„Există puţine îndoieli că Afganistanul reprezintă în prezent cea mai mare provocare militară pentru noi” (Robert Gates, 27 ianuarie 2009) Dan Dungaciu d.dungaciu@gmail.com   Toată lumea a aşteptat cu înfrigurare semnele pe care America le va trimite lumii după învestirea noului preşedinte. Au început să apară. Nu sunt surprize mari, …

UNITED NATIONS  – Israel must investigate allegations that its army violated international law during its three-week war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, the new U.S. envoy to the United Nations said on Thursday. “We expect Israel will meet its international obligations to investigate and we also call upon …

BAGHDAD  – Gunmen killed three candidates on Thursday in separate incidents two days before provincial elections in Iraq, police said. Police said all three were from the Sunni Arab minority. Hazem Salem Ahmed, a candidate from the National Unity List, was shot outside his home in Mosul, the volatile capital …

WASHINGTON  – Defense Secretary Robert Gates will give President Barack Obama his formal recommendation on new U.S. troop deployments to Afghanistan within days, the Pentagon said on Thursday. “I would think in the coming days the secretary hopes to be able to present the president with his recommendation,” said Pentagon …

ST PETERSBURG, Russia – Three activists stormed an office of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s political party in St Petersburg on Thursday to accuse him of ignoring the plight of ordinary people in the economic slowdown. Two members of the banned National Bolshevik Party handcuffed themselves to a radiator while …

LAHORE, Pakistan  – Pakistani police said on Thursday they had arrested three suspected Indian agents planning to attack prominent people and installations, including offices of a militant group blamed for November’s attacks in Mumbai. The men, all Pakistani, were arrested on Thursday in a village close to the Indian border …

WASHINGTON  – Sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan enjoys broad U.S. political support, from President Barack Obama on down, but some analysts — both in and outside government — are not convinced by the plans. They question whether extra soldiers and Marines will be able to stabilize the country and …

RAMALLAH, West Bank  – U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell called on Thursday for an opening of trade crossings into the Gaza Strip with the involvement of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Following talks in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is at odds with Gaza’s ruling Islamist movement Hamas, …

GAZA  – Whole streets lie in ruins, many thousands of Palestinians are homeless after weeks of Israeli bombing and foreign aid cash is piling up. As a builder in the Gaza Strip, this should be Anwar al-Sahabani’s big moment. Instead, though, he sits at home, angry and sad, not just …

MOSCOW  – Russia may base warplanes in Georgia’s rebel Abkhazia region in support of a naval base soon to be constructed there, Interfax news agency quoted a Russian official as saying on Thursday. NATO countries expressed concern on Wednesday at reports on Interfax quoting unnamned military sources that Russia planned …