ADIos cristiano ronaldo..

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ang latest kot..Klaas-Jan Huntelaar..stylo gak la mamat ni..ntah la..kita tunggu je la..siapa yang jadi pengganti ronaldo season depan..huhu



yang lain2 ada gak..karim benzema dari dulu usha..x dapat2 pun.


nak cari pengganti ronaldo tu yang payah 2..kalau game xde dia..memang xde semangat nak tengok..harap2 M.U usha player yang best..speculation memang ramai..takat ni yang btul2 leh ganti ronaldo..frank ribery je..2 pn kalau M.U jadi nak beli

Cash-for-clunkers auto eligibility list changed

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in Washington on Monday at an event promoting the "cash-for-clunkers" car buyer incentive program.

y Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
As it prepared for its "cash-for-clunkers" program, the government rejiggered gas mileage figures on about 100 older vehicles last week in a way that changed whether they would be eligible for up to $4,500 in sales inducements.

The Environmental Protection Agency says the changes resulted from a double-check of its fuel-efficiency ratings on more than 30,000 1984 and newer vehicles in advance of the official start of the clunkers program Monday.

OFFICIAL WORD: Government website on 'cash-for-clunkers'
SEND US YOUR PHOTO: We're searching for America's worst clunker

About half the 100 suddenly did not qualify because their combined mileage rating was revised upward; others unexpectedly got in.

"As a result of the review, roughly an equal number of vehicles became eligible as those found to be not eligible," said the EPA in a statement. "Eligibility for about 100 vehicles was affected."

Car-shopping website Edmunds.com said Monday that it discovered the switcheroo because potential buyers were complaining on its discussion boards.

Some said it made them ineligible at the last minute for car deals they already had on deck.

"We had everything lined up. We had a couple car dealers that had verified our car qualified, and we were ready to purchase a new car this weekend," wrote one potential buyer, identified on the site as John1152. "But it will not happen now because at the last second the EPA updated the information at their web page for a 1993 Toyota Camry wagon ... from 18 mpg to 19 mpg."

Karl Brauer, editor in chief of Edmunds.com, said, "It's unfortunate that consumers who had been researching and planning to trade in their vehicle ... are now left in the dust."

To qualify for the $1 billion program aimed at spurring auto sales and driving gas guzzlers off the road, the clunker must have an EPA city-highway "combined" rating of 18 miles per gallon or lower.

Buyers then get a $3,500 incentive if the new car gets 4 to 9 mpg more or $4,500 for 10 mpg or more. The new car also must itself have a minimum 22 mpg combined rating. The program ends Nov. 1, or when the $1 billion runs out.

EPA gave no reason its ratings were inaccurate or why some went up. For the 2008 model year, EPA started revising mileage figures, typically downward, to better reflect real-world driving. For example, a Toyota Prius that had been rated 60 mpg in city driving fell 20% to 48 mpg.

Human Impact on Critically Endangered Waterbird Beneficial

A white-shouldered ibis in Cambodia. Human impact on this critically endangered bird can be beneficial rather than destructive, and could even save it from extinction. (Credit: Hugh Wright)

ScienceDaily (July 26, 2009) — Human impact on one of the world's most threatened bird species can be beneficial rather than destructive - and could even save it from extinction - according to counterintuitive new findings by the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Animal Conservation, the study by UEA conservation experts explores the exact reasons behind the decline of the critically endangered white-shouldered ibis.

The new study was carried out in Western Siem Pang Important Bird Area (IBA), northern Cambodia, where 160-200 of the birds survive – around half of the global population.

Working in partnership with BirdLife International, the researchers found that the ibis prefer to forage in open and accessible sites with low vegetation and bare soil. This is believed to be because it makes it easier to find prey, aids take-off and landing, and improves detection of approaching danger.

Traditional small-scale farming by local communities is therefore crucial to the ibis' survival because grazing livestock and burning of the forest understorey opens up these habitats making them suitable for the birds.

"Our findings show that this critically endangered species is largely dependent on the local farmers for their survival," said lead author Hugh Wright, of UEA's School of Environmental Sciences. "This is a fascinating outcome as we tend to assume that human activity always has a negative impact on the natural world."

Not all human influence is positive for the endangered ibis, however. Western Siem Pang - currently an unprotected site – is under imminent threat from large-scale development which would destroy the birds' habitats entirely, along with the local farming communities.

"The Forestry Administration in Cambodia is supportive of a proposal to make the area a protected forest and we believe that this – along with the continuation of local farming methods practiced for generation after generation – will be crucial in saving this once common species from extinction," added Hugh.

With fewer than 500 individuals remaining, mainly in Cambodia, the white-shouldered ibis has undergone the most rapid decline of all South-East Asia's large waterbirds and is now the most threatened. Once common in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, the precise causes behind the bird's continuing decline have until now been poorly understood, which has hindered conservation efforts.

This research was funded by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Suu Kyi trial enters final phase in Myanmar

FILE - In this November 8, 2007 file photo, released by China's Xinhua news agency, detained Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, left, is greeted by U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari during their meeting, in Yangon, Myanmar. Lawyers for Myanmar's jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi are scheduled to present final arguments Friday July 24, 2009 in their efforts to save her from a five-year prison term. (AP Photo/Xinhua, File)

YANGON, Myanmar — The trial of Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was adjourned until Tuesday when the prosecution was to deliver its closing arguments, a government official said.

The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate is charged with violating the terms of her house arrest by harboring an uninvited American man who swam to her lakeside home and stayed for two days. She faces a possible five years in prison.

Suu Kyi's lawyer Nyan Win said he anticipated the verdict in two to three weeks.

The prosecution, which had been expected to wrap up the case Monday, needed more time to complete its presentation so the court adjourned until Tuesday, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the press.

He said the lawyer for American John W. Yettaw, 53, of Falcon, Missouri, gave his final arguments Monday. Two female companions of Suu Kyi also presented statements before the court.

Diplomats from the United States, Singapore, Australia, Japan, the Philippines and Malaysia were allowed to attend the morning session but not the key afternoon one, one of the diplomats told reporters.

However, authorities allowed U.S. Consul Colin Furst to be present in the afternoon because an American was standing trial.

Yettaw is charged with violating terms of Suu Kyi's house arrest — as an abettor — and could be sent to prison for five years. He also faces a municipal charge of swimming in a non-swimming area and is accused of immigration violations.

