Police beating of university student John McKenna shocks the US

AU.News.AU 15/04/2010

Ckick here for VIDEO fotage: Sports fan bashed by cops

FOOTAGE of police brutalising an innocent sports fan in Maryland and rendering him unconscious has shocked America today.

In scenes captured by CCTV cameras, University of Maryland student John McKenna is seen skipping down the street celebrating after watching his university basketball team defeat Duke.

Within seconds he is approached by police on horseback who stand over him before other cops in riot gear swoop and begin beating him with batons, The Sun reports.

Police reports allege it was Mr McKenna who had first been assaulting the cops and their horses causing "minor injuries" as they responded to reports of trouble after the game.

But he never strikes out on the footage - and even tries to back away when confronted.

The FBI are now investigating the incident which left the 21-year-old needing eight staples to repair a gaping wound in his head.

He was also allegedly told by officers in Maryland not to make a fuss about his injuries because they would have to fill out more paper work.

Former British Intelligence Chief Says US Hid Torture Details

VOA News 10/03/2010

The former head of Britain's domestic intelligence service, MI5, has accused the United States of concealing its mistreatment of terror suspects.

Eliza Manningham-Buller said Tuesday that the U.S. deliberately held back details of harsh handling of some detainees, including the waterboarding of alleged September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Manningham-Buller's comments come as the British intelligence service fights charges it collaborated with U.S. agencies in torturing terror suspects.

British appeals court judges ordered the government last month to release documents concerning the treatment of a Guantanamo inmate Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian-born man living in Britain.

U.S. forces arrested him in Pakistan in 2002 on suspicion of terrorism. U.S. documents show that Mohamed was shackled, beaten and subjected to genital mutilation and sleep deprivation while held in Morocco and later at Guantanamo.

The British government had said it wanted to keep the information secret, fearing it could hurt intelligence-sharing with the United States.

UN Human Rights Council Postpones Discussion of 'Secret Detentions' Report

VOA.News 09/03/2010

U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak, is speaking out. He says government officials in the United States and elsewhere who ordered secret detentions of terror suspects should face prosecution

The U.N. Human Rights council has postponed discussion of a highly critical report on the secret detention of terror suspects in dozens of countries. One of the report's authors tells VOA that government officials in the United States and elsewhere who ordered secret detentions of terror suspects should face prosecution and imprisonment.

The 222-page report names dozens of countries involved in the practice of detaining people or taking advantage of their detention by other countries to elicit information from them. The suspects were held in secret, without access to lawyers or the International Red Cross, and were subjected to interrogation techniques that in many cases, the authors say, amount to torture.

The report's strong criticisms have angered many of the countries on the Geneva-based Human Rights Council who said they are untrue. Others, including the Muslim and African members, say the experts had no mandate to write the report and that it should not be considered by the HRC. Some Western countries, including the United States and Britain, disagree with the report's findings, but are willing for the discussion to go forward.

The council was supposed to hear the final report this week, but instead agreed to postpone it until June.

But one of the study's authors, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak, is speaking out. He says government officials in the United States and elsewhere who ordered secret detentions of terror suspects should face prosecution. "Every individual case of an enforced disappearance and torture should be a crime under domestic law, with proper sanctions. And proper sanctions doesn't mean a fine; it means imprisonment for similar to other major crimes like homicide," he said.

Nowak adds that people who have been secretly detained should be entitled to compensation. "For me, providing reparations to the victims is certainly as important as the criminal investigations and bringing the main perpetrators to justice," he said.

The study on the use of secret detention was written by Nowak and Martin Scheinin, who is the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism. They were joined by representatives of the U.N. Working Groups on Arbitrary Detention, and Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

In the study, the United States and the administration of former President George W. Bush received some of the harshest criticism for the use of secret detention after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The main focus [of the report] is on the United States of America, because they have developed a very sophisticated program of extraordinary rendition flights where persons have been kidnapped who were suspected of terrorism and flown around the world to different countries for the purpose of keeping them in secret places, for getting information about future terrorist attacks," Nowak said.

John Bolton was President Bush's Ambassador to the United Nations from August 2005 through 2006. He said the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were an act of war on the United States and, therefore, Washington was entitled to respond in self-defense.

