Thursday 30 September 2010

News For September 30, 2010

'Horrifying' Swat Valley Executions

By Jane Perlez
WARNING- Video Contains Graphic Images
An Internet video showing men in Pakistani military uniforms executing six young men in civilian clothes has heightened concerns about unlawful killings by Pakistani soldiers supported by the United States, American officials said. Continue

New U.S. Raids on Pakistan Constitute 'Naked Aggression'

Editorial

"It's high time that the Pakistani government wake up to the potential costs of its trickery with its own people. … Even on Sunday, as ISAF officials and their Afghan puppets were crowing that their gunships had killed 'militants' in two sorties in North Waziristan, local politicians were in complete denial that any incursion had occurred." Continue

Beware of Governments Trumpeting Terror Threats

By Mark Phillips

Fans of the movie Men in Black will be smirking quietly at the European terror plot story currently circulating. Continue

CIA Runs Private Army in Afghanistan and Pakistan

By Tom Peters

In one incident in June 2009, described by the AP, the Kandahar-based group went “on a killing spree” after one of its members was arrested, killing Kandahar’s police chief and nine other police officers. Continue

Time to Repeal Congress' Blank Check on Wars

By Barbara Lee

I was the only member of Congress who voted against the "Authorization for the Use of Military Force" because I knew some would use it as a blank check to wage war anywhere around the world. It is safe to say that if we knew at the time what the next decade would bring, I would not have been alone. Continue

Dwight Was Right

By Michael Moore

The only people really making the decisions about America's wars are across the river from Washington in the Pentagon. They wear uniforms. They have lots of weapons they bought from the corporations they will work for when they retire. Continue

Somalia - 11 Killed in Mogadishu Market Shelling: At least 11 people have been killed and 20 others wounded Wednesday in an artillery battle by Somali government backed by African Union forces and insurgents in Mogadishu, according to witnesses, Radio Garowe reports.
US attack Kills 3 Pakistani Soldiers: Pakistani military officials said two NATO helicopters crossed over into Pakistan's Kurram tribal region along the Afghan border before dawn and fired on paramilitary troops at the Mandata Kandaho border patrol post. When the soldiers fired back at the helicopters, the aircraft retaliated by firing two missiles, destroying the post and killing the three soldiers, the Pakistani military said.
Pakistan Cuts NATO Supply Line In Apparent Retaliation For Killed Troops: A permanent stoppage of supply trucks would place massive strains on the relationship between the two countries and hurt the Afghan war effort. Even a short halt is a reminder of the leverage Pakistan has over the United States at a crucial time in the 9-year-old war.
Extrajudicial Killing:: Briton suspected of plotting Mumbai-style attacks killed by drone: A Briton suspected of plotting attacks on European cities modelled on the terrorist rampage in Mumbai was killed in a drone attack in Pakistan, according to reports.
What a joke! CIA promises to 'respect' Pakistan sovereignty: Pakistan said Thursday that visiting CIA chief Leon Panetta had promised to respect its sovereignty and examine reports that NATO helicopters conducted deadly cross-border raids from Afghanistan.
Drone attacks will continue: Panetta: The ISI DG asked the CIA Director to provide secret information to the Pak-Army, adding that the Pak-Army would conduct an operation on the secret tip-off provided by the CIA, the channel reported. daily times monitor
Pakistani tribesmen protest against US drone strikes: “We are protesting against the drone attacks. Americans are killing innocent civilians but the government has completely failed to protect us,”Malik Jalal, a tribal elder and one of the strike organisers told AFP.
New Poll: Pakistanis Hate the Drones, Back Suicide Attacks on U.S. Troops: A plurality of respondents in the tribal areas say that the U.S. is primarily responsible for violence in the region. Nearly 90 percent want the U.S. to stop pursuing militants in their backyard and nearly 60 percent are fine with suicide bombings directed at the Americans.
7 Civilians Killed in NATO Airstrikes: Residents in the Central Logar province say a tank of the American forces was hit by a road-side mine blast in the province's Baraki Barak district on Wednesday night, after which NATO forces started air-bombardments in the province killing three civilians.
5 NATO occupation force service members killed in Afghanistan: Five NATO service members were killed Thursday in southern Afghanistan, the scene of heavy fighting as troops push into areas long controlled by the Taliban, the coalition said.
US attack kills 4 Afghan civilians: An airstrike by NATO forces killed four Afghan civilians and wounded three others in Ghazni province, southwest of the capital Kabul, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Thursday.
'Afghan children' killed in Nato raid: Wednesday's incident comes days after Nato was accused of killing 13 civilians in Laghman province on Sunday.
U.S. tax money goes to Taliban: A prominent U.S. contractor in Afghanistan may have inadvertently funneled millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer dollars to Taliban insurgents in the form of bribes and protection money, according to a review by the inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
US soldier in war crimes probe killed Iraqis, says report : A US soldier already facing murder charges for allegedly killing Afghan civilians is also linked to the 2004 deaths of several unarmed Iraqi soldiers, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Suicide attacker shot, killed in Kurdish region: Police in Iraq's Kurdish region shot and killed a suicide bomber trying to attack a checkpoint near a military base on Wednesday, a Kurdish security official said.
Soldier suicides spike: 4 Fort Hood soldiers take their lives in 3 days: "It is frustrating that so many Fort Hood soldiers have decided to take their own lives," Maj. Gen. William Grimsley, Fort Hood's senior commander, said
Study: Wars could cost $4 trillion to $6 trillion: Joseph Stiglitz, who received the 2000 Nobel Prize for Economics, and Linda Bilmes, a public policy professor at Harvard University, said the number of veterans seeking post-combat medical care and the cost of treating those individuals is about 30 percent higher than they initially estimated.
War's burdens borne by too few, Gates says: Most Americans have grown too detached from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and see military service as 'something for other people to do," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.
Yemen foreign minister confirms US strikes on Al Qaeda: Yemen’s foreign minister acknowledged the United States has launched attacks on Al Qaeda in his country in an interview published yesterday, the first confirmation from Sana’a of a US military role.
Mossad 'issued death threats' to Dubai police chief: Dubai's police chief said he has received death threats from Israel's spy agency Mossad linked to his role in uncovering details of the assassination of a senior Hamas leader, a report said on Thursday.
Iran's bourse booms despite sanctions: While U.S. diplomats were busy upping Iran's economic punishment over nuclear activities Washington fears are aimed at making a bomb, Iranian shares, which might have been expected to fall, have, instead, gone through the roof.
U.S. senators: China firm is violating Iran economic sanctions: In letter Secretary of State Clinton, senators say Chinese National Petroleum Co. is in violation of a new. law aimed at discouraging foreign investment in Iran.
Millions of Computers Hit by Virus Across China: A computer virus dubbed the world’s “first cyber superweapon” and which may have been designed to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities has found a new target — China.
US politicians threaten trade war with China: Congress to vote on punitive tariffs for Chinese imports amid frustration over 'beggar-thy-neighbour' currency policy

