War on Terror is far from over...

Four people have been arrested in connection to what US authorities believe was a serious plan to launch a terror campaign in and around New York. Three of the persons have been named as James Cromitie (also known as Abdul Rahman), David Williams (aka Daoud and DL), and Onta Williams (aka Hamza). They were brought to court on Thursday and were ordered to be detained until the 5th June for a preliminary hearing. The three and a fourth man, Laguerre Payen (aka Amin and Almondo), have been accused attempts to bomb a synagogue and planning to target military jets at an airfield [BBC / Sky News / CNN].

The threat is being taken extremely seriously by authorities despite the group being infiltrated early on in their planning the attacks and supplied with fake explosives. According to reports the group attempted to detonate the explosives outside two synagogues in New York.

The foiling of the alleged terror plot comes as the US senate rejected an appeal by Obama for money to close Guantanamo Bay and will serve to reinforce the argument that the terror threat remains strong enough to maintain the camp. On Thursday it was also announced that the first trial for a former Guantanamo Bay detainee will take place in New York in the coming weeks. Ahmed Ghailani, who is suspected of taking part in al-Qaeda plots to bomb US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, will be the first former detainee to face trial in the United States [CNN].

Meanwhile terror attacks have continued in Iraq today. Scores have been killed in Baghdad and Kirkuk in an upsurge of violence that has swept the country in recent weeks. April was the bloodiest month since September, and despite reassuring statements from both the Iraqi government and the US military that things were getting better, most ordinary citizens are increasingly concerned [BBC / CNN].

In Kirkuk at least five were killed and 3 US soldiers were amongst 12 killed in a blast that struck in central Baghdad. Today’s attacks which left at least 23 dead came a day after 40 were killed in north-west Baghdad. More than 250 died in a series of attacks in April leading many to believe that insurgents may be regrouping as US troops prepare to downsize their operations [BBC].

Obama "optimistic" at G20 result

President Barack Obama: "confident and optimistic"

Appearing before journalists following the G20 Summit U.S. President Barack Obama said the meeting was “productive" and “historic”. There was no real sense of excitement as hundreds of journalists waited for the leader to give his thoughts on the outcome. Many were tired after a long day and it was, after all a repeat of what Gordon Brown had already said.

However, Obama was nonetheless the star of the show, exuding a sense of charisma not seen in other G20 leaders. Stepping onto the stage some 40 minutes later than expected, Obama said he was generally confident and optimistic in what had been achieved.

"By any measure the London Summit was historic,” he told the news conference, “not only because of the size and scope of the challenges we face, but also because of the timeliness and magnitude of our response."

"The challenge is clear, and the global economy is retracting," he declared, but said the world was now at the "turning point of our economic and global recovery."

"Today the world's leader have responded with a set of unprecedented and coordinated actions," Obama told reporters.

There was, he said a strong consensus in rejecting protectionism. "History tells us that turning inward can help turn a downturn into a depression" Obama said, declaring that the agreements reached signalled support for open markets. "Today we have learnt the lessons of history and we are committed to growth and job creation," Obama said

He said that there had been agreements on facilitating "bold action to help developing countries" and injecting huge sums into the IMF to help struggling economies. "In an age where our economies are more closely linked than ever before, the whole world is touched by this devastating downturn," Obama said.

The president then made a pledge to help those most vulnerable in the world. Obama saying he would seek authority from the U.S congress to enable 448 million dollars to be diverted into helping Africa's poor as well as those in Latin America. But he insisted this was not charity. It was, he said, an effort to help what he called "future markets" that would one day drive economic growth.

Turning to the importance if implementing a better regulatory system, Barack Obama said, "We must put an end to bust and bubble economic policies," adding that risk taking which had been so harmful to the economy must end. He and the G20 partners had also agreed to greater transparency and said new regulations would be applied to hedge funds and tax havens.

The President did concede that bringing together 20 nations and making a deal was not easy. “Each country has its own non-negotiable issues,” he said, and added that more work may yet need to be done.

"This is not a panacea but it is a critical step," he declared, "But we may have to take additional steps until we get it right." It was hard to bridge differences, Obama said, and not everything was solved. He therefore welcomed another meeting scheduled for late 2009. He said that the summit had however achieved a great deal, partly he said due to the hard work that Gordon Brown had put in to organise the meeting.

"America is a critical actor and leader on the world stage," he said boastfully, but, he added, "We may not always have the best answer" to the problems the world faces. "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

While in general there was strong consensus, there did appear to be some conflicts of policy. In an apparent comment at Gordon Brown comments at attempting to stop the rampant bonus culture seen in Britain, Obama said, "We don't want the state dictating salaries." But he added that there must be more accountability.

