January 2007

January 31, 2007 News
Posted: Wednesday, January 31, 2007

¤ Bush Is Not Above the Law
¤ Europeans Fear U.S. Attack on Iran as Nuclear Row Intensifies
¤ Impeachment by the People

¤ Jihad In Trinidad
Al-Qaida is suspected of having set up a front in the Caribbean island state of Trinidad, and sympathetic jihadists have already launched a movement there to replace Trinidad's Westernized government with Islamic law.

¤ Chavez to get powers to remake Venezuela
¤ British police arrest 8 terror suspects
¤ Terror Plot: Ninth Arrest
¤ Bush 'spoiling for a fight' with Iran
¤ Senators warn against war with Iran
¤ Iraq's soaring civilian toll
¤ Suicide bombers 'entering Iraq from Syria'
¤ U.S. may have botched training of Iraqis
¤ Cuban TV shows Castro 'stronger'
¤ Chinese guards tortured captured Tibetans
¤ Cash-for-honours trail that leads to Number 10
¤ US 'victory' against cult leader was 'massacre'
¤ 'Curse of oil' sees corruption soar in Nigeria
¤ MPs meet Hamas and criticise embargo against Palestinians
¤ Biden Unbound: Lays Into Clinton, Obama, Edwards
Mr. Biden is equally skeptical—albeit in a slightly more backhanded way—about Mr. Obama. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," he said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."

¤ Biden Responds to Obama 'Clean' Black Comment (Video)
¤ Russia warns North Korea over nukes 'threat'
¤ Iran celebrates revolution vowing nuclear advance

US 'victory' against cult leader was 'massacre'
Posted: Wednesday, January 31, 2007

There are growing suspicions in Iraq that the official story of the battle outside Najaf between a messianic Iraqi cult and the Iraqi security forces supported by the US, in which 263 people were killed and 210 wounded, is a fabrication. The heavy casualties may be evidence of an unpremeditated massacre.
Full Article : independent.co.uk

Chávez set to be granted sweeping new powers
Posted: Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, was today poised to gain extended powers allowing him to make sweeping changes as he seeks to transform Venezuelan society.

MPs were scheduled to formally grant Mr Chávez the authority to enact measures by presidential decree during an outdoor meeting at the Plaza Bolivar, next to the national assembly in Caracas.

The former paratroop commander has already said he will use the law to nationalise Venezuela's largest telecommunications company and the electricity sector.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

Chinese guards tortured captured Tibetans
Posted: Wednesday, January 31, 2007

More than 30 Tibetans were tortured and incarcerated in a labour camp after their bid to escape across the Himalayas from their homeland failed when Chinese border guards fired on the unarmed group, according to a survivor.

In the first reported account of what happened to those taken from the Himalayas, 15-year-old Jamyang Samten said that he was one of a number of Tibetans who ended up being electrocuted and forced to dig ditches "as a warning" to others.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

January 30, 2007 News
Posted: Tuesday, January 30, 2007

¤ Congress Can Stop Iraq War, Experts Tell Lawmakers
¤ Don't Be Fooled by Bush's Defection:
His Cures Are Another Form of Denial
¤ US must abandon Iraqi cities or face nightmare scenario, say experts
¤ Sudan bid for AU leadership is blocked
¤ Bombs kill 36 in Iraq on Shiite holy day
¤ Fallon says U.S. miscalculated Iraq
¤ Fragile Gaza ceasefire holds
¤ Windows launches long-awaited Vista
¤ Theatrics Surround Windows Vista Debut
¤ Europe Resists U.S. Push to Curb Iran Ties...
¤ Emergency Shutdown at Rusian Nuke Plant
¤ Engagement with War
¤ If Arafat Were Alive
¤ Humvees and Tactical Madness in Iraq
¤ The Surge and the Shia
¤ And Most Americans Don't Know
¤ The Mother of All Bubbles
¤ Senators warn against war with Iran
¤ We've Seen How This Cowboy Movie Ends
¤ Bush: The Division-Maker
¤ Act Like Romans!
¤ On Shiites' holiest day, 58 dead in Iraq
¤ Security Camera Players

Diary reveals reality of African slave trade
Posted: Monday, January 29, 2007

On 13 July 1823, a young Royal Navy officer called Cheesman Binstead noticed a large number of sharks in the water as his ship patrolled in the seas off west Africa. His superiors left him in no doubt about the cause. To avoid a fine, an intercepted slave ship had thrown its human cargo into the waves and the jaws of the predators.

Amid the barbarity of a trade that brought 11 million Africans to the New World in chains, what Midshipman Binstead witnessed was not rare. But what was unusual was that he wrote it down as part of an account of the reality of transatlantic slavery and attempts to bring it to a halt.
Full Article : independent.co.uk

January 29, 2007 News
Posted: Monday, January 29, 2007

¤ Israel is the real winner of America's War on Iraq and Iran (If attacked)
¤ US studies Israel's cluster bomb use in Lebanon
"Israel may have violated agreements with Washington on the use of US-made cluster bombs in its war with Hizbullah in Lebanon last summer, the state department said today."
"Tough action from the US is believed to be unlikely because of the White House's staunch support for the Israeli government."

¤ 'Cluster bombs used in self-defense'
¤ Iranian Reveals Plan to Expand Role in Iraq
¤ Radar Love: Robbing the Cradle to Pay War Profiteers
¤ US military: Afghan leaders steal half of all aid
¤ Peace Now: New construction at outposts slated for evacuation
¤ Battle for Baghdad: City Braces Itself for US Surge
¤ Cementing Israeli Apartheid: The Role of World Bank
¤ Israel on the brink of civil war
¤ Russia to Complete Iranian Nuclear Plant on Time -- Official
¤ Egypt says Iran has no role in ex-diplomat assassination
¤ Abdullah Says Malaysia Has Shifted Reserves Away From Dollar
¤ US and Iraqi forces battle
¤ U.S. helicopter down in Iraq battle, 2 killed
¤ Iraq: 300 Insurgents Killed in Battle
¤ US soldiers in Iraq kill 250 men from 'apocalyptic cult'
¤ Israel suicide bombing kills four
¤ Japan moves to defuse diplomatic spat with US
¤ Russia commits to Iran nuke plant
¤ How the Saudis plan to put oil squeeze on Iran
¤ Ex-Taliban leader shot dead in Kabul
¤ Veteran peace protester sent to jail despite prisons crisis
¤ Two dozen die as Hamas and Fatah battle in Gaza
¤ UK X-ray cameras on lampposts plan
¤ 1,500 Policemen Fired in Iraqi Province
¤ Iraq cultivates ties to Democrats
¤ Bush's portrayal of Iraq edges closer to critics'
¤ US, Britain diverge on troops in Iraq
¤ Dick Cheney: 'US warship to Gulf sends strong signal'
¤ Iranian cleric calls for freeing prisoners
¤ Arab League envoy to Iraq quits

January 28, 2007 News
Posted: Sunday, January 28, 2007

Bush's Four Anti-Terror Successes All Fictional
President Bush claimed in his State of the Union speech to have prevented four terrorist plots. Phew! It's a good thing to know that we tossed out our Bill of Rights for some actual REASON - I mean other than turning Iraq into a training ground for terrorism. Except that we didn't.

