Tuesday 31 August 2010

News For September 01, 2010

A Trillion-Dollar Catastrophe.
Yes, Iraq Was a Headline War

By Simon Jenkins

The west is leaving Iraq in a pool of blood, dust and dollars. It remains wedded to Iraq's twin sister in folly, Afghanistan. Continue

They're Leaving as Heroes?

By William Blum

Drum roll, please ... Stand tall American GI hero! And don't even think of ever apologizing. Iraq is forced by the United States to continue paying reparations for its own invasion of Kuwait in 1990. How much will the American heroes pay the people of Iraq? Continue

What Obama Should Have Said About Afghanistan
A much-needed addition to last night's speech

By Ray McGovern

What’s particularly embarrassing is that CIA Director Leon Panetta goes on TV and says, with no apparent awkwardness, that there are only 50, “maybe less,” al-Qaeda left in Afghanistan. Continue

How to Kill Goyim and Influence People:

By Max Blumenthal

Israeli Rabbis Defend Book's Shocking Religious Defense of Killing Non-Jews (with Video) A rabbinical guidebook for killing non-Jews has sparked an uproar in Israel and exposed the power a bunch of genocidal theocrats wield over the government. Continue

Death By Globalism
Economists Haven’t A Clue

By Paul Craig Roberts

When the jobs have been shipped overseas, fiscal stimulus does not call workers back to work in order to meet the rising consumer demand. If fiscal stimulus has any effect, it
stimulates employment in China and India. Continue

The GOP's Masterplan: Obstruct, Smear, Lie, Repeat   

By Mike Whitney

By the time the Republicans were swept from office in 2008, the economy was in freefall. Unemployment was rising at 750,000 per month, and all of the main economic indicators were plunging faster rate than after the Crash of '29. Continue

6 more U.S. troops killed during Afghanistan combat: - Six more American troops were killed in action in Afghanistan, ending August with a spike in bloodshed that has claimed the lives of 19 U.S. service members in only four days.
3 Court Staff Shot Dead, 12 hurt in Kabul: A court staff car was stopped in ‘Abdul Rahouf' area in Mosahee district of Kabul by two gunmen riding a motorbike and then they shot the staff, witnesses said.
Oxfam workers killed in Afghanistan: Three aid workers with British humanitarian group Oxfam have been killed by a roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan, the charity said on Tuesday.
Taliban footprint 'spreading': Petraeus: The number of American troops killed fighting the Taliban in the last four days hit 21 on Tuesday with the deaths of four US soldiers in the east of the country, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.
Murdering Civilians: Pakistan raid kills 45 "militants" and their families: "Some of the families were living in the vicinity of these hideouts and they were also among the dead," he said, adding he did not know how many non-combatants were among the casualties.
Terrorism claims 81 lives in week in northwest Pakistan: The continuing spate of terrorism killed at least 81 lives, including civilians and militants, during the past week in northwest Pakistan's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, intelligence reports suggested Tuesday.
15 killed in bomb blast in Somalia: At least fifteen people were killed and more than 30 injured Tuesday after a roadside bomb explosion hit two passenger buses in the Somali capital Mogadishu, officials and witnesses said.
Ugandan troops killed in Somalia: Four Ugandan soldiers with the African Union forces in Somalia were killed yesterday when hardline insurgents fired a mortar shell at one of their bases, the force’s spokesman said.
Have gun will travel: Somalia: Army Ready to Send 10,000 to Somalia if US pays: Uganda is set to send thousands of its reserve troops for deployment to Somalia if the US government provides promised funding for the mission, the Chief of Defence Forces has said.
Two militants killed, one soldier injured in Iraq: Two militants were killed and a soldier was injured in separate attacks in Iraq's northern city of Mosul Tuesday, police said
Sniper kills U.S. soldier in Tikrit: A sniper killed a U.S. soldier in central Tikrit on Tuesday, raising the U.S. fatalities in August to four soldiers, a source from the Salah al-Din police department said.
Fearful Iraqis scrambling to buy weapons: Four days after his brother was slain in a Baghdad robbery this month, Muntather Shaker borrowed $1,500 and bought a pistol. He carries it in his back pocket, sleeps with it under his pillow and is ready to use it to defend his family.
Spoils of war: Iraq to spend $13B on U.S. arms, equipment: Iraq is preparing to buy as much as $13 billion in American arms and military equipment, a huge order of tanks, ships and hardware that U.S. officials say shows Iraqi-U.S. military ties will be tight for years to come.
Military Subcontractors Bribing U.S. Personnel With Prostitutes? : Taxpayer cash is flowing to subcontractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, who engage in shady, illegal practices with few repercussions.
CBO: US war in Iraq costs $709bn: The cost, published in the CBO's Budget and Economic Outlook, comprises of military expenditure, including training of Iraqi forces and diplomatic operations.
Four Israelis killed in shooting attack in occupied West Bank: Two men and two women, one of whom was pregnant, killed in attack that occurred around 7:30 P.M. when gunmen opened fire on victims' car.
17 Percent of America in Anti-Poverty Programs: One out of every six Americans are in government anti-poverty programs, according to USA TODAY. More than 50 million Americans are in Medicaid. Forty million receive food stamps and 10 million receive unemployment benefits.
Homelessness Up 50% In New York City: If you think you've been seeing more people sleep on city streets, statistics back up the perception. The homeless population living on New York City streets has gone up 50 percent in the past year, according to city statistics reported by the HellsKitchenLife.com blog.
Man 'sick' of poverty gets prison in Pa. heist: An Erie man who told the FBI he was "sick of being poor" has been sentenced to serve six years and nine months for robbing a northwestern Pennsylvania bank and violating his probation for another robbery.
Stranger than fiction: For Newark, it's come to this: Selling city buildings: The city is trying to sell off its buildings to win a cash windfall today, a move that will force it to make rent payments in years ahead. It’s like selling your house to grab the equity, and then renting it back from the new owner.