Yettaw's lawyer had planned to argue that the American only committed criminal trespass, since he entered the house late at night. That charge carries a maximum jail term of three months.

Yettaw has pleaded not guilty and explained in court that he had a dream that Suu Kyi would be assassinated and he had gone to warn her.

"I will try my best to defend my client. I will argue that he did not violate the restriction order and I will try my utmost to get him lesser punishment," Khin Maung Oo, Yettaw's lawyer, said over the weekend.

Tried on the same charges as Suu Kyi are Khin Khin Win and her daughter Win Ma Ma, who have long been Suu Kyi's companions during her house arrest. Both are members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.

The trial has drawn condemnation from the international community and Suu Kyi's local supporters, who worry the ruling junta has found an excuse to keep her behind bars through elections planned for next year.

At an Asia-Pacific security forum last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton offered Myanmar the prospect of better relations with the United States, but said that depended in part on the fate of Suu Kyi.

Myanmar state media accused Clinton and others calling for Suu Kyi's release of "interference." Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962.

In Dublin, human rights watchdog Amnesty International said Monday it was giving Suu Kyi its Ambassador of Conscience Award, hoping its highest honor will help deter the Myanmar regime from imposing any harsh new punishments on her.

Irish band U2 was to publicly announce the award Monday night at a Dublin concert.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Japan Opposition Unveils Campaign Pledges

The Canadian Press

DPJ Promises to Stimulate Spending, Shift Power to Lawmakers
By TAKASHI NAKAMICHI

TOKYO -- The opposition Democratic Party of Japan, which looks likely to win a general election next month and form a new government, unveiled Monday an election manifesto promising to stimulate consumer spending and shift policy-making power from bureaucrats to lawmakers.

The DPJ's release of its campaign pledges comes as analysts closely watch to see how the party may govern if it wins key lower-house polls planned for Aug. 30.

Based on its campaign pledges, the costs of the economic measures would amount to ¥7.1 trillion ($74.7 billion) in the coming fiscal year starting April, expanding in subsequent years to ¥16.8 trillion in fiscal 2013.

The DPJ says it would get the funds mainly by eliminating wasteful public spending and using government reserves rather than by lifting taxes.

While many of the promises -- ranging from cash aid for families with children to free public high-school education and the abolishment of highway tolls -- may be popular with voters, their potential to heal the recession-stricken economy appears uncertain.

If the DPJ follows through with its pledges, inflation-adjusted growth in the current fiscal year could fall by 0.2 percentage point to about minus 3%, said Toshihiro Nagahama, senior economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute. That is because "the party seems to be planning to freeze part of the public works projects underway" to save money.

Still, in the next fiscal year, the DPJ measures could boost growth by 0.3 percentage point to around 1.5% by lifting consumption, he said.

Seiji Adachi, senior currency analyst at Deutsche Securities, took a more cautious tone.

He said that if the DPJ goes ahead to reduce existing tax exemptions to enable more public spending, middle-aged or older people may suffer declines in household income, even as lower-income families benefit from income redistribution.

"The overall impact would be limited or perhaps negative on a net-basis," Mr. Adachi said.

The DPJ's flagship proposal is a monthly allowance to be paid per child until he or she graduates from middle school, or the ninth grade. The allowance would start at ¥13,000 in the fiscal year beginning April 2010 and rise to ¥26,000 the following year.

Other consumer-friendly steps include: scrapping highway tolls by fiscal 2012, waiving tuition for public high schools from next fiscal year, abolishing temporary surcharges on gasoline and other road-related taxes from fiscal 2010, and reinforcing the unemployment safety net.

Measures to boost the strained social security system include plans to increase the number of doctors and build a tax-funded pension system offering a minimum of ¥70,000 every month per person.

In fiscal 2013, when all the DPJ's envisioned measures would be fully in effect, the total policy costs would reach ¥16.8 trillion, around 3.4% of last year's inflation-adjusted gross domestic product.

DPJ steps that could potentially weigh on the corporate bottom line include a 25% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 from 1990 levels -- more ambitious than the current government's 8% reduction target.

The DPJ also wants to strengthen protection of part-time workers, while raising the average minimum hourly pay to ¥1,000 -- steps that could backfire if they discourage the hiring of temporary employees, analysts say.

Yet the party also proposes to lower the tax rate for small companies to 11% from the current 18%.

Economists worry that if the DPJ's revenue plan fails, the economy could suffer should the government sell more bonds to raise money, causing long-term interest rates to climb.

Any worsening in economic conditions in the coming months could also fuel anxiety over additional government borrowing.

Masayuki Naoshima, head of the DPJ's research committee, said at a news conference Monday that a DPJ government might sell deficit-financing securities to pay for stimulus measures if the economy deteriorates more.

Nor can the prospect of tax increases be entirely ruled out, DPJ Chief Yukio Hatoyama said at the same press conference. He said the debate could be opened on whether to raise the 5% consumption tax for the coming four years, changing his previous stance that there would be no debate.

The DPJ also laid out five principles of governance in its manifesto, vowing to demolish the deeply entrenched policy-making structure in which elite but unaccountable bureaucrats have traditionally held the upper hand over politicians.

The goal is to bring about "politics of the people, by the people, for the people," Mr. Hatoyama said at the press conference. "No more politics of the bureaucrats, by the bureaucrats, for the bureaucrats."

One of the manifesto's strategies is to have about 100 party legislators oversee policy-making. Another is to establish a new entity, dubbed the national strategy bureau, to outline a national budget under the prime minister's direct supervision, thus depriving the powerful finance ministry control over budget-making.

Write to Takashi Nakamichi at takashi.nakamichi@dowjones.com

First phase of Afghanistan military offensive 'is over'

GulfNews

By Jim Wolf
ERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates moved to reassure Israel on Monday that Washington's bid to talk Iran into giving up sensitive nuclear work was worth pursuing, despite the reticence so far from Tehran.

Obama has made fresh engagement with Iran a centerpiece of his foreign policy. Israel, which sees the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran as a mortal threat, has hinted that it could resort to preemptive strikes if it deems diplomacy a dead end.

During a visit to Israel, Gates affirmed President Barack Obama's hope for an Iranian response to the American overtures in time for the U.N. General Assembly in late September.


"I think, based on the information that's available to us, that the timetable that the president has laid out still seems to be viable and does not significantly increase the risks to anybody," Gates told reporters at a press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak.
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Iran says its uranium enrichment, which has bomb-making potential, is for energy needs and has rejected U.S.-led calls to curb the program. That, along with fiercely anti-Israel rhetoric from Tehran, has stirred fear of a regional war.

