Obama aide says no more troops to Afghanistan

(OBAMA, SECURITY, MILITARY, TROOPS, AFGHANISTAN, JONES)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama`s top security adviser has told U.S. military commanders there are no plans to send more troops to Afghanistan for now and that the focus instead will be on economic development and reconstruction, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
National Security Adviser James Jones delivered that message last week in Afghanistan, where Marine Brigadier General Lawrence Nicholson hinted he could use more "thousands more" troops, the newspaper said.
Jones` message seemed designed to cap expectations that more troops might be coming, although the Obama administration has not ruled out additional deployments in the future, the Post said.
"This will not be won by the military alone," Jones told the Post during his trip. "We tried that for six years."
"The piece of the strategy that has to work in the next year is economic development. If that is not done right, there are not enough troops in the world to succeed."
An extra 17,000 troops Obama deployed to fight a growing Taliban-led insurgency in southern and western Afghanistan were expected to be on the ground by mid-July. Another 4,000 troops being deployed to train Afghan security forces are due to arrive by August.
The forces are part of a build-up that could expand the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to 68,000 troops by the end of this year, more than double the 32,000 at the end of 2008.
The Post said Jones made it clear during his visit to Afghanistan that it was a new era and Obama will not automatically give military commanders whatever force levels they request, a departure from the practice of the Bush administration in the Iraq war.
(Editing by John O`Callaghan)
Original article

California misses budget deadline, readies "IOUs"

(CALIFORNIA, BUDGET, STATE, BILLION, SENATE, OBLIGATION)

By Jim Christie
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California`s lawmakers failed to agree on a balanced budget by the start of its new fiscal year on Wednesday morning, clearing the way to suspend payments owed to the state`s vendors and local agencies, who instead will get "IOU" notes promising payment.
The notes will mark the first time in 17 years the most populous U.S. state`s government will have to resort to the unusual and dramatic measure.
Democrats who control the legislature could not convince Republicans late on Tuesday night to back their plans to tackle a $24.3 billion budget shortfall or a stopgap effort to ward off the IOUs. The two sides agree on the need for spending cuts but are split over whether to raise taxes.
Democrats have pushed for new revenues while Republican lawmakers and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, also a Republican, have ruled out tax increases. They instead see deep spending cuts as the solution to balancing the budget, but Democrats say that would slash the state`s safety net for the needy to the bone.
Tempers flared in the state Senate as the midnight start of the new fiscal year neared.
"There is no excuse to hold this whole state hostage," state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg told Republicans during a floor debate.
Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth countered that major cuts are urgently needed. Otherwise, "There will be entire programs that will have to be lopped off," he said.
CASH CRISIS LOOMS
California lawmakers struggle with budget deadlines practically every year, but this year`s budget fight is taking place amid the state`s worst drop in revenues from personal income taxes since the Great Depression as recession and rising unemployment pile on to the damage done to the state`s economy from its long housing slump.
Because of its steep revenue decline, California risks running out of cash later this month to pay all of its bills unless its books are balanced quickly.
To conserve cash, State Controller John Chiang plans to issue IOUs by Thursday to the state`s vendors, local agencies overseeing health programs and various recipients of state aid -- including the elderly and disabled and college students.
He plans to send $3.36 billion in IOUs this month to help maintain $10.9 billion in other payments, including money owed to investors holding California`s general obligation debt.
"The general obligation bonds will be paid," Chiang told Reuters on Tuesday. "California has never defaulted on its debt obligation and we don`t plan to do so."
California aims to reassure investors because Wall Street`s concerns about the state`s finances are growing and because state officials see the need to sell $7 billion to $9 billion in short-term debt for cash-flow purposes once there is a budget agreement.
Fitch Ratings last week downgraded its rating on California`s general obligation debt and warned it may lower the rating again. Fitch cut California`s rating by one notch to A-minus, placing it four notches above speculative, or "junk" status, and making it the lowest rating of any U.S. state.  Continued...
Original article

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Minnesota court rules Democrat Al Franken won Senate seat

(COURT, DEMOCRAT, FRANKEN, REPUBLICAN, COLEMAN, DECISION)

