Obama, McCain battle over U.S. financial crisis Video
A populist contest?
(02:30) Report
Sep 22 - While McCain and Obama vie for the reformer mantle, the reality is that both candidates have taken strikingly similar positions on the Wall Street bailout.
The populist message is by no means owned by John McCain. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama not only took on Wall Street, he also went after John McCain.
Jon Decker reports.
SOUNDBITE: Paula Stern, chairwoman of the Stern Group
Gates says Pakistan faces "existential threat" from militants Video
David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Islamist safe havens in western Pakistan are threatening the existence of Pakistan's civilian government through increased attacks, including last weekend's Marriott hotel bombing, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday.
"The nature of the threat that they face, beginning with the assassination of the current president's wife and now most recently the attack on the Marriott hotel, makes very clear to the Pakistani government that they face an existential threat in the western part of their country," Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The remote mountainous region believed to be a safe harbor for al Qaeda and other groups also poses the greatest threat of terrorism against the United States, Gates said in hearing testimony that underscored the dangers posed by the tribal lands along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
U.S. officials have increasingly looked to Pakistan as a vital part of their strategy against an intensifying insurgency in eastern Afghanistan, which the Americans say is being fueled by militant strongholds in Pakistan.
But thousands of U.S. troops requested by commanders in Afghanistan are unlikely to be available until next spring at the earliest, Gates said. In the meantime, the United States has stepped up its campaign against militants in Pakistan with a series of missile strikes from predator drones and a U.S. commando raid in South Waziristan.
Gates said Islamabad's new civilian government cannot publicly support U.S. military action against militant targets on Pakistani soil and warned that any deterioration in U.S. relations with the nuclear-armed nation would hurt American interests.
TIME OF TURMOIL
"During this time of political turmoil in Pakistan, it is especially crucial that we maintain a strong and positive relationship with the government, since any deterioration would be a setback for both Pakistan and Afghanistan," the U.S. defense chief said.
"The war on terror started in this region. It must end there."
A suicide truck bomb exploded outside Islamabad's Marriott hotel on Saturday, killing at least 53 people and gutting the hotel. A previously unknown Islamist group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which follows the December assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The bombing, which has led to some media speculation that Pakistani leaders may have been the targets, came about three weeks after an assassination attempt against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
The militant-driven rise in Afghan violence prompted President George W. Bush this month to announce a plan to deploy to Afghanistan a U.S. Marine force of nearly 2,000 troops in November and an Army brigade of around 4,000 troops in January.
U.S. Army Gen. David McKiernan, the head of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, later said he needed three more brigades plus support units -- around 15,000 troops -- in addition to the deployments announced by Bush.
But Gates said a new deployment of that scale would be unlikely before next spring or summer due to U.S. troop commitments in Iraq, where about 150,000 U.S. forces remain.
"Without changing deployment patterns, without changing length of tours, we do not have the forces to send three additional brigade combat teams to Afghanistan at this point," Gates told the lawmakers.
"My view is that those forces will become available probably during the spring and summer of 2009," he said.
The United States now has about 33,000 troops in Afghanistan, including 13,000 under NATO command.
But the military has been constrained from sending additional forces by the ongoing troop commitment in Iraq, where there are about 150,000 U.S. forces.
(Additional reporting by Ross Colvin; Editing by Bill Trott)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Tainted China baby milk Video
Tainted China baby milk
(01:41) Report
Sep 22 - Worries over tainted milk products from China reverberate across the region.
In Japan the recall of desserts manufactured in Shandong Province. In Taiwan, Dr Brown coffee is pulled from the shelves.
Tara Joseph-Hui reports.
Tourists kidnapped in Egypt Video
Tourists kidnapped in Egypt
(01:40) Report
Sep. 22 - Eleven European tourists have been kidnapped in southern Egypt. It's feared they may have been taken across the border into Sudan.
The group were on a safari trip in southern Egypt when they were taken hostage by up to four masked kidnappers. Egyptian authorities say talks are under way to secure their release after they received a ransom demand of six million dollars. Liz Kennedy reports.
