News For August 23, 2010

What You Will Not Hear About Iraq

By Adil E. Shamoo

Iraq has between 25 and 50 percent unemployment, a dysfunctional parliament, rampant disease, an epidemic of mental illness, and sprawling slums. The killing of innocent people has become part of daily life. What a havoc the United States has wreaked in Iraq. Continue

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U.S. Taxpayers -Funding Terrorist, Mafia-Like Activity

By Sam Stein

Afghanistan's embattled president Hamid Karzai said on Sunday that U.S. taxpayers were indirectly funding "mafia-like groups" and terrorist activities with the American government's support of private contractors inside his country. Continue

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The Big Lie Technique Versus
The Reality Of Irans Nuclear Program

By Scott Horton On Russia Today

Scott Horton discusses the Iranian nuclear program on Russia Today. Continue

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What a Waste
Donors Sending Expired Medicine to Gaza:

By Nicole Johnston

Men use their bare hands to push boxes of medicine off the back of a truck, into the dump. The stench is disgusting and flies are everywhere. Not only are donors sending expired medicine, the Health Ministry says most of the aid they receive is unsuitable, poor quality, and the wrong types of drugs. Continue

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The Last US Combat Forces in Iraq?

Riz Khan Interviews John Pilger - Video

Who should be held accountable for the invasion and occupation that has left hundreds of thousands dead? Continue

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"Is Assange the target of a U.S. smear campaign?"
Rape Claim Against Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Withdrawn

By Marcus Oscarsson in Stockholm and Colin Freeman

Julian Assange, the founder of the Wikileaks website, was at the centre of an extraordinary "dirty tricks" row today after the Swedish government issued and then withdrew an arrest warrant against him for rape. Continue

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Beyond City Limits
The Age of Nations is Over. The New Urban Age Has Begun.

BY PARAG KHANNA

The 21st century will not be dominated by America or China, Brazil or India, but by the city. In an age that appears increasingly unmanageable, cities rather than states are becoming the islands of governance on which the future world order will be built. Continue

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Presidential Porn
Gerald Celente: The Recession is Heading Toward Depression

By Daniel Tencer

“What Obama’s doing out there is he’s hustling a confidence game. It really is presidential porn, that if you just wait until election day and have confidence, they’ll be an economic orgasm at the end of the day.” Continue

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Obama's "Recovery Summer" Hits a Snag   

By Mike Whitney

Barack Obama's "Recovery Summer" tour has turned into a public relations disaster.  The whole idea of claiming "mission accomplished" over the recession was wacky from the very beginning. It just shows how out of touch with reality Obama's economics team really is. Continue

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On the Way Down
The Erosion of America's Middle Class

By Thomas Schulz

Finley calls them "the new poor." "That is a different category of people that I think we're seeing," he says. "They are people who never in their wildest imaginations thought they would be homeless." They're people who had enough money -- a lot of money, in some cases -- until recently. Continue

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Nearly 50 percent leave Obama mortgage-aid program

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER

Many borrowers have complained that the government program is a bureaucratic nightmare. They say banks often lose their documents and then claim borrowers did not send back the necessary paperwork. Continue

