May 18, 2012

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Hollande defeats Sarkozy in French presidency vote

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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(Phatforums News / USA Today) --- PARIS – French voters booted President Nicolas Sarkozy from power Sunday in one of several elections across Europe in which governments that cut a deal to slash budgets to solve a debt crisis were hammered by the electorate. "Austerity can no longer be inevitable!" Socialist Fran?ois Hollande declared in a victory speech Sunday night after Sarkozy conceded. Hollande has never held public office, but had vowed to renegotiate pacts Sarkozy made with the European Union to bail out struggling EU economies such as Greece and Portugal. Sarkozy, who lost 51%-49%, said he failed to convince the French of the value of his policies. PHOTOS: New president in France "There must be a change," said Michele Renou, a voter and retiree from Versailles outside Paris. There was change as well in Greece, Italy and Germany. Official projections in Greece on Sunday showed the pro-EU New Democracy party winning 19% of the vote, giving it 108 seats in the 300-member parliament — far short of a majority needed to form a government. The anti-bailout left-wing Syriza party was projected to take second place with 17% and 51 seats. The extremist far-right Golden Dawn party, which opposes the open borders policies of the EU, was projected to win 7% of the vote, historically a massive gain for the party. In Italy, opinion polls show that approval ratings for Prime Minister Mario Monti, who was installed after predecessor Silvio Berlusconi lagged in approving EU-demanded budget cuts, have gone down steadily as taxes have risen. Monti was not on the ballot Sunday but his party and those of his opponents were on the ballot for local elections. Voters in Germany's northernmost state ousted a governing center-right government made up of the same parties as Chancellor Angela Merkel's federal coalition, according to exit polls based on partial results. Merkel has been a major backer of EU bailouts to spendthrift EU states as well as the imposition of austerity measures on those nations. Exit polls showed voters were primarily motivated by the lackluster economic conditions and EU-brokered bailouts. "Hollande makes an awful lot of sense when he talks about the need for less austere, less restrictive fiscal policies, but his credibility is much undermined when he talks about reversing the increases in the retirement age or increasing the minimal wage by a huge amount," said Simon Tilford, senior economist at the Center for European Reform in London. "That will make it hard for the French, the Spanish and the Italians to work more closely together to counter the German dominance," he added. "And without those three working together, it's quite hard to see any huge shift in strategy coming about." … [Read more...]

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Why You Shouldn’t Care If He Calls Or Not

May 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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(Phatforums News / Tango) --- Easier said than done? Read on... Let's begin with a personal story. I'm in the healthiest relationship of my life, with the most amazing guy who treats me like gold. I love everything about him, but it hasn't always been like this. I, ever so sweetly of course, love to remind him of our first online date, when we'd had such a wonderful time and connected on so many levels, and he promised he'd call...said he couldn't wait to see me again, yada yada. I didn't see him again for two months. He'd come and go as he pleased, pull me close and then push me away. This cycle repeated time after time and each time I promised I wouldn't give him another chance. I tried to date other guys, and online dated like it was my job, but each time my phone vibrated, I hoped it was him. Until one day, I didn't. It wasn't because I was pissed off, or didn't care about him. I did, so so much but I had come to a point where I was tired of holding myself back. Tired of waiting and jumping everytime my phone rang, feeling disappointed when it was someone else. Tired of being a slave to someone else's journey and handing my self worth and personal identity to him. Just because a guy doesn't call you when he says he will doesn't make him a terrible person. A bit rude? Yes. But we are so quick to vilify them when they don't do what we want them to. When they aren't ready for what we want them to be ready for. When we don't want to listen to what he's telling us. And even if he's not calling, he's still most definitely talking. He's telling you that he's not 100% invested, that he's not there yet, for whatever reason. Perhaps he isn't interested and is trying to let you down easy. Or maybe he is, but just isn't ready. Either way, there is nothing to wait for. When you first begin dating someone, there's no sense in waiting by the phone. You've put yourself out there, taken a step towards finding love and the right person for you will want to walk with you-not behind you. Step back and allow him to walk his own journey, but most importantly, keep on yours...and you never know, maybe he'll catch up. It can happen...trust me. Now stop staring at your phone. … [Read more...]

