The Four Reasons
“An evil exists that threatens every man, woman, and child of this great nation. We must take steps to insure our domestic security and protect our homeland."
- Adolph Hitler
World News
The Four Reasons
News Archives
2004
2003
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“From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce a new product in August,”
White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card told The New York Times about why the Bush administration was waiting on its PR offensive about the possibility of war until after Labor Day - 2002
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"Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in "mission creep," and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find Noriega in Panama, which we knew intimately. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under the circumstances, there was no viable "exit strategy" we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different — and perhaps barren — outcome."
George H.W. Bush: A World Transformed (1998)
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"Even today I am willing to volunteer to do the dirty work for Israel, to kill as many Arabs as necessary, to deport them, to expel and burn them, to have everyone hate us, to pull the rug from underneath the feet of the Diaspora Jews, so that they will be forced to run to us crying. Even if it means blowing up one or two synagogues here and there, I don't care. And I don't mind if after the job is done you put me in front of a Nuremberg Trial and then jail me for life. Hang me if you want, as a war criminal..." From an Interview with Ariel Sharon published in the Israeli daily Davar Dec. 17, 1982
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"What kind of victory is it when someone is left defeated? What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy. What is a war criminal? Was not war itself a crime against God and humanity, and, therefore, were not all those who sanctioned, engineered and conducted wars, war criminals? The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Non-cooperation with evil is a sacred duty." -Gandhi
January 2004 Headlines: Archive
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1/31
UN gives nations deadline on al-Qaeda, Taliban sanctions: The UN Security Council turned up the pressure Friday on nations to clamp down on al-Qaeda and the Taliban, saying they must report on the steps taken by April or risk being named in public.
Dissension In The Ranks: Had dinner with an old friend last night, a long-time Republican political operative who – in 1981 – talked me into taking a sabbatical from journalism and going to Washington as a press secretary to Congressman Paul Findley. So it surprised me when he opened the dinner table conversation with: “I’m not going to vote for George W. Bush in November. I may vote for John Kerry if he’s the Democratic nominee.”
Congress’s continuity reviewed: In the midst of an increasingly heated debate over government continuity in the event of a catastrophic attack, experts told the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday that a constitutional amendment is necessary to ensure that Congress could still function.
So Now We Know--Child Prisoners in Guantanamo: After holding them prisoner for almost two years, the United States has released three "enemy combatants," boys ages 13 to 15, captured in Afghanistan and held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Reluctantly, no doubt, Bush and Rumsfeld had to return the boys to Afghanistan, since they were no longer of any "intelligence" use to them. During their stay at the island camp, they were denied access to their families or attorneys.
Ginsburg: Don't Be Apathetic About Loss of Freedom: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Thursday that people concerned about losing freedom to government anti-terrorism efforts should speak out. The Supreme Court is taking up several terror-related cases this spring, including challenges to the government detention of terror suspects without legal rights.
The shadow of Iraq: The Hutton saga is a sideshow. The real issue is who will pay the price for war and occupation
Byrd Says State of the Union "Long on Rhetoric, Short on Reality": "It is time for the President to put his political interests aside and join with me and others to focus on the interests of the American people. Critical challenges face the country. More jobs and a stronger economy. Security at home. Better schools. Health care. Retirement security. But this President has shown little serious interest in any of these priorities. Instead, in his three years in office, he has squandered opportunities to move America forward. The President ought to stop thinking about the next election and instead work to benefit the next generation."
Monsanto's chapati patent raises Indian ire: Monsanto, the world's largest genetically modified seed company, has been awarded patents on the wheat used for making chapati - the flat bread staple of northern India. The patents give the US multinational exclusive ownership over Nap Hal, a strain of wheat whose gene sequence makes it particularly suited to producing crisp breads.
Meet between Sharon, Qureia aides likley cancelled: A meeting that was to take place between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's bureau chief Dov Weisglass and his Palestinian counterpart Hassan Abu Libda is likely to be cancelled in the wake of Thursday's suicide bombing in Jerusalem and the 'hesitant' Palestinian reaction to the attack in which 10 Israelis were killed, Israel Radio on Saturday quoted Israeli officials as saying.
Israeli anger at Frank exhibit: Israel has demanded the removal of a "horrifying" exhibit at the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam that includes caricatures comparing Ariel Sharon to Adolf Hitler.
MyDoom will cost billions of dollars: MyDoom would plague e-mail users for some time as the fast-spreading virus counted down to Sunday's mammoth digital attack on Microsoft and SCO Group, powerless security experts warned yesterday.
New voter technology: Helping propel grassroots campaigns Staff can connect online to voters through databases
The business of stifling the Internet: Internet users are losing ground in the censorship war being fought in Asia's cyberwaves, partly because Western corporations are helping to undermine the spirit of enterprise that made the medium such a potent weapon for free speech.
1/30
Why is the west inflating fear of Arabs and Muslims?: Western fear of Arabs and Muslims has emerged as one of the most striking political and psychological phenomena of recent years. Fear is perhaps too mild a word for it. The emotion that has seized the western world ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 is more like paranoia.
Security Council fails to agree on condemning attack: Council diplomats said three hours of closed-door negotiations Thursday fell apart when Algeria, the only Arab nation on the council, insisted that any statement must also condemn the deaths of eight Palestinians in an IDF operation in Gaza City on Wednesday.
Power struggle over oil: European oil sources suspect that the slowdown imposed on Russian oil exports through the strait is part of an effort by the Turkish government to reduce such traffic over time because it will compete with the US-backed pipeline being laid from the oilfields outside Baku in Azerbaijan, through Tbilisi, Georgia, to Turkey's loading terminal at Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.
Iraq, Afghanistan invited to G7 meet: Finance Ministers and central bankers of Iraq and Afghanistan were invited to next month's meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers to discuss the economic situation in those countries, a top official said Wednesday.
What Just One Company Can Do To the World: The study by the leading global environment watchdog says Exxon Mobil has produced 20.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in its 120 years of existence. This it says is about three times the annual global emissions now and 13 times the annual emissions from the United States.
Statement from the Maher Arar Support Committee: Public inquiry holds promise of justice for Maher Arar - Arar eager to see the details
'Justice Can Become Treason to Some': Korean-American Robert Kim (whose Korean name is Kim Jae-gon), currently in prison at Allenwood Federal Prison in Pennsylvania on charges of espionage, has sent a letter to Korea containing intimate thoughts on his seven years behind bars.
Annan awarded EU human rights prize: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Thursday received the European parliament's prestigious Sakharov human rights prize in honour of UN staff killed trying to bring peace to the world.
Pakistani Nukes: Humiliation on Fast Track: Frequency and the number of times a subject appears in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times are good indicators for anyone to figure out the next victim on the imperial chopping block.
You haven't beaten us yet, Tony: The government may have won Tuesday's vote on top-up fees, but students and MPs will continue to fight against the bill, says NUS president Mandy Telford.
Nuclear 'black market' alarms UN: The UN's nuclear agency has voiced concern at recent revelations about a sophisticated international illegal trade in nuclear technology.
1/25 - 1/29
Losing battle to rescue child soldiers: India does it. So do Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines, East Timor and several Central Asian states. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has labeled the practice one of the most morally reprehensible acts of systematic abuse worldwide, and even took the extraordinary step of publicly naming the culprits last year.
After weekend violence in Iraq, U.S. makes 50 arrests: U.S. soldiers arrested nearly 50 people and confiscated weapons in several raids in Iraq's volatile Sunni Triangle after a series of bombings that killed six U.S. soldiers.
Human Rights Groups Denounce Civilian Claims Process as ''Kafkaesque'': Two human rights groups have issued a searing indictment of the U.S. military's system for compensating Iraqi civilians victimized by American troops.
Iraq weapons report should be taken seriously - Annan: Kofi Annan has said a statement by the outgoing chief US arms hunter Dr David Kay that Iraq had no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction should be taken seriously. Dr Kay resigned on Friday, saying he had concluded that Iraq did not have stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons, a finding that could embarrass President George W Bush abroad and help his election-year Democratic rivals at home.
'Little point' in WMD search: Pentagon and CIA officials appear to have accepted that there is little point in searching for weapons stockpiles in Iraq, and will now concentrate on auditing Iraqi claims of their destruction.
David Albright on North Korea: David Albright, president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, says the climate for U.S.-North Korean relations has improved, thanks to an early January tour of the North's nuclear facilities by an American group. Although he says that both sides have to work to end the severe mistrust between them, "I am more hopeful that a solution can be found than I was six months ago."
What the outposts teach: The attempt last Wednesday to dismantle the Kahane College outpost at Tapuah almost succeeded. Hundreds of soldiers and policemen who came to the illegal site detained 25 persons who tried to stop the dismantling of the large structure and ended up destroying it themselves.
David Kelly: the interrogator: Richard Spertzel, head of Unscom's biological weapons section from 1994-99, describes how a four-man team including David Kelly began cracking Iraq's BW programme.
Brazil case may break stalemate on trade: WTO panel to rule if subsidies give rich nations unfair edge
Bird flu toll rises to seven: Thailand's prime minister said Saturday the bird flu epidemic could hurt the country's giant chicken export sector, as the virus claimed another life in Vietnam, bringing Asia's death toll to seven.
'Holy grail' of water on Mars within reach: European scientists in raptures at prospect of primitive life.
Female GIs reporting rapes by U.S. soldiers: Women say response lacking within military, some even threatened
The Daily Body Count in Iraq: It has become a morning ritual, like putting on a kettle of hot water for tea. I wake up, turn on the radio and listen for the casualty report from Iraq. Sure enough, there it is: two soldiers and eight Iraqis killed in Samarra, or three soldiers and six Iraqis killed in Fallujah.
Nearly 100 Families Are Suing Over 9/11: Nearly 100 families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have decided to sue airlines and government agencies, rejecting the federal government's offer of millions of dollars in compensation.
Detainee cases hit court: Almost 2-1/2 years after the terror attacks of Sept. 11 shook the nation, the US Supreme Court is about to enter the war on terrorism in a big way.
Iraqi informer's family is marked for death: Nawaf al-Zaidan earned $30m by leading the US to Saddam's sons. Now local tribes have sworn revenge
Moral decay and Benny Morris: When does the banishment of an entire people become morally justified? EI's Ali Abunimah comments on two recent, extraordinary documents — an article in The Guardian and an interview with Ha'aretz — in which Israeli historian Benny Morris approves of Israeli "ethnic cleansing" of the Palestinians in 1948, calls it "necessary" and prepares the ground for Israel to justify any future atrocity including renewed expulsion of all the Palestinians from their homeland.
Living War: Palestinians Refugees in Lebanon: This is a war waged against Palestinian refugees by the government of Lebanon. It is not waged through military campaigns and guerrilla battles as in the Lebanese civil war, but through policies and laws which are slowly choking the life from Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps.
Global unemployment at record high: More than 185 million people were jobless in 2003 as global unemployment levels hit record highs.
Grand Jury Hears Plame Case: Testimony begins in front of a grand jury in the investigation into whether the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame was improperly leaked to the press
Iraqi police walk perilous beat: At least 280 Iraqi police have been killed since the fall of Baghdad in April, 2003.
Demands for Piece of Biodiversity Pie: The developing South needs more transfers of resources and technology from the industrialised North and an equal distribution of the benefits derived from biological wealth, according to the Latin American and Caribbean environmental officials meeting Friday in the Argentine capital.
A Visit to the Yongbyon Nuclear Facility in North Korea: The status of North Korea's nuclear weapons development program was investigated by Siegfried Hecker of Los Alamos National Laboratory and described in this testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (PDF)
Pressure Rises for WTO Negotiators: The goal of recovering this year the ground lost in the Doha Round of trade talks is winning support among the 147 member states of the World Trade Organisation, troubled by two years of sluggish negotiations.
1/23
UN food agency seeks urgent private sector aid in fighting growing global hunger: With a child dying every five seconds from hunger or diseases associated with it, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launched an urgent appeal at the annual World Economic Forum today for private sector help in tackling the increasing global problem.
From Palestine
George S. Hishmeh: Again, the Syrian peace initiative: It is not a new peace initiative. We have been talking as loud as possible, repeatedly for the past five or six or 10 years.
Detainee cases hit court: The justices are preparing to take up cases this spring that will test the very foundation of American government - the balance of power between the courts, Congress, and the White House. At issue is whether President Bush is acting within his constitutional authority as commander in chief in ordering the indefinite detention of those he has designated "enemy combatants."
Hunt for Iraqi Weapons May Get New Chief Soon: Charles A. Duelfer, an experienced former U.N. weapons inspector, is likely to be named soon to succeed David Kay as head of the U.S. hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, a senior administration official said last night.
Mini-Nukes the New Defence - Or Threat?: The U.S. effort to design a new generation of low-power nuclear weapons, approved in the defence budget for 2004, is politically, technically and militarily unjustifiable, say critics. (more on New Nukes)
Putting Israel's weapons above the law: Talk of ridding the Middle East of "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD) has been heard for years, but no efforts have been made to bring this closer. Whenever Arab states raised the issue, for example at the United Nations, instantly doubt would be cast on their motives, and their efforts would be perceived as a veiled attempt to point fingers at Israel, which is known to have huge arsenals of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
Must Read/Flashback: Relative Humanity: The Fundamental Obstacle to a One-State Solution in Historic Palestine
Palestinian rights curtailed by high fence: What do names or descriptions like "illegal settlements", "security wall", "Israeli Defence Force" and "rubber bullets" have in common? These and others like them serve to legitimise Israeli conduct and to minimise the impact of Israeli killings.