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of a tight U.S. Senate race over Republican Norm Coleman, which should give Democrats the 60-seat majority they need to overcome procedural obstacles and push through their agenda.
Coleman has said in published reports he is unlikely to appeal the state court`s decision to the federal courts. Under state law, the court`s decision gives Franken the right to occupy the seat, which has been up for grabs since last November`s election.
Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty has said he will certify the election winner based on what the state court decides.
If the decision holds up, Democrats will control 60 of the 100 Senate seats -- enough to overcome Republican procedural roadblocks in a clear boost to President Barack Obama`s agenda.
Democrats hold a solid majority in the U.S. House.
However, Senate Democrats may not be able to count on Arlen Specter`s vote. Specter, a former Republican from Pennsylvania, switched parties in April but has said he will vote his own way and not necessarily along party lines.
The Minnesota contest has seen several switches. Coleman, seeking a second term, held a razor-thin lead after the November 4 election over Franken, a well known satirist and a former writer and actor for the popular Saturday Night Live television show.
But the close vote triggered an automatic recount of the 2.4 million ballots cast for the two men, and Franken edged to a 225-vote lead. That result was challenged by Coleman, and a judicial panel agreed to add only a few hundred previously rejected absentee ballots. That tally expanded Franken`s lead to 312 votes.
(Reporting by Todd Melby and Andrew Stern)
Original article

Obama admin. sets wide scope for consumer agency

(AGENCY, WOULD, CONSUMER, PROTECTION, FINANCIAL, CREDIT)

By David Lawder
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new U.S. agency would have sweeping powers to write and enforce tough consumer protection rules for banks, mortgage lenders and other financial institutions under proposed legislation the Obama administration sent to Congress on Tuesday.
The legislative language fleshes out a key component of President Barack Obama`s plan outlined earlier this month to revamp U.S. financial regulation in response to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
The proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency aims to protect Americans from abusive practices employed during the recent housing and credit boom, such as deceptive and undocumented mortgage lending, poor loan disclosures, unfair interest rate increases and "fee traps" on credit cards.
The proposal would consolidate financial consumer protection power in a single new agency, stripping this authority from six current regulators, including the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
"Consumer protection will have an independent seat at the table in our regulatory system. By consolidating accountability in one place, we will reduce gaps in federal supervision and enforcement," U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a statement.
A Treasury official said the agency will be focused primarily on credit products such as mortgages, credit cards and other consumer loans, savings products and payments services, such as electronic funds transfers.
GOALS LAUDED, NEW AGENCY QUESTIONED
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, who will play a key role in pushing regulatory changes through Congress, said the proposal would address "the colossal failures that led to the economic crisis."
"Creating an independent agency whose sole focus is protecting consumers -- be it credit card holders, anyone with a bank account, or families with mortgages or student loans -- is really the key to creating the foundations for a stronger economy," Dodd said.
But many Republicans and the financial services industry are less enthusiastic about the plan, which they fear would impose a regulatory burden that will add costs, reduce the availability of credit and stifle innovation.
They also fear that stripping existing agencies of their consumer authority could reduce their effectiveness.
"We completely agree with and applaud the emphasis the administration has placed on enhancing consumer protection. Our concern is that a new agency, by its very nature, might not effectively serve that objective," said John Dearie, executive vice president at the Financial Services Forum, a lobbying group that represents the largest U.S. financial institutions.
He said the proposed agency could "monopolize" the government`s approach to consumer protection by creating one agency with one staff and one institutional view.
However, the new agency would not affect the authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to adopt rules, initiate enforcement proceedings or take action against those they regulate.
Still, the powers the Obama administration wants to invest in the new agency are sweeping.  Continued...
Original article

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Main news of June 29

(WORLD, RUSSIA, MINISTRY, SPOKESMAN, MONDAY, RUSSIAN)

