US wants cooperative ties with Pakistan-White House

WASHINGTON: The United States wants to have a cooperative relationship with Pakistan despite strains over the killing of Osama bin Laden, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday.

“We believe it is very important to maintain a cooperative relationship with Pakistan, precisely because it’s in our national security interests to do so,” Carney told a news briefing. AGENCIES

Furore in US over Osamas death

Euphoria engulfed the United States soon after US President Barack Obama announced the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. A large crowd of people gathered outside the White House gates on Pennsylvania Avenue, waving flags and dancing in jubilation.

They sang the “Star Spangled Banner” in unison and chanting “USA USA USA” and “Na na na na — na na na na …Hey hey goodbye” in reference to Osama bin Laden.

The crowd is swelling by the minute. People are running to join the group with American flags and there is lot of dancing and cheering. As the news was finally confirmed, families of those who died in the 2001 attacks spoke through tears of their relief that Bin Laden had finally been killed.
Bush has called the killing a “momentous achievement”. He said, “The fight against terror goes on.”

Former US secretary of state Conoleezza Rice said, “The demise of Osama Bin Laden is a tremendous victory for the American people.”

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said US had kept their promise after the 09-11 attacks to capture or kill Bin Laden.

Al Qaeda leader bin Laden dead, Obama says

WASHINGTON: Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed on Sunday in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan and his body was recovered, President Barack Obama announced on Sunday.

“Justice has been done,” Obama said in a dramatic, late-night White House speech announcing the death of the elusive mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the New York and Washington.

Obama said U.S. forces led the operation that killed bin Laden. No Americans were killed in the operation and they took care to avoid civilian casualties, he said.

“The United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda and a terrorist who is
responsible for the murder of thousands of men, women and children,” Obama said.

It is a major accomplishment for Obama and his national security team, after many Americans had given up hope of ever finding bin Laden.

A crowd gathered outside the White House to celebrate, chanting, “USA, USA.”

Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, had repeatedly vowed to bring bin Laden to justice “dead or alive” for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people, but never did before leaving office in early 2009.

U.S. officials said that after searching in vain for the al Qaeda leader since he disappeared in Afghanistan in late 2001, the Saudi-born extremist was killed in the Pakistani town of Abbotabad and his body recovered.

Having the body may help convince any doubters that bin Laden is really dead.

He had been the subject of a search since he eluded U.S. soldiers and Afghan militia forces in a large-scale assault on the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan in 2001.

The trail quickly went cold after he disappeared and many intelligence officials believed he had been hiding in Pakistan.

While in hiding, bin Laden had taunted the West and advocated his militant Islamist views in videotapes spirited from his hideaway.

Besides Sept. 11, Washington has also linked bin Laden to a string of attacks, including the 1998 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 bombing of the warship USS Cole in Yemen.

Apple: White iPhone 4 to go on sale today

The white iPhone 4 will be available in the United States, United Kingdom and 26 other countries for US $199 to US $299 depending on the model.

Apple Inc. said that the prices are for phones purchased with a two-year contract from AT&T Inc. or Verizon Wireless in the United States. The black iPhone 4 went on sale last June.

Initially Apple had hoped to make the white phones available in July. After a delay, Apple announced the availability in late 2010 but later admitted that the production of the gadget was more challenging than expected. In October 2010, Apple said that the white iPhone would be available in the spring.

Obama tells world to unite against Libya bloodshed

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama told the world Wednesday to unite to hold Libya accountable for a vicious protest crackdown, stiffening a US response that critics had cast as too mild.

In his first televised response to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi”s decision to unleash vengeance on demonstrators, Obama reached out to US allies and promised to deploy a “full range of options” to halt “outratrendpk.comus” bloodshed.

Obama spoke as officials said that Washington was considering fresh sanctions and other steps against Libya, and as political pressure mounted on his administration for a tougher response.

The administration”s careful previous line on violence that a former Libyan minister said had killed 1,000 people, appeared to be dictated by fears that American diplomats and citizens in Libya could face reprisals.

But by late Wednesday, a US-chartered ferry with a capacity of 575 passengers was riding out bad weather in Tripoli harbor ready to cast off on an evacuation mission to Malta.

“The suffering and bloodshed is outratrendpk.comus, and it is unacceptable,” Obama said at the White House.

“So are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters and further punish the people of Libya. These actions violate international norms, and every standard of common decency. This violence must stop.”