British MP: I understand desperation of suicide bombers: Speaking eight days after a Palestinian woman killed four Israelis at a Gaza Strip border crossing, Jenny Tonge said "I do not condone suicide bombers,But I do understand why people out there become suicide bombers - it is out of desperation.
Halliburton Execs Said to Take Kickbacks: Two Halliburton Co. officials accepted up to $6 million in kickbacks from a Kuwaiti company that was awarded contracts to supply U.S. troops in Iraq, according to a newspaper report. Halliburton disclosed the alleged impropriety to the Pentagon inspector general's office this week, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site Friday.
WTO's Supachai `Convinced' Global Trade Accord Possible by 2005: World Trade Organization Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi is confident governments can hammer out a global trade agreement by 2005 worth as much as $500 billion annually.
Arar launches lawsuit against U.S. government: A Canadian citizen who says he was tortured in a Syrian prison after being deported by the U.S. launched a lawsuit against the American government Thursday, seeking financial compensation and a declaration that the U.S. acted illegally.
El Baradei: Nuclear black market 'unsettling': The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohammad El Baradei, is alarmed at the discovery in Libya of a set of drawings on how to develop nuclear weapons.
Rethinking Regulation of Engineered Crops: The Department of Agriculture is considering sweeping changes in its regulation of genetically engineered crops intended to cover more types of plants and insects to keep up with rapidly changing technology.
Citigroup Succumbs to 'Green' Campaign: The world's largest private financial institution, Citigroup, has signed on to a comprehensive environmental policy that sets a new industry standard, says the grassroots group that ran a two-year campaign against the banking giant.
The Global Zapatista Movement: From the outset, the Zapatista rebellion has been characterized by its international dimension. During the first few days of the conflict, the Mexican government tried to portray it as the work of meddling foreigners, especially Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, Salvadorans, Colombians, Basques, and Canadians.
1/22
The American Empire’s Bases Without Borders: Since 9/11, the United States has set in motion a new basing strategy involving the most extensive realignment of U.S. military forces that will establish American military supremacy in all corners of the world. The strategy includes using the Philippines as a base for troop operations in the region and as a naval staging post for carrier groups headed for the Indian Ocean and Middle East.
Bush act starts to wear thin: It is unrealistic to expect total honesty from politicians. Their partisanship guarantees self-praise and self-serving arguments. Still, citizens expect them to operate within reasonable rhetorical limits. In the case of the president of the United States, whose constituency is not confined to his nation, the world expects his words to bear some resemblance to reality.
Wars 'useful', says US army chief: General Peter Schoomaker said in an interview with AP news agency that the wars had allowed the army to instil its soldiers with a "warrior ethos". But the general, who became chief of staff in August, denied warmongering saying the army must be ready to fight.
A War of History for NE Asia: Why Korea, China, and Japan?In the beginning of the 21st century, when “globalization,” “regional unity,” “cooperation,” and “coexistence” have become the ideas of the era, why is it that, uniquely, historical and territorial tensions are growing between Korea, China, and Japan?
Confusion over Karzai´s powers: With Afghanistan´s new constitution approved, the big question remains of how Hamid Karzai will use the sweeping presidential powers he fought so hard to get. Rivals of the interim president fear that he will use the time before presidential elections, scheduled for June, to tighten his own grip on power and ensure he remains in power.
WAR, TERRORISM AND PEACE IN MINDANAO: National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Mindanao. The all-out war in Mindanao has escalated. Terrorist bombings have become common. Kidnap-for-ransom activities continue unabated. Vigilante killings have become alarming.
Meet The Carlyle Group: Former World Leaders and Washington Insiders Making Billions in the War on Terrorism
Whose democracy? Women, academics, the media worry about their rights in a new Iraq.
Ban urged for child executions: Amnesty International has launched a two-year campaign to ban the execution of child offenders worldwide.
The International Movement Against Imperialist: Globalization and Prospects for the Decade
WHO to fund programs of TB, HIV: The World Health Organisation (WHO) is planning to boost programs aimed at curbing the growing pandemic of tuberculosis and HIV co-infections, with the main focus being in Africa, where 70% of the world's 14 million people who are co-infected live.
BBC airs program critical of management over Kelly death: The Panorama program says management did not check whether Dr Kelly was correctly quoted in a story which accused the Government of exaggerating Iraq's weapons capability.
OPEC producing near capacity: OPEC members are producing "near maximum capacity", the head of the oil industry cartel was reported as saying Wednesday in another sign that output is unlikely to rise in response to currently high prices.
1/21
Plight of children in armed conflict reaches watershed stage – UN official: The battle to uphold the rights and well-being of children exposed to armed conflict “has reached a watershed moment,” the Secretary-General's Special Representative on the issue told the Security Council today.
'Thirsty for democracy': A former UN envoy accuses the US of 'sowing chaos' in Iraq to control its government and thereby its oil wealth.
Detaining the 'Enemy,' Diluting the Law: The Supreme Court has agreed to review the case of Yaser Esam Hamdi, a U.S. citizen captured during the war in Afghanistan.
Top Airline Executives To Discuss Privacy Policy: Top airline executives will meet in Washington this week to discuss the development of an industry-wide privacy policy to protect consumers, in light of disclosures last weekend that Northwest Airlines shared passenger records with the U.S. government as part of a secret aviation security project.
U.S. May Let Indonesia See Terror Suspect: The United States is considering whether to grant Indonesian investigators access to Hambali, a key terror suspect allegedly linked to al-Qaida who was arrested in Thailand last year, the U.S. ambassador said Wednesday.
Meet Outgrows World Economic Forum - Activists: As the curtain comes down on the fourth World Social Forum (WSF) in Mumbai, its organisers and its mix of activists said the movement has outgrown its original raison d'etre - becoming a counterpoint to the World Economic Forum (WEF) and opposing the policies of the Bretton Woods institutions.
NGOs Take Their Own Message to Davos: Leading non-governmental organisations and trade unions will be closely monitoring the World Economic Forum, opening in Davos Wednesday, to ensure that they can make their own message clear in what threatens to be a mini trade ministerial.
US objects to WHO's obesity fight: The WHO plan, drawn up with advice from leading nutrition experts, calls on governments to force the food industry to cut the levels of sugar and fat in its products.
Yes, It Is a Shame: HOW LONG DO you imagine drug dealing could take place in front of the White House or on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol? How about in front of the mayor's residence? Answer: About as long as it would take for authorities to arrive on the scene, make arrests and deploy sufficient officers to ensure that the dealers never returned.
Veneman, Congress to Talk Mad Cow Probe: While the first U.S. case of mad cow disease has done little to alter American dining habits, limits on U.S. beef imports remain in effect around the world, including in Japan and Mexico - the largest markets for U.S. beef.
Annan to mull request for UN advice on possibility of elections for Iraq: Emerging from what he called “a very frank and open” exchange of views with top coalition and Iraqi officials, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he is considering a request by the parties that he send an advisory team to Iraq to examine the feasibility of elections before the end of June as well as possible alternatives.
'Al-Sistani's Next Move'': Shi'a leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has been flexing his political might in Iraq, urging his loyal followers to take to the streets to peacefully protest the current U.S.
Iraq's Ex-U.N. Envoy: U.S. Sowing Chaos: Saddam Hussein's former U.N. envoy accused the United States of deliberately sowing chaos in Iraq to prevent democracy from taking hold. He accused the United States of creating chaos in occupied Iraq as an excuse to avoid direct elections of a new government because that vote could lead to the United States losing control of Iraq's oil wealth and strategic location.
“Friend of court” applications denounce Guantanamo Bay detentions as illegal: Last week 85 British MPs and more than 50 peers joined a list of over 10 organisations and individuals that have submitted amicus curiae applications to the US Supreme Court over the Bush administration’s illegal detention of Guantanamo Bay prisoners. (more on Gitmo)
U.S. Presses for Leeway in Terror Probes: The Supreme Court will decide this year whether U.S.-designated "enemy combatants" - U.S. citizens and foreigners - can be detained indefinitely without lawyers and hearings.
Globalisation Begets Insecurity Begets Violence: The path of economic globalisation must be changed in order to avoid undermining social security. Otherwise it will continue to exacerbate poverty, and therefore violence, warned World Social Forum panellists in Mumbai on Monday, including Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics.
The Earth's life-support system is in peril: Our planet is changing fast. In recent decades many environmental indicators have moved outside the range in which they have varied for the past half-million years. We are altering our life support system and potentially pushing the planet into a far less hospitable state.
Mastermind Behind Daniel Pearl's Murder Is Moved to New Prison: The man convicted of masterminding the kidnapping and killing of the American journalist Daniel Pearl was transferred Sunday to a prison here, and a leading Pakistani newspaper reported that he had been moved so he could be interrogated about assassination attempts last month on the country's president.
Case galvanizes opponents of U.S. secrecy: An act of secrecy by a Miami judge last year, ''super-sealing'' a lawsuit by a South Florida man detained after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks so that no trace of his case appeared in any public record, has had the opposite of the intended effect.
Australia: Set Example as New Chair of U.N. Rights Body: Invite U.N. Investigators to Visit Australia’s Immigration Detention Centers
1/20
Annan to mull request for UN advice on possibility of elections for Iraq: Emerging from what he called “a very frank and open” exchange of views with top coalition and Iraqi officials, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he is considering a request by the parties that he send an advisory team to Iraq to examine the feasibility of elections before the end of June as well as possible alternatives.
'Al-Sistani's Next Move'': Shi'a leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has been flexing his political might in Iraq, urging his loyal followers to take to the streets to peacefully protest the current U.S.
Iraq's Ex-U.N. Envoy: U.S. Sowing Chaos: Saddam Hussein's former U.N. envoy accused the United States of deliberately sowing chaos in Iraq to prevent democracy from taking hold. He accused the United States of creating chaos in occupied Iraq as an excuse to avoid direct elections of a new government because that vote could lead to the United States losing control of Iraq's oil wealth and strategic location.
“Friend of court” applications denounce Guantanamo Bay detentions as illegal: Last week 85 British MPs and more than 50 peers joined a list of over 10 organisations and individuals that have submitted amicus curiae applications to the US Supreme Court over the Bush administration’s illegal detention of Guantanamo Bay prisoners. (more on Gitmo)
U.S. Presses for Leeway in Terror Probes: The Supreme Court will decide this year whether U.S.-designated "enemy combatants" - U.S. citizens and foreigners - can be detained indefinitely without lawyers and hearings.
Globalisation Begets Insecurity Begets Violence: The path of economic globalisation must be changed in order to avoid undermining social security. Otherwise it will continue to exacerbate poverty, and therefore violence, warned World Social Forum panellists in Mumbai on Monday, including Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics.
The Earth's life-support system is in peril: Our planet is changing fast. In recent decades many environmental indicators have moved outside the range in which they have varied for the past half-million years. We are altering our life support system and potentially pushing the planet into a far less hospitable state.
Palestinians: IDF demolishes 30 homes in Gaza: Frantic residents threw mattresses and blankets from second-floor windows as beams and walls come crashing down around them. One woman, standing just feet from a bulldozer, waved a white flag in a failed attempt to slow the demolition and buy time to salvage her belongings. A crying girl helped her mother carry a mattress.
Mastermind Behind Daniel Pearl's Murder Is Moved to New Prison: The man convicted of masterminding the kidnapping and killing of the American journalist Daniel Pearl was transferred Sunday to a prison here, and a leading Pakistani newspaper reported that he had been moved so he could be interrogated about assassination attempts last month on the country's president.
Case galvanizes opponents of U.S. secrecy: An act of secrecy by a Miami judge last year, ''super-sealing'' a lawsuit by a South Florida man detained after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks so that no trace of his case appeared in any public record, has had the opposite of the intended effect.
Australia: Set Example as New Chair of U.N. Rights Body: Invite U.N. Investigators to Visit Australia’s Immigration Detention Centers
1/19
Israel must stop nuke weapons first: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared in an interview published Monday that Israel must abandon its nuclear arsenal before Arab states can be asked to give up any alleged weapons programmes.
The betrayal of U.S. voters: The morning after the 2000 election, Americans woke up to a disturbing realization: the United States' electoral system was too flawed to say with certainty who had won. Three years later, things may actually be worse.
Isotope analysis shows exposure to depleted uranium in Gulf War veterans: U.S. veterans who were exposed to depleted uranium during the 1991 Gulf War have continued to excrete the potentially harmful chemical in their urine for years after their exposure, according to a new study published in the journal Health Physics.
Desperation and Drastic Measures: The Use and Abuse of Martin Luther King Jr. by Israel's Apologists
Mountain gorillas escape poachers: A new census of gorilla populations in the national parks of three countries in Central Africa has shown a surprise increase in numbers.
U.S. split over Chavez ties to rebels: The Bush administration is growing increasingly divided over the credibility of intelligence reports on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's links to Colombian guerrillas, officials say.
China to become a center of regional cooperation: Brzezinski: At the invitation of China International Strategy Association, former National Security Adviser to the US President Zbigniew Brzezinski made a speech lately in Beijing on "US foreign policy and trend of relations between big countries", indicating that China will become a center of regional cooperation.