WORLD
* Russia condemns the coup d`etat in Honduras and calls for the restoration of law and order in the country, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said
* The European Commission said Monday that progress has been made on the issue of giving Ukraine an international loan to pay Russia for natural gas
* The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday confirmed 70,893 officially registered A/H1N1 cases and 311 deaths in 116 countries and territories worldwide
* Honduran interim president Roberto Micheletti promised on Monday that presidential polls would go ahead as scheduled on November 29, a Venezuelan paper said
* A lawyer for Michael Jackson`s personal doctor denied claims on Monday that the cardiologist had injected the pop legend with a powerful painkiller prior to his death
* Iranian authorities have begun a partial recount of the fiercely disputed June 12 presidential vote, national media said
* Scientific tests conducted on what are believed to be the remains of Apostle Paul "seem to confirm" that they belong to the saint, Pope Benedict XVI has said
RUSSIA
* With a looming July 1 deadline to shut their doors and take down all signs, many Moscow casinos have opted to close early rather than gamble on working right down to the wire
* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told state-run banks on Monday to use new government funding to increase lending by at least 150 billion rubles ($4.8 billion) in July
* Russia`s Air Force has resumed Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft flights after a 10-day suspension following two crashes in mid-June, a Defense Ministry official said
* Pilot error has been identified as the cause of a crash involving a Su-24 Fencer tactical bomber in mid-June, a flight service official said
* Large-scale military drills start on Monday in 10 southern subjects of the Russian Federation, a spokesman for the North Caucasus military district said
* A Russian-Argentine agreement scrapping bilateral visa requirements entered into force
SPORT
* World No. 1 Dinara Safina and fellow Russian Yelena Dementieva won on Monday to secure places in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, while two compatriots were knocked out
Original article

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Moscow condemns Honduran coup, calls for restoration of law

Moscow condemns Honduran coup, calls for restoration of law

(HONDURAS, PRESIDENT, RUSSIA, COUNTRY, ZELAYA, MILITARY)

What Muscovites know about Honduras
Honduras Crisis : Soldiers ousted the democratically elected president
MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia condemns the coup d`etat in Honduras and calls for the restoration of law and order in the country, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.
Parliamentary speaker Roberto Micheletti was sworn in as president of the Central American state on Sunday after President Jose Manuel Zelaya was deposed in a coup. The military`s action, apparently supported by the country`s Supreme Court, has been condemned across the world.
"All actions by political players in the country must lie within the bounds of the law and the constitution," Andrei Nesterenko said.
He said Russia welcomed the efforts by regional organizations and groups trying "to work out a solution within the framework of international law."
The embassies of the member countries of the regional Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) backed Russia`s condemnation, the Cuban ambassador said at a news conference in Moscow.
Juan Valdes Figueroa said the ALBA diplomatic missions called for "a complete reinstatement of the Manuel Zelaya government," stressing that the coup violated "the fundamental norms of international law."
Honduran military arrested Zelaya on Sunday morning, hours before polls were due to open for a non-binding referendum on ending the restriction on presidents serving one four-year term.
Honduras` Supreme Court had ruled the referendum illegal. The president was arrested at his residence and transported aboard a military plane to Costa Rica in what was Central America`s first coup since the end of the Cold War.
Micheletti promised Monday that presidential polls would go ahead as scheduled on November 29, a Venezuelan paper said.
World leaders have condemned the coup, with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging "the reinstatement of the democratically elected representatives of the country."
U.S. President Barack Obama has called on the coup leaders to "respect the rule of law."
Miguel d`Escoto Brockmann, the president of the UN General Assembly, on Monday invited Zelaya to come to New York and speak at an extraordinary session of the assembly.
 
Original article

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EU says making progress on gas loan to Ukraine

(EUROPE, RUSSIAN, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, SUPPLIES, EUROPEAN)

Delivering gas to Europe
A map of Russian gas suppliers to Europe via Ukraine
Russia resumes gas supplies to Ukraine
Russia Ukraine sign gas deal
BRUSSELS, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - The European Commission said Monday that progress has been made on the issue of giving Ukraine an international loan to pay Russia for natural gas.
The statement was issued after high-level talks involving representatives of gas companies Gazprom and Naftogaz, the World Bank, the IMF, the EBRD and the EU.
"The participants made good progress in identifying the key issues of concern and elements for possible solutions including possible financing arrangements," the representatives said in a joint statement.
The ex-Soviet state is seeking a syndicated loan of over $4 billion from European banks to pay it debts to Russian energy giant Gazprom until November 2009.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in early June it would be difficult for the EU to help Ukraine keep up with its payments.
Russia, which supplies around one fifth of Europe`s gas, briefly shut down supplies via Ukraine`s pipeline system at the start of the year during a dispute with Kiev over unpaid debt.
The conflict was resolved in January, when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Yulia Tymoshenko, agreed deals on deliveries to and gas transit through Ukraine for 2009.
Ukraine transits around 80% of Russia`s Europe-bound gas.
 
Original article

Gazprom to buy 0.5 bcm of Azerbaijani gas annually from 2010

(GAZPROM, AZERBAIJAN, MILLER, RUSSIAN, AZERBAIJANI, SUPPLIES)

BAKU, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Gazprom will buy 500 million cubic meters of natural gas from Azerbaijan annually from January 1, 2010, CEO Alexei Miller said on Monday.
The Russian energy giant, which has not so far bought Azerbaijani gas, signed an agreement with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) earlier in the day.
"Gazprom will buy Azerbaijani gas from January 1, 2010. Initially we will buy 500 million cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas," Miller said, without disclosing either the price or the pricing formula.
"The agreement signed today fixes a basic price that is commercially attractive to our Azerbaijani partners," the Russian businessman said.
The agreed volume of deliveries from SOCAR is less than one tenth of one percent of the 549.7 billion cubic meters of gas Gazprom itself produced last year.
Azerbaijan plans eventually to increase gas supplies to Russia, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
"We plan in the future to increase supplies as the volume of Azerbaijani natural gas production goes up," Aliyev said on Monday after talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Baku.
According to the Gazprom CEO, Azerbaijani gas to be pumped via a pipeline running between the two countries will be used in south Russian territories. He also pledged that similar volumes of gas would be reserved for European consumers.
Miller added that Gazprom was listed as a potential buyer of gas from the Shakh Deniz field with some privileges reserved for the company.
"We are confident that Gazprom has very good negotiating positions regarding long-term cooperation in the purchase of Azerbaijani gas," he said.
Speaking in early June at an oil conference in Azerbaijan`s capital, Baku, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Matthew Bryza said that in 2012-2015 Azerbaijan would supply Europe with 12 billion cu m of gas from its Shakh Deniz field alone, raising supplies to 15 billion by 2015, and increasing them further by 2015-2020.
 
Original article

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Russian expert predicts return for ousted Honduran president

(HONDURAS, PRESIDENT, MILITARY, THERE, CHAVEZ, LEADERS)

What Muscovites know about Honduras
Honduras Crisis : Soldiers ousted the democratically elected president
MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - International pressure means the deposed president of Honduras, sent into exile by the country`s military, is likely to return to power, a Russian expert said Monday.
"In all likelihood, he will return. There are such precedents, and when there is this kind of public opinion pressure - from the U.S., the European Union and Latin America - then there is a greater chance he will return than otherwise," said Vadim Teperman, director of the Latin America Institute`s economic research center.
Parliamentary speaker Roberto Micheletti was sworn in as president of the Central American state on Sunday after President Jose Manuel Zelaya was deposed in a coup. The military`s action, apparently supported by the country`s Supreme Court, has been condemned from Washington to Havana and Caracas.
Teperman said a major role in resolving the crisis could be played by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a close ally of Zelaya.
"Much here depends on the position of Hugo Chavez. Chavez is an impulsive man, capable of making blunders. He has made ugly statements but fortunately has never crossed the line," the analyst said. "I think this time he will not cross it either, 95%."
"But there is a 5% chance commonsense will fail him, then everything will deteriorate, because that will create a foundation: aha, Chavez seized power and ours will follow this path as well," he said.
Teperman added that the president has his supporters but faced a strong opposition, including on the part of influential parties` leaders.
Honduran military arrested Zelaya on Sunday morning, hours before polls were due to open for a non-binding referendum on ending the restriction on presidents serving one four-year term.
Honduras` Supreme Court had ruled the referendum illegal. The president was arrested at his residence and transported aboard a military plane to Costa Rica in what was Central America`s first coup since the end of the Cold War.
Micheletti promised Monday that presidential polls would go ahead as scheduled on November 29, a Venezuelan paper said.
World leaders have condemned the coup, with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging "the reinstatement of the democratically elected representatives of the country."
U.S. President Barack Obama has called on the coup leaders to "respect the rule of law."
 
