Feb 26

Iraq not fazed by pending US pullout: Maliki (AFP)

AFP – Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki insisted on Thursday he was not fazed by a US withdrawal from the violence-scarred country as President Barack Obama prepared to announce a timeline for pulling out the troops. Read the rest of this entry »

Feb 26

Pentagon moves to impose secrecy on budget talks (AFP)

AFP – Senior Pentagon officials have had to promise they will keep the details of the US military budget secret as the Defense Department prepares to make tough cuts on weapons programs, a spokesman said on Wednesday. Read the rest of this entry »

Feb 26

Costly US weapons face budget cuts under Obama (AFP)

AFP – Hi-tech fighter aircraft, new warships and missile defense projects are all potential targets for big cuts in the US defense budget, as the American military faces a new era of limits under President Barack Obama. Read the rest of this entry »

Feb 26

Kyrgyz base closure points to region in crisis (AFP)

AFP – Indifferent to a row over the US airbase in their country, the mass of poor struggling to cope on the fringes of Bishkek reflect the gulf between rulers and ruled in ex-Soviet Central Asia. Read the rest of this entry »