"People say [that] we are torturing these 'poor terrorists' we have picked up. It implies we are putting them on the rack, we are pulling out their fingernails, we are using cattle prods -- none of that is true. None of that has any basis in fact. This is all a question of whether we can out-psyche the terrorists, using techniques that were analyzed by highly-competent lawyers, and which were used in a very limited number of cases and which, by all accounts, did produce useful information," he said.

Shortly after taking office the Obama administration adopted measures intended to treat prisoners more humanely and transparently. The authors of the U.N. report have cautiously welcomed those commitments.

Human rights groups say the report will not lead to prosecutions, but that it will shine a light on illegal practices governments try to keep hidden. They say exposing that can lead to change.

Drug Maker Accused of False Advertising

VOA News 02/03/2010

A county in the U.S. state of California is suing GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Avandia, a controversial diabetes drug. The lawsuit was spurred by a report on the drug released by the U.S. Senate last week (March 22). That report accused the drug company of withholding information about side effects of serious heart problems, including death. At issue now is whether Avandia should be taken off the market.

A U.S. Senate report on the diabetes drug Avandia says both the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should have warned patients about the dangers of the drug years before they did. The report recommends taking Avandia off the market.

In 2007, Dr. Steven Nissen published a study showing that those taking Avandia had a 43 percent higher risk of having a heart attack and a 64 percent greater chance of dying from a heart attack than those not taking the drug. "We've been warning about this for two and a half years," he said. "There really isn't a good reason for physicians to continue to prescribe the drug. It's time to get it off the market."

But doctors still prescribe Avandia to hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide.

Dr. Yasser Ousman at Washington Hospital Center prescribes it for some pre-diabetic patients or those in the early stages of diabetes. "There are a number of drugs that have been tested in these individuals and Avandia is one of them, and actually, it is quite effective in improving the blood sugar, in normalizing the blood sugar or delaying the occurrence of diabetes in these individuals," Dr. Ousman said.

"What bothers me the most is that every month that goes by, more people are harmed by a drug that people simply don't need," Dr. Nissen said. Dr. Nissen's report was based on 42 clinical trials that showed a connection between Avandia and heart problems.

"I think when you look at the information and the statistics from the initial study, the initial paper by Dr. Nissen in 2007, the increase in the risks of heart attacks is actually small," Dr. Ousman points out. He says that many over the counter drugs - aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen or paracetamol - can be toxic if used improperly.

"If you look at the large studies, that were published over the last several years, including a large number of patients comparing Avandia to a placebo or other drugs, there was actually no increase in that risk. That risk was based on smaller studies," Dr. Ousman said.

A study on Avandia funded by GlaxoSmithKline published last year, found no increase in heart attacks. But it found a significant increase in the risk of heart failure where the heart cannot pump enough blood to the organs or muscles. A number of cases resulted in hospitalization or death.

The Food and Drug Administration says it will review Avandia for heart risks and has scheduled a meeting of its advisory panel in July. The agency warns those taking Avandia not to discontinue use without consulting with a doctor.

US, China lock horns over Taiwan arms sale

News Com AU 01/02/2010

CHINA and the United States were locked in an escalating row over US arms sales to Taiwan, with Washington overnight rebuffing Chinese protests and insisting the deal promotes stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The Pentagon Friday sparked the latest challenge to China-US relations under President Barack Obama when it approved the 6.4-billion-dollar sale of Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters, mine-hunting ships and other weaponry.

China responded furiously with a raft of reprisals, saying it would suspend military and security contacts with Washington and impose sanctions on US firms involved in the deal.

Beijing warned of "severe harm" to relations.

The Pentagon expressed "regret" over the bitter response, which reflected a rapid souring of relations with the United States amid strains over trade, climate change and China's Internet controls.

US State Department spokeswoman Laura Tischler said the sale "contributes to maintaining security and stability across the Taiwan Strait", a view echoed by Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou.

"It will let Taiwan feel more confident and secure so we can have more interactions with China," Mr Ma, who has overseen a historic warming in relations with China, was quoted as saying by Taiwan's Central News Agency.

Haiti kids taken by Americans 'have family': care centre

News Com AU 01/02/2010

HAITIAN police are holding 10 US citizens on suspicion they tried to slip out of the country with 33 Haitian children in a trafficking scheme.

