Four men accused of plotting to bomb New York synagogues and fire missiles at aircraft have been described as "extremely violent men" by prosecutors.
Charged with weapons and conspiracy charges at their first court appearance, they were detained until 5 June for a preliminary hearing.
They were arrested after planting what they allegedly thought were bombs at two synagogues.
Prosecutor Eric Snyder said they were "eager to bring death to Jews".
'Best target'
James Cromitie (also known as Abdul Rahman), David Williams (aka Daoud and DL), and Onta Williams (aka Hamza) appeared together in shackles at court in White Plains, New York.
Mr Snyder said Mr Cromitie had "complained" that the "best target" - the World Trade Center destroyed on September 11, 2001 - had already been targeted.
The fourth man, Laguerre Payen (aka Amin and Almondo), appeared later in court, with a bandage on his head.
Mr Payen's lawyer Marilyn Reader said he had been injured during his arrest.
She also said he suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and could not read or write in English.
He is a Haitian citizen, and the other three are Americans.
Before the court hearing, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, visiting one of the synagogues, said all four "wanted to commit jihad".
The men had allegedly agreed to buy explosives from FBI agents posing as Islamic militants.
The four are charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the US and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, officials said.
The charges carry jail terms of between 25 years and life imprisonment.
A senior FBI official in New York said three were US citizens and one was from Haiti.
BBC defence and security correspondent Rob Watson says the case appears to be a classic sting operation against suspected home-grown militants rather than a plot with any links to known international terrorism.
'No risk'
Speaking outside the Riverdale Temple, one of the intended targets, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the work of New York's police and the FBI.
The alleged plot served as a reminder to New Yorkers to remain vigilant "at all times", the mayor said.
"The bottom line is that we have to be constantly vigilant and we have to constantly be sure that we have the best police department in the world, that they are well led and well trained."
Mr Kelly, the police commissioner, stressed that the arrests were the result of a lengthy operation and that despite the serious nature of the charges, no-one was ever actually put at risk.
According to prosecutors, the men planned to detonate cars packed with C-4 plastic explosives outside the Riverdale Temple and the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx district of the city.
They also intended to target military planes at the New York Air National Guard base at Stewart Airport, 60 miles (85 km) north of New York City.
See a map of alleged targets
In their efforts to obtain weapons for the attack, the men dealt with an informant from the FBI, who is said to have provided the group "with an inactive missile and inert explosives."
"This was a very tightly-controlled operation but these individuals did place bombs - or what they thought were bombs - right in front of the building in which we are standing and the temple a few blocks away," Mr Kelly said.
'Sought weapons'
Outlining the charges on Wednesday night, law enforcement officials said the group set up what they believed to be 30lbs (14kg) of explosives.
According to prosecutors, Mr Cromitie told an FBI informant in June 2008 that he was angry over the US-led war in Afghanistan
He "expressed an interest in 'doing something to America"'.
From October 2008, the informant began meeting him regularly along with the four others at a house in which the FBI had concealed video and audio equipment.
The group allegedly "expressed desire" to attack targets in New York and Mr Cromitie "asked the informant to supply surface-to-air guided missiles and explosives", prosecutors say.
In April 2009, the group agreed on the synagogues they intended to attack and proceeded to conduct surveillance, including taking photographs of the warplanes at the military base, prosecutors say.
Mr Cromitie allegedly pointed out Jews in the street, saying "if he had a gun, he would shoot each one in the head", according to the district attorney's statement.
According to the statement, he told the informant that attacking the Jewish community centre would be a "piece of cake".
He also said he would be interested in joining Jaish-e-Mohammed - a Pakistan-based group considered a terrorist organisation by Washington - "to do jihad".
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Obama vow on Guantanamo inmates
The US will find a way to cope securely with dangerous detainees at Guantanamo Bay, President Barack Obama has said.
He described Guantanamo as a "misguided experiment", but conceded some of those held still posed a threat to the US.
Some could be jailed in mainland US prisons, Mr Obama suggested, under a new legal framework for detainees that would see the camp close by early 2010.
Congress has rejected Mr Obama's move to fund the closure of Guantanamo, amid concern over moving inmates to the US.
Speaking afterwards, former Vice-President Dick Cheney strongly defended Bush-era security strategies.
He recalled the experience of being in a White House bunker during the 9/11 attacks and said this shaped the way he viewed his responsibilities.
And he defended the "enhanced interrogation" authorised by the Bush administration to extract information from terror suspects as "legal, essential, justified and successful".
Transfer concern
Mr Obama's speech on Guantanamo was made against a backdrop of rising concern in the US Congress at the president's plan to close the camp by January 2010.
Speaking at the US National Archives, where the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights are kept, the president regularly spoke of the need to respect the rule of law, at one point calling the US "a nation of laws".
Mr Obama said the administration was reviewing every one of the 240 detainees still held at Guantanamo and considering what to do with them.
Where feasible, some would be tried in US civilian courts, he said; those who violated the laws of war would need to face a military commission; some had been ordered released by the courts; others could be safely transferred to another country.
The most tricky category, Mr Obama said, would be those detainees who could not be prosecuted but who posed a "clear danger to the American people".
Some detainees had received explosives training, or pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda, or made it clear, the president said, that they still wanted to kill Americans.
'No dangerous releases'
Telling his audience that he would not endanger American lives, Mr Obama said that nevertheless a new policy for this group, based in law, would need to be drawn up.
"We must have clear, defensible and lawful standards for those who fall into this category," he said.
"We must have fair procedures so that we don't make mistakes. We must have a thorough process of periodic review, so that any prolonged detention is carefully evaluated and justified
He praised the US network of maximum-security jails, from which no prisoner has ever escaped.
