Editorial: Lost leader in Afghanistan / The Guardian

Who will be the next president of Afghanistan? It is a question of intense interest to the foreigners, and especially the Americans, who have presided over the country's destiny since late 2001.
Editorial: Lost leader in Afghanistan /The Guardian
Kissinger on AfghanistanExternal


Afghanistan wants war- strategy changes
Al Jazeera English - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Secret talks with Taliban ...

US unlikely to attend 'racism' conference

UNITED NATIONS -- The Obama administration is unlikely to attend an upcoming U.N. conference on racism after U.S. diplomats tried but failed to change language offensive to Israel and other countries, a senior U.S. official said Friday.
US unlikely to attend 'racism' conference

Jewish Telegraphic Agency - The Moderate Voice -
National Review Online Blogs - Ha'aretz
US won't participate in UN racism conference, MSNBC

Experts Discuss US Options in Afghanistan, Pakistan

A panel of experts urged changes in U.S. policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. Their testimony before a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday came as the Obama administration is conducting a review of U.S. policy in the region.
Experts Discuss US Options in Afghanistan, Pakistan

McCain's dire outlook on Afghanistan
McCain Backs Obama On Afghanistan But Cautions: We Aren't Winning

Afghanistan: Accountability for civilian casualties needed before ...

Key Afghan-Pakistani talks in US -- BBC

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the three nations had a common goal, a common threat and a common task. In her statement after the meetings, Mrs Clinton said that Washington was committed to its friends.
Key Afghan-Pakistani talks in US
د واشنګټن درې اړخيزه غونډه پای ته ورسېده
مذاکرات کلیدی با شرکت افغانستان و پاکستان در واشنگتن

احتمال برگزاری انتخابات در بهار
کرزی: په راتلونکو ټول ټاکنو کې ګډون وکړئ

Bush: I Hope to Return to Afghanistan

Mrs. Bush traveled three times there, including two solo trips without the president. Previously, no first lady had ever visited Afghanistan.

Mrs. Bush traveled to Houston this week for the launch of an exhibit of recently discovered ancient artifacts on loan to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul. 1 2NEXT >
Laura Bush Has No Dining Room Table?

Hidden Treasures of Afghanistan
Exhibition Announcement
CLICK HERE for the National Geographic Society website

First Lady Laura Bush advocates for Afghan women - U.S. Embassy ...
U.S.-Afghan Women's Council

Obama Shifts Course with $3.5 Trillion Budget

President Obama's $3.5 trillion budget proposal, the largest in history, presents a dramatic break from policy and a shift in governmental priorities. The administration is attempting to redirect vast sums of money from businesses and wealthier individuals to those with lower incomes and enact ambitious and costly new programs for energy, education and health care.

NH lawmakers at odds over President's plan MSNBC
New York Times - Bloomberg - ABC News
Obama's budget is the end of an era
Taxes On Rich Would Help PayFor Health Care, NPR

Henry A. Kissinger -- A Strategy for Afghanistan

America cannot withdraw from Afghanistan now, but neither can it sustain the strategy that brought us to this point. The stakes are too high in Afghanistan and that the traditional anti-insurgency tactics are not going to be successful in the country. The country is too large, the territory too forbidding, the ethnic composition too varied, the population too heavily armed. No foreign conqueror has ever succeeded in occupying Afghanistan.
A Strategy for Afghanistan

The Washington Independent » Afghan Officials Want War Goals ...
The Washington Independent » Afghan Foreign Minister Warns United ...

Isolation shields Afghanistan from financial crisis
Isolation shields Afghanistan from financial crisis - Yahoo ...

A Strategy for Afghanistan -- Henry A. Kissinger

Henry Kissinger -- The Obama administration faces dilemmas familiar to several of its predecessors. America cannot withdraw from Afghanistan now, but neither can it sustain the strategy that brought us to this point.

The truism that the war is, in effect, a battle for the hearts and minds of the Afghan population is valid enough in concept. The low standard of living of much of the population has been exacerbated by 30 years of civil war. Reform is a moral necessity. But the time scale for reform is out of sync with the requirements of anti-guerrilla warfare. Reform will require decades; it should occur as a result of, and even side by side with, the attainment of security -- but it cannot be the precondition for it.
A Strategy for Afghanistan

THE KGB IN AFGHANISTAN: DEFECTOR'S DOCUMENTS SHED NEW LIGHT ON SOVIET WAR
CWIHP Afghanistan Collection Featured in Washington Post
The KGB in Afghanistan

Chronology of Soviets in Afghanistan
The KGB in Afghanistan

Afghanistan and Iraq - What If?

KABUL–In their quiet moments, aid workers call it “the tragedy:” the billions of dollars that never arrived here. The troops that landed somewhere else. The bright minds that turned to that other, greater subject. And, in all those events, the sad sinking of the promise that greeted the American-led victory over the Taliban in November 2001, more than seven years ago.

Afghanistan and Iraq - What If? - Baghdad Bureau Blog
With Afghan Buildup, U.S. Expands Effort Against Roadside Bombs ...