Wednesday 29 September 2010

News For September 29, 2010

Robert Gates: 'We're Not Ever Leaving' Afghanistan

By Marcus Baram

In a shocking indication of a split between the White House and the Pentagon over the war in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates believes that the U.S. military will never leave the war-torn country. Continue

Statement By The Afghan Resistance

By The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Reaction of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to the Remarks of General Petraeus. Continue

Manufacturing Consent For Attacks On Pakistan
Obama Out Of Afghanistan 'Psychologically,' Woodward Says

Video Interview

Woodward told Harry Smith that according to interviews with military and Obama administration officials, Pakistan plays a bigger role in the Afghan war than officials publicly acknowledge. Continue

Can the US Assassinate an American Citizen Living in Yemen?

By Ronald Sokol

When government asserts an unreviewable power to kill its own citizens, it mocks the rule of law, and claims a power more familiar to tyrants than democracies. Continue

Why The US Doesn't Talk To Iran

By Ismael Hossein-zadeh and Karla Hansen

During the past decade or so, Iran has offered a number of times to negotiate with the US without ever getting a positive response. Continue

The Real Pirates in Somalia: Washington, Paris and Oslo

By Abdulkadir Salad Elmi

Even when we are down on our knees and have to sometimes beg for help, the so-called international community has to first and foremost respect Somalia’s sovereignty and laws before they can be accepted as friends. Continue

Why Murdoch And The BBC Are On The Same Side

By John Pilger

Britain is said to be approaching its Berlusconi Moment. That is to say, if Rupert Murdoch wins control of Sky he will command half the television and newspaper market and threaten what is known as public service broadcasting. Continue

Cognitive Infiltration:
An Obama Appointee's Plan to Undermine the 9/11 Truth Movement

Guns and Butter with researcher, Tod Fletcher.

Sunstein proposes a new government COINTELPRO type infiltration of groups which research and promote ideas and explanations that run contrary to US government narratives, most specifically about the events of September 11th. Continue

In Case You Missed It
The Blue Pill People

By Hari Heath

There are none so blind as those who will not look. If you are one of those who will look, take a look around. You are surrounded -- surrounded by millions who will not look. These are the blue pill people. Who are these blue pill people and why won't they look? Continue

Pledge To The USA
The Capitalist Commandments

By The Center For Balance

Thou shalt own and control all media and news dissemination agencies. Let not any editor be elected lest the people influence what they see, hear and read. Continue

Foreclosure Funny Business

By Dean Baker

That US banks can skirt the paperwork required for home foreclosures shows it's one rule for them and another for us. Continue

