US CIA officers killed in Afghanistan bomb attack

Eight Americans reportedly working for the CIA have died in a bomb attack in Afghanistan, the worst against US intelligence officials since 2001.

A bomber wearing an explosive vest entered Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost Province, near Pakistan.

A Taliban spokesman said one of its members who was working for the Afghan army carried out the attack.

In a separate incident, four Canadian soldiers and a journalist died in a roadside bomb attack in Kandahar.

It was the worst fatal incident affecting Canadians in Afghanistan for more than two years.

Army uniform

A Taliban spokesman said the militant who carried out the attack at the Chapman Base on Wednesday evening was working as a soldier in the Afghan army.

Zabiullah Mujahid told the BBC the bomber was wearing uniform when he managed to breach security at the base, detonating his explosives belt in the gym.

Unnamed US officials were quoted as saying that most if not all of the dead Americans were either CIA agents or contractors, although this has not been confirmed by either the CIA or the Pentagon. A further six Americans are reported to be wounded.

Reports say the base is used by provincial reconstruction teams, which consist of soldiers and civilians.

The base has been described as "not regular" - a phrase that implies it was a centre of CIA operations in Khost province, the BBC's Peter Greste in Kabul says.

It is the biggest single reported loss of life for the CIA since the war began in Afghanistan eight years, and the biggest loss for the US since October.

"We mourn the loss of life in this attack, and are withholding further details pending notification of next of kin," US state department spokesman Ian Kelly said.

A spokesman for Isaf, the international Nato force in Afghanistan, said that "no US and no Isaf military personnel were killed or injured" in the incident.

Raised questions

Khost province - which is one of the Taliban's strongholds - has been targeted by militants over the past year.

The number of foreign civilians deployed in Afghanistan has been rising as international efforts there focus increasingly on development and aid.

Civilians work alongside military reconstruction teams at provincial bases around the country.

A "civilian surge" was one of the three core elements of the new US strategy for Afghanistan announced by US President Barack Obama at the beginning of the month.

The fact that an attacker has been able to breach security at such a sensitive facility raises questions about the ability of US forces to protect themselves ahead of the surge, our correspondent adds.

This has been the deadliest year for foreign troops since the 2001 invasion.

Saudi Arabia adopts highest budget in its history

Kingdom increases spending on education and health

RIYADH:  The Saudi cabinet agreed on Monday a budget for 2010 that forecasts a deficit of $18.7 billion, with spending hitting a record-high of 540 billion riyals($144 billion), Al Arabiya TV reported.

The budget projects revenues of 505 billion riyals ($125.3 billion) and a fiscal deficit of 70 billion riyals ($18.67 billion) in 2010, its second straight deficit, as it increases spending.

The kingdom expected to post a fiscal deficit of 70 billion riyals ($18.6 billion) in the coming year and estimated expenditures to reach 540 billion riyals, including 260 billion riyals ($69.3 billion) for investment projects.

The figures represent a 16 percent increase from 2009.

The kingdom's 2010 budget for education stood at 137 billion riyals ($36.5 billion) and for healthcare at 61 billion riyals ($16.2 billion).

Actual spending for 2009 was the highest ever and exceeded the $127 billion initially projected.

For 2009, the kingdom expects to post a deficit of 45 billion riyals ($11.9 billion), the finance ministry said in a statement.

Iranians mourn dissident cleric

IRAN:  Tens of thousands of Iranians have turned out to attend the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a senior cleric who was critical of the Iranian government, according to reports on an Iranian opposition website.

Montazeri's funeral in the holy city of Qom got under way on Monday, with some analysts saying it could become a catalyst for fresh opposition protests.

"People and friends are coming to express their condolences," Naser Montazeri, the cleric's grandson, said from Qom.

The opposition Kalme website reported that a bus carrying opposition supporters to Qom was stopped and some of those on board arrested.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, both opposition leaders who were defeated in June's disputed presidential poll, had earlier called for a national day of mourning.

"We invite all saddened religious people mourning the death of this pride of the Shia world to take part in the funeral of this legend of endeavour, jurisprudence and spirituality," Mousavi and Karroubi said in a joint statement published on the Kalme website.

Mousavi later arrived in Qom to attend the funeral, at which Montazeri wil be buried in the shrine of Masoumeh, a revered Shia figure.

Media restricted

Foreign media have been banned from covering the funeral ceremony.

In the wake of the street protests that followed the election dispute, Montazeri was referred to as the spiritual leader of the opposition.

In August, Montazeri described the clerical establishment as a "dictatorship", saying that the authorities' handling of street unrest after the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president, "could lead to the fall of the regime".

He was an architect of the 1979 Islamic revolution but fell out with the Iranian leadership in the 1980s.

Montazeri passed away on Sunday in Qom after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Videos posted on the internet prior to the funeral appeared to show hundreds of Montazeri's supporters taking to the streets of Najafabad, his birth town, to mourn his death.

'A humble man'

Baqer Moin, an Iranian journalist and author, told Al Jazeera that Montazeri's absence would be "greatly felt across the country", among people on both sides of the political divide.

"He was the most heavyweight among them [the reformists]. He had great popularity because he was a humble man, he was a simple man ... and above all he was very courageous," Moin said.

"He didn't fear expressing his views, critical of the current supreme leader or the policies of the government."

Ghanbar Naderi, a journalist for the Iran Daily newspaper, told Al Jazeera: "This is huge blow to the reformist camp, because he is unreplaceable and nobody is happy to hear about his sad demise.

"He used to say that religion should be separated from politics, because in this way, we can keep the integrity of religion intact."

But Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a political analyst at the University of Tehran, told Al Jazeera in August that Montazeri said "the same thing for around 25 years".

"After his inner circle was discovered to be linked to Mujahidin terrorists based in Iraq, he was isolated by the reformists," he said.

"He is not a major player and has always been very critical," Marandi said.

Jackson UK tribute gig in doubt

A Michael Jackson tribute concert in London next year is in doubt after the company organising the show dissolved.

The Austrian firm, World Awards Media, said the decision to wind-up was made in November.

