The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Obama defiant after poll drubbing US President vows to work with, and without, Congress Washington, November 6 A day after poll drubbing, US President Barack Obama today struck a defiant tone saying he is ready to work with Republicans but could bypass Congress on his signature initiatives like immigration reforms that would allow 11 million illegal immigrants, including 2.4 lakh Indians, to stay in the country. While Obama made clear he had no desire to reshape his agenda, he did acknowledge that voters dealt his Democratic party a dramatic defeat on Tuesday. "To those of you who voted, I hear you," Obama said in his first public remarks since the election. To those who didn't vote, "I hear you too." "There is no doubt the Republicans had a good night," Obama said during a roughly 90-minute press conference, acknowledging the poor show by his party. However, he expressed full confidence in the future of America and said, "We have all the best cards relative to every other country on Earth." "I am really optimistic about America. I know that runs counter to the current mood, but when you look at the facts, our economy is stronger than just about anybody's," he said. "The US continues to be a magnet for the best and brightest from all around the world. My job over the next couple of years is to do some practical, concrete things-as much as possible with the Congress; where it's not possible with Congress, on my own-to show people why we should be confident, and to give people a sense of progress and a sense of hope," Obama said. Obama stopped short of accepting direct responsibility for his party's defeat at the hands of Republicans who snatched control of the Senate, tightened its grip on the House of Representatives and won key Democrat governorships. Obama said the US has made real progress since he took over. "The fact is more Americans are working; unemployment has come down. More Americans have health insurance. Manufacturing has grown. Our deficits have shrunk. Our dependence on foreign oil is down, as are gas prices," he said. Obama said he is ready to work with the Republican Party, which now controls the Congress, to advance the national agenda. "Congress will pass some bills I cannot sign. I'm pretty sure I'll take some actions that some in Congress will not like," he said. But, in the absence of a strong legislative base for the remaining two years of his presidency, Obama said he would press ahead with plans on immigration reform that would allow 11 million illegal immigrants, including 2.4 lakh Indians, to stay in the country. Obama also reiterated he would use his veto powers on any bill that repealed his landmark health care reform 'Obamacare' that he insists has begun to work well for millions. — PTI Republicans’ agenda * A day after the Republicans gained full control of both chambers of the US Congress, the party leadership outlined their agenda centered around job creation and economy * In an op-ed, the House of Representative Speaker John Boehner and incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said they would move towards repealing Obamacare * They listed out their priorities that included the insanely complex tax code that is driving American jobs overseas; health costs and a savage global terrorist threat * They also plan to reform education system that denies choice to parents and denies a good education to too many children
	Ami Bera, Ro Khanna down, but not out yet Washington, November 6 As the dust settled down on the US election giving Republicans full control of the US Congress, two trailing Indian-American candidates, Ami Bera and Ro Khanna, both Democrats, were still unwilling to concede defeat. In the battle for the Silicon Valley, incumbent Democrat Ami Bera, only the third Indian-American in the House after Dalip Singh Saund and Bobby Jindal, was trailing 48.6% to 51.4% to Republican businessman Doug Ose. But Bera expressed confidence that he would erase Ose's 3,011-vote lead, noting that he won two years ago after being virtually tied with Republican Representative Dan Lungren on election day. "We still have thousands of votes left to count, but I feel very good about where we are today," Bera was quoted as saying in a statement Wednesday by San Francisco Gate. A statement from the Ose campaign also stopped short of declaring victory, noting that there still are about 60,000 uncounted ballots in the district. In the Democrats-only tussle for a South Bay congressional seat too, Rohit 'Ro' Khanna, a former Obama administration official, who has challenged seven-term Democratic Representative Mike Honda of San Jose, refused to concede. The challenger, who finished election night 3,549 votes behind Honda said a huge number of vote-by-mail ballots dropped off at the polls remain untallied. With an estimated 40,000 votes still outstanding in the Silicon Valley district, the race is far from over, Khanna was quoted as saying. But Honda and his backers are confident his current 52% to 48% margin will hold up, the San Francisco Gate said. — IANS