Proof: The Allies Could Have Bombed the Camps: Photographs taken by British pilots in 1944, at the height of the Holocaust, reveal the truth of the long-time Jewish claim that the Allies could have bombed the railroad tracks leading to the Nazi death camps - and even the gas chambers themselves.
Arms Issue Seen as Hurting U.S. Credibility Abroad: The Bush administration's inability to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (news - web sites) -- after public statements declaring an imminent threat posed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) -- has begun to harm the credibility abroad of the United States and of American intelligence, according to foreign policy experts in both parties.
What odds Sharon and Arafat: For those of us who enjoy the occasional bet, here's an interesting one. With both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat appearing to be politically damaged below the water line and sinking fast, who would you put your money on to survive the longest in office?
The Long Way for Power in Afghanistan: The difference between educated and/or intellectuals and men of arms is that the former battle using pens in the pursuit of the truth. The truth can only be realized when there is dialogue between men with beliefs and ideologies.
Hunting Trip or Conflict of Interest? Scalia went on a hunting trip with Dick Cheney while the Supreme Court was involved in a case about the vice president's energy task force.
1/18
'If Disintegration in Iraq Takes Place, We Intervene': Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said yesterday that in the event of Iraq's disintegration, Turkey will intervene. Erdogan stated that Iraqi Kurds are trying to take the oil regions under their control and "this should not be allowed. Kurds should be prevented from playing with the fire," warned Erdogan.
45,000 quit AARP over its support of Medicare bill: The nation's largest seniors' organization provided a key boost to Republicans who led the effort to revamp the Medicare program for older and disabled Americans and provide insurance coverage for prescription drugs.
Martin Luther King: Terrorist: On the stunning disparity between a nation that glorifies war and one that honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a holiday.
The Cloaking of Evil: Jesus vs. the Beast of the Apocalypse
Northwest Airlines gave passenger info to feds: Northwest Airlines gave information on passengers to the federal government for a secret air-security project after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the airline said Saturday.
Anti-Semitism: A Practical Manual: This is the whole story in a nutshell.
US to test HIV/Aids Vaccine on 170 people: The US biotech company Chiron Corporation will test an experimental HIV vaccine on some 170 people, Xinhua reports quoting the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
A fence that chops up and annexes: There is no large-scale public project that does not cause occasional hardship to those living in that area; and this is doubly true in the case of a separation fence that turns into a de facto border.
Halliburton, Parsons Win $2 Bln of Iraq Oil Work (Update2): Halliburton Co., Parsons Corp. and Worley Group Ltd. were awarded $2 billion of U.S. government contracts to help restore Iraqi oil output. The agreements replace a no-bid contract given to Halliburton before the U.S.- led invasion in March.
'Rogue' Saddam photos revive ethical debate: Accusations of Geneva Conventions violations have again emerged as new, unauthorised photographs of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein have been published by international news media.
Conditions for rejecting negotiations: It has been made clear to us for the past three years that the Arabs don't understand force. The number deaths, suicide bombings and alerts raise the serious suspicion that the Israeli military "educational system" imposed on the Palestinians has failed.
Snatched: The INS gave Fuad Hassan Ismail a one-way ticket to Somalia. Business as usual, or one more sign that this agency is out of control?
Pope pleas for unity among religions: Pope John Paul II renewed his call for peace in the Middle East on Saturday at a special Vatican concert for reconciliation between Christians, Muslims and Jews. "Jews, Christians and Muslims cannot accept that the world is under the influence of hate and that mankind is ravaged by never-ending wars," said the pontiff. "We need to find, within ourselves, the courage for peace."
Nation torn between Taliban and Uncle Sam: IN THE small town of Qalat in Afghanistan where hundreds have died fighting US and government forces in the past few months, a man is explaining why he thinks the Americans are really in his homeland. "Now there are no Taliban and they are just patrolling in our mountains," he says. "They are going there and taking the precious stones and the gold."
Beef, the Meat of Republicans: Deregulating Themselves to Extinction? Things may be looking grim for progressives these days, given the Republican grip on the media, the American public's seemingly willful obsession with crime and celebrity news, the few really competitive seats in the already Republican-dominated Senate and House, and the increasingly conservative and politically active U.S. Supreme Court.
Telegraph tycoon sacked and sued: Lord Black resigned when irregularities came to light. Media tycoon Conrad Black has been removed as chairman of the Hollinger group and is being sued for damages over unauthorised payments to him.
Anti-Bush fervor fuels Iowa Dems: "We need to get behind one candidate who can beat Bush," Full said. "I just want him out of there."
Red Cross 'disappointed' at Guantanamo conditions: ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger says the inmates face seemingly indefinite imprisonment without formal charges and access to lawyers. "I expressed my disappointment that I did not see the significant changes concerning the legal side and that means the determination of an individual legal status of the persons," he said.
Dr. Marwan Al Kabalan: The shift to the right in America's liberal camp: Since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, commentators and analysts around the world have been trying to understand the evolution of US foreign policy with special reference to a close-knit band of ultra-conservative ideologues in the Bush administration. The impact of the attacks on America's liberal camp has been widely ignored, however.
Questioning the New Imperial World Order: An International Court of Academics, Journalists, Intellectuals and Artists on the geopolitical, humanitarian, social, cultural and economical effects of the war policies devised by the ‘Project for the New American Century’ (PNAC) and put into effect under the Bush War Cabinet.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan: Bush found guilty.
1/17
Concern over human cloning claims: A US fertility specialist is planning to implant a cloned human embryo in a woman's womb but experts say it is "unethical and irresponsible".
Red Cross 'disappointed' at Guantanamo conditions: ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger says the inmates face seemingly indefinite imprisonment without formal charges and access to lawyers. "I expressed my disappointment that I did not see the significant changes concerning the legal side and that means the determination of an individual legal status of the persons," he said.
Dr. Marwan Al Kabalan: The shift to the right in America's liberal camp: Since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, commentators and analysts around the world have been trying to understand the evolution of US foreign policy with special reference to a close-knit band of ultra-conservative ideologues in the Bush administration. The impact of the attacks on America's liberal camp has been widely ignored, however.
Dems Say Homeland Security Efforts Too Little, Too Late: Minority Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee make the charges in a scathing report, which was being released Friday.
CIA Paramilitary Ops and U.S. Special Forces: When CIA paramilitary forces fight alongside Special Operations Forces, complex legal and operational issues can arise, as discussed in this April 2003 research paper published by the U.S. Army War College.
Iraqi cleric probes Allies on handover: A top Iraqi Shia cleric has written to George Bush and Tony Blair questioning their commitment to transferring of power to the Iraqis. Hojat Al-Islam Ali Abdulhakim Alsafi said the transition plan had more to do with elections in the United States than Iraqi interests. News of his letter emerged as tens of thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in the southern, mainly Shia, city of Basra.
World Social Forum opens with anti-war call: More than 100,000 activists from around the world have gathered in India's financial hub, Mumbai, for an anti-globalisation meeting which has opened with an impassioned anti-war appeal.
'A moral war': Even without WMD, more than a few liberals support invasion of Iraq.
Bosnia: Massacre Trial Highlights Obstacles to Justice in the Balkans: The trial in Bosnia of Dominik Ilijasevic—a commander accused of the war time massacre of 38 civilians, among other charges—highlights critical flaws in efforts to prosecute war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper issued today.
State keeps pressure on Microsoft: The US state of Massachusetts says Microsoft still engages in "troubling" practices, despite a deal reached with federal antitrust authorities in 2002.
Questioning the New Imperial World Order: An International Court of Academics, Journalists, Intellectuals and Artists on the geopolitical, humanitarian, social, cultural and economical effects of the war policies devised by the ‘Project for the New American Century’ (PNAC) and put into effect under the Bush War Cabinet.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan: Bush found guilty.
When Sistani speaks, Bush listens: Who is the most powerful man in Iraq today? Not L Paul Bremer, the US viceroy of Iraq, not even Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of the coalition forces. It is that quiet Shi'ite cleric who is seldom seen in public, and who does not grant any interviews, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani. He communicates with his followers through written edicts (fatwas), and everyone, including the US president, listens.
America's Empire of Bases: As distinct from other peoples, most Americans do not recognize -- or do not want to recognize -- that the United States dominates the world through its military power. Due to government secrecy, our citizens are often ignorant of the fact that our garrisons encircle the planet.
EU joins U.S. drive for trade talks: Europe asked the World Trade Organization on Thursday for permission to impose sanctions on the United States for failing to change a law that was ruled an unfair subsidy for American corporations.
Release Saddam say Jordan lawyers: The Jordan Bar Association (JBA) is demanding former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein be released from detention and that US and UK occupiers face war crimes charges.
Pentagon Withholds Cold War Medical Data: The Pentagon is continuing to withhold documents on Cold War chemical and biological weapons tests that used unsuspecting sailors as "human samplers" after telling Congress it had released all medically relevant information.
Iraq: Flawed Tribunal Not Entitled to U.N. Legitimacy: A tri-lateral meeting between the U.N. Secretary-General, members of the Governing Council, and officials from the Coalition Provisional Authority to discuss the future role of the United Nations in Iraq is scheduled in New York for January 19, 2004.
Bush's visit to King's grave draws protest: Looking for election-year support from black voters in the South, President Bush was greeted at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s grave here Thursday by noisy demonstrators who chanted "Go home, Bush!" after receiving a warmer reception at a shabby church in New Orleans.
New Christian site "Don't vote for 'W' ": President Bush may not be able to count on solid voter support from conservative Christians in the upcoming election if a new website run by Christians has any impact. "President Bush has repeatedly, and continues, to justify the wicked; from advancing the homosexual agenda, to funding abortionists, to praising Islam, to signing unconstitutional bills into law that further socialism and shred our Bill of Rights," said Steve Lefemine, director of Columbia Christians for Life.
The sea lions? You paid for them: You knew your tax dollars were funding "pork" projects. Thanks to a nonprofit group, now you can see exactly what they are.
Iraq weapons hunter steps down: David Kay, the chief US weapons hunter in Iraq, has told the CIA he will not return to his post, a US government source said on Thursday.
Anti-Wall Organizers Abducted From Their Homes: Israeli soldiers came and took away the coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in the village of Budrus, Ayed Ahmed Hussein Morrar They also took away his brother, Na'im Ahmed Hussein Morrar who was just released from Israeli military custody yesterday. On January 2, 2004 their brother Nasir Ahmed Hussein Morrar was arrested for making a public speech against the bulldozing of village farmlands.
'Criminal neglect' led to media deaths: The deaths of two journalists in an attack by an American tank and troops on the Palestine hotel in Baghdad were the result of "criminal negligence", for which Washington must bear at least some responsibility, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) said on Thursday.
Media organisations to push AIDS awareness: Leaders of more than 20 media organisations from around the world have agreed to join a United Nations campaign to heighten public awareness to fight the spread of HIV-AIDS.
Slum's the word for World Social Forum: Kibera slum, near the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, is at a considerable distance from the Indian city of Mumbai, where the World Social Forum (WSF) is scheduled to begin in just two days. Nonetheless, the 700 000 inhabitants of this slum, said to be Africa’s largest, will provide one of the summit’s talking points when it gets under way.
Separating Fact from Fiction: As events develop in the Middle East conflict, it seems certain facts continue to be ignored in favor of reiterated ones that owe more to lazy reporting than accuracy.
Aids museum planned for South Africa: Preparations are under way for the establishment of South Africa's first Aids museum, to be located on the site of Soweto's largest hospital, the Baragwanath.
1/16
War of Ideas, Part 3: During the next six months, the world is going to be treated to two remarkable trials in Baghdad. It is going to be the mother of all split screens. On one side, you're going to see the trial of Saddam Hussein. On the other side, you're going to see the trial of the Iraqi people. That's right, the Iraqi people will also be on trial — for whether they can really live together without the iron fist of the man on the other side of the screen.
Pentagon Auditors Call For New Probe of Cheney's Old Company: Auditors determined last month that a Halliburton subsidiary may have overcharged the military by $61 million for gasoline delivered to civilians in Iraq.
The Alvarez Case and the Attack on the Alien Tort Claims Act: The US Supreme Court, prodded by the Bush Administration, has agreed to hear a case in 2004 that may destroy a key legal tool for protecting human rights. The Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) allows victims of international human rights abuses to sue their perpetrators in US courts.
FCC Wants Crackdown on Profanity: The head of the Federal Communications Commission, upset over a growing use of profanity on television and radio, wants to sharply increase the penalties for broadcasters airing indecent programs.
Bounding the Global War on Terrorism: The Bush Administration's war on terrorism is "unrealistic," according to this new study published by the U.S. Army War College. It is "strategically unfocused, promises much more than it can deliver, and threatens to dissipate scarce U.S. military and other means over too many ends."
US military criticises legal process for Guantanamo detainees: Military lawyers assigned by the Pentagon to detainees at Guantanamo Bay are planning to present a brief to the US Supreme Court tomorrow, criticising the fairness of the legal process.
Worldwide Use of Child Soldiers Continues Unabated: Children continued to be used as soldiers, sexual slaves, laborers, porters and spies throughout 2003 in both newly erupting and longstanding armed conflicts, according to a report released ahead of the United Nations Security Council's fourth open debate on children and armed conflict.
Pentagon conscripts soldiers for Iraq war: On January 6, the US Army's news service reported that the defence department intended to extend its “stop loss” orders covering active-duty soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, preventing some 7000 soldiers from either retiring or being discharged, in order to maintain “unit cohesion”.
