News For June 03 2010

American, 19 Among Those Killed By Israeli Troops
Furkan Dogan Was Shot Four Times in Head

By ZOE MAGEE

A Canadian on board, Farooq Burney, described watching an elderly man bleed to death. The head of a Turkish charity that organized the aid flotilla said an Indonesian doctor was shot in the stomach and a photographer was shot in the forehead. Continue

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Biden: Israel right to stop Gaza flotilla from breaking blockade

By Natasha Mozgovaya

In contrast to the barrage of condemnations all over the globe, many in the U.S. Congress expressed support for Israel. Continue

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Aid Ship Sailing Towards Gaza, Prefers U.N. Escort:

By Reuters

Israeli Foreign Minister, "No ship will reach Gaza. The Rachel Corrie will not reach Gaza," he told Israel Radio. Continue

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Call to Defend the Rachel Corrie:

By Robert Naiman

Former UN Assistant Secretary called on Irish-Americans to lobby the Obama Administration: "We also feel there is a role for the Irish diaspora here, in the US and elsewhere to lobby politicians over this continued illegal blockade of Gaza, which is causing such hardship to the Palestinian people." Continue

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Ship 'Rachel Corrie' Challenge Israel's Unjust Gaza Blockade and Zionist Myths

By Ira Chernus

As the MV Rachel Corrie approaches Gaza to confront the Israeli blockade, it forces the Israeli government to confront this dilemma. Perhaps at last, under this pressure, the Israelis will see that both of the dominant Zionist myths have reached a dead end. Continue

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UN Orders Israel to lift Gaza Blockade

By NineMSN

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has demanded that Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip immediately in the wake of a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Continue

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Strnager Than Fiction?
"A Great Way To Win Friends"

Video

Israeli apologist Mark Regev interviewed about Gaza Freedom Flotilla by Jon Snow on Channel 4. Continue

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U.N. Report Highly Critical of U.S. Drone Attacks

By CHARLIE SAVAGE

He warned that the American example will lead to a chaotic world as the new weapons technology inevitably spreads. Continue

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George Bush Admits US Tortured "9/11 Mastermind"

By Paul Owen and agencies

"Yeah, we waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed," the former president told a business audience in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "I'd do it again to save lives." Continue

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Yes, Obama Is 'Engaged' – in a Colossal Crime

By Glen Ford

Much of Obama's "base" behaves as if the First Black President is an innocent party -- a victim of circumstances -- rather than a facilitator of the corporate enterprise that has spawned the Mother of all Pollutions. But then, Teflon is a petrochemical product. Continue

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The World Teeters on the Brink of a New Age of Rage

By Simon Schama

Historians will tell you there is often a time-lag between the onset of economic disaster and the accumulation of social fury. In act one, the shock of a crisis initially triggers fearful disorientation; the rush for political saviours; instinctive responses of self-protection, but not the organised mobilisation of outrage. Continue

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A Great Global Shift of Power?
"The Center Cannot Hold: Rekindling the Radical Imagination"

By Noam Chomsky

There are poignant studies of the indignation and the rage of those who have been cast aside as the state-corporate programs of financialization and deindustrialization have closed plants and destroyed families and communities. Continue