"We are treating these cases with the care and attention that the law requires and our security demands," he stressed, describing the Bush-era approach as "poorly-planned, [and] haphazard".
The existence of the prison camp itself, Mr Obama said, probably "created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained".
He conceded that following through on his pledge to close Guantanamo would be "difficult and complex", but insisted it was possible.
As president, I refuse to allow this problem to fester. Our security interests won't permit it. Our courts won't allow it."
Twice during the speech he directly promised not to release potentially dangerous people onto the streets of the US.
"We are not going to release anyone if it would endanger our national security, nor will we release detainees within the United States who endanger the American people," he said.
Cheney riposte
Mr Obama's keynote speech was followed by remarks of a very different tone by Mr Cheney.
Dick Cheney said the Bush-era decisions had saved US lives
Mr Cheney, who has emerged as a strong critic of the Obama White House, addressed a Washington think-tank to lay out the "strategic thinking" behind the Bush administration's actions.
He began by saying that Mr Obama deserved cross-party support for wise decisions, but added that: "When he mischaracterises the decisions we made, he deserves an answer."
Mr Cheney recalled the dangerous hours on 11 September 2001 as he was shepherded to a White House bunker as hijacked airliners hit New York and the Pentagon.
He said the experience deeply affected him, and said the Bush administration's policies were dedicated to making sure no attacks of that kind could ever happen again.
Mr Cheney dismissed the "theory" that the use of waterboarding on terror suspects acted as a recruitment tool for those intent on attacking the US.
And he criticised attempts to change Bush-era terminology: even if the phrase "enemy combatants" was not used, Mr Cheney said, "the same assortment of killers and would-be mass murderers are still there".
"Finding some less judgemental or more pleasant-sounding name doesn't change what they are or what they would do."
US MEDIA REACT TO OBAMA'S SPEECH
Obama's speech this morning, like most Obama speeches, made pretty points in rhetorically effective ways about the Constitution, our values, transparency, oversight, the state secrets privilege, and the rule of law. But his actions, in many critical cases, have repeatedly run afoul of those words.
Glenn Greenwald, of Salon.com, sees a gap between rhetoric and reality in the president's speech.
Obama's is the speech of a young senator who was once a part-time law professor - platitudinous and preachy, vague and pseudo-thoughtful in an abstract kind of way... he's more comfortable as a debater, not as someone who takes responsibility for decisions.
Bill Kristol, writing in the Weekly Standard, preferred Dick Cheney's speech.
This speech, to my mind, was a conservative one by a conservative president who seeks first and foremost to use existing institutions to address the new challenges of the moment, and then seeks pragmatic compromises, always open to future checks and balances, in those places where such institutions clearly need reform and adjustment.
Atlantic Monthly's Andrew Sullivan had his faith in the president reaffirmed.
Obama found himself in a real jam about Guantanamo. He and the rest of the Left had made a bogey of it... Well, Obama wins the election, and he finds that Guantanamo does the job... But he is stuck with his original language and assertions. What to do? You can't admit error; you can't cut the Bush administration any slack. So you cover Guantanamo with a fog of words... I think that is what Obama has done in this speech.
Jay Nordlinger, in the National Review, thinks the president has been forced to face facts.
It's not an argument that can be boiled down to a bumper-sticker slogan, but it's not so complicated, either, and I think it's an effective rejoinder to his critics. He's basically saying, Look, we've got to do something so if you don't like my idea, come up with a better one. But we can't keep doing the same thing. It effectively puts the ball back in his critics' court.
He described Guantanamo as a "misguided experiment", but conceded some of those held still posed a threat to the US.
Some could be jailed in mainland US prisons, Mr Obama suggested, under a new legal framework for detainees that would see the camp close by early 2010.
Congress has rejected Mr Obama's move to fund the closure of Guantanamo, amid concern over moving inmates to the US.
Speaking afterwards, former Vice-President Dick Cheney strongly defended Bush-era security strategies.
He recalled the experience of being in a White House bunker during the 9/11 attacks and said this shaped the way he viewed his responsibilities.
And he defended the "enhanced interrogation" authorised by the Bush administration to extract information from terror suspects as "legal, essential, justified and successful".
Transfer concern
Mr Obama's speech on Guantanamo was made against a backdrop of rising concern in the US Congress at the president's plan to close the camp by January 2010.
Speaking at the US National Archives, where the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights are kept, the president regularly spoke of the need to respect the rule of law, at one point calling the US "a nation of laws".
Mr Obama said the administration was reviewing every one of the 240 detainees still held at Guantanamo and considering what to do with them.
Where feasible, some would be tried in US civilian courts, he said; those who violated the laws of war would need to face a military commission; some had been ordered released by the courts; others could be safely transferred to another country.
The most tricky category, Mr Obama said, would be those detainees who could not be prosecuted but who posed a "clear danger to the American people".
Some detainees had received explosives training, or pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda, or made it clear, the president said, that they still wanted to kill Americans.
'No dangerous releases'
Telling his audience that he would not endanger American lives, Mr Obama said that nevertheless a new policy for this group, based in law, would need to be drawn up.
"We must have clear, defensible and lawful standards for those who fall into this category," he said.
"We must have fair procedures so that we don't make mistakes. We must have a thorough process of periodic review, so that any prolonged detention is carefully evaluated and justified
He praised the US network of maximum-security jails, from which no prisoner has ever escaped.
"We are treating these cases with the care and attention that the law requires and our security demands," he stressed, describing the Bush-era approach as "poorly-planned, [and] haphazard".
The existence of the prison camp itself, Mr Obama said, probably "created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained".
He conceded that following through on his pledge to close Guantanamo would be "difficult and complex", but insisted it was possible.