Emerging triangles: Russia-Kazakhstan-China: The significance of the agreements on energy cooperation achieved during Russian President Vladimir Putin's recently completed visit to Kazakhstan is only an indicator of the consolidation of deeper tectonic shifts in Eurasian security and economic affairs. A new triangle is emerging in East Central Eurasian geo-economics among Russia, Kazakhstan and China.
FTAA Sneaks into Summit Declaration: The Summit of the Americas came to a close Tuesday in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey with a declaration asserting that the hemisphere-wide trade treaty should move forward according to plan because it will foment growth. The mention of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in the final text marked a defeat for Brazil and Venezuela.
Leaders agree to back trade area for Americas: Leaders from 34 American nations agreed yesterday to support a hemisphere-wide trade area without setting a firm deadline, a concession to Brazil and Venezuela.
1/15
Questioning the New Imperial World Order: An International Court of Academics, Journalists, Intellectuals and Artists on the geopolitical, humanitarian, social, cultural and economical effects of the war policies devised by the ‘Project for the New American Century’ (PNAC) and put into effect under the Bush War Cabinet.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan: Bush found guilty.
New Christian site "Don't vote for 'W' ": President Bush may not be able to count on solid voter support from conservative Christians in the upcoming election if a new website run by Christians has any impact. "President Bush has repeatedly, and continues, to justify the wicked; from advancing the homosexual agenda, to funding abortionists, to praising Islam, to signing unconstitutional bills into law that further socialism and shred our Bill of Rights," said Steve Lefemine, director of Columbia Christians for Life.
Anti-Wall Organizers Abducted From Their Homes: Israeli soldiers came and took away the coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in the village of Budrus, Ayed Ahmed Hussein Morrar They also took away his brother, Na'im Ahmed Hussein Morrar who was just released from Israeli military custody yesterday. On January 2, 2004 their brother Nasir Ahmed Hussein Morrar was arrested for making a public speech against the bulldozing of village farmlands.
Separating Fact from Fiction: As events develop in the Middle East conflict, it seems certain facts continue to be ignored in favor of reiterated ones that owe more to lazy reporting than accuracy.
Berlusconi: The decision by the Italian Constitutional Court to reject a law giving five top legislators immunity from prosecution while they are in office has resulted in a deep sigh of relief among other European Union countries.
Survival: The ministers could not believe their ears. Instead of discussing the problem of the Falashmura, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon began to relate how he visited Ethiopia in the 1960s and got stuck in the jungle in a jeep that would not start.
Weekly report on human rights violations Report, PCHR, 8 January 2004: This week, Israeli occupying forces continued to violate the human rights of Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Human rights violations included the use of extra-judicial assassinations and willful killings. Throughout the week, Israeli occupying forces also conducted incursions into Palestinian areas; shot at Palestinian civilians, including children; indiscriminately shelled residential areas; demolished houses; and leveled agricultural land.
War of Ideas, Part 3: During the next six months, the world is going to be treated to two remarkable trials in Baghdad. It is going to be the mother of all split screens. On one side, you're going to see the trial of Saddam Hussein. On the other side, you're going to see the trial of the Iraqi people. That's right, the Iraqi people will also be on trial — for whether they can really live together without the iron fist of the man on the other side of the screen.
Damned Yankees: There was no disguising the disenchantment felt with the Bush administration by many of Latin America's leaders at this week's Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico. There was no surprise, either, in the fact that what little progress was made was focused on fence-mending between the US and its contiguous neighbours and Nafta partners, Canada and Mexico.
Pentagon Auditors Call For New Probe of Cheney's Old Company: Auditors determined last month that a Halliburton subsidiary may have overcharged the military by $61 million for gasoline delivered to civilians in Iraq.
BA in Israel settlement row: British Airways has been accused of supporting Israel's occupation of Palestinian land after advertising its flights in a West Bank Jewish settlement.
The Alvarez Case and the Attack on the Alien Tort Claims Act: The US Supreme Court, prodded by the Bush Administration, has agreed to hear a case in 2004 that may destroy a key legal tool for protecting human rights. The Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) allows victims of international human rights abuses to sue their perpetrators in US courts.
Canadian released from jail in Syria: Muayyed Nureddin - a Canadian citizen arrested by Syrian authorities more than a month ago - has been released and is on his way home. Nureddin was in Iraq visiting family and friends. He was also planning to marry. He left Kirkuk, Iraq last month and was making his way back home to Toronto through Syria when he was taken by Syrian authorities. The last his family saw of him was on Dec. 11.
FCC Wants Crackdown on Profanity: The head of the Federal Communications Commission, upset over a growing use of profanity on television and radio, wants to sharply increase the penalties for broadcasters airing indecent programs.
History Offers Reasons to Be Cautious on Bush's Space Plan: The history of bold visions for human spaceflight is littered with more failures, delays and cost overruns than clear successes. The fates have been particularly unkind to Republican presidents, who twice made their ambitious ventures in election years.
Bounding the Global War on Terrorism: The Bush Administration's war on terrorism is "unrealistic," according to this new study published by the U.S. Army War College. It is "strategically unfocused, promises much more than it can deliver, and threatens to dissipate scarce U.S. military and other means over too many ends."
US military criticises legal process for Guantanamo detainees: Military lawyers assigned by the Pentagon to detainees at Guantanamo Bay are planning to present a brief to the US Supreme Court tomorrow, criticising the fairness of the legal process.
Pentagon conscripts soldiers for Iraq war: On January 6, the US Army's news service reported that the defence department intended to extend its “stop loss” orders covering active-duty soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, preventing some 7000 soldiers from either retiring or being discharged, in order to maintain “unit cohesion”.
Emerging triangles: Russia-Kazakhstan-China: The significance of the agreements on energy cooperation achieved during Russian President Vladimir Putin's recently completed visit to Kazakhstan is only an indicator of the consolidation of deeper tectonic shifts in Eurasian security and economic affairs. A new triangle is emerging in East Central Eurasian geo-economics among Russia, Kazakhstan and China.
FTAA Sneaks into Summit Declaration: The Summit of the Americas came to a close Tuesday in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey with a declaration asserting that the hemisphere-wide trade treaty should move forward according to plan because it will foment growth. The mention of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in the final text marked a defeat for Brazil and Venezuela.
Leaders agree to back trade area for Americas: Leaders from 34 American nations agreed yesterday to support a hemisphere-wide trade area without setting a firm deadline, a concession to Brazil and Venezuela.
'Not so much a constitution as an aspiration': Political power plays at the recently concluded assembly to write a new constitution for Afghanistan raise serious questions about whether the country can hold free and fair elections as scheduled later this year.
Greater Foreign Exchange Autonomy: China's foreign exchange authorities are expected to lift the ceiling for businesses to hold foreign exchange, according to a senior official with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).
Preventing 'rendition': The US and Canada take steps to ensure 'torture-by-proxy' doesn't happen again.
1/14
US military criticises legal process for Guantanamo detainees: Military lawyers assigned by the Pentagon to detainees at Guantanamo Bay are planning to present a brief to the US Supreme Court tomorrow, criticising the fairness of the legal process.
Pentagon conscripts soldiers for Iraq war: On January 6, the US Army's news service reported that the defence department intended to extend its “stop loss” orders covering active-duty soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, preventing some 7000 soldiers from either retiring or being discharged, in order to maintain “unit cohesion”.
Emerging triangles: Russia-Kazakhstan-China: The significance of the agreements on energy cooperation achieved during Russian President Vladimir Putin's recently completed visit to Kazakhstan is only an indicator of the consolidation of deeper tectonic shifts in Eurasian security and economic affairs. A new triangle is emerging in East Central Eurasian geo-economics among Russia, Kazakhstan and China.
FTAA Sneaks into Summit Declaration: The Summit of the Americas came to a close Tuesday in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey with a declaration asserting that the hemisphere-wide trade treaty should move forward according to plan because it will foment growth. The mention of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in the final text marked a defeat for Brazil and Venezuela.
Leaders agree to back trade area for Americas: Leaders from 34 American nations agreed yesterday to support a hemisphere-wide trade area without setting a firm deadline, a concession to Brazil and Venezuela.
'Not so much a constitution as an aspiration': Political power plays at the recently concluded assembly to write a new constitution for Afghanistan raise serious questions about whether the country can hold free and fair elections as scheduled later this year.
UN team returns to south China to track SARS: World Health Organization investigators revisited a live-animal market in southern China on Wednesday, examining chickens, ducks and other edible creatures in their quest to track SARS to its source.
Limits on Individual Freedoms in Cuba 'Eclipse' Social Rights: Restrictions on civil, political and economic freedoms in Cuba "eclipse" the positive impacts of the social rights that the government has always maintained a priority, complained an opposition group here Monday.
Enron couple cop plea bargain, head straight for jail: Andrew Fastow, architect of the financial schemes that led Enron into bankruptcy, was last night ready to admit guilt in a plea bargain deal that will send him and his wife, Lea, to prison.
An Army Stretched Thin: The limits of America's volunteer army are showing, revealing a need to rethink this country's troop levels.
Tom Hurandall Dies of his Wounds at a London Hospital: International Solidarity Movement (ISM), declared Wednesday the death of its member Tom Hurandall in a hospital in London after having been admitted to the hospital for eight months after sustaining a live bullet in his head shot by an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, as Hurandall was trying to protect a group of Palestinian children from Israeli gunfire.
Korea-centrism and the foreign 'threat': More South Koreans perceive the United States to be the greatest threat to their security than assign that role to North Korea. A recent survey by Seoul-based polling firm Research and Research indicates that 39 percent of Koreans view the United States as the greatest threat to Korea's security, with 58 percent of those in their 20s feeling this way. Of the total, 33 percent saw North Korea as the greatest threat.
Give Guatemala's democracy a boost: To the relief of the international community, Guatemalans inaugurate a new president today after resoundingly rejecting the candidacy of Efrain Rios Montt, a former dictator who literally razed much of the country in the early 1980s.
Senate Probing Muslim Charities: A U.S. congressional panel is seeking tax and financial records of Muslim charities as part of an expanding probe into suspected ties between tax-exempt organizations and terrorist groups.
Greater Foreign Exchange Autonomy: China's foreign exchange authorities are expected to lift the ceiling for businesses to hold foreign exchange, according to a senior official with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).
Preventing 'rendition': The US and Canada take steps to ensure 'torture-by-proxy' doesn't happen again.
Agreement won't help, Arar says: The Canada-U.S. consular notification agreement announced yesterday is less than meets the eye, Maher Arar and his supporters say.Despite the positive spin Ottawa is putting on it, ''nothing in this agreement would have changed what happened to me,'' said the Ottawa man, who was deported from the United States to his native Syria in October of 2002.
Reversing the tragedy of weak Arab development: Friends of the Arabs can but mourn the transformation of the Middle East from an advanced and powerful region arguably ahead of Europe to a backward state. It is sobering to realize that as recently as the 1930s, there was no Arab development deficit.
US as Global Free-Trade Leader: For decades, US presidents fought for global agreements to reduce barriers to open markets. But ever since September, when the latest round of World Trade Organization talks collapsed, the Bush administration appeared willing to let negotiations drop and just wait out the 2004 election year in the US.
Death Penalty Debate Absent From Election Talk: When George Ryan, the Republican governor of Illinois state, told 156 inmates last January that they would no longer face execution, those demanding the abolition of the death penalty in the United States hoped it might encourage the Democratic Party to take a firm stand on the issue in the next presidential race.
Terror Watch List Buried in Bureaucratic Mess: The United States still does not have a fully functioning "one stop shop" for checking the identity of suspected terrorists and more than 20 agencies were scrutinizing passenger lists on at-risk flights from Europe during the recent orange alert, according to officials and airline executives.
Arab disarray and Israel's impasse: As Iraq was overrun by the United States, the Arabs did nothing to prevent the outcome. Some Arab states actually assisted the US; others did nothing at all. Even the much-vaunted "Arab street" remained silent. Referring to the "Arab world" these days seems anachronistic.
Bird Flu May Pose Greater Threat to Human Health Than SARS, UN Agency Says: Asia's bird flu outbreak potentially poses a greater threat to human health and life than SARS in the event it becomes transmissible between people, according to the World Health Organization.
Ayatollah's objections leave US confused: The United States administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, has rejected a call by a senior Shiite leader for the direct election of a national government.
US military 'brutalised' journalists: News agency demands inquiry after American forces in Iraq allegedly treated camera crew as enemy personnel.
Court Approves Police Use of Random Roadblocks: The Supreme Court, in a case watched anxiously by law enforcement agencies across America, held Tuesday that police may set up roadblocks to collect tips about unsolved crimes.
Swimming to Cambodia man missing: The writer and actor Spalding Gray was reported missing from his New York home at the weekend by his wife, Kathleen Russo. Police are chasing up a number of leads, including a report that the 62-year-old may have boarded a flight to Colorado.
Army War College report blasts war on terrorism: A scathing new report published by the Army War College broadly criticizes the Bush administration's handling of the war on terrorism, accusing it of taking a detour into an "unnecessary" war in Iraq and pursuing an "unrealistic" quest against terrorism that may lead to U.S. wars with states that pose no serious threat.
