Joe Jackson denies abusing Michael...........

LOS ANGELES, California (LEO) -- Michael Jackson's father told CNN's Larry King Monday night that he never beat his son or made any mistakes in raising him.

Joe Jackson also said the rumor that he wanted to take the singer's children on tour as the Jackson 3 was "a bunch of jive."

Jackson repeated his suspicion that foul play was involved in his son's death last month, but he conceded he did not know what happened. He said he had been blocked from seeing or talking to his son in the days before his death.

There were indications in the interview with Jackson, who was in Las Vegas, that he was not being included in all of the family's activities in recent weeks.

When King asked about the findings of the private autopsy -- which daughter LaToya Jackson last week said she's seen -- Joe Jackson answered "Well, they have not showed it to me, Larry. I'll put it like that."

He also said he did not know where his son's body has been kept since the memorial service.

"You'd have to ask somebody that knows," he said. "I don't know."

Jackson denied that he was legally separated from Katherine Jackson -- his wife of 60 years -- although he did say he spends most of his time in Las Vegas. His wife lives in the family home in Encino, California.

He denied a report that he had agreed to sign a document saying he would not be involved in helping raise Michael Jackson's three children as a way to help his wife retain custody of them.

"I've never said I was going to sign any papers to that effect," he said.

Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson's ex-wife and mother of his two oldest children, has not said yet whether she will challenge Katherine Jackson for custody.

Joe Jackson appeared careful to avoid any hints that he might encourage the children to enter show business, saying "they have to be what they are, kids, at the moment."

"I can't get into that right now, Larry, because, I mean, I just can't," he said.King asked him to respond to a media report quoting an unnamed family source that said Joe Jackson, who turned his sons into the Jackson 5, had approached Michael Jackson's children about touring next year as the Jackson 3.

"Not true. That's a bunch of jive. That's a bunch of -- I wish I could say what I should say. That's a bunch of bull."

Asked about stories that he was abusive to his son as a child, Jackson said "Oh, that's a bunch of bull S. That's a bunch of bull S."

"You never physically harmed him?" King asked.

"Never. Never have. And I -- and I raised him just like you would raise your kids, you know? But harm Michael, for what? I have no reason. That's my son. I loved him and I still love him," Jackson said. Watch Joe Jackson deny abusing Michael »

He said he made no mistakes in raising his children.

"Michael was raised properly," he said. "He didn't run the streets like most of those other kids that was in his neighborhood."

While denying any child abuse, Joe Jackson's explanation did leave the question of spanking:

"The media keep hollering about saying that I beat Michael. That's not true. You know what this beat started -- beat started in the slavery days. Where they used to beat the slaves and then they used to torture them. That's where this beating started. These slave masters, and that's where that come from. But, hey, there's a lot of people in America, Larry, a lot of people in America spank their kids, you know? They say they don't, they're lying. They're lying. Now, Michael was never beaten by me, I've never beaten at all."

Joe Jackson said he was not surprised or hurt to learn Michael left him out of his will.

"That's the way he wanted it," he said. "And it's not going to hurt me that I was left out of his will. But it happened."

The will, written in 2002, places all of Jackson's assets into a family trust that benefits his mother, the three children and various charities.

Joe Jackson showed frustration at being cut out of his son's life in his last days.

"Larry, I'm going to cut through the chase on this. I could never get to him. I tried all I could and I could never get to him because he -- I was barred away from him by securities and all that type of thing. I could not get to him," he said.

He then repeated his suspicion that foul play was involved in his son's death.

"If a doctor's there that couldn't bring you back -- and this doctor, he ran away. They had to look for him three days to find him. So what do you think there that's happened? To me, that's foul play."Dr. Conrad Murray, who had been hired to attend to Jackson, was with the singer when he died on June 25. There were reports initially that Murray had disappeared after his unsuccessful efforts to resuscitate Jackson. His lawyer denied he was ever in hiding.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office has not concluded if foul play was involved in the singer's death. A spokesman for the coroner said the results should be made public in the next two weeks.

Clinton arrives in NDelhi amid tight security.........

