 தொழுதுவிட்டு சலாம் சொல்வதற்கும் டெலிபோன்மணி ஒலிப்பதற்கும் சரியாக இருந்தது. எடுத்துப்பேசிய ஜீனத்பாத்திமாவின் முகம் தாமரையாக மலர்ந்தது. மனைவியின் முகமலர்ச்சிக்கு காரணம் புரிந்தது ஜாபர்அலிக்கு. "என்ன பாத்திமா, ஷாகிராவிடமிருந்து செய்தி வந்திருக்கா? என்ன சொல்றா உன் மக?" "அனைத்திற்கும் ஆண்டவன் போதுமானவன்!" ஆக்கம்: ஆர். நூர்ஜஹான் ரஹீம் (கல்லை) |
Saturday, May 23, 2009
திருந்தினால் திரை விலகும்...!
"அன்னை" என்பவள் நீதானா!
 நெடுங்காலம் குழந்தையின்றி நீள்விழி நீர்சுமந்து,நெஞ்சமெலாம் கனத்திடவும் நெருடல் அணைத்திடவும், நிம்மதி இறந்திடவும் நினைவாற்றல் பறந்திடவும், நேசித்த அனைவருமே நித்தம்வசை பாடிடவும், நிற்கதியாய் தவிக்கவிட்டு நின் சொந்தம் விலகிடவும், |
Obama should force Israel to act
For decades, the chasm between words and deeds has been the root cause of the continued nonexistence of a Palestinian state and the Israelis’ ability to treat international views on the matter with contempt. There have been floods of fine words about Palestinian rights and Israeli abuses but nothing has ever been done and the words have remained only that — words without action. And it seems to be happening yet again. In Monday’s meeting in Washington between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, promoted beforehand by American officials as a watershed in U.S.-Israeli relations, there were fine words from the president about the need for a two-state solution and Israel’s obligation to stop Jewish settlement in the West Bank, but Netanyahu ran rings around him. There was no acceptance by the Israeli leader of a Palestinian state, nothing about settlements; Netanyahu simply stalled, spinning empty words about being willing to live “side by side” with the Palestinians, knowing perfectly well that could mean anything (he would like it to mean all the Palestinians forced into Jordan, living “side by side” with the Jordanians). Most of the time, he threw spanners into the works with his instance that peace talks be linked to Iran’s nuclear program but that before they can take place, the Palestinians first must recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. The demand used to be that Israel’s right to exist be recognized — which the Palestinian Authority has done. Now it is Israel’s right “as a Jewish state.” What next? That the Palestinians accept Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state where Jewish dietary laws are strictly enforced on everyone there or where the call to prayer and church bells are banned? Why not? Anything to delay, anything to humiliate. As for linking the Palestinian issue to Iran’s nuclear plans, this may well be the most outrageous case imaginable of moving the goal posts. Iran is not Palestine. Iran and Palestine are entirely different issues. Netanyahu might just as well demand that Palestine be linked to resolving the problems of Kashmir or Tibet. He is quite capable of doing even that — and pretending to be serious at the same time. The meeting is all the more exasperating given the positive spin on it last week by the Americans with the implication that Netanyahu was going to be told in no uncertain terms what he had to do. It was not progress; it was stalemate — and Obama is in part responsible. He has raised expectations of a breakthrough in the Middle East. He has to deliver. If he does not, there will be a dangerous tidal wave of Arab and Muslim anger. Signs of it are already visible in the response by Hamas who accuse him of deliberately trying to mislead international public opinion about his intentions toward the Israelis and Palestinians. Next week, it is the turn of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and then Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to meet Obama. After his exchange with Netanyahu, he is going to have his work cut out convincing them that change will happen. Reiterating his support for a two-state solution will not be enough. He will have to tell them how he is going to make it work. He has the power to force the Israelis to action. But does he have the will to wield that power? That is the question. |
In Lebanon, U.S. hinges aid on elections outcome
The White House will decide on an aid package to Lebanon based on the outcome of the country's June general elections, US Vice President Joe Biden says. Biden, who is visiting Lebanon ahead of the crucial vote, said Friday that the results of the elections would affect the Obama administration's plan to provide aid to Lebanon. "The US will evaluate the shape of its assistance program based on the composition of the new government and the policies it is advocating," Biden was quoted by AFP as telling reporters after a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman. "I did not come here to back any institution or political party," the US vice president said. He, however, warned the Lebanese people against supporting "the spoilers of peace" -- an allusion to the popular Hezbollah movement. "I urge those who think about standing with the spoilers of peace not to miss this opportunity to walk away," Biden said. Hezbollah has termed Biden's trip as a sign of US meddling in the country's internal affairs. "We call on all Lebanese, regardless of their political views, to rise up against such meddling which represents a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty," a Hezbollah parliamentarian, Hassan Fadlallah, told AFP. The Western-backed March 14 political camp has to face the pro-resistance bloc led by Hezbollah in the June 7 elections. |
