New Michael Jackson songs to be released

LOS ANGELES: Sony Music will put on sale a collection of 10 previously unreleased songs by the late pop star Michael Jackson in November, Rolling Stone magazine reported.

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New Michael Jackson songs to be released

McChrystal fired over undermining civilian control of the military

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama fired his top Afghanistan commander on Wednesday over inflammatory comments that angered the White House and threatened to undermine the war effort.

Calling it the “right thing for our mission in Afghanistan,” Obama relieved General Stanley McChrystal of his command after a 30-minute meeting at the White House and named General David Petraeus, head of the US Central Command, to replace him.

McChrystal had been summoned by Obama to explain remarks he and his aides made in a magazine article that disparaged the US president and other senior civilian leaders.

“The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general,” Obama said in the White House Rose Garden.

“It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system. And it erodes the trust that”s necessary for our team to work together to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan,” he said.

The situation posed a dilemma for Obama. If McChrystal had kept his job, the president could have been seen as tolerating insubordination from the military. But by firing him, Obama is shaking up the chain of command at a perilous moment in the unpopular 9-year-old war.

Vowing not to tolerate divisions within his national security team, Obama said the switch in generals was a “change in personnel but it is not a change in policy.” There have been increasing doubts among US lawmakers about Obama”s troop buildup strategy against a resurgent Taliban.

McChrystal first met Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon before entering the White House through a side door for his one-on-one meeting with Obama. He left before Obama”s Afghanistan war council, which he had been due to attend, convened in late morning.

Obama had been described by aides as furious about the Rolling Stone magazine article, but said in his Rose Garden appearance that he was not acting out of a feeling of personal insult.

Amid harsh criticism over McChrystal”s contemptuous remarks, US officials had said they expected the general, the US and NATO commander in Afghanistan and architect of Obama”s war strategy, to offer his resignation and allow the president to decide whether to accept it.

With his career on the line, the 55-year-old general apologized. “It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened,” McChrystal said in a statement.

General McChrystal made ”enormous mistake”: White House

WASHINGTON: The US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, made an “enormous mistake” in his remarks to a magazine, the White House said Tuesday, refusing to rule out that he may be fired.

“Without a doubt, General McChrystal, as Secretary Gates has said, has made an enormous mistake,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, adding President Barack Obama had summoned the general for talks on Wednesday.

Gibbs would not say whether McChrystal would be fired, but said “all options are on the table.”

A profile in Rolling Stone magazine quoted McChrystal”s aides mocking Vice President Joe Biden and one said the general was “disappointed” after his first Oval Office meeting with Obama.

McChrystal was quoted as saying he felt “betrayed” by US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, a former military commander there, for challenging his strategy in a memo later leaked to the press.

Gibbs said Obama read the Rolling Stone article late Monday. “He was angry.”

Asked whether the personality conflicts would have a negative impact on policy, Gibbs said, “The president doesn”t believe that personalities, whatever your disagreements are, or whatever your disagreements were, should distract from the strategy to get Afghanistan right.”

Quotes of McChrystal’s interview to Rolling Stone magazine

WASHINGTON: Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, was summoned to Washington Tuesday and has spent the day apologizing for disparaging comments published in a Rolling Stone article about the contentious relationship between him, his staff and the Obama White House.

One of the general”s assistants has already resigned in the wake of the article.

Below are some of the quotes that led to McChrystal being “ordered to appear” at a White House meeting on Afghanistan Wednesday.

On President Obama:

After Mr. Obama”s was sworn into office, McChrystal felt the new president looked “uncomfortable and intimidated” while meeting with a dozen senior military officials in a Pentagon room known as the Tank, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

Following McChrystal”s first one-on-one meeting with the president, an aide said the general left disappointed.

“It was a 10-minute photo op,” the adviser said. “Obama clearly didn”t know anything about him, who he was. Here”s the guy who”s going to run his [expletive] war, but he didn”t seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed.”

McChrystal termed the president”s three-month review of the U.S. military situation in Afghanistan before deciding to send more troops a “painful” time.

“I was selling an unsellable position.”

On Vice President Joe Biden:

Last fall, McChrystal dismissed the counterterrorism strategy Biden advocated in Afghanistan as “shortsighted,” adding that it would lead to creating “Chaos-istan” in the country.

In the piece, McChrystal and his staff” openly mock the vice president:

“Are you asking about Vice President Biden?” McChrystal said. “Who”s that?”

“Biden?” said a top aide. “Did you say: Bite Me?”

On Jim Jones, the U.S. national security adviser and a retired four-star general:

A McChrystal aide calls Jones a “clown” who is “stuck in 1985″ – an apparent reference to Jones” experience in the Cold War.

On Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Representative to Afghanistan:

“Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke,” McChrystal said with a groan while checking his BlackBerry. “I don”t even want to open it.” According to the piece, the general didn”t bother “to conceal his annoyance” after reading the diplomat”s greeting out loud and returning the device to his pocket.