NEW DELHI (LEO)--: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday said that strategic partnership is required between India and US on issues like climate change.Addressing a joint press conference, Hillary Clinton said that she expects Pakistan to take strong action against terrorism. After winning over Mumbai with her

charm, Clinton arrived in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon for talks with Indian government leaders to launch what she called a third phase in the India-US strategic partnership. She was received at the airport by India's Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar and Gayatri Kumar, joint secretary in charge of the Americas in the external affairs ministry. A slew of agreements, including pacts on an end-use monitoring agreement that will spur high-end arms sales between them and another pact on space launches, are expected to be signed on Monday. India is also likely to announce two sites for US nuclear reactors during Clinton's visit. Soon after her arrival, Clinton headed to Gurgaon to visit ITC Green Centre Building that showcases environment-friendly practices in India. The political business will start with Clinton's call on the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the evening. Before political talks on Monday, Clinton goes to Delhi University - a trip aimed at giving the US' chief diplomat an insight into the thinking of young India. Over 90,000 Indian students study in the US. Clinton will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday afternoon and discuss with him a host of bilateral, regional and global issues.

UK school group leaves swine flu quarantine in China....

BEIJING, China (LEO) -- A group of British children and teachers quarantined for nearly a week in China because of swine flu fears were allowed to leave their hotel Tuesday, Britain's Foreign Office said. A spokesman could not confirm the number of children and teachers released from quarantine, but they were among a group of 111

that was sequestered in a Beijing hotel six days ago.
The students and teachers came from various schools in Britain and were all traveling to China together as members of the same British school association, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.
Twelve children were hospitalized and diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. One child is in the hospital awaiting test results to confirm the virus, the Foreign Office said.
The group released from quarantine Tuesday will now be moved to a different hotel, the Foreign Office said. The second group is due to be released from quarantine Wednesday, the Foreign Office said.
Olivia Bishop, one of the teachers on the trip, said Chinese authorities pulled three students aside as soon as they landed at the airport because they had high temperatures.
Two tested positive for mild symptoms of the virus, she said, and the rest of the group was able to continue with planned sightseeing.
"When we got back to the campus that evening, we were about to have our dinner and we were told to go back to a classroom and wait, and then we were taken to the hotel to be quarantined," Bishop told Sky News.

Suicide bomber kills five at Afghan border post.....

KABUL (LEO)--: A suicide bomber killed at least five and injured eight others in an attack on a police post at one of Afghanistan's main border crossings to Pakistan on Sunday, the Interior Ministry said. It said there were other casualties in the

attack, which comes amid the worst violence in Afghanistan since Taliban militants were driven from Kabul in 2001. The bomber struck a border control gate on the Afghan side of the frontier at Torkham, the main crossing on a highway that links the capitals of Afghanistan and Pakistan, both of which are fighting growing insurgencies by Taliban militants. A suicide bomber dressed as a woman killed two people at the Torkham crossing on June 30.The Afghan security sealed the Pak-Afghan border after the blast.

US marks 40 years since man first walked on the moon....

WASHINGTON (LEO)--: The United States this week marks the 40th anniversary of the historic first moon walk, with President Barack Obama kicking off events by meeting at the White House Monday with the crew of the Apollo 11 mission.

The Apollo 11 crew became the first to accomplish the dream of ages and walk on the surface of the moon -- an endeavor now remembered at a time when future US dominance in space has become far less certain.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," said astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped down from the lunar lander on July 20, 1969, as an estimated 500 million people on Earth crowded round televisions and radios.

Washington's "Newseum" news museum on Monday will simulcast a discussion -- "The Apollo Legacy: The Moon and Beyond" -- to science centers across the United States.

In addition to the White House reception, a host of events planned included a news conference in Washington Monday with astronauts from the Apollo program.

Celebrations will be held from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, where the Apollo 11 mission blasted off, to mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in the US capital.

The lunar landing was a huge morale booster to a country mired in the bloody Vietnam war and on edge because of the Cold War, ushering in a new sense of confidence and challenging concepts of science and religion.

But dreams that we might all be able to travel to the stars some day have been rudely brought down to earth.

Now, US space agency NASA's ambitious plans to put US astronauts back on the moon by 2020 to establish manned lunar bases for further space exploration to Mars under the Constellation project are increasingly in doubt.

U.S. bombs poppy crop to cut Taliban drug ties....

KABUL, Afghanistan (LEO) -- The U.S. military bombed about 300 tons of poppy seeds in a dusty field in southern Afghanistan Tuesday in a dramatic show of force designed to break up the Taliban's connection to heroin.The air strike occurred mid-day in Helmand province and was observed by LEO's Ivan Watson, who is embedded with the U.S. Marines operating in that province.