Israeli forces enter Gaza, kill two people
Israeli troops have once again entered the Gaza Strip, shooting dead two Palestinians north of the Kerem Shalom crossing. While the Israeli military has confirmed that its forces were the ones that advanced on the men and killed them Friday, in its statement it claimed that the Palestinians had plans to plant bombs. An army force "crossed the fence and fired at the gunmen, who also began firing. During the exchange of fire, the gunmen were killed, and on their bodies the forces uncovered an explosive device, two AK-47 rifles, hand grenades and military vests," the Israeli statement said. Gaza is ruled by the Hamas movement, the democratically-elected government of the Palestinian people. Hamas rule, however, has been confined to the Gaza Strip in recent years. The intrusion into Gaza comes just days after Israel launched air strikes and injured 5 Palestinians in the impoverished ghetto. Israel also carried out a major military operation against the Gazan population during the three weeks that followed December 27, allegedly to halt retaliatory rocket-fire from the blockaded strip. The assault claimed the lives of 1,330 Palestinians and left 5,450 others wounded -- a large number of them women and children. Israel has been hitting targets in the Palestinian territory on a regular basis despite a ceasefire following the Israeli operation. While Israeli targets range from farmers and regular civilians to Hamas fighters, almost all those killed in Israeli operations are claimed by Tel Aviv to have hostile intentions. Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip have promised to end the rocket attacks into Israel should Tel Aviv stop its military operations against the Palestinians and lift the blockade on the strip. |
Syria: Israel's Iranophobia plot to sow discord
The Syrian Foreign Minister urges certain Arab countries not to be deceived by Israeli media hype which tries to spread Iranophobia in the Middle East. “Iran, as a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), has stood behind Arabs and supported our demands,” Walid al-Muallim told Syrian TV ahead of an OIC ministerial meeting in Damascus. With the main goal of diverting international attention from a peace settlement with the Palestinians, Israeli officials have strived to disseminate the idea of a so-called “Iranian threat” throughout the Arab world. Syria's top diplomat said Israel is doing its best to put Arabs against Iran and spread “Iranophobia” in the region adding that Tel Aviv is attempting to create divisions between Arabs and Iran to “weaken our stances in acquiring our rights.” Muallim called on Arabs not to forget that “the main enemy of Arabs is the Zionist regime.” He also blamed those who pursue a policy to sow the seeds of discord among regional countries. Iran relations with some Arab governments including Egypt and Saudi Arabia became tense after Tehran criticized their silence and lack of action against Israel's military onslaught against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which left nearly 1,400 dead, most of them civilians. Relations soured even more when Egyptian and Saudi leaders accused Iran of trying to take control over the Middle East. With a watchful eye on Israeli efforts to drive a wedge between Arabs and Iranians, Tehran says it does not constitute a threat to the Middle East. In mid-May Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that Tehran is not looking for a fight with Arab countries. “We have always supported and respected Arab countries,” said Larijani. “We believe regional countries should set aside their differences and join forces to ensure Middle East's security.” Larijani rejected recent claims suggesting Iran is trying to dominate the entire region as “absurd” and asserted that the country seeks nothing except cordial relations with its neighboring states. The Speaker warned that Israel aims to turn Arab states against the Islamic Republic to advance its own political agenda in the region. |
Deadly car bomb in Pakistan city
The aftermath of the bomb blast in Peshawar A car bomb has killed at least six people and injured about 70 in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, police say. The explosion happened outside a cinema in a busy marketplace, senior police official Abdul Ghafoor Afridi said. Buildings were severely damaged, and cars destroyed in the blast. The attack came on the day the UN appealed for $543m in aid to help more than 1.6 million people displaced by fighting in north-west Pakistan. No group has said it carried out the Peshawar attack. The cinema, Tasvir Mahal, is located in a densely populated area and the street is usually crowded. Its facade was severely damaged. The blast happened while a film was being shown, but it was unclear if members of the audience were injured. Loud blast Surrounding restaurants and shops were also damaged.