Afghan President Considers April Election -- VOA News

Afghanistan's constitution requires that the presidential election be held by April 21, one month before Mr. Karzai's five-year term expires.
US Lawmakers Stress Need for Afghanistan Strategy, Government Reforms

Former Afghan minister criticial of Karzai - 20 Feb 09
Frost over the World - Hamid Karzai - 13 Feb 09
Hamid Karzai - News, photos, topics, and quotes - Daylife

Ashraf Ghani Is Poised To Be A Leading Contender For Afghanistan's Presidency

Ashraf Ghani Is Poised To Be A Leading Contender For Afghanistan's Presidency

Ashraf Ghani Is Poised To Be A Leading Contender For Afghanistan's Presidency

US Existing Home Sales, Prices Slumped in January

Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Sales of previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly declined in January even as falling prices made them more affordable, signaling that the housing slump is further from a bottom than previously estimated.
US Existing Home Sales, Prices Slumped in January

Middle class task force meets Fri in Philadelphia

WASHINGTON (AP) — The panel, chaired by Vice President Joe Biden, will hear from experts on the potential to create these jobs and help middle-class workers find them.
Middle class task force meets Fri in Philadelphia
Obama To Nation: Don’t Mess With Biden
Washington Post

McCain calls for Afghan strategy overhaul

U.S. criticizes China, Russia in rights report

WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - In an examination of human rights in more than 190 countries during 2008, the State Department criticized many of its usual targets, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Myanmar and Zimbabwe.
China rights 'worsened', says US
Bloomberg - AFP - The Associated Press

McCain calls for Afghan strategy overhaul

Afghanistan victory unlikely, says DND manual

Afghanistan victory unlikely, says DND manual
U.S. aid effort in Afghanistan requires skills from diplomacy to ...
Growing Public Hostility to Foreign Troops May Hurt U.S. Surge ...

THE KGB IN AFGHANISTAN: DEFECTOR'S DOCUMENTS SHED NEW LIGHT ...

AFP: EU to boost civil effort in Afghanistan

BRUSSELS (AFP) — EU foreign ministers pledged Monday to boost police and civil operations in Afghanistan, but showed little enthusiasm for answering a US call to increase troop numbers.
AFP: EU to boost civil effort in Afghanistan

CQ Politics Pelosi Orders Classified Afghanistan Briefings for ...
ABC News: In the North, Afghans Fight Hunger, Not the Taliban

Japan to pay 80,000 Afghanistan police salaries

TOKYO -- Japan will pay the salaries of Afghanistan's 80,000 police officers for six months as part of its ongoing financial support for the country, a government official said Tuesday.

How to Speak Human Rights
Afghan Blast Kills 4 U.S. Soldiers
Taliban Accepts Pakistan Cease-Fire

The Man Who Shouldn't be King ...

Guantanamo memoirs prove bestsellers

US President Barack Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year has been welcomed as a positive development in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tales of 'abuse'
Remote hope

بشري حقونه: د بگرام زندانيان د دعوا حق لري
انتقاد مدافعان حقوق بشر از تصمیم آمریکا در مورد زندانیان بگرام
'زندانیان بگرام در افغانستان محاکمه می شوند'

Text Of Obama's Speech

Wall Street's allure may be gone for good

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street's fat cats are in the public's doghouse, and it could be a long time -- if ever -- before the eye-popping paychecks and glamour of the last two decades return.

Americans have long tolerated Wall Street's big bonuses, bigger egos and outsized influence because the firms and their executives at least made lots of money. Now, those days are over.
Wall Street's allure may be gone for good
U.S. home prices drop at record pace in December: S&P
U.S. home prices, German morale wilt

Republican Response To Obama Delivered By Jindal

Text Of Obama's Speech
GOP response Delivered By Jindal

Obama Pledges: 'We Will Rebuild, We Will Recover'
Interactive: Obama Tracker
Analysis Of The President's Speech

Obama Emphasizes Reform, Offers Hope Amid Economic Crisis

He pledged more honesty and transparency in the budget process, saying that "No longer will we hide" the full cost of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama vowed to "be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend" and said of detainees, "I can stand here and say without exception or equivocation that the United States does not torture."
'We Will Rebuild, We Will Recover'
President Calls for Investment, Sacrifice
VIDEO Transcript GOP Response


Pelosi Orders Classified Afghanistan Briefings for Members
اوباما در کنگره آمریکا سخنرانی کرد

Text: President Obama’s Address to Congress

Following is the prepared text of President Obama's address to the joint session of Congress tonight, as provided by the White House.

“While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken, though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this,” Mr. Obama said. “We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.”
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next Page
Prepared Text of the Speech

Reuters - Washington Post - CNN International

Obama Assures Nation: ‘We Will Rebuild’

WASHINGTON — President Obama urged the nation on Tuesday to see the economic crisis as reason to raise its ambitions, calling for expensive new efforts to address energy, health care and education programs even as he warned that more money might be needed to bail out banks.
Prepared Text of the Speech


Obama Assures Nation: ‘We Will Rebuild’
He Urges Ambitious Agenda Despite Economic Crisis

Obama: 'Day of Reckoning' for U.S. Economy

Obama: US Economy Will Recover, Emerge Stronger Than Before ABC News
Obama says US will survive 'day of reckoning'

Bernanke testimony fuels sector rally

Financials post strong gains after Fed chairman talks down nationalization
Evidence mounts that recession's worst is past
BusinessWeek - MarketWatch - The Associated Press - Bloomberg