No further details have been released but liquidator Martin Schneider said the company had lost the financial support of its main sponsor.

It is not yet known if Jackson's brother Jermaine will still put on the gig himself.

The concert was set to take place in June.

It was initially planned to take place outside Vienna's Schoenbrunn Palace in September, but it was moved London's Wembley Stadium after running into problems.

Organisers said too many performers were unable to commit because of scheduling conflicts.

The Austrian media was also accused of stirring up a negative atmosphere.

Former chief promoter Georg Kindel told the Austria Press Agency that he and Superfund founder Christian Baha - the majority owner of the now defunct company - split in October.

Neither Mr Kindel nor Mr Baha could be reached for comment.

Jackson died in June in Los Angeles aged 50.

Pro-Iranian hackers hit Twitter and opposition websites

A group calling itself the Iranian Cyber Army has hacked Twitter and an Iranian opposition website, replacing it with an anti-American message.

Traffic to the social networking website was redirected for nearly two hours on Thursday night.

The opposition website mowjcamp.org remained disrupted on Friday.

The opposition in Iran have used the websites to publicise protests and accuse the government of rigging elections in June.

"This site has been hacked by the Iranian Cyber Army," the message read.

The message, written in confused English, said the hackers had turned the tables on the US, who they criticise for sanctions on Iran.

"USA think they controlling and managing internet by their access, but they don't, we control and manage internet by our power," the message continued.

It ended on a seemingly polite note, telling visitors to "take care", and the hackers added a winking emoticon.

The hackers left an e-mail address, but could not be reached for comment.

Inner workings

Reporting on the hack, technology website techcruch.com recommended that Twitter users who have the same password for other websites like Facebook or their email should change them.

Twitter posted a blog on their website saying the micro-blogging service had been restored an hour and a quarter after the hack was first noticed.

The post said the hackers had gained access to the inner workings of the site and redirected visitors to their own website.

The website Mowjcamp.org is run by supporters of the reformist candidates who challenged Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June's elections.

Both Twitter and Mowjcamp.org became a focal point for protesters during mass opposition rallies on the streets of Tehran, and the hundreds of arrests that followed.

Protesting Iranians posted pictures of the rallies, and the reaction of the Iranian riot police and pro-government militia, on the sites.

Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have said elections in June were rigged against them.

Dubai film festival awards go to Zindeeq, Lola

Palestinian, Filipino filmmakers win Dubai film awards

DUBAI:  The movie "Zindeeq" (renegade), directed by Palestinian filmmaker Michel Khleifi and "Lola" by Filipino director Brillante Mendoza won the first prize of the sixth edition of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has been rocked by a crisis on its debt, attended the closing ceremony on Wednesday night, during which prizes worth more than $1.5 million have been awarded to winners.

"Zindeeq", a joint Palestinian-UAE-British production, received the Muhr award for Best Arabic Feature Film. It tells the story of a Palestinian director in exile, who returned home to shoot a film about the exodus of 1948 and realizes he has become a stranger among his own people.

"Lola", which won the Muhr for best film in Africa and Asia, portrays the suffering of two grandmothers whose grandchildren have killed each other.

"Harragas" by Algerian director Merzak Allouache on illegal immigration, has won the Special Jury Prize and another award for international criticism as well as a special prize for films defending human rights.

The first Arabic Literature award went to the Lebanese Zeina Daccache for his film "Twelve Angry Men", a play performed by prisoners.

A total of 28 prizes worth of $575,000 was awarded to filmmakers of long and short movies, and three prizes worth a total of $1 million went to Arab TV series.

Supreme Court declares NRO unconstitutional

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has struck down the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), saying it is unconstitutional.

A 17-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, in his short order, declared the ordinance as null and void.

According to the judgment, the NRO is contrary to the equality guaranteed by the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan. Similarly, all the cases, disposed off because of the controversial ordinance, now stand revived as of Oct 5, 2007 position, said the judgment.

In addition, the court has ordered the government that it should immediately reopen the Swiss cases concerning President Asif Ali Zardari.

"The provisions of the NRO seem to be against national interests thus it violates the several provisions of the constitution," the ruling said.

Earlier, during hearing of petitions against the NRO, the chief justice said even parliament has no right to change the basic structure of the constitution.

“In accordance to oath, we are committed to safeguard the constitution,” he remarked.

Earlier, the chief justice has warned the NAB Chairman Naveed Ahsan about a stern action if something false detected in the list. He ordered the NAB Chairman to sign the list if it was correct. On the court’s order, he signed the list.

The court summoned the summary file of directives issued for the elimination Swiss cases when the hearing resumed on Wednesday. On the excuse of acting attorney general, the court summoned principal secretary and secretary law. Secretary law while presenting the file in the court said attorney general wrote the letter for withdrawal of cases on the directives of Asif Zardari’s lawyer Farooq H Naek that was opposed by the than law minister Zahid Hamid.

The court has expressed displeasure on acting attorney general and said he hide the truth. The principal secretary of president Salman Farooqi informed the court that cases files are not present in presidency. The files were in president’ camp office in Rawalpindi.

The court advisor Mian Allah Nawaz in his arguments termed the NRO as filthy law and said any, which is beneficial for some individuals, is illegal. Another court advisor Shaiq Usmani said there is no legal ground of giving amenity under NRO. President could only issue the ordinance, which will convert into law by the assembly.

In his remarks, chief justice said how assembly could declare corruption as legal. The judges in their remarks said NRO is against Quranic teachings and amenity could only be given to political cases.

The judges said that if it were an ordinance for national reconciliation, then Baloch leaders and Altaf Hussain should also have been called to the country. During the final stages of the hearing, Salman Raja, Akram Chaudhry, Dr Farooq Hussain, Shahid Orakzai and Abdul Hafiz Pirzada completed their arguments.

Seychelles getting 'sinking feeling'

DENIS ISLAND: Camille Hoareau stands on Denis Island's beach of creamy-white sand, exactly where trees used to grow a few years ago and where the fish will soon swim if global warming surges on.

"See those? They all went down recently," he says, pointing to the upturned roots of casuarina trees felled by the ever-advancing beach.