Monday 30 August 2010

News For August 30, 2010

Abbas is a Man in Exile, Even Among His Own

By Omar Karmi

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, faces a crisis of credibility among his own people as he heads into direct talks with Israel in Washington this week. Continue

Hamas, the I.R.A. and Us

By ALI ABUNIMAH

The resumption of peace talks without any Israeli commitment to freeze settlements is another significant victory for the Israel lobby and the Israeli government. It allows Israel to pose as a willing peacemaker while carrying on with business as usual. Continue

Serving in Iraq Killed my Faith in God

By Adnan Sarwar

The destruction I saw made me question everything I had previously thought about religion. Continue

To Tackle Domestic Terrorism, End Foreign Wars

By Haroon Siddiqui

Stop being in denial that there is no connection between the wars we wage and the terrorist mayhem that they trigger, there and here. Continue

The Backward Slide into Recession    
  
By Mike Whitney

The US is now facing a protracted period of high unemployment and subpar economic performance punctuated by infrequent stock market rallies and predictable bursts of optimism. The recovery is over. Continue

"I Was Wrong Again!" What Ben Bernanke meant to say

By Andrew Leonard

The Fed chairman delivers a big, but boring, speech on the economy at Jackson Hole. Here's a translation. Continue

U.S. Government Prepares for 'Crisis'

By Jeff Nielson

The Obama regime has to "go big, or go home." It must either engage in massive (genuine) stimulus of the U.S. economy -- meaning a multi-trillion dollar commitment, or simply allow the collapse to proceed (and feed upon itself). Continue

19 people killed as rebel assault Chechnya President's fortress: "We let them in so they couldn't escape," the President said. He was previously on the side of the rebels but switched side when he was named President by the Kremlin in 2007.
15 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan: Fifteen Taliban militants, including a rebel commander, were killed in fighting with security forces in Afghanistan, Xinhua reported Monday.
7 US occupation troops killed in south Afghan bomb attacks: No details were given of Monday's attacks, although eyewitnesses in the southern city of Kandahar said an armored U.S. Army Humvee hit a roadside bomb in the early afternoon. Several bodies were seen being removed from the vehicle, which was on fire. The deaths bring to 14 the number of U.S. troops killed in action in eastern and southern Afghanistan over the past three days.
Afghan district chief killed in Jalalabad bombing: A bomb blast in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad Monday killed a district chief and injured up to five others, an official and the interior ministry said.
Somalia: Fresh Mogadishu clashes kill six civilians: – Clashes in Somalia pitting Islamist radicals against government troops backed by African Union forces have killed at least six civilians and wounded 16, officials and medical sources said Monday.
4 Killed as Somali Presidential Palace Shelled : Four African Union (AU) peacekeepers have been killed in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, after al-Shabab fighters fired a mortar at the presidential palace.
Somali Government Appeals for Help as Islamists Advance: Somalia's government is urgently appealing for more help as insurgents threaten to seize full control of the capital, Mogadishu.
Death toll rises to 12 in Yemen attack: The death toll of a weekend attack by suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen on an army post in south Yemen has risen to 12, including one civilian, the interior ministry said on Monday.
At least one killed in bomb attack in Iraq's Mosul: At least one civilian was killed and 12 others were wounded on Sunday in a coordinated cart bomb and hand grenades attacks in the city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, a provincial police source said.
Report: Hezbollah, Syria to join forces in future clash with Israel: Kuwait's al-Rai daily says Lebanon-based group, Syrian army have created a joint military command, dividing potential war fronts.
Mahmoud Abbas: If talks fail over settlements, only Israel will be to blame: Palestinian President: We understand Israel's need for security, but it is not an excuse to expand settlements and steal lands.
U.S.: Rabbi's 'offensive' remarks harm peace efforts: U.S. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley condemns Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's 'inflammatory' statement that all Palestinians should perish.
‘Sinner’ singer given 39 lashes by rabbis: A singer who performed in front of a “mixed audience” of men and women was lashed 39 times to make him “repent,” after a ruling by a self-described rabbinic court on Wednesday.
How Bush and Blair plotted in secret to stop Brown: Tony Blair attempted to prolong his time as prime minister after he was warned that George W Bush’s US administration had “grave doubts” about Gordon Brown’s suitability to follow him into No10, well placed sources have revealed.
Veterans’ group: CIA blocking lawsuit over experiments on troops: An advocacy group working on behalf of Vietnam veterans has asked a federal judge in California to sanction the CIA, saying the spy agency has been blocking efforts to uncover its role in alleged experiments on US soldiers from the 1950s to 1970s
Fire and Gunshots at Tennessee Mosque Site Called ‘Terrorism’: On Sunday, one day after a fire at the site of a planned Islamic center and mosque in the Nashville suburb of Murfreesboro, Muslim community members reported hearing gunshots as they inspected the damage.
In activist’s video, Glenn Beck fans agree with Ted Nugent on shooting illegal immigrants: Nugent also recently claimed during a radio interview that he's convinced the president is a "muslim operative."
And Now We're Headed For The GREATEST Depression, Says Gerald Celente: Celente says the country is headed for rising unemployment, poverty, and violent class warfare as the government efforts to keep the economy going begin to fail.
Top economists: The second Great Depression has arrived: As long as two years ago, one of Britain's top economists predicted a decade-long depression, $45 trillion in debt defaults and unemployment in the US and UK approaching 25% or higher.
Record number in government anti-poverty programs: Government anti-poverty programs that have grown to meet the needs of recession victims now serve a record one in six Americans and are continuing to expand.
More Employers Looking for Armed Guards: One valley security agency said the troubled economy is driving businesses to ask for armed guards because they are concerned about what some desperate, unemployed people could do. FOX 10 spent the day at an intense training camp.
Las Vegas logs 5 murder-suicides since Aug. 7: Police say murder-suicides are on the rise in the Las Vegas area because of a bad economy.
Cash-Poor Governments Ditching Public Hospitals: Faced with mounting debt and looming costs from the new federal health-care law, many local governments are leaving the hospital business, shedding public facilities that can be the caregiver of last resort.

