Wednesday 14 July 2010

News For July 14, 2010

Castro: War on Iran 'Imminent'

By Tom Melle

Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro warned on Monday that a US-Israeli attack on Iran is "imminent" and predicted that this could trigger a global nuclear war. Continue

American War Versus Real War

By Nick Turse

If Americans care only sparingly for their paid, professional soldiers -- the ones A.O. Scott says deserve 90 minutes of our time -- they care even less about Afghan civilians.  That’s why they don’t understand war. Continue

Israel's New 'Video Game' Executions
Soldiers kill by remote control

By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth


It is called Spot and Shoot. Operators sit in front of a TV monitor from which they can control the action with a PlayStation-style joystick. The aim: to kill "terrorists". Continue

What Would Einstein Have Said about Gaza?

By César Chelala

“I saw the horrors that the fighters had created. I saw bodies of women and children, who were murdered in their houses in cold blood by gunfire, with no signs of battle and not as the result of blowing up the houses…I have seen a great deal of war, but I never saw a sight like Deir, Yassin,” Continue

How American Right-Wing Christians
Are Waging 'Spiritual Warfare' in Northern Iraq


By Michael Reynolds

Evangelicals have established schools, radio stations and churches in northern Iraq -- all with the blessings of the Kurdistan government and assistance from U.S. taxpayers. Continue

Historian warns of sudden collapse of American ‘empire’

By Brent Gardner-Smith

“I think this is a problem that is going to go live really soon,” Ferguson said. “In that sense, I mean within the next two years. Because the whole thing, fiscally and other ways, is very near the edge of chaos. And we’ve seen already in Greece what happens when the bond market loses faith in your fiscal policy.” Continue

The Fed is Steering the Economy into Deflation   

By Mike Whitney

It's a political calculation that will keep unemployment high, increase excess capacity, and deepen the recession. C.P.I. continues to fall, bank lending is down 4 percent year-over-year, housing prices are slipping, business investment is off, and consumer credit continues to shrink. Continue

South of the Border
Oliver Stone Tells the Real Story of the Leftist Latin American Leaders Transforming the Continent

By Daniela Perdomo

Stone's new film traces the rise of Chávez, Lula, Evo, and others who see participatory democracy and cooperation between Latin American countries as the future. Continue

How Facts Backfire

Researchers discover a surprising threat to democracy: our brains

By Joe Keohane

If people are furnished with the facts, they will be clearer thinkers and better citizens. If they are ignorant, facts will enlighten them. If they are mistaken, facts will set them straight. In the end, truth will out. Won’t it? Continue

From Russia With Lovers

By Brian J. Foley

This spy exchange isn’t the first time we’ve seen our politicians put their own interests ahead of “national security.” Recall these recent events: Continue

Police Brutality in America

By Stephen Lendman

Across America, daily incidents occur, one of many the cold-blooded January 1, 2009 murder of Oscar Grant - unarmed, offering no resistance, thrust face-down on the ground, shot in the back, and killed, videotaped on at least four cameras for irrefutable proof. USA Today said five bystanders taped it. Continue