There is also a cost in terms of Obama's efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, as Israel has demanded that the perceived threat from the Iranians be neutralized first.

Speaking after his meeting with Gates, Barak backed the U.S. diplomatic strategy on Iran but called for a tight schedule with readiness to impose tough U.N. Security Council sanctions.

"If there is an engagement, we believe it should be short in time, well-defined in objectives, followed by sanctions, preferably (United Nations Charter) Chapter 7-type of sanctions," Barak said, speaking in English.

He also kept open the possibility that Israel, which is widely assumed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, could attack the Iranians pre-emptively -- a region-rattling scenario that finds little public favor in Washington.

ALL OPTIONS OPEN

"We clearly believe that no option should be removed from the table. This is our policy. We mean it. We recommend to others to take the same position but we cannot dictate it to anyone," Barak said.

"We are not blind to the fact that our operations or activity also affect neighbors and others, and we take this into account. But ultimately our obligation is to Israel's national security interest."

France's hyperactive Sarkozy urged to slow down

Telegraph.co.uk

By Anna Willard

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is facing pressure from friends and doctors to tone down his trademark hyperactive style after a health scare while jogging on Sunday.

Nicknamed the "hyperpresident" in the French press, the 54-year-old has visited 65 countries in two years since taking office, and is famous for micromanaging all aspects of politics.

He follows a rigorous exercise regime, running or cycling several times a week and working out with a personal trainer, and he has been on a diet.


His office said the dizzy spell was due to a mix of intense exercise in the heat and the stress of a heavy workload.

"He needs to take care of himself. I hope for him that it will be a lesson for him to calm down," Patrick Balkany, a close friend of Sarkozy, told RTL radio.

"Sometimes he needs to try a bit less hard and eat a little bit more. He's on a diet because he's always a little bit too heavy ... let's say he doesn't want to be overweight."

Sarkozy collapsed while running in the sun and was helicoptered to hospital, where he stayed overnight for tests. He left hospital on foot on Monday and will take it easier for a couple of days before leaving on a three-week break.

GRUELLING SCHEDULE

Recently the teetotal president has looked exhausted as his grueling schedule takes its toll.

His office said he had not lost consciousness and cardiological and neurological tests were normal.

Doctors say he will still need to take care.

"A faint spell is never harmless," Pierre Souvet, a cardiologist told the Parisien newspaper, adding that it was rare to have such an episode in the middle of physical activity.

Last week Sarkozy made a 48-hour trip to New York to meet U.N. Secretary General Bank Ki-moon and hear his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy sing. In June, he visited Gabon, Belgium, and Guadeloupe.

He has also faced domestic political pressure as he tries to steer France through the global financial crisis, which has led to a jump in unemployment.

His party triumphed in June's European parliamentary elections but his own ratings have stagnated.

Obama Tries to Move Past Gates Furor

Henry Louis Gates Jr. before an appearance on CNN last week. Over the weekend he called his arrest a teaching moment.

By NAFTALI BENDAVID

WASHINGTON -- The White House expressed hope that it has put behind it a controversy surrounding President Barack Obama's remarks on the arrest of African-American scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. But the incident highlights the challenge facing Mr. Obama in addressing the issue of race and in keeping the debate focused on his broader agenda.
David Axelrod, a senior adviser to President Obama, said Sunday that he believed the president's expression of regret for his initial statement that the police "acted stupidly" was having "the desired effect."

"People are talking more constructively now," Mr. Axelrod said on CBS's "Face The Nation." "The steam has gone out of this. Instead of heat being generated, more light is being generated."

The incident highlighted social divisions that Mr. Obama hoped had been eased by his election as the nation's first African-American president. The emotions triggered by his comments on the Gates arrest suggest that the issue of race continues to hang over his presidency.

It also came as an unwelcome distraction during a week when Mr. Obama sought to jump-start fractious talks in Congress on a health-care overhaul by stepping up his involvement in the fray. In recent weeks, opposition has grown sharper to the president's agenda, and Mr. Obama led Wednesday's prime-time press conference, during which he made his initial comments on the Gates arrest, with a pitch for health-care legislation.

Mr. Obama's challenge this week will be to move beyond the Gates controversy and show momentum on health care. Congressional leaders are racing to make progress before an August recess.

Mr. Gates also signaled that he would like to move on. In a statement over the weekend, the Harvard University professor said he had spent his career "attempting to bridge differences and promote understanding among all Americans, especially between blacks and whites."

"I have pledged to do all that I can to help us learn from this unfortunate incident," he said.

Sgt. James Crowley arrested Mr. Gates at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on July 16, after a woman called police to report a suspected break-in. Mr. Gates had just returned from a trip to China, and was trying to force open the door of his home. Both he and Mr. Crowley said the other acted belligerently during the encounter, and the police officer charged Mr. Gates with disorderly conduct -- a charge that was later dropped.

The dispute sparked a national debate on racial profiling. Mr. Obama further inflamed the issue by saying at the news conference Wednesday that, while he did not have all the facts, the Cambridge police had "acted stupidly."

Suggesting that the ensuing controversy was beginning to distract from his agenda, Mr. Obama acknowledged on Friday he should have "calibrated" his words differently. He said that he had spoken to Mr. Crowley by telephone, and that he was inviting him and Mr. Gates to the White House for a beer. Mr. Axelrod said it was probable that Mr. Obama, Mr. Gates and Mr. Crowley would meet.
—Jonathan Weisman in Washington and John Hechinger in Boston contributed to this article.

With Act II Unwritten, Palin Can Define Her Role

Sarah Palin greets some of the several thousand people who attended a goodbye picnic for her on Saturday in Anchorage, Alaska. Her plans after leaving the governorship with 18 months left in her term are unclear. (By Al Grillo -- Associated Press

Challenges Await as Republican Leaves Alaska's Top Job
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sarah Palin brought a tumultuous chapter of her life to a close on Sunday, voluntarily relinquishing power as governor of Alaska after a rise and fall almost unprecedented in modern politics.
She exited office in classic Palin style, with folksy picnics at which she bade farewell to her constituents, and with a running series of Twitter reports as she traversed the vast state. In one posted Saturday en route to Fairbanks, she wrote, "We remember all of AK is big/wild/good life; feel freedom here."


