TOP 100 NEWS SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Putin warns US over missile defence Prime minister warns defence system could erode deterrent value of Russia's nuclear forcesPrime minister Vladimir Putin said today that Russia would build weapons to offset planned US missile defences and urged Washington to share detailed data about its missile shield under a new arms control deal.Putin's remarks, posted on the cabinet's website, set a defiant tone and signalled new difficulties in talks between the two nations on a successor to the 1991 strategic arms reduction treaty that expired on 5 December.Moscow and Washington had hoped to strike a deal before the end of the year.Putin said that the arms control talks were proceeding in a positive way and added that Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, and Barack Obama would eventually decide whether to strike an arms deal.Putin warned that a missile defence system would give the US an edge and could erode the deterrent value of Russia's nuclear forces. "The problem is that our American partners are developing missile defences, and we are not," Putin said."But the issues of missile defence and offensive weapons are closely interconnected ... There could be a danger that having created an umbrella against offensive strike systems, our partners may come to feel completely safe. After the balance is broken, they will do whatever they want and grow more aggressive."Obama removed a significant irritant in relations earlier this year by scrapping the previous administration's plans to place interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic – deployments Russia treated as a threat.The Kremlin has praised Obama for the decision, but Russian officials have also said they want to know more about the sea- and land-based systems the US plans to put in place instead.Putin said that Russia had no intention of building its own missile shield. However, he added that it would have to develop new offensive weapons to offset a future US missile defence."In order to preserve a balance, while we aren't planning to build a missile defence of our own, as it's very expensive and its efficiency is not quite clear yet, we have to develop offensive strike systems," he said. Putin added that the US had to share information about its missile defence plans if it wanted Russia to provide data on its new weapons."They should give us all the information about the missile defence, and we will be ready then to provide some information about offensive weapons," he said.Russia had been pushing for an explicit link in the new treaty between offensive weapons and missile defence. A joint statement in July by Medvedev and Obama linked the two, but the US will be unlikely to accept any missile defence restrictions.Nuclear weaponsRussiaUS foreign policyUnited StatesVladimir PutinDmitry MedvedevBarack Obamaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Yemen opposes any US troops in terror fight SAN'A, Yemen (AP) -- Yemen's foreign minister said Wednesday that his country opposes any direct intervention by U.S. or other foreign troops in the fight against al-Qaida.... hosted.ap.org |
Survey: Half of China's moms-to-be have C-sections HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Nearly half of all births in China are delivered by cesarean section, the world's highest rate according to a survey by the World Health Organization, which warned Tuesday that a boom in unnecessary surgeries is jeopardizing women's health.... hosted.ap.org |
Ukrainian Election Set for Runoff Viktor Yanukovych scored a comeback in Ukraine's presidential election, as preliminary official returns showed him leading a field of 18 first-round candidates but failing to avoid a runoff against Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. online.wsj.com |
Haiti earthquake relief a 'vanity parade' Guido Bertolaso, who led L'Aquila quake response in Italy, targets lack of leadership and role of US militaryThe Italian government official who led the country's response to the L'Aquila earthquake has condemned relief efforts in Haiti as a disorganised "vanity parade", ahead of an international conference on rebuilding the devastated country.Guido Bertolaso, the head of Italy's civil protection service, said there had been a fundamental lack of leadership thus far in foreign aid missions to Haiti, warning also that the large US military mission in the country was not entirely helpful."The Americans are extraordinary, but when you are facing a situation in chaos they tend to confuse military intervention with emergency aid, which cannot be entrusted to the armed forces," Reuters reported him as telling Italy's RAI television.Italy's foreign minister, Franco Frattini, swiftly distanced the government from Bertolaso's comments. He had "attacked American and international organisations head on. The Italian government does not share these statements," Frattini told reporters in Washington.Dozens of nations have sent rescue teams and relief supplies to Haiti. The effort involves government staff, troops and representatives from hundreds of separate charities and NGOs. The process has already been criticised as taking too long to bring desperately needed food, water and shelter.Later today, the Haitian prime minister, Jean-Max Bellerive, will join Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and ministers from Canada, France and other nations in Montreal to begin planning his country's long-term reconstruction.Bertolaso led Italian relief and reconstruction efforts following the quake in April last year around the city of L'Aquila. The death toll was a relatively low 307 but thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed.Having arrived in Haiti on Friday, Bertolaso said he had seen "a terrible situation that could have been managed much better"."When there is an emergency it triggers a vanity parade. Lots of people go there anxious to show that their country is big and important, showing solidarity," he said.He expressed doubt over the efficacy of having so many US military personnel involved. "It's a truly powerful show of force but it's completely out of touch with reality. They don't have close rapport with the territory, they certainly don't have a rapport with the international organisations and aid groups."Haiti's government has raised the confirmed death toll from the 12 January quake to 150,000, saying the figure could double. About 1.5 million people are believed to have been left homeless.Canada's foreign minister, Lawrence Cannon, said today's Montreal meeting was intended to begin mapping out what was needed to get Haiti's government back up and running for reconstruction."It's not a donor or pledging conference," he told the Associated Press. "It's to make sure we have an action plan. We want to co-ordinate better in the short term and make sure we all know who is doing what and how."One goal, he said, was to "physically get the Haitian government back on its feet".The British-based aid agency Oxfam has called on the conference to cancel Haiti's £552m debt, saying an insistence on repayment would be "both cruel and unnecessary"."Immediate cancellation of foreign debt must be accompanied by urgent action to support farmers and prevent a man-made food crisis exacerbating the hardship faced by the people of Haiti," said Jeremy Hobbs, the executive director of Oxfam International.HaitiInternational aid and developmentNatural disasters and extreme weatherItalyPeter Walkerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |