Washington, Aug 19 (DPA) The final US combat troops departed Iraq early Thursday, ahead of schedule to complete a key phase of President Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw, US media reported.
An NBC television correspondent embedded with the US Army’s 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, reported the troops began crossing the border into Kuwait at 1:30 a.m. (2230 GMT Wednesday).
The US military kept the departure under wraps until early Thursday. A Washington Post reporter present at the brigade’s departure reported the military required the accompanying media to maintain secrecy until the brigade reached Kuwait.
The brigade’s departure came more than seven years after the March 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime. The most recent Pentagon figures showed 4,415 US soldiers have died in the conflict.
The 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, is based at Fort Lewis, Washington. A spokeswoman at the base could not confirm it had left Iraq but said plans were underway to have the troops back home by mid-September.
Obama had set an Aug 31 deadline for withdrawing US combat troops from Iraq, which would reduce the American presence to about 50,000 responsible for training Iraqi security forces and assisting in counter-terrorism operations.
US commanders opted to drive the combat troops out over a 580-km journey instead of flying them out to keep the last combat force in country several weeks longer, the Post reported.
All US forces are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of 2011 as Obama shifts the focus to the war in Afghanistan. During his presidential campaign, Obama pledged to end the US role in Iraq, a war he opposed and said was draining resources from the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
The end of the US combat role marks a major shift for the Iraqi government, which has been taking on a greater responsibility for security operations.
The top US commander in Iraq, Ray Odierno, had said that a recent uptick of violence and the political stalemate in the Iraqi government following March parliamentary elections would not delay ending the combat role.
A recent upsurge of violence includes more than 80 people just in the last week, including 58 killed Tuesday when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Iraqi army recruiting centre in Baghdad. US officials say Al Qaeda in Iraq is severely weakened and the recent spate of attacks is a desperate attempt to show it has a presence in the country.
Tens of thousands of US soldiers have been leaving Iraq this year and hundreds of bases were transferred to the Iraqi government. The US military has expressed confidence that the Iraqis are capable of assuming security responsibilities.
US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley told MSNBC that even as the combat mission comes to a close, the United States will have a long-term commitment to Iraq as the missions from a military led campaign to a diplomatic one.
“We are ending the war … but we are not ending our work in Iraq. We have a long-term commitment to Iraq,” he told MSNBC.
Berlin, Aug 19 (DPA) Iran’s supreme leader called on the US Wednesday to change its approach before asking Iran to resume talks, ISNA news agency reported.
“Naturally if they (US) step down from the rotten imperialistic ladder and fully clarify their aims, then we would be ready for talks,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a meeting with the country’s officials.
“But currently they seem to be less after holding talks and more after using force,” added the ayatollah, who according to the Iranian constitution, has the final say on all state affairs.
Iran and the US have had no diplomatic ties for more than three decades.
Hopes on both sides that the presidency of Barack Obama would put an end to the political estrangement faded after Iran neither made any concessions in the nuclear dispute nor in the dilemma in the Middle East.
“We are in favour of talks but not in the shadow of threats and sanctions,” the ayatollah said, referring to the latest United Nations Security Council sanction resolution that was initiated and supported by Washington.
“The US approach towards us is still based on rejecting our Islamic system and we in return still reject the imperialistic nature of the US,” Khamenei said.
He said that the US should know that Iran would not bow to any pressure and “especially not make any concession in the nuclear field and continue pursuing its rights until production of its own (nuclear) fuel.”
Referring to a probable military attack by the US against Iran’s nuclear site, the Ayatollah doubted such a scenario would be realised.
“I doubt that they would commit such stupidity but if they realised such threats, then they should know that the Iranian reaction would not be limited to our (Persian Gulf) region but be far more expanded,” Khamenei warned without further elaborating.
New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) The amendments suggested by a parliamentary panel on the civil nuclear liability bill, which include hiking the accident compensation cap to Rs 1,500 crore ($322 million), are expected to be considered and cleared by the union cabinet Thursday.
After the cabinet’s approval, the proposed legislation is expected to be passed during the ongoing monsoon session of parliament that concludes Aug 31.
The government is keen to get the legislation through before US President Barack Obama visits India in November as it is a prerequisite for implementing the 2008 India-US civil nuclear deal.