Tens of thousands demand Iraq pullout

The Three US Armies in Iraq

Hundreds killed in Iraq battle

Inside the Criminal Mind

Rocket blast shakes U.S. embassy in Iraq - witness

Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
It was in the pages of these two volumes where I first discovered that -- over the course of U.S. history -- countless unscrupulous businessmen made instant and often massive fortunes by bilking and defrauding our government. More often than not, this meant our armed forces. Back in the 1800s, millions were made selling inedible foodstuffs to the Army, providing ships to the Navy that were not seaworthy, and selling arms and munitions at top-dollar prices that were so poor in quality as to be useless, even dangerous to soldiers in the field. Every imaginable kind of fraud was perpetrated by these incipient Robber Barons, who all systematically took advantage of whatever conflict was underway or looming as a means to get rich quick at taxpayers' expense.

Israel "may have" violated agreement as to use of cluster bombs

US troops seized during Iraq raid

Ex-Cheney Aide Shares Media Manipulation

America 'Poised to Strike at Iran's Nuclear Sites' from Bases

Do We Really Need an International Criminal Court?

How the Saudis plan to put oil squeeze on Iran

Bush's Last Surge for the Oil
Since our invasion in 2003, the US has encouraged Iraq to come up with an oil law that would turn the state-owned oil system over to foreign oil companies. Such a law would allow Production Sharing Agreements, called PSAs to be signed with Exxon, Chevron, BP and Shell to capture and control all the oil production from new fields and reap a large share of the profits for the next 15 to 30 years.

Imperial presidency
Presidential State of the Union addresses often strike me as embarrassing spectacles of imperial pomp and crass jingoism unworthy of the great American republic.

America 'Poised to Strike at Iran's Nuclear Sites'
Posted: Sunday, January 28, 2007

President Bush is preparing to attack Iran's nuclear facilities before the end of April and the US Air Force's new bases in Bulgaria and Romania would be used as back-up in the onslaught, according to an official report from Sofia.
Full Article : commondreams.org

January 27, 2007 News
Posted: Saturday, January 27, 2007

Bush Is About to Attack Iran
The American public and the US Congress are getting their backs up about the Bush Regime's determination to escalate the war in Iraq. A massive protest demonstration is occurring in Washington DC today, and Congress is expressing its disagreement with Bush's decision to intensify the war in Iraq. This is all to the good. However, it misses the real issue - the Bush Regime's looming attack on Iran. Rather than winding down one war, Bush is starting another.

House votes to require Holocaust lessons in high school

Is Bush an Idiot?

The Worst Job... Puppet Leader

Bush Urges His Private Death Squad To Speed Up The Slow Rush To War With Iran
The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort.

Blast rocks Green Zone in central Baghdad

US elevates Pakistan to regional kingpin

Google and YouTube: A Catch-22

Saudi warns 'interfering' Iran

Hamas-Fatah violence continues; 20 dead

Tens of thousands demand Iraq withdrawal

Dear Mr. President: Decide This!

World Ignores Signs of Civil War in Lebanon

Arms Sales As Alternative To Dialogue
There's one thing George Bush knows. You don't get to be the biggest arms merchant in the world by only selling arms to friends. If that were the case the only countries to which we'd sell arms would be countries like Great Britain and Canada and they're not going to buy enough to keep us in first place. And it's not Mr. Bush's fault that he doesn't know that there is a history in the United States of selling arms to people who have ended up using the arms against the United States. After all, it's hard enough for him to keep up with what's going on right now.

Chávez tells US ambassador to stop meddling

U.S. military reports deaths of 7 troops

Virus death toll rises in Kenya
Posted: Friday, January 26, 2007

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan. 26 Officials in Kenya are trying to stop the spread of Rift Valley Fever, which has killed at least 148 people.

Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the Rift Valley Fever death toll had gone up by 95 since the previous week with 380 confirmed cases of the disease caused by eating infected animals, the Kenya Times reported Friday.
Full Article : earthtimes.org

U.S. Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq
Posted: Friday, January 26, 2007

The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort.
Full Article : washingtonpost.com

Ex-policeman charged over 1964 killing of black teens
Posted: Friday, January 26, 2007

A former sheriff's deputy and alleged member of the Ku Klux Klan has been charged over the killing of two black teenagers more than four decades ago - one of the very last of the civil rights-era cases authorities are likely to seek to bring to justice.

James Seale, 71, once believed to be dead, appeared in court in Jackson, Mississippi, yesterday morning where he was charged over the deaths of the two 19-year-olds who were beaten, tied to weights and then thrown alive into a river. Their remains were found several months later by federal authorities who were hunting for the bodies of three civil rights workers who were also murdered by members of the Klan.
Full Article : independent.co.uk

January 26, 2007 News
Posted: Friday, January 26, 2007

¤ US bows to pressure with $10bn for Afghanistan
¤ House Speaker Pelosi Visits Iraq
¤ Pelosi in Iraq to see for herself how war is going
¤ Feingold Pushes Plan to Cut Off War Funds
¤ Bush: 'I'm the Decision-Maker' on Iraq
¤ U.N. says Iran plans nuclear development
¤ Iran rejects UN's chief inspector
¤ Eleven die as Gaza factions clash
¤ YouTube Slammed With Another Supoena
¤ Pakistan: Suicide blast at upscale hotel kills 2
¤ Reporter Sentenced for Hacking Voicemail
¤ 4 troops abducted, killed in Iraq attack
¤ Abu Ghraib officer to be court-martialed
¤ Stop the Iran War Before It Starts
¤ IAEA chief says attack on Iran would be catastrophe
¤ Russian caught trying to sell enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb
¤ Settlers defile Palestinian graves under IDF watch
¤ Venezuela's Chavez says U.S. ambassador could be expelled if he keeps 'meddling'
¤ Venezuelan Legislature Rejects US Official's Comments on Enabling Law
¤ Iran's Khatami calls for calm heads in nuclear row
¤ Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq
¤ Escalation of US Iran military planning part of six-year Administration push
¤ Tehran's Influence Grows As Iraqis See Advantages
¤ 'Shocking' video: Shi'a Iraqi soldiers beat Sunnis as US trainers watch
¤ U.S. plans to boost troops, aid for Afghanistan
¤ US pumps $8bn into Afghanistan
¤ Robert Fisk: Money can't close the sectarian divide
¤ Cheap gas or democracy? US's Turkmen problem
¤ Bush faces rising rebellion from fellow Republicans over Iraq
¤ Cheney: Senate Resolution "Won't Stop Us"
¤ Israel tries to cut off Tehran from world markets
¤ Ex-policeman charged over 1964 killing of black teens
¤ Russia and West divided on U.N. Kosovo plan
¤ Mortars and killings shake Mogadishu
¤ Guantanamo inmates said facing worse conditions
¤ Rio gang kills and dismembers 7 as drug war escalates
¤ US pushes Europe on Iran sanctions
¤ Bucking U.S., Afghanistan won't spray heroin
¤ Russia slams U.S. space weapon plans
¤ Report: North Korea bans use of foreign currency