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Report: Beastie Boys rapper MCA dies

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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(Phatforums News / CNN) --- Adam "MCA" Yauch, a member of the groundbreaking New York rap trio Beastie Boys, has died at the age of 47, Rolling Stone magazine reported Friday afternoon. Yauch revealed in July 2009 that he had surgery for a cancer in a salivary gland and a lymph node. Information on the cause of Yauch's death wasn't immediately available. Yauch's death would come less than a month after the Beastie Boys were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Because of his fight with cancer, Yauch did not attend, Rolling Stone reported. The Beastie Boys – Yauch, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horowitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond – did not perform that night. But Horowitz read a letter from Yauch to the audience. "I'd like to dedicate this to my brothers Adam and Mike," Yauch wrote, according to Rolling Stone. "They walked the globe with me. It's also for anyone who has ever been touched by our band. This induction is as much ours as it is yours." 2009 video: Cancer cancels Beastie Boys' tour dates Yauch's cancer delayed the release of their most recent album, "Hot Sauce Committee Part II," for two years. It was supposed to come out in 2009, but instead was released in spring 2011. The Beastie Boys' debut album, 1986's "Licensed to Ill" – featuring the singles "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)," "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," "Paul Revere" and "Brass Monkey" – was the first rap album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard album charts. … [Read more...]

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Documents show bin Laden’s struggles with al-Qaeda

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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(Phatforums News / USA Today) --- WASHINGTON – Osama bin Laden didn't have a very high opinion of Vice President Biden. He didn't think much of the American-born terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, for that matter. These are among the insights into the al-Qaeda leader gleaned from 17 letters and declassified documents released to the public Thursday. In one of the more chilling missives, bin Laden calls on deputies to set up teams in Pakistan and Afghanistan to target airplanes known to be carrying President Obama and Gen. David Petraeus, then the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, on their visits to the region. VIDEO: Bin Laden's last words go online "The reason for concentrating on them is that Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make Biden take over the presidency … as it is the norm over there," bin Laden wrote. "Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the U.S. into a crisis. As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour in this last year of the war, and killing him would alter the war's path." The documents, released by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, describe an increasingly frustrated and isolated bin Laden as he struggles to maintain control over the global movement he helped create. The documents suggest he worried that it had descended into a collection of rogue operations with no unifying principles. The tone of some of bin Laden's letters shows he was "struggling to exercise even a minimal influence over" regional affiliates, according to a CTC analysis. It wasn't surprising that bin Laden had difficulty in controlling his subordinates. "One problem with running an organization of murderers and fanatics is they can be hard to control," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer at the Brookings Institution, a think tank. Bin Laden seems almost dismissive of Awlaki, the U.S. born al-Qaeda propagandist headquartered in Yemen. Awlaki, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike last year, had been dubbed by a prominent Arab news network as the "bin Laden of the internet." But bin Laden batted away suggestions that Awlaki could take over the al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen. Bin Laden's last words go online Riedel cautioned not to draw too many conclusions from the documents, since they are only a fraction of the thousands of documents seized at his compound. For example, the documents released Thursday hold no clues as to how bin Laden was able to hide in plain sight in Pakistan and whether anyone in the government there aided him. While it's clear that bin Laden was grappling to keep a grip on al-Qaeda, he remained attuned to the fact that the Muslim world was at a tumultuous moment in the last days of his life. Just days before the SEALs raided bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad on a moonless night, bin Laden mused that the Arab Spring could be a "formidable" moment, a turning point for Muslim faithful. At the time of the writing, strongmen Zine … [Read more...]

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After Afghan deal is struck, Taliban issues a deadly strike

