American Missionaries in Haiti Charged With Kidnapping Ten Baptist Missionaries Charged With Taking Haitian Children

U.S. citizens arrested for their involvement in a suspected illegal adoption scheme pose in a judicial police station in Port-au-Prince Jan. 31, 2010. Ten Americans remain in jail in Haiti as they wait for a judge to rule on child trafficking charges.

US troop presence in Pakistan meets surprisingly muted response

A Pakistani paramilitary soldier searches a car at a checkpoint near Shahi Koto in the Lower Dir district of Pakistan on Thursday.

Sri Lanka: raid policier chez le rival du président

Un policier sri lankais est posté devant le bureau de Sarath Fonseka, candidat défait de l'élection présidentiel de mardi dernier.

Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy Trial Begins

Anwar Ibrahim

Lire aussi :

CHARIA
Le chef de l'opposition malaisienne jugé pour sodomie

http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualites/international/20100203.OBS5732/le_chef_de_lopposition_malaisienne_juge_pour_sodomie.html

Dalai Lama to meet Barack Obama as US relations with China worsen

Beijing has lobbied against the Dalai Lama’s planned visit to Washington.

China hits back at US over Taiwan weapons sale

Changing a society, one step at a time Harper’s stacking of the Rights and Democracy board got noticed. Not so with most of the other levers he shift

Harper really is dangerous

Read also THE ECONOMIST :



Harper goes prorogue
Parliamentary scrutiny may be tedious, but democracies cannot afford to dispense with it

Here is the link :

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15213212

Palestine under the shadow of the wall

Yemen’s afternoon high

Other link :

Yemen’s drug of choice (photos related to Yemen’s afternoon high) :

http://mondediplo.com/2009/12/19yemengallery

L'Iran pend deux « ennemis de Dieu »

En juin 2009, les manifestations se sont multipliés à la suite de l’élection de Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Affaire Clearstream - Villepin acquitté Un camouflet pour Sarkozy

Photo : Agence France-Presse
Une meute de journalistes attendait Dominique de Vilepin à sa sortie du tribunal hier.

Afghanistan - Le volet militaire a fait son temps Les Afghans prendront plus de responsabilités

Le premier ministre britannique Gordon Brown et le président afghan Hamid Karzaï font leur entrée à la Conférence de Londres sur l’Afghanistan.

Honduras's Political Conflict Zelaya's Scrap of Paper

Unless outsiders continue to press, a deal to end a stubborn political conflict risks coming unstuck even before it is implemented

Afghanistan's “re-elected” President Karzai's Tattered Victory

The world agrees to pretend he won; not all Afghans suspend disbelief

President Obama's Weekly Address

Email from Mitch Stewart

Pierre,

On Wednesday night President Obama delivered a passionate address on health reform to Congress and all Americans, then immediately wrote to you to ask for your help in making reform a reality.

Your response was astounding: In less than 48 hours, more than 450,000 of you signed messages urging Congress to pass the President's plan -- and even chipped in more than $1 million to power our campaign for change.

Now, President Obama has recorded a message just for OFA supporters about what comes next. Please watch the video, and, if you haven't already, add your name in support of the President's plan.

Thanks,

Mitch

P.S. In case you missed it, here's the President's email to OFA supporters from the night of the big speech:

---Original Message---
From: President Barack Obama
Subject: Not the first, but the last

Friend,

I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I'm writing directly to you because what happens next is critical -- and I need your help.

Change this big will not happen because I ask for it. It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you.

Add your voice: Ask your representatives to support my plan for real health reform in 2009.

The heart of my plan is simple: bring stability and security to Americans who already have health insurance, guarantee affordable coverage for those who don't, and rein in the cost of health care.

Tonight, I offered a specific plan for how to make it happen. I incorporated the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans to create a plan that's bold, practical, and represents the broad consensus of the American people.

We've come closer to real health reform in the last few months than we have in the last 60 years. But those who profit from the status quo -- and those who put partisan advantage above all else -- will fight us every inch of the way.

