Aug. 24, 2009

'Serious and … deteriorating':

Joints Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen gave a bleak assessment of the situation in Afghanistan as U.S. military leaders there said they don't have enough troops to accomplish their mission.

Mullen, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," gave an update of the situation in Afghanistan, which had presidential elections last week and has seen increased violence from Taliban members.

"I think it is serious and it is deteriorating. And I've said that over the last couple of years, that the Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated," Mullen said.

He added the next 12 to 18 months would be crucial in winning control of Afghanistan, which was invaded in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The New York Times said U.S. commanders in Afghanistan have told special envoy Richard Holbrooke they need additional troops.

U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal is expected within two weeks to give the Obama administration a recommendation regarding troop levels in the fight. The United States has about 57,000 troops in Afghanistan.

With recent polling indicating flagging support in the United States for the war in Afghanistan, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told ABC's "This Week" McChrystal is under "great pressure" from "people around" the White House to keep troop requests low.

Mullen told CNN McChrystal is to tell the leadership what he needs for the fighting in Afghanistan and that no decision on a request for more troops has been made.

Climate change in Africa:

Leaders of several African countries are meeting this week with climate change high in the agenda. They could seek compensation from more developed countries for damage to the continent because of climate change.

The BBC said the African Union leaders will ask for $67 billion a year to help poor countries deal with problems created by climate change while telling developed countries the industrialized areas need to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 percent in a decade.

African countries are among the lowest in terms of greenhouse-gas emission but say they are the most affected, mostly by severe changes rising global temperatures have caused. Several countries in Africa have faced years of drought, a condition some say is caused by climate change.

The AU leadership is also looking to give the continent a clear voice at the U.N. Climate Change Conference this December in Denmark.

Boycott over al-Megrahi:

There has been a call for a boycott of British goods in retaliation for the release of a Libyan convicted in the Lockerbie airliner bombing.

There has been a general outcry since Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill last week ordered the release, on grounds of compassion, of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer.

Al-Megrahi was convicted of planting a bomb on Pan Am Flight 103, which crashed in December 1988 at Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people.

While the boycott call is driven from outside the U.S. government, FBI Director Robert Mueller said the release of al-Megrahi gives "comfort to terrorists" and makes a "mockery of the rule of law." Other high-level U.S. officials also have decried the release.

Scottish officials have defended the release as a correct decision.

Fires in Greece:

Thousands of people have abandoned their homes in areas north of Athens ahead of wildfires that have burned about 37,000 acres. About 90 fires have been reported since Saturday.

Winds that had been driving the fires have died down. Officials are yet to give a reason for the blazes although arson is being investigated. Conservation groups blame high temperatures and dry conditions for making the situation ripe for such large and fast-moving fires.

There have been no deaths linked to the fires, the BBC said, but a regional governor told the news service the fires caused an "ecological disaster."

Another baseball rarity:

Eric Bruntlett Sunday pulled off the second game-ending unassisted triple play in major league baseball history.

Bruntlett, playing second base for the Philadelphia Phillies, snagged a line drive, stepped on second base, catching a base runner off it, and then tagged another runner headed toward second from first to protect a 9-7 Phillies' victory over the New York Mets.

It was the 14th regular-season unassisted triple play in the major leagues but just the second to end a game. Detroit's Johnny Neun was the first to do it when he stopped a Cleveland rally on May 31, 1927.

Bruntlett joined other elite company as this season has seen three rare baseball feats. In addition to the game-ending unassisted triple play, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox recorded the 18th perfect game in major league history on July 23 and, five days later, Washington's Josh Willingham became the 13th player to hit two grand slams in the same game.