Asia

By Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and Former Prime Minister of Malaysia
www.GlobalResearch.ca

Dear Mr. President,

I did not vote for you in the Presidential Election because I am Malaysian.

But I consider myself one of your constituents because what you do or say will affect me and my country as well.

I welcome your promise for change. Certainly your country, the United States of America needs a lot of changes.

That is because America and Americans have become the best hated people in the world. Even Europeans dislike your arrogance. Yet you were once admired and liked because you freed a lot of countries from conquest and subjugation.

It is the custom on New Year's day for people to make resolutions. You must have listed your good resolutions already. But may I politely suggest that you also resolve to do the following in pursuit of Change.

U.S. citizens concerned about the wellbeing of friends and family in India may call the following US State Dept. number for information: 1-888-407-4747

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Mumbai Gunmen Kill 80, Western Hostages Taken | Reuters.com

Gunmen killed at least 80 people in a series of attacks in India's financial capital Mumbai and troops began moving into two five-star hotels on Thursday where Western hostages were being held, local television said.

Police said they had shot dead four gunmen and arrested nine suspects.

However, the chief minister of Maharashtra said the situation was not yet contained.

U.S. delegation attends Energy Summit | UPI.com

U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman will lead a delegation to Azerbaijan for the 2008 Energy Summit.

The summit is being hosted by Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. The U.S. delegation will take part in bilateral meetings with foreign heads of state and government ministers, the U.S. Department of Energy announced.

Bodman said the U.S. discussion will focus on commitment to the development of the Southern Pipeline Corridor and to bringing Central Asian and Caspian oil and gas to global markets.

"The United States remains firmly committed to the development of independent, commercially viable energy supply routes enabling the transport of competitive energy resources from the Caspian region to meet the needs of markets east, west, north and south," Bodman said.

Not Waiting For Godot
By Bruce K. Gagnon | Organizing Notes | More Photos

Some people are not waiting to see what Obama will do as president before acting. In South Korea activists are now meeting and publicly calling on president-elect Obama to end the dangerous and costly U.S.-South Korea (ROK) military alliance that is contributing to major tensions in the region.

The U.S. is currently doubling its military presence in the Asian-Pacific region. New and expanded Pentagon bases are going into Guam, Australia, Japan, and South Korea. "Missile defense" is being peddled to Australia, Japan, and South Korea which is forcing China, who today only has 20 nuclear missiles capable of hitting the west coast of the U.S., to produce more for fear that a U.S. "first-strike" could knock out their nuclear capability. In fact the U.S. Space Command has been war gaming such a first-strike attack on China for the past several years!

If Obama wants to reduce global tensions he should begin negotiating a de-escalation of militarism in the Asian-Pacific region. If Obama wants money for health care, education, energy policy, and new jobs at home then he must stop expanding U.S. military bases in that region and throughout the world. More Photos

Mahatma Gandhi inspires Obama | IndiaInfo.com

Washington: Barack Obama, who today scripted history by getting elected as the first black President of the United States, has always seen Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration who reminds him about the "real message of life".

Obama also flaunts his love to the apostle of peace by having a portrait of Mahatma at his Senate Office.

The Democrat, who favours US having close links with India, has told an Indian magazine that he was "fortunate" to have close Indian-American friends and recalled about the rural development work his mother did in the country.

Through the power of his example and his own unshakable spirit, Gandhi inspired a people to resist oppression, sparking a revolution that freed a nation from colonial rule, the Democratic Presidential-elect had said.

"Gandhi s significance is universal. Countless people around the world have been touched by his spirit and example. His victory in turn inspired a generation of young Americans to peacefully wipe out a system of overt oppression that had endured for a century.

A Bombing In Assam
By Gary Corseri

You are walking along the street one day,
chewing cinnamon gum,
and the world is full of cinnamon
when there's a fireball--
and a blast of gushing air and noise
like the Earth is cracking
and time has exploded. ...