12  theSun | THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13 2008

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Republicans turn to Web
to rebuild party
WASHINGTON: Fresh off a US
presidential election defeat and
further losses, the Republican
Party launched a new website
on Tuesday asking members for
their ideas on its future.
“We are a party of principles
and must regain our voice,”
Republican National Committee
chairman Robert Duncan said
in a statement announcing the
creation of the website, Republi-
canForAReason.com.
“We need to hear what our vol-
unteers, elected reps, and mem-
bers think about the Republican
Party as we rebuild and renew our
bond with the American people.”
Besides watching party flag-
bearer John McCain lose the race for
Federal rules allow
the White House to Democrat Barack
Obama to use $9.74m
Obama, Republicans also lost at least
in taxpayer money to
six seats in the Senate and 20 in the
pay for transition team
House of Representatives. – AFP
Runaway train goes
through city, hits
warehouse
BERLIN: A driverless runaway
train carrying 1,500 tonnes of
briquets sped 5km through this
city on Tuesday before impacting
itself in a warehouse. Three ware-
house workers escaped injury.
The drivers, 44 and 20, of the
yellow diesel engine had earlier
bailed out after its brakes failed.
The train, owned by RWE Power
and carrying fuel from barges to a
coal-fired power station, punched its
way through the sheet-metal door
of the warehouse and was stopped
by an interior stone wall. – dpa
Obama set to unleash transition teams
WASHINGTON: US president-elect Barack
Obama is sending teams of evaluators
and breadth of the sprawling US bureaucracy
to help him reset the course of the ship of
US$12 million (RM43.2 million).
As part of an accelerated effort to get the
through the length state on Jan 20. government up and running at a time of
Obama’s 450-strong international turmoil, Podesta said over 100
transition team will scour interim security clearances had already been
er more than 100 departments issued to transition personnel.
an planning the transf
ct Barack Obama beg . and agencies for data to Obama said during his first post-election
Aides to President-ele n bef ore ele ctio n day
po we r fro m the Bu sh administration eve ck has sta rted underpin new policies as soon press conference last week that he would
of
tha t the 77- day pre sidential transition clo rdrive as his inauguration ushers in move with “deliberate haste” to fill cabinet
Now st accelerate into ove
ticking everything mu a historic presidency. positions.
ointing Transition co-chair He has yet to make any nominations
Nov: Obama begins app
m. White John Podesta promised on though White House staff announcements are
key members of his tea
some Tuesday that Obama would expected soon before heavy-hitting cabinet
House must interview
peo ple and cho ose publish the names of aides posts are announced – likely in Chicago.
40,000
ointees who will begin burrowing The president-elect, honouring protocol
7,840 presidential app
Senate
– of which 1,177 need into government monoliths that there is “only one president at a
weeks
approval – over next 11 like the State Department, time” will stay away from the weekend’s
include Treasury and the Pentagon international economic summit in
Cabinet appointments as early as Monday. Washington.
ite Ho use Pre ss Se cretary
Wh “This is part of our The Bush administration has promised
t Gib bs (top righ t), Chief
Rober commitment to make
hm Em anu el (rig ht), unprecedented cooperation with the Obama
of Staff Ra
fence this the most open and transition team, and invited aides to the
Treasury secretary, De
urity Advisor, transparent transition in president-elect to shadow outgoing officials.
secretary, National Sec
reta ry of Sta te, Atto rney General history,” Podesta said at Podesta, a former Clinton administration
Sec
en tran sitio n adv isors make list of his first post-election press chief-of-staff, also said the nascent
Nov-Dec: Four doz cutive
ut 200 Bus h Adm inis tration actions and exe conference here called administration was working through
abo soon after inauguration to outline the process of complicated issues involved in his campaign
and inaugural tha t can be rev ers ed
orders “building a government.” pledge to close the Guantanamo Bay “war on
celebration J A N U A R Y
N O V E M B E R D E C E M B E R “Under president-elect terror” camp in Cuba.
Obama and vice president- “Senator Obama has said that he intends
Early-Dec: Obama’s day elect Biden, the American to close the facility at Guantanamo. It’s under
security staff take part e Jan 20: Inauguration
Dec 15: Electoral colleg people will see a transition review,” he said.
in “tabletop exercise” electors meet in each Total of 240,000 tickets of government that is Obama’s presidential transition team on
at White House – state to formally cast printed for swearing-in efficient, that is organised, Tuesday sidestepped a flurry of speculation
ony . Tic ket s
National Security their votes cerem
for
that is bipartisan and more that he would ask Defence Secretary Robert
already sel ling
Council simulation of Jan 6: Joi nt session r open and transparent than Gates to stay on in his administration.
emergency such as cou nt $10,800 a pai others before.” Gates has been praised in both parties for
of Co ngr ess to
terrorist attack or ele cto ral college votes Late Jan: Podesta said the his role since taking over the job two years
disease outbre ak President transition team would ago.
tes Befor e Jan 20: Obama
Dec 9: Deadline for sta employ around 450 Podesta said Obama had “great respect”
as Obama and Vice presents
to resolve issues such people in the US capital for Gates, but will wait to hear the findings
– President-elect his first
recounts or challenges Joe Bid en mu st to
and Obama’s hometown of experts he is sending to probe Defence
get
11 votes from Missouri resign from Senate
bud Chicago with a budget of Department operations. – AFP
still have to be called Congress
, Associated Press
Pictures: Getty Images
© GRAPHIC NEWS

French ‘Spider Man’ UN calls for greater gender equality

scales tower in Jakarta
JAKARTA: A French climber dubbed “Spi-
der Man” for his daring, illegal stunts scal-
ing some of the world’s tallest buildings,
including the Petronas Towers, tackled a
33-storey building here yesterday.
Alain Robert, 46, reached the top of
the City Tower with his bare hands in a
40-minute climb as hundreds of amazed
bystanders looked on.
Robert was brought in for questioning
by police after finishing the stunt. – AFP
WASHINGTON: The United Nations Population
Fund called in an annual report published yesterday
for women’s rights to be advanced and steps to be
taken to eliminate gender inequality around the
world.
Sixty percent of the world’s one billion poorest
people are women and girls; two-thirds of the 960
million adults around the world who cannot read
are women, and 70% of children who do not go to
school are girls, the State of World Population 2008
report says.
Because cultures help to mould the way people
live with each other and influence their understand-
ing of development, building women’s rights will be
easier if agents of change remain sensitive to the
local culture, the report says.
“Agencies ignore culture at their peril. Advanc-
ing human rights requires an appreciation of the
complexity, fluidity and centrality of culture by
intentionally identifying and partnering with local
agents of change,” it says.
“Culturally sensitive approaches understand
and work with a community’s views: For example,
about what it signifies when a woman or a couple
does not reproduce; the effect of contraception on
a woman’s ability to conceive; or on a man’s view
of what makes up his ‘manhood’,” the report says
in the section focusing on reproductive rights and
birth control.
It recognises religion as an integral and key
aspect of many cultures, but warns against it being
misused to justify human rights violations such as
honour killings.
“Cultural sensitivity entails support for women
and men within the culture who oppose such
practices,” it says. - AFP