Hillary Clinton has arrived in Pakistan on a surprise visit amid frayed relations with the US nuclear-armed ally after the death of Osama bin Laden US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in Islamabad in a surprise visit amid frayed relations with the US nuclear-armed ally after the death of Osama bin Laden. The discovery of the al-Qaida leader in a garrison town just 50 km (30 miles) away from the capital Islamabad raised fresh doubts about Pakistan being a reliable partner in the US-led war on Islamist militancy. The Pakistan government welcomed the death of the al-Qaida leader but has criticised the US secret mission in Abbottabad, where bin Laden lived for years, as a breach of its sovereignty. Many US lawmakers, skeptical that Pakistani officials did not know of bin Laden’s presence, want to cut US aid to Pakistan, which the White House views as vital to counter-terrorism and to hopes of stabilising neighbouring Afghanistan. In a sign of deepening distrust, Pakistan has told the United States to halve the number of military trainers stationed in the country. But just a day before coming to Pakistan, Clinton said working with Pakistan was a strategic necessity for the United States, even as she pressed Islamabad to act more decisively to counter-terrorism. She praised Pakistan as a “good partner” in global efforts to fight terrorism, though she acknowledged that the two countries have disagreed on how hard to fight al-Qaida, Afghan Taliban fighters and other militants. “We do have a set of expectations that we are looking for the Pakistani government to meet but I want to underscore, in conclusion, that it is not as though they have been on the sidelines,” she told a news conference in Paris on Thursday. “They have been actively engaged in their own bitter fight with these terrorist extremists.” Pakistan Hillary Clinton United States Osama bin Laden US politics guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Gen. Ratko Mladic’s ruthlessness was legendary: “Burn their brains!” he once bellowed as his men pounded Sarajevo with artillery fire. So was his arrogance: He nicknamed himself “God” and ordered his troops to obey his commands as if they came from on high. The former Bosnian Serb general now in…
Continue reading …Mark Zuckerberg says he’s almost a vegetarian these days—but he’ll eat meat if the animal died at his own hands, Fortune reports. It’s just his latest challenge: Every year, the Facebook boss takes on some new hurdle in his time away from the website. Last year, it was learning…
Continue reading …With Dominique Strauss-Kahn otherwise engaged , the IMF needs a new boss—and France’s finance minister is planning a world tour to prove she’s best for the job. Christine Lagarde will stop in China, India, and Brazil to offer her platform, which focuses on giving emerging countries more say at the…
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Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, is regarded as the early Republican front-runner to challenge Barack Obama in the 2012 US presidential race Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney will formally announce his campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination next week in New Hampshire, a Romney aide said on Thursday. Romney, who unsuccessfully sought the party’s nomination in 2008, is regarded as the early Republican front-runner to challenge President Barack Obama in the November 2012 election. The 64-year-old Romney tops many opinion polls against his possible Republican rivals, but he lags behind Obama, a Democrat, who is seeking a second term in office. Romney planned to launch his campaign at a midday barbecue in Stratham, New Hampshire on 2 June, according to the aide. The state holds an important early contest on the road to the Republican nomination next year. Romney criticised Obama’s handling of the economy during a visit to Chicago on Thursday. “I know we are only a couple blocks away from President Obama’s re-election headquarters,” Romney said. “The president is a fine fellow but he just doesn’t have the experience in the private sector to know what it takes to get America creating jobs again,” he said. Romney has promoted his business experience, but critics complain about his record as a corporate raider for a private equity firm in the 1980s. They also say his performance on employment was mixed at best as Massachusetts governor. Romney, the best financed of the confirmed candidates, raised more than $10 million in just one day last week. A key vulnerability for Romney could be the healthcare plan that he helped develop for Massachusetts. The state plan resembles Obama’s sweeping 2010 healthcare overhaul that was opposed by Republicans, who have vowed to repeal it. A Gallup poll released on Thursday showed Romney at 17% with former Alaska governor Sarah Palin close behind at at 15%. Palin this week ignited a storm of speculation about her 2012 plans. Michele Bachmann, a US congresswoman from Minnesota and favourite of the conservative Tea Party movement, also is considering entering the race. Many Republicans have been unhappy about the current crop of presidential contenders. Other Republican White House hopefuls include former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives. Romney stepped in to rescue the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He was tapped as president and CEO of the organising committee in 1999 after the Games were tarred by bribery allegations by top officials and were far behind revenue benchmarks. He brought in a new management team, cut budgets and boosted fund-raising. By most measures those Olympics were regarded as a success. United States Mitt Romney US politics US elections 2012 Republicans guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …E. coli and other microbes in the Great Lakes are dying off thanks to traces of Prozac in the water, scientists find—and that’s not necessarily good news. “Your immediate thought is, ‘Well, that’s good, because they’re not supposed to be there anyways,” a scientist tells National Geographic . “But what…
Continue reading …If you think the Patriot Act is invasive, you don’t know the half of it, Ron Wyden says—and he can’t tell you. In an interview with Wired , the Democratic Oregon senator reveals that the government is operating on a much broader interpretation of the law than it has let…
Continue reading …Germophobes take note: If you use a lot of hand sanitizer, you might fail an alcohol screening, reports CBS Los Angeles . People who use sanitizer multiple times times a day can absorb small amounts of alcohol into their bodies, according to a University of Florida study. Those who use sanitizer…
Continue reading …Huguette Clark was buried today in the Bronx—but there was no funeral, and her family wasn’t allowed to attend, MSNBC reports. The copper heiress, who died at 104 after living for decades as a recluse, was buried in her family’s mausoleum. When relatives asked about attending the burial, Clark’s…
Continue reading …You’ll want to sit down for this—wait, you probably already are. Fewer jobs requiring even moderate physical activity contributes to workers burning 120 to 140 fewer calories on the job than they did in the ’60s, reports USA Today . During an average workday, men burn an average of 142…
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