Iraq 11 Killed Overnight: Police said a car bomb exploded Tuesday night near a popular cafe in Baghdad's Tarmiyah neighborhood. A hospital official said the blast killed two police officers and eight customers
Al-Sadr Agrees to al-Maliki Second Term in Return for Guarantees : Sources in the National Iraqi Alliance [NIA] that is led by Ammar al-Hakim have confirmed that leader of the Sadrist movement, Moqtada al-Sadr, following pressure from Iran, has agreed to State of Law [SLC] candidate Nuri al-Maliki remaining in office for a second term "in return for guarantees."
Pentagon Plans $4.2bn Arms Sales to Iraq: The Pentagon issued a proposal on Monday to sell weapons worth $4.2bn to Iraq, including 18 F-16 fighter aircraft, Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, laser-guided bombs and reconnaissance equipment
NATO kills 5 people in attack on Pak-Afghan border town: Security officials said on Tuesday that five people were killed and two wounded by NATO cross-border fire from Afghanistan in the third such incident in days.
3 top al-Qaida commanders killed in US drone attacks: The US is believed to have launched 21 missiles into tribal areas of northwestern Pakistan in last 24 days and American officials believe that a large number of al-Qaida and foreign fighters are among the over 100 casualties.
Pakistan probes reports of Qaida militant's death: - Pakistan is investigating reports that a CIA missile strike killed a senior al-Qaida commander as he traveled in a tribal region near the Afghan border, security officials said Wednesday.
A sad joke: Pakistan threatens to stop protecting NATO supply lines: Pakistan has told NATO leaders it will stop protecting U.S. and NATO supply lines to Afghanistan if foreign aircraft stage further cross-border attacks against fleeing militants, security officials said Tuesday.
Obama threatens Pakistan: : Obama: 'We need to make clear to people that the cancer is in Pakistan': " If, God forbid, the SUV had blown up in Times Square, - Obama would be forced to do things that Pakistan would not like. "No one will be able to stop the response and consequences," the security adviser said. "This is not a threat, just a statement of political fact."
Demonizing Pakistan: Woodward book: 'rogue Pakistani officers were involved in Mumbai attack': Pakistan's intelligence chief has admitted "rogue" retired officers from his force were involved in the 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, veteran investigative journalist Bob Woodward has claimed.
Arrogance on display: Clinton warns Pakistan to make the rich pay up: The United States will set tougher conditions on its aid to foreign governments, including an expectation that rich foreigners won't skip out on their taxes while Americans bankroll things their nations need, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday
Foreign occupation force soldier killed in Afghan insurgent attack: Nato: Nato said Wednesday that a foreign soldier had been killed in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan
Taliban Rejects Latest Karzai Peace Approach: Demands end of Occupation: Hours after a key provincial official was assassinated by the Taliban in a motorcycle suicide attack, the insurgents rebuffed the new peace effort of the Afghan government, and once again preconditioned foreign forces' drawdown to any peace approaches.
Afghan Peace Impossible Unless Foreign Forces Leave: Hamid Gull: Gen. Hamid Gull described the government of Afghanistan and its members as puppets and added that the establishment of the High Council of Peace meant to start peace deals with the Taliban will have no positive results.
South Yemen governor survives attack that kills 3 soldiers: The governor of south Yemen's restive Shabwa province on Wednesday escaped unhurt from an attack on his convoy that killed three of his guards, a security official said.
Yemen's veneer of legality: New media restrictions, erected under the cover of state security, will snuff out what little remains of press freedom in Yemen
The Real Pirates in Somalia: Washington, Paris and Oslo : Even when we are down on our knees and have to sometimes beg for help, the so-called international community has to first and foremost respect Somalia’s sovereignty and laws before they can be accepted as friends.
Iran puts off Bushehr nuclear plant launch to early 2011: Iranian officials deny Stuxnet virus has affected major systems at nuclear plant, but analysts believe Iran may be suffering wider sabotage.
U.S. asks Japan to drop Iran oil field project: The United States has asked Japan to completely withdraw from development of the Azadegan oil field in Iran to keep in line with planned U.S. sanctions on that country over its nuclear development, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Wednesday.
Jewish boat activists: Israel treated us harshly: The claims of rough treatment present another headache for Israel, which has had to fend off several recent attempts by pro-Palestinian activists to break the Jewish state's three-year naval embargo of the seaside strip.
UN panel backs critical Gaza flotilla raid report: While flotilla raid report says Israel committed 'grave violations of human rights,' the council stopped short of pressing for an international criminal inquiry.
Spain arrests American al-Qaida suspect: Spanish police have arrested a U.S. citizen of Algerian origin who is suspected of financing al-Qaida's North African affiliate, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.
Its only a matter of time: 'Credible But Not Specific' Threat of New Terrorist Attack: Officials in Europe, US on High Alert for Commando-Style Raids After Capture of Suspected German Terrorist
Mass Assassinations Lie at the Heart of America's Military Strategy in the Muslim World: 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.
Stop the Internet Blacklist: As President Obama admonishes oppressive regimes for their censorship of the Internet, a group of powerful Senators -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- have signed onto a bill that would vastly expand the government's power to censor the Internet.
Supreme Court to decide corporate privacy rights: The Supreme Court is getting involved in an unusual freedom of information dispute over whether corporations may assert personal privacy interests to prevent the government from releasing documents about them.
Anti-austerity protests hit Europe: Wave of strikes and protests held in major cities and outside EU headquarters as anger over spending cuts escalates.

Tuesday 28 September 2010

News For September 28, 2010

UN Fact-Finding Mission Says
Israelis "Executed" US Citizen Furkan Dogan:

By Gareth Porter

Dogan had apparently been "lying on the deck in a conscious or semi-conscious, state for some time" before being shot in his face. Continue

Sitting on the Evidence:
Obama Administration Silent on Israeli Murder of 19-Year-Old American

By Dave Lindorff and Linn Washington

Murder is murder, and terror is terror, you might think. But when terror is committed against an American citizen by the state of Israel the response from the US government is not protest, and it is surely not to demand justice, much less seek vengeance. It is silence. Continue

Obama Edges To The Dark Side

By Mark LeVine

President Obama has essentially continued almost every major Bush security policy, either by default or design. State secrets, targeted killings, renditions and indefinite detention, opposing the right of habeas corpus, preventing victims of admitted torture from seeking judicial redress, expanding the Afghan war. Continue

Americans Living in a Police State?

Interview With Paul Craig Roberts

The US government is establishing in the mind of the public that anyone who criticizes the War on Terror is aligned with terrorists. Continue

Will They Raid My Home For Writing This?

By Mary Shaw

It's like McCarthyism all over again. Continue

What if Everyone Had Medicare?