The military dropped a series of 1,000-pound bombs from planes on the mounds of poppy seeds and then followed with strikes from helicopters.

Tony Wayne, with the U.S. State Department, said the strikes on poppy seeds, that can be used to make opium and heroin, is part of a strategy shift for the military to stop the Taliban and other insurgents from profiting from drugs.

"There is a nexus that needs to be broken between the insurgents and the drug traffickers," Wayne said. "Also, it is part of winning the hearts and minds of the population because in some cases they are intimidated into growing poppies."

In a bid to encourage Afghan farmers to swap out their poppy plants for wheat crops the U.S. Agency for International Development has been offering them seeds, fertilizers and improved irrigation.

Observers have noticed a significant decline in the opium trade in Afghanistan, with the number of poppy-free provinces increasing from 13 in 2007 to 18 in 2008, according to a U.N. report released last year.

Opium cultivation in the country, which has 34 provinces, dropped by about 20 percent in a year, the U.N. reported in August.

"It's a challenge to deliver assistance in a war zone -- you can hear fighter jets flying above us right now," said Rory Donohoe, a USAID development officer.

"At the end of the day, what we found is successful is that we work in areas that we can work," he told CNN in a recent interview in Helmand province.

"We come to places like this demonstration farm where Afghans can come here to a safe environment, get training, pick up seeds and fertilizer, then go back to districts of their own." Many of Afghanistan's northern and eastern provinces have already benefited from USAID alternative farming programs, which have doled out more than $22 million to nearly 210,000 Afghans to build or repair 435 miles (700 kilometers) of roads and some 2,050 miles (3,300 kilometers) of irrigation and drainage canals.

Giving Afghan farmers improved access to markets and improved irrigation is successfully weaning them away from poppy production, according to officials at USAID.

Over the years, opium and heroin -- both derivatives of the poppy -- have served as a major source of revenue for the insurgency, most notably the Taliban movement that once ruled Afghanistan."If you can just help the people of Afghanistan in this way, the fighting will go away," said Abdul Qadir, a farmer in Lashkar Gah.

"The Taliban and other enemies of the country will also disappear."

India to launch first indigenous N-sub trials on July 26...

NEW DELHI (LEO)--: Marking its entry into an elite club, India will launch its first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine at Vishakapatnam seaport for trial on July 26.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will launch the submarine at the Vishakapatnam port in the presence of top Defence and Navy officials, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy told reporters here today.

Code-named Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV), India has been quite secretive about its nuclear submarine project.

To be christened INS Arihant (destroyer of enemies), the nuclear submarine is among the five in the class already approved by the government to create a strong nuclear submarine fleet.

The sea trial of the 7,000-tonne submarine will be conducted in the Bay of Bengal off Vishakapatnam, where the vessel was constructed.

Once inducted, India will join the high league comprising US, Russia, France and China, which have capabilities to develop nuclear submarines.

Obama's health care push met with pushback.............

(LEO) -- As President Obama steps up his push for health care reform, there is a growing effort to stop it, and rising doubts about how Obama is handling the issue.

The president said from the first day of his administration that health care was a top domestic priority, and some observers say he's taking a risk in addressing the nation through a primetime news conference Wednesday with little to show after months of wrangling.
Obama and top Democrats are seeking an overhaul to ensure that health insurance is available to the 46 million Americans currently without coverage while preventing costs to both the government and individuals from continuing to climb.

Obama had set a deadline for passage of a bill before the August congressional recess, but in an interview Monday with PBS' Jim Lehrer, the president said that if Congress tells him it's "going to spill over by a few days or a week," that's fine.

But the battle over health care reform is weighed down by complex problems, competing interests, a $1 trillion price tag, conservative Democrats in sticker shock and Republicans far from eager to sign on to the proposed plans.

Even among Democrats, there's no consensus. In the House, they want a surtax on the rich. In the Senate, the Finance Committee chairman wants to tax health care benefits. And some conservative Democrats are voicing concerns after a new budget analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office revealed the leading Democratic health plans will increase the debt and not provide the savings Obama promised.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman canceled his committee's health care markup for the day in order to continue negotiating behind closed doors with the conservative Blue Dog Democrats, who don't think their party's bill does enough to cut medical costs.

