AMPHI TV

U.S. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton demanded that Iran release all Americans detained by them. Three hikers were detained by the Iranians last month. The three hikers were arrested when they crossed into Iran when they were on a trekking trip in Iraq. They are said to have lost their way. She wanted all detained Americans to be given consular access. The Iranian state media has called the hikers spies who had entered the country with malaise intentions. They call this another example of how the Americans would like to undermine the legitimate government of Iran.  She also called for the release of Robert Levinson who has been missing from 2007. Esha Momeni is a graduate who was arrested and held for a month. Her crime was that she was researching the Iranian women’s right movement for her master’s thesis. She said that she was held in solitary confinement for 25 out of 30 days and that she was subject to multiple interrogations.  Even when she was finally released her passport was confiscated and she was not allowed to leave the country. Only after active lobbying by the state department was she allowed to return .She has been barred from ever returning to Iran.

Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in on Saturday as the 111th Justice of the highest court of the land. This was after a summer long debate that often took ethnic overtones. She is the first Hispanic on the court. She is the first democratic nominee on the court in 15 years. She was administered a pair of oaths by the Chief justice .She was a federal judge for more than a decade and a half after her education at ivy league universities. There were quite a few things about her that Republican senators did not view favorably. She was earlier quoted saying that a Latino judge could probably make better judgments that a white man. Her view on the second amendment was quite controversial. She had earlier ruled that the amendment limits only the federal government and not the states. The powerful NRA was opposed to her candidacy and did its best to influence GOP senators to vote against her confirmation. The NRA advocated the second amendment being applicable to the states also. The vote was finally 68-31 with less than ten GOP members supporting her nomination. Senator Robert Menendez, the Senate’s lone Hispanic felt that this was a historic moment for the Hispanic community.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be embarking on her maiden trip to Africa as Secretary on Monday. She will be visiting seven nations on her trip. This part of the Obama administration’s effort to reach out to the less fortunate countries. Her first stop will be Kenya. She will participate in the U.S.-Sub Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum I n Nairobi on Wednesday. This forum was formed to increase trade between the U.S. and the Sub – Saharan countries. After Kenya she will proceed to South Africa. She has pledged to work with leaders there to bring stability to the Zimbabwean government which has been plagues by infighting. President Robert Mugabe has refused to transfer any real power to the Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangerai. After several months of hostility between the two a power sharing agreement has worked out. But Tsvangerai’s Movement for Democratic Change says that there are still many pending issues to be resolved. They claim that opposition leaders are still picked up for no reason and held without charge. President Obama had earlier said that relations with Africa were a priority. Clinton emphasized the importance of the leadership role South Africa plays in the region. Mr. Clinton will also meet with Nelson Mandela.