As president, I refuse to allow this problem to fester. Our security interests won't permit it. Our courts won't allow it."
Twice during the speech he directly promised not to release potentially dangerous people onto the streets of the US.
"We are not going to release anyone if it would endanger our national security, nor will we release detainees within the United States who endanger the American people," he said.
Cheney riposte
Mr Obama's keynote speech was followed by remarks of a very different tone by Mr Cheney.
Dick Cheney said the Bush-era decisions had saved US lives
Mr Cheney, who has emerged as a strong critic of the Obama White House, addressed a Washington think-tank to lay out the "strategic thinking" behind the Bush administration's actions.
He began by saying that Mr Obama deserved cross-party support for wise decisions, but added that: "When he mischaracterises the decisions we made, he deserves an answer."
Mr Cheney recalled the dangerous hours on 11 September 2001 as he was shepherded to a White House bunker as hijacked airliners hit New York and the Pentagon.
He said the experience deeply affected him, and said the Bush administration's policies were dedicated to making sure no attacks of that kind could ever happen again.
Mr Cheney dismissed the "theory" that the use of waterboarding on terror suspects acted as a recruitment tool for those intent on attacking the US.
And he criticised attempts to change Bush-era terminology: even if the phrase "enemy combatants" was not used, Mr Cheney said, "the same assortment of killers and would-be mass murderers are still there".
"Finding some less judgemental or more pleasant-sounding name doesn't change what they are or what they would do."
US MEDIA REACT TO OBAMA'S SPEECH
Obama's speech this morning, like most Obama speeches, made pretty points in rhetorically effective ways about the Constitution, our values, transparency, oversight, the state secrets privilege, and the rule of law. But his actions, in many critical cases, have repeatedly run afoul of those words.
Glenn Greenwald, of Salon.com, sees a gap between rhetoric and reality in the president's speech.
Obama's is the speech of a young senator who was once a part-time law professor - platitudinous and preachy, vague and pseudo-thoughtful in an abstract kind of way... he's more comfortable as a debater, not as someone who takes responsibility for decisions.
Bill Kristol, writing in the Weekly Standard, preferred Dick Cheney's speech.
This speech, to my mind, was a conservative one by a conservative president who seeks first and foremost to use existing institutions to address the new challenges of the moment, and then seeks pragmatic compromises, always open to future checks and balances, in those places where such institutions clearly need reform and adjustment.
Atlantic Monthly's Andrew Sullivan had his faith in the president reaffirmed.
Obama found himself in a real jam about Guantanamo. He and the rest of the Left had made a bogey of it... Well, Obama wins the election, and he finds that Guantanamo does the job... But he is stuck with his original language and assertions. What to do? You can't admit error; you can't cut the Bush administration any slack. So you cover Guantanamo with a fog of words... I think that is what Obama has done in this speech.
Jay Nordlinger, in the National Review, thinks the president has been forced to face facts.
It's not an argument that can be boiled down to a bumper-sticker slogan, but it's not so complicated, either, and I think it's an effective rejoinder to his critics. He's basically saying, Look, we've got to do something so if you don't like my idea, come up with a better one. But we can't keep doing the same thing. It effectively puts the ball back in his critics' court.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Silent observer at UPA meet, Rahul opens up at tea party
Formally taking centre stage in Congress politics, general secretary Rahul Gandhi attended a meeting of the United Progressive Alliance coordination committee for the first time on Wednesday.
He later invited about two dozen young MPs for a tête-à-tête over tea at his residence.
The 39-year-old who addressed 120 meetings through the campaign has emerged as the face of the Congress’s success in the general election.
The Congress won 75 of the 120 seats where Gandhi campaigned.
Eight of the 10 candidates from the student and youth wings of the party won, many from difficult seats — such as Meenakshi Natarjan in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh.
With his participation in the coordination panel, Gandhi has been formally enlisted among the party’s key
strategists.
He did not speak at the UPA meeting, but interacted with the young MPs for over two hours. “He has had no opportunity to interact with some of the newly elected MPs,” said a party source. “He wanted to chat with them.”
Jyotiraditya Scindia, Manish Tiwari, Sachin Pilot, Sandeep Dikshit, Jitin Prasada, Jitendra Singh and Ashok Tanwar were among the MPs present.
He later invited about two dozen young MPs for a tête-à-tête over tea at his residence.
The 39-year-old who addressed 120 meetings through the campaign has emerged as the face of the Congress’s success in the general election.
The Congress won 75 of the 120 seats where Gandhi campaigned.
Eight of the 10 candidates from the student and youth wings of the party won, many from difficult seats — such as Meenakshi Natarjan in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh.
With his participation in the coordination panel, Gandhi has been formally enlisted among the party’s key
strategists.
He did not speak at the UPA meeting, but interacted with the young MPs for over two hours. “He has had no opportunity to interact with some of the newly elected MPs,” said a party source. “He wanted to chat with them.”
Jyotiraditya Scindia, Manish Tiwari, Sachin Pilot, Sandeep Dikshit, Jitin Prasada, Jitendra Singh and Ashok Tanwar were among the MPs present.
India Can Now Play A Bigger Part In International Events
The stunning election victory of the UPA now gives Dr Manmohan Singh's government a second chance to establish priorities, in foreign policy no less than in other spheres. It is notable that foreign policy did not become an election issue. Despite attempts to elevate the India-US nuclear deal to the status of a decisive issue, this particular subject seemed to fade away even before the campaign got into full swing. Similarly, calls for tougher handling of the issue of terrorism did not much resonate with the electors. Even the escalating Tamil casualties in the final assault by Sri Lanka on the LTTE did not become an issue affecting the vote.