Fed Chairman Says Recession Will Extend Through the Year

Guantanamo memoirs prove bestsellers

After being "sold" by Pakistanis, the Americans, he writes, "kicked me, punched me and stripped me. They pushed me in a helicopter with my legs and hands tightly shackled. The Americans chatted while they sat over my back, as if I was a piece of wood or stone".
Guantanamo memoirs prove bestsellers
Call to relax Guantanamo regime
Obama orders Guantanamo closure
Guantanamo agents 'used torture'

Afghans face another crisis: air pollution

KABUL (Reuters) - Severe air pollution in Afghanistan's major cities will lead to an environmental disaster unless measures are taken to avert the looming crisis, a senior official said on Sunday.
Afghans face another crisis: air pollution
Clinton to meet with Afghan/Pakistan ministers

Calcium Helps Ward Off Colon Cancer

MONDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- High dietary intake of calcium may reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer, especially for women, but has no apparent effect in reducing other malignancies, a U.S. National Cancer Institute study finds.
Calcium May Cut Cancer Risk WebMD
Calcium tied to lower cancer risk in older people

"I'll talk to Taliban" - Afghan presidential hopeful

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai lacks a coherent policy on holding peace talks with the Taliban, a former minister said on Monday, vowing to make the issue a top priority if he is elected to replace Karzai.
"I'll talk to Taliban" - Afghan presidential hopeful
NATO confident of Afghan election reinforcements
Extra US troops to be deployed fast to Afghanistan: NATO AFP
Voice of America - ABC News

Biden is blunt contrast to Obama's Mr. Smooth

"We expect you to provide independent analysis, and not engage in group-think. And we expect you to tell us the facts as you know them, wherever they may lead -- not what you think we want to hear," he told CIA employees.
Biden is blunt contrast to Obama's Mr. Smooth

Child Prostitutes Rescued By FBI, Police

Amnesty seeks embargo against Israel, Palestinians

The London-based group issued a 38-page report Sunday night that detailed "evidence of war crimes and other serious violations of international law by all parties."
Amnesty seeks embargo against Israel, Palestinians
Amnesty calls for arms embargo of Israel and Hamas Reuters UK
Amnesty International Says Israel Misused US-Supplied Weapons in Gaza

Bush Visits Dallas Hardware Store, Jokes About Applying for Job

In one of his first outings in Dallas since leaving the White House, former President Bush made a surprise appearance at a hardware store Saturday and joked, "I'm looking for a job."

The Bushes' moved into their new home Friday in a wealthy north Dallas neighborhood, one month after leaving the White House.
Bush Visits Dallas Hardware Store, Jokes About Applying for Job

Welcome to the White House

America's Top 15 Emptiest Cities

For decades, Las Vegas, ripe with new construction and economic development, burgeoned into a shimmering urban carnival. Detroit, once the fulcrum of American industry, sagged and rusted under its own weight. These days, it's the worst of times for both.
America's Top 15 Emptiest Cities

Arnold Schwarzenegger to GOP: Time to Put Aside Ideology

Karzai is US stooge says Afghan deputy president

Afghanistan's president and vice-president accused each other of being US stooges during a recent cabinet meeting which degenerated into a furious row, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.
Karzai is US stooge says Afghan deputy president - Telegraph

Russia is pulled in two directions on aiding U.S. in Afghanistan ...
U.S. acknowledges Afghan civilians' deaths in airstrike
Obama Upholds Detainee Policy in Afghanistan

Slumdog Millionaire wins eight Oscars including Best Picture

Oscars 2009: full list of winners , Oscars: 20 best and worst dresses at the Academy Awards 2009

'Slumdog' Is Best in Show, AR Rahman wins Oscars for music BBC News ‘Slumdog’ Wins Eight Oscars, Including Best Picture Bloomberg Times Online - The Associated Press - Voice of America - guardian.co.uk

Amnesty urges arms embargo on Israel

The human rights group Amnesty International called on the United States to stop weapons sales to Israel and on all countries to impose an arms embargo on both Israel and the Palestinians.

"As the major supplier of weapons to Israel, the USA has a particular obligation to stop any supply that contributes to gross violations of the laws of war and of human rights. The Obama administration should immediately suspend US military aid to Israel," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty's Middle East director.
Amnesty urges arms embargo on Israel

Amnesty urges arms embargo on Israel, Hamas AFP
Ha'aretz - Voice of America - Reuters UK - Jakarta Post

US finds 13 civilians died in Afghanistan strike

KABUL February 21, 2009, 01:27 pm ET · An operation the American military at first described as a "precision strike" instead killed 13 Afghan civilians and only three militants, the U.S. said Saturday, three days after sending a general to the site to investigate.
US finds 13 civilians died in Afghanistan strike

Obama: People Should See Tax Cut Help By April 1

So when should most people hope to start seeing the benefits of tax cuts in it?
By April 1, according to the president.
Official: Obama wants to halve budget deficit

Letters - Our Role in Afghanistan

It’s fair to ask the Obama administration as we Democrats asked President Bush at the time of the surge in Iraq:

What specifically is the goal of our intervention now in Afghanistan? What are the benchmarks by which we can measure achievement of these goals?
Letters - Our Role in Afghanistan

Editorial - Salvaging Afghanistan
Gen. McKiernan Sees Long Term for U.S. Buildup in Afghanistan ...

