Yemeni President Vows More Arrests in US Embassy Attack
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 07:33 PM - Middle East
Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh minced no words in condemning the perpetrators of Wednesday's attack against the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa and all other attacks on foreigners, calling them a "blow to Yemen's national interests."
Using an angry and accusatory tone to his voice, President Saleh suggested that Islamic extremists must be arrested "wherever they may be."
"Attacks against foreigners damage our nation, our national interests, and national stability," he said. "God willing, we will track down the perpetrators in their hiding places and even grab them from their houses."
Addressing a gathering in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the president also asserted that Islamic extremists branding slogans like "death to America" and "death to Israel" to stir up public wrath were "harming the security and stability of their country."
The State Department warned U.S. citizens this week to avoid unessential travel to Yemen. - See Yemeni President Vows More Arrests in US Embassy Attack for the full report.
add comment Herald's Florida poll: McCain 47%; Obama 45%
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 07:19 PM - Politics - USA
John McCain is nursing a narrow lead over Barack Obama in Florida even as voters say the Democrat is more trusted to handle their most important issue: the economy, according to a new Miami Herald poll.
The poll, taken Sept. 14-17 -- when Wall Street turmoil dominated world and national news -- gives McCain a 47 to 45 percentage point lead over Obama, with 7 percent undecided. The poll's margin of error was 3.5 percentage points.
But if the economic crisis deepens, ''Obama is in a position to improve his poll numbers, given the confidence in his handling of the economy,'' said Democratic pollster Tom Eldon of Schroth, Eldon & Associates, who conducted the poll with Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway. The poll was also underwritten by the St. Petersburg Times and Bay News 9.
McCain's razor-thin lead virtually guarantees, however, that ''once again, Florida is going to be the pivotal battleground state in this election,'' he said.
The survey of 800 likely voters echoed the economic jitters of the nation, as 43 percent of voters said the economy should be the next president's top concern. That's a three-to-one margin over the next two top issues: managing the war in Iraq, at 14 percent, and protecting us from terrorism, at 12 percent. - See Herald's Florida poll: McCain 47%; Obama 45% for the complete report.
South Africa Faces Power Vacuum After ANC Forces Mbeki to Quit
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 07:01 PM - Africa
South Africa faces a power vacuum, after the ruling African National Congress forced President Thabo Mbeki to resign and his deputy said she would follow suit.
ANC leader Jacob Zuma is president-in-waiting, with the ANC having nominated him to succeed Mbeki. He can't take up the post until elections, due next year, are held because he isn't a lawmaker. A caretaker president is set to be appointed by parliament this week, with Baleka Mbete, the speaker of legislature and ANC chairwoman, the frontrunner for the post.
Zuma, 66, ousted Mbeki as party leader in December, with the support of South Africa's biggest labor unions and the Communist Party, which believe he will back their demands for increased spending on social programs. Zuma has pledged to improve the health and education systems and to do more to fight crime. He also has ruled out wholesale changes to Mbeki's economic policies.
``The critical question for the economy is whether there will be policy continuity,'' Goolam Ballim, chief economist at Standard Bank Group Ltd., Africa's biggest bank, said in an interview from Johannesburg late yesterday. ``The day-to-day governing of South Africa could enter a stage of inertia which would have an immediate impact on financial markets.' - See South Africa Faces Power Vacuum After ANC Forces Mbeki to Quit for the full report.
Blast Kills Dozens in Pakistan
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 06:35 PM - Eurasia
A massive suicide truck bomb ripped through a luxury hotel in the Pakistani capital Saturday night, killing at least 60 people and wounding more than 250 as the building was engulfed in flames, officials said.
Witnesses and officials said the bomber drove up to one side of the heavily guarded hotel and detonated more than a ton of explosives, leaving a 30-foot-deep crater.
Television footage of the Islamabad Marriott Hotel, located just blocks from major government buildings, showed smoke billowing and flames leaping from windows as bloodied survivors staggered out of the lobby.
Police said that many people had been trapped inside and that the death toll would probably rise. Officials said some of the victims were foreigners, including at least one American. Marriott said in a statement that several hotel security guards who had gone out to examine the truck were among the dead.
The bombing occurred just hours after the new president of this nation of 160 million delivered his first speech to Parliament and vowed to free Pakistan from the "shackles of terrorism." - See Blast Kills Dozens in Pakistan for the complete report and images.
Odierno Succeeds Petraeus in Iraq
Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 02:14 PM - Middle East
In an ornate palace built by Saddam Hussein, the United States military command in Iraq changed hands Tuesday from Gen. David H. Petraeus, who created the strategy known as the surge, to Gen. Ray Odierno, who oversaw its day-to-day operations across a country that has witnessed a significant drop in violence.
Attending the hour-long hand-over ceremony were Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates; Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Martin Dempsey, acting Central Command commander; and senior Iraqi government and military officials. Mr. Gates later traveled on to Kabul, Afghanistan.
In his first, brief comments as commander of the multinational forces in Iraq, General Odierno said, “We must realize that these gains are fragile and reversible, and our work here is far from done.”
Formerly the No. 2 commander, he faces the challenge of improving on the hard-earned security gains in Iraq with fewer troops, as the United States begins preparations to withdraw 8,000 troops by early next year. The overall American military presence in Iraq — 15 combat brigades and support and logistics personnel — would then number about 138,000.
General Petraeus takes over as commander of the American military’s Central Command - See Odierno Succeeds Petraeus in Iraq for the complete report.
Fed Keeps Rate at 2%, Rebuffing Call for Reduction
Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 02:10 PM - Economy - USA
The Federal Reserve left its main interest rate at 2 percent, rebuffing calls by some investors for a cut after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s bankruptcy shook markets worldwide.
``Downside risks to growth and the upside risk to inflation are both of significant concern,'' the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement in Washington. ``The committee will monitor economic and financial developments carefully and will act as needed to promote sustainable economic growth and price stability.''
Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and his colleagues noted that financial strains have ``increased significantly,'' signaling that they will continue to address the turmoil with emergency lending and aim monetary policy at a longer-term economic forecast.
Stocks initially fell after the decision, then rallied after a report that the central bank is considering a loan to American International Group Inc. That would be a shift from yesterday, when officials were inclined against providing funds.
``Tight credit conditions, the ongoing housing contraction, and some slowing in export growth are likely to weigh on economic growth over the next few quarters,'' the FOMC statement said. ``Over time, the substantial easing of monetary policy combined with ongoing measures to foster market liquidity, should help to promote moderate economic growth.'' - See Fed Keeps Rate at 2%, Rebuffing Call for Reduction for the full report.
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