By Henry Abrons

Replacing our dysfunctional patchwork of private health insurers with a single, streamlined system of financing, would save about $400 billion annually in unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy. That's enough to cover all of those now uninsured and to provide every person in the United States with quality, comprehensive coverage. Continue

Income Gap Widens:
Census Finds Record Gap Between Rich And Poor

By HOPE YEN

The U.S. also has the greatest disparity among Western industrialized nations. Continue

Unauthorized US attacks kill 9 in Pakistan: At least nine people have been killed and several others wounded in Pakistan in two separate non-UN-sanctioned cross border attacks by US troops.
Honest outrage or sick joke? Pakistan furious over Nato cross-border Taliban raids: Pakistan's foreign ministry condemned the incursions as a "clear violation and breach of the UN mandate under which Isaf operates", saying it had made a formal protest to Nato. "In the absence of immediate corrective measures, Pakistan will be constrained to consider response options," said Abdul Basit, the foreign ministry spokesman.
US general warns Pak of entering its land to stop terror: A top US military commander has warned the Pakistan army that America could launch ground operations in the tribal areas, if Islamabad refused to dismantle the militant network in North Waziristan. The New York Times (NYT) reports the warning by General David H Petraeus
Kayani a liar, don't trust him: former CIA official: Pakistan's powerful army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, long considered a close ally by America, is now thought by President Barack Obama's aides to be stonewalling Washington's call for decisive action against terrorists' safe havens in the country's turbulent tribal belt.
Obama, Bush, and the Judicious Use of Hellfire Missiles: Much has changed since the Bush administration left office. Two years ago, the CIA was worrying about legal issues surrounding the killing of Americans at an alleged terrorist training camp in Pakistan. Now the Obama administration has apparently put American citizens on a "targeted killing" list.
Pakistan government to fall?: . It's high noon in Pakistan and the showdown, due in the supreme court on October 13, is putting immense pressure on the government.
Suicide bomb kills 6 Afghans including vice-governor : A suicide bomber on a motorised rickshaw killed the deputy governor of Afghanistan's Ghazni province and five others on Tuesday, the area's police chief said, the latest assassination of a government official.
US soldier admits gruesome killing of Afghan civilians: One of five US soldiers charged with premeditated murder described his unit leader as ordering the gruesome death of unarmed Afghan civilians in a military interrogation video obtained by US media on Monday.
Karzai sets up body for peace talks: Afghan president announces 68-member 'high council for peace' for holding talks with Taliban and other armed groups.
Report: 2 US occupation force soldiers killed by third in Iraq: A newspaper is reporting that a Northern California soldier and an Army private from Connecticut were killed by a fellow service member in Iraq.
Con game: Settlement freeze? It was barely a slowdown: The official statistics supplied by the Central Bureau of Statistics describe the story behind the 10-month construction moratorium in the West Bank. The story can be called many things but "freeze" is certainly not one of them.
Abbas: Settlement construction will 'force' us to quit talks: "Of course we don't want to end negotiations, we want to continue. But if colonization continues we will be forced to end them," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Europe 1 radio.
Netanyahu disowns minister's speech: Lieberman told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement would take "decades", and dismissed current talks between the two sides as unrealistic.
Ethnic cleansing : Lieberman presents plans for population exchange at UN: Controversial scheme would see part of Israel's Arab population moved to a newly created Palestinian state, in return for evacuation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Israel commandos board Jewish Gaza-bound aid boat: Before boarding, the navy transmitted two warnings to the boat, which refused to turn back and sailed further into the blockade area, the IDF said.
UN panel: Israel suppressing footage of Gaza flotilla raid: Karl T. Hudson-Phillips, a former judge on the International Criminal Court, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that Israel appeared to be trying to control information and to maintain monopoly over information on what had happened.
CIA seeks to gag critics of terror hit list: THE Obama Administration is trying to use national security laws to pre-empt an embarrassing court case over its targeted assassinations of terror suspects.
Government Seeks Back Door Into All Our Communications: The Obama administration is drafting a law that would impose a new "mandate" that all communications services be "able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages" — including ordering "[d]evelopers of software that enables peer-to-peer communication [to] redesign their service to allow interception".
D.C. turns to GPS to monitor young criminals: The District's juvenile justice agency is piloting a program that puts global positioning system devices on the ankles of the young criminals it releases into the community.
World gripped by 'international currency war': Brazilian finance minister Guido Mantega speaks out against devaluations: Economists fear increasing currency volatility and instability
Ireland May Think the ‘Unthinkable’ on Anglo, Evolution Says: The government has consistently said it won’t let the nationalized lender default on 16.5 billion euros ($22 billion) of senior bonds as the bank’s securities plunged. Moody’s Investors Service yesterday lowered its rating on the senior unguaranteed debt of the Dublin-based bank.
Unclaimed corpses raise body counts at Greensboro hospital: A hospital in Greensboro has seen unclaimed bodies stack up because family members can’t afford to pay burial costs.

Monday 27 September 2010

news For September 27, 2010

Killing For Sport
US Soldier Describes Thrill Kill of Innocent Afghans


Confession Video:

Corporal, 22, Tells How His 'Crazy' Sergeant Allegedly Murdered For Kicks, Collected Body Parts. Continue

How U.S. Jews Strangle Peace Talks

By Peter Beinart

What would it take to make American Jewish groups admit that an Israeli prime minister is not serious about peace? Continue

The Truth Will Set U.S. Free
Breaking Israel’s Stranglehold over American Foreign Policy

By Maidhc Ó Cathail

“The American people must learn that Israel is and always has been a strategic liability that has done immense damage to the United States and its worldwide interests,” concludes the former CIA officer. Continue

The President and I
An Interview With President Ahmadinejad'

By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

‘Some great men make history, and history makes some men great’, in an age dominated by the media-- internet, television, radio, and newspapers, the portrayal of Ahmadinejad is an artificial construct of the mainstream media. Continue