Cheney: Senate Resolution 'Won't Stop Us'
Posted: Thursday, January 25, 2007

The White House reaction to the Senate resolution opposing President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq came from Vice President Dick Cheney. In a word, he was defiant, saying about the general idea of a resolution, "It won't stop us."
Full Article : cbsnews.com

Russia slams U.S. space weapon plans
Posted: Thursday, January 25, 2007

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized U.S. plans for space-based weapons, saying they were the reason behind a recent Chinese anti-satellite weapons test.
Full Article : thestate.com

Stop the Iran War Before It Starts
Posted: Thursday, January 25, 2007

I would strongly urge Congress, both the House of Representatives and the Senate, to hold real hearings on Iran. Not the mealy-mouthed Joe Biden-led hearings we witnessed on Iraq in July-August 2002, where he and his colleagues rubber-stamped the President's case for war, but genuine hearings that draw on all the lessons of Congressional failures when it came to Iraq. Summon all the President's men (and women), and grill them on every phrase and word uttered about the Iranian "threat," especially as it has been linked to nuclear weapons. Demand facts to back up the rhetoric.
Full Article : commondreams.org

January 25, 2007 News
Posted: Thursday, January 25, 2007

¤ Russian influence worrying US: Putin
¤ Kuwait May Abandon Dollar Peg to Protect its Economy
¤ Lights 'not of this world' mystery finally solved
¤ Cheney: Hillary Clinton would not be good president
¤ Pop singer sues for £1m over botched lip implant surgery
¤ NJ Cracks Down on Talking on a Cell Phone While Cycling
¤ Former Black Panther Members Arrested For 1971 Police Killing
¤ Arrests made in 1971 cop-killing tied to Black Panthers
¤ The Next Battle of the Social War:
Nine Black Panthers and state repression
¤ Senators reject Bush's Iraq plea
¤ Britain at odds with US over Iraq troop pullout
¤ Robert Fisk: Hizbollah warn that Lebanon will see more violence
¤ Israel raises nuclear stakes with Iran
¤ Iraq Leaves US Army, Marines Unready for High Intensity War
¤ Iraq Plan May Hamper Domestic Defense
¤ Bush 'wrong' on Iraq, says Fumio Kyuma
¤ 30,000 Additional Soldiers Will Cost $70 Billion
¤ Budget Deficit Estimates See Contraction
¤ Iran a source of tension in Afghanistan's western Herat
¤ US says its has proof Iran is interfering in Iraq
¤ Scant evidence found of Iran-Iraq arms link
¤ Bolten: U.S. following flawed Iran plan
¤ Iraq Shi'ites blast Bush comparison with al Qaeda
¤ MPs condemn Blair for skipping debate on Iraq
¤ U.S. Troop Buildup Planned For Afghanistan
¤ Inside Baghdad: A city paralysed by fear
¤ Musharraf spurns US charges of Taliban help
¤ Palestinian cave dwellers living in crisis

A Fool's Errand in Baghdad
Posted: Wednesday, January 24, 2007

"Let's assume for a moment, that Dick Cheney is the driving force behind the plan to surge in Iraq. Does anyone really believe that the vice president is genuinely concerned about the safety of the Iraqi people?

And, yet, the media still insists that the purpose of the troop-increase is to improve security in Baghdad. Nothing could be further from the truth. The wellbeing of the Iraqi people has never been a factor in the administration's decision-making and it isn't now.

The real purpose of the surge is to pacify Baghdad in order to rebuild confidence among the supporters of the war. Bush needs to prove that he can restore security so the oil giants can make their move and begin developing the world's second largest reserves of petroleum."
Full Article : prisonplanet.com

More Than 700 In Custody After Immigration Sweep -US
Posted: Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The weeklong series of raids in the five-county region targeted illegal immigrants who had previously been deported for crimes or had ignored final deportation orders.

The raids netted 338 illegal immigrants who were arrested at their homes and apartments and 423 who were identified in area jails since Jan. 17. Those already jailed will be transferred to federal custody when they finish serving their state sentences, said Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The sweep netted illegal immigrants from 14 countries in all, including Mexico, Honduras, Ukraine, India, Japan, Poland and Trinidad.
Full Article : nbc4.tv

Ex-dictator Noriega to be released Sept. 9
Posted: Wednesday, January 24, 2007

It's official and final: Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, held in Miami-Dade on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, will be released from prison on Sept. 9 after completing his sentence.

The news was revealed to El Nuevo Herald by Noriega's attorney, Frank Rubino. The release order appears on the official Web page of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Full Article : miami.com

January 24, 2007 News
Posted: Wednesday, January 24, 2007

¤ Chavez Says Castro 'Almost Jogging'
¤ Hillary's Hollywood Friends Switch Sides
¤ Senate panel rejects Bush's Iraq troop plan
¤ Rare sight of ancient shark (Video)
¤ Bush's words on immigration split Hispanics
¤ Kerry Will Not Seek White House in 2008
¤ U.S. Launches New Strikes In Somalia
¤ Mortars hit Somalia's international airport, killing 2, witnesses say
¤ With support gone, Bush stumbles on
¤ Senators eye rejection of Bush war plan
¤ Smears for Fears
¤ The World Agrees: Stop Him
¤ Blair rejects call for Iraq withdrawal
¤ Arab League's Moussa warns U.S. against Iran attack
¤ Ending Folly in Iraq
¤ U.S. launches new air strike on Somalia: report
¤ U.S.-Iraqi troops kill 30 insurgents
¤ Iraqi politicians: Bush ideas not new
¤ Republicans Beat Up on Bush After Speech
¤ Bush Urges Congress, Nation To Give His Iraq Plan a Chance
¤ Bush Challenges Foes of Iraq Troop Plan
¤ CIA fails to finish new intelligence assessment on Iraq
¤ In Iraq, attacks against civilians, Americans grow
¤ Lebanon opposition halts strike
¤ The Choice on North Korea: Fake Money or Real Nukes
¤ Hundreds Deported After LA Sweep
¤ More Than 700 In Custody After SoCal Sweep
¤ Ex-dictator Noriega to be released Sept. 9
¤ Iran: Israel, US will soon die
¤ Democrats slam Bush war policy
¤ 5 Americans killed in Iraq copter crash
¤ Iranian president derides U.S. threats
¤ N Korea helping Iran with nuclear testing
¤ U.S. Warns Iran to Back Down
¤ Home-grown crops the answer to our addiction to oil, Bush tells Americans
¤ President of Israel to be charged with rape
¤ Ethiopian army starts pullout despite attacks in Mogadishu
¤ Robert Fisk: Beirut a violent sectarian battleground
¤ Doctors propose using Afghan opium as NHS pain-killer
¤ US general admits Iraq situation 'dire'

President of Israel to be charged with rape
Posted: Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Israel's attorney general said yesterday he plans to charge President Moshe Katsav with rape, abuse of power and other sexual offences, turning a seven-month investigation into one of several scandals to hit the government.

