Pakistan’s president relinquished command of its nuclear arsenal to the prime minister, a political ally, and signaled he was ready to shed more power as he faces growing pressure to resign.
The move came as an amnesty protecting President Asif Ali Zardari and thousands of others from graft charges expired Saturday, risking political turmoil that could distract the U.S.-allied nation from its fight against the Taliban and other militants near the Afghan border.
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Archive for November, 2009
Pakistani president turns over nuclear authority
Sunday, November 29th, 2009Should U.S. Recognize results of Honduras Election?
Sunday, November 29th, 2009A new Politics/Elections poll has been created.
The United States risks souring relations with much of Latin America if it recognizes upcoming elections in Honduras. Should it?
U.S. risks isolation over Honduras election: Brazil
Sunday, November 29th, 2009The United States risks souring relations with much of Latin America if it recognizes upcoming elections in Honduras, the foreign policy adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in an interview on Wednesday.
Honduras will on November 29 hold elections which de facto leader Roberto Micheletti hopes will end a political crisis that began when soldiers exiled leftist President Manuel Zelaya in June.
Washington — which condemned the coup — has not announced an official position on the election but has suggested it will support the outcome by saying recognition of the presidential election was not contingent on Zelaya’s reinstatement.
NYC mayor spent a record $102M to win a 3rd term
Saturday, November 28th, 2009U.S. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent at least $102 million to narrowly win a third term, breaking his previous records for the most expensive self-financed political bid in U.S. history, according to a report released Friday by his campaign.
The report shows $18.6 million was spent from Oct. 20 through Thursday, including millions on last-minute television advertising.
Bloomberg, the wealthiest man in New York, has a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine to be $17.5 billion. He did not take donations and was allowed by law to spend whatever he wanted as long as he filed expense reports. Read More…
U.S. Voter Anger Is Building Over Deficits
Saturday, November 28th, 2009After engineering an unprecedented spending surge for nearly a year, President Barack Obama now wants to signal that he takes deficits seriously. So this week the White House announced that it is considering creating a commission to figure how to fix the budget mess…
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Muslims Mark Eid al-Adha Festival on 4th Day of Hajj
Saturday, November 28th, 2009Muslims around the world are celebrating the festival of Eid al-Adha, including more than two million pilgrims taking part in annual Hajj rituals in Saudi Arabia.
Pilgrims in the Saudi holy city of Mecca threw stones at three pillars representing Satan, a ritual that began Friday and continues until Sunday. No major incidents were reported Friday, the third day of the pilgrimage.
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IRS says Schwarzenegger owes $79,000
Saturday, November 28th, 2009As if a projected $20.7 billion state budget deficit wasn’t bad enough, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has another financial headache to deal with: clearing up paperwork related to his 2004 and 2005 federal taxes.
The tangle involves a lien of $79,064 placed on Schwarzenegger’s property by the Internal Revenue Service. The lien was filed in May in Los Angeles County, where the governor and his family live, and surfaced Friday morning on a celebrity Web site, tmz.com.
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Pakistan president loses amnesty for corruption charges
Saturday, November 28th, 2009An amnesty protecting Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari from corruption charges expired on Saturday and threatened to cast the nation into political crisis.
The National Reconciliation Ordinance, an amnesty passed in October 2007 under then-President Pervez Musharraf, protected more than 8,000 bureaucrats and politicians, including Zardari and his wife, late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
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Obama, Iran and the nuclear patience marathon
Saturday, November 28th, 2009Amid Iran’s refusal to succumb to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors resolution, which calls on the Tehran government to suspend the construction of its second enrichment facility in Fordo, the United States says the international community’s patience is ‘running out.’ Read More…
Commonwealth backs $10 billion climate adaptation fund
Saturday, November 28th, 2009Commonwealth leaders will lobby for an international climate deal that includes $10 billion for next year to help poor and vulnerable states fight the effects of global warming, the Maldives president said on Saturday… Read more…
