U.S. Senate backs bill setting conditions on foreign aid September 22, 2012 - 08:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. Senate has defeated a bill that would have conditioned foreign aid on a country's cooperation in investigating attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities, The Associated Press reported. The bill also would have denied aid to Pakistan unless that country releases Dr. Shakil Afridi. Pakistan arrested the doctor, who allegedly helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden by running a fake vaccination program for the CIA to collect DNA. The objective was to verify bin Laden's presence at the compound where the al-Qaida leader was later killed. Afridi was convicted of high treason and sentenced to 33 years in prison. The United States has sought his release. Eighty-one senators opposed Republican Sen. Rand Paul's bill and 10 supported it. U.S. facilities in several countries have been attacked to protest an anti-Islamic film. Partner news  Top stories Among its provisions are bans on child marriage and the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes. Jorge Rafael Videla, an austere former army commander, led Argentina during the bloodiest days of its Dirty War dictatorship. According to the United Nations, April was Iraq's bloodiest month for almost five years, with 712 people killed. Reports suggest the rebel fighters may have tried to blow up the walls of the prison, which holds some 4,000 inmates.   Partner news |  Latest news John Lennon’s guitar auctioned for $408,000  The custom-made instrument, built in 1966 by the VOX company, was bought by an unidentified U.S. buyer in New York.Egyptian police block border crossing with Israel amid kidnapping anger Egyptian police was enraged by the kidnapping of seven of their colleagues by Islamist gunmen in the Sinai Peninsula.Syrian forces storming rebel stronghold of Qusair Opposition groups say militants from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement are fighting alongside government forces.Benicio del Toro’s “Jimmy P” debuts in Cannes main competition The film is telling of the relationship between a troubled native American vet and his equally idiosyncratic therapist. |