	No change at Jerusalem holy site, says Israel Jerusalem, November 6 Israel's prime minister has emphasised there will be no change in the status of a contentious Jerusalem holy site amid spiking tensions in the area. The statement by Benjamin Netanyahu came a day after a Hamas militant slammed a minivan into a crowd waiting for a train in Jerusalem, killing one person and wounding 13 before being shot dead by the police, and a Palestinian motorist drove into a group of soldiers in the West Bank, wounding three. The second motorist turned himself into Israeli security forces today, the army said. The attacks came after Palestinians clashed with police at the holy compound-known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims-over a push by Israeli activists to widen access to Jews visiting the site. The clashes, which erupted as Palestinians threw stones and firecrackers in response to a demonstration by Israeli activists, prompted Jordan-which has custodial rights to the site as part of its 1994 peace agreement with Israel-to recall its ambassador in protest at the actions of Israeli security forces. — AP
	US Navy Seal who shot Osama unmasked Washington, November 6 A decorated ex-Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill has been unmasked as the man who pumped three shots to the head of elusive Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden during a top-secret 2011 raid on his hideout in Pakistan. O'Neill, 38, is the SEAL Team Six member who fired the three shots to the head of the Qaida leader during the raid, according to SOFREP, a website dedicated to military news. He grew up in Montana mining town and is now facing possible legal action for giving out the tightly held secret. He is expected to reveal himself during a two-part Fox News TV special next week. O'Neill was one of 23 Seals who flew into the Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad on the night of May 2, but the last to see bin Laden alive. It had previously been unclear precisely how the terrorist leader was killed and how many servicemen had been involved in his death. O'Neill, who is married with children, was last year interviewed by Esquire magazine, which did not publish his name. He told how he joined the army at the age of 19 as a reaction to his then-girlfriend leaving him. His exploits have already been portrayed on the big screen in the action flicks "Zero Dark Thirty", "Captain Phillips" and "Lone Survivor." O'Neill served more than a dozen tours of duty in active combat, including Iraq and Afghanistan, undertaking 400 separate combat missions. For his service he has been decorated 52 times, up to the level of senior chief petty officer before he left. He was awarded two Silver Stars — the military's third highest honour — as well as four Bronze Stars. It has been reported that his decision to speak out was prompted by losing some of his military benefits by quitting the SEALs after 16 years rather than completing a full 20 years of service. Earlier, the elite US Navy SEALs were warned against betraying their promise to maintain secrecy and not speak to the media to gain "public notoriety and financial gain". The October 31 letter from Admiral Brian Losey specifies that the warning holds even after a mission is over, and it scolds those seeking public credit. The admonition was seemingly directed both at Matt Bissonnette-who revealed his role in the 2011 bin Laden mission with "60 Minutes"-and at O'Neill at the centre of the upcoming Fox News documentary. — PTI Robert O’Neill’s exploits * O'Neill served more than a dozen tours of duty in active combat, including Iraq and Afghanistan, undertaking 400 separate combat missions * For his service he has been decorated 52 times. He was awarded two Silver Stars — the military's third highest honour— as well as four Bronze Stars * O'Neill was one of 23 Seals who flew into the Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad on the night of May 2, but the last to see Osama bin Laden alive * His exploits have already been portrayed on the big screen in the action flicks "Zero Dark Thirty", "Captain Phillips" and "Lone Survivor"
	Irked by Jaitley’s remark, Pak says won’t accept conditions for talks Islamabad, November 6 Pakistan today reacted sharply to Defence Minister Arun Jaitley’s remark that it should decide whether to talk to India or to separatist Kashmiri leaders, saying it does not accept “any conditionality” in the dialogue process. “As we have been stating the dialogue between Pakistan and India is not a favour that one country does to the other. Dialogue between Pakistan and India is a necessity for peace in this region so that South Asia also focuses on economic development and welfare of the people,” Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said, reacting to Jaitley’s remarks at the India Economic Summit in New Delhi. “We do not accept any conditionality. Kashmiris are not Indian separatists they are people in occupied territory struggling for their right to self-determination that has been recognised by the United Nations resolutions. Pakistan is a party to the dispute. So this contention is not acceptable,” she said. Asking Pakistan to make a “conscious” choice, Jaitley had said it should draw a red line whether it wants to talk to the Government of India or those who want to break India. “We create the environment, we fix up a dialogue at the level of Foreign Secretaries, our Foreign Secretary is to visit Pakistan (and) literally a few hours before that they invite the separatists for a dialogue to their High Commission (in New Delhi). — PTI