US drops Laden charges

The United States has formally dropped criminal charges against former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a US military raid in Pakistan last month.
In federal court in Manhattan on Friday, prosecutors disposed of a 1998 indictment that charged Laden with murder and conspiracy to kill Americans for his role in attacking US embassies in East Africa in 1998.
The bombing of US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killed 224 people.
A raid by US special operations forces killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2.
Preet Bharara, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, asked for the change, a request that Judge Lewis Kaplan granted in a brief order.
The action came after a thorough analysis confirmed that bin Laden did indeed die after Navy SEALs raided his compound. The officials noted that facial recognition and photograph analysis confirmed the identity, along with DNA testing of the body.

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Obama calls on private sector to create jobs

US president Barack Obama on Saturday called for the private sector to create more jobs, but underlined the government’s role in promoting professional education.
‘Now, government is not — and should not be — the main engine of job-creation in this country. That’s the role of the private sector,’ the president said in his weekly radio and internet address.
‘But one thing government can do is partner with the private sector to make sure that every worker has the necessary skills for the jobs they’re applying for,’ Obama added.
His comments came after labour department figures showed only 54,000 new jobs had been created in May, just a quarter of the February-April pace; the unemployment rate had edged up to 9.1 per cent.
The White House and economists cautioned that the poor data was likely a monthly blip, but it has fuelled allegations that Obama’s economic policies are failing, 18 months ahead of the presidential election.
The president noted that the US economy had not got into what he called a ‘mess’ overnight, and would not resolve its problems quickly.
‘It’s going to take time,’ he warned.
Obama pointed to the importance of investing in wind power, solar power, and biofuels to make America less dependent on foreign oil and to clean up the environment.
‘These are steps we know will make a difference in people’s lives — not just twenty years from now, or ten years from now, but now, and in the months to come,’ the president said.

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Obama Backs Ban Ki-Moon's Bid For Second Term As UN Chief

The U.S. President Barack Obama has extended support to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in his bid for a second term of office, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

"President Obama welcomes United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's announcement that he will run for a second term, and the United States supports his candidacy," it said.

According to the White House, under Ban's stewardship the U.N. performed key role of mediator as well as an arbiter in several vexatious issues all over the globe. A former South Korean Foreign Minister, Ban also broke new ground through steps to recruit more women to the U.N.'s higher echelons. Equally significant was his proposal to slash the U.N. budget by curtailing wasteful expenditure.

The 66-year-old had already won the backing of Britain, China and France. Now with the U.S. too supporting his candidature, his re-election could well become a foregone conclusion.

India had also announced its support to Ban's candidature. Incidentally during the 2007 election, Ban's main rival was the then U.N. diplomat and current Member of India's Parliament Shashi Tharoor.

Ban's current term runs through until December 31.

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