WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House announced Friday that the plane carrying U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was damaged upon landing in California was shocked Thursday after birds, forcing the authorities to prevent them from flying.The official said Biden's office on condition of anonymity said the plane "Air Force Two birds was shocked on Friday night while landing at Santa Barbara in California," the western United States.He added that U.S. Vice President then left the Santa Barbara as planned, "but on another plane belonging to the U.S. Air Force."Biden used his travels in the official aircraft "C -32", a modified version of the Boeing 757.He has visited California on Thursday and Friday to participate in rallies for donations as part of the electoral campaign for the presidential ballot will be conducted on the sixth of October / November.
BISSAU (Reuters) - The UN Security Council, the UN said on Saturday he could impose sanctions on the leaders of the military coup in Guinea Bissau, rejecting the plan presented by the military commanders to shift to democracy in two years.
The pressure is mounting from inside and outside the small state which is located in West Africa because of the takeover group called the officers themselves "military leadership" on the power after the presidential election obstruct the arrest of the closest candidate to win on 12 April.
The Security Council said the 15-nation, "the UN Security Council refuses to set up the military command is unconstitutional for the Transitional National Assembly," referring to the creation of the military rulers of the transitional Council is leading the country to hold elections in 2014.
"The Council stands ready to consider new measures, including possible sanctions against the perpetrators of the coup, the military and their supporters if this continues, the situation without a solution."
Guinea Bissau has seen a lot of military coups since independence from Portugal in 1974 and the coup was the last blow to Western attempts to reform the military and to address the drug gangs that take station in the country smuggling routes.
United Nations condemned the takeover of South Sudan forces on the Heglig oil field in Sudan.The Secretary-General of the International Ban Ki-moon said this work is illegal, and called Juba to withdraw its troops.Ban also criticized Khartoum as well, and said that its forces should immediately stop the bombing of the territory of South Sudan, raiding them, as well as withdrawal from the territories in dispute.UN official stressed the need to avoid all-out war between Khartoum and Juba.
"New York Times"The newspaper "The New York Times," a comment on the report of the North Atlantic Treaty on the flaws in the military campaign against the Libyan regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi late it revealed gaps in European capabilities can not be tolerated, though not fixed makes the alliance's future is bleak.The NATO report had confirmed a few days ago that the alliance has succeeded in his military campaign in Libya thanks to U.S. capabilities because he lacks the equipment and qualified men and analysts and so on.The paper says that experience to remember that Europe is still not ready in time sensitive, and the European armies are unable to carry out continuous air itself, even in neighboring areas.And warned that failure to make urgent efforts to repair those defects that would make the future of NATO before the dark of the military marginalization and hatred across the Atlantic, which threatens to undermine the alliance, which depends upon the security of Europe.And draws the "New York Times," consider that the United States last year allocated about 4.8% of GDP for military spending, while the average share of the European NATO members does not exceed 1.6%.She says that while it should be on the U.S. Department of Defense to be more disciplined in their spending, Europeans should raise the level of spending on armies and rational way.Attributes the newspaper failures operational in Libya to refrain chronically from investing army and to the strategic priorities that have become obsolete, pointing out that most European allies did not invest properly in modernizing their armies, and went expenditures on projects "vanity" such as nuclear deterrence in Britain and France.It points out that European countries do not spend a lot on security challenges such as a more realistic combat terrorist networks and the phase transition and who described dictators like Gaddafi, and before contract, Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia.The paper and change course, saying that military force is not always the solution, but Europe must be able to contribute its share.In conclusion, calling the newspaper to address the flaws - which revealed a campaign Libya - NATO summit next month in Chicago, said that NATO's credibility is at stake, noting that this represents a serious problem for Europe and America alike.
Media reported that the Syrian government was shooting broke out Wednesday in the town of Damascus Erbeen Syrian province during a visit to UN observers.The news channel said that the Syrian "terrorist group" planted a bomb at a checkpoint, wounding a member of the Syrian security forces. It was not clear whether the fire or explosion occurred in the presence of observers.Also showed a video on the Internet activists said it was filmed in Erbeen crowds of people are also echoed shots. Sources of the Syrian opposition for 11 people on fire Sagto government forces also targeted heavy shelling the city of Homs.
