Gates Regrets Past ‘Grave Mistakes’ in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Friday expressed regret for past US policies that cut military ties with Pakistan, saying the move was ‘a grave strategic mistake’ that had damaged relations.

Speaking at the National Defence University in Islamabad, he said a US ban on military contacts in the 1990s over Pakistan’s nuclear programme undermined a bond between their armed forces and created a lingering “trust deficit”.

He vowed the United States was “prepared to invest whatever time and energy it takes to forge and sustain a genuine, lasting partnership” with Pakistan.

But rebuilding relationships with a generation of Pakistani officers who have had little contact with the US military will take years, Gates said.

“I was in government in the early 1990s, when Russia left the region and the United States largely abandoned Afghanistan and cut off defence ties with Pakistan — a grave strategic mistake driven by some well-intentioned but short-sighted US legislative and policy decisions,” said Gates.

Many Pakistanis feel bitterness over what they saw as US abandonment of the region once the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989.

Gates, a former CIA director who served under several presidents, said the move “tainted the perception of the United States in Pakistan,” creating fertile ground for “propaganda” from extremist militants.

Referring to militants’ portrayal of Washington as scheming to occupy or dominate Pakistan, Gates told the military audience that the United States “does not covet a single inch of Pakistani soil.”

The US has no plans for military bases and “we have no desire to control Pakistan’s nuclear weapons,” Gates said.

The Pentagon chief made similar comments in interviews with Pakistani media as US officials said some “conspiracy theories” had become widely prevalent in Pakistan and needed to be confronted openly.

Gates said the Pentagon was moving to bolster the relationship with the Pakistani military, citing a billion-dollar fund to provide hardware and training for counter-insurgency efforts and ensuring more Pakistani officers could receive training in the United States.

He said Pakistani officers faced similar challenges as their American counterparts, as both have had to adapt to irregular warfare.

U.S Lack the Courage to Attack Israel: Ahmadinejad

BRASILIA News Update: Visiting Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said that US and Israeli military threats against Iran were a thing of the past, and that, in any case, “they don’t have the courage” to attack Iran.

“The age of military attacks is over, now we’ve reached the time for dialogue and understanding. Weapons and threats are a thing of the past,” the Iranian told a joint press conference with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, closing his one-day visit.

Fielding a question on whether he feared an attack from Israel or the United States, Ahmadinejad said armed confrontation was no longer a possibility.

That’s clear “even for mentally challenged people,” he said with a smile.

Besides, he added, “those you mention (Israel and United States) don’t have the courage to attack Iran. They’re not even thinking about it.”

Ahmadinejad met for three hours with Lula to discuss Iran’s controversial nuclear program, over which Lula urged Teheran to find a “just solution” with Western powers.

Iran’s Sunni militants carve secretive path (AP)

AP – Seven years ago, a little-known group called Jundallah emerged in Iran with claims to fight for the rights of minority Sunnis in the unruly tribal areas near the border with Pakistan.

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Iran’s Sunni militants carve secretive path (AP)

Your "Halloween in New York" Cheat Sheet

It’s that time again. Yes, Halloween is just days away, filling some with anxiety, excitement and lots of sugar.

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Your "Halloween in New York" Cheat Sheet

Isabel Macdonald: NJ Law Enforcement Appear to Contradict Dobbs’ Version of Gunfire Incident

New Jersey state police seem to be contradicting CNN Host Lou Dobbs’ account of a gunfire incident near his Sussex County, New Jersey, house.

On Monday on his radio show, Dobbs stated that “my wife has now been and I have been shot at.” The alleged incident, which Dobbs had reported to the New Jersey State Police, took place three weeks prior to the October 26 broadcast of the Lou Dobbs Show, and Dobbs told his listeners that it had “followed weeks and weeks of threatening phone calls.” Dobbs’ discussion of the incident during his radio show also included mention of both longtime critic and

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Isabel Macdonald: NJ Law Enforcement Appear to Contradict Dobbs’ Version of Gunfire Incident

OSHA fines BP a record $87M for Texas refinery fix (AP)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Friday imposed a record $87 million fine against oil giant BP PLC for failing to correct safety hazards after a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers at its Texas City refinery.

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OSHA fines BP a record $87M for Texas refinery fix (AP)

White House: 650,000 jobs saved, created by stimulus

Reports to be released Friday on the government Web site Recovery.gov are expected to show that the $150 billion in grants and loans made so far under the economic stimulus package have created or saved about 650,000 jobs, White House officials said Friday morning.

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White House: 650,000 jobs saved, created by stimulus

White House fights back on Cash for Clunkers

The Obama administration on Thursday lashed out at a prominent critic of its Cash for Clunkers program, arguing that the popular trade-in initiative helped give the auto industry and the economy a much needed boost in the past few months.

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White House fights back on Cash for Clunkers

Soldier Was ‘Real G.I. Joe’

Memories and tears filled an Imperial Beach home Tuesday as family and friends gathered to mourn a local soldier killed Monday in Afghanistan.

Fourteen Americans, including three DEA agents, died in two separate helicopter crashes on the same day in southern Afghanistan.

At a home on Tremaine Way, Dolores Wallen was remembering the grandson she had raised, U.S. Special Forces Sgt. David Metzger. Wallen learned of Metzger’s death when she was visited by a representative of the U.S. Army Monday night.

Metzger’s childhood friend Rigo Rodriguez of Otay Mesa arrived to the Wallace home after hea

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Soldier Was ‘Real G.I. Joe’

Who’s That Suave Actor with Ellen?

Can you identify the person in the photo with Ellen?

Hints:

He was born in County Meath, Ireland, and became an American citizen in 2004.

He was named People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2001.

He is a skilled fire-eater.

He has been a strong advocate for Breast Cancer research.

He has a permanent scar on his lip from being hit by a stuntman while filming.

Click here to see the answer!

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Who’s That Suave Actor with Ellen?

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