There are no guarantees in life or economics, Obama said but insisted the steps in the communiqué were necessary.

In his final summing up Barack Obama was thoughtful and philosophical. He even joked with reporters during the Q&A that followed. But he also spoke as a true statesman, with confidence and with optimism.

"Ultimately the challenges of the 21st century cannot be met without collective action. Agreement will almost never be easy, and result will not always come easy. But I am committed to respecting different points of view and to forging a consensus instead of dictating our terms. That's how we made progress in the last few days and that's how we will advance the deals in the months and years to come."

"In a world that's more and more interconnected we all have responsibilities to work together to solve common challenges. And although it will take time, I am confident that we will rebuild global prosperity if we act with a common sense of purpose, persistence and the optimism that the moment demands."

Obama "to the rescue" as protests begin

Six protestors arrested driving an armoured vehicle

Barack Obama flew into Britain yesterday amid high security and under an intense media glare. There is anticipation that the US president will provide the impetus to help kick start the world economy as he joins 19 other state leaders at the G20 Summit. But it will take more than one man to pull the world out of its current downturn. There needs to be consensus amongst the other nineteen G20 leaders.

The French President Nicholas Sarkozy has already expressed his doubts and even said he may not sign any resolutions if they did not meet up to his expectations. There is already finger pointing with France and Germany accusing America of creating the financial crisis. And even Gordon Brown has made statements to the same effect, though he has backtracked since.
Speaking at the Foreign Office today the US President said, “I don’t want to identify blame I want to fix the problem”. He went on to quote a law professor who once taught him about responsibility versus blame. “Some are to blame, but all are responsible,” Obama said, adding that it was important for everyone to sit down together to solve the economic crisis.
Gordon Brown has continuously referred to the global problems requiring global solutions. And he echoed Obama’s stand that all the G20 countries should work together. “We must stand united to do what’s necessary,” Brown told assembled journalists.

There are fears that the G20 leaders will fail to meet consensus as there are too many vested interests. China is seeking to boost its export market as its projected growth drops below 8% and the numbers of unemployed soar above 20 million. But many Western countries may adopt protectionist policies, even if indirectly. Across Europe unemployment has grown significantly in the past few months and many countries in the Eurozone have fallen into recession. It has resulted in a fall in consumerism as people take a tighter hold on their expenditure.
There is a growing feeling that it is unlikely that any resolution will come together in the less than 36 hours during which the G20 leaders will come together. Indeed a larger proportion of time will be taken up with lunches and photo calls, leaving very little time for discussion.
The lack of faith in the G20 and increasing anger towards bankers and the government has encouraged many to take to the streets. On Saturday tens of thousands marched through London airing their grievances. And today hundreds of demonstrators have begun to converge on the capital.

There has been much media speculation that the protests may turn violent. But by noon most of the demonstrations had been lively but good natured. The occupants of an armoured vehicle were arrested after they drove into the financial centre. Six people were detained by police according to reports, and the blue ‘tank’ was impounded. Sky News also reported that three protestors had been arrested for possession of knives while another had been detained after assaulting a police officer.

Brown & Obama - an awkward relationship

The British press have ridiculed Gordon Brown's US visit

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived in the United States on Tuesday with the hope of discussing a “global new deal”. But his effort to gather support to kick-start the world economy seemed to be getting a cold reception before it had even begun.

Snubs and criticism

Besides it being his first visit to the U.S. since Barack Obama became president, the Prime Minister’s itinerary was being downsized and rescheduled. Hopes of a joint press conference in the Rose Garden evaporated due to the heavy snow in Washington, though officials did not explain why the event was not moved inside. Some saw the move as a snub to the Prime Minister who has been particularly critical of the U.S. financial regulatory system.
During his monthly press conference last month [Feb 18th], Gordon Brown called for “an international system of regulation”, something he said was “absolutely essential”.
But his attempts of persuading others to join his plan have so far fallen on deaf ears. And it has not been helped by continued criticism of other countries. In his February statement he said there was a “failure in the American regulatory system.”

“If you take the sub-prime mortgage market in the United States of America, sub-prime mortgages, half of them were sold to Europe. So they were sold on by providers in the United States of America to Europe. But they were regulated by the American system and they were called Triple A. So the people who were buying these investments from America were buying what they were told was the most worthy investment of them all, Triple A rated, and there was a failure in the American regulatory system.”

However, while he said Britain was more tightly regulated, he conceded there was still room for improvement. “Our regulatory system has been a better system but it is still not good enough to meet the changing challenges of the times,” Gordon Brown said.

