Leader of attack on Kabul Hotel killed by aircraft of the NATO - The Guardian

A military helicopter of the NATO plane on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, after he was attacked by fighters Taliban photography: S Sabawoon/EPA

The NATO planes killed one insurgent linked to a deadly attack hotel in the Afghan capital, this week, the coalition said a raid raises questions about whether if Afghan forces are prepared for the impending transition of security.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the Intercontinental, one of two major hotels used by foreigners and representatives of the Afghan Government, a rare nighttime raid which began Tuesday and ended five hours later with 12 killed.

However, the International Security Assistance Force led by NATO (ISAF) said that the al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network had also participated in the assault by nine suicide bombers and gunmen.

ISAF has identified the leader of the Haqqani network, killed in an air attack: Jan Ismail, described as a Deputy to the senior Commander Haqqani in Afghanistan, Haji Mali Khan.

He said Thursday he and "several Haqqani fighters" were killed in an air attack in the province of Paktia Gardez district South of Kabul on Wednesday.

"The Haqqani network, in conjunction with Taliban secret agents, was responsible for the attack on Tuesday night at the Hotel Intercontinental in Kabul, which killed 12 people, including a provincial judge," ISAF said in a statement.

The raid came only a week after the President of United States, Barack Obama, announced the progressive withdrawal of combat troops, with 10 000 to leave at the end of this year and 23 000 more at the end of September 2012.

Announcement of the Obama prior to the beginning of a gradual transition of responsibility to the Afghan forces next month that will end with all foreign combat troops, leaving the Afghanistan at the end of 2014.

This process to begin in seven fields next month, the raid on the hotel raised serious questions about whether the Afghan forces, including the police, were ready to support.

"It shows one of the concerns is that the Afghan security forces is more in quantity, not quality," said Thomas Ruttig, Co-Director of the network based in Kabul to Afghanistan analysts.

The attack ended when a helicopter of the NATO sniper killed the last three attackers fighting from the roof of the hotel. Earlier television images showed the Afghan forces firing heavily in the air.

ISAF training of members of the Afghan national police of 126,000 - strong since 2009.

Afghan police, who will be the front line of security transition in towns and villages across the Afghanistan, have long been considered inept and behind the formation of the dindisie army, which was the subject of the efforts of training since the Taliban was overthrown late 2001.

Violence has increased to record levels in Afghanistan over the past 18 months as NATO troops, especially, American forces struck against a growing insurgency, especially in the heart of the Taliban in the South.

A quarterly report by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Security Council on the Afghanistan concluded that the number of incidents of security since March had increased 51% over the same period in 2010, with suicide bombings rises sharply.

Attacks in the heart of the Taliban in Kandahar have been particular concern. "The city of Kandahar and its environs recording the majority of incidents during the reporting period, with a quarter of global attacks" and more than half of all registered killings countrywide, the report said.

But, Ruttig, stated that also developed attack revealed that the other difficulties encountered in Afghanistan before the start of the transition process, which also includes the delivery to Afghans the functioning of civil institutions and projects.

Is policy paralysis prevailing in the country for months.

"The fact that NATO and the Afghan people were able to avoid that it says something - which must be something more than just the security of the transition," Ruttig said the hotel attack.

"Security forces are only part of the transition." It must also be a strengthening of political institutions and, at the moment, the parliamentary crisis has brought political to a standstill, "he told Reuters."

Last week a Court of special election created by a decree by President Hamid Karzai, cancelled the results of a quarter of parliamentary seats since the elections of last year, effectively throwing 62 MPs who had been declared winners.

The move and the Court itself, were tagged unconstitutional and illegal by observers and Afghan officials to the West. Critics have said that the Court has been put in place by Karzai to pursue its own political opposition of the order of the day and silence.

Free "food terrorist Florida" - The Guardian

A slum housing for the poor and homeless in Miami Florida. Florida has been hit hard by the housing market crash. Photography: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

You see that "food terrorism" and what to do? Conspiracies evil taint articles on grocery store shelves?

If you are Buddy Dyer, Mayor of Orlando, Florida, you can think of a group of feeding the homeless and in one of your city parks. It is that Dyer is widely quoted calling the activists with Chapter Orlando food not bombs - "food terrorists". In recent weeks, not less than 21 persons were arrested in Orlando, home of Disney World, to distribute free meals in a park.