May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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(Phatforums News / USA Today) --- KABUL – Hours after President Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a strategic partnership agreement that will serve as the framework for future relations between their two nations, the Taliban issued its response. Taliban attackers Wednesday targeted a heavily fortified, private compound in eastern Afghanistan that is mostly occupied by international workers with a car bomb about two hours after Obama delivered a speech at Bagram Airfield about the pact. Three bystanders were killed besides the four terrorists. "With this attack, we want to send a message to Obama that the Afghans will welcome you with attacks. You don't need to sign agreements, you need to focus on how to get out of this country," said Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman. PHOTOS: Taliban attacks in Kabul Obama had made a surprise overnight trip to Afghanistan to sign the agreement and make an appearance with Karzai. The deal does not commit the United States to any specific troop presence or spending levels. It does allow the U.S. to potentially keep troops in Afghanistan through 2024 for two purposes: continued training of Afghan forces and targeted operations against al-Qaeda. The United States promised to seek money from Congress every year to support Afghanistan, according to the deal. The agreement comes as a welcome development to Afghans, some members of the parliament said, as it secures much-needed international support for Afghanistan past the 2014 deadline for Afghans to take over security of their country. Because a full copy of the agreement was not made public until after its signing, concerns remain about specifics that have yet to be agreed upon. "The agreement gives independence and sovereignty to Afghanistan — not completely, but it gives some sovereignty," said Mahmoud Khan, a member of parliament from Kandahar. The strategic agreement secures relations between the two nations until 2024, guaranteeing Afghanistan's status as a "major non-NATO ally." Previously, the United States and Afghanistan had reached two other agreements: one giving Afghan security forces authority over controversial night raids and the other outlining the hand-over of U.S.-run prisons to Afghan authorities. The document guarantees America's commitment to Afghanistan after 2014, without detailing specifics. Issues such as how long U.S. forces and their bases can remain in Afghanistan after 2014 and the nature of their presence here would be determined in a separate bilateral security agreement. Muhammad Hassan Haqyar, an independent political analyst in Kabul, says he worries that Afghanistan lost much of its bargaining strength because it can no longer threaten to hold out on signing the partnership agreement as leverage. "Before, the Afghans could bargain and ask for something, but now they can only request things. Now they cannot make conditions." The agreement calls for continued talks with the … [Read more...]

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Pentagon: Strategy in Afghanistan is sound, despite hurdles

May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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(Phatforums News / USA Today) --- WASHINGTON – The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan has weakened the Taliban and helped improve the country's security forces, but enemy havens in Pakistan and widespread government corruption remain stubborn challenges, a new Pentagon report says. The report concludes that the strategy is sound despite the challenges. The conclusions, contained in the Pentagon's semiannual report to Congress, hew closely to how most military officials have publicly described the war. The report says an increase in U.S. troops has helped secure much of the country against the Taliban, but problems that are largely outside the armed forces' control — Afghan government corruption and safe refuges in Pakistan — need to be fixed in order to achieve a lasting security. "The Taliban-led insurgency's safe haven in Pakistan, as well as the limited capacity of the Afghan Government, remain the biggest risks to the process of turning security gains into a durable and sustainable Afghanistan," the report says. Insurgents "still operate with impunity from sanctuaries in Pakistan," the report says. For example, insurgents slip across the border from Pakistan into Logar and Wardak provinces in the east, and from there stage attacks on Kabul. U.S.-Pakistan relations have grown increasingly strained. It is unlikely the United States would take unilateral action in Pakistan and equally unlikely that the Pakistanis would cooperate in an effort to drive insurgents from their havens, military analysts say. "As long as this remains the case, it's hard to see how we can resolve the issue of external support," says Jeffrey Dressler, a military analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. In addition, widespread corruption in the Afghan government undermines its legitimacy and bolsters insurgent propaganda, Afghanistan analysts say. "If you do not get a handle on those problems, you're going to continue to see lack of confidence in the Afghan government, which in the past has driven people toward the Afghan insurgency," says Mark Jacobson, a former NATO official in Afghanistan now at the German Marshall Fund. Even so, the surge of U.S. troops that began more than two years ago has driven down violence, secured large swaths of the population and increased the effectiveness of Afghan security forces, the report says. The continued progress in security is a positive sign, Afghanistan analysts say. "The concern would be if you saw signs of a deteriorating security situation," Jacobson says. Enemy-initiated attacks decreased by 16% in the six-month period through March 31 compared with last year. The reduction in violence has allowed the coalition to increasingly turn over security responsibilities to Afghan forces. Almost half of Afghanistan's population now lives in regions under Afghan security control. The transition to Afghan control is a central element of the U.S. strategy. The number of U.S. servicemembers … [Read more...]