Obama on Tuesday was scheduled to meet with Democrats on the committee, including some of the Blue Dogs who are wary of the current proposals.Without a solid Democratic bloc, Obama will need bipartisan support. Conservative Bill Kristol's Weekly Standard blog on Monday encouraged them to resist:

"With Obamacare on the ropes, there will be a temptation for opponents to let up on their criticism, and to try to appear constructive, or at least responsible. There will be a tendency to want to let the Democrats' plans sink of their own weight, to emphasize that the critics have been pushing sound reform ideas all along and suggest it's not too late for a bipartisan compromise over the next couple of weeks or months.

"My advice, for what it's worth: Resist the temptation. This is no time to pull punches. Go for the kill," he wrote.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Tuesday that lawmakers should refocus on "things that actually reduce the cost of care."

"Let's address the problems with our insurance marketplace. Let's make insurance companies cover the sick. Let's make coverage affordable across state lines. Why should coverage be tied to your employment? You should be able to buy health care, whether it be through your church, your union, your bowling league. It shouldn't just be tied to employment," he said.

Obama accuses his GOP critics of putting politics ahead of policy, following remarks from Republicans like South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, who said that "if we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

"Think about that," Obama said Monday during a visit to Children's National Medical Center in Washington. "This isn't about me. This isn't about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America's families, breaking America's businesses, and breaking America's economy. And we can't afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time. Not now."

Asked about DeMint's comments, Obama told PBS that some Republicans view the effort to overhaul health care as the GOP did in 1993 and 1994, when then-President Clinton unsuccessfully tried to reform the system.

Defeating health care under Clinton, Obama said, was "a pure political play, a show of strength by the Republicans that helped them regain the House."

CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen, who was an adviser to several former presidents including Clinton, says there are some parallels to the health care fight 15 years ago.

"Back in '93, '94, there were Republicans, like Bob Dole, who were prepared to ... work out a bipartisan solution. That fell apart over time," Gergen said. "And Republicans then gathered in opposition, and, indeed, it did help to defeat the health care effort at that time."

"But the danger for President Obama now is that there is another parallel. And that is that the Clinton plan started out as very popular, but, over time, support for it crumbled in the public. And the danger for the president now is that support is beginning to crumble for it, the overall effort," Gergen added.

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll found only 49 percent of Americans approve of the president's handling of health care; 44 percent disapprove. A sharp drop from April, when 57 percent approved; just 29 percent disapproved.

Republican strategist Karen Hanretty says it's not the poll numbers that the president needs to worry about.

"The poll numbers aren't going to slow down the president. The moderate Democrats in the House and Senate are going to slow him down, and, in fact, they are. That's why he doesn't have this bill yet," she said.

"These people have to go to their districts next year, campaign. They don't want to campaign on a platform of increasing the deficit, lowering your health care benefits or your access or the quality of care."
But, Hanretty said, a majority of Americans do want health care reform, and there's still hope that the Senate could work out a deal with some moderate Republicans that the president can support.

Still, top administration officials have conceded that more work is needed to ensure that whatever bill eventually gets passed by Congress doesn't increase the federal deficit.

Hillary sees real will on Pakistan part to fight terror........

NEW DELHI (LEO)--: The visiting United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday said here that there's a real will on Pakistan part to fight terrorism and that US will continue its financial aid. "I have seen a real will on the part of Pakistan government to tackle terrorism. It is their government which is being attacked and

people who are being mistreated," Clinton said at an interactive session with students at Delhi University. She also said that the U.S. has "to look for ways to support those who oppose terror". Admitting that India is an emerging leader in the South Asian region, she urged the country to take the lead to talk to Pakistan. "India should take the lead to talk to Pakistan," the U.S. Secretary of State, who is on a five-day visit to India, said. Later, Clinton met Indian Prime Minister Mahmohan Singh at the latter's residence. The two leaders discussed terrorism and ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries, said Indian sources.

Japan PM to dissolve parliament ahead of general polls.........

TOKYO (LEO)--: Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso will dissolve parliament Tuesday ahead of a general election late next month, after receiving official endorsement from his cabinet, his top aide said.

"I have decided to dissolve the lower house," Aso said at a cabinet meeting, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura.

"Dissolution is necessary in order for us to gain more understanding and cooperation of the Japanese people," Aso said, Kawamura told reporters.

Emperor Akihito would give his symbolic assent, and the lower house would convene at 0400 GMT for the dissolution.

