Combat outpost Zerok journal: once a base breathes besieged easier

But here significantly improved security. The outpost in the north-eastern mountains which province of Paktika, has not since the end of last summer, been provided largely, fired on soldiers here believe, to a shift in tactics, which started when a new unit and began relentlessly patrol the surrounding mountains, always on foot, and usually at night. Which took the incessant patrols insurgents vantage points, and they have hardly been engaged.

Now the unit, company E of the second battalion, Division - tried Regiment - a part of the 101st Airborne 506th infantry, are these by pressing the Taliban out of several surrounding villages, who believe American commanders among the last to consolidate their sanctuaries in the area before the warm summer months, when insurgents activity is heaviest.

"It aims, they fight back in to make, and we have taken that to heart," said Captain Henry Hansen, the company commander. "The may time frame, we may get some of these foreign fighters, the persecution was not what we have done, but we are ready for them."

Military can not say whether the company has simply pushed the insurgents underground or they sold elsewhere. And everyone expects an uptick in the fight against this summer.

But now, the improved security promotes further advantages. More and more oldest miles trek from surrounding villages across rugged terrain, weekly Reconcilables or meet, in an Afghan police link attached at the base to visit. Last week a recalcitrant tribe agreed to come to connect to the root, with the rival of wood dispute, sit makes it possible to provide the Afghan army.

In a province where such problems often by conflict or by the Taliban shadow justice have been resolved, the meeting was a victory, a show of faith in the coalition - and by extension the Afghan Government.

"It is the theory of Inkblot," said Captain Hansen. "You focus on an area and it spread out."

The company was part of the recent "surge" Brigade in the country to block part of the initiative under American leadership down the rebels and start the Foundation security responsibility to the Afghan security forces until the end of 2014 transfer arrives. Last year, a single battalion was responsible for the backup of the entire province. Now the same area is covered by almost a full Brigade makes about six times the combat.

Half a million people is perhaps the province as a strategic crossing record entry of militant hideouts in North and South Waziristan in Pakistan. The base, an ungainly collection of dirt barriers, watch towers and command posts, plywood is used as a launch pad for securing villages and beaten Taliban in the province in the Northeast cut off mountains.

While America have - been-led troops in other isolated mountain valleys give up, the Korengal and Pech valleys in the North-Eastern Province of Kunar - the turnaround here in this robust part of the country was remarkable.

Company s came in August amid almost daily attacks. Almost half the soldiers in the company replaced receive purple heart. A television "60 minutes" to visit that summer footage of based attacked captured mortar and then came it under itself triggered because it accompanied an armored vehicle convoy to a nearby village.

Collected bits of jagged steel and mortar fill tails "shrapnel Garden" in the middle of the connection, a testament to past attacks. But since arrival, company E, it has added little.

The company's patrols under sporadic shots came already early. "If we 24 hours in a place of SA, the enemy attacked," said first Sgt. Steve Chandler Jr., 40. But the patrols - 211 in the first 150 days - had their intended effect. Intelligence begins was an enemy of confused how many American troops have been scouring hills.

Sgt. Anthony Web page, 27, Indianapolis, one of the few companies is E-members, who was with the unit when it was stationed in this same outpost from March 2008 to March 2009.

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Results of the vote type Nigerian tensions - Wall Street Journal

KADUNA, Nigeria - the choice of incumbent Goodluck Jonathan made that gap between Nigeria's predominantly Christian shows raw South and North, Muslim how quickly the country's latent religious and economic tensions can erupt in violence.

Funding agencies estimated Wednesday killed more than 100 people in violence which were flashed in Northern Nigeria, after Mr Jonathan, a Christian from the South, was elected with about 60% of the nationwide vote. Mr Jonathan has now the difficult task from attempting to the nation, Africa's most populous and a growing destination for foreign investment to settle down.

The city of Kaduna has many of the problems, the fuel riots in Northern Nigeria, including high poverty and youth unemployment have contributed. Had his Kabala littered neighborhood, West with small shops and one-storey houses, is home to Christians and Muslims, who together lived in relative peace.