Despite his criticism of America, the Prime Minister has also praised Obama for his efforts in tackling the financial crisis saying they were doing “similar things” to what Britain was doing.
The atmosphere of Brown’s visit has already been soured by what some see as pointed gestures about the state of Britain’s so called “special relationship”. Barack Obama has already removed a bust of Winston Churchill that once sat in the Oval Office. And in what might be seen as another snub, former Prime Minister Tony Blair was invited to the national prayer breakfast in Washington last month and referred to by Obama as a “good friend”.

The White House insisted that a special relationship still existed between Britain in an attempt to brush off speculation. On his arrival at Andrews Airforce base the Prime Minister did receive a rather frosty reception in the form of extremely cold temperatures reportedly as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius.

'The special relationship'

His meeting with Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation was somewhat warmer. During the visit Brown insisted the downturn could “only be resolved by people working together”. The Rabbi gave him a pot of honey in the shape of an apple in recognition of Britain’s work in tackling world poverty. But the Prime Minister will need more than a pot of honey to help him save global markets which have crashed to all time lows in recent days.
In an earlier interview with National Public Radio [NPR] he said that the priority was to “clean up the banking system”. But most of his discussions with Barack Obama were held behind closed doors. In a short question and answer session after the meeting Obama reaffirmed his belief in the special relationship between the U.S and Britain. “Rest assured it is not only strong but will get stronger as time goes on,” Obama said. He added that the relationship was important to the U.S and Great Britain. “It’s not just important to me but also the American people,” he emphasized.

Obama echoed the words of the British Prime Minister saying a “global new deal” was important. But he said the US banking sector had been dealt a heavy blow and economic recovery would not happen overnight.

Brown thanked Obama referring to their “partnership of purpose” which was founded on shared values and a need to solve world economic problems. He said that a “Big regulatory change” was needed. He was nonetheless positive saying, “There is a possibility of a global new deal in the next few months”.

Both leaders emphasized the need to work together with Obama declaring, “In this world we need to build alliances and not act unilaterally”. It was also important that all major G20 countries worked together with a common set of principles he said [BBC].

Despite much press speculation it appeared, that at least publicly, the two leaders were affirming their strong alliance.

'Weird and sinister'

However, Brown is certainly not running in the footsteps of his predecessor who was much admired in the US. Although he was welcomed by strong applause during his speech to congress, it was not in league to that seen in Tony Blair’s day.

The BBC’s Nick Robertson talked of 17 standing ovations, two less than that received by Prime Minister Blair. However not all pundits saw the reception as being so rapturous. Sky’s Adam Boulton described the so-called standing ovations as merely “seventeen bursts of applause”.
Blair was often described as Bush‘s poodle and recent cartoons have depicted Gordon Brown similarly as a dog sniffing at the butt of America. One could even descibe his speech as somewhat sycophantic. But his apparent obsequiousness did not go down well in the UK. Indeed his performance was even described as “dysfunctional” by one politician on the BBC’s Question Time. Shadow International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the interviews in the Oval Office were “rather dysfunctional and rather needy”, though he thought that the Prime Minister’s call to avoid protectionism was important. Writer and feminist Germaine Greer was less than impressed by Gordon Brown’s delivery at Congress saying it was “Weird and sinister”. She said the speech was full of clichés and described it as “over the top”.

Indeed, he had barely begun his address before the praise for America drooled from his lips. "The US is and always will be an inspiration to me and the whole world," Brown said in his opening remarks. And the praise didn’t stop there. “America is an irrepressible nation" he said. "America is a nation with the vision to protect & preserve our planet Earth", a nation whose “spirit” would not be destroyed by terrorists, Brown declared. And of course there was the obligatory tribute to the "sacrifice of American soldiers who have given their lives" in two world wars, as well as Afghanistan & Iraq.

After the praise, and the announcement that Senator Edward Kennedy had been awarded an honorary knighthood by the Queen, Brown then launched into his bidding.

'Building for the future'

He said it was a "time for renewal“ and “ building for the future". "Let us agree rules and standards of accountability and transparency," he said and called on America to “renew our special relationship” and get “every continent playing their part for a global new deal”.
He may well find it an uphill struggle to get the full support of America despite his stated optimism. "I have never before seen a world willing to come together so much," Brown said, while insisting that it was time to “seize this moment” and “build tomorrow, today” [Full speech]

'Saving the world..'

While the reception was generally warm there were moments when some members abstained from applauding the British leader. In fact he received only half-hearted applause when he called for agreement on overhauling the world of international finance at the G20 talks in April.
It should perhaps also be noted that several dozen members of Congress failed to attend the speech. Their seats in the chamber were taken by House and Senate staff and other guests.
In December as the world recession was just beginning to bite, Brown was mocked for his slip-up in Parliament when he said, “The first point of recapitalization was to save the banks that would have otherwise collapsed. And we not only saved the world...”. His attempts to correct himself by saying “save the banks” were drowned out with laughter. The faux pas was then capitalized upon by opposition leader David Cameron who exclaimed, “Well, it's now on the record. He is so busy talking about saving the world, he has forgotten about the businesses of this country.”
There are many who now feel he forgot about “this country” as he fawned for America and its new charismatic, but seemingly disinterested, leader.