In foreign policy as much as in other realms, the election result has been seen as a vote for continuity and stability. No basic re-orientation has been demanded or promised. Moreover, the strengthening of the Congress party in Parliament means that internal pressures within the ruling coalition, as became evident at crucial times during the last government, can no longer threaten to force the issue and unbalance decision- making.
Continuity is the watchword and we can legitimately expect to see foreign policy continue along its established path. This should not imply that there is no need for change or for fresh initiatives. Indeed, it should be possible as the government heads into its second term to pick up a number of threads from its previous initiatives and re-state essential goals, presenting a coherent picture of where the government aims to go over the next five years.
First 100 days
There are reports that a programme for the first 100 days is being shaped in the PM's Office, presumably along the lines of what is seen in the USA, to try to ensure that the newly installed government gets off to a flying start. Though dealings with foreign countries cannot readily be fitted into a domestic timetable, it is possible that this 100-day programme may outline some of the priority areas in external policy: an initial agenda, as it were.
Regarding the substance of the matter, it is evident that India's main problems in its external relations lie close to home. Surveying the neighbourhood in almost every direction, there are problems to be discerned. This is nothing new and differences of one sort or another with neighbours are more or less taken for granted. But India has advanced greatly: it has always loomed over its South Asian neighbours and with the rapid progress recorded over the last several years it has pulled further ahead. For it to remain entangled in regional, sometimes even parochial, issues is hardly in keeping with the country's wider interests and associations. Maybe it is now an opportune moment for another attempt to transform the neighbourhood from one of niggling contentiousness to one of genuine cooperation.
The most practical and well-received Indian move in this direction was that of then Prime Minister I.K. Gujral whose 'Gujral Doctrine' remains a signpost for South Asia. The essence of this doctrine was that India undertook to meet its smaller neighbours more than halfway and not demand strict reciprocity in its dealings with them. This brought real expectation to the region and led to some enduring agreements that helped resolve long-standing bilateral problems. Mr. Gujral did not remain in office long enough for the full impact of his doctrine to take effect. It could be time now for a fresh all-encompassing initiative by New Delhi that places India's relations with the surrounding countries on a healthier and more cooperative basis.
In its first term, the UPA did much to move in this direction. It helped achieve a democratic solution to the Maoist insurgency in Nepal and tried to moderate the closing phase of the military destruction of the LTTE. Most important, as confirmed by the Prime Minister during the campaign, back channel talks with Pakistan brought the two sides within reach of agreement on issues that have bedeviled their relationship since they first emerged as independent nations. Thus it is possible to aspire to a South Asia free of major bilateral conflict, joined in a Virtuous Circle of mutual support and cooperation. Such an ambition would be a worthy goal for the government in its second coming.
On the wider stage, India's regional and international role needs closer explication. Much has been said ~ almost too much ~ about the implications of the India-US nuclear deal. Even though the criticism that the deal tends to make us subservient to today's sole super power is wide off the mark; with the nuclear deal India has entered a new strategic era whose implications are as yet somewhat unclear. The strengthening link with the USA comes at a time when that country has become more active than ever in South Asia. The 'Afpak' strategy makes demands on the region as a whole, not on the two principals alone. The USA has been careful until now to disclaim any direct attempt to bring India into the fold of its new policy but things might change, especially if confronting the Taliban insurgency proves more difficult and more prolonged than presently anticipated.
Indian Ocean
There are also other areas of activity where a different form of collaboration has emerged, notably in the affairs of the Indian Ocean. Here, too, the purpose and the limits of Indian strategy are not too clear. Now that India is on a crest, its democratic credentials yet again on display and several years of economic success behind it, its external associations are bound to become ever more elaborate and extensive.
To give an idea of where we are headed and what shape our future global strategy might take is a task that devolves on the country's leadership. A vision for the future commensurate with the country's changing needs and capacities is required. Nor can we ignore major issues where India's role has been under question and policy adjustments may be necessary ~ such as environment and climate change, WTO, security and counter-terrorism, among others.
One matter that is likely to loom large in the near future is that of nuclear disarmament. This is something on which we occupied the moral high ground for decades. Even now, it is India that can claim to have placed the most comprehensive and closely reasoned plan before the international community. As priorities have shifted and the older nuclear powers have started to revive global disarmament concepts, a fresh opportunity has arisen for India to take its proper place within the debate.
In the wake of the election and the clear verdict it has provided, India is in a position to play a bigger part in international events. Indeed, its burgeoning interests drive it in that direction. This is a time for big ideas and imaginative projections, which represents a considerable challenge to the incoming government.
courtsey:the statesman
In foreign policy as much as in other realms, the election result has been seen as a vote for continuity and stability. No basic re-orientation has been demanded or promised. Moreover, the strengthening of the Congress party in Parliament means that internal pressures within the ruling coalition, as became evident at crucial times during the last government, can no longer threaten to force the issue and unbalance decision- making.
Continuity is the watchword and we can legitimately expect to see foreign policy continue along its established path. This should not imply that there is no need for change or for fresh initiatives. Indeed, it should be possible as the government heads into its second term to pick up a number of threads from its previous initiatives and re-state essential goals, presenting a coherent picture of where the government aims to go over the next five years.
First 100 days
There are reports that a programme for the first 100 days is being shaped in the PM's Office, presumably along the lines of what is seen in the USA, to try to ensure that the newly installed government gets off to a flying start. Though dealings with foreign countries cannot readily be fitted into a domestic timetable, it is possible that this 100-day programme may outline some of the priority areas in external policy: an initial agenda, as it were.