Bin Laden's Latest Tape Shows Shift in Strategy: Osama bin Laden's comments on his latest tape break with a pattern set in his previous six audio recordings. This time, the Al Qaeda leader turns his attention away from threats against American civilians and toward Arab regimes he calls brutal. The Bush administration must respond to bin Laden's attempts to win hearts and minds in the Middle East.
Kharrazi, Solana in joint presser: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said here Monday that EU is intent on further bolstering ties with Iran rather than being simple partners.
Scared new world: The security forces are being given dramatic new powers to fight terrorism, as predicted by 'The Independent on Sunday'. The Government is testing biometric ID cards and building a huge database that will reveal our lives at the touch of a button. Cole Moreton looks into the future and finds it's already here.
U.S. Firm, Harris Corp, to Run Iraqi TV - Also to Operate National Newspaper: The Pentagon has awarded a $96 million contract to a U.S. communications equipment maker to run Saddam Hussein's old television and radio network, now called al-Iraqiya, for the next 12 months, the chairman of the company said last week.
MILLIONS IN SLAVERY AS UN NAMES 2004 ABOLITION YEAR: Millions of women, children and men are enslaved around the world - no region is free from this abuse. Slavery today takes many forms: entire families are forced to work as bonded slaves in South Asia, men are used as forced labour in American agriculture and women are trafficked into Europe's sex industry.
1/13
US decision harms interests of both sides: Chinese furniture manufacturers and US retailers have joined forces to condemn the US International Trade Commission's preliminary approval of duties of more than US$1 billion of wooden bedroom furniture from China, seen as a bid to garner support from the US manufacturing sector ahead of this year's presidential elections.
Neo-Cons and the greatest con of all: The latest security measures have merely confirmed the suspicion of the US’ detractors that the country is making a slide towards authoritarianism, with its government showing decidedly fascistic proclivities
Reporting the War in Iraq: Underwhelmed with information – overwhelmed with propaganda: At the close of 2003, 506 US soldiers had died in Iraq, the deadliest year for the US Army since 1972 when the US lost 640 dead in Vietnam.
Some Iraqis see Saddam's PoW status as deal with U.S. to hide past relationship: Iraqi officials expressed fear Saturday that a Pentagon decision to declare Saddam Hussein a prisoner of war will prevent them from putting the ousted dictator on trial.
US reporter admits deception in probe: A top foreign correspondent with USA Today says he resigned from the paper because he allowed a translator to lie for him during an investigation of his work, according to the Washington Post.
Most Favored Democracy: The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies goes on offense.
Dishonest replies to any criticism of the 'neocons': One of the greatest rhetorical and moral challenges of opinion writing is how to respond to or critique aggressively dishonest or tendentious arguments.
Afghanistan´s security nightmare: Security, security, security - the mantra has been repeated almost daily in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban two years ago.
Law of the father is visited upon the son: The current brouhaha over the outing of an undercover CIA officer brings to mind vivid memories and comic ironies.
Lack of reporting hinders work of UN committee on Al-Qaida, Taliban: More than half of all United Nations Member States have yet to submit reports to a key Security Council committee dealing with Al-Qaida and the Taliban, seriously hindering its ability to provide assessments on the effectiveness of the sanctions against the two groups, the panel Chairman said today.
Lies of Omission Can Still Stink Up the Joint: In Washington, the chickens always come home to roost and that stink you smell is all the chicken manure that’s landing on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Which means trouble in the House of Bush, where any attempt to question George II is called treason and truth is a disposable commodity.
Army War College report blasts war on terrorism: A scathing new report published by the Army War College broadly criticizes the Bush administration's handling of the war on terrorism, accusing it of taking a detour into an "unnecessary" war in Iraq and pursuing an "unrealistic" quest against terrorism that may lead to U.S. wars with states that pose no serious threat.
Fly, Fly Away: Now that Big Brother has a way to create a dossier on each and every one of us, flying a commercial airliner puts us at risk of being "persons of interest." Buy a ticket and there is a file with your name on it, to be used by our government, we are assured, only to "track terrorists." The information soon to be demanded of airlines will allow Big Brother to aggregate all other computer-based information about us.
Holding NGOs to Account: This article is unwittingly based in a call from Neoconservative think tanks such as teh American Enterprise Institute who called for an attack on NGO's some time last summer, as tehy were interfering with 'progress' in Iraq. I'll try to find the article/lecture.
Bin Laden's Latest Tape Shows Shift in Strategy: Osama bin Laden's comments on his latest tape break with a pattern set in his previous six audio recordings. This time, the Al Qaeda leader turns his attention away from threats against American civilians and toward Arab regimes he calls brutal. The Bush administration must respond to bin Laden's attempts to win hearts and minds in the Middle East.
Kharrazi, Solana in joint presser: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said here Monday that EU is intent on further bolstering ties with Iran rather than being simple partners.
Scared new world: The security forces are being given dramatic new powers to fight terrorism, as predicted by 'The Independent on Sunday'. The Government is testing biometric ID cards and building a huge database that will reveal our lives at the touch of a button. Cole Moreton looks into the future and finds it's already here.
Human rights, a gift from the Lord: Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Education and Research Alireza Mo'ayeri said Sunday that the Islamic Republic sees the human rights as holy, divine and beyond forged borders.
Rabbi Bears Witness to Destruction of the Amazon Rainforest by U.S. Oil Company: Rabbi Dan Goldblatt returned from Ecuador recently, and what he saw there nearly broke his heart.
Publisher found guilty of acting as agent of Saddam: After less than three hours of deliberation, a federal jury on Monday convicted a south suburban newspaper publisher of operating as an agent of Saddam Hussein's government and then lying to U.S. officials about his ties to the former Iraqi regime.
U.S. Firm, Harris Corp, to Run Iraqi TV - Also to Operate National Newspaper: The Pentagon has awarded a $96 million contract to a U.S. communications equipment maker to run Saddam Hussein's old television and radio network, now called al-Iraqiya, for the next 12 months, the chairman of the company said last week.
Hoisted by their own, brazen pétards: If nothing else, Blair/Bush (or Blash given that they’re joined at the hip) are not backward in coming forward with their ‘reasons’ for waging war on the planet, even as the entire edifice comes tumbling down. Blair went on the media offensive yesterday (11/01/04) on the ‘Frost Interview’ but ended up being merely offensive.
Appetite for Destruction: Neoconservatives have more in common with French revolutionaries than American traditionalists.
Real Cost of Bush's Immigration Plan Staggering: The massive cost of President Bush's proposed changes to the nation's immigration system is an important aspect of the debate over recognizing illegal wokers that has been largely ignored in the debate over the proposal this week.
Melting ice in Yukon reveals ancient hunting artifacts: Archeologists working in the Yukon's melting snow fields say they've found some of the oldest evidence of human habitation in the territory.
The risky business of security: Have we actually benefited from the boom in intelligence 'experts'?
In the Interest of Palestinians and Arabs: "The Palestinians who suffered long from the Israeli occupation regard that it is not only sufficient to try Saddam, but the Arab system as whole should be reconsidered. They think that the Americans and the British should be tried for their illegal occupation of Iraq, for their continuous support for Israel, for encouraging Saddam to wage a gory war .."
Beyond the ballot box: The US presidential race is already remarkable for one thing - people are reasserting their political power
Who Bankrolls Bush and his Democratic Rivals? A look at the presidential race: Enron Corp., the Houston-based energy firm that touched off a financial, legal and political scandal when it declared bankruptcy in December 2001, remains the top career patron of President George W. Bush, whose prolific fundraising in 2003 shattered all previous records for candidates.
War Shadows School Near Fort Hood: Loneliness, Anxiety Grip Students and Staff While Family Members Are Assigned to Iraq
MILLIONS IN SLAVERY AS UN NAMES 2004 ABOLITION YEAR: Millions of women, children and men are enslaved around the world - no region is free from this abuse. Slavery today takes many forms: entire families are forced to work as bonded slaves in South Asia, men are used as forced labour in American agriculture and women are trafficked into Europe's sex industry.
Doll business: When the kids are in bed, America's moms and dads take out their Saddam and Bin Laden dolls
Critics say ruling threatens free speech: Bush protester’s conviction sends message that federal government can quash protests
Big Brother Britain, 2004: Four million CCTV cameras watch public. UK has the highest level of surveillance
Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil: This morning human rights and environmental activists with Global Exchange and Rainforest Action Network daringly repelled down a 32-story skyscraper near the Los Angeles Auto Show and unfurled a giant banner reading, “Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil.”
Democracy on the retreat: Beijing's increasing control over Hong Kong's politics has hit hopes of democratic reform on the island, writes Jonathan Watts
1/12
The risky business of security: Have we actually benefited from the boom in intelligence 'experts'?
In the Interest of Palestinians and Arabs: "The Palestinians who suffered long from the Israeli occupation regard that it is not only sufficient to try Saddam, but the Arab system as whole should be reconsidered. They think that the Americans and the British should be tried for their illegal occupation of Iraq, for their continuous support for Israel, for encouraging Saddam to wage a gory war .."
Beyond the ballot box: The US presidential race is already remarkable for one thing - people are reasserting their political power
Who Bankrolls Bush and his Democratic Rivals? A look at the presidential race: Enron Corp., the Houston-based energy firm that touched off a financial, legal and political scandal when it declared bankruptcy in December 2001, remains the top career patron of President George W. Bush, whose prolific fundraising in 2003 shattered all previous records for candidates.
War Shadows School Near Fort Hood: Loneliness, Anxiety Grip Students and Staff While Family Members Are Assigned to Iraq
MILLIONS IN SLAVERY AS UN NAMES 2004 ABOLITION YEAR: Millions of women, children and men are enslaved around the world - no region is free from this abuse. Slavery today takes many forms: entire families are forced to work as bonded slaves in South Asia, men are used as forced labour in American agriculture and women are trafficked into Europe's sex industry.
Doll business: When the kids are in bed, America's moms and dads take out their Saddam and Bin Laden dolls
Critics say ruling threatens free speech: Bush protester’s conviction sends message that federal government can quash protests
Big Brother Britain, 2004: Four million CCTV cameras watch public. UK has the highest level of surveillance
Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil: This morning human rights and environmental activists with Global Exchange and Rainforest Action Network daringly repelled down a 32-story skyscraper near the Los Angeles Auto Show and unfurled a giant banner reading, “Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil.”
Democracy on the retreat: Beijing's increasing control over Hong Kong's politics has hit hopes of democratic reform on the island, writes Jonathan Watts
Neo-Cons and the greatest con of all: The latest security measures have merely confirmed the suspicion of the US’ detractors that the country is making a slide towards authoritarianism, with its government showing decidedly fascistic proclivities
Reporting the War in Iraq: Underwhelmed with information – overwhelmed with propaganda: At the close of 2003, 506 US soldiers had died in Iraq, the deadliest year for the US Army since 1972 when the US lost 640 dead in Vietnam.
Some Iraqis see Saddam's PoW status as deal with U.S. to hide past relationship: Iraqi officials expressed fear Saturday that a Pentagon decision to declare Saddam Hussein a prisoner of war will prevent them from putting the ousted dictator on trial.
Protests in Iraq: Today saw thousands of former soldiers riot in the streets of Basra after being denied three months worth of survival payments from the CPA.
US reporter admits deception in probe: A top foreign correspondent with USA Today says he resigned from the paper because he allowed a translator to lie for him during an investigation of his work, according to the Washington Post.
Most Favored Democracy: The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies goes on offense.
Dishonest replies to any criticism of the 'neocons': One of the greatest rhetorical and moral challenges of opinion writing is how to respond to or critique aggressively dishonest or tendentious arguments.
BCCI trial puts Bank in dock: Creditors are finally getting the chance to find out how much the Bank of England and financial institutions knew before the collapse, writes Conal Walsh
Palestinians use demographic weapon: Israel describes Palestinian PM's idea of bi-national state as a threat to its existence as Jewish state.
On God's mountain: To an unsuspecting onlooker, the controversy surrounding his narrative was imperceptible. "This," he said, "is a wonder of the world," referring to the stones that supposedly were once part of the foundations of the Second Temple.
Shell Cuts 20% Off Estimates of Oil and Gas in Its Reserves: Royal Dutch/Shell said yesterday that it was reducing its proven oil and gas reserves by 20 percent, a surprising announcement that raised questions about the company and about the tabulation of oil and gas reserves throughout the industry.
Afghanistan´s security nightmare: Security, security, security - the mantra has been repeated almost daily in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban two years ago.
1/11
Who Bankrolls Bush and his Democratic Rivals? A look at the presidential race: Enron Corp., the Houston-based energy firm that touched off a financial, legal and political scandal when it declared bankruptcy in December 2001, remains the top career patron of President George W. Bush, whose prolific fundraising in 2003 shattered all previous records for candidates.
MILLIONS IN SLAVERY AS UN NAMES 2004 ABOLITION YEAR: Millions of women, children and men are enslaved around the world - no region is free from this abuse. Slavery today takes many forms: entire families are forced to work as bonded slaves in South Asia, men are used as forced labour in American agriculture and women are trafficked into Europe's sex industry.
Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil: This morning human rights and environmental activists with Global Exchange and Rainforest Action Network daringly repelled down a 32-story skyscraper near the Los Angeles Auto Show and unfurled a giant banner reading, “Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil.”
