Sunday, February 19, 2012

Mockridge said he was sure

In an email to staff, News International CEO Tom Mockridge said that Murdoch himself would be staying in the British capital to oversee the launch of The Sun on Sunday. Mockridge said he was sure that "every one of us will seize the burberry sunglasses opportunity to pull together and deliver a great new dawn" for the newspaper. The Sun on Sunday will replace the top-selling News of The World, which was closed in July after revelations that members of its staff had routinely hacked into phones and paid bribes to score exclusives. The ensuing scandal stunned Britain's establishment, led to dozens of arrests and resignations, and has spawned a wide-ranging official inquiry into U.K. media ethics. It also prompted a damaging advertiser boycott which left Murdoch with little choice but to close the tabloid, whose reputation had been left in tatters. There has long been speculation that the Australian media tycoon intended to replace the market-leading paper with another one once the scandal blew over. On Friday Murdoch announced plans to launch The Sun on Sunday "very soon," telling staff he intended to build on the "proud heritage" of his company's biggest-selling newspaper, The Sun. Mockridge said News International, a subsidiary of Murdoch's New York-based News Corp., was working to put the scandal behind it. "[The GOP candidates] understand foreign policy," Bachmann told CNN's Candy Crowley in the interview on "State of the Union." "Probably President Obama's worst act as president has been on foreign policy. That hasn't begun to have the level of scrutiny that it needs to have." After Crowley responded by pointing to Obama's successes in drawing down troops in Iraq, as well as the killing of Osama bin Laden, Bachmann dismissed those successes -- which have helped keep foreign policy out of the political discourse in this election cycle -- as a "tactical success." "His strategic blunder is putting distance between the U.S. and Israel," Bachmann said. "That has a far more calculable impact on the United States and our safety." Bachmann's remarks echoed the broader Republican belief that Israel is one potential wedge issue in the general election and might allow effective attacks against President Obama. A recent Associated Press "fact check" pointed out that despite recent Republican claims, under Obama military aid for Israel has either remained stable or gone up from previous levels. Hadi, 66, became acting president when Saleh stepped aside in November under a deal hammered out by Yemen's Gulf neighbours, fearful of a slide into lawlessness on their doorstep, and backed by the United States. But civil war remains a very real risk in a country facing rebellion in the north, a southern secessionist movement, an emboldened offshoot of al Qaeda and an economic crisis that has brought it to the brink of famine. "If the new government fails to fulfil its obligations to reach out and re-integrate the southerners, the Houthis (northerners) and the youth ... then conflict will be inevitable," said political analyst Abdulghani al-Iryani. The power transfer, brokered by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), burberry purse has been touted by regional and Western powers as a triumph of diplomacy. Visiting Yemen, U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan praised Hadi's efforts against al Qaeda and said on Sunday that Washington hoped the country would be a model of peaceful political transition in the Middle East. Yet most Yemenis see Hadi as a caretaker rather than a seasoned leader. If he is unable to keep warring interests within the military from getting out of hand, many fear Yemen will be torn apart by those hoping to exploit a power vacuum. "The GCC deal does nothing more than maintain the status quo," said Karim Rafari, a prominent political activist. "It (the election) is just a political manoeuvre that ensures that the needs of those at the top are seen to." Apart from al Qaeda's interest in using Yemen as a staging ground for attacks, Saudi Arabia suspects Shi'ite power Iran of supporting Houthi rebels in the north. The Shi'ite group has regained some of the momentum it lost when Saudi Arabia sent troops to the porous 1,460 km (910 mile) border in 2009 to suppress the rebellion. Holding the country together will be a feat, let alone drafting a constitution and holding a referendum to pave the way for a multi-party election in two years' time, as laid out in the Gulf initiative. CAN HADI RULE? Saleh, who is in New York undergoing medical treatment for injuries suffered in a bomb attack against him in June, has vowed to return and lead his General People's Congress (GPC) party, casting doubt on his commitment to give up power for real. Even if he lets go after ruling since 1978, members of his inner circle retain key positions of influence, not least his son Ahmed Ali, who commands the Republican Guards, and Yehia, his nephew, who leads the Central Security Forces. They are locked in a standoff with tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar and dissident General Ali Mohsen. Although Saleh was deeply unpopular, as evidenced by the entrenched street protests against him, there is little doubt it was his iron fist that held Yemen together, a task he once likened to "dancing on the heads of snakes". "Ali Abdullah Saleh unified our country, something that no Yemeni leader has ever done before," said 38-year-old mechanic Abdulkarim Al-Mugni. "Even if he leaves, I am sure his influence will pervade Yemen for years to come." A southerner from Abyan province, Hadi supported Saleh during Yemen's north-south civil war in 1994. Like many in the senior ranks of the ruling party, Hadi rose to prominence through the military: he was sent to Britain in 1966 to study military tactics when Aden was still a crown colony, and was later appointed minister of defense. An official from the opposition Islamist Islah party described www.primemall.com him as "smart and well-connected but politically weak."

No comments:

Post a Comment