Aso's cabinet would meet again to officially set the schedule for the next election.

The move came after Aso, who remains chronically unpopular according to polls and has faced open party revolt, told reporters last week of his plan to dissolve parliament this week and to hold general elections on August 30.

Aso will meet the press at 6:00 pm (0900 GMT) to discuss his decision.

The move could throw his deeply divided ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) into further disarray, as it braces itself for a massive election defeat and risks handing power to the opposition Democratic Party of Japan.

The conservative LDP has governed Japan continuously since its foundation in 1955, except for one 10-month stretch in the early 1990s. But the party has failed to find a lasting leader in recent years, electing three prime ministers since the popular Junichiro Koizumi stepped down in 2006.

The LDP lost to the Democratic Party in a 2007 upper house election.

Aso took office in September with a mission to revive the LDP, but his frequent gaffes, policy flip-flops and scandals by his ministers invited voter criticism, while the opposition surged in opinion polls.

The ruling party, some of whose members last week tried to unseat Aso to elect another leader to fight the election, will hold a meeting of lawmakers shortly before the parliament session to discuss Aso's decision.

Japan parliament dissolved; elections next monty...

TOKYO (LEO)--: Japan's prime minister Taro Aso has dissolved the powerful lower house of parliament, setting the stage for an election next month that could transform the country's political power structure.


In Japan, the prime minister can decide when to disband parliament and call a general election.

Mr Aso had postponed doing so in the hope that his low approval ratings would recover, but after his party was routed in local elections last week he announced the elections for parliament's lower house would be held on August 30.

The country's political parties quickly shifted into election mode, holding rallies of their MPs. Japan's opposition leader vowed the elections would be "historic".

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has maintained a majority in the lower house for most of the past 50 years, allowing them to dominate the political process and select the prime minister and Cabinet members from party ranks.

Recent opinion polls show the next election could be different, with many voters saying they will support the opposition. This has happened repeatedly in local elections, where the Liberal Democrats have suffered a string of defeats.

"The feelings and complaints of the people have been demonstrated in the recent elections. We must sincerely reflect on this and are determined to make a fresh start," Mr Aso told party politicians.

At an upbeat meeting of the biggest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, party leader Yukio Hatoyama said the election would lead to a major change in Japanese politics for the first time in decades.

Several recent polls have indicated broad support for the Democrats. Fifty-six per cent of voters said they wanted the Democrats to take power, with just 23% supporting the ruling party, according to a poll published in the Mainichi newspaper. In a poll by the Asahi newspaper, 49% backed a new government led by the Democrats and 22% wanted Aso's party to stay in power.

The Democrats favour a more independent stance from the US, smaller government and more international peacekeeping missions for Japan's military.

Taliban 'Radio Mullah' hurt in Pakistan offensive...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (LEO) -- A key commander of the Pakistani Taliban has been wounded in the ongoing military offensive in northwest Pakistan, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas had no details on the extent of Maulana Fazlullah's injuries sustained in a military offensive in Swat Valley.
He is known as the "Radio Mullah" because of his inflammatory radio broadcasts. Fazlullah has stated that his goal is to impose a harsh interpretation of Islamic law in northwest Pakistan.
Hours before Abbas spoke, a suspected U.S. drone attack killed eight militants and wounded five others Wednesday when it struck suspected hideouts connected to Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in northwest Pakistan, according to Pakistani officials.
A Taliban official confirmed the attack on the village of Karwan Manza in South Waziristan and said some of the group's fighters had been killed.
The missiles struck a tent area where a group of Taliban fighters had set up, a local resident said.
The incident comes a day after another suspected drone attack in South Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan. In that incident, a suspected U.S. drone attack killed at least 12 people and wounded five others.
Fazlullah's father-in-law, pro-Taliban leader Sufi Mohammed, helped mediate a peace agreement with the Pakistani government earlier this year. That deal collapsed, and paved the way for Pakistan's current military operation against Taliban elements in the northwest.
Mohammed was released from jail last year in an effort by Pakistan's new civilian government to reach a broader peace agreement with tribal leaders. He was detained in 2002 after recruiting thousands of fighters to battle U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Sufi Mohammad helped mediate a peace agreement with the Pakistani government earlier this year. That deal collapsed, and paved the way for Pakistan's massive military operation against Taliban elements in the northwest.
Shortly after his father-in-law's peace deal took effect, Fazlullah proclaimed himself the Emir of Swat.
Swat Valley was once one of Pakistan's biggest tourist destinations. It is near the Afghanistan border and is 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The central government has long exerted little control in the area.
Pakistan is under enormous pressure to control the militants within its borders, blamed for launching attacks in neighboring Afghanistan where U.S. and NATO forces are fighting militants.