Prisoners of War
Bob Woodward and All the President’s Men (2010 Edition)

By Andrew J. Bacevich

Once a serious journalist, the Washington Post’s Bob Woodward now makes a very fine living as chief gossip-monger of the governing class. Continue

How Corporations Own Congress

By Shamus Cooke

The corporate money flows from party to party, so that the same goals are achieved: higher profits for corporations. Continue

Retribution for a World Lost in Screens

By Chris Hedges

Mass entertainment plays to the basest and crudest instincts of the crowd. It conditions us to have the same aspirations and desires. It forces us to speak in the same dead clichés and slogans. It homogenizes human experience. It wallows in a cloying nostalgia and sentimentalism that foster historical amnesia. Continue

Report: US Would Make Internet Wiretaps Easier

By Associated Press

Broad new regulations being drafted by the Obama administration would make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to eavesdrop on Internet and e-mail communications like social networking Web sites and BlackBerries. Continue

US Attack On Pakistan Kills 50 People: Coalition helicopters intrude across border : According to the eyewitness and news sources from the tribal area, the US troops on two helicopters conducted raid in Pakistan territory and killed at least 34 people in the region near Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Pakistani minister resigns after he claims army killed Benazir Bhutto: Pakistan's minister for defence production has resigned after being summoned by the prime minister to explain comments he made criticising the army and accusing it of killing prominent politicians.
7 "Taliban" killed in fresh clash in S. Afghanistan: "Troops with Afghan National Army (ANA) and police backed by NATO-led forces conducted a cleanup operation in Alo Khil village of Deyak district this morning as a result seven insurgents have been killed," Zarawar Zahid told Xinhua.
Polish occupation force soldier killed in Afghanistan: A Polish soldier died Monday in Afghanistan from injuries sustained in a roadside bomb attack, the Defence Ministry in Warsaw said.
US soldier faces murder charges : Army Specialist Jeremy Morlock, 22, from Wasilla, Alaska, will face charges on Monday of premeditated murder in the deaths of three Afghan civilians, assaulting a fellow soldier and "wrongfully photographing and possessing visual images of human casualties".
Confession Video: US Soldier Describes Thrill Kill of Innocent Afghans: Corporal, 22, Tells How His 'Crazy' Sergeant Allegedly Murdered For Kicks, Collected Body Parts
Army censors photos of Afghan corpses in ‘kill-for-sport’ trial: Evidently worried about a repeat of the anger aimed at US forces over photos of torture at Abu Ghraib prison, the US military is restricting access to photos of Afghan corpses in the "kill-for-sport" trial of five US soldiers.
3 Australian soldiers face serious charges after 5 children killed in Afghanistan operation: The special forces soldiers, who were not identified, face multiple charges including manslaughter, dangerous conduct, failing to comply with a lawful general order and prejudicial conduct, Brigadier Lyn McDade, the director of military prosecutions, said in a statement.
US drone crashes in Afghanistan: They say the drone crashed due to a technical glitch but the Taliban militants claim they shot down the NATO aircraft.
Taliban: Swap U.K. Aid Worker for U.S. Prisoner: Militant Commander says He'll Exchange British Woman Nabbed in Afghanistan for U.S. Suspect Aafia Siddiqui
Afghan poll body orders vote recounts in 7 provinces: Afghanistan's election body has ordered a partial recount of votes from seven of the country's 34 provinces on suspicion of fraud, potentially delaying the results of a parliamentary poll further, an official said on Monday.
Afghan 'vote-rigging videos' emerge: Amateur footage appears to show fake votes being filled in as border police tasked with stopping poll fraud look on.
Iran crosses into Iraq to kill 30 bombing suspects: - Iranian forces crossed into neighboring Iraq and killed 30 fighters from a group it says was involved in last week's bombing of a military parade, state TV reported Sunday.
Iran says it killed 30 militants behind bomb attack: Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they had killed about 30 people who were the "main elements" behind a bomb attack in northwest Iran.
Iran defense chief: Russia unreliable: The Iranian defense minister says Russia's "reneging" on an agreement to supply Tehran with the S-300 missile defense system indicates the Kremlin is untrustworthy, Press TV reported.
Israel Suspected in Worm Sabotage of Iran's First Nuclear Plant: The worm has spread to over 10,000 computers in Indonesia. Computers in the U.S. have also been infected.
Three killed, 10 injured in northern Iraq attacks: At least three people were killed and 10 injured on Monday in a series of attacks in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, police sources said.
After Iraq: the soldiers stories: With 20 per cent of US soldiers who served in Iraq suffering from combat stress disorder, Channel 4 News correspondent Kylie Morris meets America's wounded warriors at the US Military base Fort Hood.
Yemen: Two al-Qaeda, police officer killed in ambush in Sana’a: An officer and two al-Qaeda suspects were killed when the officer tried to defuse a grenade that was in the hands of one of al-Qaeda suspects during an ambush launched by the security forces on a house believed to be a hide out of an al-Qaeda cell in Mathbah area in the northwest of Sana’a on Monday.
US accused of Yemen proxy detention: Lawyers for US citizen held in Yemen say that American agents arranged his arrest and interrogated him for weeks.
Airstrike just misses gathering of Somali militants: An unidentified military helicopter blasted rockets at a house where Somali militants were meeting yesterday in an apparent strike against the militant Islamic group al-Shabab, said residents and insurgent leaders.
Mystery over 'helicopter attack on Somalia's al-Shabab': BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says if this was a failed attack on senior al-Shabab officials, perhaps it is not surprising that no-one is claiming to have carried out the mission.
Bulldozers roll out across West Bank as settlement freeze ends: Building work at the West Bank settlement of Ariel restarted Monday morning after a 10-month construction ban expired at midnight on Sunday.
Abbas delays decision on talks: Palestinian president holds back from quitting talks with Israel as Netanyahu allows construction freeze to end.
Fatah official: Israeli settlements could kill two-state solution: Expanding Israel's illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory have reached a point of no return and could kill an internationally backed, two-state solution, a top Fatah official said on Monday.
Settlement Activities Did Not Stop During Settlement Freeze, Research Center Says: The Center said that Israel continued the work in more than 120 settlements and annexed large areas of Palestinian lands in the West Bank.
Hamas says Palestinian reconciliation on the way: The Syria-based Palestinian militant Hamas leader says only minor issues remain for a full reconciliation with the rival Fatah group.
UK's Ed Miliband: Time to bury Tony Blair era: The 40-year-old Ed Miliband, his party's youngest postwar leader, has vowed to radically overhaul Blair's pro-business and Washington-friendly platform, but dismissed critics who call him "Red Ed," and have warned he will shift the centrist party toward the political left-wing.
Chavez party wins majority in Congress: With the vast majority of votes counted, Chavez's party won at least 90 of the 165 seats, while the opposition coalition won nearly 60 seats, National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena said early Monday, AP reported.
The former guerrilla set to be the world's most powerful woman: The world's most powerful woman will start coming into her own next weekend. Stocky and forceful at 63, this former leader of the resistance to a Western-backed military dictatorship (which tortured her) is preparing to take her place as President of Brazil.
Anti-war activists targeted by FBI speak out: Two anti-war activists said Saturday that a 12-hour search of their Chicago home by the FBI was an attempt to intimidate them and silence the peace movement.
In a world gone crazy: U.S. should be able to shut Internet, former CIA chief says: Cyberterrorism is such a threat that the U.S. president should have the authority to shut down the Internet in the event of an attack, Former CIA Director Michael Hayden said.
U.S. Tries to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet: Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone.
Money transfers could face anti-terrorism scrutiny: The Obama administration wants to require U.S. banks to report all electronic money transfers into and out of the country, a dramatic expansion in efforts to counter terrorist financing and money laundering.