It may be that, after 11 difficult months in the spotlight, Palin longs to feel some of that freedom she wrote about Saturday. But does she have a second act in her repertoire?

"Palin Year One was the introduction of a persona, and the construction (and destruction) of legend around it," Tucker Eskew, a senior adviser to the Republican during her 2008 vice presidential bid, wrote in an e-mail Sunday. "I think she believes in an America of limitless possibility, so let's see. Year Two and beyond will be defined by her capacity for reinvention.

"Substantive second acts in American politics are reserved for those who stake a claim and defend it," Eskew added. "By resigning, she limits her chances for public office and expands her chances for personal good fortune. Somewhere in between public office and personal standing lies her apparent -- but elusive -- goal of influence."

Whether her ultimate goal now is to seek the presidency in 2012 or later is not known. Those who have some insight into her frame of mind believe she departs elected office without a real plan to make that happen -- or even a plan for what to do with the next six months of her life.

Palin left office about 18 months before the end of her term. In her farewell speech, she lashed out at the media, which she accused of "making things up," and warned about encroachments from big government in Washington. "Be wary of accepting government largess," she said. "It doesn't come free, and often accepting it takes away everything that is free." But she said nothing about her plans.

US urges Syria on Mid-East peace

The United States has called for Syria's "full co-operation" in trying to achieve a comprehensive Middle East peace settlement.
Speaking after talks in Damascus, Barack Obama's envoy George Mitchell said discussions with Syria's president had been "candid and positive".

Mr Mitchell said restarting peace talks between Syria and Israel was a "near-term goal".

He is now due to go to Israel in a bid to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Mr Mitchell's visit to Damascus is his second since June, amid a renewed US push for peace since President Obama took office earlier this year.

The envoy's trip comes ahead of a string of visits to Israel this week by leading Obama administration officials, at a time when US-Israel relations are unusually strained.

'Historic endeavour'

Mr Mitchell said he had told Syrian President Bashar Assad that Barack Obama was "determined to facilitate a truly comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace".


Naturally, in the context of friendly relations between allies, there isn't agreement on all points
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli prime minister

"If we are to succeed, we will need Arabs and Israelis alike to work with us to bring about comprehensive peace. We will welcome the full co-operation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic in this historic endeavour," he said.

Correspondents say the visit was not expected to bring a breakthrough, but Syrian officials have been encouraged by Washington's new willingness to listen.

Damascus is a major player in the region, because of its support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, its backing for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its close links with Iran.

In the past, this made Syria a pariah in the eyes of the Bush administration, which cut virtually all ties with Syria, the BBC's Natalia Antelava reports from Beirut.

Washington is a long way away from getting Damascus on its side, but for now at least, the atmosphere of hostility which dominated during the Bush administration seems to be a thing of the past, our correspondent says.

Syria was expected to lobby Mr Mitchell on the issue of the Golan Heights, a strategic mountainous area seized by Israel in 1967 which Syria wants back.

Syria's official news agency quoted President Assad as stressing to Mr Mitchell "the Arab right to recover occupied lands through achieving a just and comprehensive peace."

Sticking points

The diplomatic flurry comes at a time of strained relations between the US and Israel.

The BBC's Middle East correspondent Katya Adler says Mr Obama has been leaning on Israel's government unusually hard for an American president.

Washington has called on Israel to stop all Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank, but Israel says it will not curb what it calls "natural growth" there.

Shortly before Mr Mitchell's expected arrival in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to reach an agreement with the US.

"This relationship is important and strong. Naturally, in the context of friendly relations between allies, there isn't agreement on all points, and on several issues we are trying to reach understanding," he said.

As well as Mr Mitchell, US defence secretary Robert Gates and National Security Advisor James Jones are also due to hold talks in Israel this week.

Our correspondent says Iran and its nuclear programme will certainly be discussed.

Israelis say that is their top priority but arguably the focus of the visits will be the possibilities for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and also the wider Arab world, she notes.

Chairman of Cambodian parliament told chairman of Thai parliament to withdraw troops from Cambodian territories

Source: Khmer Sthapana and Deum Ampil newspapers
Reported in English by Khmerization

Mr. Heng Samrin, the chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly, has told the visiting chairman of the Thai parliament to tell the Thai government to withdraw Thai troops from the Cambodian territories.

Mr. Chai Chidchob (pictured), the chairman of the Thai parliament, is on a two-day visit to Cambodia from 23rd to 24th July where he had met King Sihamoni, National Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin, Senate President Chea Sim and Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Mr. Korm Kosal, advisor Mr. Heng Samrin, told reporters that during the meeting between Mr. Heng Samrin and Mr. Chai Chidchob on the afternoon of Thursday 23rd, Mr. Heng Samrin told Mr. Chai to withdraw Thai troops from Cambodian territories. In response, Mr. Chai promised told convey the message to the Thai government.


Mr. Chai Chidchob (L) greeted Mr. Heng Samrin on his arrival for the meeting at Parliament House.


But during a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen on the same afternoon, the subject of Thai troop withdrawals have not been brought up. Mr. Ieng Sophalleth, spokesman for Prime Minister Hun Sen, told reporters that the pair only discussed about easing the military tensions along the borders. Mr. Sophalleth quoted Mr. Chi Chidchob as saying: "The Thai government will make efforts to ease the military tensions along the Khmer-Thai borders and he also proposed for strengthening of good cooperations between the two countries."

Mr. Sophalleth also quoted Mr. Hun Sen as responding that Cambodia will also make great efforts to avoid armed clashes along the borders.

At the same time as leaders from the two countries are discussing about easing border tensions, news from Preah Vihear indicated that the Thai military had sent more weaponry and troop reinforcements to Hill 500 while the Cambodian military responded by sending more troops to the area as well. The situations have been tense in the area.

Mr. Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, told reporters that what Cambodia wants to see is the Thai parliament ratifying all agreements about border delimitation and demarcations signed by the Thai parliament. He said in the spirit of the agreements Thailand should have withdrawn its troops a long time ago.

Mr. Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association who had staged severals protests against Thai violations of Cambodian territories, said he is unable to organise a protest this time because he is on mission to the provinces.

Court Puts Off Verdict in Defamation Case

(Photo: SRP)

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
An unruly gathering of opposition supporters on Friday caused Phnom Penh Municipal Court to postpone a verdict in the defamation case against Mu Sochua until August.