Mr Katsav, who as president has largely ceremonial powers, will have the chance to make his case in one final hearing before a decision is made to hand down a formal indictment. His lawyers had earlier suggested he would resign if charged, but reports last night suggested he did not intend to quit for now. The president has always maintained his innocence.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

EU states urged to investigate CIA rendition flights
Posted: Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The European parliament today urged member states to investigate so-called rendition flights by the CIA, and condemned the UK for failing to cooperate properly with its inquiry into the matter.

The final report by a European parliament committee said more than 1,200 CIA-operated flights had used European airspace between 2001 and 2005.

It accused some European countries of "turning a blind eye" to the flights, a number of which were allegedly used to transport terrorism suspects illegally.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

Behind the Invasion of Somalia
Posted: Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The truth about the December Ethiopian invasion of Somalia and the January 7-8 U.S. air strikes on the Somalian towns of Afmadow and Ras Kamboni is obscure to most Americans. This makes it easy for the Bush administration to hide its actual intentions behind its ill-defined, illegal, and failing policy known as "the global war on terror." As usual, the bulk of the U.S. media have followed along, focusing their attention on the U.S. air strikes which failed to kill the targeted individuals (who may or may not have ties to Al-Qaeda and who may or may not have even been there), while callously downplaying or ignoring the deaths of as many as 70 non-combatants in the air strikes.
Full Article : politicalaffairs.net

January 23, 2007 News
Posted: Tuesday, January 23, 2007

¤ Protests bring chaos to Lebanon
¤ Katsav faces rape charges
¤ EU states urged to investigate CIA rendition flights
¤ Immigration Sweep Yields 761 Arrests
¤ Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed
¤ Bill: How I'll Support Hill's Run
¤ Behind the Invasion of Somalia
¤ It's official: Ethiopia pulling out of Somalia
¤ Ethiopean troops begin Somalia withdrawal
¤ Somalia: UN Envoy to Attend AU Meeting
¤ Somalia Government junks EU conditions
¤ U.S. says AU force in Somalia by mid-Feb
¤ Venezuela's Chavez tells U.S. 'Go to hell, gringos!'
¤ OPEC Dumps $10.1 Billion of Treasuries as Oil Tumbles
¤ View of US's global role 'worse'
¤ Israeli billionaire Saban biggest donor to US politicians
¤ Intelligence vs. Evidence
¤ Can We Achieve Peace in the Middle East?
¤ Red Ghosts Haunt Eastern Europe
¤ The West Persists in Using Race to Decide Who Can Cross its Borders
¤ Yes, Bush Has Failed This Country
¤ The Pentagon vs. Press Freedom
¤ Speaking Out Now against the Iraq Disaster is Too Little, Too Late
¤ Bush Continues to Unite the World... Against Him
¤ Why Won't the Corporate Press Discuss Bush's Character Problem?
¤ Turning the tables on Washington, Cuba says US harbours terrorists
¤ Few nations follow U.S. in condemning Cuba
¤ Staging Area for Anti-Castro Forces
¤ Aliens in an Alien Land
¤ You wont believe how much the war is costing U.S.
¤ Don't You Love the Smell of Propaganda in the Morning?
¤ Sorry State of the Union Won't be Addressed in Bush's Stupid Speech

Iraq bombings claim at least 100 lives
Posted: Monday, January 22, 2007

A double car bombing wrought more carnage in Baghdad's commercial centre yesterday, killing at least 88 people and injuring more than 150 in an attack that highlighted the task facing President Bush's US troop reinforcements as they prepare a controversial new security strategy for the war-weary Iraqi capital.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

The happiest man in the world?
Posted: Monday, January 22, 2007

To scientists, he is the world's happiest man. His level of mind control is astonishing and the upbeat impulses in his brain are off the scale.

Now Matthieu Ricard, 60, a French academic-turned-Buddhist monk, is to share his secrets to make the world a happier place. The trick, he reckons, is to put some effort into it. In essence, happiness is a "skill" to be learned.

His advice could not be more timely as tomorrow Britain will reach what, according to a scientific formula, is the most miserable day of the year. Tattered new year resolutions, the faded buzz of Christmas, debt, a lack of motivation and the winter weather conspire to create a peak of misery and gloom.
Full Article : independent.co.uk

January 22, 2007 News
Posted: Monday, January 22, 2007

¤ Republican Opposition to Iraq Plan Grows
¤ 'Lame duck' Bush faces struggle to push through new agenda
¤ Iraq bombings claim at least 100 lives
¤ View of US's global role 'worse'
¤ Scientists discover the 'kind' part of the brain
¤ Bestiality film premieres at Redford's Sundance
¤ The happiest man in the world?
¤ What's Behind the ASAT Test?
¤ Impeach Bush - Stop Attack On Iran
¤ Israeli Nuclear Strike On Iran Turned Back By USAF
¤ Netanyahu says Israel should overthrow Hamas government
¤ 250,000 Palestinians fenced in, says report
¤ Latin America continues to move left
¤ The Unthinkable: The US- Israeli Nuclear War on Iran
¤ Lobbyists Find New Congress is Open for Business
¤ Bush the Empire Slayer
¤ War Hits Home in Pockets of Pain
¤ Cheshire Cheney: Menace on a Limb
¤ Baghdad garrison boosted as US losses grow
¤ Top Iraqi condemns US over Iran
¤ War's Arab Supporters Bitter Over Its Results
¤ US envision broad Attack on Iran
¤ Bombs kill at least 78 people in Baghdad
¤ Iraq: With Friends Like These ...
¤ Iraqi PM told Bush to withdraw US troops from Baghdad
¤ War's Arab Supporters Bitter Over Its Results
¤ US under secretary of state: We won't allow nuclear Iran
¤ 'Israel is a nuclear threshold state'
¤ Nato general: we need one more year to defeat Taliban
¤ Czechs give go-ahead for US 'son of star wars' base
¤ After dawn raids... the new scandal
¤ Chavez to U.S.: 'Go to hell, gringos!'
¤ Bush is a picture of defeat
¤ Blair likely to quit if aides charged in loans inquiry
¤ Blast kills four Pakistani soldiers in tribal area
¤ Damascus talks 'fruitful,' but elections not off the table
¤ Why some Democrats worry that Clinton can't win
¤ Serbia faces hard quest for stable majority
¤ EU sets tough line on Iran UN sanctions