Sunday 26 September 2010

News For September 26, 2010

US To Continue Killing Own Citizens Overseas
Obama invokes 'state secrets' claim to dismiss suit against murdering of U.S. citizen al-Aulaqi

By Spencer S. Hsu

The Obama administration urged a federal judge early Saturday to dismiss a lawsuit over its targeting of a U.S. citizen for killing overseas, saying that the case would reveal state secrets. Continue

Obama Argues His Assassination Program Is A "State Secret"

By Glenn Greenwal

Obama uses this secrecy and immunity weapon not to shield Bush lawlessness from judicial review, but his own. Continue

These Spineless Chumps in Islamabad

By Yvonne Ridley

Obfuscation, is an awkward word but it essentially sums up the behaviour of all of the Pakistan government ministers, diplomats and politicians who have had a hand in the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui. Continue

It Is Official: The US Is A Police State

By Paul Craig Roberts

The US media, highly concentrated in violation of the American principle of a diverse and independent media, will lend its support to the witch hunts that will close down all protests and independent thought in the US over the next few years. Continue

"Don't F*** With Our Activists"
Mobilizing Against FBI Raids

Video Report From The Front Lines

There was a concern that the FBI motivation covered support of Palestinians and Colombian activists. Targets were ordered to report to a Chicago Grand Jury in the future. Continue

President Obama’s Ahistorical World

By Professor Lawrence Davidson

From the beginning of his administration he has ignored history. His most notable early example was when he refused to investigate the prima facie war crimes of his predecessors, crimes which the Nuremberg prosecutors would have easily recognized. Continue

Wisdom of the Terrorist’s Son

By Chris Hedges

Those who embrace violence, whether in the form of acts of terrorism or acts of war, are necrophiliacs. They worship death. Continue

How stupid are you?

By David Michael Green

Does anyone think the country is economically better off today than in the 1950s or 1960s? Does anyone seriously think that the Millennial Generation will be better off than their parents? Would anyone seriously bet on America today, as an economic comer? Does anyone think that the next hundred years will be the American century? Continue

Bank Of America Debt Collectors
Called Borrowers "F___ing N__ger" And "Punk" To Get Them To Pick Up The Phone

By Henry Blodget

Bank of America has been busted using some seriously outrageous tactics to try to collect debts so small they're barely worth the paper they're written on. Continue

