U.S. takes new approach to Yemen aid program

By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The United States is sharply increasing the amount of development and other civilian aid it is sending to Yemen and has changed the way it is administered, a move that some experts say may still not be enough to counter 

Enlarge By Muhammed Muheisen, AP A Yemeni police man holding a machine gun drinks juice while on duty in a public park on the outskirts of San'a, Yemen.

al-Qaeda's growing presence there.

"We've reoriented our aid program towards quick impact projects, things that get on the ground in Yemen as quickly as possible," said Janet Sanderson, a deputy assistant secretary of State.

This year, the government budgeted $67.5 million in State Department aid for Yemen, up from $40 million in 2009, according to department statistics. The White House requested $106 million for 2011. The money includes aid for development and police and other security training.

The Pentagon also provided about $155 million in military aid this year.

The increases come amid a growing sense of urgency about Yemen, where the U.S. government faces an escalating threat from extremists and limited military means of countering it.

Last month, authorities intercepted well-concealed bombs that were built in Yemen and on their way to the United States in cargo planes.

The United States has about 50 servicemembers as advisers in Yemen and no plans to insert combat forces.

Instead, the U.S. government is attempting a broader approach that includes an effort to address the economic and social problems in addition to military assistance.

Yemen presents enormous challenges for aid workers. The State Department has few people there, and parts of the country remain too dangerous for foreigners.

Many of the programs have to be managed through international aid agencies operating in Yemen.

"It's hard for me to imagine how much progress they can make," said Robert Grenier, former director of the CIA's counterterrorism center.

The U.S. government has shifted the way it administers aid there from a centralized approach to working directly with local governments and tribes on projects that produce quick results.

"What we'd like to do is push ... many of these programs out into the rural areas," Sanderson said.

The programs are designed to boost the economy and improve governance.

Among the aid projects are grants aimed at helping farmers improve productivity and a program to provide job and other training to "at risk" young people in restive regions of Yemen.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab world. Half of its 23.8 million people live in poverty.

The No. 1 agricultural product is khat, a debilitating narcotic that is used by a large portion of the population.

Analysts debate the degree to which economics and social issues play a role in fostering terrorism.

"The problem with terrorism is it isn't primarily an outgrowth of poverty," Grenier said. "It's much more a political problem."

Barbara Bodine, a former U.S. ambassador to Yemen, said addressing underlying government and economic problems are critical.

"This is a question of how you keep Yemen from moving from fragile to failed," said Bodine, who is now at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

...تابع القراءة

Ethiopian refugees stranded by Yemen's Saudi border

(AFP) – 6 hours ago

GENEVA — About 1,000 Ethiopians are stranded near the Saudi border in Yemen without food, water or shelter, a world migration group said Tuesday, appealing for one million dollars to help them.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5jaq6sFDiEeCmw0P8En2Ue99rSagQ?docId=photo_1289923486141-1-0&size=s2

"They're migrants who crossed the Gulf of Aden at great risk and were trying to reach Saudi Arabia," International Organisation for Migration spokesman Jean Philippe Chauzy said.

The group is among 2,000 Ethiopians in Yemen's northern border town of Haradh, many of whom are not longer able to cross the border clandestinely due to tighter security, according to the IOM.

"We need about one million dollars to continue emergency evacuations, repatriations," Chauzy told journalists.

Yemen is a major transit route for east Africans fleeing across the sea and trying to reach the Middle East, and many of those who reach Haradh are dehydrated, malnourished and in bad health.

About 320,000 Shiite Huthi rebels are also displaced in the area following a truce with the government in Sanaa in February.

Yemen launched an offensive against a Huthi uprising in August 2009 and the rebels later clashed with Saudi forces

Chauzy said attempts in Ethiopia to try to convince people about the dangers of the perilous sea crossing and other obstacles on their intended journey only had a limited impact

...تابع القراءة

US expands role in Yemen in hunt after al Qaida group

The US is gearing up for an expanded military campaign against al Qaida in Yemen, which will involve gathering military and intelligence resources to enable Yemeni and American strikes as well as a proposal to establish bases in remote areas of Yemen which harbor militants, reported The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

The new plan comes amid increased efforts by the US to go after members of al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the terrorist group which claimed responsibility for a recent attempt to blow up two planes in the US using hidden cargo bombs. 