“The Boss says he”s like a wounded animal,” one of the general”s staff members told said. “Holbrooke keeps hearing rumors that he”s going to get fired, so that makes him dangerous. He”s a brilliant guy, but he just comes in, pulls on a lever, whatever he can grasp onto.”

On U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry:

In January, The New York Times published an article about the contents of a classified cable Eikenberry wrote that criticized McChrystal”s strategy.

“I like Karl, I”ve known him for years, but they”d never said anything like that to us before,” McChrystal said, letting the Rolling Stone writer know he felt “betrayed” by the leak. “Here”s one that covers his flank for the history books. Now if we fail, they can say, ”I told you so.””

On Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

Clinton stood out as one of the few people in the article McChrystal”s team liked. “Hillary had Stan”s back during the strategic review,” an adviser told the Rolling Stone writer. “She said, ”If Stan wants it, give him what he needs.””

On Members of Congress:

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., were pointed out as politicians McChrystal”s team didn”t like when an aide told the writer they “turn up, have a meeting with (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai, criticize him at the airport press conference, then get back for the Sunday talk shows. Frankly, it”s not very helpful.”

McChrystal made ”significant mistake”: Gates

WASHINGTON: The US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, made an “enormous mistake” in his remarks to a magazine, the White House said Tuesday, refusing to rule out that he may be fired.

“Without a doubt, General McChrystal, as Secretary Gates has said, has made an enormous mistake,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, adding President Barack Obama had summoned the general for talks on Wednesday.

Gibbs would not say whether McChrystal would be fired, but said “all options are on the table.”

A profile in Rolling Stone magazine quoted McChrystal”s aides mocking Vice President Joe Biden and one said the general was “disappointed” after his first Oval Office meeting with Obama.

McChrystal was quoted as saying he felt “betrayed” by US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, a former military commander there, for challenging his strategy in a memo later leaked to the press.

Gibbs said Obama read the Rolling Stone article late Monday. “He was angry.”

Asked whether the personality conflicts would have a negative impact on policy, Gibbs said, “The president doesn”t believe that personalities, whatever your disagreements are, or whatever your disagreements were, should distract from the strategy to get Afghanistan right.”

No deaths in Indonesia quake

SINABANG: A major earthquake of 7.7 magnitude struck off the coast of Aceh in north-western Indonesia on Wednesday triggering panic and power blackouts, but no deaths were reported and a tsunami alert was later lifted.

Neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia also cancelled tsunami warnings.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said 12 people were being treated in a hospital in Sinabang, with injuries caused by fallen electricity poles, roof tiles and shattered glass.

Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf said earlier there had been no reports of damage or casualties so far, although it would take time to reach remote areas.

Thai parliament suspended as protesters mass outside

BANGKOK: Anti-government protesters surrounded Thailand”s parliament Wednesday, causing the session to be halted early after many lawmakers fled the building, officials said.

About 5,000 red-shirted demonstrators, many of whom support fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, massed outside parliament”s gates as part of their rolling rallies aimed at forcing immediate elections.

Parliament president Chai Chidchob declared the lower house meeting closed shortly after 11 am (0400 GMT) because of the low number of lawmakers present.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had already left the building after attending a cabinet meeting there, officials said. The cabinet extended a tough security law Wednesday as protesters refused to leave Bangkok”s main commercial district for a fifth day and vowed to march to the prime minister”s house.

Susan Boyle’s album shoots straight to number 1

Susan Boyle’s album, Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle has made chart history after her debut album shot straight to number one in Britain, music officials said Sunday.

Boyle, who became a worldwide star after appearing on British reality television, has sold more than 410,000 copies of “I Dreamed A Dream” — the biggest first week sales for a debut album in British chart history. “I Dreamed A Dream” outsold the rest of the top five albums combined, including boyband JLS, Black Eyed Peas and Queen, while her cover of the Rolling Stones classic “Wild Horses” entered the singles charts in ninth place.

Boyle revealed a soaring voice behind her frumpy appearance when she appeared on the television show “Britain’s Got Talent” in April. Video of her singing “I Dreamed A Dream” from the musical “Les Miserables” on the show became a YouTube hit, with at least 100 million viewings. Although she came second to dance act Diversity in the competition, she won over fans worldwide. She initially struggled with her sudden rise to fame, and checked into a clinic suffering from exhaustion following the show.

Boyle also brushed aside suggestions last week that she was feeling the strain of worldwide attention after photographs in British tabloids appeared to show her crying and sucking her thumb at a promotional event in New York. Boyle, who has undergone an extensive makeover since becoming a star, has recently revealed that she was bullied at school and teachers failed to understand that she was a slow learner.
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Susan Boyle’s album shoots straight to number 1 was first posted on November 30, 2009 at 9:21 pm.