NYC 9-11 Truth Takes Back Ground Zero: The NYC Truth Movement permanently, and completely, took back Ground Zero from the Neo-Conservative false-patriotic agenda. In true New York fashion, 911 Truth activists unveiled the now legendary banner, which read, “THE BUSH REGIME ENGINEERED 9-11” in front of the World Trade Center footprint.
Neo-Cons and the greatest con of all: The latest security measures have merely confirmed the suspicion of the US’ detractors that the country is making a slide towards authoritarianism, with its government showing decidedly fascistic proclivities
Reporting the War in Iraq: Underwhelmed with information – overwhelmed with propaganda: At the close of 2003, 506 US soldiers had died in Iraq, the deadliest year for the US Army since 1972 when the US lost 640 dead in Vietnam. In the week following the capture of Saddam Hussein the death rate actually to rose to 19 (the average being nine). I’d like to be able to tell you how many Iraqis died during the same period but the US and the UK don’t think Iraqi deaths are worth recording, let alone reporting them.
Some Iraqis see Saddam's PoW status as deal with U.S. to hide past relationship: Iraqi officials expressed fear Saturday that a Pentagon decision to declare Saddam Hussein a prisoner of war will prevent them from putting the ousted dictator on trial.
Most Favored Democracy: The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies goes on offense.
Dishonest replies to any criticism of the 'neocons': One of the greatest rhetorical and moral challenges of opinion writing is how to respond to or critique aggressively dishonest or tendentious arguments.
Bush and Blair behind Khadaffy's WMD sham: Just before New Year, President George Bush and Britain's PM Tony Blair staged what French call a "coup de theatre." That's Gallic for pulling a political rabbit from one's hat. The rabbit in question was none other than Libya's Col. Moammar Khadaffy, once reviled as the world's most dangerous man and America's Enemy Number One.
BCCI trial puts Bank in dock: Creditors are finally getting the chance to find out how much the Bank of England and financial institutions knew before the collapse, writes Conal Walsh
Palestinians use demographic weapon: Israel describes Palestinian PM's idea of bi-national state as a threat to its existence as Jewish state.
On God's mountain: To an unsuspecting onlooker, the controversy surrounding his narrative was imperceptible. "This," he said, "is a wonder of the world," referring to the stones that supposedly were once part of the foundations of the Second Temple. His theme revolves around "3,000 years of Jewish presence" in Jerusalem, implicitly planting in his listeners' minds the assumption that Jews have first and sole claim to this slice of the holy city.
Shell Cuts 20% Off Estimates of Oil and Gas in Its Reserves: Royal Dutch/Shell said yesterday that it was reducing its proven oil and gas reserves by 20 percent, a surprising announcement that raised questions about the company and about the tabulation of oil and gas reserves throughout the industry.
US court to hear terror test case: The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a US citizen captured in Afghanistan in 2001 who is being held without charge in a US military jail.
Did anybody win the war on poverty?: It was Jan. 8, 1964 -- four decades ago Thursday -- that Johnson announced the campaign and declared in his State of the Union address, "It will not be a short or easy struggle ... but we shall not rest until that war is won."
Afghanistan´s security nightmare: Security, security, security - the mantra has been repeated almost daily in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban two years ago.
Occupiers, UN discuss Iraq's future: US and British ambassadors are meeting United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan before crucial talks on the future role of the world body in Iraq, diplomats say.
After the War: Noam Comsky's Speech delivered at Columbia University, NYC, November 20, 2003, at an event commemorating Edward Said.
Discontent with the U.S. South of the Border: When President George W. Bush joins the Summit of the Americas in Mexico on Jan. 12, he should reflect upon why good will toward the United States has diminished so dramatically in the region during his presidency.
Wounded "Held Captive" at Walter Reed: Disabled Vets Fire Back at Rumsfeld
Journal of a soldier - US Sergeant Muhammad Omar Masry Special to the Middle East Times: My wish list for Iraq in the New Year:
1. No power or water shortages.
2. A functioning court system that people actually trust.
3. All Iraq's debts (mostly used to buy wasted Soviet-era weapons) are forgiven, especially debts to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, since they used Iraq to fight Iran on their behalf in 1980 – 1988 war....
Muddying the world's conscience: The 'war on terror' is being used as cover for a sustained assault on the independence and progressive agenda of NGOs, says Abigail Fielding-Smith
Bye bye free speech: Dissenting Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia called it "a sad day for freedom of speech."
Taming the Arabs: Saddam Hussein, despite all his faults, was viewed in the Arab/Muslim world as a symbol of resistance against the US and Israeli aggression.
Eight Facts About Iraq: The Bush administration, its accomplices in the news media, and the conservative talk show hacks who do the bidding of the Republican party have sold America a bill of goods. The invasion of Iraq was justified, we have been led to believe, because Saddam Hussein was the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler...
1/10
US court to hear terror test case: The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a US citizen captured in Afghanistan in 2001 who is being held without charge in a US military jail. Yaser Esam Hamdi, 22, is challenging the decision to label him "an enemy combatant", thus making him ineligible for normal legal protection.
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq Approach 500: The number of American troops who have died in Iraq since the war began last March is nearing 500, more than U.S. losses in many regional conflicts of the past several decades: the Gulf War, Lebanon, Somalia, Panama, Grenada, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Shell Cuts 20% Off Estimates of Oil and Gas in Its Reserves: Royal Dutch/Shell said yesterday that it was reducing its proven oil and gas reserves by 20 percent, a surprising announcement that raised questions about the company and about the tabulation of oil and gas reserves throughout the industry.
How to Lose Your Job in Talk Radio: Clear Channel gags an antiwar conservative.
Did anybody win the war on poverty?: It was Jan. 8, 1964 -- four decades ago Thursday -- that Johnson announced the campaign and declared in his State of the Union address, "It will not be a short or easy struggle ... but we shall not rest until that war is won."
Afghanistan´s security nightmare: Security, security, security - the mantra has been repeated almost daily in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban two years ago.
Occupiers, UN discuss Iraq's future: US and British ambassadors are meeting United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan before crucial talks on the future role of the world body in Iraq, diplomats say.
After the War: Noam Comsky's Speech delivered at Columbia University, NYC, November 20, 2003, at an event commemorating Edward Said.
Discontent with the U.S. South of the Border: When President George W. Bush joins the Summit of the Americas in Mexico on Jan. 12, he should reflect upon why good will toward the United States has diminished so dramatically in the region during his presidency.
Poll: Bush in Strong Position With Voters: Bolstered by lopsided backing from core supporters, President Bush is in a stronger position with voters than his father or Bill Clinton were at the same stage of their re-election bids, an Associated Press poll found.
Who supports George W. Bush?: Men, evangelicals and rural voters are supporting President Bush by big margins at the start of this election year, while traditionally Democratic-leaning groups such as women have more divided loyalties, an Associated Press poll found.
Nader Says a Run Would Benefit Democrats: He is sounding like a presidential candidate again, charging the Bush administration with "messianic militarism and subservient corporatism," and the Democrats with soft-pedaling liberal policies that were once mainstays of their party.
Wounded "Held Captive" at Walter Reed: Disabled Vets Fire Back at Rumsfeld
Journal of a soldier - US Sergeant Muhammad Omar Masry Special to the Middle East Times: My wish list for Iraq in the New Year:
1. No power or water shortages.
2. A functioning court system that people actually trust.
3. All Iraq's debts (mostly used to buy wasted Soviet-era weapons) are forgiven, especially debts to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, since they used Iraq to fight Iran on their behalf in 1980 – 1988 war....
Refugee Issue Is Right at the Core of the Palestine Conflict: "Across the board, from the mainstream political parties as well as from the refugee camps, the petitions and the declarations have flooded in. Just read any half-dozen and you see immediately that they are unequivocal.
Muddying the world's conscience: The 'war on terror' is being used as cover for a sustained assault on the independence and progressive agenda of NGOs, says Abigail Fielding-Smith
Bye bye free speech: Dissenting Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia called it "a sad day for freedom of speech."
Taming the Arabs: Saddam Hussein, despite all his faults, was viewed in the Arab/Muslim world as a symbol of resistance against the US and Israeli aggression.
US troops on the march - out the army: A report released by the Congressional Budget Office recognized this dilemma, concluding that the active army would be unable to maintain current troop levels in Iraq "beyond about March 2004 if it chose not to keep individual units deployed to Iraq for longer than one year without relief".
Eight Facts About Iraq: The Bush administration, its accomplices in the news media, and the conservative talk show hacks who do the bidding of the Republican party have sold America a bill of goods. The invasion of Iraq was justified, we have been led to believe, because Saddam Hussein was the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler...
Global Consumers Gobbling Up Precious Resources: Following the dubious example of their U.S. counterparts, a growing global consumer class is increasingly devouring the world's natural resources yet appears unlikely to be growing healthier or happier, says Worldwatch Institute's annual 'State of the World' report released here Thursday.
And the twins died: The twin girls died one after the other. The first to die was the one who was born first, at the checkpoint. Several hours later came the death of her sister, who was born a few minutes after they finally left the checkpoint, and who managed to reach the hospital alive. One lived for less than an hour, the other for less than a day.
1/9
9/11 suspect 'deserves 15 years':German prosecutors have called for the maximum sentence for 11 September suspect Abdelghani Mzoudi even though he was freed from custody last month.
Fresh hope for Guantanamo Britons: Relatives' hopes have been raised after a senior American official hinted that seven "medium risk" detainees could be repatriated if the UK "managed" them.
Ex-US Marine and Gulf War Veteran burns his US passport in Baghdad: Standing amidst a cluster of media in the shadow of where the staged toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein by the Americans took place, Mr. O'Keefe somberly, yet angrily stated he was to burn his US Passport. Mr. O'Keefe read the following statement...
Muddying the world's conscience: The 'war on terror' is being used as cover for a sustained assault on the independence and progressive agenda of NGOs, says Abigail Fielding-Smith
Taming the Arabs: Saddam Hussein, despite all his faults, was viewed in the Arab/Muslim world as a symbol of resistance against the US and Israeli aggression. ..The US government knew very well that Iraq had no WMD capability that could constitute a threat even to its immediate neighbours let alone the US itself. Collin Powell and Condaleza Rice openly broadcasted this on TV, well before the war.
NYC TRUTH GROUP UNVEILS SHOCKING BANNER AT WTC: "THE BUSH REGIME ENGINEERED 9-11."
An unnatural disaster : Global warming to kill off 1m species, Scientists shocked by results of research, 1 in 10 animals and plants extinct by 2050Analysis: Is the US Army big enough? In the Pentagon, nobody now disputes that the US Army is really stretched at the moment.
Iraq's Arsenal Was Only on Paper: Since Gulf War, Nonconventional Weapons Never Got Past the Planning Stage
I.M.F. Says Rise in U.S. Debts Is Threat to World's Economy: With its rising budget deficit and ballooning trade imbalance, the United States is running up a foreign debt of such record-breaking proportions that it threatens the financial stability of the global economy, according to a report released Wednesday by the International Monetary Fund.
Kurds start to rock the boat: Tensions over Iraqi Kurd demands for substantial autonomy within a future sovereign Iraq are causing unrest in northern Iraq and growing unease among Iraq's neighbors.
Eight Facts About Iraq: The Bush administration, its accomplices in the news media, and the conservative talk show hacks who do the bidding of the Republican party have sold America a bill of goods. The invasion of Iraq was justified, we have been led to believe, because Saddam Hussein was the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler...
And the twins died: The twin girls died one after the other. The first to die was the one who was born first, at the checkpoint. Several hours later came the death of her sister, who was born a few minutes after they finally left the checkpoint, and who managed to reach the hospital alive. One lived for less than an hour, the other for less than a day.
US pulls out Iraq arms search team: "They picked up everything that was worth picking up," a US official told The New York Times on Thursday, referring to the Joint Captured Material Exploitation Group.
US extremists to be sentenced over bomb plot - Texas couple had arsenal capable of killing thousands: Three Americans are due to be sentenced next month for their involvement in a plot to explode a cyanide bomb capable of killing thousands of people, in a case that has served as a reminder that homegrown terrorism is still a menace in a country permanently braced for another attack from abroad.
1/8
Nine dead in US helicopter crash: A U.S. Black Hawk helicopter went down in Iraq on Thursday, and all nine people on board were killed, a U.S. military spokeswoman said.The military said it was an “emergency landing” but gave no further details. At least four of the victims were soldiers, she said.
US soldier killed in Iraq mortar attack: A US soldier was killed and 34 others wounded when rebels fired mortar rounds at a military base near the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, last night, according to the US military.
Carnegie group says Bush made wrong claims on WMD: The Bush administration will today be accused of "systematically misrepresenting" the threat posed by "Iraq's weapons of mass destruction" in a comprehensive report on post-war findings. The report, by four experts on weapons proliferation at the respected Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is likely to reignite calls for acommission to look into the government's pre-war intelligence claims.
U.S. jobless claims climb: New claims for unemployment benefits increased last week following three straight weeks of declines, the Labour Department said Thursday.
US set to back state control of Iraqi oil: Officials are likely to recommend the creation of a state-run company to own and manage the Iraqi oil industry, shutting out foreign investment and countering, in part, allegations that the US-led invasion of the country was merely an oil grab.
U.S. wants justices to speed terror case: The Bush administration announced yesterday that it will ask the Supreme Court to put its appeal of a key terrorism case on a fast track -- a proposal that, if accepted by the court, would enable the justices to decide on almost all the major pending civil liberties cases related to the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban by summer.
