|

Soldiers whooped and cheered crossing out of Iraq

It’s something I’m going to be proud of for the rest of my life – As their convoy reached the barbed wire at the border crossing out of Iraq on Wednesday, the soldiers whooped and cheered. Then they scrambled out of their stifling hot armored vehicles, unfurled an American flag and posed for group photos….

|

Mexican standoff between Pentagon and Wikileaks

The Pentagon has contacted a lawyer purporting to represent WikiLeaks but said it would not negotiate a “sanitised” release of a huge cache of classified documents held by the whistleblower’s website, a letter released on Wednesday shows. The Pentagon released the letter from its general counsel after WikiLeaks said the US military was willing to…

|

Blackwater Worldwide Mercenaries for Sale

Erik Prince, whose company, Blackwater Worldwide, is for sale and whose former top managers are facing criminal charges, has left the United States and moved to Abu Dhabi, according to court documents. Mr. Prince, a former member of the Navy Seals and an heir to a Michigan auto parts fortune, left the country after a…

|

Petraeus ignites political fight : Afghanistan no graceful exit yet

Gen. David Petraeus, in an interview with The New York Times, says he didn’t go to Afghanistan to preside over a “graceful exit” from the war there. Petreaus is campaigning to win over Americans who are quickly growing skeptical of the U.S.’s ability to win in Afghanistan. The general said the war plan had been…

|

Russia gives Iran nuclear leap forward

In this photo, the reactor building of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant is seen, just outside the port city of Bushehr, 750 miles south of the capital, Tehran, in this Nov. 30, 2009, file photo. Russia’s nuclear agency spokesman, Sergei Novikov, said Friday fuel will be loaded into Iran’s first nuclear power plant next week,…

|

The Supermodel Shines Light on War Crimes Trial

Editor`s note: Christopher Santora worked as a prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone from 2002 to 2005 in cases against various faction leaders from the country’s 11-year war. He also served as prosecutor from 2007 to 2010 in The Hague, Netherlands, in the case against former Liberian President Charles Taylor, and was involved…

American dillema over India Kashmir Pakistan relationships

India and Pakistan’s failure to resolve Kashmir could see a huge escalation of violence, and derail an Afghan settlement Reviving tension over the divided territory, claimed in its entirety by both sides and the spark for two previous wars, has already upset Indo-Pakistan peace talks. More importantly for Britain and the US, a new Kashmir…

Zimbabewe Sells Blood Diamonds to Russia, India, Israel, Lebanon

Corruption concerns remain as buyers jet into Harare to view rough stones. A stash of gemstones that human-rights organizations allege were mined by virtual slaves who were threatened with death goes on sale today in Zimbabwe, having been approved by an international regulator. About 900,000 carats in rough diamonds from the Marange field were brought…

|

Afghanistan: Boots on the Ground Assessment

Reflecting on my coverage of the latest UN report released on Tuesday showing a 31 per cent increase in overall Afghan civilians casualties, a couple of questions raised in my mind about the overall chances for success by the US-led coalition. Number-crunchers from the UN’s Assistance Mission Afghanistan (UNAMA) now say the Taliban and other…

| |

Islamophobia rages in New York City

A fierce controversy is raging in the United States over plans to build an Islamic community and outreach centre, including a mosque, in Lower Manhattan, several blocks from “Ground Zero” – the site where the World Trade Centre stood when it was attacked on September 11, 2001. The controversy started when the Cordoba Initiative, led…