'printing money'

Back home the Bank of England announced another interest rate cut and a plan to inject billions of pounds into the economy in the form of “quantitative easing”. It was not met with huge enthusiasm except perhaps by politicians. Twitter, the micro-blogging service, was alive with comments suggesting the proposal to effectively print money could lead to rampant inflation and risked a Zimbabwe style economy developing. The interest rate cut, which was halved to 0.5%, has also created consternation amongst many Britons. Savers will see little point in putting money into banks which give so little return on their investment.

It remains to be seen if Brown’s global new deal and other initiatives will have any effect on the economy, or if he can pull nations together in fighting the global recession.

Obama retakes oath of office

It was perhaps an effort to dispel the conspiracy theories, but Barack Obama has retaken the oath of office. The move to take the oath again came after he fluffed his lines after Chief Justice John Roberts delivered it incorrectly to him. During Tuesday’s inauguration Roberts mixed-up the words to the second clause (“That I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States”), missing out the word “faithfully” and putting it at the end. This confused Obama, who once taught Constitutional Law at Chicago Law School.

Obama technically became president a few minutes before he took his oath because the proceedings overran. Under Amendment 20 of the US Constitution, ratified in 1933, the term of the outgoing president ends at precisely noon on January 20. However, section 2 of the US Constitution states the oath must be read out as written. Thus came the dilemma.

Following the inauguration Barack Obama had also signed the declaration. But in an attempt to quash any criticism or conspiracy theories, the White House quickly organised another ceremony in the map room. Some conspiracy nuts may not be entirely placated as a picture showed the President taking the oath without the bible. However, Sky’s Tim Marshall described the whole affair as a bit “frothish” and said, “I don’t think it actually matters”. Greg Craig, the White House counsel, called the retaking of the oath an “abundance of caution” while another White House spokesman said it was a “precaution”. The President was a little more jovial about the whole affair. "We decided that because it was so much fun ...," Obama said jokingly to reporters. Earlier, Vice-President Joe Biden had made light of Chief Justice Robert’s misreading of the oath. “My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts, Chief Justice Roberts," Biden said as he asked for a copy of the oath to swear in senior members of the White House staff on Wednesday. The comment was met with laughs and groans from journalists present and President Obama seemed less than happy with the comment [CNN].

It is not the first time an incoming president has fluffed his lines at the inauguration ceremony. Herbert Hoover said “preserve, maintain and defend the Constitution of the United States” instead of “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”. However, Hoover did not take the oath again. Both Calvin Coolidge and Chester Arthur retook their oaths. Arthur, who served from 1881 to 1885, was sworn in by the Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court at his home in a private ceremony following the assassination of former president James Garfield. Arthur was sworn in a second time by the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court two days later at the Capitol.
In Coolidge's case, he took the oath of office at his father's Vermont home following the death of former president Warren Harding. Coolidge's father was a justice of the peace and administered the oath. Concerns about the jurisdiction of Coolidge's father led to Coolidge taking a second oath later in Washington.

Thus Obama stands as the third president to retake the oath of office [Sky News / BBC / CNN].

Obama sworn in as 44th US President

Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th President of the United of the United States of America. After introductions and an opening address by Sen Dianne Feinstein, the Chair of Joint Congressional Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies, there followed a preliminary prayers and musical interludes. Rick Warren, author and pastor of the Saddleback Church, Orange County, Calif., said prayers for the forthcoming administration and ended with the Lord's Prayer.

Aretha Franklin sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee" before the crowds of enthusiastic Obama supporters. Obama say alongside his wife with his eyes closed listening to the music before Joe Biden stood to take the oath of office. As the bible was handed to him he was heard to say "that's one hell of a book". Another musical interlude followed. Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill and Gabriella Montero performed 'Air & Simple Gifts' written by John Williams.

Finally, Barack Obama stood up to take the oath that would make him the 44th President. He stumbled over the words slightly with a smile, but he could be forgiven for being just a little nervous as millions around the world watched.

He spoke not only of making America strong but also bringing the world together in peace. But he said that those who wished to harm America would regret their actions. "
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist," President Obama said.

He spoke too about the economy. "Without a watchful eye the market can spin out of control" he said and promised to put the country back on track. But he said now was not a time for recriminations. "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America" Obama told the huge crowds.

"All are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness" President Obama said. But he said all should work together to make that dream possible.

"With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations" [Full Text].