Residents said the blast was very loud and heard in many parts of Peshawar, AFP news agency reported. A similar blast six days ago outside an internet cafe in Peshawar killed 11 people. The capital of North-West Frontier Province, Peshawar has become the front line city in the so-called "war on terror" in Pakistan. Bombings and suicide attacks coupled with kidnap for ransom have become commonplace. Pakistan's army began an offensive on 2 May against the Taliban after a peace deal broke down and militants began expanding their area of influence. Tens of thousands of people are being housed in camps south of the main fighting zone in the Swat valley. Martin Mogwanja, acting UN humanitarian coordinator, said: "The scale of this displacement is extraordinary in terms of size and speed and has caused incredible suffering. "We are calling for generous support from the international community." The UN said the $543m (£342m) was needed to help fund about 165 projects it had drawn up to help between 1.6 million and 1.7 million displaced people. | |
Israel admits Tube advert map 'mistake'
Israel's tourist ministry has admitted to a "mistake" over adverts on the London Underground after complaints that they "wipe Palestine off the map". The ads include a map which campaigners say shows the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip - as well as Syria's Golan Heights - as integral parts of Israel. The ministry said that in general, maps should not be used on billboards. But it denied a Transport for London statement that it had asked for the offending posters to be removed. Transport for London said it has received about 600 complaints about the poster, while the Advertising Standards Authority said it had had 300. Hugh Lanning of the London-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign said the adverts were a "disingenuous attempt to remove the Palestinians from the public mind, and create a false impression about what constitutes Israel". The posters were "selling a lie" by suggesting tourists could visit Gaza when the Hamas-run strip is subject to a strict Israeli blockade under which even some doctors and humanitarian workers have been denied entry, PSC said. The map shows Israel, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights in the same striking yellow colour; the faintest of white lines mark out the Palestinian territories - though not the Syrian one which Israel annexed in 1981. Insufficient vetting Israel occupied the three Arab territories, including East Jerusalem, during the 1967 war. It has since cemented its hold by settling hundreds of thousands of its citizens there. Oren Drori, Head of Marketing Administration for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, described the adverts as a "professional mistake" with no geopolitical intentions. He said he did not think maps should be used on billboards to advertise tourism in any country and the adverts had not been sufficiently vetted. "We are not tearing anything down," he said. But the ministry had decided to "fast-forward" to the next set of posters scheduled in the campaign, after learning that there was "a bit of a harsh response" to the map advert, he said. No more map adverts would be posted, he said, and existing ones would be removed as they reached the end of their scheduled display times over the next two weeks, he said. The Syrian Embassy in London, which had lodged its own protest, described the advert as "offensive". US President Barack Obama is trying to kick-start talks to reach an negotiated agreement creating a state of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza, although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not signed up to the idea. The fate of the Golan Heights is key to any peace negotiations between Israel and Syria. | ||
US credit card firms clamp down
President Barack Obama has signed into law extensive new restrictions on the ability of US credit card companies to charge fees or raise interest rates. "With this bill we are putting in place some common sense reforms designed to protect consumers," he said. The bill is designed to protect credit card users from unexpected fees or increases to their interest rates. Some of the major US banks have warned the changes may reduce the amount of credit available to some card holders. They say this is because the new rules will make it more difficult for them to set rates based on the risk customers pose. Americans currently owe nearly $1 trillion (£630bn) on their credit cards. "This cements a victory for every American consumer who has ever suffered at the hands of the credit card industry," said Senator Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate banking committee. The US government has been concerned to tighten its regulation of the banking system in the light of the credit crunch and banking crisis. Big changes The new law, described as a credit card holder "Bill of Rights", is the first of a series of law changes designed to help stave off further financial crises. Among the main provisions of the new law are ones that: • stop arbitrary interest rate increases and "universal default" on existing balances. In universal default, a lender can change a cardholder's account to costly "default" terms from normal terms when the lender learns the cardholder missed a payment on an account with another lender, even if the cardholder has not defaulted with the first lender • stop card issuers from raising rates for a cardholder in the first year after an account is opened, and require that promotional rates must last at least six months • stop issuers from charging fees for spending beyond their limits, unless the cardholder chooses to allow the issuer to process the excess spending, and restrict any "over-limit" fees • require penalty fees to be reasonable and proportional to the cardholder's omission or violation • require that cardholders be told how long it would take, and the interest cost involved, in paying off a card balance if they make only the minimum monthly payments • require that cardholders must get 45 days' notice of interest rate, fee and finance charge increases Backing off