Bush defends Iraq war strategy

Bush defends Iraq war strategy

Bush urged congress to pass his $150bn economic stimulus plan "as soon as possible" [AFP]
George Bush, the US president, has used his seventh and final State of the Union to defend his unpopular Iraq war strategy.

He warned against the withdrawal of US troops, saying such a move would undermine "progress" made in recent months.
"Having come so far and achieved so much, we must not allow this to happen," he said.

The US leader also praised the results of the so-called "surge" of US troops sent to Iraq last year.
Iraq war 'difficult'

"The war in Iraq has been difficult and trying for our nation, but it is in the interests of our nation that we succeed," Bush said.

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Full transcript of Bush's State of the Union address
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He also welcomed the formation of the "Awakening Councils," groups of Iraqis who have sided with the US to confront al-Qaeda in Iraq.

"Al-Qaeda is on the run in Iraq and this enemy will be defeated,'' he said.

The US president also stepped up his rhetoric against Iran, warning Tehran it should "come clean" on its nuclear ambitions, saying the US will confront "any threats" against its forces.

"America will confront those who threaten our troops, we will stand by our allies, and we will defend our vital interests in the Persian Gulf," Bush said.

Renewed Kenya clashes claim lives

Renewed Kenya clashes claim lives

Houses have been burnt and people killed with machetes in the ethnic violence [AFP]
Scores of people have been killed in Kenya's western Rift Valley province as the unrest over the disputed re-election of Mwai Kibaki, the incumbent president, continues.

The latest flashpoint is in the town of Naivasha, 90km northwest of the capital Nairobi, where at least 14 people were burnt to death in their homes, officials said on Sunday.
"We have found 14 bodies burnt in houses," a police commander told the AFP news agency on Sunday.

"It appears the attackers locked them in and set them ablaze."

Nine people were killed earlier in clashes between gangs of youths in Naivasha's slums, an AFP correspondent reported.

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Dilmun Paradise !

The Lost Paradise of Dilmun Water Park

Cost: BD12, children BD8
Opening Hours: Sun-Wed 11am-6pm; Thu-Sat 10am-8pm

The Lost Paradise of Dilmun Water Park, Bahrain. Courtesy of Al Areen
The Lost Paradise of Dilmun Water Park, in Manama, claims to be the biggest in the Middle East. Beat the heat in one of the many pools, ride the slides or try the family raft ride.
The lush green oasis has waterfalls, submarine caves and even raging rivers. The high-tech aquatic rides have been set in a landscape aiming to recapture the ancient history of Bahrain by integrating the Dilmun period into the park's theme.

Dilmun is the setting of the Sumerian creation myth and is described as "the place where the sun rises". According to legend it was here that Ziusudra, the hero of the Sumerian flood, was taken by the gods and given eternal life.

Kasyanov was once an ally of Putin

Russia bars Putin critic from vote

Kasyanov was once an ally of Putin, before
becoming a fierce critic [AFP]

Russian election officials have refused to register Mikhail Kasyanov, a former prime minister, and now a critic of the government of Vladimir Putin, the president, for the March presidential poll.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Sunday there were too many invalid signatures in a list of two million that Kasyanov was required to gather from supporters across the country to register.
Under election rules a maximum of five per cent of the signatures can be declared invalid.

According to the CEC, in Kasyanov's case, 13.36 per cent were rejected.

Kasyanov served as prime minister under Putin from 2000-2004 but has since joined forces with the Kremlin leader's fiercest critics, such as Garry Kasparov, the former chess champion.

The March 2 presidential vote is all but sure to be won by Dmitry Medvedev, an ally of Putin, currently serving as deputy premier and head of Gazprom, the Russian gas company.
The other candidates are Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov and ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, both polling at less than 10 per cent, and little-known politician Andrei Bogdanov. He is forecast to win less than one per cent.

Border crisis dominates peace talks

Border crisis dominates peace talks

Some vehicles were stopped from crossing the border but people were still allowed to cross freely [AFP]
Talks between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders have been dominated by the Israeli siege of Gaza and the border crisis with Egypt.

Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, met on Sunday for regularly scheduled peace talks.
But issues such as the status of Jerusalem and the right of return for Palestinian refugees were overshadowed by the border turmoil.
Manoeuvring for control

Five days after a portion of the fence running between Gaza and Egypt was brought down by explosives, allowing Palestinian residents of Gaza to cross at will in search of supplies, Egyptian forces, the Palestinian president and the Israeli government are all manoeuvring for control of the Egypt-Gaza border.