We do not seek that fight, but we will not shrink from it. The stakes are too high to let scare tactics cloud the debate, or to allow partisan bickering to block the path. Your voice, right now, is essential.

See my full plan and call on your representatives to support it:

http://my.barackobama.com/ReformVideo

Ours is not the first generation to understand the dire need for health reform. And I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Headed for Re-Election

Evo Morales expects to be re-elected in Bolivia in December

Pay Attention Now

Ireland will soon vote on the Lisbon treaty, but a row about banks is proving to be a distraction

Taiwan : Go Directly To Jail

German politics : A closer contest?

A televised debate in Germany gives a boost to the election campaign

The Crisis In Darfur : Neither All-Out War Nor A Proper Peace

New mediators are trying to resolve the conflict in Sudan's ravaged western region

Slush Fund

Canada's armed forces wave the flag up north

Airline bombers’ conviction : Locked down

Prepare to freeze : Israel and the West Bank

Israel's prime minister faces a difficult path as he prepares for a possible halt to new settlements

US General Aims For Afghan Hearts In Anti-Taliban Fight

Why Was I Abandoned? Ottawa Just Won't Answer

Suaad Hagi Mohamud walks with her lawyer, Julian Falconer, after testifying before a committee of MPs on Parliament Hill on Aug. 26, 2009. She has launched a $2.5 million lawsuit against the government.

Woman stranded three months in Kenya comes face to face with government brass responsible

Americans Across Political Divide Pay Tribute to Kennedy

In Search Of Unity In Senegal

The president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, asserts his control of the ruling party

Email from Jeremy Bird

Pierre,
On Thursday, an astounding 280,000 Organizing for America supporters gathered online to huddle with the President at our National Health Care Forum. With Congress about to return to Washington to make historic decisions on health insurance reform, the President chose this critical moment to speak directly to the OFA community. He reminded us of how far we've come and what we can accomplish together:
Remember one thing: Nothing is more powerful than millions of voices calling for change. That's how we won this election. You know this, and that's why since OFA launched its health reform campaign in June you've hosted 11,000 events in more than 2,500 towns in every single state and every single congressional district...I am absolutely confident that we can get this done, but I want everybody to remember, this has never been easy....We are not going to give up now. We are going to get this done.
Now it's up to us to take the next step. This week, we need to make sure every member of Congress heads back to Washington hearing overwhelming support for change. Lies and fear must not have the last word about the health reform America so desperately needs. So here's what you can do: Find and attend a "Let's Get It Done: Health Insurance Reform Now" event near you.

There are thousands of events, in every part of the country. In some places, we're rallying near local congressional offices to deliver signatures of support from voters. In others we're meeting in high-traffic areas to offer passers-by an easy way to get the facts and call Congress, thanking those fighting for reform and urging others to stand with their constituents. A few weeks ago, you signed up to attend a health care event in your area before Congress returned to Washington -- if you haven't had the chance so far, this is the perfect opportunity. We hope you can join us.

Thursday, the President made the stakes of reform crystal clear. He talked about how, with health care costs rising three times faster than wages, the cost of inaction is simply too high.

He explained how reform will guarantee competition and choice. He described the Insurance Guarantees that will protect every American from discrimination against pre-existing conditions, exorbitant charges, and arbitrary denials or reductions in coverage just when we need it most.

And he made plain his stance on the public option: "So let me just be clear: I continue to support a public option, I think it is important, and I think it will help drive down costs and give consumers choices."

But even the best plan only matters if it passes, and that's where we all have a critical role to play. As the President said:
And that's why what all of you do is so important, because people trust you -- your neighbors, your friends, fellow community members -- they trust you. They know you. And if you are presenting the facts clearly and fairly, I'm absolutely confident that we're going to win this debate. But we're going to have a lot of work to do and I'm grateful that you're willing to do it. Let's go get 'em.
Answer the President's call -- find and attend an event near you:

http://my.barackobama.com/GetItDone

Let's get it done,

Jeremy