Hoareau believes this small privately-owned coralline island in the north of the Seychelles archipelago has shrunk by a few acres already since he became estate manager seven years ago.

"The highest point of the island is about 2.5 metres (eight feet), so it doesn't take long for an island like this one to be swallowed up," he says.

Scientific analyses factoring in melting glaciers and ice caps, added water from Greenland and Antarctica and thermal expansion of warming ocean water predict that sea levels could rise globally by up to two metres this

century.

For many, climate change remains a slightly abstract notion that may one day involve minor sacrifices such as driving electric cars and buying solar panels.

But for the Seychellois and other people living on low-lying islands, climate change is a tangible issue that literally knocks on their front door every morning and poses a very existential question.

"Where will the water be in 10, 15 years? Global warming has changed our point of view on a lot of things," says Paul Horner, the manager of Denis Island resort.

"The waves are already lapping my front yard so now I'm building a home for the children in the mountains" on one of the Indian Ocean archipelago's granitic islands.

A two-metre rise in water levels would easily flood the runways of the international airport -- which brings in the tourists that account for 80 percent of the country's foreign currency earnings -- and put the capital Victoria at risk.

As a global deal to radically curb carbon emissions in Copenhagen looks anything but certain, the Seychelles fears that tourists will soon require diving gear to enter their rooms in the archipelago's many luxury hotels.

"Time has run out... Even if we are given a very large sum of money, how are we going to prevent a world heritage site like Aldabra atoll from going under?," asks Seychelles Environment and Transport Minister Joel Morgan.

Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean islands such as Barbados, Kiribati and the Seychelles feel let down by the world's rich, big-polluting countries whose elites like to spend their holidays on their beaches.

At a summit in New York in September, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) issued a declaration scathing the planet's powerhouses for sealing their doom by pussyfooting around the issue of carbon emissions.

We are "profoundly disappointed by the lack of apparent ambition within the international climate change negotiations to protect... vulnerable countries, their peoples, culture, land and ecosystems from the impacts of climate change," they said.

At the key UN climate talks involving 190 nations in Copenhagen, small islands were the first to put forward a draft calling for huge global carbon emissions and target a cap of 1.5 or two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit ) in global warming.

Several days into the meeting, island states were doing what their best to make their voices heard.

A teenage resident of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific asked Australia to welcome her nation's future climate refugees. The tiny Pacific archipelago Tuvalu took on giants China and India and called for a suspension of the conference, and the president of the Maldives, the famed Indian Ocean tourist paradise, made another passionate appeal, weeks after holding a cabinet meeting under water.

For his part, Seychelles President James Michel hopes to impress on world powers that they too have a lot to lose from unchecked climate changes, albeit a few decades after small islands have been wiped off the map.

"We will lose big, but we will continue to argue our case before the world's powers. We feel that we are seriously underestimating the potential impacts of climate change, which may end up costing the planet a lot more," he said in a statement to a French news agency.

Michel's special advisor on climate change Rolph Payet, whose role as lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won him the Nobel Peace Prize along with former US vice president Al Gore in 2007, takes the view that small nations can achieve the most by themselves.

"Even if we do something now, we won't see the impact for another 20-25 years, but we have to act," he says. "We are pushing for everyone to do that, to invest in sustainability, like restoring the coastline."

Looking at the fallen trees rimming his shrinking paradise island, Camille Hoareau is wasting no time and working relentlessly to win his own race against the climate clock.

"Here we have a scheme on Denis island, where conservation is integrated in the way the hotel is run. Tourists contribute to the effort in the price they pay and it's becoming more and more important to them," he explains.

"The best protection against erosion is trees, so we have to plant as many as possible... I don't know what's going to come out of Copenhagen, but right now it's about people taking responsibility."

Iran missle test weakens trust in program: US

Sejil 2 long-range missile puts Israel, US bases within reach

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WASHINGTON/TEHRAN:  The White House said on Wednesday that Iran's test of an upgraded missile undermines its insistence of peaceful intentions and will be looked upon seriously by the world.

"At a time when the international community has offered Iran opportunities to begin to build trust and confidence, Iran's missile tests only undermine Iran's claims of peaceful intentions," White House spokesman Mike Hammer said.

"Such actions will increase the seriousness and resolve of the international community to hold Iran accountable for its continued defiance of its international obligations on its nuclear program," he said.

Iran successfully test-fired a long-range, improved Sejil 2 missile on Wednesday, state television reported.

Al Alam, Iran's Arabic-language satellite television, said the Sejil missile had a longer range than the Shahab missile, which Iranian officials in the past said can reach targets up to 2,000 km (1,250 miles) away.

That would put Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf within reach.

The missile test coincides with increased tension over Iran's nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at making bombs. Iran denies the charge.

Neither Israel nor the United States have ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute. Iran has vowed to retaliate for any attack.

Press TV, Iran's English-language television station, said about Wednesday's test: "The missile hit its target."

Al Alam said it was a two-stage, solid fuel missile.

The test came a day after the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation to impose sanctions on foreign companies that help to supply gasoline to Iran, a measure lawmakers hope would deter Tehran from pursuing its nuclear work.

Iran has repeatedly shrugged off the impact of such punitive measures that include three rounds of limited U.N. sanctions since 2006.

In September, Iran test-fired missiles which a commander said could reach any regional target. The White House branded those tests "provocative" and reiterated demands that Iran come clean on its nuclear program.

Washington suspects Iran is trying to develop nuclear bomb capability and has previously expressed concern about Tehran's missile program. Iran, a major oil producer, says its nuclear work is solely for generating peaceful electricity.

The United States and five other major countries said on Tuesday that a planned meeting with Iran about its nuclear program will not take place this year because of scheduling conflicts, although talks will continue by telephone.

In October, negotiators offered a deal under which Iran would send most of its low-enriched uranium abroad by the end of the year for further enrichment. However, Tehran has backed away from it, raising the prospect of additional sanctions.

Iran test-fires Sejil 2 missile

TEHRAN: Iran has successfully test-fired a long-range, improved Sejil 2 missile, state television reported on Wednesday.Iran's Arabic-language satellite television said the Sejil missile had a longer range than the Shahab missile, which Iranian officials in the past have said can reach targets 2, 000 km (1,250 miles) away.