On the Saturday morning met almost 1,000 voters cast ballots in a predominantly Muslim part of Kabala West. A rumor spread that Christian voters in the neighboring polling unit had prevented Muslim observers from entering the unit.

Several dozen young Muslim men went in the direction of the next Church, say that a ballot box was it disappears. Arguments in shoving matches turned.

Police came then the military. The day vote of resumed.

The outbreak was sparked by the young people misunderstanding a business of this area seemed cut political leaders with regard to the observer had, the each party sends monitor polling stations. According to residents and members of the two main parties in Nigeria - Christians and Muslims alike – the activists agreed peace in Kabala West on Saturday with the agreed, that members who were Muslim monitor votes in the Christian areas would not to keep, and Christians would not enter predominantly Muslim areas.

"It was a long understanding in this area, during the vote, Hausa [Muslim] observers here come would not", said James Sako, 59-year-old trader in a nearby Christian area.

When security agreed forces appeared, calm, to restore Christian and Muslim observers back to their respective posts.

But later on this evening, unknown suspect a bomb in the happy night threw hotel on the Christian quarter, injured were eight patrons, two critical.

It was one of the many outbreaks in Kaduna, Nigeria, the site of several sectarian clashes in the last decade. The local Government has tried, such violence by separation of the Muslim and Christian population, partly by promoting Christian inhabitants on the southern part of the city move to reduce. Residents say that the steps have largely worked. But tensions quickly to close combat.

During the vote on Saturday a group of young men, ran with the West life towards entry points in a walled off of walls Christian section of Kabala wooden clubs. Women within rushed their children. A man his clothes washing machine head within interrupted and to lock his door.

On Sunday in Kaduna, Nigeria, voting results showed that Mr Jonathan main rival was former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, the gain in the Northern States. His supporters celebrated.

But in the evening, national results showed Mr Jonathan will return to the South and the choice to win. Celebrations turned to violence. Supporters of Mr Buhari burned houses of people, Christians as well as high-profile were Muslim leaders who thought, Mr Jonathan have secured.

Unrest spread early to Nigeria's North Monday and Tuesday. Churches, mosques and houses were burned. Hundreds of people were injured and many thousands were suppressed, according to Nigerian Red Cross has published its final death toll not.

On Monday evening, Mr Jonathan put in his acceptance speech in the capital Abuja for peace. But Nigeria has a number of politicians who do not easily accept defeat.

Mr Buhari Party Congress for progressive change, rejected most of the results, although it local and international election monitors of the country's most credible choice in decades called.

Mr Buhari, the elections contested in 2003, and 2007 has distanced himself and his party from the violence. In a statement on Wednesday, he told his followers that "it is wrong, if you perpetrators your ranks and enable as places make the senseless destruction of worship to such dastardly acts."

Residents of Kaduna said that a curfew imposed has kept quiet the Government, which easily facilitated Wednesday, things. Still, they fear what lies under the current peace.

Monday "was crazy, there was almost war", said Lalas ABBA, a DJ on the bomb hit happy night is 33 years old, hotel. "If you outside, before you know it, you can only shot to get."

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Singapore plans election for may - Wall Street Journal

Singapore - Singapore Tuesday dissolved Parliament and set may 7 as the date for the general election for the ruling party expected to face its toughest political challenge in decades.

MUNSHI Ahmed/Bloomberg News Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, whose Partei 82 has 84 seats in the last elections, will the voters again face.

The people's action party, led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, holds a dominant grip makes, but analysts say rising dissatisfaction with the bread and butter issues a historically weak opposition, boost could it more seats in the 87 legislative members.

In the last elections in May 2006, the governing party of 82 won 84 seats, with 67% of the vote. This year, revisions to elections boundaries mean that three other members in this survey will be elected.

Opposition parties say that they plan to all seats, competition would be the unprecedented.

"The opposition parties in this election on a much firmer footing, with a much wider range of available information, thanks to social media, and therefore are the voters [it] far more sure that the result", said Vincent Wijeysingha, Assistant Treasurer of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party. "People want to be heard." "People want to have their concerns and their alternative ideas stock in the public domain."

No one expects that the opposition to win, or even seriously challenge the people's action party's grip makes. But a stronger opposition towards more pluralism and liberalisation is a further step in Singapore slowly.