Ottawa set to map out role in U.S. missile plan: The Canadian government is about to take a big step toward joining the controversial U.S. missile shield to protect North America as Prime Minister Paul Martin and U.S. President George W. Bush are set to hold their first bilateral meeting, sources say.
Argentina and US row over Cuba: Diplomatic relations between Argentina and the US deteriorated into mudslinging yesterday after Washington said the country's left-leaning government was too soft on communist-run Cuba.
When this war ends, George Bush will have caused the poisoning of hundreds of thousands more humans than he said Saddam Hussein poisoned.
Analysis: Is the US Army big enough? In the Pentagon, nobody now disputes that the US Army is really stretched at the moment.
Iraq's Arsenal Was Only on Paper: Since Gulf War, Nonconventional Weapons Never Got Past the Planning Stage
I.M.F. Says Rise in U.S. Debts Is Threat to World's Economy: With its rising budget deficit and ballooning trade imbalance, the United States is running up a foreign debt of such record-breaking proportions that it threatens the financial stability of the global economy, according to a report released Wednesday by the International Monetary Fund.
Kurds start to rock the boat: Tensions over Iraqi Kurd demands for substantial autonomy within a future sovereign Iraq are causing unrest in northern Iraq and growing unease among Iraq's neighbors. In the latest of a string of violent incidents in the northern city of Kirkuk, unidentified attackers fired a rocket at the headquarters of one of the two main Kurdish factions, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
Eight Facts About Iraq: The Bush administration, its accomplices in the news media, and the conservative talk show hacks who do the bidding of the Republican party have sold America a bill of goods. The invasion of Iraq was justified, we have been led to believe, because Saddam Hussein was the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler...
US pulls out Iraq arms search team: "They picked up everything that was worth picking up," a US official told The New York Times on Thursday, referring to the Joint Captured Material Exploitation Group.
US extremists to be sentenced over bomb plot - Texas couple had arsenal capable of killing thousands: Three Americans are due to be sentenced next month for their involvement in a plot to explode a cyanide bomb capable of killing thousands of people, in a case that has served as a reminder that homegrown terrorism is still a menace in a country permanently braced for another attack from abroad.
1/7
GIs in Iraq Scoff at Re-Enlistment Bonus: At a checkpoint on the barren plain east of Baqouba, word of a new U.S. Army plan to pay soldiers up to $10,000 to re-enlist evoked laughter from a few bored-looking troopers. "Man, they can't pay me enough to stay here," said a 23-year-old specialist from the Army's 4th Infantry Division as he manned the checkpoint with Iraqi police outside this city 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.
US occupation troops slay Iraqi couple, arrest some 80 people: A firefight between US occupation forces and Iraqi resistance fighters in the town of Fallujah left an Iraqi couple dead, Iraqi police and witnesses said, according to AFP. In northern Iraq, resistance fighters attacked a checkpoint with bullets, killing a policeman and a civilian west of Kirkuk on Wednesday.
Bulgarian troops reject Iraq duty: The deaths of five soldiers have led others to think twice about Iraq. More than 40 Bulgarian soldiers have refused to serve in Iraq following a suicide attack which killed five of their compatriots there last month.
Rumsfeld on defensive over terrorism medal: US Defense Secretary denies playing politics with decision to have single decoration for global war on terrorism.
Army Clears Halliburton of Overbilling, Report Says: Halliburton Co. has been cleared of any wrongdoing in a Kuwait fuel-delivery contract that Pentagon auditors alleged overcharged the U.S. government by more than $100 million, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday.
Terror groups share tactics with Iraqis: And where did they learn this from. The CIA Perhaps?
France Seeking Passenger Who Missed Canceled Flight: Comments from reader: "This is very simple. Why the idiot reporters for the NY Times and world wide have not done this is beyond me. Go to GOOGLE. Search on Abdul Hay. There are enough Hays to choke a mule, and that don't include Gabby neither. There he is- grab him ! He's the one we want ! Abdul Hay- the physicist. Not him you jerk, Abdul Hay the PAINTER from Palestine. Not Abdul Hay the Petroleum expert and professor ? NO stupid, Abdul Hay the Afghan political philosopher. Oh him ! I thought maybe you meant Abdul HAY-the brilliant Syrian musician. He's DEAD you schmuck. Maybe DOCTOR Abdul Hay. Wait wait - You mean that- you're telling me- are you inSINuating that There could be MORE THAN ONE ABDUL HAY ? Holy SHIT. I never thought of that. .."
Iraq Blotted Out Rest of the World in 2003: TV News AIDS killed three million people around the world last year, more than two million of them in Africa. The three major U.S. television networks' evening news programmes devoted a combined total of 39 minutes to the issue.
Likud party vents fury on Sharon: Members of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's right-wing Likud party booed him at a key meeting on Monday. Mr Sharon was addressing the party's central committee for the first time since outlining plans envisaging the removal of some Jewish settlements. He insisted the scheme was "the best plan for (Israeli) security. This is my plan and I will see it carried out."
Three dead as West Bank sweep infuriates Palestinians: Two of the men were shot in the West Bank city of Nablus, where Israeli soldiers have killed at least 17 Palestinians in the past three weeks in clashes with gunmen and youths throwing stones and lobbing concrete blocks from high buildings.
Syria: In search of new friends: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad needs all the friends he can get. He knows better than most that the Middle East has changed out of all recognition in the three-and-a-half years since he came to power after the death of his father.
U.S. to investigate anti-missile systems for commercial airliners: "These efforts are part of a larger undertaking by the (Bush) administration that includes completing security assessments and implementing reasonable responsive measures at our nation's airports as well as working with our international partners to reduce the number of weapons potentially available to terrorists," said Charles McQueary, undersecretary in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in a news release on the department's website.
Bechtel gets new $1.8bn Iraq deal: The US has handed out a fresh multi-billion dollar contract to two firms to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure. Both the firms awarded the $1.8bn deal - Bechtel and Parsons - are already on the ground in Iraq. Bechtel's existing deal is worth about $1bn.
Dirty bomb fears behind US alert: Fear that "terrorists" might set off a dirty bomb were behind US authorities' decision to raise the country's level of alert to "orange" or high, The Washington Post reports.
French hunt airline scare suspect: The French Government has confirmed it is still looking for a passenger who did not turn up for an Air France flight on Christmas Eve. The comments follow reports in the US that European police are searching for an al-Qaeda suspect who had planned to fly from Paris to Los Angeles.
US to ease illegal immigrant laws: George W Bush is due to announce major changes to US law that could give legal status to millions of illegal workers. The plans would allow some of America's immigrant workers - at least eight million, 60% of them Mexican - to work legally in the US for a fixed period.
Annan issues Afghanistan warning: The United Nations secretary-general has warned that Afghanistan's peace process is at a critical juncture. Kofi Annan said that continued violence could jeopardise national elections scheduled for June this year.
INDEPTH: INDIA AND PAKISTAN: Kashmir has been called the world’s most dangerous border and the likeliest place for a nuclear war to erupt. It is the state bordering India and Pakistan, two countries that not only share a past but also a long-standing hatred for each other.
China, India to hold border talks: China has announced that it will hold a second round of talks with India in an attempt to solve the two countries' long-standing border dispute.
New Year Begins with a Visit to the Old: Despite a legacy of 200,000 deaths and more than 50,000 disappearances during the war in the Balkans, the young are prepared to forget -- perhaps because they have less to remember. Reconciliation among young Croats, Slovenes and Macedonians on one side, and Serbs on the other seems possible now.
World News
1/6
US army battles to keep soldiers: The US army is introducing a series of measures to prevent soldiers serving in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan from leaving the service
US soldiers sent home for beating prisoners of war: Three American soldiers have been discharged after being found guilty of viciously beating and harassing Iraqi prisoners of war, some of whom were already injured, a US military spokesman said last night.
Robert Hodierne, Senior Managing Editor, Army Times: Discusses the Army Times survey of military members regarding their views on the Bush administration, the warin Iraq, and other related topics. Over 78% of troops interviewed said they are strectched too thin to be effective. Around the 29th minute of the interview a caller points out that the poll is misleading!
French nationals killed in Iraq: Two French nationals have been shot dead in northern Iraq, the French foreign ministry has said. The pair were killed in the town of Falluja, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the capital Baghdad, a Foreign Ministry spokesman is quoted as sayin
Syria not to scrap WMD unless Israel does; Exiled journalist says Iraqi WMD kept in Syria: "We are a country which is [partly] occupied and from time to time we are exposed to Israeli aggression," Assad said in an interview with the London-based paper. "It is natural for us to look for means to defend ourselves.
Sharon Must be Stopped: "With the eyes of the world focused on Iraq, Sharon found the opportunity to discard the half-hearted initiative of the road map, yet has continued to present Israel as a victim in the media, while gaining time for his draconian strategy on the ground. The result has been a reoccupation of the entire West Bank and 60% of the Gaza Strip.."
Saddam undergoes intense investigations in jail: A source from the Iraqi National Accord (INA) party conveyed to the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper details about Saddam Hussein's daily routine in jail.
12 killed in Afghan bomb blast: At least 12 people, many of them children, were killed when a bicycle bomb exploded in a residential area of this southern Afghanistan city Tuesday. The blast occurred just metres away from an Afghan military base in eastern Kandahar.
South Asia free-trade pact agreed: South Asian nations have agreed to put in place a free-trade zone, aimed at boosting economic co-operation and development in the region. Foreign ministers from the seven nations in the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc) signed a pact at a summit in Islamabad.
Protests widen over sky marshals: More countries have joined the protests against American proposals to place armed guards on US-bound flights. Portugal is the latest nation to voice concern, as its civil aviation authority said that putting loaded guns aboard an aircraft could endanger it.
Iran asks Egypt to restore ties: Iran has asked Egypt to restore full diplomatic relations, the Iranian foreign ministry has said. The move comes after Tehran council renamed a street bearing the name of the assassin of Egypt's President Anwar Sadat - a key Egyptian demand.
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. . . While Abuses Are Confirmed: THE LATEST REPORT from the Department of Justice's inspector general on the treatment of immigration detainees rounded up after Sept. 11, 2001, is among the most disturbing to date
Envoy predicts 'bigger bangs': Britain's top envoy to Iraq last night admitted that the Iraqi resistance was getting "more sophisticated" in its attacks and predicted even "bigger" attacks in future against coalition forces.
U.S. Discharges Troops for Abuse in Iraq: The three soldiers, all from Pennsylvania, were scheduled to face courts martial this month but opted instead to submit to a nonjudicial hearing, in which their conduct was judged by a commander without a jury, Lt. Col. Vic Harris said.
Blair Says Iraq Is a Test for Terror War: That the conflict in Iraq was a test case in the global fight against terrorism and repression, and one that serves as a warning to other ``rogue repressive states developing weapons of mass destruction.''
US introduces new security checks: New US security regulations have come into force that will see most foreign visitors having their photographs and fingerprints taken.
Brazil Begins Fingerprinting U.S. Travelers: Brazil on Thursday began fingerprinting and photographing U.S. visitors on orders of a judge who compared planned U.S. security controls on travelers from Brazil and other nations to Nazi horrors. U.S. to let Kurds keep autonomy in north: The Bush administration has decided to let the semiautonomous Kurdish government remain as part of a newly sovereign Iraq despite warnings from Iraq's neighbors and many Iraqis not to divide the country into ethnic states, American and Iraqi officials said.
Israel warned of apartheid boycott: Israel's Justice Minister has warned the country it could face an international boycott similar to that imposed on South Africa's apartheid regime unless it rethinks the route of the West Bank separation barrier.
New ray of hope for South Asia's poor: As the 12th summit meeting of leaders from the seven-nation Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) opened in Islamabad yesterday, many delegates had reason to celebrate the south Asian free trade agree
Indian and Pakistani leaders meet: Their first face-to-face meeting today since the two countries went to the brink of war two years ago, boosting hopes for a lasting peace between the two nuclear rivals.
China confirms SARS case: "Guangdong province reported one confirmed case of SARS. In the rest of the country there were no suspect, clinically confirmed or confirmed cases," the Ministry said in its daily SARS report.
Khmer Rouge leader now pleads ignorance: Shift comes as trial for genocide nears
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Resistance Fighters Kill 3 American Soldiers In Iraq: Iraqi resistance fighters hit a U.S. base in central Iraq with mortar shells, killing one American soldier and injuring two others, a U.S. military spokesman said Saturday. Two other troops were killed in a separate bomb attack.
Qorei slams international ‘silence’ over deadly Nablus raids: “Whenever the Palestinians carry out any attacks or operations against Israel they are condemned by the whole world but when Israel carries out attacks against our people, the international community stays silent,” Qorei told Voice of Palestine radio.
Is America Becoming Fascist? The similarities between American fascism and particularly the National Socialist precedent, both historical and theoretical, are remarkable. Fascism is home, it is here to stay, and it better be countered with all the intellectual resources at our disposal.
Too Much Power: THIS YEAR'S intelligence authorization bill provided a little-noticed and dangerous expansion of a peculiar and unaccountable FBI investigative power. Last-minute efforts to modify the provision in conference committee failed, unfortunately, so the bureau now has more power to compel the production of certain business records in national security investigations, with no court oversight and in nearly total secrecy.
UK soldiers kicked Iraqi prisoner to death: Eight young Iraqis arrested in the southern Iraqi town of Basra last year were assaulted by British soldiers, and one of them died of his injuries, a British newspaper said in its Sunday edition.