Iran to Try Three American Hikers

TEHRAN:    Iran said Monday it would try three Americans who have been jailed since crossing the border from Iraq in July, a step certain to aggravate the U.S. at a time when Tehran is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki didn't say when proceedings would begin or specify the charge other than to say the Americans had "suspicious aims." In November, however, authorities accused the Americans of spying.

There are concerns in the U.S. that Iran could use them as bargaining chips in talks over its nuclear program or in seeking the return of Iranians they say are missing.

Relatives of the hikers and the U.S. government say the three were innocent tourists on an adventure hike in northern Iraq and accidentally crossed into Iran, where they were arrested on July 31.

"They will be tried by Iran's judiciary system and verdicts will be issued," Mr. Mottaki said at a news conference, without elaborating.

The Americans -- Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27 -- were detained by Iranian authorities after crossing an unmarked border from northern Iraq.

At a Nov. 9 news conference, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran's judiciary would deal with the Americans, and he noted that Iran accuses the U.S. of holding several of its citizens.

In particular, he drew a link between the case of the three Americans and the trial in the U.S. of Amir Hossein Ardebili, an Iranian who faces up to 140 years in prison after pleading guilty to plotting to ship sensitive U.S. military technology to Iran.

According to court papers, Mr. Ardebili worked as a procurement agent for the Iranian government and acquired thousands of components, including military aircraft parts, night vision devices, communications equipment and Kevlar.

U.S. federal authorities targeted him in 2004 after he contacted an undercover storefront set up in Philadelphia to investigate illegal arms trafficking.

Pakistan Court Rules Detained Americans Can't Be Deported

PAKISTAN:  A top Pakistani court on Monday ruled that five Americans being held on suspicion of terror links can't be deported back to the U.S. or any other country before judges review the case, an official said.

Pakistani police have alleged that the five young Muslim men wanted to join militants in Pakistan's northwest tribal areas before going to Afghanistan. The men are accused of using Facebook and YouTube sites to try to connect with extremist groups in Pakistan.

They have not been formally charged with any crime in Pakistan or produced in court. No deportation order is known to have been issued, though officials from the U.S. and Pakistan have said deportation back to America is likely.

Lahore High Court registrar Tahir Pervez said the court wants more information before such a move is allowed.

The court made the move in response to a petition from Khalid Khawaja, a civil rights activist who has often filed court cases on behalf of alleged militants and people believed to have disappeared at the hands of Pakistan's vast security apparatus.

Mr. Pervez said the court ordered the government of Punjab province to file a report on the case in a hearing Thursday.

The men were picked up by Pakistani authorities last week in the Punjab town of Sargodha after their worried families in the U.S. turned to the FBI to track them down. They were shifted over the weekend to Lahore, the provincial capital, for further questioning.

The five men are from the Washington, D.C. area, and the case has fanned fears that Americans and other Westerners, especially those of Pakistani descent, are traveling to Pakistan to join up with al Qaeda and other militant groups.

FBI agents, who have been granted some access to the men, are trying to see if there is enough evidence to charge any of them with conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group, an American official and another person familiar with the case said Friday.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

FOCUS Dubai Debt Woes Remain Despite Abu Dhabi $10B Bailout

DUBAI:   Abu Dhabi's $10 billion bailout Monday of government-owned conglomerate Dubai World will go a small way to tackle the emirate's debt pile, experts say.

Although the much-needed cash injection provided a welcome boost to investor confidence on the region's stock markets, analysts warn that concerns over Dubai and its debt levels will linger.

"Fundamentally, little has changed for Dubai's outlook," said Fahd Iqbal, Gulf strategist at Egyptian investment bank EFG-Hermes, which estimates that Dubai's total debt, including bilateral loans for Dubai Inc. companies, could be as high as $150 billion.

Abu Dhabi pumped $10 billion into Dubai's financial support fund Monday, part of which will be used to pay off creditors of a $3.52 billion Islamic bond issued by Dubai World's real estate unit Nakheel.

Dubai rocked world markets in late November when it requested a freeze on $26 billion of debt payments by Dubai World, in order to restructure the group. This means that about a further $22 billion still needs to refinanced and creditors are expected to meet with Dubai World on Dec.21 to hammer out a deal.

International investment bank UBS AG said that although the bailout "may provide short-term market relief", an additional $32 billion in loans and bonds repayments still remain outstanding over the next two years.

"Moving away from the debt repayment uncertainty, we focus investors attention back to fundamental economic and systemic challenges which have not changed materially," said Saud Masud, head of research at UBS in Dubai.

RISK PREMIUM

Of the greatest concern to many analysts, is the debt levels of Dubai Holding, the personal investment vehicle of the ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and Dubai World's investment unit Istithmar.

"We continue to see risk of further debt problems emerging in the coming months and quarters, particularly from Dubai Holding and Istithmar and hence we are keeping our elevated equity risk premium," said EFG's Iqbal.

Dubai Holding, which includes investment arms Dubai International Capital and Dubai Group, has built up $9.7 billion in debt during a five-year buying spree, according to Barclays Capital. Of this, $1.9 billion matures next year.

"We believe that the Dubai Government's actions have introduced the risk that restructuring of other corporates could follow. We would focus on those with weak fundamentals and upcoming maturities and we view Dubai Holdings as being most at risk," it said in a note shortly after Dubai World's debt request late November.

Dubai's obligations extend much further than Dubai World and the rest of its government-related entities. It also owes billions of dollars to construction firms and contractors. In its statement, Dubai said it will use some of the $10 billion to meet the obligations of Dubai World's contractors, it is unclear how it plans to address the .

Earlier this week, Japan's The Nikkei newspaper reported that Dubai owes Japanese nonfinancial companies around $7.5 billion. On Friday, British consulting and business group Mouchel Group PLC (MCHL.LN) said it would close its Dubai operations, saying there was uncertainty over the recovery of GBP10 million it is owed.