Most of the children taken by a US church group "have family" that survived the earthquake, head of the international care center, Patricia Vargas said .

According to Ms Vargas' conversation with older children of the group, above seven years old, some of the youngsters "say their parents are alive, and some of them gave us an address and phone numbers," she said.

The children are being cared for at the center in Croix des Bouquets, a town west of the capital Port-au-Prince.

Haitian Social Affairs Minister Yves Christallin said the police arrested five men and five women with US passports, and two Haitians, as they tried to cross into the Dominican Republic with the children on Friday night. He said two pastors were also involved, one in Haiti and one in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mr Christallin said the US citizens did not have the proper documents to take the children out of Haiti, nor letters of authorisation from their parents.

The children were aged two months to 12 years and had come from different places, he said.

"What is important for us in Haiti is that a child needs to have an authorisation from this ministry to leave the country," he said.

US embassy officials were not immediately available to comment on the case.

Haitian officials have voiced fears that child traffickers will take advantage of the chaos after Haiti's massive January 12 earthquake to slip out of the country with children in illegal adoption schemes.

There is also concern that legitimate adoption agencies may rush to take earthquake orphans out of Haiti before proper checks have been conducted to confirm their parents have perished.

Haiti's quake severely crippled government agencies and pitched the country into a communications morass.

In an interview with NBC news, a family member of one of those arrested said the Americans were being charged with child trafficking, and that they believed the matter was a misunderstanding over documentation.

The Americans were identified as members of an Idaho-based charity called New Life Children's Refuge.

Admitting the US and Russia to the regional architecture

The Nation 25/01/2010

THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA are the two important global powers missing in the discussion of a new regional architecture. Both countries, through their existing economic and political ties, have approached the regional community-building effort differently - in ways that suit their perceived roles.

But they do share a common objective - to become parts of the ongoing dynamism in the region - whether it be East Asia, Asia or Asia-Pacific.

Proposals by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatomaya to establish a new regional institute have generated heated debates over the shape of things to come. Rudd's framework on the Asia Pacific community is more specific and widely discussed than Hatoyama's East Asia community, which up until now has not provided any details or modalities. However, both ideas support the ongoing regional institutions within Asean and would not dismiss the grouping as a foundation for future cooperation. Additional features, mandates, functions and members could be refined and added later on.

Numerous ideas have been proposed and discussed, concentrating on mandates and membership that will cope with 21st century challenges. Participation of the US and Russia has repeatedly been mentioned as pivotal to any new set-up, particularly future membership of the East Asia Summit (EAS). For the US, the one-year-old Obama Administration's new attitude towards Asia and the ascension of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) has created an overall favourable atmosphere to expand and intensify its engagement within the region -commensurate with Obama's pronouncement as a Pacific power.

Akin to the US, Russia is also a member of regional organisations such as the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec). Both the US and Russia have fulfilled the three requirements set forth by Asean for admission to EAS—a dialogue partner and a signatory of TAC that has substantial relations with Asean. However, Moscow has been more assertive on this front. As far as Russia-Asean relations are concerned, Moscow has been pushing for closer economic and security cooperation but with little success. The Asean Centre at the Moscow State University of International Relations will soon be established.

In the early 1980s, Moscow tabled several proposals to establish a new regional security forum in anticipating post-Cold War strategic imperatives. Unfortunately, they fell on deaf ears. Moscow continues to view itself as a Europe-Asia power. One major impediment was the grouping's hostile attitude towards Moscow's support of proxy wars in the region. Once the Berlin Wall crumbled and the Soviet empire disintegrated, its pragmatic approaches and policies have propelled better cooperation and friendship with Asean and individual members.

In Kuala Lumpur, December 2005, Russia came close to becoming a foundation member of EAS or Asean plus six. Only last minute forceful intervention by certain Asean members stopped such an ambition after former US State Secretary Condoleeza Rice expressed serious concern over the planned admission. To save Moscow's political embarrassment, Malaysia, the host, quickly invited Russia as a guest to the inaugural EAS. Since then, Russia has continued to push for early EAS membership. Last year, it failed to convince Thailand, as the Asean chair, to push for its EAS membership and the second Asean-Russia summit.

