News For July 30, 2010

The Real Aim of Israel’s Bomb Iran Campaign

By Gareth Porter

What is important to understand about this campaign is that the aim of Gerecht and of the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu is to support an attack by Israel so that the United States can be drawn into direct, full-scale war with Iran. Continue

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Newt Gingrich Suggests Attacking Rest Of 'Axis Of Evil'

By Jeremy Binckes

Former Speaker of the House twice called on the United States to attack North Korea and Iran because the United States has only attacked "one out of three" of so-called Axis of Evil" members by invading Iraq. He also claimed that Muslims are trying to install Sharia law on America and said that the "War on Terror" should have been a war on "radical Islamists" instead. Continue

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Exporting Death And Destruction
Obama Seeks to Expand Arms Exports

By Maggie Bridgeman

The United States is currently the world biggest weapons supplier — holding 30 per cent of the market — but the Obama administration has begun modifying export control regulations in hopes of enlarging the U.S. market share, according to U.S. officials. Continue

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Report Suggests 'Correlation' Between U.S. Aid and Army Killings

By Helda Martínez

"There are alarming links between increased reports of extrajudicial executions of civilians by the Colombian army and units that receive U.S. military financing," The report points out that most military training in Colombia is funded by the U.S. Defence Department. Continue

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The New Superclass

By Al Jazeera

Where did this new global aristocracy come from and who is keeping them in check? Continue

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Trends to Barbarism and Prospects for Socialism

By James Petras

Western societies and states are moving inexorably toward conditions resembling barbarism; structural changes are reversing decades of social welfare and subjecting labor, natural resources and the wealth of nations to raw exploitation, pillage and plunder, driving living standards downward and provoking unprecedented levels of discontent. Continue

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21 killed in Afghanistan: Six NATO-led soldiers were killed in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan, while 15 Afghan civilians died in violence elsewhere in the country, officials said Friday.

Rioting in Kabul after US embassy car kills four civilians: Angry mob torches vehicles, chants slogans and confronts police, sparking fears 2006 city-wide riots will be repeated

Three U.S. Troops Killed in Afghanistan

July is deadliest month of Afghanistan war and occupation for US: American forces have experienced their deadliest month in the nine-year-old Afghan occupation, with 66 US service members killed in July.

Mystery deepens over why sailors left base: An investigation is under way, but with both sailors dead, U.S. authorities remained at a loss Thursday to explain what two junior enlisted men in noncombat jobs were doing driving alone in Logar province, where much of the countryside is not under government control.