Hold the Eulogies, Kennedy Says

“I have lived a blessed time,” Mr. Kennedy told the audience at a special honorary degree convocation at Harvard in December. His voice started shaky, but gained strength. “Now, with you, I look forward to a new time of high aspiration for our nation and the world.”
Hold the Eulogies, Kennedy Says

US House Speaker Pelosi meets with Karzai in Kabul

Nancy Pelosi arrived in Afghanistan on Friday to meet with Afghan officials and U.S. and NATO military leaders, said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a U.S. military spokeswoman.

Pelosi, a California Democrat, also met with U.S. troops during her two-day visit.
US House Speaker Pelosi meets with Karzai in Kabul - International ...

Afghan President, Top US Lawmaker Meet in Kabul
The Associated Press: US House Speaker Pelosi meets with Karzai in ...

'No US rights' for Bagram inmates -- BBC

Detainees being held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan cannot use US courts to challenge their detention, the US says.

The move has disappointed human rights lawyers who had hoped the Obama administration would take a different line to that of George W Bush.
'No US rights' for Bagram inmates

USA: Obama administration must take new approach on Bagram detentions
Obama: No rights for Bagram prisoners - White House- msnbc.com

FACTBOX: Clinton's track record on China human rights

(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a long-time critic of China's human rights record, made clear on Saturday that working with Beijing to promote economic recovery was Washington's top priority.
Clinton says appreciates China confidence in US debt
Clinton in China Pushes Environment, Finance Reuters -
Bloomberg - Deutsche Welle - Economy tops Clinton's China agenda

USA: Obama administration must take new approach on Bagram detentions

Amnesty International is urging President Barack Obama and his administration to continue its break from the USA's unlawful detention policies of recent years by ensuring that detainees held in the US airbase in Bagram in Afghanistan have access to the US courts to challenge their detentions.
USA: Obama administration must take new approach on Bagram detentions
'No US rights' for Bagram inmates -- BBC

Closing jail in Bagram is a puzzle for Obama - International ...
EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Afghanistan: Some in Kabul Say What's ...

Buchanan: The long retreat

America had best brace herself for difficult days ahead. For stepping back from the dreary prognosis for Afghanistan, a new reality becomes clear. The long retreat has begun.

More US Troops Going to Afghanistan as Obama Considers Next Steps
Three-Pronged Bet on 'AFPAK' MSNBC CNN International - Inter Press Service - Bloomberg

US Lawmakers Clash Over Nationalizing Banks to Stem Declines

Obama warns mayors on waste of stimulus money

"We cannot tolerate business as usual - not in Washington, not in our state capitals, not in America's cities and towns," Obama continued. "If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will not hesitate to call them out on it and put a stop to it. And I want everybody here to be on notice that if a local government does the same, I will call them out on it and use the full power of my office and our administration to stop it."
Obama warns mayors on waste of stimulus money
Obama to Watch Cities' Stimulus Spending
CNN - MSNBC

What the Obama housing plan will and won't do

Bill Clinton: Obama Should Sound More Hopeful

Former President Bill Clinton gives President Barack Obama an "A" grade for his first month in office, but tells ABC News that Obama needs to put on a more positive face when speaking to the American people about the economy and must keep pressure on Republicans who try to obstruct his plans.
Nationalization Fuels Fear on Wall Street

GLOBAL MARKETS-Global stocks slump on bank fears; gold jumps

GLOBAL MARKETS-Global stocks slump on bank fears; gold jumps

Increasing Afghan challenges for Nato -- BBC

Nato defence ministers meeting amid the glacial beauty of Krakow skated their way over many of the difficulties surrounding the alliance's mission in Afghanistan.
Afghan challenges
Nato members offer Afghan support

آمریکا خواستار افزایش نیروهای ناتو در افغانستان شد
دافغان کډوالو ژوند داندېښنې وړ دی

برف در افغانستان جان پانزده نفر را گرفت
'پیشنهادهای پشت پرده ایران به غرب'

MarketWatch -- White House supports private bank system

Nationalization fears slam banks
S&P 500 dividends tumble
Blue-chip stocks hit multi-year lows
Gold vaults to $1,000

White House supports private bank system

World, Identity Crisis Permeates Turkish Society

Morning Edition, February 20, 2009 · That critical question of Islam versus the secular West colors just about every debate in Turkey.

"There is a new elite emerging in Turkey. They are conservative, they are Muslims, and they want to have a role in the political life in this country and the business life in this country," Congar says. "And I welcomed that. We were a segregated society."
Identity Crisis Permeates Turkish Society

Clinton's Brand Of Diplomacy On Display In Asia

World, High-Rolling Dubai Economy Comes Down To Earth

All Things Considered, February 20, 2009 · Consumer and investor confidence are dropping worldwide, even in the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
High-Rolling Dubai Economy Comes Down To Earth

Stimulus Efforts Aren't Stirring World Markets

World markets are capping a spiraling week with a fresh round of losses Friday, providing further signs they were shrugging off government spending efforts and focusing instead on the worldwide recession.
As Schemes Sink, Money ScammersGo On The Lam
High-Rolling Dubai EconomyComes Down To Earth

NEWSMAKER-Netanyahu handed reins of a jittery Israel

JERUSALEM, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Bibi's back

The U.S.-educated son of an noted Zionist historian, Netanyahu, 59, cast his comeback as vindication of the Likud's long view -- that ceding occupied Arab land unilaterally had backfired by encouraging Islamist foes of the Jewish state.
New York Times - Reuters - Times Online - TIME