Original article

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Russia to deliver new security proposal in Brussels July 22

(RUSSIA, SECURITY, COUNCIL, ROGOZIN, BETWEEN, AUGUST)

MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia`s proposals for a new National Security Strategy is to be presented at NATO headquarters in Brussels on July 22, Russia`s envoy to NATO said Monday.
"A high-level expert - one of the leaders of Russia`s Security Council - will arrive for that," Dmitry Rogozin said during a video link from Brussels organized by RIA Novosti.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree in May on the National Security Strategy up to 2020.
Rogozin also said that NATO had invited "the Russian envoy to take part on July 7 in a seminar devoted to NATO strategic development issues."
He also said the first meeting between a Russian representative and the newly-appointed NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who takes up the post on August 1, will be held August 11.
"I think at the August 11 meeting he is to outline prospects for his trip to Russia," Rogozin said.
Rogozin said discussions on a Russia`s proposal for a European Security Treaty could start in September during a Russia-NATO Council session.
Saturday`s informal foreign ministerial meeting of the Russia-NATO Council was the first high-level talks since last August`s five-day war between Russia and Georgia, after which contacts were frozen. Russia then recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which was attacked by Tbilisi in an attempt to bring it back under central control.
Relations between Russia and NATO have also been frayed in recent years over the military alliance`s eastern expansion. Ukraine and Georgia, both former Soviet republics, have applied to join, but their U.S.-backed bids were turned down due to pressure from Germany and France at a 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest.
 
Original article

Honduran interim leader promises polls in November

(PRESIDENT, HONDURAN, MICHELETTI, NOVEMBER, MILITARY, COUNTRY)

Honduras Crisis : Soldiers ousted the democratically elected president
MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Honduran interim president Roberto Micheletti promised on Monday that presidential polls would go ahead as scheduled on November 29, a Venezuelan paper said.
"I promise to be faithful to the republic...There will be elections on November 29," he was quoted as saying by the paper.
Parliamentary speaker Micheletti took power in the Central American state after Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya was deposed in a coup.
Honduran military arrested Zelaya on Sunday morning, the same day polls were due to open for a referendum on the extension of his non-renewable, four-year term of office.
The country`s Supreme Court had ruled the referendum illegal. The president was arrested at his residence and transported aboard a military plane to Costa Rica in what was Central America`s first coup since the end of the Cold War.
Micheletti, speaking at his first press conference, also said that a 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew had been imposed for a minimum of two days to ensure security in the country.
World leaders have condemned the coup, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging "the reinstatement of the democratically elected representatives of the country."
U.S. President Barack Obama has called on the coup leaders to "respect the rule of law."
 
Original article

Iran releases five British embassy local staff members

(TEHRAN, EMBASSY, STAFF, ELECTION, IRANIAN, SAYING)

TEHRAN, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Iran has released five British Embassy local members of staff, a day after eight of them were detained in Tehran on suspicion of being involved in post-election riots, state media reported.
Iran`s state English-language Press TV said the release occurred after preliminary investigations were completed. The other embassy staff members are to remain in custody.
Police in Tehran arrested eight Iranian diplomats on Sunday, saying they were "inflaming post-election tensions in the country."
The IRNA official news agency quoted the Iranian intelligence minister as saying that the British Embassy had played a "crucial role" in the disturbances.
"The embassy sent its local staff to rallies," Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje`I said.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband voiced concern on Sunday over the arrests of the embassy`s Iranian employees, calling it "unacceptable."
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad`s landslide re-election sparked mass protests amid allegations of ballot fraud.
At least 13 people have been killed during election protests, according to Iranian media, and over 450 arrested in the largest challenge to the Islamic Revolution since the 1979 overthrow of the U.S.-backed shah.
 