"What now remains to be seen is how Dubai World, and the Government of Dubai will restructure their respective remaining liabilities," said Faisal Ghori at ME Ventures.

China's President Hu Jintao opens Kazakh gas pipeline

Chinese President Hu Jintao has unveiled the Kazakh section of a 7,000km (4,300 miles) natural gas pipeline joining Central Asia to China.

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Mr Hu was joined by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev during the inauguration in Astana on Saturday.

The pipeline is part of China's attempts to secure more energy sources worldwide.

On Monday, Mr Hu is due to head to a commissioning ceremony in Turkmenistan where the pipeline actually begins.

He is also expected to be joined there by President Islam Karimov, the leader of Uzbekistan - the fourth country involved in the project.

'Grand project'

Mr Hu and Mr Nazarbayev together pressed a symbolic button to open the 1,833km (1,139 mile) section before officials from both countries marked the new relationship with hugs and cheers, the Reuters news agency reported.

Mr Nazarbayev said: "This is a grand construction project that will in time resurrect the ancient Silk Route."

The pipeline, which begins near a Turkmenistan gas field being developed by the China National Petroleum Corporation concludes in Xinjiang in western China.

It has an estimated capacity of 40bn cubic metres a year and will mean the central Asian countries are less dependent on Russia buying up their supplies.

This is Kazakhstan's first export route that does not go through Russia. This segment cost $6.7bn (£4.12bn) and was completed within two years.

Most of the finance for the project came from the state-run China Development Bank.

The whole pipeline is expected to be finished by 2013.

Iran vows to strike Israel's nuclear sites if attacked

BEIRUT: Lebanon television channel says Iran's defense minister has warned that his country will strike Israel's nuclear sites if the Jewish state attacks Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Wednesday report says Gen. Ahmad Vahidi made his comments to reporters while visiting Damascus, capital of neighboring Syria.

Lebanon television is the mouthpiece of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese guerrilla group and political party. Iran's English language Press TV also carried Vahidi's comments.

Israel has not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel, the United States and other Western nations say Iran is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

Iran denies the charge. It says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.

Europe presses US, China on emissions cuts

COPENHAGEN:  The European Union (EU) put pressure on the US and China to do more with their emission cut targets and called on the two countries to take a leadership role as the Copenhagen climate talks continued on the second day.

"The US and China have not offered to go far enough to combat climate change," CNN quoted a top EU official as saying Monday.

Final negotiations at the conference "will be mostly about what will be delivered from the US and China," said Andreas Carlgren, Sweden's environment minister, who pressed US President Barack Obama to do more than he promised in a statement before the conference.

The so-called "G2" concept, frequently mentioned in G20 summits this year, reappeared in many media to refer to the responsibility the two countries should assume.

China and the US together cover half of the world's emissions so what they can deliver is very decisive, Carlgren said.

Jin Canrong, a professor from Renmin University of China, told the Global Times in an interview that it is undeniable that China and the US are two major emitters, but the motive behind the EU’s statement is its intention to shift the burden to China and the US; in which case, they will bear the final result of the climate talks, be it good or bad.

Last month China announced its plan to reduce 40 percent to 45 percent of its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of the GDP in 2020 compared with 2005 levels. This target was followed by the US' commitment of a 17 percent cut by 2020 below 2005 levels.

Egypt starts building steel wall on Gaza Strip border

Egypt has begun constructing a huge metal wall along its border with the Gaza Strip as it attempts to cut smuggling tunnels, the BBC has learned.

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Cairo:  When it is finished the wall will be 10-11km (6-7 miles) long and will extend 18 metres below the surface.

The Egyptians are being helped by American army engineers, who the BBC understands have designed the wall.

The plan has been shrouded in secrecy, with no comment or confirmation from the Egyptian government.

The wall will take 18 months to complete.

For weeks local farmers have noticed more activity at the border where trees were being cut down, but very few of them were aware that a barrier was being built.

'Impenetrable'

That is because the barrier, made of super-strength steel, has been hidden deep underground.

The BBC has been told that it was manufactured in the US, that it fits together in similar fashion to a jigsaw, and that it has been tested to ensure it is bomb proof.

It cannot be cut or melted - in short it is impenetrable.

Intelligence sources in Egypt say the barrier is being sunk close to the perimeter wall that already exists.

They claim 4km of the wall has already been completed north of the Rafah crossing, with work now beginning to the south.

The land beneath Egypt and Gaza resembles a Swiss cheese, full of holes and tunnels through which the Palestinians smuggle the everyday items they are denied by the blockade.

But the Israelis say the tunnels are also used to smuggle people, weapons, and the components of the rockets that are fired at southern Israeli towns.

The wall is not expected to stop all the smuggling, but it will force the Palestinians to go deeper and it will likely cut the hundreds of superficial tunnels closer to the surface that are used to move the bulk of the goods.

'US arrests' in Pakistan

PAKISTAN:  The FBI is investigating five American Muslim students who are thought to have been arrested in Pakistan yesterday on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks after disappearing from their homes in the U.S. last month.

Pakistani police said they arrested the five men, aged between 18 early 20s, in a raid on the house of a member of the banned militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad, in the town of Sargodha in the eastern province of Punjab.

The FBI has yet to confirm their nationalities or identities, but Pakistani officials said the men were all U.S. citizens, including three of Pakistani descent, one of Egyptian descent and one of Yemeni descent, and had been staying at the house since November 30.

Their arrest came as David C. Headley, another U.S. citizen of Pakistani origin, pleaded not guilty yesterday to terrorism charges in a case that has raised fears about Islamic militant groups' ability to recruit and operate inside the United States.

Muslim leaders in Washington said the five men -- all students -- had been living with their families in northern Virginia state until they disappeared last month, and one had left behind a Jihadist-style "farewell" video message.

Officials from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) told reporters that the men's families contacted the organization after they went missing.

Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director, declined to give the men’s names, ages or nationalities, but one of them has been identified as a dental student at Howard University in Washington.

Mr Awad said the families brought along a video that included war images and Koranic verses and showed one of the five men delivering a "final statement".