42 "Taliban" Killed in Southern Afghanistan: The provincial police chief of Khost, Gen. Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai, put the insurgent death toll higher, with at least 82 killed in a NATO airstrike.
NATO forces kill another two Afghan civilians: Two Afghan civilians were killed after they approached the a NATO military patrol in southern Afghanistan, the alliance military said in a statement on Sunday.
Call for 'Gaza style' inquiry on Afghan deaths: Former UN official demands investigation into coalition link to deaths revealed by WikiLeaks
2 NATO occupation force troops killed in Afghanistan: The troops were killed in an improvised explosive device attack, the statement said. But NATO officials did not provide further details about the circumstances of the blast or the nationalities of the service members involved.
Nearly 100 police killed in Afghanistan every month: Nearly 100 police officers have been killed and more than 200 injured each month in the past six months in Taliban-led attacks in Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said Sunday.
CIA used 'illegal, inaccurate code to target kill drones': 'They want to kill people with software that doesn't work': The CIA is implicated in a court case in which it's claimed it used an illegal, inaccurate software "hack" to direct secret assassination drones in central Asia.
Blast near Fallujah kills 4 Iraqi police: Police and hospital officials in Fallujah, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, said the dead in Sunday's bombing included a police lieutenant colonel. A policeman and two civilians were also injured, the officials said.
Gunmen shoot down culture ministry employee in Baghdad: An Iraqi Culture Ministry employee was shot dead by unidentified gunmen who opened fire on him using silencer guns in west Baghdad’s al-Jami’a district on Sunday, a local police source said.
Anti-US occupation Iraqi cleric asks Arabs to boycott Baghdad summit: "Any Arab country which participates in the Arab league summit in Iraq will be supporting the occupation," Dari told Qatar's Al-Watan daily in an interview to be published on Sunday
US unable to document any payments for Abu Ghraib: "It's the right thing to do," Rumsfeld declared in 2004. "And it is my intention to see that we do." Six years later, the U.S. Army is unable to document a single payment for prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib.
Netanyahu to settlers: Keep low profile as building freeze expires: The Prime Minister's Office approached MK Danny Danon (Likud), who is planning an event to mark the expiration of the 10-month settlement freeze on Sunday, as well as settler council leaders, asking them to avoid provocations and maintain a low profile in the media.
Judaism is not a people: A Jewish state or an Israeli democracy?: Benjamin Netanyahu is unsure of his identity: His insecurity is behind his pointless demand for Palestinian recognition of Israel as uniquely Jewish.
Hamas claims to have found Israeli 'sleeper cells' in Gaza: A Hamas official on Sunday said that Israel has several undercover spies operating in "sleeper cells" in the Gaza Strip, awaiting instructions to carry out special operations.
'Jews for Justice' aid boat sets sail for Gaza: Organizer says goal of boat which left from Cyprus on Sunday is to show that not all Jews support Israeli policies toward Palestinians.
Iran Says Nuclear Plant Unaffected by Virus as Industrial Computers Struck: Iran said its Bushehr nuclear power plant is safe after confirming some of its industrial computers have been targeted by a computer worm and that it is working to counter the cyber-attack.
Stuxnet Worm a U.S. Cyber-Attack on Iran Nukes?: A top expert in protecting industry and infrastructure from cyber-attacks has told the Financial Times that a computer worm which surfaced more than a year ago may well have been a deliberate attempt by the U.S. government to destroy Iran's primary nuclear facility.
Stuxnet worm is the 'work of a national government agency': Malware believed to be targeting Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant may have been created by Israeli hackers
Kennesaw, where everyone is armed by law: This city, half an hour’s drive north of Atlanta, is unique: it is the only place in America where it is compulsory to own a gun.
Librarians Lead Fight Against Banned Books: Penguins are indisputably cute. And a children's book about such inoffensive animals could hardly be expected to trigger a nationwide controversy. But then came "And Tango Makes Three" and a heated debate was fired up.
Venezuelans go to the polls: Elections are seen as critical test of support for president Hugo Chavez, who has had control of parliament since 2005.

Friday 24 September 2010

News For September 24, 2010

"The Dead Were Completely Unrecognisable"
Interview With Family Devastated by US Drone Attack

By Asim Qureshi

I am shocked that the US can come to attack Pakistan in this way and Pakistan does not even have the authority to question them on the deaths they are causing. The civilians in all these regions are extremely frightened and fearful. Continue

9/11 Was An Inside Job?: Ahmadinejad

 Video

 Full speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at UN September 23, 2010 Continue

Ethical Reflections on the 9/11 Controversy:

By Elizabeth Woodworth

Do Information Science and Media Professionals Have a Duty to Provide Evidence-Based Information to a Questioning Public? Continue

Maybe Muslims Did It?

By Gordon Duff

The truth never benefits from censorship.  Censorship is dictatorship.  Dictatorship is when those in power no longer trust the people.   A government that doesn’t trust its own people can’t serve its people, its people serve it.  This is the America of today. Continue

The Ballad Of The Fleas

By John Walker Lindh

It’s said that black death spread by fleas
On backs of rats they rode
One fateful autumn thus they came
With vengeance as their code. Continue

Why Mitchell Said ‘No’ to Hamas

By Ramzy Baroud

It seems utterly bizarre that US President Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, answered with a simple "no" when he was recently asked whether Washington will reach out to Hamas. Continue

In Case You Missed it
The Third Temple's Holy Of Holies:
Israel's Nuclear Weapons

By Warner D. Farr, LTC, U.S. Army

This paper is a history of the Israeli nuclear weapons program drawn from a review of unclassified sources.  Israel began its search for nuclear weapons at the inception of the state in 1948.  As payment for Israeli participation in the Suez Crisis of 1956, France provided nuclear expertise and constructed a reactor complex for Israel at Dimona capable of large-scale plutonium production and reprocessing. Continue

FBI Serves TerrorismWarrants in Minnesota, Chicago

By The Associated Press

"The FBI is harassing anti-war organizers and leaders, folks who opposed U.S. intervention in the Middle East and Latin America," Kelly said before agents confiscated his cell phone. Continue

"The Republican Pledge to Privatize Social Security"

By John Nichols

The only way Republicans will avoid creating the largest deficits in American history is by ending the nation's commitment to its seniors and to its most vulnerable citizens—by gutting Social Security and functional Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continue

Democratic Cowardice

Video

Keith Olbermann Interview With Michael Moore. Continue

Why Say Yes to the Party of No?