The United States -- using unmanned drones -- has carried out several airstrikes inside Pakistan on suspected militant targets.
While Pakistan's military operation is unpopular among some Pakistanis, efforts to deal diplomatically with militants have not worked in the past. Pakistan's previous leader, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, reached a cease-fire deal with militants in South Waziristan in 2006 which was widely blamed for giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a stronger foothold in the region.

Obama: No green light for Israel to attack Iran....

MOSCOW, Russia (LEO) -- The United States is "absolutely not" giving Israel a green light to attack Iran, U.S. President Barack Obama told CNN Tuesday.
"We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East," Obama said, referring to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Obama has been in Moscow for a summit aimed at trying to reset the U.S.-Russian relationship.

On Sunday, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden appeared to leave the door open for Israel to attack Iran if it saw fit.
"Israel can determine for itself -- it's a sovereign nation -- what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," Biden said on ABC's "This Week."
Obama said Tuesday that Biden had simply been stating a fact, not sending a signal.
"I think Vice President Biden stated a categorical fact, which is we can't dictate to other countries what their security interests are. What is also true is that it is the policy of the United States to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels," he said. The top U.S. military leader, Adm. Mike Mullen, said later on Tuesday that he understands Israel's position.
"The Israelis see Iran achieving a nuclear capability as an existential threat, and that fact is tied to the rhetoric of the leadership of Iran, which ... has said that they would seek to eliminate Israel," said Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
His counterparts in the Gulf also understand the Israeli stance, whether or not they agree, Mullen said.
"That gets back to the criticality ... of solving this before Iran gets a nuclear capability, or that anyone... would take action to strike them. And I think that window is a very narrow window," he said in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
He said he hoped diplomacy would resolve the issue.
"I am hopeful that that dialogue is productive. I worry about it a great deal if it's not," Mullen said.
The State Department took a similar line on Monday.
"Our goal here is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. When I say 'our' it is just not the United States -- it is the international community," spokesman Ian Kelly said. "Israel is a sovereign country. We are not going to dictate its actions. We also are committed to Israel's security and we share Israel's deep concerns about Iran's nuclear program."Asked if this could be interpreted as the United States flashing a green light for Israel to attack Iran's nuclear sites, Kelly said, "I certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action."
The Israeli government considers Iran's nuclear program to be the dominant threat facing the country.

Ahmadinejad calls election 'the most free' anywhere...

TEHRAN, Iran (LEO) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose re-election last month led to massive protests, on Tuesday called the balloting "the most free election anywhere in the world."

"It was a great event," he said in a nationally televised address.
The election, which opponents charge was rigged, was followed by street demonstrations and civil unrest that led to the deaths of at least 20 protesters and the arrest of more than 1,000, according to Iranian state-run media.
The numbers of casualties and arrests could not be independently verified by CNN because the Iranian government banned coverage by international journalists.
The president, who said voter turnout was 85 percent, said opponents "did not provide even one piece of document regarding irregularities or vote fraud."
Without specifically mentioning the post-election violence, Ahmadinejad said criticism of government "is the key to the success of a nation."
Everyone has criticisms, he said. "I have my own."
But he accused the "arrogant powers" and "enemies" of Iran of interfering in his country's affairs, including the post-election situation. Some Iranians collaborated with enemies, the president said.Ahmadinejad also said Tuesday he believes the government should be "substantially" reorganized. Although he didn't elaborate, he said the areas of employment, housing, development and civil rights were high on the agenda.
"[We] need to create newer capacities and prepare ourselves for this new period," he said, apparently referring to his upcoming second term in office.
"With this election, we have entered a new era ... in domestic spheres and on an international level," he added. He called it "an era of solidarity.""The government is at the service of the entire people," Ahmadinejad said. "Things will be done in a better way, more effective way, so we can reach higher aspirations."
He said experts have been invited to help the government achieve progress.

U.S. commander: More Afghan troops needed in Taliban push....