Two Years: Two years after American troops arrived in Kabul, how is the Bush administration's project for a democratic and prosperous Afghanistan coming along? Well, the opium crop is booming: 3,600 tonnes this year, almost back up to the peak production of 4,600 tonnes that was reached before the Taliban banned the crop in 1999. Virtually none of the revenue finds its way into the hands of Hamid Karzai's interim government in Kabul, however: the provincial warlords who control almost everything outside the capital keep it for themselves.
Victory in Iraq: deliverance or disaster?:Eight months after the end of the war, Iraqis are more concerned with everyday issues such as security, electricity, fuel, health care, drinking water and education. It is there, rather than the round-up of Ba'athists loyal to the old regime, that the coalition will be judged.
Momentous steps on the agenda: Leaders of seven South Asian nations will approve a landmark framework agreement for free trade in the region, a protocol on cutting off terrorist funding and a social charter during their summit beginning today.
Pope calls for new world order: Pope John Paul II has launched one of the most important diplomatic initiatives of his long papacy with a call for a new international order to replace the one that emerged from World War II.Though he did not offer a detailed plan, the pontiff's words appeared to show he wanted the United Nations replaced in light of its failure to block the use of force by the United States in Iraq.
Israel in no hurry to clear the nuclear fog: For the Bush Administration to pressure Israel to declare its weapons of mass destruction and explain the circumstances under which they might be used would, at least, remove a glaring double standard in its often sanctimonious proclamations. And it would reassure moderate Arab neighbours. But such pressure is unlikely.
A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm: The 1996 Document by US leading NeoCons to Netanyahu - No more land for peace, "peace for peace" = Israeli hegemony in the ME. A must read/know. Along with RAD , you might say "the thrill is gone" (ie all of what is taking place internationally has been spelled out by these documents). Put down the Brothers K for a day and read these two.
U.S. Restricts Demonstrations In Iraq: A statement issued by the U.S.-led authority and broadcast by the Iraqi media network Wednesday, December 31, said no individual or group is allowed to organize marches or demonstrations or even gather in streets, public places or buildings at any time without a prior from the occupation command.
"David Kay leaving empty handed": The man the Bush administration put in charge of finding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, David Kay, announced this week that he is stepping down from his post sometime early in 2004. Kay heads the Iraq Survey Group (ISG)
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ONE SOLDIER KILLED, TWO WOUNDED IN MORTAR ATTACK: One 4th Infantry Division soldier was killed and two were wounded at approximately 4:25 p.m. Jan. 2 in a mortar attack in the vicinity of Balad. The wounded soldiers were taken to the 21st Combat Support Hospital for treatmen
US Army buys millions in anthrax shots: The US Defence Department has announced a $US29.7 million order for anthrax vaccine based on the assumption that a federal judge's ban on mandatory inoculations will be reversed.
US soldiers ransack Sunni mosque: The American troops who burst into his mosque on Thursday morning had smashed down the front gate, broken the air conditioners and ripped up the carpets. They had also thrown several Korans on the floor and allegedly punched the man giving the call to prayer in the face.
Train attacked in Western Iraq as Bulgarian troops refuse to serve in Iraq: "An Iraqi train en route to Babbaniyah was attacked with a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG)," on Wednesday, the 82nd airborne division said. Meanwhile, scores of Bulgarian troops have refused to join a 500-member contingent heading for Iraq after attacks there in which five Bulgarian soldiers died, the chief of staff of the Bulgarian Army said Friday.
No need for an election: God has called the winner: Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Friday he believes God has told him President Bush will be re-elected in a "blowout" in November. "I think George Bush is going to win in a walk," Robertson said on his "700 Club" program on the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network, which he founded. "I really believe I'm hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004. It's shaping up that way.
Republican Power Means Less for States: Traditionally the champions of small government and states' rights, President Bush and his allies in Congress have aggressively pursued policies that expand the powers of Washington in the schoolroom, the courthouse, the home and the doctor's office.
More Flights Canceled Amid Air Safety Net: Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said officials are getting "an enormous amount of much more than single-source reporting that is very specific." The information can come from computerized watch lists, interception of communications and intelligence agents, he said.
Al Qaeda's D.C. Death Jet Plot: An al Qaeda terror team has been plotting to hijack Washington-bound British Airways Flight 223 and crash it into the nation's capital, officials said yesterday.
Iran rejects US dialogue overture without major policy shift: Iranian President Mohammad Khatami rejected Tuesday any dialogue with Washington without a radical shift in US policy, despite welcoming American aid for victims of last week`s devastating earthquake.
Karzai calls for consensus following boycott of Afghan convention: President Hamid Karzai on Saturday called on hundreds of delegates who have buoycotted a vote on the country’s first constitution to work towards consensus, in a move aimed at dampening bitter ethnic rivalries.
Israel Seeks to Gag Nuclear 'Spy': Israel is looking for ways to gag a whistleblower who is due to be released from prison in the new year, fearing that he may have more nuclear secrets to disclose that will embarrass the government, officials said yesterday. Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technician, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for espionage after giving dozens of pictures and a description of alleged weapons from Israel's top-secret Dimona nuclear reactor to the Sunday Times in 1986.
Four Palestinians killed by IDF in incidents in Nablus, Gaza: Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot dead three Palestinians on Saturday in the bloodiest confrontation in at least two weeks in the West Bank city of Nablus while a fourth Palestinian was killed in the Gaza Strip.
Israel in no hurry to clear the nuclear fog: For the Bush Administration to pressure Israel to declare its weapons of mass destruction and explain the circumstances under which they might be used would, at least, remove a glaring double standard in its often sanctimonious proclamations. And it would reassure moderate Arab neighbours. But such pressure is unlikely.
148 killed when Egyptian plane crashes soon after take-off: An Egyptian Boeing 737 airliner carrying 135 mostly French tourists crashed into the Red Sea off the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday and eyewitnesses said they saw no sign of survivors.
The new cold war: In the dying weeks of another war-filled year, one bit of good news was the non-violent uprising which toppled Eduard Shevardnadze's regime in Georgia. But as the Caucasian republic goes to the polls tomorrow to choose a successor, the risk of bloodshed remains high and powerful external forces are trying to determine how the new president behaves.
A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm: The 1996 Document by US leading NeoCons to Netanyahu - No more land for peace, "peace for peace" = Israeli hegemony in the ME. A must read/know. Along with RAD , you might say "the thrill is gone" (ie all of what is taking place internationally has been spelled out by these documents). Put down the Brothers K for a day and read these two.
U.S. Restricts Demonstrations In Iraq: A statement issued by the U.S.-led authority and broadcast by the Iraqi media network Wednesday, December 31, said no individual or group is allowed to organize marches or demonstrations or even gather in streets, public places or buildings at any time without a prior from the occupation command.
U.S. Nuke Labs' Security Facing Review: Worries about missing keys and other security lapses at some of the nation's top-secret nuclear weapons labs have prompted the federal agency that maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile to review locks, keys and procedures at facilities nationwide.
"David Kay leaving empty handed": The man the Bush administration put in charge of finding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, David Kay, announced this week that he is stepping down from his post sometime early in 2004. Kay heads the Iraq Survey Group (ISG)
World News
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One US soldier killed as Iraqi foreign fighter smuggler captured: A U.S. military helicopter crashed west of Baghdad on Friday, killing one soldier and injuring another, the U.S. military said. The crash of the OH-58 Kiowa helicopter near the town of Fallujah was under investigation, the military said, according to The AP.
Deadly ethnic violence hits Kirkuk: Kirkuk leaders hold crisis talks to defuse deadly ethnic violence that has left seven dead in three days.
U.S. Has Big Plans for Embassy in Iraq: In preparation for ending its occupation of Iraq, the United States is making plans to create the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in the world in Baghdad, complete with a staff of over 3,000 personnel, according to U.S. officials.
Reason for rise in militancy: The large groups of Muslims who express anger towards the US and its western allies and evince some sympathy towards certain militant groups, pose the biggest internal challenge to their societies. These groups, whose members come mainly from lower-middle and lower classes, have a lot of social frustrations and are burdened by economic conditions and governed by political systems that offer them little say in their future. [Another example of the universal reality of the violent manifestations fo social oppression].
Brazil Begins Fingerprinting U.S. Travelers: Brazil on Thursday began fingerprinting and photographing U.S. visitors on orders of a judge who compared planned U.S. security controls on travelers from Brazil and other nations to Nazi horrors.
Lessons for America’s fiscal recklessness: George W. Bush has done more to wreck US economic policy than any other President in American history, exceeding even his mentor, Ronald Reagan. In just three years in office, he has destroyed a fragile political consensus that had taken a decade to construct, and that could take another decade to re-create. In doing so, Bush has risked America’s long-term economic health and social stability.
Afghanistan delays constitution: Critics blamed the government for its insistence on a strong presidency, and its unwillingness to hear minority demands on such emotive issues as language rights. Others point to the machinations of warlords and faction leaders seeking a new niche if Karzai wins the powers he is seeking.
North Korea authorises US nuclear visit: It is the first foreign visit to North Korea's controversial nuclear facilities since UN inspectors were expelled a year ago.
Protesters in Hong Kong seek elections: A huge throng marched through Hong Kong on New Year's Day to demand free elections, in the largest demonstration here since three protests in July forced the government to postpone and later withdraw a proposal for stringent internal-security laws.
China considers abating Iraq's debts by a big margin: James Baker, US president's special envoy for handling Iraq's debt issue, paid a visit to China on December 29-30, during which he met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao respectively.
Protests, gala mark Haiti bicentennial turns violent: President Jean-Bertrand Aristide pledged to improve life for his impoverished nation Thursday as police blocked thousands of anti-government demonstrators during celebrations marking Haiti's 200th anniversary of independence from France.
Zapatista Rebels Mark 10th Anniversary: Mexico's Zapatista rebels celebrated the 10th anniversary of their bloody uprising against the Mexican government, with quiet celebrations that were a sharp contrast to the show of force the Indian rights movement displayed in the past.
Judge's ruling buoys insurers in World Trade Center case: A U.S. judge has ruled against the World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein, saying Swiss Reinsurance and 19 other insurers may use at trial a federal appeals court ruling that the Sept. 11, 2001, twin terrorist attacks on the building complex were one occurrence.
US ready to invade Middle East in 1973: The US considered invading Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi after the 1973 Arab- Israeli war, newly revealed documents have claimed.
Bombs Away, Vieques Unearths Toxic Navy Trash: Now that the U.S. Navy is gone, residents of the Puerto Rican island-town of Vieques must deal with the daunting question of what to do about the toxic mess caused by decades of military activity. Weapons tested in the firing range included highly polluting depleted uranium ammunition.
PNAC Memorandum to Opinion Leaders: I wanted to draw your attention to a bi-partisan letter recently sent to President Bush that is cited in a front-page USA Today article, "Push is on for Larger Military: Congress Moves After Years of Downsizing."
New Year, same old: The only positive thing that can be gleaned from these numbers is that the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army in 2003 was less than half the number for 2002.
World News
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Baghdad restaurant blast kills five: The blast was outside a restaurant in the smart Karrada district of the capital, not far from the city centre and popular with foreigners. Iraqi police say the bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber, and that a second bomber was arrested inside the cafe. At least 25 people were injured in the latest attack and hospital officials say seven of these were very seriously hurt
Blast kills Iraqi civilian in Kirkuk as occupation troops carry out arrest campaign north of BaghdadHalliburton loses Iraq fuel contract with US military: The military said the Defence Energy Support Centre (DESC), a Pentagon agency, and the Iraqi oil ministry would organise a tender for the supply of petrol and other fuel to US troops in Iraq. Pentagon officials, quoted by US media, said there was no link between the change and accusations that a Halliburton subsidiary, Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), may have overcharged for fuel by $US61 million.
Iran rejects political impact of US aid: "In incidents like this governments normally do not consider their differences," he said. "But this has got nothing to do with political issues. The problems in Iran-US relations are rooted in history." "Nevertheless, I thank all...those who helped us and showed sympathy despite our different viewpoints," Khatami said.
Thousands march in Hong Kong for full democracy: Shouting "We demand more democracy" and "One man, one vote", political activists, workers and families filed slowly from a park in the busy Causeway Bay shopping district toward government offices in central Hong Kong.
Delegates Concerned About Karzai Comments: President Hamid Karzai´s (CIA employee/Unocal Consultant) insistence on a powerful presidency under Afghanistan´s new constitution is driving a dangerous wedge between his Pashtun kinsmen and smaller ethnic groups, delegates and analysts warned Wednesday.
Golan settlement plan under fire - The plan will see the population rise by 50% over three years: There has been international condemnation of Israel's announcement that it plans to increase the number of settlements in the Golan Heights.
2003 Through Rafah: The year 2003 started and ended with Israeli forces invading Rafah refugee camp and demolishing refugee homes.
Saudi thinkers debate 'extremism': Saudi Muslim clerics and intellectuals have adopted a series of recommendations on combating extremism, following a second round of "national dialogue" in the holy city of Mecca.
Hard-line U.S. Foreign Policy: Symbolic Gain, Real Pain: Lately, the Bush administration and its neo-conservative supporters have been crowing about how President Bush’s hard-line foreign policy caused Muammar Qaddafi to end his unconventional weapons programs and open them to international inspections.