Original article

Russian, U.S. MPs discuss bilateral ties ahead of July summit

(MOSCOW, RUSSIA, BILATERAL, TRADE, MISSILE, AMENDMENT)

MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are in Russia on June 29-30 to discuss urgent issues of bilateral relations ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama`s visit to Moscow on July 6-8.
Opening an extended meeting of the members of foreign affairs committees to address bilateral trade, regional stability and U.S. missile defense plans in Europe, the speaker of the Russian lower house, Boris Gryzlov said: "Bilateral ties currently enjoy new possibilities and are being driven forward with increasing pace."
According to Leonid Slutsky, a deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on foreign affairs, the participants of the meeting will discuss plans for a U.S. missile shield in central Europe, and other issues related to NATO.
A discussion of the Jackson-Vanik amendment is also expected.
The Jackson-Vanik amendment was passed in 1974 and restricted trade with the Soviet Union over human rights violations. The amendment, which still applies to Russia, puts restrictions on Russian-American trade relations, but Russia`s accession to the World Trade Organization would require the amendment be lifted.
"We will also discuss topics that have emerged recently in the light of the move to `press the reset button` in bilateral relations and `re-launch` the START treaty," Slutsky said.
Russia and the U.S. have been involved in comprehensive talks over a new nuclear arms reduction deal to replace the START 1 treaty, which expires in December.
The START 1 treaty obliges Russia and the United States to reduce nuclear warheads to 6,000 and their delivery vehicles to 1,600 each. In 2002, a follow-up agreement on strategic offensive arms reduction was concluded in Moscow. The agreement, known as the Moscow Treaty, envisioned cuts to 1,700-2,200 warheads by December 2012.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Obama agreed to launch the discussions during their first meeting, in London in early April.
Russia, which proposed a new arms reduction agreement in 2005, expects Washington to agree on a deal that would restrict not only the numbers of nuclear warheads, but also place limits on all existing kinds of delivery vehicles.
Medvedev has also said that any strategic arms cuts would only be possible if the United States alleviated Russia`s concerns over Washington`s plans for a missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland.
The U.S. military has recently reiterated its commitment to missile defense, citing a growing threat from North Korea and Iran, but suggested plans for a European site may change.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has suggested that Russian facilities could be part of the missile defense system, but Moscow has rejected this idea, saying there could be no partnership "in building facilities that are essentially designed to counter Russia`s strategic deterrence forces."
 
Original article

Ousted Honduran leader to take part in emergency Nicaragua summit

(PRESIDENT, HONDURAN, ZELAYA, LEADER, COUNTRY, CALLED)

Honduras Crisis : Soldiers ousted the democratically elected president
MEXICO CITY, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya, deposed in a coup on Sunday, has flown from Costa-Rica to Nicaragua to take part in an emergency regional summit, Mexican media reported on Monday.
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez provided his personal plane to take Zelaya to the summit, which will see the participation of over 15 regional leaders, including those of Mexico, Ecuador and Cuba. The situation in Honduras will top the agenda.
Chavez, one of Zelaya`s strongest allies, also threatened military action if Venezuela`s envoy in Honduras was attacked.
Honduran military arrested Zelaya on Sunday morning, the same day polls were due to open for a referendum on the extension of his non-renewable four-year term of office.
The country`s Supreme Court had ruled the referendum illegal. The president was arrested at his residence and transported aboard a military plane to Costa-Rica in what was Central America`s first coup since the end of the Cold War.
Interim president, Roberto Micheletti, imposed an overnight curfew in the country after taking power. However, Zaleya supporters have set up barricades near the presidential place and there have been unconfirmed reports of shots being fired.
Honduran trade union leader Angel Alvarado has called for a nationwide strike in support of Zelaya.
World leaders have condemned the coup, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging "the reinstatement of the democratically elected representatives of the country". U.S. President Barack Obama has called on the coup leaders to "respect the rule of law."
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro called the coup a "suicidal mistake" in an article published early on Monday.
 