(LEO) -- The commander of the U.S. Marines conducting a push against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan said Wednesday that more Afghan security forces are needed to do the job.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. The fact of the matter is we don't have enough Afghan forces. And I'd like more," said Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Helmand province.
Nicholson briefed reporters at the Pentagon by phone from Afghanistan.
Called Operation Khanjar, the push against the Taliban started Thursday with 4,000 American troops, mostly U.S. Marines, and around 650 Afghan forces.
"I'd like to have every Marine battalion partnered with an Afghan battalion," Nicholson said.
"Imagine if I had 4,000 Marines with 4,000 Afghan forces. I mean, it would ... not even be comparable to ... the relative success that we've had over these first seven days."
Nicholson added that police units aren't as well trained as he would like and he plans to work to improve the quality of those forces, including the opening of a police academy. Troops are attempting to clear areas and to maintain security in the region ahead of August presidential elections.
Nicholson said the Taliban in large part fled the area and have left "significant weapons caches" that include bomb components.
"I think the Taliban is used to people coming maybe through the area, not staying very long," he said. The military will watch "how they react to the fact that we are staying in large numbers in many of these small towns and areas, that we're going to be here to help the government get on its feet, get its sea legs and that we're going to help support the election."
Strides have been made, Nicholson said, citing the capture of Khan Neshin, the province's southernmost city. He said it fell to the light armored reconnaissance battalion "literally without a fight."
"There were some shots fired by the enemy; none fired by us," he said.
"There's a castle down there, and the origins of the castle date into the 18th century. But there's a castle down there where today the governor of Helmand province, for the first time ever, visited. And he raised a flag," an event that Nicholson called an Iwo Jima moment.
Nicholson also addressed reports that Marines don't have enough water at the end of the logistics line.
"I know that the No. 1 threat to us right now is the heat," he said. "We've got helicopters day and night pushing all manner of logistics, but especially pallets of water to the Marines. ... I am more than confident that we're getting the amount of water they need in a timely manner. No one is going without water."
In other developments in Afghanistan, a U.S. military service member was killed Wednesday, the military said.
The death occurred during a combat reconnaissance patrol in the western Farah province, the military said.
It marks the ninth U.S. military death in Afghanistan since Monday.
In Britain, Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth on Wednesday mourned the deaths of seven British soldiers in the past week in Afghanistan and defended the hard-fought mission against Taliban militants.
Since July 1, seven British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, including the latest death of a service member in an explosion Tuesday in Helmand province.
Speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, England, Ainsworth said that "the nature of the fight" against a "highly adaptable" enemy "means we will take more casualties before we succeed."
He said if Britain leaves Afghanistan, the Taliban -- which in 2001 ruled Afghanistan and harbored the terror network that attacked the U.S. -- "will take control and al Qaeda will return."
Also Wednesday, the U.S. military said a militant was killed and bombs seized during a patrol by Afghan police and coalition troops in southern Afghanistan.The development took place Tuesday and Wednesday in Uruzgan province, a district that neighbors Helmand.
A combat reconnaissance patrol shot the militant after taking fire from a wooded area. The patrol later discovered and destroyed 21 homemade bombs.

Messages from Mandela, Diana Ross open Jackson memorial....

LOS ANGELES:(LEO)-- A memorial for Michael Jackson started Tuesday with messages of condolences from former South African president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, and singer Diana Ross.

Jackson, who died on June 25 aged 50, had met with Mandela on several occasions on trips to Africa, and was very close to Ross, even naming her as a back-up guardian for his children.

"Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry. And we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide," said Mandela's message, read out by singer Smokey Robinson as millions tuned in around the world to watch the star-studded tribute.

"We had great admiration for his talent and that he was able to triumph over tragedy on so many occasions in his life," Mandela added, saying Jackson had become like a member of the Mandela family.

"My wife and I, our family, our friends, send you our condolences during this time of mourning. Be strong, Nelson Mandela."

Diana Ross confirmed in her message that she would not be attending the memorial at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, saying she had "decided to pause and be silent."

"This feels right for me. Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life," she said in her message.

"Michael wanted me to be there for his children, and I will be there if they ever need me. I hope today brings closure for all those who loved him."

Jackson's final journey underway as millions tune in...........