10 killed in rebel attack on Afghan NATO base: Five civilians, three NATO soldiers and a policeman were killed when Taliban militants stormed a police base in southern Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday.
8 U.S. Occupation Force Troops Killed in Afghanistan Attacks: Three Die as Militants Lay Siege to Police HQ in Kandahar, 5 More Killed Hours Later in 2 Separate Attacks
Roadside bomb kills 8 Afghan civilians, wounds 7 in Taliban hub: A roadside bomb blast in Taliban hub Helmand province of southern Afghanistan left eight civilians dead and injured seven others, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday
Clash leaves 6 Taliban fighters dead in N. Afghanistan: Six Taliban insurgents including a group commander were killed as they came in contact with security forces in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province, an official said Tuesday.
Afghan Soldier Kills Three U.K. Soldiers, Wounds Four : The attacker “used the darkness of night and escaped,” Defense Ministry spokesman General Zaher Azimi said
British soldier killed in south Afghanistan: Britain's Ministry of Defense says a soldier has been killed while patrolling a volatile region in southern Afghanistan.
Afghan police training plan in disarray: The strategic plan of creating an Afghan security force to replace United States and British troops fighting in Afghanistan is in serious disarray with local forces a fraction of their reported size, infiltrated by the Taleban at senior levels, and plagued by corruption and drug addiction.
Afghanistan Rights Monitor SLAMS Washington Spin About “Progress” in Afghanistan: The Afghanistan Rights Monitor’s (ARM) mid-year report on Civilian Casualties of Conflict (.pdf) blasts the happy-talk coming out of the Obama Administration about the deteriorating security situation and its effect on civilians:
24 Taliban militants killed in Pak tribal belt: Pakistani fighter jets bombarded terrorist positions in the troubled Orakzai tribal region in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least 24 Taliban militants, including a key commander, and injuring 34 others
10 militants, one soldier killed in fresh clashes in Pakistani agency: More than 10 militants and a soldier were killed and several were wounded in latest clashes between the two sides in Pakistani tribal agency, close to Afghan border, said officials.
Extrajudicial Killing: Carl Levin Wants To Expand Drone Strikes In Pakistan: The top Senate Democrat on defense issues said on Tuesday that he would like to see an expansion of the U.S. military's controversial drone-strike operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Fact or fiction? Pakistan ISI behind Mumbai attacks - Home Secretary: Pakistan's intelligence agency controlled and coordinated the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said, in what is the most direct accusation yet of Pakistan by India in the strikes that killed 166 people.
Four killed, 11 injured in Iraq attacks: Three women and a child from the same family were killed when gunmen attacked their home in the city of Fallujah, 60 kilometres west of Baghdad. Six of their relatives were injured in the attack.
War criminal: Tony Blair 'intentionally talked up WMD', Iraq inquiry told: Tony Blair "intentionally" exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, the Iraq inquiry heard yesterday.
Israeli attack kills woman, five injured near Gaza City: Israeli artillery fire killed a Palestinian woman Tuesday night and injured five others in a residential area east of Gaza City, medics say.
U.S. conservatives form new pro-Israel lobby group: A group of leading American conservatives has set up a new group to attack President Obama over his "anti-Israel" stance
Libyan Ship Heads for Egypt Port After Israel Bars Gaza Entry: A Libyan aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip began sailing toward the Egyptian port of El Arish after Israel warned it not to try to breach its naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory, the Israeli army said
Israeli Navy surrounds aid vessel: The Israeli Navy reportedly blockades a Libyan-chartered aid vessel which has set sail for the blockaded Gaza Strip, issuing threats against the convoy.
Hamas leader urges Libya-sponsored aid ship to sail to Gaza: Ismail Haniyeh tells activists not to let their cargo ship be diverted to Egyptian port and calls for more pro-Palestinian "freedom flotillas."
Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran 'Iranian surrogates' preparing attack on US troops: The top US commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, has accused Iran of training Shiite militants in preparation for attacks on American military bases in Iraq.
Turkey to ship gasoline to Iran: Iran is expected to receive its first shipment of gasoline from Turkey in at least 18 months, industry sources said.
Prices Soar as Sanctions Hit Ordinary Iranians: Some worry about higher food prices, some fret about overseas travel and others about business, but it is clear that ordinary Iranians are feeling the effects of sanctions
Russia to Continue Energy Cooperation with Iran: Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said on Wednesday that international sanctions against Iran will not hinder plans to develop joint energy and power projects with the Islamic Republic.
'Abducted' scientist surfaces in Iran's US office: An Iranian nuclear expert who says he was kidnapped by US spies has on Tuesday resurfaced at Tehran's section of the Pakistani embassy in Washington to declare Americans losers in the saga.
Amiri speaks to Press TV after 'escape': Shahram Amiri, the Iranian academic who was abducted by US and Saudi forces last year, has held an exclusive interview with Press TV, after his "escape" from US forces.
Report: US threatens to cut Jordan's aid: The United States has threatened to cut financial aid to Jordan, if the Hashemite Kingdom continues to develop its nuclear program without coordinating with Israel, the Arab media reported on Monday.
'Abducted' scientist surfaces in Iran's US office: An Iranian nuclear expert who says he was kidnapped by US spies has on Tuesday resurfaced at Tehran's section of the Pakistani embassy in Washington to declare Americans losers in the saga.
UK: The end of Big Brother? Terror laws, stop and search and council snooping to be curbed
Gitmo prisoner rejects plea deal: A young Canadian prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility has rejected a plea deal that would allow him to serve a shorter prison sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to a war crime.
Judge permits US trial of 1st Guantanamo detainee: The first Guantanamo Bay detainee to be prosecuted in a civilian court was cleared for trial Tuesday by a judge who said a two-year interrogation and five-year detention were not grounds for dismissal because they served compelling national security interests.
Extremist Christians Aim to Create Armed Militias Against "Godless" Federal Government: Christian Reconstructionists believe civil government should be reformed according to the dictates of biblical law. Some advocate for followers to take up arms.
BP Delays Test of Leaking Gulf Well Until U.S. Approves: BP Plc delayed testing on its latest effort to stop the largest U.S. oil spill in history after the Obama administration ordered further study of the plan to seal a well that’s been spewing crude into the ocean since April.
BP delays pressure tests and relief well drilling on erupting oil well: – BP announced on Tuesday that it has not only delayed pressure tests on a new cap designed to stop the gushing of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, or at least create a means to capture a larger percentage of the oil, but it has also stopped the drilling of a critical relief well designed to completely block the well from underground.
NOAA Hoarding Key Data On Oil Spill Damage: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is hoarding vast amounts of raw data that independent marine researchers say could help both the public and scientists better understand the extent of the damage being caused by the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Guns and Butter: Obama Plans Lame Duck Sell-Out of Social Security" with Webster Tarpley.: The Financial Reform Bill, including The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, more popularly known as the White House Deficit Commission
Phantom debts, real anguish: Courts impose few burdens of proof on firms seeking to collect old debts.
No unemployment extension: Benefits not in sight for the long-term jobless: "My life has been total stress. I sleep maybe four hours a night, worrying about money," he said. "I understood the president and Congress had to stabilize the banks, get Wall Street going. I figured something would be done for middle-class Americans, that they couldn't abandon us. But I was wrong."

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