Netanyahu asked to form Israel's next government

U.S. secures Afghan supply route

DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will allow the transit by land of non-military NATO cargo to Afghanistan, a U.S. commander said on Friday, as Washington seeks alternative supply routes for its troops there.
U.S. secures Afghan supply route
U.S. expects allies' commitment for Afghanistan: Gates

Newsweek: Pakistan, Afghanistan, U.S. to talk

The veteran diplomat convenes a 'trilateral meeting' between Pakistan, Afghanistan and America.
Newsweek: Pakistan, Afghanistan, U.S. to talk
Clinton to the world: I'm listening

Iran Has More Enriched Uranium Than Thought
Netanyahu Gains in Bid to Be Israeli Premier

Afghanistan Will Remain A "Graveyard For Foreigners"

This report was filed by CBS News' Peshawar-based reporter Sami Yousafzai and edited by Tucker Reals in London.
Afghanistan Will Remain A "Graveyard For Foreigners"

PM, Obama talk trade, Afghanistan, pledge 'clean energy dialogue'

PM, Obama talk trade, Afghanistan, pledge 'clean energy dialogue'

Gates: U.S. Still Mulling Missile Shield

Euro Heads for Biggest Weekly Fall in One Month Against Dollar

Euro Heads for Biggest Weekly Fall in One Month Against Dollar
US Dollar Advances Against European Majors

Panetta Sworn in As New CIA Director

"We have to be honest with presidents, we have to be honest with each other and, most importantly, we have to be honest with the people we serve," Panetta said at a public swearing-in ceremony at CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia.
Panetta Sworn in As New CIA Director
Biden Says Bush Gave Al Qaeda Recruiting Tool, NYTimes
FOXNews - AFP - Boston Globe - ABC News

U.S. to Host Afghan, Pakistani Foreign Ministers

Nato 'can't allow Afghan failure'

Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has said that failure in Afghanistan is "not an option" but he ruled out a military solution alone.
Nato 'can't allow Afghan failure'


آمریکا خواستار افزایش نیروهای ناتو در افغانستان شد
عفو بین الملل خواستار کمک به بیجاشدگان افغان شد

Afghan Government Rejects Vice President's Interim Government Idea

KABUL -- The Afghan government said the idea of installing an interim government until the August presidential election would be unconstitutional, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reports.

Presidential spokesman Humayun Hamidzada said that the suggestion, which was made by Afghan Vice President Ahmad Zia Mas'ud, would be unlawful.
Afghan Government Rejects Vice President's Interim Government Idea ...

Buildup In Afghanistan Carries Weight - (CBS)

Southern California home prices fall to 2002 levels

January median sales price falls 40% from a year earlier, to $250,000. But lower prices are luring buyers; record January sales are reported in Fontana, Palmdale, Chula Vista, Oxnard and elsewhere.
Southern California home prices fall to 2002 levels
San Francisco Home Sales Top Last Year
Foreclosures drive home sales; median at 9-year low, SFC
Press-Enterprise - San Jose Mercury News, LA Observed

Budget Clears Legislature in California After Scathing Battle
California Lawmakers Pass Long Awaited Budget Plan

'Sustained' Push Seen in Afghanistan

The United States will have to keep about 60,000 troops in Afghanistan for at least the next three to four years to combat an increasingly violent insurgency, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said yesterday, warning that 2009 will be "a tough year."
U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Says Troop Level of 60,000 Will Be Needed for 3 to 4 Years:

Kyrgyz parliament approves US base closure

NATO Commander Praises Troop Increase for Afghanistan -- JOHN D. MCKINNON

Will Obama convince allies to help out in Afghanistan?
lWall Street Journal - CNN - The Associated Press

Karzai Faces Life - and Elections - without American Friends

In a telephone conversation with Kabul on Sept. 17, 2008, then-US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- at the time, the world's most powerful woman -- coolly leveled a stinging accusation at Karzai: "If you continue to criticize America, we will no longer cooperate with you." Karzai's response was proud and defiant: "I will not be silent, and I will not stop promoting the interests of my people and their children."

"These Americans do not understand that, although we are their friends, we are not their servants. They want to treat us like colonized generals. They don't understand that we are a proud nation. I would rather die honorably than be their powerless vassal." It was a turning point in the relationship between the protective power and its protégé.
Karzai Faces Life - and Elections - without American Friends


Afghanistan's Perilous Roads: Allies Struggle to Find Safer Supply Routes
Essay by Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder: The Way Forward in Afghanistan
SPIEGEL 360: Our Complete Afghanistan Coverage

Clinton avoids singling out Muslims

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Visiting the country with the world's largest Muslim population Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Obama administration's outreach to Muslims is only part of a broader engagement with "the entire world" and not "singling out" a specific group.
Clinton Arrives in Indonesia New York Times Reuters UK -
Christian Science Monitor - Voice of America - Aljazeera.net

Obama faces uphill struggle in Afghanistan
US troop buildup in Afghanistan could be a defining moment
Reuters - guardian.co.uk - Bloomberg

U.S. To Push NATO To Focus On Afghanistan

(AP) European countries are expected to come under increased U.S. pressure to send troops to Afghanistan at high-level NATO talks which open here Thursday after Washington announced it would send an extra 17,000 soldiers there.