Regarding the substance of the matter, it is evident that India's main problems in its external relations lie close to home. Surveying the neighbourhood in almost every direction, there are problems to be discerned. This is nothing new and differences of one sort or another with neighbours are more or less taken for granted. But India has advanced greatly: it has always loomed over its South Asian neighbours and with the rapid progress recorded over the last several years it has pulled further ahead. For it to remain entangled in regional, sometimes even parochial, issues is hardly in keeping with the country's wider interests and associations. Maybe it is now an opportune moment for another attempt to transform the neighbourhood from one of niggling contentiousness to one of genuine cooperation.
The most practical and well-received Indian move in this direction was that of then Prime Minister I.K. Gujral whose 'Gujral Doctrine' remains a signpost for South Asia. The essence of this doctrine was that India undertook to meet its smaller neighbours more than halfway and not demand strict reciprocity in its dealings with them. This brought real expectation to the region and led to some enduring agreements that helped resolve long-standing bilateral problems. Mr. Gujral did not remain in office long enough for the full impact of his doctrine to take effect. It could be time now for a fresh all-encompassing initiative by New Delhi that places India's relations with the surrounding countries on a healthier and more cooperative basis.
In its first term, the UPA did much to move in this direction. It helped achieve a democratic solution to the Maoist insurgency in Nepal and tried to moderate the closing phase of the military destruction of the LTTE. Most important, as confirmed by the Prime Minister during the campaign, back channel talks with Pakistan brought the two sides within reach of agreement on issues that have bedeviled their relationship since they first emerged as independent nations. Thus it is possible to aspire to a South Asia free of major bilateral conflict, joined in a Virtuous Circle of mutual support and cooperation. Such an ambition would be a worthy goal for the government in its second coming.
On the wider stage, India's regional and international role needs closer explication. Much has been said ~ almost too much ~ about the implications of the India-US nuclear deal. Even though the criticism that the deal tends to make us subservient to today's sole super power is wide off the mark; with the nuclear deal India has entered a new strategic era whose implications are as yet somewhat unclear. The strengthening link with the USA comes at a time when that country has become more active than ever in South Asia. The 'Afpak' strategy makes demands on the region as a whole, not on the two principals alone. The USA has been careful until now to disclaim any direct attempt to bring India into the fold of its new policy but things might change, especially if confronting the Taliban insurgency proves more difficult and more prolonged than presently anticipated.
Indian Ocean
There are also other areas of activity where a different form of collaboration has emerged, notably in the affairs of the Indian Ocean. Here, too, the purpose and the limits of Indian strategy are not too clear. Now that India is on a crest, its democratic credentials yet again on display and several years of economic success behind it, its external associations are bound to become ever more elaborate and extensive.
To give an idea of where we are headed and what shape our future global strategy might take is a task that devolves on the country's leadership. A vision for the future commensurate with the country's changing needs and capacities is required. Nor can we ignore major issues where India's role has been under question and policy adjustments may be necessary ~ such as environment and climate change, WTO, security and counter-terrorism, among others.
One matter that is likely to loom large in the near future is that of nuclear disarmament. This is something on which we occupied the moral high ground for decades. Even now, it is India that can claim to have placed the most comprehensive and closely reasoned plan before the international community. As priorities have shifted and the older nuclear powers have started to revive global disarmament concepts, a fresh opportunity has arisen for India to take its proper place within the debate.
In the wake of the election and the clear verdict it has provided, India is in a position to play a bigger part in international events. Indeed, its burgeoning interests drive it in that direction. This is a time for big ideas and imaginative projections, which represents a considerable challenge to the incoming government.
courtsey:the statesman
Chandrayaan-1 orbit raised
The orbit of Chandrayaan-1, which was at a height of 100 km from the moon since November 2008, has been raised to 200 km. Manoeuvres to raise the orbit were performed between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
According to a release from the Indian Space Research Organisation, Chandrayaan-1 going round the moon in this higher orbit will facilitate further studies of orbit perturbations and gravitation field variations of the moon, and imaging a wider swath of the lunar surface.
Over the past seven months, all the 11 payloads on board the spacecraft were successfully put into operation and data of excellent quality were obtained, the release said. Scientists from India and international agencies were analysing the data, and several interesting results were obtained, it said.
The scientific data is being archived and disseminated from the Indian Space Science Data Centre at Byalalu, near Bangalore.
The spacecraft operations are being performed at the Satellite Control Centre of the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bangalore and the Indian Deep Space Network at Byalalu.
Chandrayaan-1 was put into orbit on October 22, 2008.
According to a release from the Indian Space Research Organisation, Chandrayaan-1 going round the moon in this higher orbit will facilitate further studies of orbit perturbations and gravitation field variations of the moon, and imaging a wider swath of the lunar surface.
Over the past seven months, all the 11 payloads on board the spacecraft were successfully put into operation and data of excellent quality were obtained, the release said. Scientists from India and international agencies were analysing the data, and several interesting results were obtained, it said.
The scientific data is being archived and disseminated from the Indian Space Science Data Centre at Byalalu, near Bangalore.
The spacecraft operations are being performed at the Satellite Control Centre of the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bangalore and the Indian Deep Space Network at Byalalu.
Chandrayaan-1 was put into orbit on October 22, 2008.
Phil Mickelson's wife, Amy, diagnosed with breast cancer
Phil Mickelson was gearing up for his favorite time of year, working his way toward Bethpage Black and another crack at the U.S. Open before a New York gallery that treats him like a rock star.
All that changed today, along with his priorities, when he disclosed that his wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Mickelson is taking an indefinite leave from the PGA Tour. He withdrew from the Byron Nelson Championship, which he won in 1996. He is to defend his title next week at Colonial, but even that is uncertain. A statement from his management company said his 37-year-old wife would have more tests, though treatment would begin with "major surgery" as early as the next two weeks.