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12 Killed In Yemen: Yemeni Defense Ministry said on Sunday that military and security forces have killed seven more al- Qaida militants in continuing clashes in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, increasing the death toll of al-Qaida militants since last Friday to 12.
14 killed in Afghan clashes: A roadside bomb struck a vehicle in the western province of Faryab, killing a local commander and four others, the Afghan interior ministry said.
Four US occupation force troops killed in Afghan war: Two American soldiers died in a gun battle with Taliban militants in the east of the country, while the other two were killed in separate incidents in the south, the spokesman added.
US Attack Kills 6 People In Pakistan: Meanwhile, five members of an anti-Taliban militia and a security personnel died when the vehicle they were travelling in hit a landmine in Mohmand agency.
Pakistanis Say Taliban Was Seized to Hurt Peace Effort: Pakistani officials are telling a very different story. They say they set out to capture Mr. Baradar, and used the C.I.A. to help them do it, because they wanted to shut down secret peace talks that Mr. Baradar had been conducting with the Afghan government that excluded Pakistan, the Taliban’s longtime backer.
Senior UN official attacks response to Pakistan floods: A senior United Nations official has called on the global community to urgently step up its response to the floods that have struck Pakistan.
Two killed in Baghdad : : Two civilans were killed and eight others injured when a bomb exploded in a public market in Al-Museeb area, placed in an electronic store.
US solider killed in rocket attack in Iraq: An American solider was killed in a rocket attack in southern Iraq on Sunday, the U.S. military said, marking the first American fatality since the last combat unit in Iraq pulled out of the country.
16 wounded in violent demo over Iraq power rationing: Dozens of Iraqis violently protested in the southern city of Nasiriyah to demand better power supplies, wounding 16 people including 10 policemen, witnesses and officials said on Sunday
Iraqi bishop says U.S. betrayed country, Christians suffer most: The Americans leave behind “an Iraq worse off than the one they found seven years ago,” said Warduni, who’s widely regarded as the most charismatic voice among the Iraqi bishops.
Allawi, Iraqi Shiite cleric to visit Damascus: The Head of the Iraqia List Ayad Allawi and the Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will pay a visit to Damascus soon, Iraqia List's official Fattah al Sheikh told Xinhua over the phone on Sunday.
Iran hopes Russia's next step be delivery of S-300 missiles system: MP: Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi hailed Russia's move on Bushehr nuclear plant fuelling and expressed hope Russia's next step would be the delivery of S-300 missile system to Iran, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Saturday.
Iran to supply Lebanon with anti-missile system: report: Iran is expected to make the offer to Lebanon during Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to Beirut shortly after the holy month of Ramadan. Iran would also offer to supply some other weapons during his visit, said the report.
Iran unveils long-range bomber drone: Iran unveiled a prototype long-range unmanned bomber today, the latest in a stream of announcements of new Iranian-made military hardware as tension mounts over its nuclear program.
Bahrain: We won't let US attack Iran from our territory: Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said Saturday that his country will not allow the United States to use its military base to attack Iran.
Rights groups urge Bahrain to release activists: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called on Bahrain either to release or formally charge eight activists, including clerics, the groups said the Gulf kingdom has arrested.
Abbas: End of settlement freeze would end direct peace talks: In letters to Obama, Medvedev and Ashton, PA president warns that newly-launched peace negotiations will fail if Israel does not extend settlement freeze, due to expire on September 26.
Aid ship Mariam now looks to set sail from Greece: A Lebanese aid ship for Gaza was postponed on Sunday to await a green light from a third country as a transit point for the mission to the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory.
Kelly pathologist demands inquest: ':The Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, will examine 'important new evidence' about the death of Dr David Kelly after the pathologist who examined his body called yesterday for a full inquest.
David Kelly’s death a ‘textbook’ suicide case: The death of Dr David Kelly was a ‘textbook’ suicide, the pathologist who performed the post-mortem examination has said amid growing calls for a full inquest.
Australia PM aims to form coalition: Julia Gillard, Australia's prime minister, has begun negotiations to form a coalition, after her ruling Australian Labor Party and the opposition failed to win a majority of seats in general elections.
New Yorkers rally over mosque plan: Hundreds of supporters and opponents of the proposed Islamic cultural centre near the World Trade Centre site in New York have staged rallies, kept apart by police and barricades.
The Money Behind the "Mosque": In recent days, critics of the proposal to build a mosque and Islamic center near ground zero have linked the plan to everyone from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Islamist organizations Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. But the plan's real fundraising effort, thus far, is much more innocuous: a PayPal account with less than $9,000 in it, mostly from New Yorkers, raised by a group of Muslim moms in Manhattan whose original aim was to host a peace march.
Rising temperatures reducing ability of plants to absorb carbon, study warns: Research shows warming over past decade caused droughts that reduced number of plants available to soak up carbon dioxide
Now Atlantic is found to have huge 'garbage patch': A huge expanse of floating plastic debris has been documented for the first time in the North Atlantic Ocean. The size of the affected area rivals the "great Pacific garbage patch" in the world's other great ocean basin, which generated an outcry over the effects of plastic waste on marine wildlife.
Dogs more humane than Denver police officers? :
Pay Up: Got a blog that makes no money? To Bess, her website is a hobby. To the city of Philadelphia, it's a potential moneymaker, and the city wants its cut.
High-tech carts will tell on Cleveland residents who don't recycle ... and they face $100 fine: It would be a stretch to say that Big Brother will hang out in Clevelanders' trash cans, but the city plans to sort through curbside trash to make sure residents are recycling -- and fine them $100 if they don't.
America Won the Cold War But Now Is Turning Into the USSR, Gerald Celente Says: There's a lot of talk these days about America being an empire in decline. Gerald Celente, director of the Trends Research Institute, goes a step further, arguing America is following a similar path as the former Soviet Union.
It Looks Like U.S. Government Bonds Aren't Supported By China Anymore: It should be noted that China's U.S. debt ownership has fallen to $843.7 billion in June from $938.3 billion in September 200,9 according to U.S. Treasury Department released Monday. This equates to nearly an 11% reduction by China.
More Bankrupt Banks: Eight Banks Fail in Four States: Eight banks were shuttered by regulators Friday, bringing the 2010 tally of U.S. bank failures to 118.
40 Bizarre Statistics That Reveal The Horrifying Truth About The Collapse Of The U.S. Economy: Most Americans still appear to be operating under the delusion that the "recession" will soon pass and that things will get back to "normal" very soon.