"It's like a farewell," he said of the 11-minute, English-language video that one of the families reportedly found in their home.

"There were... images of conflict," he added. "It was generic, but you can draw your own conclusions."

After viewing the video, CAIR contacted the FBI, which appeared to have been unaware of the men's activities, said Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR's national communications director.

The FBI said in a statement that it was aware of the arrests in Pakistan and was now working with families and local law enforcement to investigate the missing students.

"We are working with Pakistan authorities to determine their identities and the nature of their business there, if indeed these are the students who had gone missing," said Lindsey Godwin, an FBI spokeswoman.

"Because this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be able to provide further details at this time," she added.

An FBI team is currently visiting India and Pakistan principally to gather and share evidence on the case of Mr Headley, 49, who is charged with helping to plan terrorist attacks in Denmark and India.

Mr Headley -- who changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006 -- pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges including plotting to attack a Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, and scouting targets for last year’s militant attacks on Mumbai.

The son of a Pakistani diplomat and his American socialite wife is also accused of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group blamed the Mumbai attacks, and attending training camps in Pakistan run by the banned group.

Bin Laden is key to defeating al-Qaeda: McChrystal

WASHINGTON:   The general in charge of the war in Afghanistan says capturing Osama bin Laden is the ultimate key to defeating the al-Qaida terror network.

General Stanley McChrystal told Congress on Tuesday that bin Laden is an "iconic figure" whose very survival eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks serves as a recruiting tool for al-Qaida. U.S. intelligence officials believe bin Laden is in hiding in Pakistan, along that country's rugged border with Afghanistan.

McChrystal says finding bin Laden isn't the key to winning the war in Afghanistan. But he says he does not think that the United States will defeat the terror network outright until bin Laden is found and brought to justice.

Sarkozy warns against religious "provocation"

PARIS:  President Nicolas Sarkozy warned French believers to refrain from religious "ostentation and provocation" on Tuesday after the Swiss vote to ban minarets stoked debate about Islam in France.

The president made the statement in an opinion piece in Le Monde daily, wading into an increasingly tense debate over national identity that has zeroed in on immigration fears in France, home to Europe's largest Muslim minority.

"Christians, Jews, Muslims, all believers regardless of their faith, must refrain from ostentation and provocation and ... practice their religion in humble discretion," wrote Sarkozy.

"Anything that could appear as a challenge" to France's Christian roots and republican values would lead to "failure" in efforts to promote a form of moderate Islam in France, he warned.

With Islam now the nation's second faith, France has sought to reaffirm its staunchly secular tradition which sees religion as a strictly private affair while seeking to avoid a clash of civilizations within its borders.

Islam allows mixing of the sexes: Saudi scholar

JEDDAH:   Mixing of the sexes is permissable in Islam and is a natural part of life, the president of the Mecca branch of the religious police told a Saudi paper, adding he did not understand why there was so much outrage when the co-ed university, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), was opened.

Those who oppose mixing of the sexes are contradicting themselves as they most likely mix with the opposite sex on a daily basis, such as having female servants, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Qassim Al-Ghamdi, the head of Mecca's Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice committee, told Saudi's Okaz newspaper.

Al-Ghamdi added that it is only a minority of scholars that ban mixing of the sexes and said these scholars had no strong evidence to support their claims and were leading today's Muslims astray from the Muslims during the time of the Prophet Muhammad.

The sheikh went on to say that mixing of the sexes was never prohibited during the Prophet's times and was a natural part of life of the Sahaba's, or Prophet's companions.

Al-Ghamdi also argued that the term "mixing" could not be found in Shariah, or Islamic law, and said Shariah says nothing about banning non-married men and women from working, studying and socializing with each other.

"Islamic law says nothing about mixing unlike the numerous laws on things such as divorce, trading and war. Mixing of the sexes does not have official laws or concepts."

Al-Ghamdi said the term mixing was coined simply because some scholars have exaggerated the so-called taboo of mixing of the sexes despite the fact that it is natural.

"It is dangerous when the term mixing is being connected with the science of Islamic law this affects the heritage of islamic law negatively because have given a fake idea merit," which al-Ghamdi said leads to chaos.

There is usually strict segregation between men and women in Saudi circles and the sexes do not mix in schools, universities, officies and even restaurants and malls have female only areas.

Saudi shocked at Iran claims about nuke scientist

DUBAI:  Saudi Arabia slammed Tehran's allegations that it had handed over Iranian nuclear scientist, Shahram Amiri, to the United States after he disappeared in the kingdom in May, a London-based Saudi newspaper reported Wednesday.

Amiri reportedly disappeared from the holy city of Medina, just three days after landing in Saudi Arabia to perform Umra, or lesser pilgrimage.

"Saudi Arabia receives over a million Iranian pilgrims every year and like all pilgrims, they are usually under the supervision of their country's official mission with regards to their housing and transportation," Asharq Alawsat quoted Saudi Foreign Ministry official, Osama Neqaly, as saying.

Negaly said that the Saudi authorities had searched for Amiri, following reports of his disappearance in Medina, but he is yet to be found.

"Results of the search have been reported to the Iranian mission and the their embassy, but we have not received an official response from Tehran until now," Neqaly said.

The U.S. State Department Tuesday declined to comment on Iranian claims that Washington abducted Amiri while he was in Saudi Arabia.

"We are aware of the Iranian claims," said department spokesman Philip Crowley. "I have no information on that."

"I'm not going to say anything else," he insisted, as reporters pressed him on the matter at a press briefing.

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki earlier accused Washington of kidnapping Amiri.

"Based on existing pieces of evidence that we have at our disposal, the Americans had a role in Mr. Amiri's abduction," he said at a press conference in Farsi, which was translated into English by Press TV.

Earlier Tuesday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast acknowledged for the first time that Amiri is a nuclear scientist, something which Iranian officials have previously declined to confirm.

Brazil lights up annual floating Christmas tree.

RIO DE JANEIRO: The lights are blazing from the world's largest floating Christmas tree -- a gigantic 85-metre high metal structure set on a lagoon in Rio de Janeiro.

