Thursday 12 November 2009

News For November 12, 2009

America’s Dismal Future

By Paul Craig Roberts

Allegedly, the US is a superpower and Israel is a client state whose very existence depends entirely on US military and economic aid and diplomatic protection. Yet, in the real world it works the other way. Israel is the superpower and the US is its client state. Continue


From the River to the Sea

By Gilad Atzmon

Let’s once and for all stop getting excited about America mounting pressure on Israel to freeze West Bank settlements. The entire fascination with the topic is a product of Zionist spin. It is there to divert attention from the root cause of the conflict: Continue


How the US Funds the Taliban

By Aram Roston

"The American soldier in me is repulsed by it," he said in an interview in his office at FOB Shank in Logar Province. "But I know that it is what it is: essentially paying the enemy, saying, 'Hey, don't hassle me.' I don't like it, but it is what it is." Continue


A Morally Bankrupt Military
When Soldiers and Their Families Become Expendable

By Dahr Jamail

According to military records, over 43,000 troops classified as “nondeployable for medical reasons” have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Continue


Lack Of Health Care Killed 2,266 US Veterans last Year: Study

By AFP

The number of US veterans who died in 2008 because they lacked health insurance was 14 times higher than the US military death toll in Afghanistan that year, according to a new study. Continue


Slavery Still Hs Defenders

Business Aims to Relax Bans on Products Made with Child & Slave Labor

By David Sirota
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That corporations' advocacy for deregulation has now become so brazen that they are effectively pushing the U.S. government to endorse child slave labor is predictable. Continue


27 killed in Waziristan assault: Pakistani troops have killed 22 Taliban militants during the ongoing military offensive the country's restive north-western region, the army said Thursday. Five soldiers also died and eight more were injured in the clashes that took place in various areas of South Waziristan

10 Pakistani soldiers killed in clashes: At least 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed today when troops encountered the stiffest resistance yet during a four-week offensive against the Taliban, military and security officials said.

Iran consulate official killed in Peshawar: Unknown gunmen have shot dead a local official at Iran's consulate in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar.

Afghanistan: Over 2,000 civilians killed in first 10 months of 2009: Armed conflict in Afghanistan claimed the lives of over 2,000 civilians from January to October 2009, and the numbers are rising, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

US Afghan mission 'not open-ended': President Barack Obama has warned that the US commitment to Afghanistan is 'not open-ended' and that he does not plan to accept any of the options presented by his advisors, a White House official says.

Obama Asks for New Afghan Options: Video: President Barack Obama won't accept any of the Afghanistan war options before him without changes as concerns soar over the ability of the Afghan government to secure its own country one day.

Blaming Karzai: : U.S. envoy to Afghanistan warns about sending more troops: Ambassador Karl Eikenberry had sent classified cables in the past week expressing strong reservations about President Hamid Karzai's erratic behavior and corruption in his government

Afghanistan’s Oil Binge: 22 Gallons of Fuel Per Soldier Per Day: The U.S. military consumes 22 gallons of fuel per soldier, per day. And each gallon costs $45 or more to haul to the battlefield. Actually, $45 per gallon is a lowball estimate; according to the Navy, it’s more like $300 to $400.

UK: Row over bonuses for MoD staff: "Every foot soldier is basically earning nothing. But they can give these huge bonuses while our boys give up their lives," the mother of three said.

Attacks kill 2 paramilitary members in Iraq: Two Awakening Council group members were killed and five people injured in two separate attacks in and near Baghdad on Thursday, an Interior Ministry source said.

US security firm in Iraq bribe row: The New York Times says quoting former top executives at Blackwater Worldwide that the US security contractor sent about $1 million to its Iraq office. The intention was to pay off officials in the country who were angry about the fatal shootings of 17 civilians by Blackwater employees in September 2007

Scahill: Obama may be afraid of Blackwater: "You know who's guarding Hillary Clinton in Afghanistan right now? Blackwater," Scahill told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Tuesday night. "You know who guards members of Congress? Blackwater. They have half a billion dollars in contracts in Afghanistan right now.

KBR improperly billed for security guards, senator says: KBR, the largest contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan, improperly billed the Pentagon and was paid about $103 million for armed security guard services, a U.S. senator says.

U.S. adviser to Kurds stands to reap oil profits: Galbraith, 58, son of the renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, stands to earn perhaps $100 million or more as a result of his closeness to the Kurds, his relations with a Norwegian oil company and constitutional provisions he helped the Kurds extract.

Iran consulate official killed in Peshawar: Unknown gunmen have shot dead a local official at Iran's consulate in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar.

Teheran urges Russia to deliver S-300: "We have a contract with Russia to buy S-300 missiles. I don't think it is right for Russia to be seen in the world as a country which does not fulfill its contractual obligations," AFP quoted Iranian Defense Minister Vahidi as telling the ILNA news agency.

Nasrallah slams Obama Israel 'bias': The leader of the Lebanese group Hezbollah has accused Barack Obama, the US president, of "absolute bias" in favour of Israel and of disregard for the dignity of Arabs and Muslims.

Palestinian poll delay recommended: Electoral body informs Mahmoud Abbas about its inability to organise polls on January 24.

Alleged Jewish terrorist: I know God is pleased : Court charges Yaakov (Jack) Teitel with murdering 2 Palestinians, attempted murder and incitement.

Yemen, US sign military deal as country fights rebels: Yemen has signed an agreement with the United States for cooperation on military intelligence and training, its official news agency reported, as the Arabian peninsula state faces a worsening rebellion in the north.

Yemen seeks US help to quash Houthis: Under the military pact, Washington will provide the Yemeni army with intelligence and training to strengthen cooperation in the 'extermination of terrorism, smuggling and piracy', Saba quoted Yemen's Chief of Staff Ahmed Ali al-Ashwal as saying.

Judge shot dead in Somalia: A judge who jailed pirates and members of Somalia's anti-government group, al-Shabab, has been shot dead in Bossaso, a port in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, police say.

S Korea 'will pay dearly for sea clash': The navies of the two sides clashed off the countries' west coast Tuesday for the first time in seven years, leaving a North Korean naval boat severely damaged.

Ugly Truth: Most U.S. Kids Sentenced to Die In Prison Are Black: The U.S. stands alone in the world in condemning thousands of juveniles to life without parole. And race is a huge factor. Will the Supreme Court even consider it?

America's dirty little secret: Influence wielded by coal-producing states – 25 of them – is the big reason the U.S. is a climate-change laggard

Budget 'disasters' await ten US states: Nine US states have joined California in the club of the worst financially-hit states which face a fiscal 'disaster' over America's reeling economy, a report says.

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