Original article

Russia ready for more NATO cargo transits to Afghanistan

(AFGHANISTAN, RUSSIA, TRANSIT, MILITARY, GERMANY, FRANCE)

Facing the Taliban in Afghanistan
UN Secretary General welcomes Russia`s role in restoration of Afghanistan
CORFU (Greece), June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is ready to extend the transit of military cargoes through Russia to other key member nations of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, a deputy foreign minister has said.
Russia already has bilateral transit deals with Germany, France and Spain, and Moscow also signed an agreement with NATO in 2008 on rail transits of non-lethal supplies to Afghanistan.
"As for military transits, we have signed agreements with Germany, France and Spain. We are also considering a request from Italy," Alexander Grushko told a news conference late on Sunday after an informal meeting of the Russia-NATO Council.
Due to worsening security on the main land route from Pakistan, NATO is seeking alternative routes to supply the U.S.-dominated ISAF in Afghanistan.
There are 62,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, and U.S. President Barrack Obama has pledged to deploy another 17,000 U.S. military personnel to the war-ravaged country.
The informal foreign ministerial meeting of the Council on Saturday was the first high-level talks since last August`s five-day war between Russia and Georgia, after which contacts were frozen. Russia then recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which was attacked by Tbilisi in an attempt to bring it back under central control.
Relations between Russia and NATO have also been frayed in recent years over the military alliance`s eastern expansion. Ukraine and Georgia, both former Soviet republics, have applied to join, but their U.S.-backed bids were turned down due to pressure from Germany and France at a 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest.
NATO and Russia have recently taken measures to step up cooperation on international security, including anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden.
 
Original article

Iran starts partial recount of disputed presidential vote

(RECOUNT, MEDIA, MONDAY, GUARDIAN, ELECTION, AHMADINEJAD)

Tens of thousands in Iran protest
Iran campaigning heats up
MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Iranian authorities have begun a partial recount of the fiercely disputed June 12 presidential vote, national media said on Monday.
The Guardian Council has started a random recount of 10% of ballot papers, the Mehr News agency said.
The opposition, however, has demanded a rerun of the vote, claiming the election that returned hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power was marred by widespread irregularities. No opposition members are on the panel carrying out the recount.
The Guardian Council has repeatedly refused to annul the vote, saying there were no major violations.
Ahmadinejad`s landslide victory triggered days of protests by defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi`s supporters. Regional media reports said 20 people were killed in the post-election violence, Iran`s most serious disturbances since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The recount will be completed on Monday afternoon and the results will be announced later in the day.
 
Original article

Russia, Argentina introduce visa-free travel

(COUNTRIES, ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, RUSSIAN, ARGENTINE, VISIT)

Among Latin American countries, Argentina takes the lead in the number of immigrants from Russia
MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian-Argentine agreement scrapping bilateral visa requirements entered into force on Monday.
The agreement will allow Russians and Argentines to visit each others` countries for up to 90 days without having to apply for visas.
However, visas will still be required for citizens wishing to remain in Russia or Argentina for more than 90 days or run a business.
The deal was reached during the visit of Argentine President Cristina Kirchner to Russia in December 2008 and was signed by the governments of the two countries in March.
Last year some 6,000 Russians visited Argentina. About 3,000 Argentines visit Russia annually.
Argentina is the fifth state in Latin America to scrap visa requirements for Russian citizens, following Venezuela, Cuba, Peru, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
Similar agreements are also expected to be signed with Brazil and Chile.
 
Original article

Medvedev to discuss energy, trade during Azerbaijan visit

(AZERBAIJAN, TRADE, ECONOMIC, COOPERATION, SOURCE, NATURAL)

Top plays of the World Cup 2010 qualifier Russia vs. Azerbaijan
MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will visit Azerbaijan on Monday to discuss trade and economic cooperation, including in the energy sector, a Kremlin source said.
"Talks between the leaders of the two countries will focus on the development of trade and economic ties, including effective cooperation during the global economic crisis," the source said.
According to the source, bilateral trade grew by 39.3% to $2.4 billion in 2008, but decreased by 16.9% in the first quarter of 2009 year-on-year due to the global financial crunch.
One of the key areas of cooperation to be discussed during the visit is the supply of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Russia.
Azerbaijan has proven natural gas reserves of some 1.5 trillion cubic meters. The South Caucasus country annually consumes 14 billion cubic meters of gas.
Gazprom`s CEO Alexei Miller said last Friday the Russian energy giant was planning to sign an agreement with Azerbaijan`s state oil and gas company on natural gas supplies from Shah Deniz, the country`s largest gas field. Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev has said Baku sees no obstacles to the gas deal.
 