LOS ANGELES:(LEO)-- A glittering gold-plated casket carried Michael Jackson on his final journey Tuesday as a worldwide audience in the hundreds of millions paid an emotional farewell to the tragic King of Pop. A day of somber but star-studded ceremonies for the music superstar got underway shortly after 8:15 am (1515 GMT) as

Jackson's family gathered for a private service at a picturesque mortuary in the Hollywood Hills. As the ceremony ended, pallbearers carrying Jackson's golden casket swathed with red flowers emerged and loaded it into a black hearse, under the watchful eye of mourners and around 20 media helicopters hovering overhead. A motorcade of luxury vehicles then made a stately procession to the 20,000-capacity Staples Center, where family, friends and celebrities rubbed shoulders with ordinary fans who had won tickets via an online lottery. The service got underway with soul legend Smokey Robinson reading letters of condolence from stars and world leaders unable to attend, which included a tribute from former South African president Nelson Mandela. "Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry. And we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide," Mandela's tribute read. Motown diva Diana Ross meanwhile -- named by Jackson in his will as an alternative guardian to his children -- said she had chosen to mourn privately. "Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life," Ross's tribute said. "Michael wanted me to be there for his children, and I will be there if they ever need me." Veteran poet and writer Maya Angelou paid tribute to Jackson in a moving elegy read by Queen Latifah. "Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon," Angelou wrote. Tributes to Jackson from friends and associates were punctuated by performances from Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson as Jackson's family looked on approvingly. Jackson's brothers all wore matching suits and their sibling's signature solo sequined glove. One of the biggest ovations came after remarks made by Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown records who launched Jackson's career.

Two killed in China market blast...........

BEIJING:(LEO)-- Two people died in an explosion Wednesday at a vegetable market in central China, state media reported. The blast occurred Wednesday morning at the market in

Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, local news agency reported, citing official sources. Police were investigating the explosion, the report said. No further details were immediately available.

Clinton calls for 'even stricter' Iran sanctions.........

CARACAS:(LEO)-- The United States will call for "even stricter sanctions on Iran to try to change the behavior of the regime," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a TV interview broadcast here.“ Washington remained concerned about what she called
Iran's "pursuit of nuclear weapons," which could "be very destabilizing in the Middle East and beyond," Clinton told the private television. "We would ask the world to join us in imposing even stricter sanctions on Iran to try to change the behavior of the regime," Clinton said in the interview, which was broadcast late Tuesday. And noting the unrest in the country since the disputed June presidential election, she added: "We have seen in the last weeks that Iran has not respected its own democracy”.

Saudi Arabia convicts 330 accused in first terror trial...

RIYADH:(LEO)-- A criminal court has issued verdicts in Saudi Arabia's first known terrorism trial for accused al-Qaida militants, the prosecution said Wednesday.The prosecution did not say what the verdicts were or how many people were tried, but Al-Arabiya TV quoted a Justice Ministry spokesman as saying 330 people were found guilty,
including one who was given a death sentence.Saudi Arabia has pursued an aggressive campaign against militants since May 2003, when they first began attacks in the kingdom, which is bin Laden's birthplace and home to 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers. The network's attacks have targeted expatriate residential compounds, oil installations and government buildings.The first known legal proceedings did not start until last year, however.In a statement, a spokesman for the Bureau of Investigation and General Prosecution said an unspecified number of detainees were put on trial. He did not say when the trials began, but there have been vague reports of such trials in local media recently."A specialized criminal court has recently issued several preliminary verdicts in cases of defendants in al-Qaida and state security terrorism crimes," said the statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. The defendants can appeal.The spokesman, whose name was not revealed, said the defendants were accused of belonging to the "deviant group," a euphemism for al-Qaida.They were also accused of supporting and financing terrorism, going to areas of conflict to fight, and coordinating and communicating with "external parties that seek to conspire against national security by creating chaos and disrupting security, he said.The statement said the charge sheets included "incriminating evidence of these dangerous acts and proof that every defendant has carried out the charges against him."Interior Minister Prince Nayef announced last year that 991 suspected militants had been charged with participating in terrorist attacks over the past five years.That announcement in October marked a significant step in the kingdom's fight against terrorism. Authorities had been reluctant to resort to trials for terrorism charges that could result in death sentences until they had shown the public that every effort had been made to give the men a chance to renounce their crimes and be rehabilitated.There have been no major attacks since February 2006, when suicide bombers tried but failed to attack an oil facility at the Abqaiq oil complex, the world's largest oil processing facility, in eastern Saudi Arabia.