The blasts occurred near the U.S. embassy in the Colombian capital Bogota after the arrival of U.S. President Barack Obama to the country to participate in the Summit of the Americas.Colombian police announced that two small bombs exploded two bombs on Friday evening near the embassy without causing any casualties or damage.He said a police source told AFP that two explosions in the evening with a bang in the street in the center of the capital, but he did not drop dead or wounded, there has been no damage.The explosions occurred shortly after the arrival of Obama to the Colombian city of Cartagena where he is scheduled to attend the Summit of the Americas in the city.Police said the blasts may have been the work of a leftist rebel group, the expression of its rejection of Obama's visit to Colombia.On the other hand, said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Friday before Obama reception that Washington should return to the alliance with its neighbors in Latin America, rather than focusing on the conflict as far away as Afghanistan.Santos said before the arrival of Obama directly to Cartagena Ma United States realized that its strategic interests in the long run is not in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but in Latin America, there will be great results.Obama has won an enthusiastic reception at the last Summit of the Americas in 2009. But hopes of Latin America, among which was the U.S. rapprochement with the communist-ruled Cuba has largely dissipated, with a focus on the priorities of Obama's other world.Santos made the remarks during a speech to hundreds of business of the Meeting of North America and South America before the sixth summit of the Organization of American States attended by more than 30 heads of state in the historic port of Cartagena.
Cartagena (Colombia) (AFP) - Opens Sixth Summit of the Americas on Saturday in the wake of the atmosphere of a strange series of small explosions coincided with the arrival of President Barack Obama, who wants to discuss with his counterparts in sensitive issues such as drugs and Cuba.And meet with leaders of the Organization of American States as of 1200 hours (1700 GMT) in the coastal city of Cartagena in the summit was originally allocated for regional integration and poverty reduction.The Colombian police announced that a number of small bombs exploded on Friday evening without causing injuries or damage near the U.S. embassy in Bogota and Cartagena far the arrival of Obama to the city by the deployment of about twenty thousand men safe.Did not cause these explosions, damage or injuries, according to the usual authorities to confront the crises in this nation which has been nearly half a century of conflict with the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces Alcolomah and other armed groups.Saw the first visit by the Obama Columbia accident last amusing, was the withdrawal of several members of the elite in charge of protection because of "misconduct" after bring them closer than prostitutes.But all of these incidents did not stop the preparations for the summit that he intends to raise the U.S. president during the search for ways "to increase the trade" in Latin, which absorbs Amirkal originally forty percent of U.S. exports.Having been his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos to consider "the opportunities, not problems" in this area about half the population live in poverty.However, another topic on the agenda overwhelm a policy against the smuggling of drugs, which give rise to controversy in Central America, killing more than twenty thousand people in incidents linked to gangs smuggling last year.He called the leaders of this region of Colombia and Mexico to organize a small meeting on Saturday morning before the summit of understanding in the face of the United States the first country to consuming cocaine in the world.He ruled out the U.S. president's controversial ballot drug legislation in the country hired eight billion dollars since 2000 to combat the smuggling of this article in Latin America.Obama said the Colombian television station Caracol on Thursday evening, "I do not think that drug legislation is the appropriate response, but I respect the challenge that governments feel it", calling for "fruitful dialogue" in this regard.As he seeks to win the votes of Spanish-speaking population of about fifty million in the United States in the presidential elections in November next, will the U.S. president to use diplomacy to address the issue of Cuba sensitive.With the exception of Canada, all participants in the hopes that Obama allowed the presence of the communist island meetings of the organization that I missed it since the suspension of its membership in 1962, the year in which Washington imposed economic embargo.And demand is expected to lead Argentina Falkland or Malvinas archipelago after thirty years of war against Britain, to close ranks against him.These issues, which made the Caúktan Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa to boycott the summit, the meeting can enter ihraam of a final statement, as happened in 2009 under pressure from the radical left in Latin America.It may not be available for one of the main representatives of this current Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this time the opportunity to make their voices heard because he remained in Cuba Saturday for follow-up treatment against cancer.