"We see Amy as this vibrant, bubbly mother of three who is tremendously devoted to her husband and family," Jack Nicklaus said. "No one, especially Amy, deserves to have to face the battle that accompanies cancer. But we know that Amy has this amazing inner strength and spirit, and with Phil's unwavering love and support, they will fight and overcome this."
Mickelson, a three-time major champion with 36 career PGA Tour victories, was closing in on the No. 1 ranking held by Tiger Woods. He was runner-up to Woods at Bethpage Black in 2002.
"Elin and I are deeply saddened to hear the news about Amy," Woods said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with her, Phil, the children and the entire Mickelson family."
Scott Verplank said Mickelson sent him a text message Tuesday night "and I had a hard time sleeping."
"Every time I've been around her, she's always had a smile on her face. She's always upbeat," Verplank said. "She's a neat girl. Hopefully, it's early and hopefully, they take care of it."
Amy Mickelson is one of the most visible wives on the PGA Tour, a former Phoenix Suns cheerleader who regularly walks the course during rounds and mingles easily with fans who recognize her blonde hair and engaging smile.
They met in 1992, when Mickelson was a senior at Arizona State, a year after he won his first PGA Tour event as an amateur. Amy knew nothing about golf at the time.
"I grew up in a tennis family, and when he told me he was a pro golfer, I thought he worked in the shop at a golf course," she wrote in Mickelson's book, "One Magical Sunday," after he won his first major at the 2004 Masters.
The first time she accompanied him to a golf tournament, the Bob Hope Classic, she figured they would walk hand-in-hand down the fairway and was angry at him for not spending enough time with her. But once she learned the difference between birdies and bogeys, she has been at his side during the highs and lows of golf tournaments.
They were married in 1996 and have three children: Amanda, 9, Sophia, 7, and Evan, 6. Their first child was born the day after the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2., where Mickelson carried a pager and promised to leave if his wife went into labor.
Contractions began on Sunday, but she decided not to page him because he was so close to winning his first major. Mickelson lost by one stroke when Payne Stewart holed a 15-foot par putt on the final hole. Mickelson arrived home in time for the birth.
He nearly lost his wife during the delivery of their third child.
Sarah Strange, a breast cancer survivor and wife of former Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange, said Amy Mickelson's outgoing personality would play a big part in her recovery.
"She's such an upbeat person, and I think she'll approach this in the same way, moving forward with confidence," Sarah Strange said. "I'm sure she's getting the best treatment they can find. An upbeat attitude plays such a key role in this, her own and those around her. I'll certainly be extending any experiences I've had, any questions she could ask me to keep upbeat.
"She was so supportive of me being a captain's wife," she said. "In return, she will feel that support from others."
Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, spent time with the Mickelsons during his four stints as captain of the Presidents Cup team.
"She was the wife I went to for advice," Barbara Nicklaus said. "Amy is just one of those people who simply wants to help other people. Now we need to help her."
How much golf Mickelson misses this summer is uncertain, but it comes at a time when Woods, his chief rival, returned from eight months away with knee surgery. They played together in the final round of the Masters and practically stole the show with an exciting charge up the leaderboard. Mickelson finished one shot ahead of Woods, but three shots out of the playoff won by Angel Cabrera.
All that changed today, along with his priorities, when he disclosed that his wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Mickelson is taking an indefinite leave from the PGA Tour. He withdrew from the Byron Nelson Championship, which he won in 1996. He is to defend his title next week at Colonial, but even that is uncertain. A statement from his management company said his 37-year-old wife would have more tests, though treatment would begin with "major surgery" as early as the next two weeks.
"We see Amy as this vibrant, bubbly mother of three who is tremendously devoted to her husband and family," Jack Nicklaus said. "No one, especially Amy, deserves to have to face the battle that accompanies cancer. But we know that Amy has this amazing inner strength and spirit, and with Phil's unwavering love and support, they will fight and overcome this."
Mickelson, a three-time major champion with 36 career PGA Tour victories, was closing in on the No. 1 ranking held by Tiger Woods. He was runner-up to Woods at Bethpage Black in 2002.
"Elin and I are deeply saddened to hear the news about Amy," Woods said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with her, Phil, the children and the entire Mickelson family."
Scott Verplank said Mickelson sent him a text message Tuesday night "and I had a hard time sleeping."
"Every time I've been around her, she's always had a smile on her face. She's always upbeat," Verplank said. "She's a neat girl. Hopefully, it's early and hopefully, they take care of it."
Amy Mickelson is one of the most visible wives on the PGA Tour, a former Phoenix Suns cheerleader who regularly walks the course during rounds and mingles easily with fans who recognize her blonde hair and engaging smile.
They met in 1992, when Mickelson was a senior at Arizona State, a year after he won his first PGA Tour event as an amateur. Amy knew nothing about golf at the time.
"I grew up in a tennis family, and when he told me he was a pro golfer, I thought he worked in the shop at a golf course," she wrote in Mickelson's book, "One Magical Sunday," after he won his first major at the 2004 Masters.
The first time she accompanied him to a golf tournament, the Bob Hope Classic, she figured they would walk hand-in-hand down the fairway and was angry at him for not spending enough time with her. But once she learned the difference between birdies and bogeys, she has been at his side during the highs and lows of golf tournaments.
They were married in 1996 and have three children: Amanda, 9, Sophia, 7, and Evan, 6. Their first child was born the day after the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2., where Mickelson carried a pager and promised to leave if his wife went into labor.
Contractions began on Sunday, but she decided not to page him because he was so close to winning his first major. Mickelson lost by one stroke when Payne Stewart holed a 15-foot par putt on the final hole. Mickelson arrived home in time for the birth.