WikiLeaks boss may have 'blood on his hands': "Mr Assange can say whatever he likes about the greater good he thinks he and his source are doing, but the truth is they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family," Admiral Mullen said.
Pakistan's U.N. Ambassador: Afghan War Unwinnable: Haroon also said U.S. war strategy needs to change for America to win.
Poll: Nearly 6 in 10 Pakistanis view US as enemy: Nearly two-thirds want U.S. troops out of neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan's intelligence officials' UK visit cancelled: Pakistan has cancelled visit of its senior intelligence experts to Britain over remarks of British Prime Minister David Cameron who accused Islamabad of exporting terrorism across the world, reports said Friday.
16 Iraqi security officials killed in daytime raid: Militants flew an al-Qaida flag over a Baghdad neighborhood Thursday after killing 16 security officials and burning some of their bodies in a brazen afternoon attack that served as a grim reminder of continued insurgent strength in Iraq’s capital.
Iraqi insurgents plant Qaeda flag in heart of Baghdad: The attacks suggest an insurgency still very much capable of terrorizing the Iraqi population on a nearly daily basis, despite frequent statements from United States military commanders that the group has been severely impeded.
Roadside bomb north of Baghdad kills 5 members of family, including 4-year-old girl: Police spokesman Maj. Ghalib al-Karkhi says the family was not the intended target of Friday's bombing, which struck their car near the town of Buhriz.
Prescott doubted 'tittle-tattle' in Iraq invasion "intelligence": Joint Intelligence Committee assessments contained conclusions "based too much on too little evidence, that was my impression at the time," he said. There was "a bit of tittle tatttle there, and a bit of judgment here".
Iraqi list keen on forming coalition gov''t -- Allawi: Allawi said that he was ready to "step down" from his position as prime minister for another fellow party member, while stressing that he would always defend his party's right to form the upcoming government after Eid Al-Fitr holiday
Army Suicides Reach One a Day; Epidemic Spreads to National Guard and Reserves: Thirty-two soldiers, including 11 in the Guard and Reserve, killed themselves last month, a rate of suicide not seen since the Vietnam War. Seven of the suicides took place I Iraq or Afghanistan.
U.S. Army Clears War of Wrongdoing: U.S. Army: It’s not war; the “risky behavior” of our troops at home drives them to suicide, not War -
Accused Wikileaks source Manning moved to US for trial: A soldier accused of leaking video of a deadly helicopter attack in Iraq has been transferred to a base in the US.
Iran: Ready for Nuclear Talks With Vienna Group: Iran's nuclear chief says his country is ready to enter negotiations with the United States, Russia and France on a possible nuclear fuel agreement.
China says it disapproves of EU sanctions against Iran: China said Friday it opposed tough new sanctions imposed by the European Union on Iran over its contested nuclear programme, again calling for more talks to resolve the standoff.
Australia approves new Iran sanctions: The new sanctions, announced Thursday by Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, follow similar restrictions issued by the United States, the European Union and Canada.
Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: Israel says Iran sanctions not enough: "They're determined to get nuclear military capability. We see it," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program on Friday, AFP reported. "I don't believe that sanctions will work," he told the US-based cable news channel.
Russian oil companies may sell gasoline to Iran: Three Russian state-controlled oil companies, including OAO Rosneft and OAO Gazprom Neft, may begin delivering gasoline to Iran in a month, said the head of the Iran Commission of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce Industry.
Iran stoning sentence woman asks to be reunited with her children: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's supporters call for support to free her from prison, after sentence was changed to hanging
Syrian and Saudi leaders call for calm on Beirut visit: The two countries only exchanged embassies for the first time last year, and entente between them is seen as crucial to stability in Lebanon.
Damascus: Syria-Saudi ties are none of U.S.'s business: Saudi King Abdullah visits Syria to hold talks with Assad ahead of joint trip t Lebanon; Syrian Foreign ministry says U.S. 'has no right to define our ties with other countries.'
Palestinians are on the right foot this time around: The Palestinians' starting position is better than ours: They have fulfilled most of their obligations under the road map peace plan, while we have not removed even one of the illegal outposts we were supposed to dismantle.
UN faults Israel's human rights: A UN panel of experts called Friday on Israel to fall in line with international norms on civil rights and to take action against targeted killings, torture and impunity for security forces.
Book condoning murder of non-Jews has another rabbi in hot water: "If we kill a Gentile who has sinned or has violated one of the seven commandments - because we care about the commandments - there is nothing wrong with the murder."
Many Jews unsettled over Harper holiday greetings: When Michelle Kofman found a Rosh Hashanah greeting card from Prime Minister Stephen Harper in her mailbox last month, she was left with one puzzling question: How does he know I'm Jewish?
32 killed in Somalia; al-Shabab gains ally: At least 13 combatants were killed in an intense insurgent-government battle in the normally stable Puntland region of northern Somalia, authorities said.
Somalia: Al-Shabab threatens AU "peacekeepers": The armed group leading the fight against Somalia's beleagured transitional government has warned that it will turn Mogadishu into a "graveyard" for extra African Union troops sent to the country.
Hundreds of German-financed Somali police officers go missing: Almost 1,000 Somali police have gone missing after their training was financed by the German government. It is feared these officers will now join forces with the Islamist militants Al-Shabaab.
US-China Tensions Flare Over South China Sea Dispute: Tensions are growing between the United States and China after Washington weighed in on territorial disputes between China and Southeast Asian nations in the South China Sea.
'CIA killed Chile army chief': The former head of Chile's secret police has denied involvement in the murder of the country's ex-commander in chief of the army, claiming the Central Intelligence Agency ordered the assassination.
Farc slams Colombian government: The leader of Colombia's largest rebel group has been seen in a new video, criticising the Latin American country's president-elect.
Italy passes austerity measures: The Italian parliament has approved an austerity package worth more than $32bn, aimed at cutting the country's budget deficit and reassuring financial markets.
Japan unemployment rises further: Latest economic figures show persisting weakness in world's second largest economy.
US economy shows signs of slowdown as consumer spending falters: "Normally at this stage of the recovery we see confidence returning, but that just isn't happening at the moment. Instead we see anxiety about the future and the outlook for sub-trend growth," he said.
IMF Says U.S. Financial System May Need $76 Billion in Capital: The U.S. financial system remains fragile and banks subjected to additional economic stress might need as much as $76 billion in capital, according to the results of International Monetary Fund stress tests.
Homes keep falling into foreclosure as programs fail to help: In the first half of 2010, more than 1.6 million U.S. properties were hit with foreclosure filings, which include bank repossessions, default notices and auction sale notices.