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Al Gore’s campaign against global warming is shifting into high gear. Reporters and commentators follow his every move and bombard the public with notice of his activities and opinions. But while the mainstream media promote his ideas about the state of planet Earth, they are mostly silent about the dramatic impact his economic proposals would have on America. And journalists routinely ignore evidence that he may personally benefit from his programs. Would the romance fizzle if Gore’s followers realized how much their man stands to gain? Earlier this year Gore experienced a notable public relations debacle. The Tennessee Center for...

select your text size: small  medium  large   Friday, November 16, 2007 Russia's Upper House Backs Suspension Of CFE Treaty The treaty limits the deployment of tanks and other conventional weapons (file) (AFP) November 16, 2007 -- Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, has voted unanimously to suspend Moscow's participation in the Conventional Forces In Europe treaty, a Cold War-era agreement that limits the deployment of tanks and other conventional weapons west of the Urals. The bill, which was passed earlier this month by the State Duma, effectively confirms a presidential decree issued in July that announced Russia’s intention...

MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree suspending Russia's participation in a key European arms control treaty, the Kremlin said Saturday. The Kremlin said in a statement the need to pull out of Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty was linked to "extraordinary circumstances ... which affect the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures." The treaty is seen as a key element in maintaining stability in Europe. It establishes limitations on countries' deployment of tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters and combat aircraft.

Putin threatens Russian pull-out from landmark arms treaty by Nick Coleman Thu Apr 26, 12:19 PM ET President Vladimir Putin on Thursday threatened Russian withdrawal from a landmark Cold War-era arms treaty in a heightening of tensions over a planned US missile defence system in Europe. In response to Putin's threat, the NATO military alliance reaffirmed its commitment to the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has meanwhile rebuffed Russian criticism of Washington's missile defence plans as "ludicrous." And Czech President Vaclav Klaus, whose country is set to host part of system, flew to...

Text of report by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 26 April: First Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov considers the position on the Conventional Forces in Europe [CFE] Treaty voiced by the Russian president in his address [to parliament] to be quite natural and well justified. "Why should Russia unilaterally honour its commitments at a time when other countries are using various pretexts not to assume these commitments?" he said on Thursday in answer to journalists' question. "It is impossible to imagine a situation where the US president, the supreme commander-in-chief, is unable to move even a single brigade from Texas...

Russia may stop implementing a key defence treaty because of concerns over US plans for a missile shield in Europe, President Vladimir Putin said. Mr Putin made the threat during his annual address to parliament - which he said would be his last as president. He also hit out at an influx of foreign money which he said was being used to meddle in Russia's internal affairs. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed Russian concerns over the missile shield as "ludicrous". BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says Mr Putin's speech marks a significant raising of diplomatic stakes. The Russian...

NUEVO LAREDO — For all the beefed-up enforcement along the border, the militia-like group of drug cartel enforcers known as the Zetas appears stronger than ever, a result of better training, successful recruiting in Central America and continued desertions from the Mexican military, U.S. intelligence officials say.The Zetas have again become entrenched in Nuevo Laredo, and they practically control the movement of people through an intricate web of spies, checkpoints and skillful use of technology, provoking an extraordinary cross-border human exodus, U.S. and Mexican authorities say. Last year, U.S. and Mexican authorities reported that the number of Zetas was falling...

Russia was considering pulling out of asecurity treaty that limits troop movements and conventional weapons throughout Europe and Russia, Sergei Ivanov, Russian defence minister, told an international security conference in Munich. The threat stunned US and European defence officials, since a decision by Russia to withdraw from the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty would destroy one of the main cornerstones of European security. John McCain, Republican senator, was one of the few top US officials at the conference to accuse Moscow of reneging on its treaty commitments and its policies in Chechnya. The CFE treaty, negotiated during the 1980s...