Sunday 29 August 2010

News For August 29, 2010

America’s Corruption Racket in Central Asia

By Scott Horton

This is the third time this summer that the United States has been slammed with credible charges of corrupting foreign governments in Central Asia. Continue

Afghanistan
PowerPoints 'R' Us

By Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D., is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve

I have been assigned as a staff officer to a headquarters in Afghanistan for about two months. During that time, I have not done anything productive. Fortunately little of substance is really done here, but that is a task we do well. Continue

Our Bloody Valentine

By David Michael Green

when an empire has to label its military gang-rape of 25 million other people by the title “shock and awe”, it’s a safe bet that the folks who need convincing are the ones doing the giving, not the receiving. Continue

Stranger Than Fiction?
At Lincoln Memorial, a Call for Religious Rebirth

By KATE ZERNIKE, CARL HULSE AND BRIAN KNOWLTON

“Something that is beyond man is happening,” Mr. Beck told the crowd, in what was part religious revival and part history lecture. “America today begins to turn back to God.” Continue

Kill Them

By Linh Dinh

The scapegoating of Muslims, blacks and Mexicans gives the appearance that we're being threatened from without and below, when we're actually being mugged from above, from the inside. It's the entrenched who are killing us, not outsiders. Continue

Cycling in a Depression;
"Guys like me who built this great land are no longer needed"

By John Mele

Do I take any job and try to keep the home I spent a lifetime working for? In short, do I suck it up again, go to where I must and start over again at 60 and keep my mouth shut and show up for work and do this until I am dead? Continue

Make Sure the Bunker is Well Stocked

By Mike Whitney

No one wants to fix the problem, because then the big players would lose boatloads of money. So the vehicle continues to speed faster and faster down the mountain veering wildly from one side of the road to the other. How long before it jumps the guardrail and plunges to the bottom of the canyon? Stay tuned.... Continue

Overdose

Must Watch - ABC Australia Video Documentary

This is the story of the greatest financial crisis we will ever see... The one that is on the way. Continue