The limited experience of US intelligence in Yemen has created "a window of vulnerability" that the US government is "working fast to address," a senior official in the Obama administration said, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

In efforts to boost capabilities, the Central Intelligence Agency and other agencies are transferring equipment and personnel to Yemen from other areas, and in the past year, have increased the size of crews in the US that analyzing intelligence on AQAP. The Wall Street Journal reported that the focus now is on expanding the number of intelligence operatives and analysts in the field

...تابع القراءة

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin: what we've learned this week

Sarah Palin's Alaska was just the beginning of a family-wide media push

• • Zoe Williams
  • guardian.co.uk, Monday 15 November 2010 20.00 GMT
  • Article history

Sarah Palin's Alaska: 'A cross between a nature documentary and a fly-on-the-wall.' Photograph: Gilles Mingasson/AP

One thing I always think, when I see Sarah Palin on TV: you give so much of yourself to the world, with your sport-based metaphors and deeper wisdom derived from nature, but who are you really? What goes on at the epicentre of you?

I doubt we'll ever truly know, but a big media push from the entire family sheds a little light:

From Sarah Palin's Alaska, we learned that she is frightened of bears. Also, heights, fashion, glaciers, sex and intellectuals. We also learned that it is possible to make a programme that's a cross between a nature documentary and a fly-on-the-wall, all the best bits of David Attenborough meeting all the best of Katie Price.

We actually already knew that about Palin, sex and intellectuals. But the bearophobia is new.

From Bristol Palin's failure to be voted off Dancing with the Stars, we learned that the Tea Party is mobilising a mass vote in her favour. "It's entirely possible some of those people are behind Bristol for political reasons," said Conrad Green, executive producer. So Ann Widdecombe can cheer up: whatever non-dance-related reasons people have for voting for her, at least they're not political.

Also, Bristol has gained 15lb over the course of the show. I learned that on the website Newser, whose slogan is "read less: know more". That tells you all you need to know about the internet.

From People magazine, we learned that Sarah and Todd Palin have no intention of getting a divorce. For a fuller exposé on why they're not getting a divorce, you will have to wait until it hits newsstands on Friday. It's a whole new take on tabloid journalism, the "I'm not getting a divorce" revelation. Stay tuned for "I don't have cancer" and "Frank Sinatra is not my father".

We have yet to discover where she stands on witchcraft and masturbation (the new creationism and abortion. Keep up, people!); and whether or not she will run for president in 2012. I am almost 100% sure that she thinks she is already president.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/15/sarah-palin#start-of-comments

...تابع القراءة

Barack Obama

Barack Obama's hopes for a nuclear-free world fading fast

Two of the president's initiatives, on disarmament and relations with Russia, have been dealt a serious setback

• Share7

• Julian Borger, diplomatic editor
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 16 November 2010 20.36 GMT
• Article history

US president Barack Obama (left) and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev sign a nuclear arms treaty in Prague in April. Photograph: Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images

Barack Obama's hopes of reshaping US foreign policy stand on the brink of failure tonight, after two of his most cherished initiatives — nuclear disarmament and better relations with Moscow — were dealt serious setbacks.

According to a leaked Nato document seen by the Guardian, a move to withdraw US tactical nuclear weapons from Europe has been omitted from the alliance's draft strategic doctrine, due to be adopted by a summit this weekend in Lisbon.

Meanwhile in Washington, a Republican leader in the Senate signalled that the nuclear arms control treaty Obama signed in April with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev is unlikely be ratified this year. Most observers say that if the treaty – known as New Start – is delayed until next year, it will be as good as dead, as the Democratic majority in the Senate will be even thinner by then, following the party's losses in the midterm elections.

Together the setbacks mark a new low point for Obama's ambitions, set out in a landmark 2009 speech in Prague, to set the world on a path to abolition of nuclear weapons.

They also rob the president of the main concrete achievement so far in his bid to "reset" US-Russian relations. In the absence of progress in the Middle East or Iranian compromise over its nuclear ambitions, the developments threaten to eclipse Obama's legacy in foreign policy.