He nearly lost his wife during the delivery of their third child.
Sarah Strange, a breast cancer survivor and wife of former Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange, said Amy Mickelson's outgoing personality would play a big part in her recovery.
"She's such an upbeat person, and I think she'll approach this in the same way, moving forward with confidence," Sarah Strange said. "I'm sure she's getting the best treatment they can find. An upbeat attitude plays such a key role in this, her own and those around her. I'll certainly be extending any experiences I've had, any questions she could ask me to keep upbeat.
"She was so supportive of me being a captain's wife," she said. "In return, she will feel that support from others."
Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, spent time with the Mickelsons during his four stints as captain of the Presidents Cup team.
"She was the wife I went to for advice," Barbara Nicklaus said. "Amy is just one of those people who simply wants to help other people. Now we need to help her."
How much golf Mickelson misses this summer is uncertain, but it comes at a time when Woods, his chief rival, returned from eight months away with knee surgery. They played together in the final round of the Masters and practically stole the show with an exciting charge up the leaderboard. Mickelson finished one shot ahead of Woods, but three shots out of the playoff won by Angel Cabrera.
Credit Card Industry Aims to Profit From Sterling Payers
Credit cards have long been a very good deal for people who pay their bills on time and in full. Even as card companies imposed punitive fees and penalties on those late with their payments, the best customers racked up cash-back rewards, frequent-flier miles and other perks in recent years.
Now Congress is moving to limit the penalties on riskier borrowers, who have become a prime source of billions of dollars in fee revenue for the industry. And to make up for lost income, the card companies are going after those people with sterling credit.
Banks are expected to look at reviving annual fees, curtailing cash-back and other rewards programs and charging interest immediately on a purchase instead of allowing a grace period of weeks, according to bank officials and trade groups.
“It will be a different business,” said Edward L. Yingling, the chief executive of the American Bankers Association, which has been lobbying Congress for more lenient legislation on behalf of the nation’s biggest banks. “Those that manage their credit well will in some degree subsidize those that have credit problems.”
As they thin their ranks of risky cardholders to deal with an economic downturn, major banks including American Express, Citigroup, Bank of America and a long list of others have already begun to raise interest rates, and some have set their sights on consumers who pay their bills on time. The legislation scheduled for a Senate vote on Tuesday does not cap interest rates, so banks can continue to lift them, albeit at a slower pace and with greater disclosure.
“There will be one-size-fits-all pricing, and as a result, you’ll see the industry will be more egalitarian in terms of its revenue base,” said David Robertson, publisher of the Nilson Report, which tracks the credit card business.
People who routinely pay off their credit card balances have been enjoying the equivalent of a free ride, he said, because many have not had to pay an annual fee even as they collect points for air travel and other perks.
“Despite all the terrible things that have been said, you’re making out like a bandit,” he said. “That’s a third of credit card customers, 50 million people who have gotten a great deal.”
Robert Hammer, an industry consultant, said the legislation might have the broad effect of encouraging card issuers to become ever more reliant on fees from marginal customers as well as creditworthy cardholders — “deadbeats” in industry parlance, because they generate scant fee revenue.
“They aren’t charities. They have shareholders to report to,” he said, referring to banks and credit card companies. “Whatever is left in the model to work from, they will start to maneuver.”
Banks used to give credit cards only to the best consumers and charge them a flat interest rate of about 20 percent and an annual fee. But with the relaxing of usury laws in some states, and the ready availability of credit scores in the late 1980s, banks began offering cards with a variety of different interest rates and fees, tying the pricing to the credit risk of the cardholder.
That helped push interest rates down for many consumers, but they soared for riskier cardholders, who became a significant source of revenue for the industry. The recent economic downturn challenged that formula, and banks started dumping the riskiest customers and lowering their credit limits in earnest as the recession accelerated. Now, consumers who pay their bills off every month are issuing a rising chorus of complaints about shortened grace periods, new hidden fees and higher interest rates.
The industry says that the proposals will force banks to issue fewer credit cards at greater cost to the current cardholders.
Citigroup and Capital One referred comments to the A.B.A. Discover and American Express declined to comment. Bank of America intends to “provide credit to the largest number of creditworthy customers possible, while also remaining prudent in our lending practices,” said Betty Riess, a spokeswoman. Together with JPMorgan Chase, which has said the changes will force it to limit credit availability and raise fees, these banks account for 80 percent of the credit card industry.
Banks are not required to publicly reveal how much money they make from penalty interest rates and fees, though government officials and industry consultants estimate they constitute a growing portion of revenue.
For instance, Mr. Hammer said the amount of money generated by penalty fees like late charges and exceeding credit limits had increased by about $1 billion annually in recent years, and should top $20 billion this year.
Regulations passed by the Federal Reserve in December to curb unexpected interest charges would cost issuers about $12 billion a year in lost fees and income, according to industry calculations. The legislation before Congress would build on the Fed rules and would further squeeze banks’ revenue when they are being hit with a high rate of credit card charge-offs. The government’s stress tests showed that the nation’s 19 biggest banks will take on $82 billion in credit card losses in the next two years.
A 2005 report by the Government Accountability Office estimated that 70 percent of card issuers’ revenue came from interest charges, and the portion from penalty rates appeared to be growing. The remainder came from fees on cardholders as well as retailers for processing transactions. Many retailers are angry at the high fees and plan to pass them on to shoppers once the Congressional legislation takes effect.
Consumer advocates say they have little sympathy for credit card issuers, arguing that they have made billions in recent years with unfair and sometimes deceptive practices.
“The business model will change because the business model doesn’t work for the public,” said Gail Hillebrand, a senior lawyer at Consumers Union.
“In order to do business under the new rules, they’ll actually have to tell you how much it’s going to cost,” she said.