One important exception to the new restrictions on rate changes are people who are one month or more behind with their repayments. US borrowers in this position will continue to run the risk that their card issuer can decide they are now a bad risk and levy a higher interest rate. "We will watch to see how the situation in the US develops," said Sandra Quinn of the UK card association Apacs. "Many of the new US policies already exist in the UK under the Banking Code and have done for four years," she said. In March, the UK government said it would bring in legislation to stop card firms from raising the credit limit of customers who had not asked for it. It also wants to ban firms from sending out unsolicited credit card cheques to their customers. In December, the credit card industry gave in to government pressure and agreed a new set of "fair principles" which would see card companies backing off from raising interest rates when customers fall into arrears on their payments. "We continue to talk regularly to consumer groups and the credit card industry and these discussions, along with proposals to provide further help to people in difficulty with their finances, will be reflected in the forthcoming Consumer White Paper," said the Consumer Affairs Minister, Gareth Thomas. | |
Obama's animal farm
"The Deltas are psychos. You have to be a certified psychopath to join the Delta Force", a U.S. Army colonel from Fort Bragg once told me back in the 1980's. Now President Obama has elevated the most notorious of the psychopaths, General Stanley McChrystal, to head the U.S. and NATO military command in Afghanistan. McChrystal's rise to leadership is marked by his central role in directing special operations teams engaged in extrajudicial assassinations, systematic torture, bombing of civilian communities and search and destroy missions. He is the very embodiment of the brutality and gore that accompanies military-driven empire building. Between September 2003 and August 2008, McChrystal directed the Pentagon's Joint Special Operations (JSO) Command which operates special teams in overseas assassinations. The point of the 'Special Operations' teams (SOT) is that they do not distinguish between civilian and military oppositions, between activists and their sympathizers and the armed resistance. The SOT specialize in establishing death squads and recruiting and training paramilitary forces to terrorize communities, neighborhoods and social movements opposing US client regimes. The SOT's 'counter-terrorism' is terrorism in reverse, focusing on socio-political groups between U.S. proxies and the armed resistance. McChrystal's SOT targeted local and national insurgent leaders in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan through commando raids and air strikes. During the last 5 years of the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld period the SOT were deeply implicated in the torture of political prisoners and suspects. McChrystal was a special favorite of Rumsfeld and Cheney because he was in charge of the 'direct action' forces of the 'Special Missions Units. 'Direct Action' operative are the death-squads and torturers and their only engagement with the local population is to terrorize, and not to propagandize. They engage in 'propaganda of the dead', assassinating local leaders to 'teach' the locals to obey and submit to the occupation. Obama's appointment of McChrystal as head reflects a grave new military escalation of his Afghanistan war in the face of the advance of the resistance throughout the country. The deteriorating position of the U.S. is manifest in the tightening circle around all the roads leading in and out of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul as well as the expansion of Taliban control and influence throughout the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Obama's inability to recruit new NATO reinforcements means that the White House's only chance to advance its military driven empire is to escalate the number of U.S. troops and to increase the kill ratio among any and all suspected civilians in territories controlled by the Afghan armed resistance. The White House and the Pentagon claim that the appointment of McChrystal was due to the 'complexities' of the situation on the ground and the need for a 'change in strategy'. 'Complexity' is a euphemism for the increased mass opposition to the U.S., complicating traditional carpet 'bombing and military sweep' operations. The new strategy practiced by McChrystal involves large scale, long term 'special operations' to devastate and kill the local social networks and community leaders, which provide the support system for the armed resistance. Obama's decision to prevent the release of scores of photographs documenting the torture of prisoners by U.S. troops and 'interrogators' (especially under command of the 'Special Forces'), is directly related to his appointment of McChrystal whose 'SOT' forces were highly implicated in widespread torture in Iraq. Equally important, under McChrystal's command the DELTA, SEAL and Special Operations Teams will have a bigger role in the new 'counter-insurgency strategy'. Obama's claim that the publication of these photographs will adversely affect the 'troops' has a particular meaning: The graphic exposure of McChrystal's modus operendi for the past 5 years under President Bush will undermine his effectiveness in carrying out the same operations under Obama. Obama's decision to re-start the secret 'military tribunals' of foreign political prisoners, held at the Guantanamo prison camp, is not merely a replay of the Bush-Cheney policies, which Obama had condemned and vowed to eliminate during his presidential campaign, but part of his larger policy of militarization and coincides with his approval of the major secret police surveillance operations conducted against U.S. citizens. Putting McChrystal in charge of the expanded Afghanistan-Pakistan military operations means putting a notorious practitioner of military terrorism ¬ the torture and assassination of opponents to U.S. policy ¬ at the center of U.S. foreign policy. Obama's quantitative