The 31-member parliamentary standing committee on science and technology, which examined Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010 for over nine weeks, tabled its report in both houses of parliament Wednesday.
A section of the opposition has accused the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of striking a deal to get the legislation through parliament.
The panel recommended that while the government may increase the compensation cap, it should not decrease it under any circumstances. It also recommended doubling the period for victims’ claims to 20 years.
Relenting to key demands of the opposition, the panel proposed to triple the liability cap in case of a nuclear accident to Rs 1,500 crore and also sought to make suppliers of atomic equipment accountable if it is found defective or if the accident resulted from gross negligence.
The proposed changes in the legislation that earlier faced hostility from the opposition parties have brightened the chances of the contentious legislation during the monsoon session of parliament.
New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Relenting to key concerns of the opposition, a parliamentary panel Wednesday proposed to triple the liability cap in case of a nuclear accident to Rs.1,500 crore (about $322 million) and also sought to make suppliers of atomic equipment accountable if it is found defective.
The proposed changes in the legislation that earlier faced unrelenting hostility from the opposition parties have brightened the chances of the Civil Liability of Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, during the monsoon session of parliament that concludes Aug 31.
The government is keen to get the legislation through before US President Barack Obama visits India in November as it is a prerequisite for implementing the 2008 India-US civil nuclear deal.
The 31-member parliamentary standing committee on science and technology tabled its report in both houses of parliament Wednesday amid noisy protests and accusations of a deal between the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The bill was referred to the standing committee after it was introduced May 7 during the budget session of parliament.
The report recommended trebling the operator’s compensation cap from Rs.500 crore to Rs.1,500 crore, “specially keeping in view the present level of inflation and the purchase value of the Indian rupee”.
The panel recommended that while the government may increase the compensation cap, it should not decrease it under any circumstances. It also recommended doubling the period for victims’ claims to 20 years.
Private players eyeing a piece of the nuclear pie will, however, be disappointed as the report recommended shutting them out from the sector in India, leaving the operation of nuclear plants in the hands of the government or government-owned companies.
The committee has also suggested expanding the definition of nuclear damage by including the immediate and long-term health impact on a person and loss of life and personal injury, as also including the word “environment” as defined by the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Giving in to a key demand of the BJP, the panel recommended the inclusion of a clause specifying suppliers’ liability, a crucial concession that helped the government to win the party’s support.
Agreeing that the expression “willful act or gross negligence” in clause 17 (B) in the draft bill was “quite vague,” the panel recommended that it needed to be rephrased as: “The nuclear incident has resulted as a consequence of latent or patent defect, supply of sub-standard material, defective equipment or services or from the gross negligence on the part of the supplier of the material, equipment or services.”
This clause became a rallying point for the opposition, which missed no chance in lambasting the government for allegedly crafting an escape route for foreign suppliers who were averse to taking the blame in case of an accident.
The panel’s report makes it clear that the operator should have a written contract with the suppliers providing for the right of recourse and says that an operator must compensate victims first and then settle liability with the supplier.
Speaking to reporters, T. Subbarami Reddy (Congress), the chairman of the parliamentary panel, said the main objective of the bill was to provide for a mechanism of prompt payment of compensation to the victims in case of a nuclear accident.
The bill also provides for the appointment of a Claims Commissioner and a Nuclear Damage Claims Commission to dispose off claims within three months.
Stressing that the the bill was needed to boost power production in India, he said the Left members had given a note of dissent but all other members backed the panel’s recommendations.
The committee, which completed its work after an extension of more than a month, heard about 70 witnesses, including secretaries of the government, NGOs, industry, trade unions, experts and insurance companies. The panel visited nuclear facilities at Kalpakkam and Tarapur and also invited suggestions through advertisements in newspapers.
The liability issue became a hot political potato after a fresh round of outrage in India when a court in Bhopal June 7 sentenced seven people to two years in jail for the Dec 2-3, 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy that killed thousands instantly and many more over the years.
The government has also filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court on its judgment reducing to $470 million from $3.3 billion the compensation sought from Union Carbide, the US-based owner of the plant.
Surprised by the support of the BJP, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) accused the government of a trade-off — the BJP lending support to the civil nuclear liability bill in lieu of letting off Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shootout.
