News For July 07, 2010

Terrorism Policy Flaws 'Increased Risk Of Attacks', Says Former Police Chief

By Vikram Dodd

Britain's fight against terrorism has been a disaster, because its "flawed, neo-conservative" direction alienated Muslims and increased the chances of terrorist attacks, a former leading counter-terrorism officer has told the Guardian. Continue

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The Charge of the Media Brigade

By John Pilger

The Associated Press, says the Pentagon, spends $4.7 billion on public relations: that is, winning the hearts and minds not of recalcitrant Afghan tribesmen but of Americans. This is known as “information dominance,” and PR people are “information warriors.” Continue

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Bipartisan Stupidity on Afghanistan

By Ted Rall

Even taking historical precedent into account, America's post-9/11 occupation of Afghanistan--its longest war ever--has been notably disastrous. Wonder why? Everything you need to know was contained in this week's war of words between the chairmen of the two major political parties. Continue

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Censorship and cover-up in the Gulf oil disaster

By Tom Eley

The Obama administration has intensified its cover-up of the BP oil disaster. On July 1 it issued an order barring the public and the news media from coming within 65 feet of clean-up operations without permission from the Coast Guard. The transparent aim of the order, which purports to protect the safety of clean-up workers, is to prevent the population from viewing the devastation wrought by the BP oil blowout. Continue

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Waltzing at the Doomsday Ball
Capitalism is dead, but we still dance with the corpse

By Joe Bageant

As an Anglo European white guy from a very long line of white guys, I want to thank all the brown, black, yellow and red people for a marvelous three-century joy ride. Continue

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Left-Leaning Despisers of the 9/11 Truth Movement:
Do You Really Believe in Miracles?

By David Ray Griffin

An Open Letter to Terry Allen, Noam Chomsky, Alexander Cockburn, David Corn, Chris Hayes, George Monbiot, Matthew Rothschild, and Matt Taibbi. Continue

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Six killed, 19 injured in Iraq attacks: Six people were killed and 19 others injured in separate attacks in Iraq, some of which targeted Shiite pilgrims, police sources and Iraqi media announced Wednesday.

9 Killed During Religious Processions in Iraq: Nine Shi'ite Muslims taking part in a religious pilgrimage were killed and dozens wounded in insurgent mortar attacks and roadside bomb explosions across Baghdad on Tuesday, Iraqi police officials said

Blair 'exaggerated' Iran support for al-Qaida, says former ambassador: Richard Dalton said that the UK and US misread the intentions of the Iranian regime, believing it would inevitably be hostile to their mission in Iraq when in fact Tehran wanted them to succeed in installing a stable government in Baghdad.

NATO airstrike accidentally kills 5 Afghan troops: NATO mistakenly killed five of its Afghan army allies in an airstrike Wednesday while they were attacking insurgents in the country's east, officials said.

US Soldiers Killed by Roadside Bomb in Afghanistan : All three troops, whose nationalities were not given, died on Tuesday in road-side bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan, where the long war is at its fiercest, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.
Roadside bomb kills 3 Afghan police, wounds 3: Three policemen were killed and three others injured when a roadside bomb struck a police van in Logar province 60 km south of capital Kabul on Tuesday, an official said.
UK troops to pull out of Sangin: The United Kingdom will withdraw its troops from the Sangin district in Afghanistan's Helmand province, where they have suffered heavy casualties in recent months.
CIA and Pakistan locked in aggressive spy battles: Publicly, the U.S. credits Pakistan with helping kill and capture many al-Qaida and Taliban leaders. Privately, the relationship is often marked by mistrust and double-dealing as Pakistan runs double agents against the CIA and the agency tries to penetrate Pakistan's closely guarded nuclear program.
Six killed in shootings in Pakistan: At least six people were killed and several injured in different shooting incidents in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, DawnNews reported Wednesday.
Sen. Lieberman: US ready to strike Iran if it must: Sen. Lieberman used some very harsh language at the Wednesday press conference to describe the Iranian nuclear program, saying the US must do everything it can to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power
UAE Diplomat Endorses U.S. Strike on Iran: The United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States said Tuesday that the benefits of bombing Iran's nuclear program outweigh the short-term costs such an attack would impose.
U.A.E. denies backing use of force against Iran: Assistant minister says earlier comments by envoy appearing to back a military strike were taken out of context.
Iran to limit trade with UAE: official: The Iran-UAE Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that Iran reduced its trade ties with the UAE following the latter’s decision to freeze 41 Iranian bank accounts.
Military official: Iran did not send radar to Syria: A high-ranking military official denied reports that Iran installed a sophisticated radar system in Syria that could jeopardize Israel's ability to strike the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities. The official said such a radar never reached Damascus.
Report: Secret document affirms U.S.-Israel nuclear partnership: According to Army Radio, the U.S. has reportedly pledged to sell Israel materials used to produce electricity, as well as nuclear technology and other supplies.
Netanyahu puts Obama back on leash: President now working with the PM, not against him: This time, there were no harsh demands, hectoring or patronizing.
Despite :"Rift", Israel Gets More U.S. Aid Than Iraq: It was the most orchestrated photo op of the year. And even if Tuesday's White House meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was more show than action, it did reinforce what Capitol Hill and America's taxpayers already know: Israel is America's best buddy in the Middle East
Poland to extradite alleged Mossad agent tied to Dubai killing: Extradition on less serious forgery charges allows Israel to avoid embarrassment of high-profile espionage trial, Polish sources tell Haaretz.
UN General Assembly cancels emergency session on Gaza flotilla: The United States and other western nations opposed holding the session
Seven European Ships Will Join 2nd Gaza Aid Flotilla: The European Campaign to Lift Gaza Siege announced recently that seven European vessels will join the second Gaza aid Freedom Flotilla to break the Israeli blockade, Algerian Press Service (APS) reported.
Costa Rica to Allow US To Send Troops: Some Costa Rican legislators voiced concern about the authorization, saying it gives the United States a "blank check" to use its territory and threatens the nation's sovereignty.
Noriega given French jail term: A French court has sentenced Manuel Noriega, the former military leader of Panama, to seven years in jail for laundering drug money.
Venezuela to extradite 'drug lord': Venezuela has said it plans to extradite an alleged Colombian drug lord to the United States after he was arrested on the country's Margarita Island.
Gulf of Mexico awash with 27,000 abandoned wells - report: More than 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells lurk in the hard rock beneath the Gulf of Mexico, an environmental minefield that has been ignored for decades. No one - not industry, not government - is checking to see if they are leaking, an Associated Press investigation shows.
4,600 oil wells ‘at risk of leaking’ in Gulf of Mexico: The investigation by Associated Press suggests the BP oil spill is just the tip of the iceberg and that abandoned wells may have been leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico for decades.
Oil seeping into New Orleans' Lake : Oil from the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico is seeping into Lake Pontchartrain north of New Orleans, threatening another environmental disaster for the huge body of water that was rescued from pollution in 1990s.
Europe puts limits on banker bonuses: The European Parliament passed a bill today that would cap and defer financial traders' and bankers' bonuses, giving Europe the toughest regimes in the world. The caps are a backlash against the global financial meltdown, and the bonuses that followed.