Thursday 25 February 2010

News For February 24, 2010

UN: 346 Afghan Children Killed in 2009, More Than Half by NATO

By DPA

She said 131 children were killed in airstrikes, while 22 were killed in nighttime raids by international special forces. Continue

Afghan Senators Demand Execution of Foreign Troops

By Juan Cole

Some senators went farther, demanding that NATO or US military men responsible for the deaths be executed. Senator Hamidullah Tokhi of Uuzgan complained to Pajhwok that the foreign forces had killed civilians in such incidents time and again, and kept apologizing but then repeating the fatal mistake: "Anyone killing an ordinary Afghan should be executed in public." Continue

The Warlord's Tune:
Afghanistan's War on Children

By Mark Bannerman for Four Corners

Sexual slavery involving boys as young as 10 is being condoned and in many cases protected by authorities in northern Afghanistan. Continue

The Rationale for Keeping U.S. Forces in Iraq

By Jeremy R. Hammond

With the deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq at the end of next year creeping nearer, the U.S. has to find some way to convince the Iraqi government to allow a continued military presence, which is the likely outcome despite the U.S.-Iraq status of forces agreement containing the deadline. Continue

US Cash For Terror
US Offered Rigi 'Extensive Aid' for Iran Attacks

By Press TV

The following is the detailed transcript of Rigi's confession, stated in Farsi, as broadcasted on Press TV. "After Obama was elected, the Americans contacted us and they met me in Pakistan. Continue

Listen to the Heroes of Israel

By John Pilger

"Our children," said Nurit at a rally last December to mark the anniversary of the Israeli assault on Gaza, "have learned this year that all the disgusting qualities which anti-Semites attribute to Jews are actually manifested among our leaders: deceit, greed, and the murder of children … " Continue

Reporters with Conflicts of Interest in Israel

By Jonathan Cook

Do you have to be Jewish to report on Israel for the New York Times? Continue

How Prime Minister Hotoyama Can Stop The "Japan Bashing"

By Mike Whitney

Japan should not allow itself to be publicly humiliated by the world's biggest human rights abuser. Continue

Waiting to be Saved
The Sad Case of the ‘ Unconnected Dots ‘

By Philip A Farruggio

The apathy level seems to be greater now than even under the Bush & Cheney Gang’s rule. Maybe that’s it. Maybe all the good folks, the ones who did not buy into the crap that the Bush & Cheney Gang was selling, maybe they are now locked into Mr. Obama and the Democrats. Continue

We are all Mexicans now
Tortillas and the Corporate State

By Joe Bageant

Denying the existence of class, deeming all Americans (excepting a few too-obvious-to-be denied cases, such as inner city blacks and the poorest of immigrants), "middle class" was one of American capitalism's great strokes of genius. Continue