Political turmoil inside the country and uncertainty surrounding a series of summits rendered twin initiatives impossible. At the next EAS in Hanoi in October, the second Asean-Russia summit has been scheduled. It is an open secret that Vietnam wants the second Asean-US leaders' meeting to be held also in the country. Obama offered to host the follow-up leaders' meeting with his Asean colleagues in his country this year when he met them last November.

The central question Asean has to tackle is whether the US should be invited to join EAS along with Russia, either in Hanoi this year or later on. In her speech last month at the Hawaii-based, East West Center, US State Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton made clear that Washington is interested in EAS and is studying how her country can associate with the five-year-old summit. She said the US proposed to begin consultations with Asian countries on how the US might play a role in the EAS and the summit would fit into the broader institutional landscape. That much was clear. At this juncture, Asean has yet to reach a consensus on the EAS enlargement even though there is no official moratorium policy. Several Asean dialogue partners who have fulfilled the three criteria also want to join EAS.

EAS could serve as a new overarching structure where concerned countries in the region can discuss pertinent transnational issues and subsequently deliver results.

Expansion of EAS will be less problematic because the membership is still small. Both ARF and Apec have big members straddling Asia, as well as North and South America. ARF has 27 members and Apec 21, but the latter includes Taiwan and Hongkong while India, the region's rising power, has been left out. After the September 11 tragedy, the Bush administration tried with some success to intensify anti-terrorism cooperation among the trade-focused members.

One way of sustaining Asean centrality within the common call for a new architecture is to admit the US and Russia together to EAS. Then, the so-called Asean plus six (Asean 10, India, Australia, New Zealand) will be transformed into Asean plus eight, leaving Asean plus three (APT) unchallenged--to be the only institution that represents real East Asian regional building. China—the APT prime mover—would not object to such an arrangement as it would continue to be the APT driving force. Japan and South Korea have already utilised the APT as a platform to strengthen their ties with Asean and China.

The larger EAS has begun tackling broader issues including nuclear proliferation, climate change and food security - and would answer in part Rudd's proposal and Tokyo's insistence on having the US participate in a new regional architecture.

Finally, Asean would also need creative ideas to sequence a series of summits with dialogue partners to allow their leaders with super-tight schedules to attend them. Obviously, one cannot expect a US president to join Asean-initiated summits and leaders' meetings twice or thrice a year.

Johnson & Johnson accused of drug kickbacks

News Com AU 17/01/2010

JOHNSON & Johnson paid leading US pharmacy group Omnicare to promote its antipsychotic drug Risperdal for elderly patients, the US government alleges in a lawsuit.

According to the Justice Department, which announced the lawsuit on its website, Johnson & Johnson paid Omnicare, which is the largest US pharmacy for nursing homes, to push drugs including Risperdal.

The complaint filed in Boston yesterday targets Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems.

They are accused of paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to Omnicare.

"J&J understood that Omnicare's pharmacists reviewed nursing home patients' charts at least monthly and made recommendations to physicians on what drugs should be prescribed for those patients," the Department of Justice said.

"The government further alleges that J&J knew that physicians accepted the Omnicare pharmacists' recommendations more than 80 per cent of the time, and that J&J viewed such pharmacists as an 'extension of [J&J's] sales force'."

Omnicare entered into a $US98 million ($105.26 million) settlement in November with the government.

Asia's changing dynamics

The Japan Times Online 13/01/2010

By BRAHMA CHELLANEY

With Asia in transition and the specter of a power imbalance looming large, it has become imperative to invest in institutionalized cooperation to reinforce the region's strategic stability. After all, not only is Asia becoming the pivot of global geopolitical change, but Asian challenges are also playing into international strategic challenges.

Asia's changing power dynamics are reflected in China's increasingly assertive foreign policy, the new Japanese government's demand for an "equal" relationship with the United States, and the sharpening Sino-Indian rivalry, which has led to renewed Himalayan border tensions.

All of this is highlighting America's own challenges, which are being exacerbated by its eroding global economic pre-eminence and involvement in two wars. Such challenges dictate greater U.S.-China cooperation to ensure continued large capital inflows from China, as well as Chinese political support on difficult issues ranging from North Korea and Burma to Pakistan and Iran.