By Ralph Nader

Clueless and spineless Democrats, busily dialing for the same corporate campaign dollars. Continue

Tea Party is Just a Media Spectacle

By Joe Bageant

For some reason, in this country, there's always been an assumption that the poor, or the underclass, are the non-white people that live in this country, and the fact that there has always been a white underclass has become taboo. Continue

Six suspected insurgents killed in airstrike in Afghanistan: An airstrike by international and Afghan forces has killed six suspected insurgents, including the alleged leader of the Haqqani terrorist network, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Friday
Suicide blast kills child, injures 28 in Afghanistan: A suicide bomber targeting a Nato convoy in northern Afghanistan hit a passing bus full of wedding party guests, killing a child and injuring 28 others, police said.
Britain tells US 'we cannot fight another Afghanistan': Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, told his counterparts in the US that the Armed Forces would only be able to provide the manpower for medium-scale conflicts or for support in large conflicts where others took a greater part.
How the CIA ran a secret army of 3,000 assassins: The US Central Intelligence Agency is running and paying for a secret 3,000-strong army of Afghan paramilitaries whose main aim is assassinating Taliban and al-Qa'ida operatives not just in Afghanistan but across the border in neighbouring Pakistan's tribal areas, according to Bob Woodward's explosive book.
3 killed in bomb attacks in northwest Pakistan: Three persons were killed when pro-Taliban militants carried out three bomb attacks on trucks and tankers ferrying supplies to foreign troops in Afghanistan in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan, officials said on Friday
Massive anti-US rallies held in Pakistan: Thousands of people have held anti-US demonstrations across Pakistan to protest an American court's verdict against a female Pakistani scientist.
Pakistan will fight Aafia Siddiqui's sentencing in US: Pakistan's prime minister announced Friday that he will work for the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman convicted of attempted murder by the US and believed to have ties to Al Qaed
Yvonne Ridley : Bring Back the Daughter of Pakistan: Dr Aafia Siddiqui's very existence is a constant reminder of all that is wrong with America's War on Terror ... Obama might have changed the name but it still represents kidnap, rendition, torture and injustice. These were once the trademarks of despots and dictatorships but now they are synonymous with the US.
Iraqi policeman and assailant killed in foiled suicide attack: An Iraqi policeman and an alleged suicide bomber were killed Friday when security forces foiled an attack aimed at Friday worshippers in the centre of the restive city of Mosul, said Iraqi forces.
This Year, Contractor Deaths Exceed Military Ones in Iraq and Afghanistan: More private contractors than soldiers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent months, the first time in history that corporate casualties have outweighed military losses on America’s battlefields.
Rampant drug use, random gunfire at Blackwater’s Baghdad parties: claim: Blackwater employees in Baghdad held wild parties featuring large amounts of cocaine and hash, where armed personnel would sometimes fire randomly at nearby buildings housing Iraqi civilians, says a former contractor for the security company.
US Businessman: Blackwater Paid Me to Buy Steroids and Weapons on Black Market for its Shooters : A Texas businessman who has worked extensively in Iraq claims that Blackwater paid him to purchase steroids and other drugs for its operatives in Baghdad, as well as more than 100 AK47s and massive amounts of ammunition on Baghdad's black market
Unarmed Gaza fisherman 'killed by Israeli navy': A fisherman has been shot and killed by the Israeli navy off the northern coast of the Gaza Strip, doctors in the territory say.
Syrian aid arrives at Rafah crossing: An aid convoy from Syria arrived at the Rafah crossing on the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt on Thursday.
Syrian Aid Ship: Aid Helps Relieve Effects of Israeli Aggressive Practices and Unjust Siege: The Syrian delegation accompanying the aid ship visited several areas that were destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces during their aggression on Gaza in December 2008, including ministries, hotels and the visas department.
Viva Palestina Convoy: Activists from Britain and Ireland set off from London.Police only allowed a limited number of vehicles to gather—they included ambulances that will be used by medical workers in Gaza.
Anti-Israel IAEA resolution tossed: The United States swayed the 151-member states of the UN nuclear agency to reject the Arab-proposed resolution which called on Tel Aviv to open up its nuclear activities to inspection.
Demonizing Ahmadinejad: President Obama Condemns Ahmadinejad’s 9/11 "Accusation": “It Was Offensive, It Was Hateful
Ahmadinejad stands by 9/11 probe call: - Video - "The event was very suspicious, but I do not wish to pass judgment. I simply tried to offer a proposal for a humane solution to problems that have risen as a result of 9/11,"Ahmadinejad told a press conference on Friday.
Iran Accuses U.S. of Hypocrisy in Woman's Execution: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the United States of hypocrisy on Friday for criticizing the death sentence of an Iranian woman, while a woman was executed in the United States this week.
US Executes Grandmother Despite Protests: A U.S. grandmother has been put to death by lethal injection in Virginia, the first women executed in the state for nearly a century, prompting outrage from anti-death penalty campaigners.
UK ups Irish-related threat level: Attack on mainland from Northern Ireland-related groups is a "strong possibility", interior minister says.
UN holds emergency food talks: Food and Agriculture Organisation meets in Rome, Italy, amid concerns of hunger and unrest over high food prices.
Feds: Privacy Does Not Exist in ‘Public Places’: The Obama administration has urged a federal appeals court to allow the government, without a court warrant, to affix GPS devices on suspects’ vehicles to track their every move.
Alcohol Lobby Now Openly Spending Against CA's Legal Pot Initiative: Big Alcohol's decision to squash marijuana law reform to protect its bottom line is simply politics as usual.