Faster than NATO, France ends Afghan combat role

AP foreign, Tuesday November 20 2012


JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press= PARIS (AP) — France on Tuesday ended its combat operations in Afghanistan, pulling hundreds of troops from a base in a volatile region northeast of Kabul and fulfilling promises to end its combat role on a faster track than other NATO allies.
After a handover ceremony with Afghan troops, 500 French combat soldiers in trucks and armored vehicles left the Nijrab base in the Kapisa region — where anti-government insurgents have been active — and traveled southwest to Kabul, the capital, said Col. Thierry Burkhard, a French military spokesman.
"This is the end of combat operations," Burkhard told The Associated Press, adding that the withdrawal went smoothly. "It's the end of support operations for the Afghan National Army because we have no more troops who can deploy in such a role."
France was once one of the largest contributors to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, with a peak deployment of 4,000 troops — though far smaller than the tens of thousands of U.S. troops there. Since mid-2008, French forces were deployed in Kapisa, a crescent-shaped and strategic region along mountains between Kabul and the Pakistani border.  READ MORE
 

US gay marriage: law passes Maryland but vetoed in New Jersey

Chris Christie said that gay marriage was an issue
for a referendum, not the legislature Photo: GETTY

The movement for same sex-marriage in the US lurched one step forward and took another step step back last night as Maryland's House of Delegates approved a bill but New Jersey governor Chris Christie vetoed a similar law in his own state. 

 7:00AM GMT 18 Feb 2012

Legislators in Maryland voted 71-67 to allow gay marriage.

A similar vote failed last year when a number of black Democrats refused to back the legislation.

Led by Governor Martin O'Malley, the party's leadership held together a coalition to reach the critical threshold.

The bill is expected to pass easily through the Senate, which approved a gay marriage act last year, and is expected to reach Mr O'Malley's desk for final approval soon.

The legislation was hailed as a major victory by gay rights advocates and will make Maryland the eighth US state to support gay marriage joining New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa and Washington State.    READ MORE

Oil-for-gold: Iran to dodge US ban with metal shield?

Uploaded by RussiaToday on Jan 24, 2012

The EU has delivered on its threat to ban the import of crude oil from Iran, in response to its nuclear programme. The latest round of sanctions prohibits any new oil contracts, while allowing for existing deals to run until July. But Tehran is apparently finding ways to keep business pumping. Reports say Iran will keep supplying one of its biggest customers - India - but will get payment in gold instead of dollars.

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