US envision broad Attack on Iran
Posted: Monday, January 22, 2007

U.S. contingency planning for military action against Iran's nuclear program goes beyond limited strikes and would effectively unleash a war against the country, a former U.S. intelligence analyst said on Friday.
Full Article : globalresearch.ca

Bombs kill at least 78 people in Baghdad
Posted: Monday, January 22, 2007

At least 78 people were killed and more than 150 wounded Monday after two nearly simultaneous bombs struck a predominantly Shiite commercial area in central Baghdad in the deadliest attack in two months, officials said.
Full Article : news.yahoo.com

Protesters Denounce Illegal Occupation of Somalia
Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2007

Coalition of Concerned Somali-Canadians calls for immediate withdrawal of Ethiopian troops

On January 20, several hundred people protested in front of the US consulate in Toronto to demand the immediate withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia. "Somalia should not be a theatre of proxy wars and the hidden agenda of Ethiopia and its American allies", stated Shukria Dini, an organizer with the Coalition of Concerned Somali Canadians (CCSC), the group that organized the demonstration. The CCSC emphasizes the illegality of the occupation, which violates the principle of state sovereignty enshrined in the UN Charter, as well as UN Resolution 1725, which forbids neighbouring states from deploying troops to Somalia. The occupation is also a violation of the African Union Charter. Dini emphasizes the gendered impact of the occupation, citing reports of Ethiopian soldiers raping women in Somali towns and villages.
Full Article : dominionpaper.ca

January 21, 2007 News
Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2007

¤ AU authorizes deployment of peacekeepers to Somalia
¤ Protesters Denounce Illegal Occupation of Somalia
¤ Meles Zenawi's Invasion of Somalia
¤ Somalia again
¤ Venezuela condemns U.S. for meddling
¤ Kissinger Teams Up with the Neocons
¤ Carter Not Deterred By Criticism Of Book On Israeli, Palestinian Conflict
¤ Rice warns firms Iran may face further sanctions
¤ Netanyahu calls for economic isolation of Iran
¤ Iran Plans to Conduct Missile War Games
¤ Website offers whistleblowers chance to go global
¤ Former Congo rebel wins Senate seat
¤ British soldier killed in Basra
¤ Kelly in new storm over gay law
¤ School bars director from taping Carter
¤ Shalom, Ayalon Respond to Clinton Candidacy
¤ Watada backers indict Iraq war
¤ Most Americans See U.S. in Iraq Beyond 2007
¤ Historians offer dismal Iraq forecast
¤ One-day U.S. toll in Iraq is highest in 2 years
¤ Saturday a deadly day for U.S. in Iraq
¤ Palestinian PM says U.S. aims to topple his govt
¤ Israeli Holocaust trustee blasts Hebron settlers
¤ Kenya sends 34 militiamen to Somalia
¤ Rebels: Government resumes large-scale bombing in North Darfur
¤ Africa: War on the Rescuers
¤ Hillary's stance on Iraq risks outflanking by rivals on left
¤ Afghanistan's Taliban say to open schools
¤ Many soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are on repeat deployments
¤ Borat's easy ... being me is odd

Hillary Clinton Launching Presidential Run
Posted: Saturday, January 20, 2007

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has announced that she is forming an exploratory committee for president, thereby launching a bid to become the first female chief executive of the United States.
Full Article : abcnews.go.com

January 20, 2007 News
Posted: Saturday, January 20, 2007

¤ Britain Admits Awareness of CIA Prisons
¤ Southern Iraqi Tribes Joining Armed Resistance
¤ Draft Law Keeps Central Control Over Oil in Iraq
¤ Marine Corps colonel among critics of new terror trial rules
¤ Pentagon sees U.S. war cost in Iraq rising
¤ Show Me The Intelligence
¤ EU faces split on police powers
¤ 73 Iraqis, 21 GIs Killed; 33 Iraqis,
3 GIs Wounded; U.S. Helicopter Crash Kills 13
¤ 20 U.S. service members killed in Iraq
¤ Militant Tax Evader Prepares for Raid
¤ National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2007
¤ Lebanon opposition to stage national protest strike
¤ Israel sinks deeper into cesspit of defamation, denigration and denial
¤ U.S. plans envision broad attack on Iran: analyst
¤ Democrats warn Bush not to attack Iran
¤ Congress Can Stop the Iran Attack, or Be Complicit in War Crimes
¤ Iran masses troops along borders with Iraq
¤ Clinton Launches 2008 White House Bid
¤ Hillary Clinton Launching Presidential Run
¤ First Bomb Carter; Then Nuke Iran!
The Israel Lobby Trips and Tilts
¤ Parallels to Iraq in US strategy on Iran anger senator
¤ War of words continues over Iraq
¤ Chávez claims Castro is 'battling for his life'
¤ Couple killed, cooked and ate neighbour
¤ Andrea heeded America's call, and paid with her life
¤ Returned Darfuri asylum-seekers face torture and death in Khartoum
¤ No 10 clashes with police over aide arrest
¤ CNN's "Journalism" is a Fool's Paradise
¤ What They Said, and When They Said It

Couple killed, cooked and ate neighbour
Posted: Saturday, January 20, 2007

A Ukrainian couple invited a neighbour round for a drink and then killed and ate him, police said yesterday. The 36-year-old man and his 34-year-old girlfriend spent several hours chatting with the 48-year-old neighbour in the town of Makeyevka.

A fight broke out, and the couple are said to have killed him with a knife and hammer, cut off the tender parts of his body and put them in the fridge, dumping the corpse in a nearby sewer.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

Somalia: The Collapse of the Islamic Courts
Posted: Friday, January 19, 2007

The sudden collapse, in the space of 10 days, of the Somali Islamic Courts as a governing body, and the unconventional military fighting force against the Ethiopian army and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG), provides an opportunity and a threat for Somalis simultaneously.