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Breaking News: Obama in Afghanistan, will make speech tonight

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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(Phatforums News / USA Today) --- President Obama made a surprise nighttime visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday, signing a new security agreement and preparing to deliver a nationally televised address on plans to withdraw from the war now in its second decade. Obama is scheduled to speak at 7:30 p.m., Washington time. In his speech, the president is also expected to mention the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden, who planned the 9/11 terrorist attacks at a base in Afghanistan. At the presidential palace in Kabul, Obama and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai signed a ten-year "strategic partnership" that Obama called an "historic moment for our two nations." "I'm here to affirm the bond between our two countries and to thank Americans and Afghans who have sacrificed so much over these last ten years," Obama said. "Neither Americans nor the Afghan people asked for this war yet for a decade we've stood together." The agreement takes effect at the end of 2014, the year in which the U.S. and its allies have agreed to withdraw combat forces and turn over security responsibilities to the Afghans. During the brief signing ceremony, Obama said the agreement lays out "a future of peace;" Karzai said the deal assured an "equal partnership" between the United States and Afghanistan. The visit, which was shrouded in secrecy and governed by tight security, comes just a few weeks before G-8 and NATO summits at which the Afghanistan withdrawal will be a big topic. It also comes a year after Obama announced bin Laden's death following a U.S. military raid on the 9/11 architect's compound in neighboring Pakistan. The raid is currently an issue in Obama's re-election campaign against Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The president also plans to visits with U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. CAPTION By Charles Dharapak, AP The president is expected to be on the ground about seven hours. The U.S. and allies attacked Afghanistan less than a month after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Coalition forces quickly toppled the ruling Taliban, which had provided safe haven for bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists who plotted 9/11. In the years since, remnants of the Taliban have continued to battle Karzai's government. Obama -- who said the George W. Bush administration ignored Afghanistan in favor of the war in Iraq -- ordered the deployment of 30,000 more U.S, troops in December of 2009. Currently, the U.S. has some 88,000 troops in Afghanistan; its coalition partners have an additional 40,000. White House officials scheduled today's trip so that Obama would land in and leave Afghanistan in darkness. Air Force One departed the Andrews military base near Washington, D.C., shortly after midnight on Tuesday. The presidential party arrived at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan at 10:20 p.m., local time. Obama then took a helicopter to the presidential palace in Kabul to meet with Karzai. The president's … [Read more...]

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Soccer: City displaces United atop Premier League with Manchester Derby win

May 1, 2012 By
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Ji-Sung Park of Manchester United is tackled by Vincent Kompany of Manchester City during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on April 30, 2012 in Manchester, England. (April 29, 2012 – Source: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe) MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The Manchester derby went to City. Next, it hopes, is the Premier League crown. Manchester City finished a sweep of its local rivals Monday when Vincent Kompany’s powerful header lifted it past Manchester United 1-0 to take the Premier League lead with two games remaining. In what had been billed as the biggest Manchester derby ever, Kompany connected off David Silva’s corner kick for the only goal in first-half stoppage time at the Etihad Stadium. City then held on for a potentially title-deciding victory; it leads United on goal difference and once again has matters in its own hands, having erased an eight-point deficit in three weeks. “Absolutely buzzing. … We’ve been waiting for this moment,” Kompany said. “It’s far from over, and we know that, but just to give our fans two wins over Manchester United this season – we have to finish it off.” City still has a difficult job remaining as it next visits fifth-place Newcastle United, then hosts relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers in the remaining games. United finishes against Swansea at home and Sunderland away. “It’s great to win tonight, but Newcastle is now our focus,” City goalkeeper Joe Hart said. City has an 8-goal differential over United. “I think that we deserved to win this game, we scored, we played well and we had other chances to score in the second half,” city manager Roberto Mancini said. As the crosstown rivals have been locked in a two-way fight for the title for most of the season, this game had been hyped even more than others in the 131-year history of matches. The entertainment level was not nearly as high as the stakes. The game featured few clear scoring chances for either side, and the tension on the pitch spilled over to the sideline in the second half. United manager Alex Ferguson and City counterpart Mancini got into a heated exchange after a tough challenge by Nigel de Jong on Danny Welbeck. With both managers making hand gestures to suggest the other should stop talking, Ferguson eventually had to be dragged back to his own technical area. City assistant coach David Platt restrained Mancini. “Sir Alex told me something not kind,” Mancini said. “But I can understand, because at that point, tension is high.” Ferguson said he was upset that Mancini was yelling too much at the match officials. “It was feisty. It was a competitive game which we expected, not a lot of goal chances,” Ferguson said. “We are disappointed we never tested the goalkeeper; to be honest, our crossing was poor.” While United ventured … [Read more...]