But, just when America's Sino-centric Asia policy became noticeable, Japan put the U.S. on notice that it cannot indefinitely remain a faithful servant of American policies. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's government is seeking to realign foreign policy and rework a 2006 deal for the basing of U.S. military personnel on Okinawa. It also announced an end to its eight-year-old Indian Ocean refueling mission in support of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.

Reid Apolgizes for Racial Remarks on Obama

Fox News Co 09/01/2010

The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate apologized on Saturday for comments he made about Barack Obama's race during the 2008 presidential bid.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada described then-Sen. Barack Obama as "light skinned" and "with no Negro dialect." Obama is the nation's first African-American president.

"I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words. I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African-Americans for my improper comments," Reid said in a statement released after the excerpts were reported on the Web site of The Atlantic.

US officials 'tried to hide immigrant abuse'

News Com AU 10/01/2010

US officials used their role as overseers of the country's immigrant detention centres to cover up evidence of mistreatment and deflect scrutiny by the media, The New York Times has reported.

Citing documents in its possession, the newspaper said that investigators had concluded that unbearable, untreated pain had been a significant factor in the 2007 suicide of a 22-year-old immigrant detainee at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey, and that the medical unit was so poorly run that other detainees were at risk.

The investigation found that medical personnel at the jail had falsified a medication log to show that the detainee, a Salvadoran named Nery Romero, had been given Motrin.

But the fake entry was easy to detect, the report said. When the drug was supposedly administered, Romero was already dead.

KFC pulls controversial cricket ad

Yahoo 7 News: 07/01/2010

Kentucky Fried Chicken's head office in the US has apologised for "any misinterpretation" caused by a controversial Australian cricket ad as furious debate raged in the American media about whether it was racist.

KFC pulls controversial cricket ad

The commercial, featuring a white Australian cricket fan offering fried chicken to West Indies supporters, has been pulled from the air in Australia.

"KFC Australia is removing the television advertisement that was being run in conjunction with the Australian cricket season," the chicken fast food giant announced in a statement.

"We apologise for any misinterpretation of the ad as it was not meant to offend anyone."

North Korea calls for end to hostile relations with US

Channel News Asia 01/01/2010

"The fundamental task for ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of Asia is to put an end to the hostile relationship between the DPRK and the USA,"

SEOUL: North Korea early Friday called for an end to hostile relations with the United States, after a year marked by nuclear and missile tests and its rejection of international peace efforts.

The call was made in a New Year joint editorial of several leading state North Korean newspapers, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, and comes with a US Christian missionary apparently detained in the isolated country.

"The fundamental task for ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of Asia is to put an end to the hostile relationship between the DPRK and the USA," KCNA quoted the editorial as saying.

It also addressed international concerns about Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities after 2009 saw Washington attempt to bring Kim Jong-Il's communist regime back to stalled six-nation talks on the issue.

"It is the consistent stand of the DPRK (North Korea) to establish a lasting peace system on the Korean Peninsula and make it nuclear-free through dialogue and negotiations," the editorial said.

81,018 permanent residents left Australia over the past 12 months

Yahoo 7 News: Kiwis packing bags, leaving Australia

It hardly seems fair. The Wallabies are struggling with a Kiwi at the helm, while the New Zealand cricket team looks destined for great things.

Our neighbours across the ditch have been the greatest beneficiaries of an exodus of Australians with almost one fifth of those who left permanently in 2008/09 choosing New Zealand as their new home.

And having had their share of the good times, New Zealanders topped the list of overseas-born people leaving Australia.

The release of the Emigration 2008/09 report comes in a year which was not so good for our rugby side, with New Zealand-born coach Robbie Deans guiding the Wallabies to only six wins and a draw from 14 Tests.

The figures from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship show 81,018 permanent residents left Australia over the past 12 months, more than any other year on record.

From killing fields to US candidate

Phnom Penh Post

Sam Meas, the first Cambodian-American to seek congressional office, talks about growing up in war-torn Cambodia, his move to the US and his outlook on the Kingdom’s political situation.

Meas recently took time out from working and campaigning to conduct an email interview with the Post.