and qualitative expansion of the U.S. war in South Asia means massive numbers of refugees fleeing the destruction of their farms, homes and villages; tens of thousands of civilian deaths, and eradication of entire communities. All of this will be committed by the Obama Administraton in the quest to 'empty the lake (displace entire populations) to catch the fish (armed insurgents and activists)'. Obama's restoration of all of the most notorious Bush Era policies and the appointment of Bush's most brutal commander is based on his total embrace of the ideology of military-driven empire building. Once one believes (as Obama does) that U.S. power and expansion are based on military conquests and counter-insurgency, all other ideological, diplomatic, moral and economic considerations will be subordinated to militarism. By focusing all resources on successful military conquest, scant attention is paid to the costs borne by the people targeted for conquest or to the U.S. treasury and domestic American economy. This has been clear from the start: In the midst of a major recession/depression with millions of Americans losing their employment and homes, President Obama increased the military budget by 4% - taking it beyond $800 billion dollars. Obama's embrace of militarism is obvious from his decision to expand the Afghan war despite NATO's refusal to commit any more combat troops. It is obvious in his appointment of the most hard-line and notorious Special Forces General from the Bush-Cheney era to head the military command in subduing Afghanistan and the frontier areas of Pakistan. It is just as George Orwell described in Animal Farm: The Democratic Pigs are now pursuing the same brutal, military policies of their predecessors, the Republican Porkers, only now it is in the name of the people and peace. Orwell might paraphrase the policy of President Barack Obama, as 'Bigger and bloodier wars equal peace and justice'. |
Ex-S Korea leader 'kills himself'
The former president of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, who had been under investigation for alleged corruption, has apparently committed suicide. A spokesman said Mr Roh, 62, appeared to have jumped into a ravine while mountain climbing near his home and had left a brief suicide note. Last month, Mr Roh apologised over allegations his family took $6m in bribes during his 2003-2008 term. He never admitted wrongdoing, but said he was sorry for disappointing people. 'Deeply sad event' In a statement read live on national radio and television, Mr Roh's former chief of staff, Moon Jae-in, said the former president had left a suicide note. "Former President Roh left his house at 0545 (2045 GMT on Friday) and while hiking on the Bonghwa Mountain, appears to have jumped off a rock at around 0640," he said. "He left a short suicide note addressed to his family members." In the message, Mr Roh described his life as "difficult" and apologised for making "too many people suffer", according to South Korean media. "Don't be too sad. Isn't life and death all part of nature? Don't be sorry," the official news agency, Yonhap, quoted the note as saying. "Please cremate me. And please leave a small tombstone near home. I've long thought about that." Police said the former president had fallen 20-30m (65-100ft) down a mountain near his hometown of Gimhae and had been transported to Busan National University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 0830 local time (2330 GMT). Hospital officials later said he had died from massive head injuries. The apparent suicide - believed to be the first by a modern South Korean leader - has shocked the nation. "This is a truly unbelievable, lamentable and deeply sad event," President Lee Myung-bak, Mr Roh's successor, said in a statement.
Mr Lee, who was told of the death while holding talks with Czech President Vaclav Klaus, told ministers to prepare Mr Roh's funeral with "respect and in line with the protocol for a former president". Mr Roh's predecessor, Kim Dae-Jung, said he had lost his "life-long companion, with whom I took part in struggles for democracy and shared 10 years of a democratic government". "Allegations concerning his family members have been leaked to the press every day," Mr Kim said. "He was probably unable to bear the pressure and tensions any longer. My heart goes out to his family." On the streets of Seoul there were mixed reactions to the news. "I'm heartbroken. I can't imagine how much pain he was in," Park Kyung-hee said. "I think death was the best choice for him so that those close to him didn't have to suffer." Jang Soo-Dong, an engineer, said the media, "and prosecutors and others who fed them with unconfirmed allegations" should be held partly responsible. But businessman Park Hae-Heon said Mr Roh should have "resorted to the legal system to prove what was right and wrong". Bribery allegations A human rights lawyer, Mr Roh took office in 2003 vowing to fight corruption, but correspondents say his term was a rollercoaster ride, with his Uri party hit by scandal and infighting. He was suspended early in 2004, after parliament voted to impeach him over a breach of election rules, but the Constitutional Court later overturned the move and he was reinstated. Last month, Mr Roh was questioned over allegations that he had taken more than $6m in bribes from a wealthy shoe manufacturer, Park Yeon-cha, who was indicted in December on separate bribery and tax evasion charges. The former president later apologised for the scandal. "I feel ashamed before my fellow citizens. I am sorry for disappointing you," he said in a televised statement on 30 April. Mr Roh admitted his wife had received $1m from Mr Park. However, he said it was a payment to help her settle a debt, and not a bribe. He also said he was aware that the businessman had given another $5m to a relative, but that he thought it was an investment. After Mr Roh's death was announced on Saturday, Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han said the corruption case against him would be formally closed. However, he did not say whether the former president's family would continue to be investigated. | ||