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Obama focuses on Senate after first climate win

(OBAMA, WOULD, ENERGY, SENATE, CLIMATE, US, CHANGE)

By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, fresh from his first legislative victory on climate policy, expressed confidence on Monday that new greenhouse gas emission limits would become law with help from the U.S. Senate.
Obama also announced new measures on efficiency standards for lighting used in homes and businesses to take effect in 2012.
The House of Representatives passed a climate change bill on Friday that would require large companies, including utilities and manufacturers, to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases associated with global warming by 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050, from 2005 levels.
The Democratic president and many environmentalists declared the passage a historic step forward for U.S. energy policy, while Republicans and other opponents called it a massive tax that would not succeed in fighting climate change.
The bill gives Obama a stronger case to assert U.S. leadership on global warming at a meeting of the world`s major emitters next week on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Italy.
But the president`s victory may be short lived. The U.S. Senate must now shape its version of the same bill, and the chances of passage there are murky.
Obama and his top environmental aide, Carol Browner, expressed confidence that success would come in the Senate as well.
"In the months to come, the Senate will take up its version of the energy bill, and I am confident that they too will choose to move this country forward," Obama told reporters.
Browner declined to speculate on the timing of a Senate vote but referred to statements by Majority Leader Harry Reid that work would be done on the bill this autumn.
"I am confident that ... comprehensive energy legislation will pass the Senate," she said.
U.N. talks on a new global pact to fight climate change take place in December in Copenhagen, and analysts say having a U.S. law passed by then would boost chances of reaching an international agreement.
Obama has said he wants the United States to lead the world in fighting climate change.
EFFICIENCY STANDARDS
The new efficiency standards announced by the president apply to fluorescent and incandescent lamps, which represent 37 and 7 percent of lighting energy use, respectively, the White House said. They would save up to 594 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions through 2042, the White House said.
Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu also announced they were accelerating a $346 million investment of stimulus funds to be used in making new and existing homes as well as commercial buildings more energy efficient.  Continued...
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U.S. lawmaker probes device over minority radio data

(RADIO, ARBITRON, DEVICE, MINORITY, TOWNS, STATION, GROUPS)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key U.S. lawmaker said on Monday he has launched an investigation into Arbitron Inc`s device to track the public`s listening habits because it may under represent some ethnic and age groups.
Arbitron is a media ratings service company that makes the device called the Portable People Meter (PPM) to measure radio station listenership.
The device has been controversial due to criticisms within the radio industry and state governments that have pointed to some of its flaws. The company still plans to deploy the devices even with the lack of accreditation from the Media Rating Council.
"I remain deeply concerned that without deliberate and timely investigations into this matter the increased use of PPM will further threaten the financial viability of minority targeted radio stations," said Edolphus Towns, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, Towns said he was concerned that the device hasn`t been distributed within minority communities and Arbitron missed a group of households that use only cell phones.
Not having a proper representation of certain groups imperils the financial viability of minority audience radio stations that depend on advertising revenues.
"To date, many of these stations continue to suffer from significant downgrades in ratings, threatening the extent of their programing or even ultimate closure," Towns said in the letter to FCC Commissioner Michael Copps.
Towns said Arbitron has made an effort to correct some flaws in implementing the device as part of settlement agreements reached with New York, New Jersey and Maryland.
But he said he wants to know what the regulatory agency has found from a recent study into the device.
Arbitron said in a statement that it looks forward to sharing its expertise and insights based on its long history of gathering, distributing and supporting data and information.
"We maintain an ongoing dialogue with broadcasters, industry groups, advertising agencies, the Federal Communications Commission, and Congress as part of our commitment to continuous improvement program for the PPM service and technologies," said Arbitron President Michael Skarzynski.
In January Arbitron agreed to pay New York $260,000 and another $130,000 to New Jersey to resolve claims that it undercounted minority radio listeners. As part of a settlement reached with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the company agreed to also pay $100,000 to the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters and the Spanish Radio Association to support minority radio.
Towns, a New York Democrat, said he wants to hear back from the FCC by July 1.
(Reporting by John Poirier; Editing by Richard Chang)
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