Mu Sochua is being sued by Prime Minister Hun Sen for defamation, following her own suit against the premier in April. The municipal court was swarmed with more than 200 supporters Friday, while observers from the diplomatic and civil rights communities looked on.

Mu Sochua was present for the proceedings, which lasted all day, but she was unable to find a lawyer, after her first counsel resigned in the face of his own defamation suit and other attorneys were not found. Mu Sochua invoked her right to remain silent, saying in a statement to the court she was being denied a right to a fair trial.

“This right can only be guaranteed when I, as the accused, am judged by an independent and impartial tribunal,” she told the court.

Mu Sochua had sued Hun Sen for allegedly derogatory remarks made during the 2008 election campaign, but the court dropped the suit against her while maintaining the countersuit of Hun Sen. She had her parliamentary immunity suspended by the National Assembly in June.

“As an elected representative of the people, as a woman verbally attacked in public, I seek justice,” she said in her statement to the court. “The decision you are about to make will require conscience, impartiality and your own determination to stay above all forms of political pressure. If your choice is dictated by those who use the court as an instrument to silence their critics, then there can be no justice. There can be no rule of law.”

Hun Sen’s lawyer, Ky Tech, demanded the court punish Mu Sochua “according to the law” and fine her 10 million riel, about $2,500.

Court prosecutor Sok Kalyan said the evidence showed Mu Sochua was guilty of defaming Hun Sen and the law called for a fine of up to that amount. The law did not call for a prison term, he said.

At the end of the day, court judges said they would announce a verdict Aug. 4.

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Police Wrap Up Training in Artifact Protection

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 July 2009

The US FBI and national police on Friday wrapped up four days of training to prevent the theft of cultural artifacts.

The training included speakers from the US National Parks Service and State Department. The US supplied $12,000 worth of computer and electronic equipment “designed to assist the force with the apprehension and prosecution of those involved with the theft of artifacts and relics,” the US Embassy said in a statement.

Police underwent two days of training in Siem Reap, the gateway city to the temples of Angkor Wat, and two days of training in Phnom Penh. This was the second of two planned training courses.

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Economy Brings Worries of Exploitation

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 July 2009

Human trafficking and sexual and labor exploitation are likely to become more prevalent in Cambodia as the economic crisis continues, senior officials and UN observers say.

The economic slowdown is limiting job prospects, forcing some workers to look abroad, where they could be in danger of exploitation, while others could fall into dangerous entertainment sectors.

“Because of the world’s economy has changed, it will cause trafficking more severely,” Ing Kantha Phavy, Minister of Women’s Affairs, told a recent conference. “Whenever people can’t find a job in their home country, they will decide to go abroad with high risk and insecurity. That will lead to exploitation.”

Cambodia typically legally sends between 7,000 and 8,000 workers abroad each year, mostly to Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea. An estimated 20,000 Cambodians work in Thailand illegally, in construction, tourism and domestic services. Remittances for these workers add up to $300 million per year.

But with the increase in joblessness this year, those numbers are climbing, by as much as 30 percent from January to April, officials say.

The financial crisis has also caused a small bump in the number of workers in the entertainment industry, around 3 percent, according to the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region, or UNIAP.

UNIAP recently surveyed 357 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49.

“This is an unprecedented situation,” UNIAP’s regional manager, Matthew Friedman, said. “The job losses will probably lead to more exploitative, trafficking in the future.”

The agency is concerned the lower employment numbers will lead to less security and more exploitation over time, he said.

Cambodia remains a source and destination for international and internal human trafficking. Women and children are trafficked to Thailand and Malaysia for labor and sexual exploitation—or they are moved around the country, feeding demand in cities like

Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Preah Sihanouk province.

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Labels: Economic impact on Cambodia | Increasing human trafficking and labor expoitation | UNIAP

RIP Free expression under Hun Xen's autocratic regime

Free Expression Severely Deteriorated: Groups

By Im Sothearith, VOA, Khmer
Original report from Washington
24 July 2009

Freedoms of expression and the press have been seriously damaged in recent months, which can have a ripple effect throughout the region, rights groups and analysts said recently.

The Southeast Asian Press Alliance and other concerned groups sent an open letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen July 17, denouncing a “rapidly and palpably deteriorating environment for free expression in Cambodia.”

The open letter, signed by 12 advocacy groups from across Southeast Asia, marked concerns that political speech and press freedom have been severely restricted after harsh attacks against parliamentarians, advocates, lawyers and journalists over the past year.

Mu Sochua answered her case at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court

SRP MP Mu Sochua showed up in Phnom Penh Court without defense lawyer and she chose to use her right to remain silent during the trial on July 24, 2009.

Reforming health care

BBC News

Opinion by Sarah Garrecht Gassen
Debate about national health-care reform is often an exercise in abstract descriptive terms like "efficiencies" and numbers of people and dollars so huge they cease to be real. Political rhetoric clouds the real problems that must be fixed:

• Americans who most need health insurance coverage can't get it because of policy exclusions or cost
• Health-care fees are unsustainably expensive
• An estimated 46 million Americans do not have any health insurance
In Washington D.C., committees in the U.S. House and Senate have passed versions of health-care reform legislation. The bills are massive — 1,018 pages in the House and 615 pages in the Senate. They're being picked apart by politicians, interest groups and pundits eager to jump on one facet or another of the legislation to spin their message.
President Obama has made health-care reform a cornerstone of his administration and has challenged members of Congress to act with urgency. The process can't be rushed, but it needs a deadline. Otherwise political procrastination takes over, malaise sets in and nothing happens.
Outraged cries of "too fast!" from the Republican party ring false. The party had control of the Congress and the White House for six years and nothing happened to improve the American health-care system. Slamming the Democrats, and Obama, for pushing for action, and trying to make political hay is inexcusable.
Obama gave our nation an update on Wednesday night during a televised press conference. He said that health insurance premiums have doubled over the past 10 years, and that they've increased three times faster than real wages — raises are eaten up by insurance cost increases.
The Senate and House bills are enormous and complex. They're also still in flux. The legislative committees are working through details, but some of the provisions are encouraging.
Pre-existing conditions
Under both House and Senate versions, insurance companies could no longer exclude people with pre-existing conditions from coverage.
This has been the Catch-22 of the private insurance system: Insurance companies can legally refuse to cover people who have chronic conditions or have a history of illness, even if they're not sick when they try to purchase an individual policy.
Insurance companies want to sign up young, healthy people, not those who will need to use their medical coverage; insurance companies use high price tags and exclusions to thin out their risk pool.
Public option
Neither bill includes a single-payer universal plan, but both include choices beyond private insurers through a "public option." This alternative must be a strong, affordable plan available to everyone.
A public option is a far cry from the false "socialism" or "Washington takeover" tags many Republicans keep trying to attach to the reform effort. Scare tactics about "rationing" ignore the reality that the existing system limits who can receive what care — or if a person can receive health care at all. But the criterion isn't which medical approach works best, it's who can pay. Americans should see through the rhetoric. It's personal
We've all heard stories of people not filling prescriptions or not consulting a doctor when they should because they simply can't afford the medical bills, even with insurance.
Despite the millions of uninsured people and the billions of dollars spent on health care, the problem is inherently personal.
I'm extremely fortunate to have health insurance through my employer; I wouldn't be able to find an affordable individual insurance policy because of pre-existing conditions. I've also skipped doses of medicine, not filled prescriptions or not gotten recommended medical tests or necessary equipment because of their high cost.
It's a scary situation, and there is something inherently and morally wrong in a system that treats a person's health as a commodity.
The pitfalls in our system aren't always obvious until you or a family member needs medical care. Then the full weight of a system built on boosting commercial interests instead of good health falls on people who are sick, need surgery or can't get health care — and they're in no position to fight back.
Health-care reform is urgently needed. Don't let politicians put off until tomorrow the hard work that must be done today.