"All this stuff was integrated – the nuclear package and the Russian relationship," said Steven Clemons, policy analyst at the New America Foundation. "In terms of the long-term international significance it's the most important thing Obama has done, and it has just come apart."

In the latest draft of Nato's "new strategic concept", seen by the Guardian, nuclear weapons remain at the core of Nato doctrine, and an attempt to withdraw an estimated 200 American B-61 nuclear bombs from Europe, a legacy of the cold war, is not mentioned.

Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium – who all have B-61 bombs on their soil – had pushed to have the tactical weapons removed, with the encouragement of supporters of disarmament in the Obama camp including the US ambassador to Nato, Ivo Daalder.

However, in a victory for France, which led a rearguard action against diluting nuclear deterrence in Nato doctrine, the draft strategic concept states that the weapons would only be removed as a trade-off with Moscow.

"In any future reductions, our aim should be to seek Russian agreement to increase transparency on its nuclear weapons in Europe and relocate these weapons away from the territory of Nato members," the draft states. "Any further steps must take into account the disparity with the greater Russian stockpile of short-range nuclear weapons."

Advocates of disarmament still hope the door to withdrawal could be left open in another strategic review, possibly next year.

But Daryl Kimball, the head of the Arms Control Association, said the Lisbon document represented a lost opportunity for the alliance.

"Nato does not need these weapons against any of the 21st century threats we face," Kimball said. "The weapons raise the risk of nuclear terrorism, and their presence makes it harder to convince Russia to cut its own tactical arsenal."

US and Russian negotiators had been expected to discuss tactical weapons in the next round of arms control talks, but those talks will almost certainly not take place if the New Start treaty is shelved.

The White House had hoped the Senate would ratify the treaty in its lame-duck session currently underway, before newly-elected Republican senators take their seats in January.

However, the administration still needed some Republican support to get the 67 votes required for ratification. In a last-ditch move last week, it offered to spend an extra $4 bn (£2.5 bn) on modernisation of the existing nuclear arsenal — an effort to placate the Republican whip, Jon Kyl.

However, Senator Kyl issued a statement tonight saying he still did not think the treaty could be passed in the lame-duck session, "given the combination of other work Congress must do and the complex and unresolved issues related to Start and modernisation." Some Democrats were still hoping tonight the statement could be a bluff aimed at extracting yet more funding for America's nuclear labs. Others, however, saw it as a slammed door, and a reflection of Republican determination to make Obama a one-term president and erase his legacy.

Paul Ingram, head of the British American Security Information Council (Basic), said Obama's radical vision of "a world without nuclear weapons" laid out in his Prague speech was now fading.

"I wouldn't say it was dead. It's in emergency resuscitation," Ingram said.

"If there is hope no, it's not coming from Washington. The leadership of this is not going to come from Washington."

On nuclear weapons

"So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. I'm

not naive. This goal will not be reached quickly – perhaps not in my

lifetime. It will take patience and persistence. But now we, too, must

ignore the voices who tell us that the world cannot change. We have to

insist, 'Yes, we can.'"

Prague, 5 April 2009

On the New Start treaty with Russia

"The new agreement will mutually enhance the security of the parties and predictability and stability in strategic offensive forces. We are ready to move beyond Cold War mentalities and chart a fresh start in relations between our two countries."

Joint statement with Dmitry Medvedev, London, 1 April 2009

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/16/barack-obama-nuclear-hopes-fading

...تابع القراءة

President Barack Obama | The White House

Meet Barack

EARLY YEARS

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya, where he grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British.

Barack's mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression, and then signed up for World War II after Pearl Harbor, where he marched across Europe in Patton's army. Her mother went to work on a bomber assembly line, and after the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program, and moved west to Hawaii.

It was there, at the University of Hawaii, where Barack's parents met. His mother was a student there, and his father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya and pursue his dreams in America.

Barack's father eventually returned to Kenya, and Barack grew up with his mother in Hawaii, and for a few years in Indonesia. Later, he moved to New York, where he graduated from Columbia University in 1983.