Despite the rain, some 100,000 people flocked around the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon on Saturday (December 5) night to watch the fireworks show which has become one of the city's main tourist attractions over the past decade.

This year, the tree constructed by Brazil's largest insurance company features images of Christmas wreaths flickering from its nearly three million lights.

Moema Garcia who watched the show with her mother said the bad weather didn't get in the way of the event.

"Every year (the lighting show) is good, but today was specially beautiful. The rain wasn't trouble at all. And I hope the love remains in everybody's hearts because that is what matters and not tree itself, which is beautiful. (I hope) that everybody is more considering with the others and that kindness begets kindness," she said.

With the mountain-top Christ the Redeemer statue looking down on it, the tree stands as a brightly flashing symbol of peace in one of the world's most violent cities.

"It (the floating christmas tree) is good because it represents a moment of peace in Rio. We see so much war, we live with so much violence in Rio, and this shows a little bit of the union, the harmony that Rio also has. Rio is not just about violence, there are also very good moments for the residents to enjoy," said Alan Patrick, who went to the show with his wife.

The Christmas tree, first erected in 1996, is Rio de Janeiro's third biggest tourist event after the pre-lenten Carnival and New Year's Eve on Copacabana and other beaches.

More than a million people are expected to view the structure before the lights are turned off on January 6.

The Guinness Book of Records lists it as the world's largest floating Christmas tree.

In comparison, the Christmas tree in New York's Rockefeller Center is 22 meters tall and has 30,000 lights, although it is a real Norwegian spruce.

Kazakhs revive ancient tradition of eagle hunt

ASTANA:   With the first fall of snow on the windswept steppe lands of eastern Kazakhstan on Saturday (December 5), hunters saddled up and rode, eagles on their arms, on the day when tradition says the hunting season begins.

The sudden snowfall masks rocks and hills with a sparkling blanket of snow, making it easier for the men to follow animal tracks -- and, when the time is right, release their giant golden eagles into the air to snatch up foxes and rabbits.

In modern-day Kazakhstan, hunting with eagles is being revived as a sport by enthusiasts of every generation, who travel across this vast country to participate in tournaments like the one held on Saturday in the Chengelsky Gorge, near the eastern border with China.

"My father taught me, I taught my son, and now I'm teaching my grandsons," said Baurzhan Yeshmetov, a 62-year-old man in an embroidered velvet tunic, his eagle perched heavily on his arm.

Nearby his two grandsons stood in costume, each with his own smaller hawk on his arm. Yeshmetov, when not hunting, puts on his city clothes and works as a taxi driver in Kazakhstan's financial hub of Almaty.

Hunters often gather in the icy hills on the Kazakh border with China -- far from cities like Almaty, bustling with luxury cars and wi-fi cafes -- to determine whose eagle is the best.

The Kazakh eagle is indeed one of the world's fiercest, with a wingspan of 6.6 feet, razor-sharp talons and the ability to dive at the speed of an express train -- up to 190 mph.

During the Saturday tournament, a panel of juries watched with unsmiling faces from a hilltop as hunters, clad in massive fox-fur hats, unleashed straps and sent eagles into the air.

Nearby, villagers, wrapped in layers of felt and fur against the icy wind, prepared kebabs in open-air barbeque stands, sending plumes of blue smoke drifting across the hills.

Loudspeakers blared Kazakh folk songs and tourists, some looking out of place with their binoculars and fluorescent outdoor gear, stared in awe from a distance.

Many in Kazakhstan see eagle hunting as a symbol of their nation's nomadic past and a throwback to an oft-romanticised era before these steppes turned into a geopolitical battleground between competing regional powers like Russia and China.

Two decades of explosive economic growth that followed Kazakhstan's independence from Moscow's rule in 1991 have also created a curious generation of young Kazakhs whose search for a new identity has led them to look to this old hunting tradition.

"Now the art of eagle hunting is being taught in schools and many young people have started to take up the sport of eagle hunting," said 2008 champion Makpal Muptekekyzy.

As a woman, she is rare in the sport of eagle hunting, but has become a popular competitor in local contests, with her elaborate costume and classic Kazakh good looks.

Called 'berkutchi' in Kazakh, professional eagle hunters number only about 50 in Kazakhstan -- a vast nation that has used its oil wealth to transform itself from a sleepy Soviet backwater into a modern consumer society.

Some locals see the revival as a chance to build the local tourist industry.

"We are starting to revive this activity, because it's our heritage, it's one of our national sports, and besides, for tourists it's a very exotic kind of sport", said local businessman Sakhin Abdikalliev.

For the hunters themselves, the bond with an eagle carries a powerful mystique which may even help to restore humanity's relationship with nature.

"I think what is most dangerous in the 21st century isn't weapons, or atomic bombs, it's the ecological crisis. Hunting with eagles is the best link between man and nature - if you hunt with eagles, they teach you to understand nature", said Abuk Khak, one of Kazakhstan's first eagle hunters to emerge at the end of the Soviet Union.

Eagle hunting was largely banned during Soviet rule and the tradition would have disappeared altogether had it not been doggedly preserved by ethnic Kazakhs in China and Mongolia.

In the biggest blow, more than a million Kazakhs took their skills to their graves during a Soviet-inflicted famine in the 1930s when Josef Stalin's forced collectivisation campaign erased entire villages in Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia.

US has no intelligence on Bin Laden: Gates

WASHINGTON:  The United States does not know where al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is hiding and has not had any good intelligence on his whereabouts in years, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday.

Speaking in an interview to be aired on Sunday on ABC's "This Week" program, Gates also said he could not confirm reports this week that a detainee might have seen bin Laden in Afghanistan earlier this year.

When asked if Pakistan was doing enough to apprehend the United States' most wanted criminal, Gates answered: "Well, we don't know for a fact where Osama bin Laden is. If we did, we'd go get him."

The BBC reported earlier this week that a detainee in Pakistan claimed to have information that bin Laden was in Ghazni in eastern Afghanistan in January or February.

Asked when was the last time the United States had any good intelligence on his whereabouts, Gates said, "I think it's been years."