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Breaking News: 5 arrested in alleged plot to blow up Cleveland-area bridge

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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(Phatforums News / USA Today) --- Five men, including self-proclaimed anarchists, have been arrested in a sting operation in connection with an alleged plot to bomb a bridge outside Cleveland, the FBI says, WKYC reports. The five allegedly intended to bomb the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Brecksville Station by remote detonation using C-4 plastic explosives. The alleged plot was not tied to international terrorism, the Associated Press report, quoting an unidentified Justice Department official. Update at 10:26 a.m. ET: The FBI says in a news release that Douglas L. Wright, 26, Brandon L. Baxter, 20, and Anthony Hayne, 35, were arrested by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force on April 30 on charges of conspiracy and attempted use of explosive materials to damage physical property affecting interstate commerce, WKYC reports. The FBI describes them as "self-proclaimed anarchists." Charges against two other men, Connor C. Stevens, 20, and Joshua S. Stafford, 23, are pending. The arrests came as part of an FBI sting and federal officials say there ws never any danger to the public. The FBI says the explosive devices to be used in the alleged plot were in the control of an undercover FBI agent and were inoperable. The five were also under close surveillance, the FBI says, according to WKYC. The FBI says Wright, Baxter and Hayne allegedly formed into the group and had considered a series of evolving plots over several months. An initial plot involved using smoke grenades to distract police in order for co-conspirators to topple the signs of financial institutions on high- rise buildings in downtown Cleveland, the FBI says, according to the WKYC report. Update at 10:13 a.m. ET: CNN reports that the FBI says the suspects allegedly planned to detonate a C-4 plastic explosives device on the bridge by remote control. In addition, the FBI says, they allegedly planned to use smoke bombs to divert police attention. Update at 10:08 a.m. ET: Fox News reports that the arrests followed a sting operation and that the explosives involved in the alleged plot had been made inoperable. The public was not in danger, the sources close to the investigation tell Fox News. Fox also reports that charges were filed against the defendants this morning in Cleveland. … [Read more...]

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Obama administration: Yes, we use drones

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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(Phatforums News / CNN Security Reporter - Suzanne Kelly) --- The Obama administration publicly justified its use of unmanned drones to target suspected terrorists overseas for the first time Monday, with a top official saying the strikes are conducted "in full accordance with the law." John Brennan, President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser said strikes are used when the option of capture is not feasible. Brennan discussed the strikes during a Monday address at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think-tank. "President Obama said here five years ago, if another nation cannot or will not take action, we will," Brennan said. "And it is an unfortunate fact that to save many innocent lives we are sometimes obliged to take lives - the lives of terrorists who seek to murder our fellow citizens." The program utilizes unmanned aerial vehicles, often equipped with Hellfire missiles, to target al Qaeda operatives in remote locations overseas - often on the territory of U.S. allies such as Pakistan and Yemen. Brennan said the United States "respects national sovereignty and international law" and is guided by the laws of war in ordering those attacks. But the attacks have drawn repeated condemnations from Pakistan, which says the strikes have killed numerous civilians. A drone strike hit a high school in the country's northwestern tribal region where intelligence officials said Islamic militants were hiding Sunday, bringing a fresh denunciation from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And domestic critics insist that the program isn't legal, and they remain concerned about the targeted killing of Americans like accused al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who died in a drone strike in Yemen in September. "Mr. Brennan supplies legal conclusions, not legal analysis," said Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "We continue to believe that the administration should release the Justice Department memos underlying the program - particularly the memo that authorizes the extrajudicial killing of American terrorism suspects. And the administration should release the evidence it relied on to conclude that an American citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, could be killed without charge, trial, or judicial process of any kind." And a woman stood up in the middle of Brennan's speech to protest the use of the drone strikes. She was carried out by security. Brennan's remarks are the Obama administration's most candid and open confirmation of the program to date. Attorney General Eric Holder defended the killing of al-Awlaki in March, saying the United States had the right to use "technologically advanced weapons" against terrorists, and Brennan said the top lawyers for the Pentagon, State Department and CIA have laid out the legal basis for the attacks. "When considering lethal force, we are of course mindful that there are important checks on our ability to act unilaterally in foreign territories," he … [Read more...]

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