With many consumers mired in debt and angry at what they consider gouging by credit card companies, the issue of credit card reform has broad populist appeal. Members of Congress and the Obama administration have seized on the discontent to push reforms that the industry succeeded in tamping down when the economy was flying high.
Austan Goolsbee, an economic adviser to President Obama, said that while the credit card industry had the right to make a reasonable profit as long as its contracts were in plain language and rule-breakers were held accountable, its current practices were akin to “a series of carjackings.”
“The card industry is giving the argument that if you didn’t want to be carjacked, why weren’t you locking your doors or taking a different road?” Mr. Goolsbee said.
Ron Lieber contributed reporting.
Now Congress is moving to limit the penalties on riskier borrowers, who have become a prime source of billions of dollars in fee revenue for the industry. And to make up for lost income, the card companies are going after those people with sterling credit.
Banks are expected to look at reviving annual fees, curtailing cash-back and other rewards programs and charging interest immediately on a purchase instead of allowing a grace period of weeks, according to bank officials and trade groups.
“It will be a different business,” said Edward L. Yingling, the chief executive of the American Bankers Association, which has been lobbying Congress for more lenient legislation on behalf of the nation’s biggest banks. “Those that manage their credit well will in some degree subsidize those that have credit problems.”
As they thin their ranks of risky cardholders to deal with an economic downturn, major banks including American Express, Citigroup, Bank of America and a long list of others have already begun to raise interest rates, and some have set their sights on consumers who pay their bills on time. The legislation scheduled for a Senate vote on Tuesday does not cap interest rates, so banks can continue to lift them, albeit at a slower pace and with greater disclosure.
“There will be one-size-fits-all pricing, and as a result, you’ll see the industry will be more egalitarian in terms of its revenue base,” said David Robertson, publisher of the Nilson Report, which tracks the credit card business.
People who routinely pay off their credit card balances have been enjoying the equivalent of a free ride, he said, because many have not had to pay an annual fee even as they collect points for air travel and other perks.
“Despite all the terrible things that have been said, you’re making out like a bandit,” he said. “That’s a third of credit card customers, 50 million people who have gotten a great deal.”
Robert Hammer, an industry consultant, said the legislation might have the broad effect of encouraging card issuers to become ever more reliant on fees from marginal customers as well as creditworthy cardholders — “deadbeats” in industry parlance, because they generate scant fee revenue.
“They aren’t charities. They have shareholders to report to,” he said, referring to banks and credit card companies. “Whatever is left in the model to work from, they will start to maneuver.”
Banks used to give credit cards only to the best consumers and charge them a flat interest rate of about 20 percent and an annual fee. But with the relaxing of usury laws in some states, and the ready availability of credit scores in the late 1980s, banks began offering cards with a variety of different interest rates and fees, tying the pricing to the credit risk of the cardholder.
That helped push interest rates down for many consumers, but they soared for riskier cardholders, who became a significant source of revenue for the industry. The recent economic downturn challenged that formula, and banks started dumping the riskiest customers and lowering their credit limits in earnest as the recession accelerated. Now, consumers who pay their bills off every month are issuing a rising chorus of complaints about shortened grace periods, new hidden fees and higher interest rates.
The industry says that the proposals will force banks to issue fewer credit cards at greater cost to the current cardholders.
Citigroup and Capital One referred comments to the A.B.A. Discover and American Express declined to comment. Bank of America intends to “provide credit to the largest number of creditworthy customers possible, while also remaining prudent in our lending practices,” said Betty Riess, a spokeswoman. Together with JPMorgan Chase, which has said the changes will force it to limit credit availability and raise fees, these banks account for 80 percent of the credit card industry.
Banks are not required to publicly reveal how much money they make from penalty interest rates and fees, though government officials and industry consultants estimate they constitute a growing portion of revenue.
For instance, Mr. Hammer said the amount of money generated by penalty fees like late charges and exceeding credit limits had increased by about $1 billion annually in recent years, and should top $20 billion this year.
Regulations passed by the Federal Reserve in December to curb unexpected interest charges would cost issuers about $12 billion a year in lost fees and income, according to industry calculations. The legislation before Congress would build on the Fed rules and would further squeeze banks’ revenue when they are being hit with a high rate of credit card charge-offs. The government’s stress tests showed that the nation’s 19 biggest banks will take on $82 billion in credit card losses in the next two years.
A 2005 report by the Government Accountability Office estimated that 70 percent of card issuers’ revenue came from interest charges, and the portion from penalty rates appeared to be growing. The remainder came from fees on cardholders as well as retailers for processing transactions. Many retailers are angry at the high fees and plan to pass them on to shoppers once the Congressional legislation takes effect.
Consumer advocates say they have little sympathy for credit card issuers, arguing that they have made billions in recent years with unfair and sometimes deceptive practices.
“The business model will change because the business model doesn’t work for the public,” said Gail Hillebrand, a senior lawyer at Consumers Union.
“In order to do business under the new rules, they’ll actually have to tell you how much it’s going to cost,” she said.
With many consumers mired in debt and angry at what they consider gouging by credit card companies, the issue of credit card reform has broad populist appeal. Members of Congress and the Obama administration have seized on the discontent to push reforms that the industry succeeded in tamping down when the economy was flying high.
Austan Goolsbee, an economic adviser to President Obama, said that while the credit card industry had the right to make a reasonable profit as long as its contracts were in plain language and rule-breakers were held accountable, its current practices were akin to “a series of carjackings.”
“The card industry is giving the argument that if you didn’t want to be carjacked, why weren’t you locking your doors or taking a different road?” Mr. Goolsbee said.
Ron Lieber contributed reporting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)