Sam Meas, a 36-year-old investment analyst from Haverhill, Massachusetts, is a Republican candidate for the United States congress in Massachusetts’ 5th District. He is the first Cambodian-American to run for Congress, or any other state or federal office in US history. Sam Meas and a cousin crossed the border from Cambodia into Thailand’s Khao-I-Dang refugee camp in 1983. He came to the US to live with a foster family in 1986, and went on to graduate from Virginia Tech University in 1996. Sam

What were the most striking things about the United States for you when you arrived in 1986?

Our flight arrived in New York City at night from Europe. The view of the city from the plane was the most incredible sight I have ever laid my eyes on. Bright lights were lighting up the city grids from the ground. I thought it was heaven on earth.

The second striking feature was the highway system. A group of us took the taxi from the airport to the hotel. We were driven through underpasses, overpasses and underground tunnels. I was just mesmerised by the wonder of it all. The tall buildings and modernity of everything in America were just incredible. I had never seen any of these things before in my life.

Last but not least, I was pleasantly surprised by the kind and welcoming people in America. True to their reputation, Americans are kind, compassionate and caring people.

What are your memories of life in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge?

I was very young when the Khmer Rouge took Kandal province; It has since been relayed to me that I was just 2 years old at the time. My father was arrested and never to be seen again, meaning that he, like so many other thousands of teachers and intellectuals, was executed....

My older brothers and sisters were drafted to be part of the Khmer Rouge’s new Army of Labour and sent to work far away. I never saw much of them after they left.... While my mother was putting in 12-hour days for Angka in the field, my brother and I spent our time between our mud hut and the day care centre at the communal kitchen. One of our jobs, besides fending for ourselves, was collecting cow manure....

I did witness individual murders and mass killing. My family was spared, I was told, solely because the local Khmer Rouge village chief attested that our family was part of the “liberated people” or “old people”.

What are your thoughts on the current state of politics in Cambodia?

Cambodia, like many other countries that are recovering from years of protracted civil war, is lacking much and needs rebuilding on so many fronts – the economy, education, healthcare, social justice, respect for the rule of law, respect for private property, human rights, independence of the judicial system and transparency and accountability at all levels of government – all at the same time.

Has some progress been made?

The answer is yes. Can more be done and at a faster pace? Absolutely.

Would the economy of Cambodia greatly benefit from an independent judicial system and greater respect for private property?

I believe so.

On September 10, the US congress heard testimony from Cambodian witnesses who detailed a litany of human rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by the Cambodian government, with Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua claiming that Cambodian democracy is experiencing “an alarming free fall”. Do you find these testimonies credible?

This is all the more reason why there is an urgent need for an independent and transparent judicial system in Cambodia – so that any allegations, as well as lawsuits and countersuits, can be brought forward in the Cambodian courts. Only in an independent Cambodian court can the truth be found by a Khmer judge and the Khmer people. As a US congressman, I will fight to right these injustices.

What former US President J. Carter said about Bush and world affairs

Bangkok Post

FORMER US PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER was in Chiang Mai last week to help build houses for the homeless in the Mekong region. The Carter Work Project works with the international housing charity organisation, Habitat for Humanity, which launched a campaign on November 16 to build 50,000 homes over five years. Carter said 82 Thai homes were being built in Chiang Mai's San Sai district in honour of His Majesty the King who celebrates his 82nd birthday next month.

Suthichai: How do you assess President Obama's performance so far?

Carter: He has set a good goal for himself in many ways. He has announced an end to torture. He has announced his goal to do away with nuclear weapons. He has changed the image of my country among many people around the world.

Do you think he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize?

Yes, I do.

Some people don't agree with that.

I was surprised when he got it so early. But I think the Nobel committee looked at what he had already said and done. There is no doubt that he has transformed our country's image - and the reputation of our country. He has also set himself some goals that are very admirable.

Do you think he can sustain the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan?

My hope is we will withdraw from Iraq very quickly. Unless there is a violent change, I think we will withdraw as scheduled by the end of 2011.

Afghanistan is another story.

Yes, it's another story. I hope we will withdraw our massive military effort in Afghanistan to reconcile with the people and cut down on the violence and attacks on the Afghanistan people.