THE COLLEGE YEARS

Remembering the values of empathy and service that his mother taught him, Barack put law school and corporate life on hold after college and moved to Chicago in 1985, where he became a community organizer with a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment.

The group had some success, but Barack had come to realize that in order to truly improve the lives of people in that community and other communities, it would take not just a change at the local level, but a change in our laws and in our politics.

He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard in 1991, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Soon after, he returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law. Finally, his advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate, where he served for eight years. In 2004, he became the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

POLITICAL CAREER

It has been the rich and varied experiences of Barack Obama's life - growing up in different places with people who had differing ideas - that have animated his political journey. Amid the partisanship and bickering of today's public debate, he still believes in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose - a politics that puts solving the challenges of everyday Americans ahead of partisan calculation and political gain.

In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent. He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.

As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.

Whether it's the poverty exposed by Katrina, the genocide in Darfur, or the role of faith in our politics, Barack Obama continues to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century. But above all his accomplishments and experiences, he is most proud and grateful for his family. His wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, live on Chicago's South Side.

http://www.barackobama.com/about/

...تابع القراءة

Real Madrid C.F. - Official Website

Thirteen Madridistas tabbed for national team duty

Realmadrid.com

Thirteen members of Real Madrid's first team have been tabbed for a round of international friendlies scheduled for 17 November.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Carvalho, Pepe, Casillas, Arbeloa, Albiol, Ramos & Xabi Alonso:

MATCH	DATE	VENUE
Portugal-Spain	Wednesday 17/11/2010 (22:00 CET)	Da Luz (Lisbon)

Higuain & Di Maria:

MATCH	DATE	VENUE
Brazil-Argentina	Wednesday 17/11/2010 (18:00 CET)	Khalifa International (Doha)

Sami Khedira:

MATCH	DATE	VENUE
Sweden-Germany	Wednesday 17/11/2010 (20:30 CET)	Ullevi Stadion (Gothenburg)

Karim Benzema:

MATCH	DATE	VENUE
England-France	Wednesday 17/11/2010 (20:00 CET)	Wembley (London)

Mahamadou Diarra:

MATCH	DATE	VENUE
Mali-Gambia	Wednesday 17/11/2010	Evreux (France)

...تابع القراءة

Real Madrid C.F.

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal maˈðɾið ˈkluβ ðe ˈfutβol] Royal Madrid Football Club), commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional association football club based in Madrid, Spain. It is the most successful team inSpanish football and was voted by FIFA as the most successful club of the 20th century, having won a record 31 La Ligatitles, 17 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, a record 9 UEFA Champions Leagues, 2 UEFA Cups, 1 UEFA Supercup, and 3 Intercontinental Cups. Real Madrid was a founding member of FIFA and the now-defunct G–14 group of Europe's leading football clubs as well as its replacement, the European Club Association. The word "Real" in the club's name is the Spanish term for "royal", and was given by the King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem – several other Spanish football teams also received this royal distinction: Real Sociedad, Real Unión de Irún, Real Betis, and Real Zaragoza.

Founded in 1902, Real Madrid has never been relegated from La Liga, the top league of Spanish football. The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s. In the 1980s, the club had one of the best teams (known as La Quinta del Buitre) in Spain and Europe, winning two UEFA Cups, five consecutive Spanish championships, one Spanish Cup and three Spanish Super Cups.

The team's traditional home kit colour is white, although it initially adopted a blue oblique stripe on the shirt. Its crest has been changed several times in attempts to modernise or re-brand it. The current crest is a modified version of the one first adopted in the 1920s. Real Madrid's home ground is the 80,354-seater Santiago Bernabéu football stadium in downtown Madrid, where it has played since 1947. The Bernabéu was the venue for the European cup (or UEFA Champions League) finals of 1957, 1969, 1980 and 2010.

Real Madrid holds long-standing rivalries with other football clubs, most notably FC Barcelona, with matches between the two teams referred to as "el Clásico". Unlike most European football clubs, Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club since its inception. The club is the world's richest football club (€401m) in terms of revenue and the second most valuable worth over €950m in 2008.^[3][4]

...تابع القراءة