the rest of this entry »
Poll: Most Americans Against Closing Gitmo; Dems Fund Wars, IMF, Not Gitmo Closing
Two-thirds of Americans are against closing the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with even more rejecting the idea of relocating its detainees to U.S. prisons. Read the rest of this entry »
Geithner Visit: Chinese Economists Skeptical of U.S. Strength
2 Jun 09 | CSM
A survey of 23 experts finds deep concern about Beijing’s large dollar holdings. Read the rest of this entry »
In Change of Tactics, U.N. Now Hopes for ‘Flood of Drugs’ in Afghanistan
31 May 09 | AWC News
U.N. Drug Chief: “There will be so much opium inside Afghanistan.” Read the rest of this entry »
Audience Laughs After Geithner Tells China Its Dollar Assets are Safe
1 Jun 09 | Reuters
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Monday reassured the Chinese government that its huge holdings of dollar assets are safe and reaffirmed his faith in a strong U.S. currency. Read the rest of this entry »
Dollar Suffers as Risk Appetite Soars
1 Jun 09 | FT
The dollar took a battering on Monday as hopes of economic recovery prompted an increase in risk appetite. Read the rest of this entry »
Eavesdropping Case Tests Obama Vows on Secrecy
by William Fisher
1 Jun 09 | IPS
Despite President Barack Obama’s formation of a new task force to review government secrecy, and an ongoing investigation into use of the so-called “state secrets doctrine”, lawyers for the new administration refused last week to disclose information on the government’s use of warrantless wiretaps and backed legislation to block the release of photos of prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read the rest of this entry »
U.S. Won’t Accept North Korea as a Nuclear State
30-31 May 09 | AWC News and RT
Russia, Japan call for “serious response” to tests. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakistan Army Claims Control of Main Town in Swat Valley
The Taliban have fled the Pakistani army’s advance on the main town in the Swat Valley, delivering the military a strategic prize in its offensive against militants in the country’s northwest, commanders said Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »
Sri Lanka Disputes Report of 20,000 Dead
Calls around the world are growing for an inquiry into the number of civilians who may have been killed in the final stages of the Sri Lankan military’s assault on Tamil Tiger fighters. Both sides have been accused of killing civilians in the conflict. The U.N. says the total number of people killed in the final phase may never be known. Al Jazeera’s Azhar Sukri reports. (2:56):
Sri Lankan government officials have denounced a report by the Times of London on Friday that “more than 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the final throes of the Sri Lankan civil war, most as a result of government shelling.”
Central Asian Nations Prepare for ‘Big War’
29 May 09 | RT
Russia and its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are to merge their joint troops in Central Asia into one huge military force capable of waging a large-scale war. Read the rest of this entry »
Gen. Casey: U.S. Ready to Fight War Against North Korea
28 May 09 | AWC News, FT, AJE, and RT
Troops on high alert as North Korea moves artillery to western coast.
Read the rest of this entry »
No War Crimes Probe for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka escapes Western efforts to press war crime charges against the government over the civilian toll in its war with the Tamil Tigers.
U.N. Drafting Resolution Against North Korea; Pyongyang Threatens South Korea
Fallout Over North Korea Nuclear Test
North Korea has test-fired two short-range missiles, reports say, a day after the country triggered international condemnation by conducting an underground nuclear test.
China Stuck in ‘Dollar Trap’
24/26 May 09 | FT and Telegraph
China’s official foreign exchange manager is still buying record amounts of U.S. government bonds, in spite of Beijing’s increasingly vocal fear of a dollar collapse, according to officials and analysts. Read the rest of this entry »
25,000-30,000 Civilians Maimed in Final Days of Sri Lanka War
24 May 09 | AWC News
Reporter says slain rebel leaders were promised safety right before final offensive. Read the rest of this entry »
Gilani: U.S. Drones Attacks “Counter-Productive”
23 May 09 | PTV
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says attacks by U.S. drones on Pakistani territory were “counter-productive” because they undermined Islamabad.
Journalists Barred Again From Suu Kyi Trial
21 May 09 | FT
Burmese authorities have again barred diplomats and journalists from the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the country’s opposition and winner of the Nobel peace prize. Read the rest of this entry »
Watching Obama Morph Into Dick Cheney
by Paul Craig Roberts
21 May 09 | AWC
America has lost her soul, and so has her president. Read the rest of this entry »
Facing Torture Allegations, U.S.-Allied Georgia and Russia Take ‘War” Behind Closed Doors
Tempers flared in Geneva where representatives of Russia, Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia attempt to put aside raw memories of last year’s war and strike a compromise. Read the rest of this entry »
U.S.-Russia Nuclear Talks a ‘Success’ to Some, Brick Wall to Others
19-20 May 09 | RT
Russia and the U.S. want to reach an agreement to replace the post Cold War era START treaty. Political analyst Irina Kobrinskaya gives her opinion. (3:44):