Obama defended his administration against claims its response to the violence, the latest wave of unrest crashing across the Middle East, had been too tempered.

“Over the last few days my national security team has been working around the clock to monitor the situation there and to coordinate with our international partners about a way forward,” he said.

The president did not mention Libya”s ruthless and unpredictable leader Kadhafi, who has ruled for four decades and frequently defied the United States, by name.

In an angry rambling speech on Tuesday, Kadhafi, 68, threatened to purge opponents “house by house” and “inch by inch” and vowed to fight to the finish.

“The army is still very strong,” Kadhafi”s son Saadi Kadhafi told the Financial Times in an interview Thursday. “If we hear anything, we will send some battalions. When people see the army, they will be afraid.”

Seeking to corral international action on Libya, Obama said that in such a volatile situation, it was “imperative” for nations to speak with one voice.

He said he would dispatch Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to a ministerial-level meeting in Geneva on Monday of the UN Human Rights Council.

“Like all governments, the Libyan government has a responsibility to refrain from violence, to allow humanitarian assistance to reach those in need and to respect the rights of its people,” Obama said.

“It must be held accountable for its failure to meet those responsibilities and face the cost of continued violations of human rights.”

Though officials said that sanctions were among options being discussed, it was unclear whether calls for NATO to establish a “no fly zone” over Libya to protect civilians were on the table.

Obama”s call to US allies appeared to be a signal that Washington, which has sought not to inject itself into the Middle East revolts, preferred the safety in numbers of multilateral action.

Europe had already moved Wednesday to isolate Kadhafi, readying sanctions that one diplomat said could include an assets freeze, a travel ban, an arms embargo and the legal pursuit of those involved in violent repression.

Washington lifted sanctions on Libya in 2004 under a deal which helped the former pariah state back into the global community after it gave up its nuclear and chemical weapons programs.

Influential US lawmakers, including Democratic Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry and his Republican House of Representatives counterpart Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have called for US sanctions to be reimposed.

US officials apparently feared that robust US rhetoric on the crisis could have made the plight of Americans even more perilous than that of other foreigners, given the tortured recent history between Washington and Tripoli.

In 1986, then president Ronald Reagan sent US warplanes to bomb Libya, in retaliation for the bombing of a discotheque in West Berlin. Kadhafi”s adoptive daughter was killed in the US raids on Libya.

On Wednesday, Libya”s former justice minister Mustapha Abdeljalil told the Swedish daily Expressen, that Kadhafi had then personally ordered the bombing of a US Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, that killed 270 people. (AFP)

The White Stripes Have Split

The White Stripes have officially called it a day. The former couple Jack and Meg White announced the news on Wednesday via the White Stripes official website. They stated, they will “make no further recordings or perform live” together as the White Stripes. Adding that there are a “myriad of reasons” and they want to “preserve what is beautiful and special about the band” they also expressed gratitude to their fans,

“Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”

Formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan, their punk blues act rapidly reached international status and success. Jack gave the duo its voice and guitar sounds and Meg played drums, they recorded six studio albums together. Their last recording as the White stripes was the live album “Under the Great White Northern Lights”.

2011 SAG Award Winners

Last night the 17th annual SAG awards were held in Hollywood. ‘The King’s Speech’ was named top film and Colin Firth was honored for his role in the film. The King’s Speech also took the award for outstanding cast in a motion picture, the cast includes Geoffry Rush and Helena Bonham Carter.

Natalie Portman was given the award for the most outstanding performance by a female actor for her role ‘Black Swan’.

The top awards in Television were given to Steve Buscemi for his role in ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and the show also came out on top by taking the award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.

‘The Fighter’ also took home two awards.

Overall it was a fairly regular ceremony with not too many surprises. Now speculation is whether the 2011 Oscars awards will be as predictable and has ‘The Social Network’ been knocked out of the Oscars race?

Complete list of winners after the jump!