The situation in the region and in the self-declared Republic of Somaliland is unpredictable and precarious. There is, however, continuity in that the Ethiopian intervention marks just another phase in a long line of outside interference in Somalia, internationally and regionally. The dangers of Islamist guerrillas, Somalis and non-Somalis seeking revenge for what they see as a Western/Christian plot to keep a weak and divided Somalia permanently under their control, and of a relapse into the previous warlord-controlled anarchy, remain high.
Full Article : pambazuka.org

Mortars hit Somali presidential palace
Posted: Friday, January 19, 2007

Five mortars slammed into Somalia's presidential palace on Friday night and gunfire rattled across Mogadishu in the latest violence in chaotic Somalia, witnesses and officials said.
Full Article : scotsman.com

January 19, 2007 News
Posted: Friday, January 19, 2007

¤ With Test, China Contests US Dominance in Space
¤ Eye on Iraq: The strategy of surge
¤ Pro-Armenian journalist shot dead in Turkey
¤ Blair's gatekeeper held over honours 'cover-up'
¤ The West is hoping parliamentary elections will unite Serbs
¤ Somalia: The Collapse of the Islamic Courts
¤ Mortars hit Somali presidential palace
¤ Fears stalking Somalia's capital once again
¤ Attack on Somalia's Presidential Palace Spreads Fear
¤ UN Envoy Talks to African Union On Force to Back Transitional Government
¤ Chavez accuses US-backed company of taping his calls
¤ Dems Seek to Bar U.S. Attacks on Iran
¤ Pelosi: U.S. Not Obliged to Stay in Iraq
¤ Casey: 'Surge' Could Go Home by Summer
¤ Rice's Israel-Palestine 'Peace' Overture
¤ Can Congress Block the Troop 'Surge' in Iraq?
¤ Washing War Crimes at the Washington Post
¤ Diary of a Guantánamo Attorney
¤ Poll: Most Oppose Troop Buildup
¤ An Impartial Interrogation of George W. Bush
¤ N.Korea: Deal Reached in U.S. Nuke Talks
¤ China hails satellite killer - and stuns its rivals in space
¤ Chinese missile destroys satellite in space
¤ Pentagon reveals rules for terror suspect trials
¤ Retired Generals Slam Bush's Iraq Plan
¤ The battle to save Iraq's children
¤ Jesse Jackson: 'All of my heart leans toward Barack'
¤ No-spank bill on way
¤ Abdullah to Haaretz: Jordan will develop nuclear power
¤ "We want nuclear programme; rules in region have changed"
¤ Sundance opens with call to speak out against war
¤ Scientists unravel superbug that kills in 24 hours
¤ Failure is Not an Option!
It Comes Standard with Every Bush Model!
¤ Carter Doesn't Tell the Half of It
How Israel Enforces "Demographic Separation"
¤ "Wiped Off The Map" - The Rumor of the Century

Chinese missile destroys satellite in space
Posted: Friday, January 19, 2007

Britain has joined the US, Japan and Australia's condemnation of China after the communist country destroyed a satellite in space using a ballistic missile.
Full Article : telegraph.co.uk

The battle to save Iraq's children
Posted: Friday, January 19, 2007

The desperate plight of children who are dying in Iraqi hospitals for the lack of simple equipment that in some cases can cost as little as 95p is revealed today in a letter signed by nearly 100 eminent doctors.

They are backed by a group of international lawyers, who say the conditions in hospitals revealed in their letter amount to a breach of the Geneva conventions that require Britain and the US as occupying forces to protect human life.

In a direct appeal to Tony Blair, the doctors describe desperate shortages causing "hundreds" of children to die in hospitals. The signatories include Iraqi doctors, British doctors who have worked in Iraqi hospitals, and leading UK consultants and GPs.
Full Article : independent.co.uk

Crusade Number Four
Posted: Thursday, January 18, 2007

It is an open secret in Washington that the Somalia operation is to be the Bush/Cheney Administration's new model for war against recalcitrant Muslims. The White House failed to convince India or Pakistan to rent their troops for occupation duty in Iraq, but it has succeeded in using Ethiopia's army in Somalia. Ethiopia's repressive regime was only too happy to invade Somalia and received large infusions of aid from Washington. The Administration is duplicating the British Empire's wide scale use of native troops ("sepoys" in India; "askaris" in East Africa) in colonial wars.
Full Article : lewrockwell.com

Iran discovers new onshore oil field
Posted: Thursday, January 18, 2007

Iran has discovered a new onshore oil field with an estimated reserve of two billion barrels, state-run television reported Thursday.
Full Article : jpost.com

January 18, 2007 News
Posted: Thursday, January 18, 2007

¤ Crusade Number Four
¤ 238 Iraqis, 2 GIs Killed; 118 Iraqis, 1 GI Injured
¤ Iraqi PM: 400 Shiite fighters detained
¤ Strikes on US, Afghan Forces Up Fourfold
¤ A blanket ban on Holocaust denial would be a serious mistake
¤ Pelosi Turns Up Heat On Global Warming
¤ Oil Briefly Falls Below $50 Per Barrel
¤ US condemns China 'space weapon'
¤ Iran discovers new onshore oil field
¤ Ahmadinejad be damned
¤ Blair faces Rice after Hain outburst
¤ Israel rewrites history with impunity,
but Iran is vilified for discussing it
¤ Iran: Pieces in Place for Escalation
¤ As Bush's War Strategy Shifts to Iran,
Christian Zionists Gear Up for the Apocalypse
¤ U.S. officials say rumor of Iran strike not true
¤ The War Becomes More Unholy
¤ Smearing Jimmy Carter
¤ Poll: Most Oppose Troop Buildup
¤ Pentagon Sets Rules for Detainee Trials
¤ Maliki laments lack of US backing
¤ Racism gets a reality check
¤ Iran Warns It's Ready for Nuke Standoff
¤ Russia media scorns massive 'terror' alert
¤ Bush Seizes Control Over State Militias
¤ Bill Would Require Congress Approval to Increase US Troops in Iraq
¤ The Shame of Guantanamo Exposed in Cuba
¤ Preparing Us for War with Iran
¤ Iran: Pieces in Place for Escalation
¤ Is the Bush Administration Planning a Nuclear Holocaust?

Racism gets a reality check
Posted: Thursday, January 18, 2007

The alleged racist abuse directed at a Bollywood film star appearing on the Channel 4 reality show Celebrity Big Brother became an international issue yesterday.

In a day of extraordinary developments, Chancellor Gordon Brown was forced to defend Britain against allegations of racism on his first full day of a trip to India.

Mr Brown said he regarded the alleged racist comments made on the programme as "offensive". He added: "I want Britain to be seen as a country of fairness and tolerance. Anything detracting from this I condemn" .

And as the protests grew more vociferous, No 10 was put on the defensive. Tony Blair's spokesman said any perception abroad that Britain tolerated racism had to be "regretted and countered".

Yesterday, Indian TV news was dominated by images of Shilpa Shetty in tears after arguments with flatmates, during which she was allegedly called a " Paki" and a "cunt".
Full Article : independent.co.uk

Hillary Clinton fails to win over critics
Posted: Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Blow to Clinton campaign as effort to win over Iraq critics falls short

Hillary Clinton risked being outflanked in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination yesterday when she revised her stance on the Iraq war but failed to go far enough to satisfy anti-war critics.