Elections are required by February 2012, according to the Constitution, and political observers say the ruling party wants to use the still strong economy and keep a vote before inflation is a major problem.

The ruling PAP - looking for ways to attract younger voters and maintain their relevance - brings new and younger candidates. Founded by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, it has controlled in 1965 Parliament since Singapore's independence, and his legislators held all seats in the legislature until 1981.

The party is credited with creating a financial Dynamo on this small, resource-poor island: the economy will grow expected 4% to 6% this year after surging 14.5% in 2010.

But the Government faces criticism for Singapore's dependence on foreign workers, as well as for stagnant wages mounting, high inflation and an income is divide one of the largest among the developed countries - and continues to grow.

Government data show that foreigners are more than a quarter of Singapore's 5.1 million people, from 19% in the year 2000. According to the United Nations, which where NULL is City-State Gini coefficient - a measure of income inequality complete equality and reflects a maximum inequality - 0.425 for 2000-2010 was the second highest among 42 Nations with "very high human development".

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Prime Minister, acknowledged Monday that inflation provide means "the ground may not be sweet" for the ruling party of this time.

"In this environment it is much more difficult to sell for the incumbent a" CIMB Economist song Seng Wun said. "It is to play enough of a wave of discontent of the opposition."

Singapore's often fragmented opposition is also better prepared, this tail winds, horseback riding, which swelled their ranks with candidates including top corporate lawyer, academics and former officials.

In four of the last nine elections half of the seats contested the opposition less than. For this election although no opposition party is strong enough, to all seats by itself, competition opposition leader agreed last month together all challenge them.

The Labour Party, which won a seat in 2006, is probably the most candidates, probably more than 20 field. The national solidarity party, Singapore social democratic party, reform party, and Singapore is people's Party also seats competition.

"This will be the most competitive election since independence, with the strongest opposition slate in Singapore's history,", said Cherian George, Associate Professor media and politics in the city state of Nanyang Technological University to study. "No one, including the PAP, is surprised, when they dipped below the 66.6% enjoyed share of the vote the ruling party in the last elections."

The public woo, has the Government unroll populist policies including stricter immigration rules, property-price cooling measures and one-off budget handouts value of 3.2 Singapore billion (US$ 2.6 billion) for low-income residents. In his manifesto published Sunday the PAP promised more jobs, higher incomes and more investment in education and infrastructure.

Keeps the former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who now control cabinets is title of Minister mentor and his son the current Prime Minister, has said he will compete in this election. If members of Parliament elected, he would be 92 years at the end of the term of Office at the age of five. But the PAP brings in 24 new candidates.

Regardless of the outcome of the vote Parliament, aircraft of constitutional changes occur at least nine opposition politicians passed last year. If less than nine are elected, will the balance be drawn from the defeated opposition candidate with the best results. But the added opposition parliamentarians "Nonconstituency members," would be with limited voting rights.

Opposition parties are other significant obstacles, including Singapore's use of a system in which most members of Parliament, in teams rather than individually be elected.

In addition, PAP have sued successfully opposition politicians for libel to leaders in the past. PAP leaders say they welcome debate and file complaints only to their reputation to protect.

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Paulson praises China's property Taming efforts - Wall Street Journal

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Berlin journal: for trauernden of Knut, a stuffed bear only not

And that would be that unless this polar bear on the cover of Vanity Fair (along with Leonardo DiCaprio), has a fan club in Japan and followers in Fiji, and was the most famous four-legged inhabitants of this city and the most prestigious polar bear in the world.

We're talking polar bear Knut, the Berlin Zoo hand feeding.

"If someone in your family dies, I think that you do not want him filled in a Museum," said Jochen Kolbe, 31, who leads a protest movement that block planned taxidermy. "Knut is not only a polar bear for people, he is a friend, a family member."

Now, before you convert judgments hold. The nemesis of the anti-stuffing lot is the zoo's Director, Bernhard Blaszkiewitz, a man, whose Zoo marketed this bear from birth, made millions off their presence, plush of Knuts for almost $30 and sold Knut baby videos for the same, and even "Knut" as a trade mark registered. Now, says Mr. Blaszkiewitz, he is shocked, how much people feel for this animal, who suddenly died at the age of 4 1/2 last month.