PHOTOS: Travels of the Obama Presidency

Dams in China Turn the Mekong into a River of Discord

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Rivers know no borders, but dams do
By Michael Richardson
Back in 1986, when China began building the first of a series of dams on the Mekong River, hardly anyone in the downstream countries of Southeast Asia paid attention. But today, as China races to finish the fourth dam for generating electricity on the upper reaches of Southeast Asia’s biggest river, concerns about possible environmental impacts in the region are rising fast. Moreover, fear about antagonizing China and Southeast Asia’s internecine dispute might make any concerted move unlikely.

The sheer scale of China’s engineering to harness the power of the Mekong and change its natural flow is setting off alarm bells, especially in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, the four countries of the lower Mekong basin where more than 60 million people depend on the river for food, water and transportation.

A report in May by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) warned that China’s plan for a cascade of eight dams on the Mekong, which it calls the Lancang Jiang, might pose “a considerable threat” to the river and its natural riches. In June, Thailand’s prime minister was handed a petition calling for a halt to dam building. It was signed by over 11,000 people, many of them subsistence farmers and fishermen who live along the river’s mainstream and its many tributaries.


Some analysts say that if the worst fears of critics are realized, relations between China and its neighbors in mainland Southeast Asia will be severely damaged. But mindful of the growing power and influence of China, Southeast Asian governments have muffled their concern. Meanwhile, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand have put forward plans to dam their sections of the Mekong mainstream, prompting Vietnam to object and undermining the local environmentalists’ case against China.

Although the Mekong is widely regarded as a Southeast Asian river, its source is in the glaciers high in Tibet. Nearly half of the 4,880 kilometer river flows through China’s Yunnan province before it reaches Southeast Asia. Since there is no international treaty governing use of trans-boundary rivers, China is in a dominant position, controlling the Mekong’s headwater. It has the right to develop its section of the river as it sees fit, and has done so without consulting its neighbors, let alone seeking their approval.
Massive Chinese Dams

The Mekong River basin drains water from an area of 795,000 square kilometers. The Mekong River Commission (MRC), an inter-governmental agency formed in 1995 by the four lower basin countries estimates that the sustainable hydropower potential of the lower basin alone is a massive 30,000 megawatts. But it also says that there are major challenges in balancing the benefits of clean electricity, water storage and flood control from the dams against negative impacts. These include population displacement, obstruction to fish movements up and down the river, and changes in water and sediment flow.

The cascade of dams being constructed in Yunnan will generate over 15,500 megawatts of electricity for cities and industries, helping to replace polluting fossil fuels, particularly coal and oil. The eight Yunnan dams will produce about the same amount of electricity as 30 big coal-burning plants.

The fourth of China’s Mekong dams, at Xiaowan, is due to be completed by 2012 at a cost of nearly US$4 billion.

Rising 292 meters, the dam wall will be the world’s tallest. Its reservoir will hold 15 billion cubic meters of water, more than five times the combined capacity of the first three Chinese dams. Since the end of 2008, when the river diversion channel of the Xiaowan hydropower dam was closed by Chinese engineers, the reservoir has been filling with water, paving the way to start the first electricity generating turbine in September. When full, the reservoir will cover an area of over 190 square kilometers. With a capacity to generate 4,200 megawatts of electricity, Xiaowan will be the largest dam so far on the Mekong.

However, by 2014, China plans to finish another dam below the Xiaowan at Nuozhadu. It will not be quite as high but will impound even more water, nearly 23 billion cubic meters, and generate 5,000 megawatts of power.

Chinese officials have assured Southeast Asia that the Yunnan dams will have a positive environmental impact. They say that by holding some water back in the wet season, the dams will help control flooding and river bank erosion downstream. Conversely, releases from the hydropower reservoirs to generate power in the summer will help ease water shortages in the lower Mekong during the dry season.

However, the UNEP-AIT report said that Cambodia’s great central lake Tonle Sap, the nursery of the lower Mekong’s fish stocks, and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, its rice bowl, were particularly at risk from changes to the river’s unique cycle of flood and drought. The Cambodian lake is linked to the Mekong by the Tonle Sap River. Scientists are concerned that reductions in the Mekong’s natural floodwater flow will cause falls in the lake’s water level and fish stocks, already under pressure from over-harvesting and pollution.

Vietnam worries that dwindling water volumes will aggravate the problem of sea water intrusion and salination in the low-lying Mekong Delta, where climate change and sea level rise threaten to inundate large areas of productive farm land and displace millions of people by the end of this century.
Lack of Cooperation

The MRC says it has been discussing technical cooperation with Chinese experts to assess downstream river changes caused by hydropower development. But China has refused to join the MRC or to agree to observe its resource management guidelines, preferring to remain a “dialogue partner”. Full membership would intensify scrutiny of its dam plans by downstream Southeast Asian states and increase pressure on Beijing, which controls 21 percent of the water, to take their interests into account.