Mrs Clinton, who voted for the war in 2002 and has so far refused to repudiate that, took to television and radio studios for a media blitz yesterday morning to set out a new position after a visit to Iraq and Afghanistan last week.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

Somalia and Ethiopia: a new front in the 'long war'
Posted: Wednesday, January 17, 2007

To understand the current crisis in the Horn of Africa you have to look at the role of the US and its "war on terror" – or the "long war" as US rulers are coming to call it. This war is no more about terrorism than previous "humanitarian" interventions were about helping local populations. There are three important things about Africa for the US. Firstly there are natural resources, notably oil.
Full Article : africaspeaks.com

January 17, 2007 News
Posted: Wednesday, January 17, 2007

¤ Hillary Clinton fails to win over critics
¤ Mullah Omar 'hiding in Pakistan'
¤ Secret Court to Govern Wiretapping
¤ Somalia and Ethiopia: a new front in the 'long war'
¤ Clan Divisions Threaten Somalia Government
¤ U.S. Turns Focus to Iran
¤ Despite Charges, No Evidence Iran Sending IEDs to Iraq
¤ US lacks 'explosive' evidence against Iran
¤ Iraq Edges Closer to Iran, With or Without the US
¤ Iran invites IAEA envoys to nuke sites
¤ Ahmadinejad: Israel won't dare attack us
¤ Israel Warns Russia on Iran Arms Sale
¤ Murtha proposes bill to choke funding for surge
¤ And now George Bush has another war in mind
¤ Senators introduce resolution condemning Bush troop surge
¤ VP Tells America To Expect 40 Years Of War
¤ Israeli army chief-of-staff resigns
¤ Bloggers Take on Talk Radio Hosts
¤ Lebanon war claims biggest scalp
¤ 'Execution looked like revenge'
¤ Israel knew of secret peace talks with Syria, say officials
¤ Protection for 'weirdest' species
¤ Iraqis will never accept this sellout to the oil corporations
¤ Paradoxes doom Bush's new strategy in Iraq

January 16, 2007 News
Posted: Tuesday, January 16, 2007

¤ Oil drops 3.4 percent, Saudi says don't panic
¤ Many killed in Baghdad blasts
¤ Saudi Arabia mulls sending troops to Iraq
¤ When will this Nightmare End?
¤ Bush administration provokes open war on Iran
¤ Russian missiles delivered to Iran: Ivanov
¤ Israel's plans to Wage Nuclear War on Iranl
¤ Iran target of US Gulf military moves, Gates says
¤ Venezuela's Chavez Guest of Honor at Ecuadorian President's Symbolic Inauguration
¤ We won't leave, US warns Iran
¤ Israelis, Syrians reach secret understandings
¤ 51% of Women Are Now Living Without Spouse
¤ Timee is Running Out' In Iraq
¤ Service members join war protest
¤ IRAQ: Disease alert after sewage system collapses
¤ Media crackdown in Somalia draws protest
¤ Somalia silences Canadian voices
¤ Kenya peace bid in Somalia 'doomed'
¤ Ethiopian troops hunt down Oromo refugees in Somalia

When will this Nightmare End?
Posted: Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Former Carter national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, summarized Bush's plans for a "surge" of troops in Iraq saying:
"The commitment of 21,500 more troops is a POLITICAL GIMMICK of limited tactical significance and of no strategic benefit. It is insufficient to win the war militarily. It will engage US forces in bloody street fighting that will not resolve with finality the ongoing turmoil and the sectarian and ethnic strife, not to mention the anti-American insurgency."
Full Article : uruknet.de

Many killed in Baghdad blasts
Posted: Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Two bombs exploded near a university in eastern Baghdad today, killing as many as 65 people, police said.

The blasts, close to the al-Mustansriya university, happened as students left their classes in the predominantly Shia neighbourhood.

They came as the UN reported a sharp increase in the number of civilian deaths in Iraq.

AP, quoting police and hospital sources, said the death toll was 65. Reuters, quoting police sources, said 60 people had been killed and another 110 wounded.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

Iran target of US Gulf military moves
Posted: Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Increased US military activity in the Gulf is aimed at Iran's "very negative" behaviour, the Bush administration said today.

The defence secretary, Robert Gates, told reporters that the decision to deploy a Patriot missile battalion and a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf in conjunction with a "surge" of troops in Iraq was designed to show Iran that the US was not "overcommitted" in Iraq.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

January 15, 2007 News
Posted: Monday, January 15, 2007

¤ In Somalia, a Reckless U.S. Proxy War
¤ Somalia: Afghanistan remixed
¤ Mistakes Were Made, but There Is No Mistaker
¤ War Costs are Hitting Historic Proportions
¤ Presidential Candidate Fears "Gulf Of Tonkin" To Provoke Iran War
¤ Bush faces mutiny over extra troops for Iraq
¤ African Union mulls deployment to Somalia
¤ Saddam's top aides hanged
¤ Hanging of Saddam's aides filmed
¤ Saddam aides hanged, anger at beheading "mishap"
¤ Leftist Assumes Presidency of Ecuador
¤ Welcome to Chávez-land
¤ Talk of Israeli Strike in Iran Shows Risks -Rice
¤ America threatens to 'deal with' Iran over insurgents
¤ Big Brother: What it means in Britain today
¤ Blair & Bush: Battling On
¤ Gunning for Somalia

Mistakes Were Made, but There Is No Mistaker
Posted: Monday, January 15, 2007

My, my. Such a great big mess, such a small little space in which to write about it.

I speak of George Bush's new Iraq plan, of course, and his speech last Wednesday night. My mouth was so long agape as he proclaimed one bizarre thing after the next that I fear I began drooling on myself.

And here I find myself struggling to wrestle it all into one coherent bit of commentary. A column should be about only one thing, and I've had to go through a painful process of elimination to zero in on just one thing to write about.
Full Article : commondreams.org

Bush faces mutiny over extra troops for Iraq
Posted: Monday, January 15, 2007

As George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney inveighed against their Democratic critics, the White House tried to prevent a Republican mutiny on Capitol Hill from engulfing the President's bitterly contested decision to send more than 20,000 extra US troops to Iraq.