"The problem is people take their human feelings and put them in animals,", he said expressions of amazement at all the "silly gifts", the mourners in the Zoo have deposited, i.e. the candles and flowers and posters.

It seems easy to put fun on both sides, which has fascinated this city in a time of political uncertainty in the nation and tragic insecurity around the world in a conflict. And this is what many people here, from headlines with a mocking tone (mostly the anti-stuffing amount to the), snide you need a life online comments about people (Yes, especially target the opponent,) to harsh comments about the Director of the Zoo (in comparison to a dictator by Mr Kolbe) have done.

But the struggle to remain Knut is a simple reminder, the application of the formula of relatively important to contradictions, which is meaningless by the conflict touches. This can not Japan or in the Middle East, but loss feels still like loss. This is the message of the women on the bench at the polar bear enclosure at the Zoo, which with buttons, which forever read "Knut."

"I don't want to see him filled," said Dittrich Triste, her eyes moist as they color of snapshots of Knut, passed around as if publication of photos of grandchildren. "I want him in my head on life when he was in, when he was alive."

Doris Webb was on the next bench, their weapons against an afternoon chill and crossed a reporter of the issue. "Want to make fun of us?" she asked their Knut button proudly, their chest pinned.

"There are a lot of people who say, 'How you to can be excited if so many people in Japan died?', what do you know about how I about what happened in Japan feel?" "I'm grieving about a very special bear."

To start at the beginning (say: Newt) Knut was a cloud of smoke cotton born a creature in the Berlin Zoo on 5 Dec. 2006. His mother would have the Cub or his brother. The zookeeper drew the two out of the case, and it was the first controversy. Animal rights groups against allowing the Cubs to be raised by people. They said keepers should die they to leave.

But the image of a helpless ball of fluff generates an outbreak. The brother died, but the keeper, Thomas D?rflein, Knut fed with 24-hour care and bottles of baby formula and cod liver oil.

The world was just.

In the spring of 2007, the Zoo his celebrity was introduced residence in what dubbed "Knut day," inviting 400 journalists from around the world. Met the Knut started phenomenon, much to the delight of a Zoo, which saw their revenues all-time-high, the year and its presence increased.

Each birthday was marked with a fish and shrimp cakes.

Mrs. Webb, said that if she and her husband retired, it almost every day the Zoo and immeasurable joy found in just Knut for hours at a time.

Apparently has a lot of people.

"The connection between man and the bear, this was something very special," said Ergün Oezmen, a young man sitting on the bench in the vicinity of Mrs. Webb.

The Knut history was also marked by tragedy, abstimmender more for those in drawn. The bear trainer, Mr. Doerflein, a minor celebrity in his own right, died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 44 in September 2008. Knut died just as suddenly on a Saturday in the last month. Standing on a rock, he turned in circles, had a seizure, then fell into the water, where he died.

"The problem is after the death of Knut is the overwhelming feelings, was", the Director, Mr Blaszkiewitz said. "While the OK for the people is, in my opinion it is not OK for animals."

This attitude is what generated opposition.

"We all met in Facebook, saw we all, that we will be filled the same interest against Knut had," said Mr Kolbe, a model for the Organization describe now the same for large and small conflicts of the world over. "We are planning a demonstration at the Zoo".

About 100 protesters showed up, including Mrs. Webb and the other women on the bench. Although not everyone agreed to everything, she agree all the filling must be stopped by Knut.

"People want not Knut in a Museum, but what the Zoo Director says will happen," said Mr Kolbe. "He is like a dictator."

Mr Blaszkiewitz said he wants to stop only the excitement, and it is because the body is already sent, his skin removed and the procedure under way. He said "This after all is only a polar bear, a special polar bear and a polar bear".

To those who bought sold the image of the bear of the Zoo, is that that.

"If things went badly and you felt not good, then you come here, and you felt better again,", said Anne Kreiner, when she visited the Zoo. "I am really against them;" "You would stuff not your pets."

Stefan Pauly contributed reporting.

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