While China’s program to dam the Mekong is moving ahead on schedule, proposals to do the same on the Southeast Asian section of the river have been put on hold. Before the global credit crisis and economic slow-down hit Asia’s export-oriented economies with full force this year, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand had announced plans to follow China’s lead on the upper Mekong by building a series of dams on the mainstream of the river in the lower basin.

There are now over 3,200 megawatts of electricity being generated on Mekong tributaries in Laos. But that too is being hurt by the crisis as Thailand, the main consumer of electricity in the lower Mekong, has announced that because of the global economic downturn, it expects to cut substantially the amount of power it imports from Laos.

A woman weaves cotton for fabric in China's southwest Yunnan province. Environmentalists have warned that China's dam building threatens fish stocks and will add to the pollution in the Mekong River. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)


The slowdown, however, provides a breathing space for Southeast Asian countries to assess how the Mekong mainstream dam projects will affect the interests of people in the river basin. But without China’s full participation, no Mekong management plan can be effective.

Beijing is intent on forging closer economic integration with mainland Southeast Asia through trade, investment, communication, transport and energy cooperation with its neighbors in the Greater Mekong Subregion. But this strategy may backfire if the region concludes that Chinese dams are having an adverse impact on their future development prospects.

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) kicks off “Mekong Delta and Angkor Wat” tours in Vietnam and Cambodia

Live-PR.com (Pressemitteilung) (Pressemitteilung

ATA aims to introduce the great combination of the two exotic lands and cultures. Travelers will experience great boat trip on the mighty river and walk on village roads, visit to local houses and take ferry to cross the Mekong River and colorful market of Mekong Delta. Cruising upto Phnom Penh, travelers start our journey to the majestic beauty of Angkor Wat.


(live-PR.com) - First and second day, travelers take a city tour to see the different faces of this bustling city on a full day tour with extensive visits to the Re-Unification Palace, the Central Post Office, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Jade Emperor Temple and the Ben Thanh market. Then travelers drive to the famous Cu Chi underground tunnel system to experience


how the Viet Cong lived and fought during the American War.

Third day, travelers drive to Cai Be travelers board a boat for a journey through the town’s floating market. Travelers see how river life goes on, trading bettravelers en merchant ships and local farmers and cruise through secluded canals and over the Mighty Mekong to island where travelers stop to enjoy seasonal fruits

Fourth day, travelers take a boat trip to Cai Rang floating markets, one of the most lively and colorful markets in Southeast Asia. After the market travelers cruise back to town. Travelers will try a xe loi, the local colonial-era cab pulled by motorbike, to see the town.

Fifth day, travelers go head Phnom Penh. The boat approaches Vinh Xuong border gate where passengers complete entry procedures. Continue to Cambodia cruising on Tone Le Sap River, travelers would reach Phnom Penh International Port (Sisowath Street) around12.30.Travelers take a short city tour of Phnom Penh visiting to the National Museum where travelers would see the world’s most wondrous collection of Khmer sculture.

Sixth day, travelers take an excursion to Tonle Batie, which is 40 km from Phnom Penh, visiting to a pair of old Angkorian-era temple of Ta Prohm and Yeay Poev. In the afternoon, travelers visit the harrowing Tuol Sleng Museum before continuing to the Killing Field of Choeung Ek where prisoner from Security Prison 21 travelers re taken for execution. It is grim afternoon, but essential for understanding just how far Cambodia has come in the intervening years.

Seventh day, travelers take a short fly to Siem Riep.Then travelers visit to the world wonder of Angkor Wat include Southern Gate of Angkor Thom and the unique temple of Bayon. It is a collection of 54 gothic totravelers rs decorated with 216 coldy smiling, enormous faces glaring down from every angle. Travelers continue to the Baphoun temple, which would have been one of the most spectacular of Angkor’s temples in its heyday. Travelers move on to the Terrace of Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King. Complete the day with sunset watching from Phnom Bakheng Hill.

Eightth day, travelers continue to the enchanting temple of the Banteay Srei, the jetravelers l in the crown of Angkorian art. Banteay Srei means ‘Citadel of the Women’ and it is said that it must have been built by a women, as the elaborate carvings are too fine for the hand of a man.
In the afternoon, travelers visit the Banteay Samre, which dates from the same period as Angkor Wat. The temple is in a fairly healthy state of preservation due to some extensive renovation work and continues to visit the monuments of Rolous, which served as Indravarman I’s capital.

Last day, travelers continue to discover Angkor Wat. In the morning travelers visit the fabulous Ta Prohm embraced by the roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers and Pre Rup temple, East Mebon temple, and Neak Poan temple. In the afternoon, travelers visit to Krovan temple, Royal Bath of Srah Srang and Banteay Kdei temples.

This Cheaper Option is offered to those who seek for good travel experience at an affordable budget. Travelers offer the finest 2-star hotels instead of 3-star hotels in all destinations. These 2-star hotels are chosen for good location, clean, comfortable room and nice staff.

Obama Unveils Race for School Billions

Seattle Post Intelligencer

Obama Unveils Race for School Billions
By MARY BRUCE and YUNJI DE NIES
President Obama today announced the steps states must take to compete for their cut of an unprecedented $4.35 billion in discretionary federal stimulus funding for education.
"This is one of the largest investments in education reform in American history," Obama said at the Department of Education this afternoon. "And rather than divvying it up and handing it out, we are letting states and school districts compete for it. That's how we can incentivise excellence and spur reform and launch a race to the top in America's public schools. That race starts today."

The controversial "Race to the Top" program offers one of the first glimpses into how far the Obama administration is willing to go to create reform. The program centers of four basic "assurances" that states must meet to qualify for a piece of the pie -- turning around low-performing schools, in part by expanding charter schools; enacting rigorous, common academic standards; improving teacher quality and beefing up state data systems.

States will be judged based on their progress in each of the four areas and -- given the way several states have been using education stimulus money to fill budget gaps rather than to innovate -- it is clear that not all states will be awarded funding.
"I'm issuing a challenge to our nation's governors, to school boards and principals and teachers, to businesses and non-for-profits, to parents and students: if you set and enforce rigorous and challenging standards and assessments; if you put outstanding teachers at the front of the classroom; if you turn around failing schools -- your state can win a Race to the Top grant that will not only help students out-compete workers around the world, but let them fulfill their God-given potential," Obama said.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News on Thursday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan explained the dire need for reform.

"We have as a country, I think, have lost our way educationally. We have to educate our way to a better economy. To me, education is the civil rights issue of our generation," he said.