Report: New Afghanistan Strategy Urgent

Obama Unveils $75B Mortgage Relief Plan

Initiative Aims To Help Borrowers Refinance And Prevent Millions Of Americans From Losing Their Homes
Obama Unveils $75B Mortgage Relief Plan

Obama Sets$75 Billion Plan To Stem Foreclosures, NPR
Economic Crisis Poses Threat To Global Stability


Madoff II? CEO Accused of $8B Scam Gone

Karzai expects reduced tensions with U.S.

MAHTER LAM, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Karzai said U.S. and NATO forces had agreed to improve the coordination of their operations with Afghan authorities to avoid civilian casualties.
Karzai expects reduced tensions with U.S.
Afghanistan hails 'new US ties'
When Hamid Karzai Speaks, Fareed Zakaria Listens
More troops no solution to Afghanistan problem: Karzai



عملیات تخریب کارخانه های مواد مخدر در هلمند
احمد ولی کرزی: مدیران نیویورک تایمز را به دادگاه می کشانم

Stanford depositors swarm banks

(Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Stanford of operating a fraud centered on the sale of certificates of deposit from his Antiguan affiliate, Stanford International Bank Ltd (SIB).

The scheme has drawn comparisons with the alleged $50 billion fraud by Wall Street veteran Bernard Madoff.

Notable financial scams of recent years
Why did the SEC fail to spot the Madoff case?

US official: Madoff, Stanford likely largest frauds
Stanford had been on SEC's radar for some time

US tycoon charged over $8bn fraud
FACTBOX: Allen Stanford's financial empire

Obama Plans $75 Billion Outlay to Fight Foreclosures

Seeking to stabilize the foundering housing market, President Obama on Wednesday laid out a plan to help as many as nine million families refinance their mortgages or avoid foreclosure.
White House Fact Sheet on Housing Plan (pdf)
Text: President Obama’s Remarks on Housing Plan

Obama speech on home mortgage crisis

"Today, as a result of declining home values, millions of families are "underwater," which means they owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. These families are unable to sell their homes, and unable to refinance them. So in the event of a job loss or another emergency, their options are limited.
Obama speech on home mortgage crisis
Obama unveils plan for troubled housing market
Obama to Unveil Foreclosure Prevention Program
Obama Plans $75 Billion Outlay to Fight Foreclosures
The Associated Press

Stimulus bill includes tax breaks for individuals and businesses

Obama Signs Stimulus Bill

President Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus package into law on Tuesday, setting in motion a wave of spending and tax cuts intended to lift the country out of a 14-month recession.
Obama Signs Stimulus Bill
Time To Declare Some Banks Dead?
Obama To Send 17,000 More Troops To Afghanistan

A Terrain's Tragic Shift

Researcher's Death Intensifies Scrutiny Of U.S. Cultural Program in Afghanistan
U.S. Cultural Program in Afghanistan Under Scrutiny
Troops for Afghanistan Approved

Afghan Civilian Deaths Rose 40 Percent in 2008

The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan leapt by nearly 40 percent last year, according to a survey released Tuesday by the United Nations, the latest measure of how the intensifying violence between the Taliban and American-led forces is ravaging that country.
Afghan Civilian Deaths Rose 40 Percent in 2008

Obama’s War on Terror May Resemble Bush’s in Some Areas
Putting Stamp on Afghan War, Obama Will Send 17,000 Troops

Discussion about Afghanistan -- Charlie Rose

Discussion about Afghanistan with Milt Bearden, Dexter Filkins, Craig Mullaney and Martha Raddatz
Discussion about Afghanistan

More Troops Headed to Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai was informed of the new deployments in a telephone call from Obama yesterday.

Yesterday's U.N. report, along with a separate report on Afghanistan by the independent Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC), noted that rising civilian casualties are the source of deep resentment among the Afghan public.
Obama Boosting US Force by Nearly 50% to Address 'Deteriorating ...
Obama Says Afghan War ‘Winnable,’ Will Send 17000 New Soldiers
Voice of America - Newsweek - AFP

Afghanistan through Soviet eyes -- BBC

It is 20 years since the Soviet army pulled out of Afghanistan after 10 years of war.
In pictures
Russia's Afghan veterans

Kabul 20 years after the Soviets

Obama's new Afghan strategy -- BBC

They plan to present what the White House are calling "achievable goals" and a "comprehensive strategy" for their approach to Afghanistan.
طرح افزایش شدید شمار نیروهای آمریکایی در افغانستان
بارک اوباما افغانستان ته زرگونه سرتېري استوي

اوباما له کرزي سره ټيليفوني خبرې وکړې
نشریات کابل: مخالفت ضیا مسعود و کرزی

Lincoln wins: Honest Abe tops new presidential survey

"It's fitting that for the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln that he remains at the top of these presidential rankings," Brinkley said. Founding father George Washington finished second in the new survey, followed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman, in that order.

Lincoln wins: Honest Abe tops new presidential survey - CNN.com

UN: Afghan civilian deaths rose 40 percent in 2008

KABUL -- The number of Afghan civilians killed in armed conflict rose 40 percent last year to a record 2,118 people, the U.N. said in a new report Tuesday.
UN: Afghan civilian deaths rose 40 percent in 2008

Obama decision on Afghan troops levels coming soon
Bottom-up approach needed in Afghanistan: report Reuters

US to include Afghans in review

Afghanistan will send a team to the US to take part in a major policy review of the region, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced.