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Mass grave with eight bodies unearthed in Abu Ghraib: “According to descriptions and information available for the security agencies, the dead civilians had been local residents of different areas of Abu Ghraib district,” he added.
One killed 23 injured in Iraq: Police said they found the body of an unidentified man with bullet wounds to the head and chest in southern Mosul.
Eight Afghan Civilians Killed: Four were killed when a roadside mine struck their vehicle in the district of Nawzad, north of Lashkargah, the capital city of Helmand
NATO chopper downed in Afghanistan: Another NATO chopper has been destroyed in northern Afghanistan following an emergency landing, the second helicopters lost by the US-led force in the past three days.
Policeman killed in attack in Pakistan's capital: Unknown gunmen stormed a police checkpost in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, killing at least one policeman and leaving another critically injured early Thursday morning, local TV channels reported
UN condemns drone attacks, an act of extra-judicial killings: The United States was identified in a U.N.’s report as the world’s No. 1 user of targeted killings, mainly because of its reliance on drone attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
CIA Drone Operators Oppose Strikes as Helping al Qaeda: Some CIA officers involved in the agency's drone strikes programme in Pakistan and elsewhere are privately expressing their opposition to the programme within the agency, because it is helping al Qaeda and its allies recruit, according to a retired military officer in contact with them.
North Korean envoy warns war could erupt soon: A North Korean envoy said on Thursday that war could erupt at any time on the divided Korean peninsula because of tension with Seoul over the sinking of a South Korean warship in March.
U.S. to Join South Korean Military Exercise Off North Korea Coast: Pentagon Sending USS George Washington to Waters Where North Sunk South Korean Vessel
British survivor of Gaza flotilla raid: 'Israelis ignored SOS calls': Sarah Colborne said pleas for aid were dismissed by the troops who fired rounds at the activists and handcuffed medical staff
Turkey mourns murdered Gaza peace activists: Thousands of people came to the historic Fatih Mosque in Istanbul yesterday to pay their final respects to the victims, whose bodies were brought to the mosque for a funeral prayer following an autopsy at the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK).
Turkey will "never forgive" Israel: The Turkish president has said that Israel's military raid on civilian aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip has caused "irreparable" damage to his country's relations with Israel, and will "never" be forgiven.
Turkish Premier: "Israel Tries To Justify Itself By Exploiting Anti-Semitism": "After recent developments, everyone has seen the fact that Israeli government's hostile attitude terrorizing the region, posed a serious threat against peace and stability in the region."
Turkey recalls ambassador from Israel : Turkey’s ambassador to Israel Oguz Celikkol returned home Thursday morning.
S Africa recalls Israel ambassador: South Africa has recalled its ambassador to Israel amid continuing diplomatic anger over Israel's deadly attack on humanitarian aid ships bound for Gaza.
Ecuador recalls envoy; Chavez: Israel a murderer: 'Israel is a damned, terrorist country. Long live the Palestinian people,' Venezuelan president says
Iran, Venezuela seek action on Israel: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "It is necessary for international communities to condemn the catastrophic incident and to send more aid convoys in order to break the siege and save the people of Gaza from the inhumane pressures," the Iranian president added. "Today, the Zionist regime is approaching its end as a terrorist regime," he noted.
Israel rejects world's criticism: "This wasn't a love boat," Mr Netanyahu said of the Turkish cruise boat boarded by Israeli commandos, resulting in the deaths of nine activists. "This was a hate boat.
Obama: Let Israel probe Gaza flotilla raid with U.S. observer: The United States has proposed a possible way for Israel to avoid an international probe of the events surrounding the Gaza flotilla, but at this point Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leaning against it
Politicians from Both US Parties Rally Behind Israel Following Raid: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich "The U.S., through the United Nations relief organization, has been funding food and shelter for the people of Gaza for 60 years now. There was no humanitarian crisis"
Whoever started the violence, the Israelis did all the killing.: It is Israel's tragedy that too many of its people now believe permanent war is better than peace
IDF Released Several Faked Photos – How Can They Be Trusted in ANY Investigation?
Gaza-bound aid ship may agree to dock and unload in Ashdod : According to European diplomats and senior Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem, quiet messages have been exchanged over the past few days between Israel and the group operating the ship, to allow it to dock.
Israeli opens fire on two Palestinian stone-throwers in occupied West Bank: An Israeli driver on Thursday opened fire on two Palestinians hurling stones at his car near the West Bank settlement bloc of Gush Etzion. One of the Palestinians was seriously wounded in the incident, according to Israel Radio.
U.S. expects Security Council vote on Iran next week: – The White House said on Thursday it believed the United Nations Security Council would vote next week to impose tougher sanctions on Iran.
Egyptian group to back ElBaradei: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has announced that it will support Mohamed ElBaradei's push for political change, following the group's poor showing in parliamentary elections.
Jamaican Forces Accused of Killing Unarmed Men: The officer told her brother to sit on the floor against a wall between a bedroom and the kitchen, she said. Then he fired four or five shots from a rifle into Mr. Spence’s chest and head.
Dying, dead marine wildlife paint dark, morbid picture of Gulf Coast following oil spill: "When we found this dolphin it was filled with oil. Oil was just pouring out of it. It was the saddest darn thing to look at," said a BP contract worker who took the Daily News on a surreptitious tour of the wildlife disaster unfolding in Louisiana.
BP Oil Leak May Last Until Christmas: BP Plc’s failure since April to plug a Gulf of Mexico oil leak has prompted forecasts the crude may continue gushing into December in what President Barack Obama has called the greatest environmental disaster in U.S. history.
BP paid for officials’ meals, airfare and polar bear trip: The embattled oil and gas giant BP paid for a slew of travel and dining arrangements for senior government officials in the years leading up to the massive oil leak in the Gulf. Critics say BP got too close with regulators, neutering the government's safety watchdogs.
Goldman Sachs sold $250 million of BP stock before spill: Firm's stock sale nearly twice as large as any other institution; Represented 44 percent of total BP investment
Europe faces summer of intermittent unrest: "The main risk is going to be in capital city centres where you have a risk of protest," said Daniel Riordan, head of political risk at insurers Zurich.
Experts fear spread of social unrest as financial crisis continues : Continuing financial crisis and associated austerity measures could lead to global social unrest should conditions worsen and populations lose faith and patience in their governments.
In case you missed it: UK police body warns of riots and unrest: The chairman of the Police Federation, which represents thousands of rank-and-file officers, warned on Wednesday of mass 1970s-style social disorder were Britain to suffer a similar crisis to the one that has hit Greece.
Commercial Defaults Hit Record for Both Investors and Banks: A separate study released this week by Trepp LLC shows that the share of past due loans held by investors in commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), including those already in foreclosure and REO, jumped 40 basis points in May to 8.42 percent – the highest in the history of the CMBS industry.
Revolving Door: 1,447 Former Government Workers Lobbying For Wall Street: The financial services sector has hired 1,447 former government employees to do its bidding as lobbyists since the beginning of 2009, according to the latest report from the Center for Responsive Politics and Public Citizen.
Hawaii bankruptcy filings up 34.4%: Total bankruptcy filings rose by 34.4 percent in May compared to the year-earlier period, from 250 cases to 336, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Hawaii.
Michigan Considers Law to Register Journalists: A Michigan lawmaker wants to register reporters to ensure they’re credible and have “good moral character.”