1. The Daily Reflector, Sunday, January 8, 2012 A
NatioN WoRLD
WASHINGTON MANAMA, BAHrAIN HOUSTON
‘No Child Left Behind’ falls behind Supporters rally despite ban 2011, Texas’ driest year ever
Today marks the 10-year anniversary Demonstrators gathered at the head- The National Weather Service said 2011
of President George W. Bush’s signing of quarters of Bahrain’s main opposition was Texas’ driest year on record as well as
the No Child Left Behind education law. party in the island nation’s capital despite its second hottest.
The law was cast as a symbol of possi- a government ban. The agency said Friday the average
bility. It offered the promise of improved The Saturday protest in front of Al We- rainfall for the drought-stricken state last
schools for poor and minority kids, and faq’s offices in Manama was a show of de- year was 14.88 inches. The previous dri-
students who were better prepared to fiance by the party, the main backer of the est average total was in 1917 with 14.99
compete in the world. Shiite majority’s campaign to be granted inches.
But Bush’s most hyped domestic ac- greater rights and freedoms by Bahrain’s The weather service said 2011’s aver-
complishment has become a symbol to Sunni dynasty. age temperature was 67.2 degrees. Texas’
many of federal overreach and Congress’ Thousands of demonstrators waved warmest year on record was in 1921 with
inability to fix something that’s clearly Bahraini flags and chanted slogans amid an average temperature of 67.5 degrees.
flawed. a massive security presence. Last year Texas suffered its worst sin-
The law forced schools to confront Bahrain’s 10 month-old uprising sees gle-year drought, its largest agricultural
the uncomfortable reality that many daily clashes between demonstrators and losses and the hottest summer in U.S. his-
children simply weren’t learning. But security forces, but Al Wefaq usually re- tory. From June through August, Texas
the law has become known primarily frains from organizing protests unless averaged 86.8 degrees, beating out Okla-
the associated press
for its emphasis on standardized tests given a permit. homa’s 85.2 degrees in 1934.
and the labeling of thousands of schools A BAHrAINI WOMAN shouts anti- At least 40 people have died since the
as “failures.” government slogans on saturday. unrest began in February. From Associated Press reports
Afghan investigators accuse U.S. of prison abuse
■ Afghan investigators must be transferred to Af- led intervention to drive the out warning. Less clear is
accused the American ghan control “as soon as Taliban regime from power exactly what Karzai hopes
possible,” adding, “if there for sheltering al-Qaida. He to gain from Washington
military on Saturday of is no evidence ... they have frequently has lashed out with the politics of con-
abusing detainees at the right to be freed.” at Washington, although frontation.
its main prison in the U.S. Embassy spokesman he needs U.S. military and The Taliban seek to use
Gavin Sundwall said Satur- financial strength to back anti-American resentment
country. day that American officials his weak government as it to discredit Karzai’s gov-
only recently received the battles the Taliban. ernment. On Friday, the in-
By KAy JOHNSON commission’s report. He Last year, he accused the surgents mocked the presi-
the associated press said the United States in- United States and its allies dent as a puppet of foreign
vestigates all allegations of of serving only their own powers in a statement that
KABUL, Afghanistan prisoner abuse. purposes in the country, specifically mentioned Af-
— Afghan investigators ac- “We will certainly take se- and has told a Pakistani ghan detainees
cused the American mili- riously the report and study television station he would “Ostensibly, he speaks of
tary on Saturday of abusing it,” he said. He added that support Pakistan in any war national sovereignty and
detainees at its main prison the United States is commit- against the United States. of the welfare of people
in the country, bolstering ted to working with the Af- In 2010, he was said to have but practically, we see that
calls by President Hamid the associated press
ghan government on a joint threatened to join the Tal- there are thousands of Af-
Karzai for the United States plan to turn over detainees iban if foreign donors pres- ghan detainees who have
GUl rAHMAN QAzI, center, head of an afghan investigative
to turn over control of the “in a responsible manner.” sured him too much. been suffering in the Ba-
commission, speaks during a press conference in Kabul,
facility and complicating afghanistan, on saturday.
He would not specify what The rhetoric is seen as a gram Air Base and other
talks about America’s fu- time frame would be con- play for support from an American bases now for
ture role in Afghanistan. sidered responsible. Afghan population that re- years, and without a trial,”
The investigators also Kabul — complained of who led the investigation Karzai’s recent rela- sents the U.S. presence and the Taliban said.
called for any detainee freezing cold, humiliating ordered by Karzai. tionship with the United is angered by reports of Af- The Parwan detention
held without evidence to strip searches and being Another investigator, States has been rocky, even ghans detained indefinitely center was opened in 2009
be freed, putting the U.S. deprived of light, accord- Sayed Noorullah, said the though he came to power and of residents whose to replace an older prison
and Afghan governments ing to Gul Rahman Qazi, prison and all detainees after the 2001 American- homes are invaded with- inside the base itself.
on a collision course in an
issue that will decide the
fate of hundreds of sus-
pected Taliban and al-Qa-
ida operatives captured by
American forces and held
indefinitely.
Karzai took Washington
by surprise Thursday when
he ordered that the U.S.
military turn over full con-
trol of the prison outside
Bagram Air Base within
one month, a seemingly
impossible deadline given
U.S. security concerns
about the prisoners and
the Afghan government’s
weak administrative ca-
pacity. The countries had
been working on phasing
a transfer of responsibility
of the prison, which hold
3,000 detainees, over two
years.
The demand was the
latest episode of political
brinkmanship as negotia-
tions continued for a Stra-
tegic Partnership Docu-
ment with America that
will determine the U.S. role
in Afghanistan after 2014,
when most foreign troops
are due to withdraw. Kar-
zai has demanded an end
to unpopular night raids by
U.S. troops and control over
detainees as a condition of
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the pact and could be seek-
ing leverage by pushing the
detainee issue now.
Karzai spokesman Mo-
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hammad Sediq Amerkhil
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direct response to the in- Open your account online or stop by one of our branches.
vestigation team’s report
of abuse and prolonged de-
tentions.
The charges are remi-
niscent of allegations
surrounding the U.S.
treatment of detainees at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
where admitted Sept. 11
mastermind Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed is held.
Detainees interviewed
during two visits to the
U.S.-run portion of the
Parwan detention center Account openings are subject to Bank approval. Member FDIC
outside Bagram Air Base
— about 25 miles north of