Afghanistan: At Least 21 killed as occupation force bases come under attack: Up to 30 Taliban-linked fighters, including suicide bombers, have attacked two Nato bases in Afghanistan's east.
Seven US occupoation troops killed by latest fighting in Afghanistan: Seven US troops have died in weekend attacks in Afghanistan's embattled southern and eastern regions, while officials found the bodies Sunday of five kidnapped campaign workers for a female candidate in the western province of Herat.
3 NATO Soldiers Killed in Afghan Violence: Three coalition soldiers were killed in Taliban attacks Friday in eastern Afghanistan, NATO statement says.
Afghans protest killing of civilians: Over 500 protesters condemned the killing of two Afghan civilians by mercenaries in the region, a Press TV correspondent reported on Saturday.
US Official say the CIA pays multiple members of Afghan government for information: Several former U.S. government officials said the U.S. has little choice but to cut deals with corrupt individuals.
Afghan president condemns CIA payment reports: "We strongly condemn such irresponsible allegations which just create doubt and defame responsible people of this country," it said.
Taliban has spies in British army bases: Taliban spies have infiltrated army bases in Afghanistan, the former commander of British forces there warned yesterday.
8 killed in clashes between militant groups in NW Pakistan: At least eight militants were killed and many others injured on Saturday afternoon when two militant groups of Punjabi Taliban opened fire at each other in North Wazirsitan, a tribal area in northwest Pakistan which borders Afghanistan, reported local media.
US Attack Kills 4 In Pakistan: US drone strike on Saturday killed "four militants" in Pakistan's north-western tribal belt near the Afghan border, security officials said.
Blast kills 3, wounds 7 in Pakistan: Pakistani officials told Press TV that the bomb went off in a shop in a village in South Waziristan Agency, near the Afghan border, late on Saturday.
15 dead in fresh clashes in Somalia: Government troops accompanied by Africa Union Soldiers were still battling Saturday with the armed Islamists at the strategic road that links the presidential palace and Mogadishus main airport.
Somali militants seize key road in Mogadishu: Saturday's attack triggered an intense gun battle on the Muka al-Mukarama, a vital artery that connects key government ministries and the presidential palace to the airport. The fighting sent hundreds fleeing their homes and trapped men like Mohammed Ali in the cross hairs of war.
Ethiopia troops invade Somalia to battle "radicals": A large number of Ethiopian troops in military vehicles on Sunday reached Somali villages after crossing its borders with Hiran region in Central Somalia.
Al Qaeda kill seven Yemeni soldiers: Seven Yemeni soldiers were killed and five wounded in an Al Qaeda attack in the country's troubled Abyan province, an official said.
Yemen denies foreign troops fighting Qaeda on its soil: Sanaa says 'surprised' at reports suggesting presence of British, US forces in Yemen.
U.S. military involvement may worsen situation in Yemen: The U.S. open involvement is also causing embarrassment for Yemeni authorities, who have insisted Yemeni military forces alone are responsible for anti-terror operations in the country and that the U.S. military's job is limited to intelligence and training.
U.S. Senators make sudden visit to Yemen: A delegation of U.S. Congressional Senators led by George LeMieux, a member of the armed services committee, was received by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to commend the efforts exerted by Yemen in the fight against terrorism, said the official website of the General People’s Congress (GPC) al-Moatamar.
Five people killed in northern Iraq: Five people, including four policemen, were killed in three separate shooting incidents in the the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, police said Sunday
Five killed in attacks on Iraqi police: A group of armed men attacked a police checkpoint in the village of al-Djawana in the al-Qiyara district on Saturday, Aswat al-Iraq news agency quoted local police sources as saying.
'Every Corner in the Region Is Frightened: Ayad Allawi: Iraq's former and possibly future prime minister, discusses the withdrawal of US troops, the power struggle in Baghdad and the "very high possibility" of a new war in the Middle East.
U.S. wasted billions in rebuilding Iraq: A $40 million prison sits in the desert north of Baghdad, empty. A $165 million children's hospital goes unused in the south. A $100 million waste water treatment system in Fallujah has cost three times more than projected, yet sewage still runs through the streets
Adm. Mike Mullen: 'National Debt Is Our Biggest Security Threat': America's highest-ranking military official thinks the U.S. has bigger security problems than al-Qaeda, suicide bombers and an increasingly deadly nine-year war.
Larijani: Iran ready for nuclear talks: As the US expresses optimism about future talks on Iran's nuclear program, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says Tehran has never refused nuclear talks, Press TV reported.
Report: Israel planning to attack Hezbollah arms depots in Syria: The Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai reports that Israel is preparing to strike Hezbollah targets in Syria; Al-Arabi Al-Quds reports that western diplomats have asked Bashar Assad to refrain from interfering with Israel-PA direct peace talks.
'IDF can destroy Lebanon army within 4 hours': An senior advisor to US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell has threatened Lebanese army commander, Jean Kahwajim that should his army initiate additional fire exchanges with Israel, the IDF would annihilate his military within four hours, Lebanese newspaper al-Liwa reported Friday.
Rabbi: Abbas and Palestinians should perish : "Abu Mazen and all these evil people should perish from this world," Rabbi Ovadia was quoted as saying during his weekly sermon at a synagogue near his Jerusalem home. "God should strike them with a plague, them and these Palestinians."
Any bastard can be a rabbi: Some 30 years ago, the Hebrew slogan was coined: "Medinat halakha - halkha hamedina," which means more or less that if Israel becomes a state governed by Jewish law, that will be the end of the state. Is the end near? It is coming.
CIA probes British spy murder: Questions also remain over why his body lay undiscovered for up to a fortnight at his£400,000 flat in a Victorian townhouse in Pimlico, central London, half a mile from MI6 headquarters.
Congress may sneak through Internet ‘kill switch’ in defense bill: A federal cybersecurity bill that critics say creates a presidential "kill switch" for the Internet could be added on to a defense spending bill and passed without much debate, technology news sources report.
Who is watching you? Spy satellite use in the U.S. : Video report
Inside Top Secret America: A major investigation reveals the extent of America's vast and heavily privatized military-corporate-intelligence establishment.
Desperate homeowners line up for mortgage modification marathon: Before dawn, with a plump white moon overhead, a line of desperate home­owners trailed around the outside of the building. They slept in beach chairs or on blankets on the ground, refugees from a bad economy, bad loans, or bad decisions.
12% of Houston homes underwater: About 12 percent of residential properties in the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown are underwater, according to a recent report from financial and real estate data provider CoreLogic.
Housing's new nightmare: In another ominous sign for the economy, the number of people falling behind on their mortgages for the first time is on the rise.

Friday 27 August 2010

News For August 27, 2010

The Soul of the 'Land of the Pure'

By Robert Grenier

Only the flint-hearted could be left unmoved by this. The heart aches for Pakistan. Continue

Hawks Box in Obama on Afghan Occupation

By Ray McGovern


The Obama administration’s reluctance to discipline senior generals for comments bordering on insubordination seems to have encouraged the generals to believe they can speak their mind with impunity about President Obama's management of the Afghan conflict. Continue

Mass Assassinations
Lie at the Heart of America's Military Strategy in the Muslim World

By By Fred Branfman


Greatly expanded U.S. military Special Ops teams, U.S. drone strikes and private espionage networks run by former CIA assassins create a threat to our security. Continue

'The War on Democracy'

Video By John Pilger

"The film tells a universal story," says Pilger, "analysing and revealing, through vivid testimony, the story of great power behind its venerable myths. It allows us to understand the true nature of the so-called war on terror". Continue

Wikileaks Red Cell CIA Release - Say What?
CIA Perception Management - How the World Sees the United States

By Michael Collins
Other nations allow the US to violate their sovereignty to kidnap and torture their citizens as a result of asymmetrical power. The US can crush these nations militarily and financially. The US also offers financial inducements to the leaders of some nations involved. Therefore, they cooperate.
Continue

Death of the First Amendment
The Nazification of the United States

By Paul Craig Roberts

Encouraged by its success in breaking the law, the executive branch early this year announced that the Obama regime has given itself the right to murder Americans abroad if such Americans are considered a “threat.” Continue

Psywar:
The Real Battlefield is the Mind

Must Watch Video Documentary

This film explores the evolution of propaganda and public relations in the United States, with an emphasis on the “elitist theory of democracy” and the relationship between war, propaganda and class. Continue

How a Hero Was Arrested, Labeled a Terrorist and Imprisoned

By Democracy Now!

Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born New Orleans building contractor, stayed in the city while his wife and children left to Baton Rouge. He paddled the flooded streets in his canoe and helped rescue many of his stranded neighbors. Continue

Bernanke Ponders the "Nuclear Option"

By Mike Whitney

Just months ago, 57 out of 57 economists surveyed predicted that the economy would avoid a double dip recession. Now they're not so sure. Stock market gains have been wiped out and the S&P 500 has dropped 14 percent from its high in April. Continue

NATO kills 6 Afghan children : 'Six children were killed by NATO warplanes in Kunur province Thursday while they were collecting scrap metal in a mountainous area when aircraft dropped bombs,' provincial police chief Khalilullah Ziayee said.
5 killed in Afghanistan market bombing: - A roadside bomb tore through a crowded market in Afghanistan's increasingly volatile north, killing three policemen and two civilians, a police official said today
Afghan war kills 3 more US occupation force soldiers: The latest deaths bring to 35 the number of fatalities among American soldiers in war-ravaged Afghanistan this month.
'Death toll in Pakistan floods to rise': Pakistani officials warn of a significant increase in the death toll from the heavy flooding in the worst affected areas which currently stands at 1,600.
One million flee south Pakistan: As many as one million people have been displaced in Pakistan's Sindh province since Wednesday, as the country's devastating floods sweep southward.
Video: Flood leaves Pakistan doctors helpless:
Iraq: At least 14 killed in another bloody day of US occupation: : It was another day of bloodshed in Iraq on Friday as at least 14 people were killed and 23 were injured in separate attacks across Iraq mostly directed at security forces.
Bullshi*: US soldiers back from Iraq made 'America safer': Obama: US President Barack Obama in a YouTube message on Friday thanked US troops back from Iraq for their "dedication" and "courage" that "has made America safer."
Fort Carson soldiers' killing spree after Iraq combat: Seventeen US soldiers from a Colorado military base who mostly served in Iraq have been linked to violent killings and attempted killings since their return to US soil.
Poll: Most Americans Say Iraq War Was a Mistake: Fifty-seven percent now say the war is going well for America, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents. That reflects improved perceptions since July 2007, when just 22 percent said things were going well. Thirty-eight percent say things are going badly.
More like 1.5 million civilians killed: Iraq war inquiry 'ignoring 100,000 civilian deaths': The official inquiry into the Iraq war has been accused of ignoring the deaths of the estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians who have been killed since the 2003 invasion.
UK: Muslims 'being turned into terrorists in jail': Britain faces a "new wave" of home-grown terrorist attacks led by up to 800 Muslim ex-prisoners who have been radicalised by jihadists while serving their sentences, a think-tank has warned.
U.S. troops in Iraq will keep combat pays: “Iraq (land and airspace) is included in the list of designated hostile fire or imminent danger pay areas (effective since Sep 17, 1990),” said Defense Department spokeswoman Eileen Lainez in an e-mail. “These pays are based upon a location's designation as a combat zone or direct support area. Therefore, the pays won't change Sept. 1.”
Yemeni Colonel killed in "Al Qaida" attack: A senior security official died after being seriously injured in an assassination attempt carried out by Al Qaida suspects in Mareb province east of Yemen, an official statement said on Friday.
Yemen officials, rebels reach peace deal in Qatar: Yemen's government and northern rebels have agreed to bolster a fragile truce and start political dialogue to end a civil war that has raged on and off since 2004.
Somali fighters attack capital: Government forces have said they are still in control of the airport, sea port and the presidential palace, adding that attacks on the presidential palace have been resisted.
Iran bank assets withdrawn from Europe: central bank chief: "The Central bank ... has transferred the (Iranian) banks' assets from Europe. Currently there is no problem in regards to blocking of assets of the Iranian banks by the European Union," Mahmoud Bahmani was quoted as telling the Fars news agency.
Hamas: PA can't give up Jerusalem in direct Mideast peace talks: Speaking at fast-breaking meal in Gaza, Hamas PM Haniyeh says Palestinians worldwide do not support 'absurd talks with Israel.'
Boats reach Gaza despite blockade: Two vessels carrying 46 international human rights activists have reached the Gaza Strip, despite Israel's strict 14-month siege of the Palestinian territory.
NIGER: Almost 200,000 displaced by floods: Further heavy rains in Niger have caused the number of people displaced by flooding to soar from 111,000 last week to 198,740 this week, says the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is calling on donors and aid agencies to urgently send shelter materials, blankets and mosquito nets.
Niger Update: "People are so poor it's hard to tell who is suffering the most": "Four of my children died," said Hadjo, "They did not have enough food and I had no way to feed them. This is the third year in a row we have had very little. Some days we go to bed without eating anything at all."
Too little, too late for Niger: This is the front line of what has been called "Africa's world war". More than five-million people have died, mainly from hunger and disease.
Collapse of ancient Ellesmere ice shelf stuns scientists: The breakup points to the profound change underway in the Arctic and the accelerating loss of a unique and “majestic” part of Canada’s landscape, says John England, University of Alberta earth scientist.
ACLU: ‘Pain ray’ in California prison amounts to ‘torture’ of US prisoners: "The idea that a military weapon designed to cause intolerable pain should be used against county jail inmates is staggeringly wrongheaded,"
One in 10 with a mortgage face foreclosure: More than 2.3 million homes have been repossessed by lenders since the recession began in December 2007, according to foreclosure listing service RealtyTrac Inc. Economists expect the number of foreclosures to grow well into next year.
Blockbuster to file bankruptcy in September: Source says that video retailer could close 500 to 800 of its stores

Thursday 26 August 2010

News For August 26, 2010

An Exciting New Muslim Country To Drone Attack

By Glenn Greenwald

There is anti-Americanism and radicalism in Yemen; therefore, to solve that problem, we're going to bomb them more with flying killer robots, because nothing helps reduce anti-American sentiments like slaughtering civilians and dropping cluster bombs from the sky.  Continue

The U.S.-Made Mess in Somalia

By Gwynne Dyer

The U.S. decision in 2006 to send Ethiopian troops into Somalia was one of the stupidest moves in a very stupid decade. This week, some of the chickens spawned by that decision came home to roost. Continue

Obama's US Assassination Program?