SOUNDBITE: Zoheir Garrana, Egyptian Tourism Minister
Soldiers targetted in Jerusalem Video
Soldiers targetted in Jerusalem
(01:25) Report
Sep 23 - About a dozen Israeli soldiers have been wounded after a man drove his car into the group at a busy intersection in central Jerusalem.
Witnesses reported seeing the car mount the pavement and hit a group of soldiers who were wearing military uniform.
The driver was shot dead after one of the soldiers and a police officer opened fire.
Israeli police have described the incident as a "terrorist attack."
Liz Kennedy reports.
School shooting in Finland Video
School shooting in Finland
(00:46) Rough Cut
Sep 23 - A student has shot dead several people at a vocational school in western Finland.
The death toll from the shooting, the second at a Finnish school in less than a year, was initially unclear although early reports by the Finnish broadcaster YLE said nine people were killed.
YLE also reported the police as saying said the gunman was still alive but had suffered self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
The school, which calls itself the "Kauhajoki School of Hospitality," had 150 students and 40 teachers as of 2005, according to the official website.
The vocational school teaches catering, tourism studies and home economics.
Nomura buys Lehman Europe business Video
Nomura buys Lehman Europe business
(02:09) Report
Sep 23 - Japan's Nomura Holdings Inc agrees to buy Lehman Brothers' equity and investment business in Europe and Mid East.
Japan's biggest brokerage said it expects to retain "a significant proportion" of the 2,500 staff employed in the business.
Lehman filed for bankruptcy protection last week and Britain's Barclays Plc bought its core U.S. broker-dealer business with Nomura buying its Asia-Pacific arm.
The deals are expected to save most jobs in each region.
The latest purchase is one of a number of forays by Asian financial investment providers in the wake of the recent financial turmoil.
Stefanie McIntyre reports.
One of America's oldest men Video
One of America's oldest men 0:50
Montana resident Walter Bruening turned 112 years old.
Who is Henry Paulson? Video
Who is Henry Paulson? 2:41
CNN's Anderson Cooper profiles Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
Ahmadinejad on election, Iraq Viedo
Ahmadinejad on election, Iraq 4:31
Larry King interviews Iran's president Tuesday night. This is a preview of his remarks.
The financial crisis 4:51
CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser discusses how the financial crisis shapes the presidential campaign.
American Financial Crisis
Paulson: Bailout was very necessary Video
Paulson: Bailout was very necessary
Environmentalists Assail Palin video
Watch CBS Videos Online
GOP vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has come under fire from environmental and animal activists for her positions on drilling and hunting in Alaska. John Blackstone reports from Anchorage.
September 21, 2008
Pakistani Marriot Hotel Bombed Video
Watch CBS Videos Online
Marriot Hotel Islamabad Bomb Blast
Two US marines killed in the blast.Pentagon has confirmed that two US marines have been killed in the blast.
Pakistan death toll rises
(02:00) Report
Sept. 21 - The Pakistani Prime Minister says parliament was the intended target of Saturday's bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
More than 50 people are thought to have been killed, including the Czech Ambassador to Pakistan Ivo Zdarek.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack - the deadliest since Pakistan joined the U.S.-led war on terror in 2001 - but the country's interior minister said he believes it may have been carried out by the Taliban.
Liz Kennedy reports.
SOUNDBITE: Lieutenant General Talat Masood.
# Mir Wali, Driver.
# Iftikhar Hussain Jaffry, Disciple of Patron Saint of Islamabad.
World's fatest man starts dieting video. 570-pound Manuel Uribe may be the world's fattest man, but he's still hungry for record-breaking.
World's Fattest Man Goes On Diet
World's fatest man starts dieting video
Plane carrying Travis Barker Crashes Video
A plane carrying travis Barker crashes. At least six people were killed.
Plane carrying Travis Barker Crashes Video
US Interrogator: "You have THREE minutes to live" video
A us interrogator interrogating a suspect. Watch and make your own opinions
US Interrogator: "You have THREE minutes to live video
Barack Obama Blue Print for Economy Change Video
In this video Barack Obama is giving out the major points of his economic reform. American Economy is heading to a crisis. See what barack obama has in mind regarding economic policies and economy change.
Barack Obama Blue Print for Economy Change Video
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)