According to UN figures 1,800 civilians died in the conflict between January to October last year.
US to include Afghans in review

امريکا دافغان حکومت وړانديزونه ومنل
'باراک اوباما از دولت کرزی حمایت می کند'
نشریات کابل: گفتگوی هولبروک با کرزی
چه پیشنهادی برای بهبود امنیت افغانستان دارید؟

G-7 Stresses Unity, Rejects Protectionism

Finance ministers of the group of seven industrialized powers have agreed to avoid resorting to protectionism as they try to pull their economies out of the global economic crisis.
G-7 Stresses Unity, Rejects Protectionism

Afghanistan's Karzai hits out at U.S. critics

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai lashed out at mounting U.S. criticism on Sunday, saying he expected "better judgment" from the Obama administration.
Afghanistan's Karzai hits out at US critics
Afghanistan's Karzai hits out at U.S. critics - Boston.com
CNN.com - Transcripts
Hamid Karzai, wsj

Afghan court upholds sentences in Quran trial

KABUL (AP) — An appeals court in Afghanistan upheld 20-year prison sentences for two men who published a translation of the Quran that drove religious leaders to call for their execution.
Afghan court upholds sentences in Quran trial

Afghan court upholds sentences in Quran trial - International ...
ABC News: Afghan Court Upholds Sentences in Quran Trial

بیست سال زندان برای متهمان پرونده 'قرآن پاک'
اعتراض دو نهاد بین المللی به دستگاه قضایی افغانستان

Report: New Afghanistan Strategy Urgent

(AP) "All is not lost in Afghanistan," RAND Corp. experts said in a paper being released Tuesday by the congressionally funded United States Institute of Peace. "But urgent measures - what might be called 'game-changing steps' - are now needed to stem an increasingly violent insurgency,"
Back In D.C., Obama's Afghan Plan Looms
Afghanistan To Join U.S. Strategic Review
Afghanistan To Join U.S. Strategic Review
U.S. Lost Track Of Guns In Afghanistan

Report: Urgent new strategy needed for Afghan war - International ...
Oxfam Says New US Strategy Needed in Afghanistan CommonDreams.org

White House: Obama's decision on additional troops to Afghanistan looms

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- President Barack Obama will soon announce his decision on the deployment of more U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the White House said Monday.
White House: Obama's decision on additional troops to Afghanistan ...
Obama Decision on Afghan Troop Level Coming Soon Voice of America
Winston-Salem Journal - The Associated Press - Washington Times

Russians Mark Anniversary Of Afghan War's End

تجلیل از خروج شوروی ها نگرانی از حضور آمریکا و ناتو

This Week at War, No. 6 -- Foreign Policy

Earlier in the week, General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. Central Command and Holbrooke's partner, spoke at the annual Munich Security Conference. He titled his speech, "The Future of the Alliance and the Mission in Afghanistan."

This Week at War, No. 6
General Petraeus's Afghan shopping list

The FP Interview:
Gen. David Petraeus

Mullen: US has to gain Afghan citizens' trust

WASHINGTON -- As the Obama administration considers a troop buildup in Afghanistan, the top American military officer says the war will be lost if the U.S. can't find a way to protect the Afghan people and gain their trust.

Mullen also said that U.S. forces have to gain the trust of the people in Afghanistan. The insurgency won't ever end if U.S. forces accidentally kill civilians in the country or give people reasons to think badly of the United States, according to Mullen's column posted on The Washington Post's Web site Saturday and set to be published Sunday.
Mullen: US has to gain Afghan citizens' trust
Poll of Afghans Shows Drop In Support for U.S. Mission

Our Man in Kabul
Going the Distance: The war in Afghanistan isn't doomed. We just need...
Not Even the Afghans Know How to Fix It

Zakaria: Afghanistan not a quagmire...yet

Zakaria: Afghanistan not a quagmire...yet - CNN.com
CNN Zakaria: Afghanistan not a quagmire...yet
Zakaria: How to Salvage Afghanistan Newsweek International ...

Al Jazeera English - Interview: Hamid Karzai

I have to campaign for an end to civilian casualties and for an end to the arrest of Afghans because we are a sovereign country, the Afghan people expect their government to protect them and to stand for them.

On civilian casualties let me say one thing more, Sir David, families here are like families all over the world. Our children are also as precious to us as children in any other country.

But at the same time Afghan children were dying in bombardments - babies, children. So I guess our American friends must understand that we have emotions too, we have sentiments, we get hurt and we have to defend when we feel we are right to defend ourselves.
Al Jazeera English - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Interview: Hamid Karzai

News results for Interview: Hamid Karzai

US envoy meets Afghan president

In an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite channel Thursday, Karzai admitted to a "crisis" between Washington and Kabul which included concern over civilian casualties in international operations and nighttime raids on homes.
US envoy meets Afghan president amid tensions
Reuters India - Aljazeera.net - AFP - New York Times

Mullen: US has to gain Afghan citizens' trust

Economy, House Approves $787 Billion Stimulus Bill

The House approved President Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan on Friday, paving the way for a Senate vote later in the day.
House Approves $787 Billion Stimulus Bill

Economy, Global Economic Crisis Is Threat To U.S. Security

The official threat assessment this year was delivered by Dennis Blair, President Obama's new director of national intelligence.