By Chuck Norris

That's right. No arrest. No Miranda rights. No due process. No trial. Just a bullet. Continue

Treasury Makes Shocking Admission:
Program for Struggling Homeowners Just a Ploy to Enrich Big Banks

By Zach Carter

The Treasury Dept.'s mortgage relief program isn't just failing, it's actively funneling money from homeowners to bankers, and Treasury likes it that way. Continue

Corporate America, it's Time to Spread the Wealth

By Michael Hiltzik

Businesses are sitting on a record hoard of cash, but they're not using it to hire workers or pay existing ones better wages. Broadly distributing the fruits of economic growth is the only way to sustain that growth. Continue

Why Democrats Should Propose a “People’s Tax Cut”

By Robert Reich

Republicans are calling the Democrat’s proposal to end the Bush tax cuts on the richest 3 percent a “tax increase,” and demagoging that it will hurt the economy and small business. This is baloney, to put it politely. Let me count the ways: Continue

Third World America:
'Fast-Tracking to Anarchy'

By Janet Tavakoli

Much of poor America, especially in our major cities, has been Third World America for decades. Soon the urban middle classes and even upper classes will become better acquainted with that world. Continue

Taliban Kill Eight Police in Afghan North: Governor: Taliban rebels killed eight Afghan police officers on Thursday in northern Kunduz, an official said, stepping up strikes in what was once a relatively secure part of Afghanistan.
US-led troops killed in dispute over veil: A media report says that an Afghan soldier killed two US-led soldiers in a shoot-out when they tried to remove an Afghan woman's veil by force.
Army: Soldiers plotted to kill Afghan civilians: But eventually, Gibbs formed what one called a "kill team" to randomly execute Afghan civilians while on patrol, the documents said. No motive was discussed.
Karzai aide accused of corruption is on CIA payroll: Report: An aide to Afghan President Hamid Karzai who is under investigation for corruption is on the payroll of the Central Intelligence Agency, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
At least 80 dead in Somalia after three days of attacks: Fighting in Somalia’s capital flared for a third straight day yesterday, killing eight people and pushing the week’s death toll past 80 as insurgents tried to force government troops back toward the presidential palace, officials said.
U.S. Weighs Expanded Attacks in Yemen: Such a move would give the Central Intelligence Agency a far larger role in what has until now been mainly a secret U.S. military campaign against militant targets in Yemen and across the Horn of Africa. It would likely be modeled after the CIA's covert drone campaign in Pakistan.
Yemen says US officials exaggerate Qaeda threat: Sanaa insists that fighting terrorism in Yemen remains responsibility of Yemeni forces.
CIA wants to cover up US war crimes in Yemen: A missile strike on December 17 in Yemen last year that killed 41 people including 21 children and 14 women was most likely the result of a US cruise missile strike — an opening shot in a US military campaign that began without notice and has never been officially confirmed.
Eight Killed In Latest Insurgent Attack In Iraq: Iraqi insurgents killed eight members of a government-backed militia near Baghdad on Thursday, a day after a wave of attacks killed at least 60 people and wounded hundreds just as the U.S. is drawing down its military presence.
Son of prominent Iraqi tribal leader assassinated: Gunmen killed the son of a prominent tribal leader in Iraq in a pre-dawn attack Thursday as fresh blasts targeted more police stations, security sources said.
'Five rebels, two guards' killed in Iran clashes: Five rebels and two members of the Revolutionary Guards have been killed in clashes in Iran's Kordestan province near the Iraqi border, government newspaper Iran reported on Thursday.
Peres warns IAEA chief of Iran nuclear threat: 'It is impossible to separate Iran's nuclear plans from the nature of its regime,' president tells Yukiya Amano in Jerusalem.
Israel Orders Massive Military Fuel Stocks: Three weeks ago the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) published a notice, as it is legally required to do, announcing that Israel has ordered massive quantities of various fuels suitable for military use, and in the case of the order for JP-8 jet fuel, suitable only for military use.
Leaked CIA memo cites U.S. Jews among exporters of terrorism: Wikileaks releases a CIA memo titled 'What if Foreigners See the United States as an Exporter of Terrorism?' in which American Jews in Israel was one of four groups mentioned.
France deports hundreds of Roma: Police escorted four busloads of Roma men, women and children to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, the capital, on Thursday, where they boarded planes bound for Romania, the AFP news agency reported.
Am I an Activist for Caring About My Grandchildren's Future? I Guess I Am: Concerted action to tackle climate change will happen only if the public demands it for the sake of future generations
Slain MI6 spy, Gareth Williams, a man of mystery : DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a British spy found stuffed into a sports bag are focusing on his private life in search of a motive.
FBI paid informant in Bronx synagogue bomb plot $97K, who provided terror suspects with fake bombs: Defense lawyers contend that without the informant - who they say entrapped the suspects - their bumbling clients would never have tried to blow up two synagogues in Riverdale
Police: Cab Driver Stabbed By Passenger Who Asked "Are You Muslim?": Police say the passenger asked the driver, "Are you Muslim?" When the driver said yes the passenger pulled a knife and slashed him in the throat, arm and lip.
California mosque vandalized, Ground Zero mentioned: The signs read “No Temple for the God of terrorism at Ground Zero. ANB,” “Wake up America, the Enemy is here. ANB” and “American Nationalist Brotherhood.”
9/11 families, others rally in favor of NYC mosque: The planned mosque and Islamic center blocks from ground zero got a new boost Wednesday from a coalition of supporters that includes families of Sept. 11 victims.
Anti-Latino Hate Crime is Spreading, Says Report: On the heels of a horrific anti-Muslim attack in New York City on Tuesday night, there’s new disturbing evidence that hate crimes are on the rise across the country for Latinos.
Stepped-up efforts by U.S., Mexico fail to stem flow of drug money south: The drug traffickers and their Colombian suppliers smuggle $20 billion to $25 billion in U.S. bank notes across the southwest border annually.
Johann Hari: Violence breeds violence. The only thing drug gangs fear is legalisation: A chief of the Mafia Cruenza, one of the biggest drug gangs in the 1980s, was recorded expressing his gratitude for the war on drugs as 'good for business'
Building a Nation of Know-Nothings: It’s not just that 47 percent of Republicans believe the lie that Obama is a Muslim, or that 27 percent in the party doubt that the president of the United States is a citizen. But fully half of them believe falsely that the big bailout of banks and insurance companies under TARP was enacted by Obama, and not by President Bush.
USA a failed state? It may be closer than you think: There’s only one common factor in the failure of great nations: Mismanagement. The USA is heading down a well traveled road to its own Armageddon. Rome, China, Russia, the British Empire and others have all been there before
S&P Says US Should Act to Protect AAA-Rating: Report: The United States government needs to take steps to preserve its top AAA-rating, a Standard & Poor's Ratings (S&P) official told Dow Jones newswire in an interview published on Thursday.
Fed in Emergency Bid to Put Bailout Ruling on Hold: The Federal Reserve asked a U.S. appeals court to delay implementing a ruling that would force the central bank to disclose details of its emergency lending programs to banks during the financial crisis.
For America's Middle Class, the Hits Just Keep on Coming: Americans are making due with less and don't have the money to put into stock funds, and many are taking money out of their investments to pay for basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter.
28% of Ga. mortgages underwater: 11 million, or 23 percent, of all residential properties with mortgages in the United States were in negative equity at the end of the second quarter
One in 10 with a mortgage face foreclosure: One in 10 American households with a mortgage was at risk of foreclosure this summer as the government's efforts to help have had little impact stemming the housing crisis.
Report: Rich no more: 700,000 wealthy people wiped out by the credit crunch: It also highlights how hard the recession has hit the value of savings and investments, which may take decades to recover their value.