Occupation 'killed 346 Afghan kids' in 2009: "131 of these were by aerial strikes, 22 by search-and-raid by Special Forces; 128 were killed by anti-Government elements, including assassinations and suicide bombings," she said during a visit to Kabul.
Nato admits that deaths of 8 boys were a mistake: Ten children and teenagers died when occupation force troops stormed a remote mountain compound near the border with Pakistan in December.
100 "Taliban militants" killed in operation: One hundred Taliban militants have been killed and 50 others detained since the Operation Moshtarak or Together against Taliban bastion in Marja in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province was launched 13 days ago, Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said Thursday.
Second British occupation force solder killed in Afghanistan in two days: A soldier was shot dead while on patrol in Afghanistan today - the second British serviceman killed in two days, the Ministry of Defence said.
Afghan flag flown over Marjah town: But the government faces an uphill battle to win over locals in Marjah. Many young men in the area admitted to Al Jazeera that they had fought for the Taliban in the past.
Officials puzzle over millions of dollars leaving Afghanistan by plane for Dubai: A blizzard of bank notes is flying out of Afghanistan -- often in full view of customs officers at the Kabul airport -- as part of a cash exodus that is confounding U.S. officials and raising concerns about the money's origin.
Extrajudicial Killing: US kills nine suspected militants in Pakistan: Nine suspected militants from Punjab were killed in a US drone attack on a house in Peerano Killay near Miramshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, on Wednesday, official and tribal sources said.
Three killed in two separate attacks in northern Iraq: Three civilians were killed in two separate attacks on Thursday in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, according to a local police source.
Anti-American bloc gains ground ahead of Iraq vote: The political movement of Iraq's best-known anti-American cleric has emerged as a major contender in next month's national elections, raising the possibility that the next prime minister could be openly hostile to the U.S. and friendly toward Iran.
Did Tony Blair use Hitler’s rhetoric to go to war in Iraq?: ABUSE of rhetoric led Britain into invading Iraq in the same way the Nazis used oral propaganda to mobilise for war, a leading communications professor in East London argues.
Iraq to sack 376 security officers for alleged Baath links: An Iraqi body responsible for purging Saddam Hussein's Baath party members from government jobs on Wednesday issued a list of 376 Iraqi police, army and intelligence officers to be fired over links to the outlawed Baath party.
Ahmadinejad: Arab world will usher in new Mideast without Zionists: Before leaving Tehran, Ahmadinejad told reporters that 'the Zionist regime and its sponsors' are rapidly approaching a dead-end, according to the Iranian Students News Agency.
Iranian bank wins ruling against UK sanctions: The government has accused the privately owned bank of providing financial services to companies involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programs. The Treasury acted in October to forbid any U.K. financial companies from doing business with the bank.
France: Dubai assassins stole French identities: Earlier Thursday, Australia warned Israel that if it was involved in the alleged use of three forged Australian passports in the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai, it would not be considered the act of a friend.
I will leave here an innocent man, vows Olmert at start of graft trial: Ehud Olmert became the first former prime minister in Israel's history to stand trial Thursday, as he arrived at Jerusalem District Court for the opening of his trial for alleged corruption.
Bribery and corruption: Deputy FM: Israel will increase aid to S. America in return for support: Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said "Israel intends to increase the aid it sends to South American and Latin American states, but in return it expects support from them in the UN."
Cuban president regrets jailed dissident's death: Cuban President Raul Castro issued an unprecedented statement of regret Wednesday over the death of a jailed dissident after a lengthy hunger strike that has sparked condemnation in Washington and in European capitals.
We don't need US, says Latin America: - Latin American and Caribbean nations have agreed to create a new regional alliance, without the United States and Canada, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said at a summit here on Tuesday.
Change. What change? Senate votes to extend Patriot Act: Democrats retreat from adding new privacy protections to the law
UK: 100,000 WORKERS FORCED OUT AT 65: The figure emerged from a survey of almost 1,000 people aged between 60 and 70, suggesting that employers were using forced retirement as a “cheap alternative” to redundancy.
Concerns grow over China's sale of US bonds: Evidence is mounting that Chinese sales of US Treasury bonds over recent months are intended as a warning shot to Washington over escalating political disputes rather than being part of a routine portfolio shift as thought at first.
End of the road for GM's Hummer: General Motors's struggling Hummer brand appears to be on its way out after Chinese regulators rejected a $150m bid for it by a Chinese heavy machinery maker.
Blue-collar workers hanging on by thread: The workers punch the clock at precisely 7:30 a.m., not a minute later since they would be docked 14 minutes and nobody in America works 14 minutes for free. A quiet resignation settles over them as the roar of the screw grinding machines rev up. Want it or not, they need to be here. After this place, there is no place. Not in today's America.
New U.S. Homes Sales Plunged to Record Low in January: The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that new home sales dropped 11.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 309,000 units, the lowest level on records going back nearly a half century
Underwater Mortgages Hit 11.3 Million: Eleven million, three hundreds thousand homes had underwater mortgages as of the fourth quarter of last year. That number represent 24% of all residential homes loans in America.
U.S. economy is a shambles, with no improvement in sight: President Obama's claim that a second depression isn't possible doesn't square with the relevant numbers
Double Dip Recession Risk Is Near: CIO: The global economy looks set to plunge back into recession as the sovereign debt pressure currently rocking Europe intensifies, Ashok Shah, CIO of London & Capital, told CNBC Wednesday.

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