 Ehud Olmert, Israel's acting leader since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke Jan. 4, got the nod to Monday lead his party's ticket in upcoming elections. Olmert's decision to stand in as leader of the Kadima Party he co-founded with Sharon gives him a strong chance to become the next prime minister.Olmert's selection by Kadima came a day after Israel's attorney general ruled that Olmert would remain acting prime minister until elections March 28.With Sharon, 77, still in critical condition and unconscious at Hadassah Hospital, Olmert has quietly taken charge. The March vote will show whether Israelis support Olmert's view that a Palestinian state will help bring peace and security to the region — a view shared by Sharon and President Bush....
http://www.usatoday.com
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Editor - 23:30:00 01-16-06
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 Islamists gain ground from American push for Mideast democracy |
Call it a case of why you should be careful what you wish for.President Bush's efforts to spread democracy to the Middle East have strengthened Islamists across the region, posing fresh challenges for the United States, according to U.S. officials, foreign diplomats and democracy experts.Islamist parties trounced secular opponents in recent elections in Iraq and Egypt.Hamas, the armed Islamic Palestinian group, appears set to fare well in Palestinian parliamentary elections Jan. 25, posing a quandary for how the United States and Israel pursue peace efforts. Hamas has carried out suicide bombings against Israel and calls for the country's destruction.In Lebanon, the Shiite Muslim militia Hezbollah is part of the government for the first time.Washington considers Hezbollah and Hamas, both of which have Iranian support, to be terrorist groups."In the short run, the big windfall winners ... have been the Islamists," ...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002742696_mideastdem16.html
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Editor - 23:16:00 01-16-06
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| US tries to loosen Shiite grip in Iraq Sunni Arabs gain American backing in negotiations to form a new government. |
One month after Iraq's Dec. 15 election, a shift is afoot that will probably weaken Shiite political clout as the country's factions enter serious negotiations to form a new government. Increasingly, the US is throwing its weight in Iraq behind Sunni Arabs, about 20 percent of the country, to ensure they are part of a new coalition government. Analysts say the US is convinced reconciliation with Sunni Arabs will help stop the insurgency. There is also an American unease with the growing influence of Iran on Iraq's dominant Shiite bloc. But Shiite leaders have responded defiantly, threatening unflinching stands that could push the country closer to full-scale civil war. Most notably, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), among the most influential Shiite leaders, last week rejected any major changes to the Iraqi Constitution. The right to amend the Constitution was a last-minute US-brokered clause instrumental to getting ...
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0117/p01s01-woiq.html
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Editor - 22:52:00 01-16-06
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| Bribery trial of ex-mayor begins |
Former Mayor Bill Campbell, who presided over Atlanta during its most prosperous period in recent history, a span that included the 1996 Olympics, is returning to defend himself and his administration in a federal corruption trial. Mr. Campbell is accused of accepting more than $160,000 in illegal campaign contributions, cash, junkets and home improvements in exchange for city contracts. The 52-year-old charismatic ex-politician -- once considered a rising star in the national Democratic Party -- is charged with seven counts of racketeering, fraud and bribery. The trial, which starts with jury selection today, follows a seven-year federal probe into corruption at City Hall that lasted almost as long as Mr. Campbell's 1994-2002 tenure as leader of the South's largest city. The investigation led to the convictions of 10 former city officials and contractors, all tied to the Campbell administration. ...
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060116-101520-6577r.htm
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Editor - 22:47:00 01-16-06
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| USAID Paper Details Security Crisis in Iraq |
The U.S. Agency for International Development paints a dire and detailed picture of the Iraq security situation in its request for contractors to bid on its $1.32 billion, 28-month project to help stabilize 10 major Iraqi cities. The USAID program, outlined in a Jan. 2 paper, envisions development between 2006 and 2008 of partnerships in cities that make up more than half of Iraq's population. Those cities would include Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Kirkuk and Najaf. The project, which to date has only $30 million of the proposed funds, will try to reduce violence by creating jobs, revitalizing community infrastructure, and mitigating ethnic and religious conflicts. To prepare potential bidders for the task, USAID included an annex with the contractor application. It describes Iraq as being in the midst of an insurgency whose tactics "include ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/16/AR2006011601005_pf.html
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Editor - 22:43:00 01-16-06
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| Time of essence in bird flu fight, experts warn |
Bird flu experts meeting in Beijing warned on Tuesday that time was of the essence in battling a disease that has killed almost 80 people since 2003 and has now arrived at the gates of Europe and the Middle East. The World Bank hopes the meeting will raise $1.2 billion to help improve health and veterinary services in developing countries grappling with outbreaks, and to strengthen surveillance in areas not yet affected by the H5N1 flu virus. "H5N1 is primarily an animal disease. However, given its expanding geographical scope and that H5N1 is endemic in some countries, our assessment is that the risk of pandemic is great," Margaret Chan, the World Health Organisation's top pandemic expert, said. "Timing is unpredictable and the severity is uncertain," she told the conference. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1512451
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Editor - 22:20:00 01-16-06
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