Wednesday 25 August 2010

News For August 25, 2010

Wikileaks Posts Classified CIA Memo

By Al Jazeera

The whistleblower organisation Wikileaks has released a classified CIA document asking what would happen if foreign countries began to view the US as an "exporter of terrorism". Continue

Another U.S.-Inflicted “Ground Zero” in Pakistan

By William N. Grigg

If opinion polls are reliable at all, most Americans are too enthralled by the manufactured outrage over the so-called Ground Zero Mosque to notice that the government claiming to represent them just massacred, via remote-controlled drone, at least twenty innocent people in Pakistan. Continue

Mossad in America

By Philip Giraldi - Former CIA Officer


Israeli intelligence steps up its activity in the U.S. — and gets away with it. Continue

Anti-Mosque Coalition’s Website Owned By Neo-Conservative Islamophobe Frank Gaffney

By Alex Seitz-Wald

The Coalition to Honor Ground Zero, appears to be funded by a major neo-conservative advocacy group, with deep-pocketed donors, and extensive connections to the conservative establishment. Continue

The Government's New Right to Track Your Every Move With GPS

By ADAM COHEN

Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go.
Continue

Trying to Exclude WikiLeaks from Shield Law Stinks

By Douglas Lee

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that representatives of the newspaper industry would have recoiled from working with Congress to deny legal protection to anyone who leaked confidential or classified documents. Today, however, they seem happy to be doing so. Continue

"Enron Accounting" Has Bankrupted America:
U.S. Deficit Really $202 Trillion, Kotlikoff Says

By Peter Gorenstein

The “real” deficit - including non-budgetary items like unfunded liabilities of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the defense budget - is actually $202 trillion, the professor and author calculates; or 15 times the “official" numbers.
Continue

Morgan Stanley Says Government Defaults Inevitable

By Matthew Brown

Investors face defaults on government bonds given the burden of aging populations and the difficulty of increasing tax revenue, according to a Morgan Stanley executive director.
Continue

Banks Siding Against the Customer in Fraud Cases

By Naomi Wolf


I was stunned by what seemed from the emails to be a systemic practice. Why would a bank want to perpetuate bank fraud rather than fight it? Continue