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
“Black Swan”
“The Fighter”
“The Kids Are Alright”
“The King’s Speech” – WINNER
“The Social Network”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”
Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech” – WINNER
James Franco, “127 Hours”
Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”
Robert Duvall, “Get Low”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Annette Benning, “The Kids Are Alright”
Nicole Kidman, “The Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan” – WINNER
Hilary Swank, “Conviction”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Christian Bale, “The Fighter” – WINNER
Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are Alright”
John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”
Jeremy Renner, “The Town”
Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams, “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The King’s Speech”
Mila Kunis, “Black Swan”
Melissa Leo, “The Fighter” – WINNER
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”

TELEVISION

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
“Boardwalk Empire” – WINNER
“Dexter”
“The Good Wife”
“Mad Men”
“The Closer”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
“30 Rock”
“The Office”
“Glee”
“Modern Family” – WINNER
“Hot in Cleveland”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire” – WINNER
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Hugh Laurie, “House”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife” – WINNER
Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men”
Glenn Close, “Damages”
Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” – WINNER
Steve Carell, “The Office”
Chris Colfer, “Glee”
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
Ed O’Neill, “Modern Family”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Betty White, “Hot in Cleveland” – WINNER
Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Edie Falco “Nurse Jackie”
Jane Lynch, “Glee”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES
John Goodman, “You Don’t Know Jack”
Al Pacino, “You Don’t Know Jack” – WINNER
Dennis Quaid, “The Special Relationship”
Edgar Ramirez, “Carlos”
Patrick Stewart, “MacBeth”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Claire Danes, “Temple Grandin” – WINNER
Catherine O’Hara, “Temple Grandin”
Julia Ormond, “Temple Grandin”
Winona Ryder, “When Love Is Not Enough”
Susan Sarandon, “You Don’t Know Jack”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
“Green Zone”
“Inception” – WINNER
“Robin Hood”

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A TELEVISION SERIES
“Burn Notice”
“CSI: NY”
“Dexter”
“Southland”
“True Blood” – WINNER

US, China Tout $45 billion in Export Deals

Breaking News
WASHINGTON: The United States and China on Wednesday agreed on $45 billion in U.S. export deals and to give U.S. companies greater access to China’s $88 billion-plus government contracts market at the start of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s four-day state visit.

White House officials said the agreements included China’s “final” approval of a $19 billion contract to buy 200 Boeing aircraft for delivery between 2011 and 2013.

“From machinery to software, from aviation to agriculture, these deals will support some 235,000 American jobs — and that includes many manufacturing jobs,” U.S. President Barack Obama said at a joint press conference with Hu.

The announcements served to underscore the theme of economic cooperation struck by Hu and Obama. But the size of the deals will do little to dent the huge bilateral trade deficit the United States runs with China, estimated to be running in 2010 at a record of $275 billion.

Many of the orders had been in the works for a while, and shares in the companies affected by the deals weakened on Wednesday more steeply than the broader market.

Another deal involving GE builds on an existing partnership with the Chinese Ministry of Railways to bring Chinese high-speed rail technology to the United States, and for GE to manufacture locomotives for China.

The White House also trumpeted deals in various stages of development involving Honeywell, Caterpillar, Westinghouse Electric, a unit of Japan’s Toshiba Corp, and other companies.

While the pacts are significant, Jeremie Waterman, director for China at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said they also “highlight how much the Chinese economy is directed by the state,” often to the detriment of U.S. companies.

The U.S. Chamber has called forcefully for more opening of the Chinese market to U.S. companies.

White House to help Pakistan fight extremism

WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday said its commitment to helping Pakistan root out violent extremism would not waver, following the assassination of the governor of Punjab province.

The White House added its voice to condolences offered to the family of Governor Salman Taseer on Tuesday by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“This is an individual who had worked hard to promote tolerance and his loss is a great one for Pakistan,” said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

“We remain committed to the efforts that the Pakistani government is (taking) and must undertake to root out violent extremism and to bring greater peace and stability to that country and to that region of the world.

On Tuesday, Clinton said she had admired Taseer’s work to promote tolerance and education and described his death as a “great loss.”

Ecuador recognizes state of Palestine

Ecuador has become the fifth South American country to formally recognize an independent Palestinian state. President Rafael Correa signed the Ecuadoran government’s official recognition of Palestine as a free and independent state with 1967 borders, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement

.The statement said Ecuador’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state vindicates the valid and legitimate desire of the Palestinian people for a free and independent state and will be a contributing factor to a peaceful coexistence in the Middle East.

The border mention refers to the boundaries that existed before Israel captured East al-Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Earlier this month, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay recognized Palestine as an independent state. Their move drew harsh condemnation from Israel and was opposed by the US House of Representatives as well.

The House on December 15 unanimously approved a resolution opposing unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. The resolution urged the White House to deny recognition to any unilaterally declared Palestinian state and veto any resolution by the United Nations Security Council to establish or recognize a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated by the two parties.

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