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee released a report late last month that blamed the lack of concerted efforts by former President George W. Bush's administration and U.S. military commanders for allowing bin Laden to escape from the Tora Bora caves of Afghanistan in late 2001.

New Afghan policy must not hurt Pakistan: FO

PAKISTAN:  US President Barack Obama's plans to boost troop numbers in Afghanistan need to ensure there is ‘no adverse fallout’ on Pakistan, foreign office said on Wednesday. ‘Pakistan looks forward to engaging closely with (the) US in understanding the full import of the new strategy and to ensure that there would be no adverse fallout on Pakistan,’ the ministry said in a statement. Pakistani officials fear a dramatic increase in US troops in Afghanistan will push militants and refugees across its borders and complicate its own battle against the Taliban. "Pakistan and the US need to closely coordinate their efforts to achieve shared objectives,’ said the foreign ministry. ‘There is certainly the need for clarity and coordination on all aspects of the implementation of the strategy.’

Poland to send 600 more troops to Afghanistan

Poland:  A Polish official says the country will likely send 600 more troops to take part in the NATO-led force in Afghanistan next year. Government spokesman Pawel Gras said on Radio Tok FM on Wednesday that the decision still needs approval from Prime Minister Donald Tusk's cabinet and from President Lech Kaczynski, who is the supreme commander of the army. Kaczynski has spoken in favor of increasing Poland's current force of 2,000 troops, who serve in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. This is the first time an official has mentioned a specific number.

Taliban claim French bribery ploy

French troops deployed in Afghanistan are attempting to bribe Taliban fighters not to attack them, a senior Taliban leader has told Al Jazeera.

In an exclusive interview, Saif-Allah Jalili, the Taliban commander of the Kabul district, said on Monday that his men have been offered gifts and money by the French soldiers in order to persuade the fighters not to engage their forces.

"The French in Sorubi [in Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan] tried to send gifts to Taliban fighters and offered them a lot of money in return for not launching attacks targeting the French troops," Jalili said.

"But Taliban fighters replied by rejecting everything and by strongly demanding the departure of the French troops and all other troops from our country, which they invaded by force," he said.

The French military has strongly denied the reports of bribery.

India ready to withdraw significant number of troops from Kashmir

NEW DELHI: India's home minister said Wednesday India was prepared to withdraw a "significant" number of troops from the occupied Kashmir.

Briefing lawmakers in parliament, P. Chidambaram noted that violence in the region had dropped in the past few years.

"I would take what appears to be a risky step of withdrawing a significant number of battalions of security forces in Kashmir," the minister told members of parliament, according to Indian news agency.

"We are now transferring more and more law and order duties to the Kashmir police," the news agency quoted Chidambaram as saying.

Chidambaram, however, did not state how many troops would be withdrawn or give a timetable for their pullout.

Iran releases five detained British sailors

TEHRAN:  Five British yachtsmen detained in the Gulf last week by Revolutionary Guards were freed Wednesday after it was determined they had inadvertently strayed into Iran's territorial waters, Iranian media said.

"The five Britons who had illegally entered with their vessel into the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran and who were arrested near the Siri Island have been freed hours ago, state radio quoted a statement by the Guards as saying.

The elite force whose navy patrols the Gulf waters said the five sailors were interrogated and "after investigation it became evident that their illegal entry was a mistake."

"So they were freed after taking the needed written commitments."

The five had been held since Nov. 25 and on Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie warned they would be dealt with "firmly" if found guilty of illegal entry into Iranian waters.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki late on Tuesday and called for formal consular access to the men and their speedy release. They were detained on Nov. 25.

Relations between Britain and Iran have been dogged by tension in recent years over a range of issues, from Tehran's nuclear program to Iranian allegations of British involvement in post-election violence in June this year.

Britain stressed the five men were civilians and played down parallels with an incident in March 2007 when Iran seized eight British Royal Navy sailors and seven marines off its coast.

Miliband had also demanded consular access to them, saying they appeared to have "inadvertently" strayed into Iranian waters.

He also said the incident has "nothing to do" with politics or the standoff over the Islamic republic's nuclear program, which the West suspects has military aims despite Tehran's denial.

Twitter the most used word in 2009

LONDON: Twitter has had quite a year. Not only has it attracted worldwide attention and millions of new users, "Twitter" has been named the top word in the English language for 2009.

According to the Global Language Monitor, which examines language usage across the world, "Twitter" beat out "Obama," "H1N1," "stimulus," and "vampire" to take the crown. Interestingly, "2.0" came in at sixth place.

"In a year dominated by world-shaking political events, a pandemic, the aftereffects of a financial tsunami, and the death of a revered pop icon, the word 'Twitter' stands above all the other words," Paul JJ Payack, president of Global Language Monitor, said Sunday in a statement. "Twitter represents a new form of social interaction, where all communication is reduced to 140 characters. Being limited to strict formats did wonders for the sonnet and haiku. One wonders where this highly impractical word-limit will lead as the future unfolds."

To compile its data, the Global Language Monitor uses its proprietary algorithm, called the Predictive Quantities Indicator. According to the company, the algorithm "tracks words and phrases in the media and on the Internet." It also monitors blogs and social media. Word frequency, contextual usage, and "appearance in global media outlets" contribute to a word's popularity.

Afghanistan troop surge to counter Taliban: US

NEW YORK:  President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he is ordering 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan by next summer to counter a resurgent Taliban and plans to begin a troop withdrawal in 18 months.

The goal, Obama said in a prime-time televised address, is to speed the battle against Taliban insurgents, secure key population centers and train Afghan security forces so they can take over and clear the way for a U.S. exit.

"As commander-in-chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home," Obama said.

His exit strategy appeared to be an attempt not only to sell his shift in strategy to war-weary Americans but also to put pressure on Afghan

President Hamid Karzai to fight corruption in his government.

Under his 2011 timeframe, U.S. troops would begin returning home before Obama's expected re-election bid in 2012.

The Afghan government welcomed Obama's new strategy. Kabul has long called for the deployment of more than the 113,000 NATO and U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan to crush an insurgency at its deadliest and most widespread since U.S.-led troops ousted the Taliban regime in 2001.