61 killed in Iraq bomb blasts: At least 61 people were killed and more than 180 injured in a series of attacks across Iraq Wednesday, mainly bomb blasts targeting police stations.
40 "Taliban fighters" killed in Afghanistan: : Afghan and international forces have killed about 40 Taliban fighters east of the capital, Kabul, as part of operations to provide security before parliamentary elections next month, NATO said Tuesday
Afghan policeman kills three Spaniards: Two Spanish police and an interpreter were killed when an Afghan policeman they were training turned on them before he was shot dead, officials said, as protests against the killing turned violent on Wednesday.
Australian occupation force soldier killed in Afghan clash: An Australian soldier was killed in an "intense" gunbattle with Taliban resistance fighters in southern Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday, taking the country's losses to 10 since early June.
Marines likely to stay in Afghanistan for years: It will likely be a few years before Afghanistan is secure enough for the U.S. Marines to leave, Commandant Gen. James Conway said Tuesday, adding his voice to a growing chorus of military leaders warning of a long fight ahead.
Petraeus: Reconciliation With Taliban is Ultimate Goal for Afghanistan's Future: Other commanders have been more cagey about openly supporting such talks with the Taliban, but Petraeus acknowledged that U.S. forces safeguard the movement of officials to those meetings with the Taliban officials.
In Pictures: Pakistan drowns in misery
12 Yemeni militants killed in clashes with troops: A senior Yemeni official says government troops have killed 12 militants and retaken control of a southern town after several days of fighting with rebels
Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Yemen: CIA sees increased threat from al-Qaeda in Yemen: For the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, CIA analysts see one of al-Qaeda's offshoots - rather than the core group now based in Pakistan - as the most urgent threat to U.S. security, officials said.
Report: Yemen sacrificing rights: Yemen's government has sacrificed human rights to preserve security in its battle against Shia rebels in the north and al-Qaeda fighters in the south, a new report by Amnesty International has alleged.
Amnesty: UK planes 'attacked Yemen': Amnesty International says war planes supplied by the UK to Saudi Arabia are "extremely likely" to have been used in attacks on civilians in Yemen.
10 civilians die in Mogadishu's third day of heavy fighting: Heavy fighting between troops and Islamist rebels gripped Somalia's capital for a third day Wednesday, with 10 civilians killed a day after insurgents mowed down 33 people in a raid on a hotel.
Corpses Litter Streets amid Mogadishu Fighting: "We are getting reports of dead bodies on most major roads in the city," she said, adding that the intensity of the fighting, which broke out on 23 August, meant the corpses were not being collected.
Senior Hezbollah member killed in Beirut clashes: Two Lebanese men, including a senior member of Hezbollah, were killed in Beirut on Tuesday in clashes between supporters of the Shi'ite militant group and a Sunni faction, security sources said.
Beirut wants Iran to equip Lebanon Army: Lebanese President Michel Sleiman has officially asked Iran to equip and modernize the Lebanese Army, given the problems Beirut is facing.
'Iran prepared to equip Lebanese army': Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi says Iran is fully prepared to provide Lebanon's army with cutting-edge military equipment.
Benjamin Netanyahu rejects demands to continue settlement freeze: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, threw hopes for a smooth resumption of Middle East peace talks into turmoil by rejecting demands to continue a freeze on settlement building in the West Bank.
Lieberman: Settlement building should restart in September: No reason why construction should not resume in major West Bank settlements when 10-month freeze ends on September 26, foreign minister says.
Hamas: Direct Israeli-Palestinian talks illegitimate, coerced by U.S.: Hamas politburo chief urges Egypt's Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah not to take part in Washington-backed peace negotiations.
PA Claims US Threatened to Withdraw Aid: Palestinian Authority officials claim that the United States threatened PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas with ending financial aid if he did not agree to direct negotiations with Israel
UN official criticises Israel over flotilla probe: Israel is not co-operating with the UN Human Rights Council's probe of May's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a UN official said
Amnesty Int'l Finland: Israel scum state: The head of Amnesty International’s Finnish branch, Frank Johansson, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that he stands by his statement that Israel is a “scum state.”
A Few Non-Jews Are Human Beings: Chief Rabbi of Hebron: There are some honorable people among the goyim. A few, but they exist. I think that even in Hebron there are a few who are human beings - which doesn't mean I'm saying they shouldn't all be sent to Saudi Arabia. They should all be sent to Saudi Arabia!"
Sweden to continue Assange inquiry: Eva Finne said she had questioned the woman who had filed the rape complaint and decided that there were no grounds to suspect Assange of any type of crime, but that she was still examining the molestation claim brought by a different lady.
2008 Attack on Military Computers Is Confirmed: “It was a network administrator’s worst fear: a rogue program operating silently, poised to deliver operational plans into the hands of an unknown adversary,” Mr. Lynn wrote.
Trivial Amount of Unenriched Uranium Seized in Moldova: Gang Hoped to Sell Chunk of Ore for Millions of Dollarstoday.
Suspected spy found murdered in UK: British police are investigating the murder of a man believed to be a British spy, after a body was found in a flat near intelligence headquarters in London.
Killer priest? : British government and Catholic Church conspired to cover up cleric's involvement in bombing
Official: 72 found dead in Mexico may be migrants: The scale of the massacre of migrants appeared to be unprecedented even by the gruesome standards of Mexican drug cartels.
Texas slams Obama after Mexico border gun battles: Texas Governor Rick Perry has accused President Barack Obama of "gambling with American lives" after a bullet believed to be from a gun battle in Mexico hit a building in the US state.
After Katrina, New Orleans Cops Were Told They Could Shoot Looters: In the chaotic days after Hurricane Katrina, an order circulated among New Orleans police authorizing officers to shoot looters, according to present and former members of the department.
Full-Body Scan Technology Deployed In Street-Roving Vans: Courthouses and airport security checkpoints aren’t the only places where backscatter x-ray vision is being deployed. The same technology, capable of seeing through clothes and walls, has also been rolling out on U.S. streets.
ACLU Report: Spying on Free Speech Nearly At Cold War Level: Political spying is nearly as bad now as it was during the Cold War. The ACLU reports that Americans are harrassed and under surveillance for exercising their First Amendment rights.
US poll: Islam not especially violent: 62% say Muslims have equal rights; 51% against Ground Zero Mosque.
Alan Simpson: Social Security Is 'A Milk Cow With 310 Million Tits': Simpson's "disdain for the very program he claims he is trying to protect" makes him unfit for a leadership position on the commission, which is considering cuts to Social Security.
US home sales plunge to 15-year low: Sales of existing homes fell to an annual rate of 3.83 million, according to the National Association of Realtors. That was a more than 27 per cent drop from last year, and far worse than analysts expected: The consensus forecast was for a 13 per cent decline.
Credit card debt drops to lowest level in 8 years: Average debt on bank-issued credit cards fell 13.4 percent to $4,951 between April and June, down from $5,719 during the same period a year ago, according to TransUnion, a credit reporting agency.
Consumer Spending Woes Spark Retail Store Closures: Consumer spending remains weak, and as a result major retailers across the country – including big names such as Blockbuster (PINK: BLOK), Winn Dixie (NASDAQ: WINN) and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) – are shuttering stores