"This is a fight for social justice," he added, "and we want to work with those states that are literally going to lead the country where we need to go." With more discretionary money at his disposal than all education secretaries in the last three decades combined, and a close personal ties to the president, Duncan may be the most powerful education secretary to date.

Through "Race to the Top," Duncan hopes to prop up states that innovate -- and inspire those that have not. Duncan admitted not all states will qualify, but said that a competitive spirit will drive reform. In this race, there will be clear winners and losers.

"I think there'll be tremendous pressure on states, state legislatures where things aren't happening, by parents saying exactly that: 'Our children deserve a slice of the pie, and we want that pressure,'" Duncan said.

* 1

Obama regrets choice of words in scholar's arrest

President Barack Obama pauses as he talks to the media in the briefing room at the White House in Washington,

WASHINGTON – Trying to tamp down an uproar over race, President Barack Obama said Friday he used an unfortunate choice of words in commenting on the arrest of black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and could have "calibrated those words differently."

The president said he had telephoned the white policeman who arrested Gates, and he said the conversation confirmed his belief that the officer was a good man and an outstanding officer.

Obama said later that he had spoken to Gates as well.

The president caused a stir when he said at a prime-time news conference earlier this week that Cambridge, Mass., police had "acted stupidly" by arresting Gates, a Harvard scholar and friend of the president's, for disorderly conduct.

On Friday, Obama made an impromptu appearance at the daily White House briefing in an effort to contain the controversy. He said he continued to believe that both the officer, Sgt. James Crowley, and Gates had overreacted during the incident, but the president also faulted his own comments.

"This has been ratcheting up, and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up," he said. "I want to make clear that in my choice of words, I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge police department and Sgt. Crowley specifically. And I could've calibrated those words differently."

Seeking to lighten the situation further, he said he had invited both Crowley and Gates for "a beer here in the White House."

The incident began when police went to Gates' home last week after a passer-by reported a potential break-in. It turned out that Gates had tried to jimmy open his own door, which was stuck, and there was no intruder. Gates protested the police actions and was arrested, although the charges have since been dropped.

Before Obama's appearance Friday, a multiracial group of police officers stood with Crowley in Massachusetts and asked Obama and the state's governor, Deval Patrick, to apologize for comments they called insulting. Patrick has said Gates' arrest was "every black man's nightmare."

Dennis O'Connor, president of the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association, said Obama's remarks were "misdirected" and the Cambridge police "deeply resent the implication" that race was a factor in the arrest.

Sgt. Leon Lashley, a black officer who was at Gates' home with Crowley at the time of the arrest, said he supported his fellow officer's action "100 percent."

Gates has said he returned from an overseas trip, found the door jammed and he and his driver attempted to force it open. Gates went through the back door and was inside the house when police arrived. Police say he flew into a verbal rage when Crowley asked him to show identification to prove he should be in the home. Police say Gates accused Crowley of racial bias, refused to calm down and was arrested.

Gates, 58, maintains he turned over identification when asked to do so. He says Crowley arrested him after the professor followed him to the porch, repeatedly demanding the sergeant's name and badge number because he was unhappy over his treatment.

House Dems threaten floor vote to break impasse

FOXNews

By ERICA WERNER
WASHINGTON — Dissension within Democratic ranks over President Barack Obama's health care initiative all but paralyzed the House Friday, typifying just how many political land mines are littering the path to enactment.

The Obama White House figured on some pushback from congressional Republicans, but leaders of his own Democratic Party struggled to get things moving. A powerful House committee chairman threatened to force a floor vote to break the impasse within Democratic ranks — a drastic step that could roil the House.

Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said negotiations with fiscally conservative Democrats on his panel cannot continue indefinitely. But a floor vote would put fellow Democrats in an exposed position, having to cast a vote on a $544-billion upper-income tax increase that the Senate is unlikely to embrace to help pay for covering the millions of uninsured Americans.

The problems on the House side of the Capitol come a day after Senate Democratic leaders announced they would not go ahead as planned with a floor vote before Congress departs for its August recess. Senate Democrats are also divided. While some are negotiating with Republicans, others want to plow ahead on their own.

"We're going to have to look at perhaps bypassing the (Energy and Commerce) committee because we've got to get moving on this legislation," Waxman said. "I hope we don't come to that conclusion."

Two House panels have already passed legislation. Waxman is stymied because seven conservatives on his committee — part of a group called the Blue Dog Democrats — are sticking together.

Negotiations are continuing, but Waxman said he's running out of patience.

"We're not going to let them empower the Republicans to control the committee," he said.

"This can't be an interminable discussion," Waxman added. He's agreed to a study to address why Medicare rates are lower in rural areas in hopes of mollifying the Blue Dogs, many of whom represent small town constituencies. Billions of dollars are potentially at stake. Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he hoped the talks would end on a positive note and the bill could proceed through Waxman's committee.

As lawmakers continued to haggle, the White House said Obama will keep working on health care in August even if Congress goes home.

"Nobody in planning meetings decided we should just take August off," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. "For a long time we planned to continue the discussion on the issues that are important, be it the economy, health care ... education. That had always in many ways been priced into the scenario."

Obama envisions legislation that would, for the first time, require all Americans to be insured. A new government insurance program would compete with private insurers, and insurance companies would be barred from excluding people with pre-existing conditions. The goals are to hold down costs and extend coverage to most of the 50 million uninsured. The price tag: $1 trillion-plus over a decade.

Obama met Friday morning at the White House with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. Reid said Thursday that the panel will push to complete a bill before the Senate breaks Aug. 7. Baucus has been negotiating with the panel's Republicans in hopes of producing a bipartisan bill.

Finance Committee negotiators are looking at a bill that probably won't satisfy Democratic liberals. One of their top goals is a new government-sponsored insurance plan, and that was a centerpiece of legislation passed by the Senate's health committee. But Finance Committee members are looking at nonprofit co-ops instead.

In the House, the Blue Dogs want more done to try to control rising medical costs.

Democratic leaders say the back-and-forth is a normal part of the legislative process, but Republicans are latching on to the disarray in delight. The Republican National Committee has taken to issuing news releases headlined "Chaos" that highlight disagreements within the Democrats' ranks.

In a Tweeter post on Friday, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, gave a shout-out to the Democratic dissidents: "bludogs keep barkin." Grassley is Baucus' counterpart in the Senate health care negotiations.

Associated Press Writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.