Food not bombs is an international organization, fighting hunger. As its name indicates, it is against the war. Its Web site home page reads:

"Food not bombs actions vegan free and vegetarian meals with those who are hungry in over 1,000 cities worldwide protest war, of poverty and the destruction of the environment." With more than 1 billion people go hungry every day, how can spend us another dollar on war? »

Chapter Orlando implements a distribution of meals every Monday morning and evening Wednesday in the Town Lake Eola Park. Recently, Orlando police were were arrest of those who serve food, such as Benjamin Markeson. He was perplexed, saying:

"We believe that it is terrorism in the arrest of people trying to share food with poor and hungry people in the community to meet the need of the community." And everything we do is to come us to the Park and we share food with the poor and the hungry. "I know how that is considered as terrorism".

Attorney Shayan Elahi knows, either. It represents the Orlando food not bombs in court. He filed an injunction against the city in the judicial circuit court ninth of Florida, which is chaired by the Chief Justice that Belvin Perry Jr. j. Perry is recently in the press as the no-nonsense in the murder of Casey Anthony trial, is happening now in Orlando. While the courtroom of judge receives coverage of coverage on cable networks, Elahi hope that Perry will have the time to personally decide on tabling.

At issue is an act of the city, the order, "Power group", which requires groups to obtain a licence to serve the food, even free of charge, to groups of 25 or more. These licenses are granted to any group only twice per year. Orlando food bombs pas has used both his licence allowed this year.

The Association for civil rights in Florida called Mayor Dyer to apologize for its designation of the food group not bombs as terrorists. The criminal act should not be feeding more than 25 people, but that more than 25 people need food. Attorney Elahi between repression and planned gentrification of downtown Orlando:

"The Mayor began the development of downtown Orlando Council, and its aim was basically to push everyone... that did not fit their idea of which should be in downtown." We are trying to report to the Mayor that times have changed, that everyone is now hurting and many more people from sharing the food not bombs are workers poor. »

Message base of food not bombs is incorporated in a resolution adopted the week last by the U.S. Conference of mayors calling on Washington to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as soon as possible strategically, redirect funding to meet the human vital need here at home.

Central Florida has been very hard by the recession and is among the top locations for foreclosures and bankruptcies. The UN food and Agriculture Organization a world that food warning, prices should remain high for the rest of the year and beyond. Earlier this year, food prices hit levels seen during the 2007-08 food crisis that sparked unrest in poor countries around the world. Mass demonstrations and a general strike in Greece against austerity measures planned are closing Athens.

One of the most famous songs to Disney World, near Lake Eola Park, is called "this is a small world". Its refrain: "there are so many things that we share and that it is time that we are aware / after all, it is a small world.". Turn fantasy into reality. Sharing of food should not be a crime.

• Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column.

© 2011 Amy Goodman; distributed by King Features Syndicate

Bank of America, near the colony of. 5bn $8 on subprime mortgage loans - The Guardian

Bank of America is close to settle with investors to wire sub-prime loans that went sour. Photography: Chuck Burton/AP.

Bank of America (BoA) is close to finalizing an agreement to pay $8. 5bn (£ 5 5.3) to settle claims by a group of investors that the Bank sold mortgage-backed securities of poor quality which went sour when the housing market has stagnated, according to a person familiar with the settlement talks.

The Bank in North Carolina continues talks later Tuesday with the group, which includes the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Pimco Investment Management, holders of most of the world and of Blackrock financial management. It is expected to announce an agreement as early as Wednesday, the person said on condition of anonymity because the case was still in development.

The agreement comes eight months after the Group fired a letter to Bank of America, demanding that it buy $47bn mortgage Countrywide unit sold to them in the form of bonds. Investors argued the practice of this Countrywide modify loans have faulty paperwork or those written outside normal underwriting standards breached agreements with investors. By continuing bad loans of service rather than accelerate the seizure, the group said gravi Countrywide maintenance of fees, get rich at the expense of investors. The New York Fed is involved because he has taken over the assets held by American International Group, which has hesitated under the weight of bad mortgages that it insured.

Bank of America, which has paid $4 Countrywide in 2008, rejected suggestions that his treatment of loan modifications and other efforts to prevent the foreclosure have violated the terms of mortgage-backed securities that hold investors. In November, CEO Brian Moynihan said that it is in the daily "naked" with the requirements of investors.

But the combined effect of the agreement of the country, the mortgage crisis and the overhang risk loans bitter were a drain on bottom line and stock, finally prompting a reversal in the strategy of BoA. Since the beginning of the year, the Bank has hit large colonies with several investors. In January, the lender paid more than $2 to settle claims of redemption on mortgage loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And, in April, the Bank has agreed to pay more than $1 to assured Guaranty, the insurer also urged the Bank to the redemption of mortgage loans of poor quality. If approved, the last colony will address a significant remaining slice of the claim for Bank of America mortgage redemption risk.

A spokesman for Bank of America could not immediately be reached for comment.