The moves came as public opposition to Mr Bush's new policy seemed, if anything, to harden, while Congress geared up for what is shaping up as the fiercest constitutional battle over the war-waging powers of a President since the Vietnam war.
Full Article : independent.co.uk

Leftist Assumes Presidency of Ecuador
Posted: Monday, January 15, 2007

Rafael Correa was sworn in as Ecuador's president Monday in a ceremony attended by members of the growing club of leftist Latin American leaders, and he pledged to fight a political establishment widely discredited as corrupt.
Full Article : apnews.myway.com

Niger NGOs to sue US over false accusation
Posted: Sunday, January 14, 2007

Some 30 non-governmental organisations in Niger said on Saturday they are going to sue the United States for nearly two billion dollars for "unfairly accusing" Niger of selling uranium to the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

"Our lawyers are about to file a lawsuit against the US calling for damages of about 1,000 billion CFA francs ($1.9 billion) for the harm suffered" by the country, Moustapha Kadi, president of the Collective of organisations in Niger defending the right to energy (CODDAE).
Full Article : dawn.com

The Logic of a Wider Mideast War
Posted: Sunday, January 14, 2007

White House press secretary Tony Snow dismisses expectations of war with Iran as an "urban legend" and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Peter Pace says that "from a military standpoint" there’s "no need to cross the Iranian border." But there are still strong reasons to suspect the Iraq War may soon spill over to Iran and possibly Syria.
Full Article : consortiumnews.com

Confused About Venezuela?
Posted: Sunday, January 14, 2007

Over the past few days, major newspapers in the United States, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal, have published editorials aggressively and harshly criticizing recent declarations and decisions made by re-elected President Hugo Chávez and his cabinet. A large percentage of the content of these editorials, which reflect the viewpoints of the newspapers, are based on a distortion and misconception of new policies being implemented in Venezuela and the overall way government is functioning.
Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com

January 14, 2007 News
Posted: Sunday, January 14, 2007

¤ Niger NGOs to sue US over false accusation
¤ Unquiet Americans
¤ Nomads Beware!
¤ Confused About Venezuela?
¤ Instead of 'al-Qaeda,' U.S. Kills Nomads in Somalia
¤ British help hunt al-Qa'ida in Somalia
¤ Political Islam is not yet dead in Somalia
¤ Cheney admits expanded military spying role inside US
¤ White House Defends Pursuit of Iranians
¤ Neocon family calls the shots
¤ Absolute Power
¤ Lieberman: 30,000 Nato Troops Needed in Gaza
¤ It Is Time to Rebel Against King George
¤ Iranian Jews Reject Outside Calls To Leave
¤ Another unwanted war
¤ After the surge ... what next?
¤ Shock and oil
¤ Iran, Venezuela agree to thwart 'US domination'
¤ Military Is Expanding Its Intelligence Role in U.S.
¤ Pentagon Viewing Americans' Bank Records
¤ NGOs to sue US over WMD claims
¤ 7/7 ringleader 'was watched since 2003'

Lewah Celebrations in Paramin Village
Posted: Sunday, January 14, 2007

Under the starry night sky, residents of the hillside Paramin Village in Maraval, gathered at the home of the Gregoires to celebrate Lewah, the last day of Christmas. Paramin is renowned for its strong farming community, its annual Parang Festival and perhaps most of all, the traditions of patois, which is a French dialect. It is also called French Creole.

As the Branga Parang Band set up in one part of the yard, people socialized and a large pot of food was being stirred by a friendly Paramin resident who disclosed that Paramin is a place of culture. As the band struck a few chords and stopped, a woman in the audience jokingly shouted that if they did that by her house she would shut the door on them. There was a hearty laughter.
Full Article : triniview.com

January 13, 2007 News
Posted: Saturday, January 13, 2007

¤ Isolated Bush Faces Rebellion Over Iraq
¤ US strikes on al-Qa'ida chiefs kill nomads
¤ Mbeki calls for solidarity on Somalia
¤ The US-Iran-Iraq-Israeli-Syrian War
¤ China, Russia team up against US
¤ 'No proof' of Iran nuclear arms
¤ Operation Cannon Fodder: Bush's Grand Delusion
¤ Somali Islamists say ready for war against Ethiopia
¤ How US forged an alliance with Ethiopia over invasion
¤ Somalia a victim of the war on terror
¤ Pakistan angry at US intelligence chief's terror claim
¤ Blair blames media for anti-war mood
¤ A mendacious attack by Mr Blair to cover up ...
¤ War with Iran and Arming of GCC
¤ Recent US actions could signal Iran conflict

US strikes on al-Qa'ida chiefs kill nomads
Posted: Saturday, January 13, 2007

The herdsmen had gathered with their animals around large fires at night to ward off mosquitoes. But lit up by the flames, they became latest victims of America's war on terror. It was their tragedy to be misidentified in a secret operation by special forces attempting to kill three top al-Qa'ida leaders in south-ern Somalia.

Oxfam yesterday confirmed at least 70 nomads in the Afmadow district near the border with Kenya had been killed. The nomads were bombed at night and during the day while searching for water sources. Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Kenya has acknowledged that the onslaught on Islamist fighters failed to kill any of the three prime targets wanted for their alleged role in the 1998 US embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.
Full Article : independent.co.uk

Mbeki calls for solidarity on Somalia
Mbeki said he agreed with the African Union (AU) and the United Nations that the US air strikes would not help resolve the crisis and could fuel new unrest. "As Africans, we will have to do everything necessary to overcome the old and new historic problems that have placed Somalia on our agenda as an unresolved problem of the African revolution," Mbeki said.

How US forged an alliance with Ethiopia over invasion
Posted: Saturday, January 13, 2007

Xan Rice in Nairobi and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
Saturday January 13, 2007
The Guardian UK

On December 4, General John Abizaid, the commander of US forces from the Middle East through Afghanistan, arrived in Addis Ababa to meet the Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi. Officially, the trip was a courtesy call to an ally. Three weeks later, however, Ethiopian forces crossed into Somalia in a war on its Islamist rulers, and this week the US launched air strikes against suspected al-Qaida operatives believed to be hiding among the fleeing Islamist fighters.

"The meeting was just the final handshake," said a former intelligence officer familiar with the region.

Washington and Addis Ababa may deny it, but the air strikes this week exposed close intelligence and military cooperation between Ethiopia and America, fuelled by mutual concern about the rise of Islamists in the chaos of Somalia.

Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that US military personnel entered southern Somalia this week to verify who was killed in Monday's air strike. It was the first known instance of US boots on the ground in Somalia since the Black Hawk Down catastrophe, when 18 US soldiers were killed by Somali militiamen, the paper claimed.
Full Article : guardian.co.uk

Pakistan angry at US intelligence chief's terror claim
Posted: Saturday, January 13, 2007

The Pakistani government protested yesterday over a claim by the head of US intelligence, John Negroponte, that al-Qaida and Taliban leaders were hiding inside Pakistan.

Since December 2001, when Osama Bin Laden escaped a US-led siege of his Afghan mountain lair at Tora Bora, western intelligence agencies have presumed the al-Qaida leader and his top Taliban allies were hiding in the highland tribal areas along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

However, in written evidence to a Senate committee, Mr Negroponte, director of national intelligence, singled out Pakistan as the location of the jihadist leaders' hideout, arguing that al-Qaida and the Taliban were rebuilding a network there. Mr Negroponte said Pakistan remained a "major source of Islamic extremism".

The comments drew an immediate response from Pakistan's foreign ministry, which insisted the American spy chief should have mentioned the successes against al-Qaida made possible by Pakistani cooperation and suggested that the focus should "remain on cooperation instead of questionable criticism".