The Taliban has congratulated the Netherlands for plans to pull its soldiers out of Afghanistan this weekend.

Almost 2,000 Dutch troops have been deployed in the Uruzgan region, where the Taliban is active and opium production is high.

The final contingent of 250 Dutch soldiers will be withdrawn on Sunday, after strong domestic opposition to participation in the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.

Read more ….

Dutch troops to leave Afghanistan — AFP
Taliban congratulates Dutch on Afghan withdrawal — Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Dutch military chief gives upbeat assessment of 4-year Afghan mission in which his son died — Canadian Press

Netherlands Preparing To Leave Afghanistan This Weekend is a post from: Updated News

A deadly wave of American drone strikes in Pakistan’s border region has taken the total number launched during Barack Obama’s presidency to more than 100, representing a significant surge in attacks.

Activists in Pakistan said they were deeply disappointed that the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner had escalated the use of CIA drones against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.

Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani, who monitors reported attacks for the Pakistan Body Count website, said: “If you thought Barack Obama was going to be a different sort of president, well he’s doing what George Bush was doing – and worse – and it is we Pakistanis who are paying the price.”

Read more ….

American drone strikes in Pakistan top 100 mark — Scotsman
100 drone strikes in Pak in 18 months under Obama compared to 45 in entire Bush term – Sify News
Weekend of Pakistan drone attacks leaves 35 dead – BBC News
US drone attacks kill 28 in Pakistan border area — The Independent
2,500 killed in U.S. drone, Taliban attacks in Pakistan since 2009 — Xinhuanet
Obama’s in love with drones — Nat Hentoff, World Net Daily

100 U.S. Drone Strikes In Pakistan Under President Obama is a post from: Updated News

WNU Editor: This is an old post, but it is still relevant today. For more pictures, the link is here.

For more information, read the related New York Times Story …. 4,000 U.S. Deaths, and a Handful of Images

Picturing Casualties, Then And Now is a post from: Updated News

Some in South Korea dispute the official version of events: that a North Korean torpedo ripped apart the Cheonan.

Reporting from Seoul — The way U.S. officials see it, there’s little mystery behind the most notorious shipwreck in recent Korean history.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls the evidence “overwhelming” that the Cheonan, a South Korean warship that sank in March, was hit by a North Korean torpedo. Vice President Joe Biden has cited the South Korean-led panel investigating the sinking as a model of transparency.

Read more ….

Questions raised over Korean torpedo claims — Nature
Now, doubt over Pyongyang’s role in ship sinking — Times Of India
Scientists raise doubts over North’s hand behind sinking of South Korean ship ‘Cheonan’ — DNAIndia

My Comment: OK …. even if the Nature magazine story is correct …. how did the Cheonan split into two and sink immediately after that.

Did North Korea Sink The Cheonan? is a post from: Updated News

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The former head of the United Nations’ internal oversight office has accused U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of poor leadership, saying that the world body was “falling apart” and becoming irrelevant.

The latest criticism of Ban’s performance at the helm of the United Nations, first reported by the Washington Post on Tuesday, comes as his aides weigh the former South Korean foreign minister’s prospects for a possible second term.

Read more ….

UN Official Blasts Ban Ki-Moon on Accountability — New York Times/AP
Outgoing comptroller accuses Ban Ki-moon of thwarting war on corruption at UN — Haaretz
Senior UN official launches attack on secretary general — BBC
Top U.N. Official Blasts Ban Ki-Moon for ‘Deplorable’ Conduct — FOX News
UN ‘falling apart’ under Ban — Al Jazeera
‘Deplorable and reprehensible’ UN boss savaged by outgoing aide — The Independent
Are there really no women qualified to fight U.N. corruption? — Foreign Policy

My comment: I worked for the UN (actually …. for ICAO in Montreal from 1989 – 1994), and so I have some perspective on the issue. It was bad then, but my long time friends who still work for the organization tell me it is even worse today. Corruption, nepotism, incompetence …. you get the picture …. and that is when I was working. Today …. just let your imagination fly.

Is The United Nations Falling Apart? is a post from: Updated News

The CIA is investigating whether Shahram Amiri, the Iranian nuclear scientist who defected to the US but last week flew back to Tehran, was a double agent.

The strange case of Shahram Amiri has puzzled US intelligence chiefs who approved a $5 million payment to him for information about Iran’s illicit nuclear programme.

Former US intelligence agents have predicted that Mr Amiri will disappear into prison or even face death, despite the hero’s welcome he was accorded as he was met by his wife and hugged his seven-year-old son.

Read more ….

Iranian Bloggers: Amiri Was A Double Agent — Radio Free Europe
CIA says it moved Iranian scientist, 2nd informant to U.S. over safety concerns — Washington Post
U.S. Says Scientist Aided C.I.A. While Still in Iran — New York Times
Iranian defector could spend rest of life in fear — AP
Mystery Surrounds Iranians Turning Up In U.S. — NPR
Inside the CIA’s slush fund for informants — MSNBC
No Place Like Iran – Newsweek

Was The Iranian Nuclear Defector A Double Agent? is a post from: Updated News

From Boston.com:

This month has been the deadliest month yet for foreign troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. Department of Defense now reports that one hundred coalition troops were killed this month. The death toll for 2010 to date now stands at 320. With soldiers and equipment still arriving in the country, peak troop strength is anticipated to reach 150,000 by August. And, with the removal of General Stanley McChrystal from command of Afghanistan following an embarrassing article in Rolling Stone magazine, a shift in leadership is underway with General David Petraeus attending confirmation hearings now. Efforts are now being made ot both weaken the Taliban and pressure them to reconcile with the Afghan government, but progress is slow, and many earlier gains are becoming unstable once more. Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan.