Do you think Afghanistan may turn into another Vietnam?

I hope not … I don't think so.

Australia sold to the higher bid

News Com Au

WITH a list of iconic Australian tourism destinations being sold off to the highest bidder, Tracy Spicer fears Australia has become ripe for the picking.

AMERICAN tour guide, Far North Queensland, circa 2020: "Well, folks, welcome to the Great Barrier McReef!

"Over there you can see Woodrow Wilson Island, named after our late president. Hey, any of you been to Nike Air's Rock yet? Used to be called Uluru but that's a bit hard for us to pronounce!

"Seems some folks back home liked these Aussie tourist attractions so much, they bought the companies! Anyone for a Bud?"

Welcome to the brave new world of McTourism. While we've been looking over our shoulders at interlopers on leaky boats, an American conglomerate has bought five of our iconic tourist destinations.

Delaware North now owns three islands in the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef - Wilson, Lizard and Heron.

But wait, there's more.

The hospitality and food giant has also gobbled up Kings Canyon Resort in Watarrka National Park, midway between Uluru and Alice Springs.

And the ink is almost dry on the contract to buy El Questro Wilderness Park & Homestead on one million acres - yes, you read that right - in WA's remote Kimberley.

You'd know this property from the famous cattle-driving scenes in the movie Australia.

Whoever said irony was dead?

Oh - and guess what else is up for grabs?

Australia's biggest property trust GPT says it wants to offload the remainder of the Voyages portfolio, including Ayers Rock Resort, Longitude 131 and Brampton Island.

Now, I'm not implying that Delaware North is incapable of protecting our pristine assets. And I'm not implying that it fails to understand the Australian market.

Delaware North has a 20-year history Down Under.

Furthermore, I'm not implying that Delaware North has nefarious intentions.

But when did it become OK to sell off the family jewels?

Since the free trade agreement was signed in 2005, the US has been able to invest up to $1 billion at a time without seeking approval.

China has asked for the same deal, during its free trade negotiations.

At the same time, foreign companies are covertly buying up adjacent farms in Australia to use as a "salad bowl" in the case of global food shortages.

Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait want to purchase more than $1 billion worth of our farmland to feed their own people.

It all smacks of a neo-colonialism. And Australia is ripe for the picking.

We're like eager puppies, rolling over and begging for a belly scratch from our benevolent masters.

Who has beetroot on their hamburgers anymore? Why not grab a Big Mac!

Our mates, male and female, are referred to as "guys".

Rather than G'Day, we greet each other with "hey", straight from a Seinfeld episode.

This might seem inconsequential. Xenophobic, even. But cultural genocide is the death of a thousand cuts.

I can accept the American influence in film, music, sport, literature and language.

What I can't accept is the loss of what makes this place special - the coral cays of the Great Barrier Reef; the red rawness of the Kimberley; the land of the Never Never.

Could you imagine the US Government agreeing to such a thing?

The Grand Aussie Canyon.

The Statue of Liberty, holding aloft a meat pie. Snags at the Smithsonian.

It would never happen.

Delaware North says the purchase of its reef and wilderness properties is part of an overt strategy to move into hotels and resorts in Australia. It makes you wonder what's next.

Dollar forecast to peak at $US1.03

News Yahoo

The already overvalued Australian dollar will reach parity with the US dollar in the next six to 12 months and peak at about $US1.02-03, a currency strategist says.

State Street Global Advisers head of currency management Collin Crownover says the unit is already overvalued by about 20 per cent and that the figure would stretch out to 30 per cent if it reached the $US1.03 mark.

"I think we'll see about a 10 per cent appreciation from where we are now," the London-based Dr Crownover said in Sydney on Friday.

"At that point, certain dynamics come into play and that becomes an extreme overvaluation.

"Even though Australia has a much better growth profile than the rest of the G10 right now, people at that level might take pause and say even though the growth is a lot better, that's pretty rich, relevant to the valuations used for investments into Australia."

Asked whether he felt the Australian dollar would remain at parity for long he said: "Perhaps not.

"We do think it will reach parity within the next six to 12 months.

"Then the Australian dollar becomes 30 per cent overvalued and historically that's been a point at which we see significant imbalances and it's much more likely to be corrected."