The report warned the economic crisis could also hurt the U.S. standing, with more countries ready to challenge U.S. leadership.
Global Economic Crisis Is Threat To U.S. Security

برف سنگین و گرسنگی در افغانستان

The Senate discovers women -- Nicholas Kristof

The Senate discovers women - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Columnist - Terrorism That’s Personal - NYTimes.com
Hillary Clinton on women in foreign policy

House passes President Barack Obama's stimulus bill

The House passed the $787 billion economic recovery stimulus bill Friday afternoon, sending the legislation to the Senate for final approval - and giving President Obama a major victory.
House passes President Barack Obama's stimulus bill
House OKs Obama's stimulus bill without GOP help
Reuters - Los Angeles Times

Last Russian general warns US on Afghanistan

"Afghanistan taught us an invaluable lesson ... It has been and always will be impossible to solve political problems using force," said Gromov, the last soldier to leave Afghanistan two days after the Kabul pullout.
Last Russian general warns US on Afghanistan
Last Russian general warns US on Afghanistan - International ...

New U.S. envoy in Afghanistan to talk security Reuters
ABC News: New U.S. Envoy in Afghanistan to Assess Security

Karzai: U.S. troops can't leave Afghanistan soon

(CNN) -- President Hamid Karzai said that with a resurgent Taliban, a still-flourishing drug trade and a border with Pakistan believed to be home base for al Qaeda, Afghanistan can't afford for U.S. troops to leave any time soon.

"It's the question of civilian causalities. It's a question of risk of Afghans. It's the question of home searches," he said. -- "We'll continue to be a friend. We'll continue to be an ally. But Afghanistan deserves respect and a better treatment."
Karzai: U.S. troops can't leave Afghanistan soon - CNN.com
Obama team works to define U.S. strategy in Afghanistan

Panic in Kabul
Afghanistan: US Investigation of Airstrike Deaths ‘Deeply Flawed’
Letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on US Airstrikes in Azizabad, Afghanistan

America and Afghanistan, Changing the guard in Kabul?

America is debating whether to stick by Hamid Karzai. The stakes are high
America mulls its Afghan options Changing the guard in Kabul ...

Administration Weighs Plan That Would Subsidize Lenders Who Cut Interest Rate on Mortgages

The Obama administration is considering a proposal to help distressed homeowners by subsidizing lenders who cut the interest rate on mortgages, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
White House Weighs Plan That Would Subsidize Lenders Who Cut ...

Billions in tax cuts for families and businesses
CNNMoney.com

Official: Afghanistan, Pakistan losing ground

WASHINGTON -- The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan are losing ground to insurgents and terrorists but the most immediate threat to U.S. security interests is the festering global economic crisis, the nation's top intelligence official told Congress on Thursday.

Official: Afghanistan, Pakistan losing ground
Pentagon investigators head to Afghanistan
Lost U.S. Weapons May Be Going to Taliban, GAO Says
Troops throng Afghan capital as US envoy arrives

U.S. raises hackles with Karzai, looks for change

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Like a shaky marriage after seven years, Washington's love affair with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai is on the rocks.
U.S. raises hackles with Karzai, looks for change U.S. Reuters
ANALYSIS-U.S. raises hackles with Karzai, looks for change Reuters

New U.S.-Afghan tension is evident
کرزی: در کشتی دوستانه با غرب پیروز خواهیم شد
کرزی خواستار تغییر استراتژی آمریکا علیه تروریسم شد

په کابل کې خونړي ځانمرګي بريدونه وشول
'تلفات پلیس و غیرنظامیان' در خشونتهای افغانستان
حملات مرگبار به سه ساختمان دولتی در کابل

U.S. intelligence chief issues a bleak outlook on Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: The new director of national intelligence warned Thursday that Afghanistan's weak and corrupt government is failing to halt the spread of Taliban control and said that public support for the Taliban and local warlords was increasing.
U.S. intelligence chief issues a bleak outlook on Afghanistan
Twitter / News Ticker: US intelligence chief issu ...
U.S. intelligence chief warns Taliban gaining under weak Karzai ...

Obama’s Special Envoy Arrives in Afghanistan

Thousands of US weapons astray in Afghanistan: auditors
Auditors: Thousands Of US Weapons Astray In Afghanistan
Thousands of US weapons astray in Afghanistan: auditors
Obama's special envoy arrives in Afghanistan - International ...

Obama's envoy lands in a Kabul shaken by Taliban assault

KABUL: A U.S. Embassy spokesman confirmed Richard Holbrooke's arrival late in the day, but declined to give further details about his location or the schedule for his multi-day visit.
Taliban Strikes Kabul Ahead Of Holbrooke's Visit
Afghanistan News, Headlines and Latest Stories on Yahoo! News

Obama weighs adding troops in Afghanistan

Afghan national drink, tea, good at all hours

Tea is Afghanistan's unofficial national drink. It is offered to guests within moments of arrival for an official meeting or a social get-together. To not offer a glass is a social affront and is meant to make a point by an unhappy or unwilling host. More typically, silver trays filled with short glasses of tea are brought out to greet friends.
Afghan national drink, tea, good at all hours - International ...