Emanuel: Wars, economic crisis to top Obama agenda

In series of interviews following his appointment as president-elect’s chief of staff, Congressman Rahm Emanuel lays out future administration’s priorities while making effort to assuage concerns he is ‘hyper-partisan’

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said on Sunday that the global economic crisis and the two wars the United States is fighting will top the future administration’s agenda. Read more

Obama to Face Big Policy Decisions on Iran, N. Korea and Mideast

President-elect Barack Obama stepped carefully yesterday when he was asked about the unusual letter of congratulations that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent him — the first time an Iranian leader has congratulated the victor of a U.S. presidential election since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Read more

In secret agreement, Shell nets 25-year monopoly on S. Iraq’s gas

Royal Dutch Shell oil company and the Iraqi Oil Ministry have struck a secret, as-of-yet non-binding agreement that gives a monopoly over southern Iraq’s natural gas to the energy giant. It marks the first time in over 35 years a Western oil company has played a major role in the country’s most lucrative industry. Read more

Suspected US missile strikes continue in Pakistan

A suspected US missile strike killed at least eight people in a Pakistani village close to the Afghan border today. Read more

Is Obama’s Iraq Timetable Dead Before It Starts?

From its earliest stages the Obama campaign made a timetable for Iraq’s pullout a top priority promise. With another 74 days until he even takes office and the current administration’s rational for keeping the troops in place faltering fast, what he assured the voters would be his first action upon taking office may have already fallen by the wayside. Read more

US combat troops in Iraq battle to defend savings

US Lieutenant Colonel Mark Grabski has been busy on the computer over the past few weeks — not to follow the history-making presidential election but to check on his dwindling savings.

“I had a list of icons, my favourites, the funds that are working with Thrift savings programme. Every single day, their rates were just collapsing,” said the officer posted at Camp Speicher, north of the Iraqi capital.

“Virtually, I’ve lost right now tens of thousand of dollars,” said the 31-year-old who is in charge of criminal inspections of the base.

Grabski said a third of his salary goes into Thrift, an additional pension scheme for US civil servants and soldiers. “I’ve lost 30 percent of my savings in this programme due to the financial crisis.” Read more

Obama: Iran’s Pursuit of Nukes Is Unacceptable

At his first press conference in his new status, US President-elect Barack Obama hit out at the Iranian government today, accusing them of “development of a nuclear weapon” and vowing “to mount an international effort to prevent that from happening.”

The Bush Administration has long accused Iran of having nuclear ambitions, in spite of a National Intelligence Estimate last year which concluded Iran halted any such endeavors in 2003 and an IAEA which has continued to certify that none of the nuclear material for Iran’s civilian nuclear reactor has been diverted to any other use. Israel has likewise continued to insist that they are “convinced” Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb, and has left open the possibility of launching an attack. Read more

US Drone Strike Kills at Least 13 in North Waziristan

US drones launched yet another unilateral air strike into Pakistan’s North Waziristan Agency today, hitting what was described as a “suspected al-Qaeda compound” with multiple missiles and killing at least 13 inside. Information travels slowly in this remote part of Pakistan, but an intelligence officer said “eight Pakistani Taliban and five guests” were among the dead. Read more

Forget the Honeymoon

Getting down to bizness with Obama

When I hear talk of a “honeymoon” for the President-elect – to last as long as six months, by some accounts – I think: “Fine. You lay off, and I’ll do the same.” But oh no, it doesn’t work that way. Obama has already started in on us, and he hasn’t even taken the oath of office yet. I’m talking about his appointments, starting with Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. Read more

Video | FOX News attempts to smear Ralph Nader for criticizing Obama

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