Go here for this photo collection.

Afghanistan, June 2010 (Photos) is a post from: Updated News

China’s leading credit rating agency has stripped America, Britain, Germany and France of their AAA ratings, accusing Anglo-Saxon competitors of ideological bias in favour of the West.

Dagong Global Credit Rating Co used its first foray into sovereign debt to paint a revolutionary picture of creditworthiness around the world, giving much greater weight to “wealth creating capacity” and foreign reserves than Fitch, Standard & Poor’s, or Moody’s.

Read more ….

Gaza aid ship ‘diverts’ to Egypt.

New UN report cites lack of progress by Israel and Lebanon on key obligations.

Amid violence and instability, Iraqi government lies idle.

US commander in Iraq: Iran threat has increased.

Shahram Amiri: new twist in mystery of nuclear scientist’s disappearance.

Pakistani official vows to fight India for Kashmir.

In Pakistan, old militants create new alliances.

‘More poor’ in India than Africa.

Fiji’s expulsion of Australia envoy “of grave concern”.

Afghan group: 1,100 civilians killed in 1st half of 2010.

North Korea calls off talks with U.N. officers over ship.

Japan PM pledges ‘fresh start’ after poll defeat.

A youth’s death in Kashmir renews a familiar pattern of crisis.

Churches call for south Sudan to vote for independence.

Unexploded bomb vest found in Uganda; 4 arrested.

Analysts’ view: Uganda blasts stir regional anxiety.

Sudanese President charged with genocide in Darfur.

Mugabe: Diamonds can revive Zimbabwean economy.

EU approves Estonian euro entry for 1 January 2011.

Russian suicide bomb ring foiled, government says.

Russia longs for breather in fierce heatwave.

Sarkozy pursues pension reform as scandal lingers.

French lawmakers to approve full veil ban.

82 police injured in Belfast’s 2 nights of riots.

Hundreds sought in Italian crime syndicate crackdown.

The sad math of aid in Haiti: 6 months, 2 percent.

The mysterious reappearance of Fidel Castro.

Russian spy ring: 12th man detained.

Mexico takes different tack on Juarez violence.

Gitmo detainees serve time by playing games, talking to family on Skype, taking classes.

Somali militants ready to terrorize world?

Guantanamo detainee Khadr rejects U.S. plea deal.

Al-Qaida threatens Seattle cartoonist.

Three jailed 20 years in foiled UK airliner bomb plot.

Federal budget gap tops $1 trillion through June.

Design flaw in iPhone 4, testers say.

U.S. Senate poised to pass historic financial reform.

Moody’s downgrades Portugal debt rating.

Oil climbs back above $75.

World News Briefs — July 13, 2010 (Evening Edition) is a post from: Updated News

MEXICO CITY—A leading Mexican gubernatorial candidate was killed early Monday in a state bordering Texas, in the highest-level assassination of a politician here since President Felipe Calderón declared war on drug cartels in 2006.

The killing of Rodolfo Torre, who was seen as a shoo-in for governor in Tamaulipas, represents an escalation of the drug traffickers’ war against the Mexican state.

Read more ….

Iran sees no risk to gasoline imports, official says.

Palestinian boycott of Israeli settlement goods starts to bite.

As war fears mount, Lebanese hunt spies.

Petraeus gives evidence to UK’s Iraq war inquiry.

In Israel, Gilad Shalit’s family launches 12-day march to Netanyahu’s door.

With shift in Afghanistan, talk turns to exit.

Taiwan and China set to sign historic trade accord.

Curfew widened in Kashmir after civilian deaths.

U.S. says sinking of S. Korean ship not act of terrorism.

Kyrgyz vote wins 90 percent support, Russia wary.

Guinea poll peaceful; voter turnout high.

The battle over Kenya’s new constitution.

East Africa to begin economic integration Thursday.

The Pope vs. Belgium: A bad fight for the Vatican?

Le Monde accepts offer from trio, snubbing Sarkozy.

Noriega money-laundering trial begins in France.

Clashes at Athens protest against pension reform.

U.S. charges 11 as Russian agents.

Assassins hit leading candidate in key Mexican border state.

A year later, coup talk again rattles Honduras.

‘Dudus’ in drag: How accused Jamaican drug lord evaded arrest.

US issues Haiti travel alert after Americans slain.

U.S. missile strike kills 6 militants In Pakistan.

Guantánamo’s `Closer’ leaves new admiral, 181 prisoners behind.

European Union, U.S. to share banking data to fight terrorism.

Deficit worries trump fears of new recession at G20 summit.

Gargantuan financial reform bill: It’s not just for banks.

G20: Paving the way for a new Great Depression?

World News Briefs — June 29, 2010 is a post from: Updated News

Top officials in President Hamid Karzai’s government have repeatedly derailed corruption investigations of politically connected Afghans, according to U.S. officials who have provided Afghanistan’s authorities with wiretapping technology and other assistance in efforts to crack down on endemic graft.

In recent months, the U.S. officials said, Afghan prosecutors and investigators have been ordered to cross names off case files, prevent senior officials from being placed under arrest and disregard evidence against executives of a major financial firm suspected of helping the nation’s elite move millions of dollars overseas.

Read more ….

My Comment: Talk about being prophetic in my last post. We now know who are the corrupt officials in the Karzai government …. hint …. it starts with the top.

No wonder last years elections were so flagrantly abused, fixed, and corrupted …. too many in power had billions to lose personally if they were to be kicked out by the Afghan electorate.

Aides To Afghan President Karzai Are Stopping All Corruption Cases That Involves His Supporters is a post from: Updated News