“They have struck a deal and Modi has been exempted from the (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case,” Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh said.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad said the non-United Progressive Alliance and non-National Democratic Alliance parties will “bring the issue in parliament”.
Washington, Aug 18 (ANI): Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was found guilty on Wednesday and convicted on one count of lying to the FBI, as jurors were deadlocked on the 23 other counts against him, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial on those charges.
Blagojevich has been accused of trying to sell the Senate seat formerly held by President Barack Obama.
Blagojevich showed no emotion as the verdict was read, neither smiling nor grimacing. But afterward, he cast the outcome as a victory and vowed to appeal the one guilty verdict.
“I want the people of Illinois to know I did not lie to the FBI. I told the truth from the very beginning. This is a persecution,” FOX News quoted Blagojevich, as saying.
After Judge James B. Zagel said he plans to call a mistrial on the remaining counts, federal prosecutors said they would retry Blagojevich “as quickly as possible.”
Zagel set a hearing for August 26 to decide the manner and timing of the retrial. He also said Blagojevich’s bond will stay the same.
Blagojevich faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 250,000 dollars for lying to agents investigating the corruption allegations. (ANI)
New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day Wednesday over illegal mining and allegations that the government and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party had struck a deal over passing the contentious civil nuclear liability bill.
As soon as the house reasembled at 12 noon after its first adjournment, opposition members were on their feet, with the Bahujan Samaj Party demanding the dismissal of the Karnataka government over illegal mining and the Left parties, the RJD and the LJP alleging a deal between Congress and the BJP over the nuclear liability bill.
Quoting from a newspaper report that no charges had been framed against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake shootout, the Left parties, along with the RJD and LJP alleged that the Congress and BJP had struck a deal over passing the nuclear liability bill.
Amidst the din, Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan adjourned the house for the day, but not before the report of the parliamentary standing committee on science and technology on the nuclear bill was tabled in the house.
The report is believed to recommend that the liability cap on a nuclear plant’s operator in case of an accident be tripled to Rs.1,500 crore from that provided in the bill.
Members from the RJD and the LJP later staged a protest in the parliament complex alleging that the government and the main opposition had unified.
“Congress and BJP are one. This is a deal to pass the nuclear liability bill,” LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan said.
“(Amit) Shah is in jail, how is it possible that he is involved and the chief minister did not know anything,” asked Ram Kripal Yadav of the RJD, referring to the arrest of the former Gujarat minister of state for home for his alleged role in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh killing.
Among the other changes recommended in the nuclear liability bill are a new clause making it clear that the bill will only apply to nuclear plants owned and operated by government, increasing the compensation claim period from 10 to 20 years and the setting up of a nuclear liability fund along the lines of a similar fund in the United States.
The government wants the bill to be passed in the current session of parliament that concludes Aug 31 so that the law is in place before the November visit of US president Barack Obama.
By Arun Kumar
Washington, Aug 18 (IANS) Amid reports that India may take it to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for a new law to hike worker visa fees, the United States hopes it would not affect their long term economic partnership
“What I can say is that we understand the Government of India’s concerns,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Tuesday when asked to comment on reports that India was considering a complaint to WTO.
“We realise it could impact Indian companies that invest in the United States and we also understand the potential impact on Indians who work in the United States as well as some American businesses,” he said.
“But we remain confident that our long-term economic partnership with India will continue to deepen and provide benefits for both societies,” Toner said.
“It’s within India’s purview to do that,” he said when pressed about the possibility of India’s complaint to WTO. “Again, I think we remain cognizant of the effect that this legislation may have on India, and we’re going to try to work with them to mitigate it.”
“But beyond that, I don’t have a reaction. I mean, we’ve got a robust economic partnership with India,” Toner said.
The spokesman’s comments came amid reports that Indian Trade Secretary Rahul Khullar had described the new US visa restrictions as not compatible with WTO regulations.
“Yes, this is WTO incompatible. I have no doubt about it,” he was quoted as saying in a (Reuters) news agency report.
The law signed by President Barack Obama Friday steeply hikes H1-B and L worker visa fees in the case of companies whose workforce is less than half American to raise $ 600 million to strengthen security along the border with Mexico.
The Indian government has protested to Washington against what it calls a highly discriminatory law that would largely affect Indian IT firms like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Technologies, Wipro and Mahindra Satyam.
Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma has said that bill would cost Indian companies an extra $200 million a year and erode the competitiveness of Indian companies that send professionals to undertake projects in the United States. He has also written to the US Trade Representative Ron Kirk about it.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
By Arun Kumar
Washington, Aug 18 (IANS) President Barack Obama has asked Americans to produce more scientists and engineers and return to making things themselves lest nations like China and India outcompete them for the jobs of the future.
“We did not become the most prosperous nation on Earth by rewarding greed and recklessness of the sort that helped cause this financial crisis,” he said speaking at a fundraiser for fellow Democrat Senator Patty Murray, who is in a tough race for a fourth term, in Seattle, Washington, Tuesday.
“We did it by rewarding the values of hard work and responsibility. We did it by investing in the people who have built this country from the ground up – workers and families; and small business owners and responsible entrepreneurs.
“We did it because we out-worked and we out-educated and out-competed other nations. That’s who we are. That’s who we need to be,” he said. “Because right now, countries like China and India and South Korea and Germany, they are fighting as hard as they can for the jobs of the future.”
“They’re trying to out-compete us when it comes to clean energy. They’re trying to out-compete us when it comes to producing engineers and scientists,” Obama said. “And frankly, in some cases, they’ve been catching up and even propelling forward ahead of us.”
“The United States does not play for second place. We play for first,” he said recalling his remarks at his State of the Union address.
“We are going to rebuild this economy stronger than it was before,” he said amid applause. “And at the heart of this rebuilding effort are three simple words: ‘Made In America. Made In America.’”
“Instead of giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas, we want to cut taxes for companies that create jobs right here in the United States of America,” Obama said.
Obama also called on Senate Republicans to allow a vote on legislation to help small businesses, saying “now is not the time for political games.” Obama criticised “a small partisan minority” that he said will not let the bill come to a vote, echoing the theme of Republican obstruction he has hit hard during a five-state fundraising swing.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Washington, Aug 18 (DPA) A federal jury in Chicago Tuesday found ousted Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich guilty of making false statements to FBI agents but was unable to reach a verdict on 23 other counts, according to media reports.
Prosecutors accused Blagojevich of trying to sell or trade the appointment of a successor to fill the US Senate seat vacated by the election of then-senator Barack Obama to the US presidency. The allegations were based on FBI wiretaps starting in a previous investigation.
He was accused of trying to profit from his elected office, and faced charges including racketeering, extortion, bribery and conspiracy.
Illinois law gives the governor the power to make appointments to fill vacancies in the state’s two Senate seats.
Blagojevich was arrested within weeks of Obama’s November 2008 election after being recorded in a profanity-laced conversation describing the Senate vacancy as a “golden” asset for which he was seeking political or financial returns. The case went to trial earlier this year.
The 12-person jury spent 14 days deliberating the case.
The jury was unable to decide all four counts against Blagojevich’s co-defendant and brother, Robert Blagojevich.
New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) India, one of the four BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, China) countries, will play an important role in the process of arriving at a consensus at the UN climate change summit at Cancun later this year, Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa said Tuesday.
Espinosa, who is also chairperson of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said that Mexico is reaching out to all major and small countries ahead of the climate change talks.
“India has an important role to play in the climate change talks at Cancun. It is one of the big economies in the developing countries of the world and is taking a lead in this agenda,” she said.
Espinosa met Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh Monday and discussed efforts to evolve consensus at the Cancun summit Nov 29-Dec 10.
“We conveyed our intention and interest (to India) assuring a transparent, open, comprehensive, inclusive exercise where everybody’s view and concern are taken into account,” she told reporters about her meeting with Ramesh.
The Mexican foreign minister made it clear that an agreement on climate change has to be arrived within the legal framework of Kyoto Protocol, the only legal binding agreement on climate change.
“There is some confusion about nature or objectives in framework of state parties. There has been an impression that we want to approve at a completely new treaty on climate change. We do have a legal frame work to force until collective decision to withdraw it or modify it is taken,” she said.
“Based on the legal framework we need to take immediate action towards fighting climate change and developed countries would be providing support in terms of financing and transfer of technology,” she added.
Replying to a question on delay of passage of US climate law affecting the Cancun talks, Espinosa said: “Of course it is a challenge but US President Barack Obama is trying to fasten the process.”
